Wedinsday, 19 Martij. 6 dies parlia: Rege presente.—Petitione from the Com: of the Generall Assembley to the King and estaits of parliament, read.
The Kings Maiestie and parliament, after weinng of the quere after speit, viz. wither or not it be sinfull and vnlawfull, for the more effectuall prosecutione of the publick resolutions for the defens of the causse, King and kingdome, to admitt such persons to be members of the Comittee of Estaits, quho are nou debarred from publick trust; they being suche as haue satisfied the kirke for the offences for wiche they were excludit, and are since admitted to enter in couenant with ws? This quere ordred to be sent to the Commissioners of the Generall Assembley, wiche accordingly was done by the Earle of Eglintone.
Perth, 20 March, 1651.
A shorte Exhortation and Varning to the Ministers and Professors of this Kirk, from the Commissions of the Generall Assembley.
The eminent danger of religion, Kinge and kingdome, by the vniust invasione of the blasphemous sectariean armey, the sade conditione of our countreymen in the southe pairts of the kingdome, groning wnder the griuous oppression of strangers, deuoringe ther substance and enslauing ther persons; the sade silence in maney congregations, quhosse teachers are driuin into corners by the violence of the enimies, contemners of Gods ordinances, and mockers of his messingers; the adwersaries roring and making a strange noisse in the midest of some congregations; the ineuitable hazard of our deir brethreen to be seduced into pernitious heresies and errors, by the decetfull practisses and speaches of sectaries, that ar coming to deceaue and speake lies in hypocrasie; the innocent blood of our brethreen, murthered by the suord of a merceyles enimey; the sighing of the prissoners, inhumanlie and creuelly wssed by thosse quho keepe them prissoners; the caire of preseruing our posteritie from being sunke wnder the darke dungeon of error, and fast bound with the heauey chaines of bassest slauerey, do cray so loud in the eares of all quho haue eares to heire, and a heart to wnderstand, to be awake and quickned wnto the necessarie deutie of the tyme; that it is ane wounder that aney Ionah should be found fast asleep in so grate a storme, wherin this kirk and kingdome are lyke to be ouerquhelmed: zet the constancie of our deutie, accordinge to the trust committed to ws, and the carriage of some, quho, opprest with a lethargie, lye still, or seassed vpone by a benuming coldnes, moue slowlie; or caried aboute with the vind of strange doctrine, as children are tossed to and fro, and moue contrairlie; constraine ws to lift vpe our voyces, and from the watch touer quherone wee are sett, to giue varning to the professors and ministers of the gospell througheout the land, and to waken them vpe to ther deutey, as they wold awoyd the displeasure of the Almightie, and escape the deserued punishments and censures, wich may be inflicted by judicatories, ciuile and eeclesiasticke, respectiue, vpone deficiences in, and delinquents aganist deutie, according to the degree of ther offence. We exhorte all men vnto repentance, to returne from the eiuell of ther thoughtes and wayes, and to mourne after the Lord; coming to him through the Mediator of the new testament, by quhom wee haue ane attoinment through faith in his blood. It is more then heighe tyme for all to be humbled wnder the mightie hand of God, quho hath cast ws doune, and is able to raisse ws vpe againe, quho hath woundit, and is able to bind vpe our wounds. To this effecte, wee haue appoynted a soleme day of fast and humiliatione, for the causses sent to the seuerall presbeteries.
