Records of the Kirk of Scotland / containing the Acts and Proceedings of the General Assemblies from 1638 downwards, as authenticated by the clerks of assembly.

by Church of Scotland. General Assembly

Yet ye must not stint your mynds heir; for, if ye doe, ye wrong them by giving them more nor due, and so doe prejudice to the honour of the Majesty of our God; and therefore to ascend higher, I pray, from the meanest instruments that is heir, of Nobles, of Barons, of Ministers, of Elders—goe forward and consider of the Kings Majesties goodnes toward us; for ye know this Assembly was indicted be his Majesties auctoritie, and that his Majesties High Commissioner was heir till it was fullie constitut; and let us take this as a great favour from the Kings Majestie and his Commissioner; and let us stirre up our hearts to pray to God for his Majesties long prosperous reigne over us.

But we must not rest upon the King, but ascend yet higher unto God himselfe, and give him his owne praise; and surelie the name of our God is worthie of all praise; for he has raised us out of the deipes of the earth; he has raised us from the dead, and exalted us very far. The yondest of our wishes was to have bein at our first reformation; and now, in his graceous dispensation, their measures are restoired to us; and, if it be not so, let us blame ourselves; for yee see how the Lord, in his providence, hes given us the occasioun and opportunitie, that all things may be done in the hous of God, according to our former integritie, and which, I trust, I am assured, is according to the will of God. What shall I intreat yow, honorable, reverend, and weill-beloved, to doe, but, first, to consider the great and singular kyndnes—the inestimable favour and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, towards us all, the children of men, redeemed by his blood—that he so loved us, from all Eternitie, that he gave himself to so painfull sufferings, and schamefull sufferings, to purchase the Holy Spirit unto us? And truelie poore Scotland, but rich in respect of the Gospell, may say, that the Lord hes loved us; yea there was never such a love heard tell of as he has borne to us.

Next I would have yow to consider—and I put no question but ye have considerit it—the goodnes of the Lord our God, and his great bountie toward us in this great worke, which now, ecclesiasticalie, is brought to a kynd of conclusion. Remember ye not that our adversaries were at a verie great height of pride? Remember ye not that they prydit themselves in auctoritie, and in their prudence and policie; and if there were any name of learning in the land, they would faine have had it appearing on their syde to be a terrour to ws, whom they thought sillie, poore, ignorant saules, besyde them? And how our sun was almost sett at noone—and we would surelie have died in darknes—except the Lord had appeared and made his light to shyne?

Next, beloved, I would have yow to consider how small the beginnings were, yea, both small, weake, and obscure; and so soone as the Lord toutched the hearts of men of all rankes, from the highest to the lowest of the countrey, and how sensiblie the Lord wrought with many a saule, what light filled their mynds, and what heat filled their hearts! For many old men who wer friezing for cold for want of devotion, they found yet their hearts glowing with the heat that was breaking upon them, at the renewing of that Covenant, and we found the documents of his presence at all our Meetings; for howbeit there were thousands mett together many tymes, there were nothing but quyetnes and peace: and surelie our adversaries themselves have contributed to our conclusions, (thanks be to the Lord that rules all the actiones of men!) for they have wrought more for our ends nor our owne prudence hes done. When our courses failed us, their courses promoved our intentions; and this is the extraordinarie Providence that workes, not only by meanes, but without meanes, and contrare to meanes—contrare to their malicious intentions and purposes that are against ws. And should not we, beloved, remember with thankfulnes the beginnings—these glorious beginnings of reformation in this land—greater pietie—more religious exercises—greater sobrietie, chastitie, and care to keep the bodie from uncleannes—greater care to perform the dewties of righteousnes—not so much craft, crueltie, oppression, falsehood in the land, as was before this work began? And, if it be prosequut, it will appeare to be the worke of God.

But shall we not acknowledge His hand that would have this Assemblie indicted by auctoritie, and his Majesties Commissioner staying till it was fullie constitut; and that the Lord should have keiped ws heir against all sortes of feares quhatsoever; and, being heir, has keiped us in such a wonderfull unitie, and, I trust, also the light of veritie? Surelie this should make ws wonder at the goodnes of God; but especiallie when we consider the comfortable conclusions this Assemblie hes brought to passe. And now, we are quyte of the Service Booke, which was a booke of Slaverie and Service indeed; the Booke of Cannons, which tyed us in spirituall bondage; the Booke of Ordination, which was a yocke put upon the necks of faithfull Ministers; and the High Commission, which was a guard to keip us all under that slaverie. All these evills God hes red us of, and lykewayes of the civill places of Kirkmen, quhich was the splendour of all these evills; and the Lord hes led captivitie captive, and made Lords slaves. What should we doe less, then resolve, first, since the Lord hes granted ws libertie to labour, to be sensible of it, and take notice of it; for we are like to a man newlie awaked out of a dreame, or lyke a man that hes lyen lang in the irons, who, after they are tane off, and he redeemed, he feilles not his libertie, but thinkes the irons are on him still. So it is with us. We doe not feill our libertie; therefore it were good for us to studie to ken the bounds of our liberty wherewith Christ hath sett us free, and then again to labour earnestlie that we be not more intangled with the yoke of bondage; for, ye know, in logicks, a privatione ad habitum non datur regressus. [It is] true—in politick places: these that are great in Court, if once depryved, scarcelie wones to their credit; but especiallie we know it is true in spirituall things, and yet the Lord, miraculouslie and extraordinarilie, can give eyes to the blind, give eares to the deafe, raise the dead; and we find, among ourselves, that once being, in a manner, depryved, at least run on far in a course of defection, the Lord hes been pleased to turn to us, and make us turne to him; but take heid of the second privation—that which depryves our saules of libertie, and rather endure the greatest extremitie utherwayes before we be intangled. I grant the Crosse is hard to looke upon; bot if we get strenth from our Lord, it shall be an easie yoke and burden. Remember the plague of Laodicea for lukewarmnes, and bewar of it; for, ye know, the Lord threatens to spew them out of his mouth, which imports, 1. That he will take delyte in executing judgement upon us, as a man hes delyte when he empties his oppressed stomack. 2. It shall have reproach as a man goes with his vomiting to a backsyde. 3. It imports, that he shall never returne, as a man returnes not to his vomite. Therefore, 1, let us know our libertie; 2, the esteeme of it reverentlie; 3, to use it diligentlie.

