We were greatly refreshed to hear by Letters from our Commissioners there with you, and by a more particular relation from the Lord Waristoun now with us, of your praise-worthy proceedings, and of the great good things the Lord hath wrought among you, and for you: Shall it seem a small thing in our eyes, that the Covenant (the foundation of the whole Work) is taken? That that Antichristian Prelacy with all the traine thereof is extirpate? That the door of a right entrie unto faithful Shepherds is opened; many corruptions, as Altars, Images, and other Monuments of Idolatry and Superstition removed, defaced and abolished; the Service-Book in many places forsaken, and plaine and powerfull preaching set up; the great Organs at Pauls and Peters taken down; That the Royal Chappell is purged and reformed, Sacraments sincerely administrate, and according to the paterne in the Mount; That your Colledges, the Seminaries of your Kirk, are planted with able and sincere Professors? That the good hand of GOD hath called and kept together so many pious, grave, and learned Divines for so long a time, and disposed their hearts to search his Truth by their frequent Humiliations, continuall Prayers, and learned and peaceable debates? Should not all and each one of these stir up our souls to blesse the Lord, and render both you and us confident, that he who hath begun the good Work, will perfect it, and put the Cope-stone upon it; That the beauty of a perfected Worke may shine to all Nations, and we may say and shout, Grace, grace, unto it; that the time may be when full liberty and leasure shall be to all the Builders of the House of GOD, to give themselves with both their hands to the building up and edifying the people of GOD in these things that belong to life and Godlinesse, to the making of them wise to salvation, and throughly furnished to every good work, and when the Lord shall delight to dwell more familiarly, and to work more powerfully in, and by his throughly purified ordinances? That you, afflicted and tossed with tempests and not comforted, shall have your stones laid with fair Colours, your foundations with Saphires, your Children shall be taught of GOD, and shall have great peace, and no Weapon framed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that riseth against you in Judgement shall bee condemned; That the Lord will awake as in the ancient dayes, as in the generation of old; That the Redeemed of the Lord shall come unto Zion with singing, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
And as we are confident that the Lord who heareth Prayer, and hath promised to guide his servants into all truth, will bring your labours to a comfortable conclusion: So do all the Reformed Kirks, and the Kirk of Scotland above all others extreamly long for the taste of the fruits of their pious labours and continual pains: And so much the more, that we have suspended some materiall determinations amongst our selves, upon expectation of Uniformity; and that in the meane time as many scandalous Papers come to our view, and to the hands of the people here, for libertie of conscience, toleration of Sects, and such Practices as are contrary to the Doctrine, Government, and Peace of all the Reformed Kirks. For stopping and suppressing whereof, as wee doubt not, but your Wisedome, and the Authority of the Honourable Houses of Parliament will use some more effectuall means; So do we hope that your Determinations shall carry such evidence of Divine Truth, and demonstration of the Spirit, that those unhappy Clouds of darknesse shall be so scattered, that they shall be no more gathered nor appear hereafter, to the dishonour of God, the prejudice of his truth, and the scandalizing of so many Souls for which Christ hath dyed.
We doe with hearty thankfulnesse resent all the kindnesse and respect you have shown to our Commissioners, and your high esteeme of them in love for the Works sake; Although their presence here would be very comfortable unto us, very steedable to the publick, and necessar in respect of their great and important particular charges and Stations; yet do we willingly dispense with all, yea nothing shall be too dear unto us, so that this Work be finished with joy, and Jerusalem made the glory and praise of the whole Earth: Because of the house of the Lord our God, we will seek her good: For our Brethren and Companions sake, we will now say, Peace be within her Walls, prosperity within her Palaces.
Subscribed in name of the Generall Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland, by the Moderator of the Assembly.
Edinburgh, 4 June, 1644.
The Assemblies Answer to their Commissioners at London.
Reverend and Beloved Brethren,
IT would have been the rejoycing of our hearts, and the lightning of our countenances, to have seen your faces, and injoyed your presence here with us, especially, should yee have arrived unto us loaden with the spoils of Antichrist, the Trophees of the Kirk of Christ, and the long-longed-for fruits of your painfull labours: But seeing it hath pleased the Lord whose Interest in the businesse is main and principall otherwise to dispose, it doth become us with all humility to submit to his good pleasure, with faith and patience to attend his leasure, for he that beleeveth maketh not haste, and with more frequency and fervencie in prayer seek to him who will be sought for these things, and having begun the good work will perfect it, and double the benefit by bestowing it in a more seasonable time unto us.
We have not been a little refreshed with your Letters sent unto us and the Commissioners of the preceding Assembly, and with these from the Reverend Synod of Divines, the answer whereof you will be pleased to present unto them: By all which, and more particularly by a full Relation from the Lord Waristoun a faithfull witnesse and a fellow-labourer with you there, we see and acknowledge that by the Lords blessing, the Progresse of the Work is already more than we can overtake in the course of our thankfulnesse, that your labours are very great, your pains uncessant, your thoughts of heart many, that ye endure the heat of the day; but being confident of your patient continuance in wel-doing, and that your labours shall not be in vaine in the Lord, wee have renewed your Commission, and returned the Lord Waristoun unto you, according to your desire, that ye may prosecute that great Work which the Lord hath blessed so farre in your hands.