It is the deutie of the members of this kirke, and subiectes of this kingdome, at this tyme, most cheirfully, wnanimously, and spedily to come out, and concurre in the comon defence of religion, King and kingdome; endangered by the wniust invasion of forraners, according to call and command of authoritie. Let it be seriously layed to harte, how muche blood is spilt; how maney tounes and shyres are spoyled; how miserablie our brethreen are distressed and oppressed; how muche the comon enimey is strenthned, quhill you be only preparing for releiffe; quhatsoeuer is done to the least of them for this causse, is to be takin as done to ws all in generall, and eurey one of ws in particular, according to the expresse word of the nationall couenant; and in pleine tearmes, wee are oblidged by the soleme leauge and couenant, to assist (wich necessarly imports concurrence) and defend all that enter the leauge and couenant, in the manteining therof. Wee obtest and exhorte you, for the intrest wee haue in the comone adwenture of thesse riche goodis, our liues, our liberties, our King, our religion, wich are all embarked in one bottome, that ze abandon not the schipe of the comonwelthe in this tempest; for if the schipe perishe, quhat can be saiffe that is within. If you tender true religion, you see how the sectaries shew themselues plaine enimies therto, and manteine that impious monster of tolleration, thoughe religion wer not the question. Let loyalty to your King, the onlie King in the world quho is in a religious couenant with God and his people, animat you aganist thesse quho are his enimies, becausse he is a King, and becaus couenanted. Cast not offe the caire you ought to haue of your countrie, wich you see manifestly and violently ruined befor your eyes. If thesse will not moue you, (wee speike the language of our worthey reformers, in the lyke caisse of invasione by forraners) remember your wyffes, children and posteritie, your antient heritages and housses; and be sure thesse strangers will not regaird your rights, quheneuer occasione shall serue. And if ye purpois (as wee doutt not bot all thesse quho haue ather witt or manhood will declare, and proue indeid) to brooke your ancient roomes and heritages, defendit valiantly by your courageous progenitors aganist all strangers, inwaders of the same, (suche as the sectaries are this day); if you will not be slaues to them, and haue your lyues, your wyffes, your children, your substance, and quhatsomeuer is deare wnto you cast at ther feette, to be wssed and abussed at the pleasure of strange shouldiers; if ze will not haue experience some day in your auen persons, (as wee suppose the least of you wold not gladlie haue, but wold rather chusse with honor to die in defence of his auen natiue roume, then liue and serue so shamefull a seruitude); then, brethreen, ioyne with the forces of the kingdome, and both with witt and manhood opposse the comon enimey, or els our libertie shall be heirafter deirer bought. Lett non be so vnhappie and mischiwous, and so withdraw himselue heirfrom.
Except men will blot out of ther heartes the loue of religion, cast offe loyalty to soueraine authority; and lay assyde all caire of ther countrey, lawes, liberties and estaits, zea, all naturall affection to the preseruatione of quhatsomeuer is deirest to them wnder the sune, (all being in a visible danger of ruine and destruction) they must now or neuer appeire actiuely, eache one streaching himselue to the wttermost of his power. It is no tyme now to delay nor goe about the bussines by halffes, nor be almost but altogider zealous. The Scripture prononceth him accursed, that doeth the work of the Lord negligently, that cometh not forth to the helpe of the Lord aganist the mightie. If wee haue beine forward to assist our nighbour kingdomes, shall wee neglecte to defend our owen? or shall the enimey of God be more actiue aganist his causse, then his couenanted people for it; God forbid! If the worke shall now miscarey and faill in our handes, throughe our wnfaithfullnes, our auen consciences shall condeme ws, and posterity shall cursse us. Who knowes, bot if wee stand stoutly and steadfastly to it, the Lord may zet command our deliuerance, and shew ws his saluation.
Lett all sortes, both of heighe and low degree, in this kingdome, call to mynde ther soleme couenants; and namlie, that artickell of our national couenant, wich oblidgethe ws not to stay or hinder aney such resolution as by comon consent shall be found to conduce for the endes of the couenant, bot by all meins to further and promoue the same; wich layeth as a bond vpone peoples consciences, reddely to obey suche orders as by the publicke resolutione of the parliament, and Commissione of the Generall Assembley, are found necessarey for the prosecutione of the warr; and that artickell of the soleme leauge and couenant, wich oblidgethe ws not to suffer ourselues, directly nor indirectly, by quhatsomeuer combination, persuasione, or terror, to be dewydit and withdrawin from this blissed wnion and coniunction, or to make defectione to the contrarey pairt, or to giue ourselues ouer to a detestable neutrality in the causse; according to wich artickell, mens reality and integrity in the couenant will be manifest and demonstrable, als weill by ther omissions as commissions: by ther not doing good, as by ther doing euill. He that is not with ws, is aganist ws, and he that gathreth not with ws, scattereth. Since euerey mans not adwenturing his persone, not sending out thesse that are wnder his power, according to publicke order and appoyntment, and not paying the contribution imposed for mantinence of the armey, haue beine formely esteimed a ground of judgeing men enimies, malignants, and couenant breakers, wee vishe it may be the caire of all to shune the wayes that may bring them wnder thesse foull charecters, and quherby they may rune themselues wnder the hazard of the displeasure of God, and censures of the kirke, and no doubt of ciuil punishment also to be inflicted by the stait.
