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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A81600	The danger of the Church of England from a general assembly of Covenanters in Scotland. Represented from their principles in oaths, and late acts of assemblies; compar'd with their practices in these last two years. Written in the year 1690. By a true son of the Church.	True son of the church.	1698 (1698)	Wing D179A; ESTC R230519	14,686	35

THE DANGER OF THE Church of England FROM A GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF COVENANTERS IN SCOTLAND Represented from their Principles in Oaths and late Acts of Assemblies compar'd with their Practices in these last two Years Written in the Year 1690. By a True Son of the Church LONDON Printed for A. Baldwin in Warwick-Lane 1690. THE DANGER OF THE Church of England From a General Assembly of COVENANTERS IN Scotland c. IN this Representation of the danger of the Church of England from the Scottish Covenanters we will make it appear First That they are by their Principles obliged not only in Scotland to keep up their Covenanted Presbytery to the Heighth but also to endeavour to introduce the same in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland Secondly That they are at this time able to prosecute those measures which were then followed for that effect And thirdly that they are most willing to trace the footsteps of their fathers if the King interpose not his Authority for the protection of those Episcopal Ministers whom the Government hath not depriv'd in that Kingdom and for a Legal Toleration for the Exercise of the Reformed Religion unto all peaceable Dissenters For the first of these three In the beginning of 1638. all the three Kingdoms enjoyed an Episcopal Government and a Common Prayer in the Church In December 1638. the Scottish Presbyterians took both away in Scotland without the King's Authority and in their having neither Bishop nor Liturgy they placed all the Reformation of the Protestant Religion But they could not be secured of their being long without them while the other two Kingdoms enjoyed them and therefore when they Covenanted in Aug. 1639. in the very first Article of the Solemn League in which they Swear to preserve the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland in Worship and Government they likewise bind themselves by Oath to Reform the Kingdoms of England and Ireland in the same Points and to bring the three Kingdoms to the nearest conjunction and uniformity in both And what this Reformation of Worship is and by what Government it is to be directed which they vow to preserve among themselves and to introduce among us we cannot be ignorant if we read the second Article of their Covenant where they Swear unto an Extirpation of the Prelacy that is exercised by Archbishops Bishops their Chancellors and Commissaries Deans Deans and Chapters Archdeacons and all other Ecclesiastical Officers depending on that Hierarchy And what is meant in both those first Articles by their sincere real and constant Endeavours to reform the Worship and Government of the English and Irish Churches according to the Pattern of the Scottish is plain from the last Article wherein they Swear to assist and defend all those that enter into the League and Covenant in the maintaining and pursuing thereof and that they shall not suffer themselves directly nor indirectly by whatsoever Combination Persuasion or Terrour to be divided from their Blessed Vnion and Conjunction whether to make defection to the Contrary part or to give themselves to a detestable Indifferency or Neutrality in the Cause To pass from the consideration of the Covenant it self let us see what interpretation in this point is given upon it by the Solemn Acts of their General Assemblies That Assembly Convened at Glasgow in the year 1638. Sess 24. Decr. 6. asperseth the Common Prayer of that Kingdom with Popish Errors and Ceremonies gross Superstition and Idolatry scandalizeth their Book of Canons for establishing a tyrannical Power in the Bishops and condemns their Book of Consecration for settling Bishops and Preaching Deacons in the Church contrary as they falsly affirm to the Word of God Sess 17. Decr. 10. Again in their Condemnation of the five Articles of Perth for observing the Festivals of our Blessed Saviour and his Holy Apostles for private Baptism Communion of the Sick kneeling at the Scrament and Confirmation they inflict the Censures of the Church not only on those that Observe them but likewise on all those that shall dispute for any of these Things Sess 8.19 August And a fortnight before the Covenant was authorized in Scotland in the year 1639. these three Books and five Articles but now mentioned are rejected by the General Assembly then Convened at Edinburgh as the Causes of all the Evils of their Church Yea and when the Earl of Traquair his Majesty's Commissioner read and gave in his Royal Masters Declaration that his Consent to this their Act inferred no obligation to abolish the Episcopacy and the Liturgy in England and Ireland and when he required to have this Declaration recorded among the Acts of their Church the Moderator in the Name of his Brethren refused to grant Warrant for recording it Sess 23. Aug. 30. 