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

Mr Tho: Hendersone.

2 Sept: being Tuesday, by the brecke of day, our armey being in grate security, hauing left the hill, a grate pairt of them (wich was ther strenth and forte) wer surprissed and routted by Cromwell and the sectarian armey; maney takin of the footte, maney woundit, and about 8 or 900 killed.

At Stirlinge, the 12 of Septem: 1650.
A shorte Declaratione and Varninge to all the Congregations of the Kirke of Scotland, from the Commissioners of the General Assembly.

Albeit the Lord, quhosse judgments are vnsearchable, and quhosse wayes past findinge out, hes brought the land werey low wnder the hand of ane prewaillinge enimey. Zet must wee not forbeare to declaire the mynd of God, nor vthers refusse to harken therto. It wer superfluous to giue anssuer to the maney calumnies and reproches that are blazed abroad; for albeit in eurey thing wee cannot justifie the conducte of the armey, zet wee hold it our deutie to desyre eurey one not to beleiue groundles reports, bot rather to eye the Lord, and looke vpe to the hand that smytts them. And therfor, in the first place, wee exhorte and varne all the inhabitants of the land, to searche out ther iniquities, and to be deeplie humbled befor the Lord, that he may turne away his wraith from us. The Lord hath wounded ws, and chasteissed ws sore; wiche sayes, that our iniquities are muche, and that our sins are incressed. It concerneth the King to mourne for all the griuous prouocations of his fathers housse, and for all his auen guiltines; and to consider if he hes come to the couenant, and joyned himselue to the Lord, vpone politicke intrests, for gaining a croune to himselue, rather then to aduance religione and righteousnes; that it is iniquitie quhilk God will not forgett, excepte it be speedilie repented offe. It concerns our Nobles and Judges to consider wither ther carriadge in publicke matters be straight and equall, or rather sauoring of seeking themselues and the thinges of this worlde; and how they walke in ther families, and in ther priuat conuersations. Ther is in maney a grate deall of peruersnes and incorrigiblenes in regard of forsaking some and performing some deuties, notwithstanding publicke confessions and ingagements; and this cannot bot heighlie prowock the Lord. And it concerneth the officers of the armey, especially thesse quho are cheiffe among them, to weight weell quhat the Lord hes aganist them, and to repent of ther diffidence and carnall way of acting and underwaluing of Gods people. And ministers haue also neid to searche themselues concerning ther faithfullnes to be sound, for wiche God is angrie; doubtles euen amongest thesse is muche negligence. Albeit the Lord hes suffred that armey of perfideous and blasphemous sectaries to prewaill, zet God forbid that the land should complay with him, quhateuer may be the plauseable and faire carriage of some of that enimey, zet doubtles, ther is ane lewin of error and hypocrassy amongest them, wich all the lowers of treuth wold decern and awoyd. As the Lord hes trayed the stabilitie and integritie of his people in the land heirtofore, by the prewailling of malignants, so doeth he now tray them, by the prewailling of sectaries; and wee trust they will thinke it ther deutie and commendatione to proue staidfast against them, als weill as the other.

3. Nather wold men be lesse cairfull and actiue to opposse the enimey, than they haue beine in opposing malignants heirtofor; our religione, liues, liberties and estaits, are als muche in hazard now as euer; all the ordinances of Jesus Christ in the land are in danger, and the foundatione lyke to be ouerturnid by thesse men quho are oblidged, by the band of the couenant, to manteine all thesse; and it wer a grate guiltines to ly doune and complay and crutche vnder the burden of the strange impositions that they will lay wpone ws, and as men without head, to suffer our land to be brought in bondage, and ourselues to be robbed of all thesse thinges quhilk are most presious and deire to ws. If wee should doe so, the Lord wold be angrie with ws, and our posterity could not bot cursse ws.

4. Wee wold not think that all danger from the malignants is now gone, seing that ther is a grate maney suche in the land, quho still retein ther former principalls; therfor we wolde, with als muche watchfullnes and tendernes now as euer, awoyde ther snars, and beware of complayance and coniunctione with them; and take head, that wnder a pretence of doing for the King and kingdome, they gett not power and strenth wnto ther handes, for adwanceing and promoueing ther old malignant desseinges. Doubtles our saftie is in holding fast our former principalls, and keeping a straighte faithe, without declyning to the right hand ore to the lefte.

5. It concernes all the inhabitants of the land to bewarre of murmuring and complaning aganist Gods dispensations, and questioning the treuthe and goodnes of our causse, or quarreling with God, or blaming or casting of the couenent, becausse of aney thing that hath befallin them, that wer a grate iniquitie not to be pardoned. Lett ws beare the indignatione of the Lord patientlie, becausse wee haue sinned against him, wntill he plead our causse and execut judgment for ws; he will bring ws fourthe to the light, and we shall behold his righteousnes.

Causes of a soleme publicke humiliatione upone the defait of the armey, to be keepit throughout all the congregations of the Kirk of Scotland.

Albeit soleme publicke humiliations hes beine muche slighted, and gone about in a formall way by maney in this land, so that it is not one of the least of our prouocations, that wee haue drawin neire to God with our mouthes, and keepit our hartes fare from him; for wich the Lord hath turned the wisdome of the wysse unto foollishnes, and the strenthe of the strong men unto weaknes; zet seing, it is a deutie that hath oftin prowin confortable to wswards, God doeth nou call ws in a speciall way by a singular peice of dispensatione; and knowing that all quho are acquanted with God in the land will make conscience of it, wee conceaue it expedient that the quhole land be humbled for the causses follouing:

First, The continued ignorance and profanitie of the bodie of the land, and the obstinacey and incorrigiblenes of maney, notwithstanding of all the caires that God hath takin vpon ws by his word, and by his workes of mercey and judgement, to teache ws in the knowledge of his name, and to refraine ws from the eiuell of our wayes.