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

In Apryle, this zeire, the Commiss: of the Generall Assembley mett at Falkland; they wrett letters to the Committees of Estait and for the Armey, that they wold now leaue the particulare intrests, and joyne cordially aganist the publicke enimey, and emitted a declaration for that purpois; and appoynted a meitting at Stirling, one Tuesday the 13 of Maij, to giue their oppinion anent the lawfulnes of the acte of classis, and if without sin it might be reschindit or not.

The 6 of Maij, ther was a grate meitting of the Committee of Estaits at Stirling, quherin the electing of the Earle of Calender to be Felte Marishall of the Armey, that had now ioyned himselue to the Campbells, wes waued and putt offe; and 2 Generall Maiors of Footte chosen, viz. Collonell Pitscottey, and Dalzell of Binns. At this meitting, lykwayes, it was ordained that the Committee of Estaits shoulde not medle with the adiorning of the parliament, wntill the 20th of Maij instant, at wich tyme ther was a frequent meitting of the said committee appoynted; and then the Commission of the Generall Assembley wold present ther oppinion anent the acte of classis....

Oliuer Cromwell, with his armey, being at this tyme in Glasgow, had a conference with 8 ministers, anent the lawfulnes of his engagement aganist this countrey and kingdome; he gaue them some papers, wich they anssuered ex tempore, and proued to his face his periurey and breache of couenant and leauge, and his sinfull rebellion and murther, contrair to [the] expresse word of God, and leauge and couenant suorne by himselue and most of his complices. He toke the morrow at 3 in the afternoone to his furder conference with them; and maney of his cheiffest officers did openly acknouledge, they were conuinced in reson, and neuer till now did see the weeknes of ther auen grounds. In place of keiping the appoynted meitting, (seing a fyre to begin to kindle amongest his auen) aboute midnight that same day, he commands all his armey presently to marche, wnder the paine of death, backe towardes Edinbrughe; and empties all his garisons be west Linlithgow; sends his horses towardes the Border, and with grate haist, with his footte, returns to Edinbrugh and Leith; and is now bussie in repairring the breaches of Edinbrughe castle.

Mr Robert Blair, his animadwersions one the remonstrance emitted by the vesterne forces, Octob: 1651.

Ther is no questione maney sade truthes ar layed doune in the remonstrance, vsse quherof wold be made, and remeid therof wold be sought in a right way; bot wnder the pretext therof to make a secessione from the publicke counsells and forces of the kingdome, and to gratifie the wicked inwader of the land, by laing opin the nakednesse of the reulers, exageratting eurey miscarriage or appeirance, as if they had bein hyred by our enimies to agent ther bussines, cannot be bot greiuous to the godlie, quho are not preocupied with preiudices; and this so much the more greiuous, that the cuning slight of some malcontents, weill acquanted with publicke consultations, hath intangled not a few gentlemen, werey worthey, whosse constancey in the causse of God is weill knowen. The continuers and penners of this peice, perceauing quhat strange and vnbeseiming language they wer wttering, saw it necessarey to take away maney obiections that lay in ther way; and that both in the entrey and closse therof, assining that successe had not altered ther mynd. That they iudge not themselues free of the causes of the prowoking calamities. That in vttering thesse thinges, they haue not beine led with the spirit of bitternes ore desyre to discouer the nakednes of wthers; and that they haue not the least deseinge to follow the foottsteps of the sectarian partie, they may weill say (I mein the continuers of the remonstrance) they had not the least dessinge; for in that essay they haue out-acted the sectaries. Thesse men did much in order to publicke good, befor they spake biglie; bot done nothing since, saue that they haue drawin away considerable forces, raissed at wast charges for the publicke defence. This speaketh nothing lesse then abandoning to carrie one ther deseinge in the last wordes of ther paper; and that ther discoursse may be the more taking, they put one the persons of thesse quho are speaking ther last wordes, being zet far eneuch from all danger. It is hard to aney man to judge with quhat heartes and intentions thesse things wer contriued. I speake not of the gentlemen and ministers quhom I durst absolue; bot of the proiecters and penners of this remonstrance. Bot lett ther auen spiritts judge, if the most reall and cordiall enimies our causse had, wold haue acted wtherwayes, to pour contempte one ws, and to heatin wndertakings against ws. Iff ze be all constant in the causse, quhat meinethe the loud bleatting queries sent to our aduersaries, ane odious cryme, audacious to priuat persons to correspond withe ane opin enimey, quho haue shed the blood of Gods people, and receaue anssuers to the same? Iff this concearne not them all, how is it that they quho are constant and faithfull, declaire not against suche quho haue falsified ther trust, and quheat ther tounge against King and committee, quhom they should obey in the Lord?

17 Julij.—Cromuell past ouer a grate pairt of his armey from Lothean to Fyffe one Thursday the 17 day of Julij, 1651, at the neucke below the Queinsferrey, and fortified himselue one the hill betuix the Ferrey and Innerkethen. He landit without aney oppositione at all in effecte.[450]

3d September.—K. Charles the Seconds armey wes routted and defaitt at Worchester, in England, one Wedinsday the 3d of September this zeire.

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Mercurius Scoticus, his diurnall to the 28 of Octob: hes in it this passage anent the laitt meitting of the remonstrant ministers at Edinbrughe, this same mounthe:—The meitting of the ministers at Edinbrugh is dissolued; ther was 66 of them in all. After they had made a kynd of auricular confession, eurey man for his auen sinns; some for idolizing the couenant too muche, others for complyance with the King, &c. ther pryde, ambitione, and other sins, they haue dissolued; and haue sent some of ther nomber to Glasgow, quher they intend a prouinciall meitting, in a judiciall way, and will emitt some declaration or warning. They are werey muche troubled they cannot haue that power in ciuill thinges, in ordine ad spiritualia, wiche they wer wount to haue in this natione; wnder wiche pretence, they gett all ciuell pouer quhatsomeuer in ther handes....

In Nouember this zeire, the ministers of the west, that had made and still manteined a werey grate schisme in the churche, and disawoved the last Generall Assembley, holdin at St Andrewes and Dundie, sett out at this tyme a pamphlett called, a Discouery after some search of the sinnes of the ministers; wich is dewydit in 9 sections, and printed in Aᵒ 1651, by the brethren of the presbytery of Kilmarnock. Thir westland renters of the churche held a meitting at Edinbrughe, about the letter end of this mounthe, by the name of the Commissione of the Kirke; the pryme actors in it wer the tuo fyrebrands, Mr James Guthrie and Mr Patricke Gillespie, both of them depriued by the lait General Assembley at Dundie; to quhom, amongest maney other of the lyke nature, wes presented by a godly brother, (as they name him,) this famous paper, consisting of 12 heads:—