1639. as not agreeable with a good Conscience Neither is it strange that the New-sworn Covenanters should thus behave themselves to that King's Commissioner whose Declaration read unto them in that very Session concerning his consent to Presbytery in Scotland expressed his Royal inclination for Bishops and Liturgies when the abolishing of both these in all the three Kingdoms was so chiefly intended by their Oath that on such an Abolishment they Prophesied to themselves that Scotland and England should become one stick in the Hand of the Lord Assem Answer to the Assem at Westm Aug. 29. 1643. that it might come to pass that the Lord 's Jerusalem in this Island should be a City of trembling and a burthensome Stone to all their Enemies round about King Charles the I. in his incomparable Book Ch. 17. confesseth That so far reason of State did induce him to approve the Government of the Church by Bishops above any other as he found it impossible for a Prince to preserve the State in quiet unless he hath such an influence upon Church-Men and they such a dependence on him as may best restrain the Seditious Exorbitances of Ministers Tongues who with the Keys of Heaven have so far the Keys of the Peoples Hearts as they prevail much by their Oratory to let in or shut out both Peace and Loyalty This made him repent that he had consented to the taking away of Episcopacy in Scotland and for this reason among others he would not condescend to take it away in England and Ireland whereupon the Scottish Presbyterians in their Zeal to promote this end of their League In the Name of the Lord Jesus Feb. 13. 1645. and in the Name of their whole National Church which they represented they made bold to warn his Majesty freely that the Guilt which cleav'd fast to his Majesty and his Throne was such as if not repented of could not but involve himself and his Posterity under the Wrath of the everliving God for his then resisting and opposing their Cause which in their Opinion so much concerned the Glory of God And if his Majesty should refuse to hearken to their Counsel they took God and

for which the Assembly hath humbly supplicated the Kings Majesty and remonstrated their desires to the Parliament of England lest they should be wanting in any mean that may Advance so Glorious and so Good a Work do Ordain That not only the said Declaration to the Parliament and Supplication to the Kings Majesty shall be accompanied with the earnest Petitions and Prayers of the whole Brethren in private and publick for the Lords blessing thereunto according to the laudable custom of our Predecessors who in the year of God 1589 Ordains that the Brethren in their private and publick Prayers recommend unto God the estate of the afflicted state of England But having just cause of fear that the iniquities of the Land which so much abound may hinder this so great a Work do also Ordain a Solemn Fast to be kept on tht Second (a) For they can Fast on any day of the Week but on Friday yea tho' it were Good Friday in Passion Week they most then make their Christmas and Easter Dinner in one to avoid Superstition Lords Day of September for the Causes after specified Gross Ignorance and all sorts of Wickedness amongst the greater part Security meer Formality and Vnfruitfulness among the best and Vnthankfulness in all The Sword raging throughout all Christendom but most Barbarously in Ireland and daily more and more threatned in England That God may Graciously bless the Supplication of the Assembly to the Kings Majesty and their Proposals to the Parliament of England for Vnity in Religion and Uniformity in Church Government and (b) And some of those means were the Covenanted Army against K. Ch. I. all other means which may serve for the promoting of so great a Work and the advancement of the Kingdom of Christ every where That God may powerfully overturn all Wicked Plots and Designs of (c) For in the Divinity of these Saints every Bishop is a limb of Antichrist Antichrist and his Followers and all divisive Proposals against the course of Reformation And since the Scottish Test hath produced in the Minds of all their Nobility Gentry and the substantial part of their Commons out of the Five Western Shires mighty aversion to such a Fast yet the Scottish Covenanters for having the more unanimous Concurrence among themselves to introduce Presbytery among us again they may renew their Solemn League as it was for the same effect renewed by the Assembly at Edinburgh Sess 6. August 8. 