Presbyterian Church -- Sermons; Sermons, English; Theology -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- 17th century
Mr. M’Ward assures us, That if Dr. Strang’s dictates _De Voluntate Dei
circa peccata_(128) had been published before Mr. Binning’s death, Mr.
Binning had an examen of them ready for the press. But this treasure, to
the great loss of the learned world, cannot now be found. As for his
philosophical writings which he taught in the University, I am assured
that his course of philosophy is in the hands of a learned gentleman in
this city, who gives them an high commendation.
There is a book published under his name in 4to, consisting of fifty-one
pages, with this title, “An Useful Case of Conscience, learnedly and
accurately discussed and resolved, concerning associations and
confederacies with idolaters, infidels, heretics, malignants or any other
known enemies of truth and godliness.” But it is very much questioned by
the most intelligent, if that book was really Mr. Binning’s. The
publisher does indeed put Mr. Binning’s name to the title page, but
conceals his own, and he brings no manner of voucher, showing that Mr.
Binning was the author, but sends it abroad into the world in a
clandestine manner. Neither the name of the printer, nor of the place
where it was printed is mentioned in the title page.(129) It was printed
in the year 1693, when the first General Assembly of this church after the
Revolution, which consisted of both Public Resolutioners and Protesters,
had agreed to bury for ever all their differences about the Public
Resolutions, concerning the question of employing malignants in the army,
that was raised against the kingdom of England. It seems that he dreaded
the frowns and censure of those worthy and faithful ministers of Jesus
Christ, who had been a long time in the fire of persecution. But if we
further consider, that our late glorious deliverer, King William, was in
the year 1693 engaged in a defensive war with the Emperor of Germany and
the King of Spain, against Louis XIV., the bloody tyrant of France and
terror of Europe, who aimed at the universal monarchy thereof, and to
overturn the happy revolution, the blessed benefits of which we have
enjoyed ever since, it is evident, that the publisher was afraid of the
resentment of the civil powers, especially when the spreading of that
pamphlet might have an unhappy tendency to alienate the affections of his
subjects, when he was carrying on that just and necessary war, for the
preservation of our civil and religious liberties, to which we had been
but lately restored. Nay, it is said, that when this pamphlet was
spreading in the army in Flanders, it was like to have a bad influence on
the soldiers, which made King William take an effectual method to suppress
it. Further, Mr. Binning died in the year 1653, and this pamphlet was not
published till the year 1693, so that, for the space of forty years it was
never heard of nor made public by any of the Protesters themselves in that
period, which would not have been neglected, had they known that Mr.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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