Then for our thankfulness—I say it becomes us to be thankfull to the Kings Majestie, under whose peacable protection we have had this libertie to convine together; and, truelie, I would recommend to yow, with your permission, two things—the ane is, we would not cease for any thing is come or can come, or is feared to come, to pray most ferventlie, and to indure in prayer for our graceous Sovereigne and King, whom God hes ordained to be our supreme Magistrat, and to pour out our hearts on his behalfe, that it would please God to blesse him with all royall blessings. In all our preachings we would be carefull to recommend his Majestie to the People. We ought, indeed, so to doe; for it is the Lords will that we doe it; and next unto Christ let him have the highest place; for howsoever the fifth command be a precept of the second table, yet it is next unto the first, teaching us, that next unto our dewtie to God we owe dew reverence to these that are in places above us: Therefore, when ye heare evills reported, attribute them not to his Majestie, but to misinformation. Ye that are acquainted with that storie, Numbers 22, of Balaam and Balack, ye will find that God spak to Balaam. Balaam minsched it, and what Balaam spak to Balacks servands they minched it lykewayes; for Balaam said—“The Lord will not give lieve to goe,” and the servands said, “Balack.” Balaam said—“He will not come.” So it comes to pas many tymes with true Prophets, that God will not give us lieve to doe this or that.

But it is said to the King—“This rebellious People will not doe this or that,” and he cannot understand but what he heares; therefore we should pray to Him who hes the hearts of Kings into his hand, and the keyes of all his senses, that he would convey knowledge to his Majesties royall heart, that he may understand matters aright; and we put no question but when he understands our proceedings, which hes been with respect to religion and loyaltie to him, he will think so weill of them, that he will vouchsafe his approbation and royall ratification to them in his owne tyme, which God grant.

Then, for these Nobles, Barrons, Burgesses, and others who have attendit heir, this I may say confidentlie, and from the warrand of the Word—“These that honour God, God will honour them.” Your Lordships, and these worthie Gentlemen and Burgesses, who have bein honouring God, and giving testimony ample of your love to religion this time bygane, (though I will not excuse your former backslydings,) that, if ye will goe on, the Lord shall protect you, blesse you, honour you; and your faith shall be found in the day of the revelation of Jesus Christ, unto praise, honour, and glorie—that is to say, these that speake evill of you shall praise you; these that thinkes you foolish now, at that day shall confesse you were zealous; these that dishonoured you shall honour you; or, as the word ‘glorie’ imports, that they shall have a reverend opinion of you; nay, even in this world, your faith, devotion, and zeale shall be found unto praise, honour, and glorie; and the Lord shall returne you ane hundreth fold more in this lyfe, and, in the world to come, lyfe everlasting.

And I must say one word of these Nobles whom Jesus Christ hath nobilitat indeed, and declaired sensiblie to be worthie of that title of nobilitie. Ye know they were lyke the tops of the mountaines that were first discovered in the deludge, which made the little valleyes hope to be delyvered from it also; and so it came to passe. I remember, in the eastern countrie, where they worship the sun, a number being assembled earlie in the morning to that effect, all stryving who shall sie the sun first, a servand turned his face to the west, and waited on. The rest thought him a foolish man, and yet he got the first sight of the sun schyning on the tops of the western mountaines. So, truelie, he would have bein thought a foolish man that would have looked for such thinges of our nobilitie; yet the Sun of righteousnesse hes beine pleased to shyne first upon these mountaines; and long, long may he shyne upon them, for the comfort of the hilles and refreshing of the valleyes; and the blessing of God be upon them and their families; and, we trust, it shall be seene to the generations following.

As for us of the ministry, we have caus to praise the Lord that hes had such a peacable meetting heir, and that the Lord hes led us on in peace and trueth; that there hes beine no difference worthie of consideration amongst us. It is a rare thing to sie such a harmonie; scarce hes the lyke beene seene in any nationall Assembly.