The Commissioner said—I doe insist in this for no other end truelie but that I have alreadie said. Since I am requyred to delyver my opinion, I may doe it upon my knowledge; and I doubt nothing but if the gifts and worthe of many reverend men who are here were knowen unto me, but it might be I should voice with them; but truely, by my insisting for this, I feir I wrang the end I goe about, and I know not weill how to expresse myselfe in it, and safe myselfe from seeming to give ground of feires of that I seeke to eschue, to witt, that I am free of prejudice. Alwayes I name the Moderatour for no other end (as God shall save me) but becaus I thinke him both ane honest man and ane able man, and I thinke this doeth nather establische a constancie of Moderatours nor open a doore to it; for though our Judgments doe now find yow to be the man whom we inclyne to, yet since it is not the freedome of voiceing, I thinke yow have no more interest in it then any upon the list; and if I now urging this as a priviledge due to my Master, or if I were urging that my nominating of ane should make the Moderatour, it were much; but let everie Member of the Assemblie consider of it, and of everie readie way to facilitat this matter in hand; for if I knew any man so able to supplie that roume as the Moderatour, certainlie I should name him.
The Moderatour answered—By your Graces Speache, some may take great advantage to thinke that your Grace doeth contradict his Majesties late Declaration;[233] becaus its said there, yow may verie well judge what could be wiselie done in that Assembly when they had such an ignorant Moderatour: and now your Grace giving me such a large testimonie, doeth directlie contradict his Majesties printed Declaration. But I correct myselfe. I trust it shall be found not to be his Majesties Declaration.
The Commissioner answered this with silence.
The Moderatour after added—We have great reason to blesse our God and to give humble and heartie thankes to the Kings Majestie for this peaceable and free Assemblie; but we have so many jealousies upon the Usurpation of the Prelats in tyme past, that in trueth at the very first we scarre and are so affrayed, that we darre not meddle with any thing of that kynd. It savours of a constant Moderatour—the first step of Episcopacie; and, in trueth, I have not a mynd to be a Bishop.
Ye might have bein ane.
It was questioned if the former Moderatour could be ane in the new list?
Mr John Row said he had seene Assemblies this 5O yeares, and, to his judgement, he never saw it that the Moderatour of the former Assemblie was put on the list with these that were to be Moderatour the next Assemblie; nevertheless, it was instanced out of the Assemblie Bookes, that the same Moderatour have been sometymes continued Moderatour of the next Assemblie.
It was condescendit upon that Mr Alexʳ Hendersone should be added to the list. The list was read and the rolles called, and Mr David Dick was chosen Moderatour by the farr greatest part of the voices, who after the acknowledgement of his owne weaknes imbraced the office; and having a calling from God and the honourable Assembly. Mr Alexʳ Henrysone, randering most heartie thankes to the Assemblie for their charitable construction of his weaknes, and wishing that no man should faygne any abilitie unto himselfe, dimitted his place.
Mr David Dick, Moderatour, his Speach.
The Moderatour, at his first entrie to the place, had this preface. This is more than we durst have craved of God, if we had looked to our oune deserving; but since it hath beene His Majesties pleasure who rules heaven and earth, to looke upon our Gracious King; and move his heart to grant this freedome, we have reasone all of us to acknowledge Gods mercie to his Majestie and to us, and to acknowledge his Majesties goodnes, and to make verie welcome your Grace who is to represent his Majestie; and I trust this Assembly will allow me verie weill to give thankes to the Moderatour who served in this roume last, who, whatsoever you thought or said, God magnified himselfe in yow, and made your honestie and the caus in your hand cleare to many; and to those to whom ye were most calumniat, so that both the Kings Commissioner and Councell have seene that yow have beene seeking God onlie, and no other thing—and the Lord bless yow! Now, as the Commissioner spacke verie fitlie that jealousies and suspitions would be farr away, becaus they are contrare to the designes professed by His Majestie, and whereof we have this evidence; and contrare to the designes of ws ministers, who ought to be ministers of peace, ayming at nothing but Gods glorie and the weill of his Church: Therefore let us labour by all meanes to get owr hearts single; becaus in so doing owr God will helpe us. And first, to thinke of overtures, how we may extirpat all grounds of suspition and jealousie which might be in brethrens hearts, becaus of the differences of judgments about the discipline of the Church, and that ceremonies that she has beene troubled with, may be turned in perpetuall oblivion. And seeing there is in us ane mynd and heart toward God and peace, let us think upon some overtures, how we may open the bosome of this Kirk to all these who are penitent, or in any measure sensible of their misdeservings, (no these who deserves most expected, if the Lord gives them repentance), seeing we are these who professed ourselves to be men seeking God, trueth, and peace. Yea thirdlie, let us give evidence that we are single hearted toward these that are of a contrare religion, and that we have no mynd to insnare them, or handle them so as their owne consciences, upon their owne grounds could say, considering our rules, but rather how we shall get them informed of their scruples, heard, attendit, and waited upon, and by all meanes their mynds brought to this poynt of conviction that they know nothing but God and their owne salvation, and all in a very moderat maner.