1642. Acts for Subscribing the Covenant THE General Assembly considering the good and pious Advice of the Commissioners of the last Assembly upon the 22d of September This is their Covenant with the Lord which shall never be forgotten Gen. Assem Edenb Aug. 19. 1643. post meridiem recommending to Presbyteries to have Copies of the Covenant to be subscribed by every Minister at his Admission doth therefore ratifie and approve the same And further Ordains That the Covenant be Reprinted with the Ordinance prefixed thereto and that every Synod Presbytery and Parish have one of them bound in Quarto with some blank Paper whereupon every Person may be obliged to Subscribe And that the Covenants of the Synod and Presbytery be keeped by their Moderators Respective of Vniversities by their Principals of Parishes by their Ministers with all carefulness And that particular account of Obedience to this Act be required hereafter in all Visitations of Parishes Vniversities and Presbyteries in all Tryals of Presbyteries and Synods Book 's The General Assembly considering that the Act of Assembly at Edinburgh 1639. August 30. injoyning all Persons to Subscribe the Covenant under all Ecclesiastical Censure hath not been obeyed therefore ordains all Ministers to make intimation of the said Act in their Churches and thereafter to proceed with Censures of the Church against such as shall refuse to Subscribe the Covenant And that exact account be taken of every Ministers diligence herein by their Presbyteries and Synods as they will answer to their General Assembly And if after the renewing of the Covenant the Men of Honour and Conscience will yet avoid the taking it then in that case the Scottish Covenanters may as their Forefathers 1644. did before them get another Act past Against secret Disaffecters of the Covenant THE General Assembly understanding that divers Persons Judge from this Act betwixt the Popish and the Fanatick Inquisitions disaffected to the Solemn League and Covenant of the three Kingdoms do escape their Just Censure either by their private and unconstant abode in any one Congregation or by secret conveyance of their Malignant Speeches and Practices therefore Ordains all Ministers to take special notice when any such Person shall come within their Parishes and so soon as they shall know the same that without delay they cause warn them to appear before the Presbyteries within which their Parishes lyes or before the Commissioners of this Assembly appointed for publick affairs as they shall find most convenient which warning the Assembly declares shall be a sufficient Citation unto them And in like manner that all Ministers and Lay-elders inform the said Judicatories Respective against every such disaffected Person altho' without their own Parish so soon as they shall hear of them And the Assembly Ordains the said Commissioners not only to proceed to Tryal and Censure of such disaffected Persons but also to take a special account of the diligence of Ministers Ruling-elders and Presbyteries herein Respective After the Covenant is thus renewed and so rigorously enjoyn'd matters at length are ripe for the Uniformity betwixt both Kingdoms in Church Government and Worship and therefore according to the Example given to them 1645 the Scottish Covenanters may give out their Solemn and Seasonable Warning to the Noblemen Barons Gentlemen Burroughs Ministers and Commons of Scotland as also to their Armies without and within the Kingdom This Warning was dated 12 Feb. Post meridiem Sess 18. and because it takes up two Sheets and an half in the Book of the Acts of their General Assemblies and is therefore too long to be here inserted verbatim therefore in their own Words you may take its substance AS for our part our Forces sent unto that Kingdom meaning England in pursuance of the Covenant have been so (a) In defeating two Armies of K. Ch. the First one commanded by the M. of Newcastle the other by P. Rupert mercifully and manifestly assisted and blessed from Heaven that we have what to answer the Enemy that reproacheth us concerning that business and that which may make Iniquity her self to stop her mouth But which is more unto us than all Victories or whatever Temporal Blessing the Reformation of the Religion in (b) Here is plain Language and home to the purpose England and Vniformity therein betwixt both Kingdoms a principal end of the Covenant is so far advanced that the English Service-Book with the (c) Especially Christmas which they condemn'd as Superstitious by their Act of the