ring water out of flint than prove this consequence out of my
title-page. Although I confess himself hath affirmed divers things of the
church of Scotland which he doth not understand, as I have made plainly to
appear. If he take a review of the title-page of his _Re-examination_, he
gives more ground for this consequence,--that Mr Coleman is the only man
that denies himself; others seek great things for themselves. Or from the
title-page of his _Male Dicis_ this consequence will be as good,--that Mr
Coleman is the only man that blesseth; others are revilers.

Fifthly, Thus saith Mr Coleman, "O ye honourable house of Parliament, take
you notice that you manage that great place of yours under Christ and for
Christ: He is your head, and you are his servants; and take you notice
withal that Mr Gillespie accounts this your reproach," _Male Dicis
Maledicis_, p. 17. But O ye honourable house of Parliament, be pleased to
take notice of my own plain expression of my mind in my _Nihil Respondes._
p. 13: "The Christian magistrate manageth his office under and for Christ,
that is, so as to be serviceable for the kingdom and glory of Christ." And
now judge whether it be suitable to the sincerity and candour of a
minister of the gospel to endeavour to make me odious to authority, by
imputing to me that which not only I did not say, but the contrary whereof
I did plainly express. The thing which I charged his doctrine with was
this, that by holding all government to be given to Christ as Mediator,
and from him, as Mediator, derived to the magistrate as his vicegerent, he
shaketh the foundation of magistracy. I am sure that which I hold, that
all lawful magistrates are powers ordained by God, and are to be honoured
and obeyed as God's vicegerents, is a firm and strong foundation for
magistracy. But that which Mr Coleman and Mr Hussey hold, viz., that the
Christian magistrate holdeth his office of, under, and for Christ, as he
is Mediator, and doth act _vice Christi_, as Christ's vicegerent, gives a
most dangerous wound to Christian magistracy, which I can demonstrate in
many particulars. I shall now give instance only in these few: First, They
must prove from Scripture that Christ, as Mediator, hath given a
commission of vicegerentship to Christian magistrates, and appointed them
not only to be serviceable to him, and to do his work (for that they must
serve Christ, and be for his glory, is not controverted, nay, can never
enough be com