Lett ministers, an the messingers of the Lord, sture vpe others, both publickly, by free and faithfull preaching, and priuatly, by admonishing eurey one of his deutey, as ther shall be occasione, considringe, that silence in the publicke causse, especially in publicke fastis not laboring to cure the dissaffectione of people; not vrging them to constancie and patience in bearing of publick burdens, nor to forwardnes in the publicke causse; that speaking ambigouslie, inclyning to justifie the wicked causse, wtring wordes wiche sauor of disaffection, complaining of the tymes in suche a way as may steall the heartis of people from being good instruments in this worke, and consequently from Gods causse; that some reiding publicke orders, and speckes aganist them in priuat conferences, are reckoned vpe amongest the enormities and corruptiones of ministers in ther callings. By the Generall Assembley, 1646, sess: 4.
And becausse the Commissione of the Generall Assembley, in ther remonstrance to the Conuention of Estaites, 6 Julij, 1643, teaching all trew patriotts and professors of the reformed religion, that they may learne to know and descerne the enimies of the kirke, amongest other markes of malignancey giue this ther offring to presbeteries, in all the quarters of the kingdome, papers contrarey to the declarations of the Commissioners of the Generall Assembley. The Generall Assembley, 1645, in ther seasonable warning, 12 Februarij, gaue thesse characters of secrett malignants and discouenanters, ther slighting or censuring of the publicke resolutions of this kirke and stait; ther laboring to raisse jelosies, diuisions, to retarde or hinder the executione of quhat is ordained by the publicke judicatories; ther censuring and slighting of thesse quhom God hath wsed as his cheiffe instruments in this worke; ther drawing of parties and factions for weakning of the comon vnion; ther endeworing informations and sollicitations, tending to weakin the hartis and handes off others, and to make them withold ther assistance from this worke; enioyning such to be weill marked, tymly discovered, and cairfully awoyed, lest they infusse ther counsells into the mynds of others, quherin they requyre ministers to be faithfull, and presbeteries to be vigilant and impartiall, as they will anssuer the contrarey to God, and to the Generall Assembly, or ther Commissioners. The Generall Assembley, 1646, sessio 10, ordaines, that besydes all vther scandels, silence and ambiguous speaking in the publicke, muche more detracting and disaffected speiche, be seasonablie censured. The Generall Assembley 1647, sessio 27, doeth, in the name of God, inhibit the spreding and dispersing of erronious books or papers, pamphletts, lybills and letters, requyring all ministers to warne ther flockes aganist suche bookes in generall and particular; and particularly aganist suche as are most plausable, insinuatting and dangerous; and ordaines presbeteries and synodes to tray and processe suche as shall trangresse; recommending to ciuile magistrats, that they may be pleassed to be assisting to ministers and presbeteries in the execution of this acte, and to concurre with ther authority for that effecte.
Therfor, for execution of the forsaids actes of Assembley, and preuining the emminent danger of religion, the people of God, and the kingdome, by practisses leading to encourage the heartis and strenthen the handes of enimies, in prosecutting ther wicked practisses and purposes, to make fant the heartis and enfeeble the handes of Gods people, and to seduce ther myndis with diuisiue and seperating counsells and principalls, according to the power and trust committed to ws, and according to the practisses of former Commissions of the Generall Assembley: Wee doe, in the name of God, inhibit and discharge all ministers to preache, and all ministers and professors to detracte, speike or wreatt aganist the lait publicke resolutions and papers of the Commissione of the Generall Assembley, in order to the calling furth of the people for the necessarey defence of the causse and the kingdome aganist the uniust invasione of thosse enimies to the kingdome of God, and to the gouernment of this kirke and kingdome; ore to spred and disperse letters, informations, or aney other papers aganist the same; or in aney other way to obstructe that seruice, tending to the preseruation and defence of religione, King and kingdome: requyring ministers to warne ther flockes of thesse papers in generall, and particularly suche as are most plaussible, insinuating and dangerous; and wee doe seriously recommend to presbeteries, that with all vigilancey, they take special notice and trayell of such persons within ther bounds, wither suche as haue ther station ther, or suche as, in this troublesome tyme, haue ther present residence, ministers ore others, and impartially proceid aganist them, as they will be anssuerable; and to report ane accompt of ther diligence herin to this commissione, from tyme to tyme.