THE PROFFITT THAT LEYTH GAT OF THAIR PROMESIT LIBERTIE.
Thir thingis transactit, and the peace proclamit, as said is, suddane provisioun was maid for the transporting of the Frensche to France, of whom the maist pairt were put into the Ingliss schippis, quha alsua careit with thame the haill spulzie of Leith; and that was the secund benefite quhilk thay resavit of thair lait promeisit libertie, the end quhairof is not yitt cum. The Ingliss army be land depairtit the sextene day of Julij, the yeir of God Jm Vc threscoir yeiris. The maist pairt of oure Nobilitie, Protestantis, honorabillie convoyit thame (as in verray deid thay had weill deservit): Bot the Lord James wald nocht leave the Lord Gray, with the uther nobill men of Ingland, till that thay enterit in Berwick. Efter quhaise returnyng, the Counsall began to luik, alsweill upoun the effairis of the commonwelth, as upoun the matteris that mycht concerne the stabilitie of Religioun.
As befoir we have heard, the Parliament [was] concludit to begyn the xx. [10th] of July, and to be contynewit to the first of August nixt;[187] and thairfoir the Lordis maid the greater expeditioun, that all thyngis mycht be put in convenient ordour. Bot befoir all thyngis the Preachouris exhortit thame, (for than in Edinburgh war the maist pairt of the cheif Ministeris of the Realme) to be thankfull unto God, and nixt to provyde, that the ministeris mycht be distributeit as the necessitie of the countrey requyreit. Ane day was statute, quhen the haill Nobilitie, and the greitest pairt of the Congregatioun assembillit in Sanct Geilis Kirk in Edinburgh, quhair, efter the sermond maid for that purpoise, publick thankis war gevin unto God for his mercifull deliverance, in forme as followis:—
Thankis geving for our delyverance, with Prayeris.
O Eternall and Everlasting God, Father of oure Lord Jesus Chryst, quha hes nocht onlie commandit us to pray, and promeisit to heir us, but alsua willis us to magnifie thy mercies, and to glorifie thy name quhen thou schawis thy self pitiefull and favorabill unto us, especiallie quhen thow delyveris us frome disperatt daingearis: ffor sa did thy servantis Abraham, David, Jehosaphatt, and Ezekias; yea, the haill pepill of Israell omittit nott the same, quhen thow by thy mychtie hand did confound thair ennemeis, and deliver thame frome feir and daingear of death intentit. We aucht not, nor can not forgett, O Lord, in how miserabill estait stude this poore countrey, and we the just inhabitants of the same, not many dayis past, quhen idolatrie was menteynit, quhen creuell straingearis did impyre, quhen virgennis war deflorit, matronis corruptit, mennis wyfeis violentlie and vylanouslie oppressit, the blud of innocentis sched without mercie; and finallie, quhen the unjust commandementis of proud tyrannis war obeyit as ane law. Out of thir miseries, O Lord, could nather our witt, policey, nor strength delyver us; yea did schaw unto us how vayne was the help of man, quhair thy blessing gevis not victorie. In thir our anguischeis, O Lord, we suitit[188] unto thee, we cryit for thy help, and we reclameit[189] thy name, as thy trubillit flock, persecutit for thy treuth saik. Mercifullie hes thow hard us, O Lord, mercifullie, we say, becaus that neither in us, neither yitt in our confederatis was thair any caus quhy thou souldest have gevin unto us sa joyfull and suddane a delyverance: for neither of us bayth ceassit to do wickitlie, evin in the myddis of oure greitest trubillis. And yitt hes thow lukit upoun us sa pitifullie as that we haid gevin unto thee maist perfyte obedience, for thou hes disapoyntit the counsals of the crafty, thow hes brydillit the rage of the crewell; and thow hes of thy mercie sett this oure perisching Realme at ane reasonabill libertie. Oh, gif us hartis (thou, Lord, that onlie gifis all guid gyft,) with reverence and feir, to meditat thy wondrouse warkis lait wrocht in oure eyes. Let not the remembrance of the same unthankfullie to slip frome oure wavering myndis. We grant and acknawlege, O Lord, that quhat soever we haif resavit sall fall in oblivioun with us, and so turne to oure condempnatioun, unless thou, by the power of thy Holie Spreit, keip and reteyne us in recent and perpetuall memorie of the same. We beseik thee thairfoir, O Father of mercyis, that as of thy undeservit grace thow hes partlie removit our darknes, suppressit idolatrie, and taikin frome above oure heidis the devouring sword of mercyless strangearis, that sa it wald pleise thee to proceid with us in this thy grace begune. And albeit that in us