Thirdly, That your Lordships may be pleased to consider, that as nothing will more diminish His Majesties Greatness, than that this Kingdom should consume in Civil War; so nothing will more conduce to the Suppressing of Insolent Papists, malignant, schismatick, and Disloyal Brownists, and Separatists, the special, if not the sole promovers of these unhappy Misunderstandings, than that heartily and freely, without respect of worldly and secondary Considerations, we give to Christ what is Christ’s, and to Cæsar what is Cæsar’s; by means whereof, the Truth and Purity of Religion shall be established, to the utter Confusion of all these Sectaries, true Monarchical Government firmly setled; by which likewise, Laws and Authority shall retain their ancient vigour and force, to the Suppression of all Commotions and tumultuous Conventions, the bane and overthrow of all true Religion and Policy.
Fourthly, Although there be nothing farther from our minds, than to presume to question, or crave of your Lordships an account of your Actions, knowing perfectly by the inviolable Laws and Customes of this Kingdome, that to be only proper and due to the King and Parliament, from whence you have that great Charge and Trust delivered unto you: yet we hope your Lordships will give us leave, in all Humility to remember your Lordships of your Deliverance, June 1642, and are confident, that the said Lords, the Petitioners, neither have, nor shall have, necessity to trouble themselves, nor the Council with Supplications of this kind, and that your Lordships in your Wisdom will take some Course for preventing all occasions, which may in any sort disturb the Peace of this Kingdom, or make Division among the Subjects thereof.
1643.—February.
12. Answer by the King to the Scots Commissioners at Oxford.[315]
His Majesty commends the Zeal of the Petitioners for the advancement of the true Reformed Religion, against Heresy, Popery, Sects, Innovations, and Profanity, and always shall use His best and uttermost endeavours, for the Advancing the one, and the utter Suppressing the rest.
For the Unity in Kirk-Government, His Majesty knows, that the Government now established by the Laws, hath so near a relation and intermixture with the Civil State, (which may be unknown to the Petitioners) that till a composed digested Form be presented to him, upon a free debate by Both Houses of Parliament, whereby the Consent and Approbation of the whole Kingdom may be had, and He and all His Subjects may discern what is to be left, or brought in, as well as what taken away, He knows not how to consent to an Alteration, otherwise to such an Act for the ease of Tender Consciences, in the matter of Ceremonies, as His Majesty hath often offered.
And His Majesty hath formerly expressed Himself (and still continues) willing, that the Debates of Religion may be entred into by a Synod of Learned and Godly Divines, to be regularly chosen, according to the Laws and Customs of this Kingdom; to which end His Majesty will be very willing, that some Learned Divines of the Kirk of Scotland may be likewise sent to be present, and offer their Reasons and Opinions.
1643.—April 19.
13. Last Answer by the King to the Scots Commissioners.[316]
It is acknowledged by His Majesty, that if any one of the Articles of Treaty had been broken or violated, (as His Majesty doth not so much as see pretended) or any Debate or Difference had risen thereupon, (about which there is now no Dispute) the Commissioners had then been not only warranted, but obliged to have laboured to prevent all Troubles and Divisions, which might arise by such a Breach to the disturbance of the Common Peace, and to remove and compose all such Differences, according to such Power as was granted to them: but till His Majesty be satisfied, that Authority (by some Law) is given to the Commissioners for Conserving the Articles of Treaty, to represent His Majesties Native Kingdom of Scotland, in this Offer of Mediating for a desired and blessed Pacification here; His Majesty cannot see how the pious, dutiful, provident or charitable, Concernment of that Kingdom in the Calamities of this, or their Sympathy and sense of the Troubles of their Head, and fellow-Subjects, can interest the Commissioners, any more than any other of His good Subjects of that Kingdom, to bestir themselves in Matters of that kind: or why any such Endeavours should be by any (much less universally) expected from them; so far is he from seeing that any undeclinable Necessity constrained them to it. And since the express words of the Act of Pacification it self are, that the Power of the Commission shall be restrained to the Articles of Peace concluded in the Treaty, His Majesty cannot but wonder, whence they can pretend any Obligation or Authority to meddle with, or press him concerning any such Articles, as are not included, but still left dependent, how important soever they suppose them to be, (even to the Common Peace:) And it giving them only liberty to convene to that effect among themselves, or with the Commissioners chosen by His Majesty with consent of the Parliament of England, and restraining them in all their Proceedings to the Power granted to them, in manner aforesaid and no otherwise, as clearly intending to restrain all Power that might be pretended to by any Inferences, Analogies or Consequences (how manifest soever they might appear) and requiring them to consist of the number of Twelve, and not giving them Power to delegate a smaller number; His Majesty cannot consent, That that number the Laws allow not (that is, Three) should address themselves to those the Law hath not appointed them (this is, Both Houses) not only concerning that which the Law intrusted not to them, (as a Pacification here) but even concerning that from which the Law expressly restrains them, that is, one of the Articles of the Treaty no way concluded, or agreed on, but expressly reserved by the Parliament to be considered in due time, that is, in their own time, concerning Church-Government, the intermixture of which with the Civil State, as His Majesty still conceives to be very great, and of very high Concernment, and not to be understood by the Commissioners, who have not the knowledge of the Laws and Policy of this Kingdom; so His Majesty is confident, (notwithstanding the Declaration, and Bill abolishing the Order of Bishops) that if they well knew, how generally any thing of that kind was opposed whilst the Houses continued full, and how the Major part of both Houses were absent at the passing of that Declaration and Bill, (in so much that His Majesty, is credibly informed, that there were not above five Lords present when the Bill past) and what violent and tumultuous Assemblies had occasioned so great and unusual Absence, they would be confident, as he is, that in a full and peaceable Convention of Parliament, Both Houses will appear to be of the same opinion with His Majesty in this Particular, and to have in that the same thoughts of the Law and Policy of this Kingdom.