thair is nathing that may move thy Majestie to schaw us thy favour, O yit for Christ Jesus, thy onlie weilbelovit Sonis saik, quhais name we beir, and quhais doctrin we profess, we beseik thee never to suffer us to foirsaik or deny this thy veritie quhilk now we professe. Bot seing that thou hes mercifullie heard us, and hes caussit thy veritie to triumphe in us, sa we crave of thee continewance unto the end, that thy godlie name may be glorifeit in us thy creaturis. And seing that nathing is mair odiouse in thy presence, O Lord, than is ungratitud and violatioun of ane aith and convenant maid in thy name; and seing that thou hes maid our confederatis of Ingland the instrumentis by quhom we are now sett at this libertie, to quhom we in thy name have promeisit mutuall fayth agane; lett us never fall to that unkyndnes,[190] O Lord, that ather we declair oure selfis unthankfull unto thame, or prophanaris of thy holie name. Confound thow the counsalls of thame that go about to brek that maist godlie liegue contractit in thy name, and reteyne thou us sa firmlie togidder by the power of thy Holie Spreit, that Sathan have never power to sett us agane at variance nor discord. Geve us thy grace to leif in that Christiane cheritie quhilk thy Sone, our Lord Jesus, hes sa earnestlie commandit to all the memberis of his body; that uther natiouns, provockit be our example, may sett asyde all ungodlie weir, contentioun, and stryff, and studie to leif in tranquilitie and peace, as it becumis the scheip of thy pasture, and the pepill that daylie luikis for our finall delyverance, by the cuming agane of oure Lord Jesus; to whom with Thee, and the Holie Spreit, be all honour, glorie, and prayse, now and ever. Amen.
Heirefter war the Commissionaris of Bruchis, with sum of the Nobilitie and Barronis, appoyntit to see the equall distributioun of Ministeris, to change and transport as the maist pairt sould think expedient. And sua was Johne Knox appointit to Edinburgh; Christopher Gudman, (quha the maist pairt of the trubillis had remanit in Ayre,) was appointit to Sanctandrois: Adame Heryot to Abirdene; Maister Johnne Row to Sanct Johnestoun; Paull Meffen, (to quhom was no infamie than knawin,) to Jedburgh; Williame Crystesoun to Dundie; and David Fergusoun to Dumfermling, and Maister David Lyndsay to Leith. Thair war nominat for Superintendantis, Maister Johnne Spottiswod for Lowtheane; Maister Johnne Wynrame for Fyff; Maister Johnne Willok for Glasgow; the Laird of Dun for Anguss and Mearnis; Maister Johnne Carswall for Ergyle and the Iles.[191] Thir to be electit at the dayis appointit, unless that the countreyis quhairto thay war to be appointit could in the menetyme fynd out men mair abill and sufficient, or ellis schaw sick causses as mycht inhabill thame from that dignitie.
The Parliament[192] approaching, dew adverteisment was maid, be the Counsall, to all sick as by law and ancient custome had or mycht clame to have vote thairin. The assembillie was great, nochtwithstanding that sum, alsweill of thame that be callit Spirituall as Temporall Lordis, contemptuouslie did absent thame selffis: And yit the cheif pillaris of the Papisticall Kirk gave thair presence, sick as the Bischoppis of Sanctandrois,[193] Dumblane,[194] and Dunkell,[195] with otheris of the inferiour sort, besydeis thame that had renunceit Papistrie, and oppinlie professit Jesus Chryst with us; sick as the Bischop of Galloway,[196] the Abbotis of Lendorse,[197] Culroiss,[198] Sanct Colmeis Insche,[199] Newbottill,[200] Halyrudhouse,[201] the Priour of Sanctandrois,[202] Coldinghame,[203] and Sanct-Marie Ile,[204] the Suppriour of Sanctandrois,[205] and dyverse otheris quham we observit not.
WILLIAM MAITLAND'S MOCKAGE OF GOD
At the samyn tyme of Parliament, Johne Knox taught publicklie the propheit Haggeus. The doctrin was proper for the tyme; in applicatioun quhairof he was so speciall and so vehement, that sum (having greater respect to the warld than to Goddis glory,) feilling thair selffis prickit, said in mockage, "We mon now forget our selffis, and beir the barrow to buyld the housses of God."[206] God be mercifull to the speikar; for we feir that he shall have experience that the buylding of his awin house (the house of God being despisit) sall not be so prosperouse, and of sick firmitie, as we desyre it were. And albeit sum mockit, yitt utheris were godlie movit, quha did assembill thame selffis togidder to consult quhat thyngis were to be proponit to that present Parliament, and efter deliberatioun, was this subsequent Supplicatioun offerit:—