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A69756 An humble remonstrance of the commissioners of the General Assembly met at Edinburgh the 13th of October 1647 and since concluded concerning the Kings Majesties answer to the propositions of both kingdomes for peace : also, about the army in England and touching some things in relation to the Parliament : with their desires presented to the Right Honourable the Committee of Estates for the kingdome of Scotland. Church of Scotland. General Assembly. Commission.; Ker, A.; Scotland. Parliament. 1647 (1647) Wing C4229A; ESTC R26460 4,047 10

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An Humble REMONSTRANCE OF THE Commissioners of the Generall Assembly met at Edinburgh the 13th of October 1647. And since concluded Concerning The KINGS Majesties ANSVVER to the PROPOSITIONS of both Kingdomes for Peace ALSO About the ARMY in England and touching some things in Relation to the PARLIAMENT WITH Their Desires presented to the Right-Honourable the Committee of Estates for the Kingdome of Scotland By the Appointment of the Commissioners of the Generall Assembly Signed ALEXANDER KER Novemb 1. 1647. Imprimatur Gilbert Mabbott Printed at Edinburgh by Evan Tyler Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty 1647. And Reprinted at London by Robert Ibbitson in Smithfield 1647. TO THE RIGHT-HONOURABLE THE COMMITTEE of ESTATES The humble Remonstrance of the Commissioners of the Generall Assembly met at Edinburgh the 13th of Octob. 1647. AS there hath been very lately a publique and solemne Thanksgiving for the great mercies and deliverances which God hath wrought for this Nation after hee had brought it very low so the dangers which are interwoven with our deliverances are very great and still growing greater This also commeth forth from the Lord of Hosts who is wonderfull in Councell and excellent in working that we may not be secure or think that all our stormes are over-past but may serve the Lord in feare and rejoyce in trembling and bee the more stirred up to watchfulnesse circumspection and zeale in all the duties which the condition of this time cals for Wee therefore in the discharge of that great trust which is committed to us and according to the duty of watchmen set upon this watch-Tower can not be silent in a time of so great danger but hold it incombent to us humbly and faithfully to report and Remonstrate to your Lordships that the dangers of the true reformed Religion and cause of God in this whole Island whereby the late generall Assembly their Declaration communicated to Your Lordships discovered to be in many respects so great and so imminent as might justly occasion to your Lordships in your wisdomes to think of some more effectuall meanes and remedies for preventing of removing of such dangers although they could not now bee aggravated by any new emergents Neverthelesse wee have too great cause to conceive that the dangers of Religion are now grown greater then they were at the time of the Generall Assembly And even since the time of publishing your Lordships Act concerning the disbanding of the Army in this Kingdome The wise and marvellous providence of God is making answer and Proclamation aloud in both our eares that the danger is become greater and more imminent for the waters of the present deluge are growne many cubits higher since that time for evidence whereof the Kings Majesties late Answer to the Propositions of both Kingdomes may bee instead of many Demonstrations It is our great griefe that we have cause to say so but wee must speak to the matter as it is and unlesse we would shut our eyes we cannot but behold in that Answer a threefold growing danger to Religion For 1. His Majesty professeth That as when the Propositions were offered to him at New-castle hee could not agree to some of them without violation of his Conscience and Honour So neither can hee agree to others of them now conceiving them more disproportionable to the present condition of Affaires then when they were formerly presented to him as being destructive to the principall Interests of the Army So that his Majesties dis-agreeing being now more inlarged and of a greater latitude then before if his Majesties former Answer to the Propositions was justly conceived to bee unsatisfactory in point of Religion this last doth much lesse satisfie For although his Majesty did not in his former Answer agree to the Covenant and other materiall Propositions concerning Religion yet there was in that Answer some part of satisfaction even to the Propositions concerning Religion Whereas in the late Answer even that part of satisfaction is by the aforesaid expression unsettled instead of being adhered unto Wee shall passe that clause in the Answer which owneth the Interests of the Army so farre as to prejudice the more publique Interests of both Kingdomes in those Propositions agreed upon after mature deliberation by both Parliaments 2. His Majesties waving the Propositions of both Kingdomes and pressing the Proposalls of the Army to bee the subject of a Treaty doth yet further increase the danger of Religion seeing those Proposals as they omit and abandon the former desires of both Kingdomes in point of Religion so they cannot avoid as the words stand the continuing of Prelacy the Tolleration of Heresies and Sects and the taking away of the Ordinance injoyning the taking of the Covenant as is more fully exprest in the Declaration of the late Generall Assembly 3. His Majesties Answer doth also divide that joynt and common Interest of both Kingdomes in the Propositions which was formerly the ground of a joynt Treaty of both with his Majesty Hereby what-ever may be the prejudice otherwise surely Religion will suffer not a little forasas the Propositions concerning the Covenant of the three Kingdomes and the uniformity between them in Religion and by this meanes in effect excluded from the Treaty The joynt desires and common cancernments of the Kingdomes in point of uniformity in Religion being no part of the subject of a Treaty with either Kingdome severally but of a Treaty with both joyntly Yet his Majesties Answer to the Propositions is not the onely danger to be now looked on in this businesse for ever since that Answer was given this common cause and Covenant hath been yet further weakned and dangerously wounded by the late strong indevours in England to move the Parliament to establish by their Authority a tolleration of Sectaries and to slight and lay aside such of the Propositions of peace as concern the Covenant and the joynt interest of the Kingdomes in Religion It addeth griefe to our sorrow that wee have cause to mention the new persecutions raised there by mean●s of the sectaries against divers who have beene zealous and active for the good ●f Religion King and Kingdomes Yea they who pleade so much for Liberty of Conscience to themselves allow so little of it to others who differ from them that they can now make up a charge either of constructive Treason or of high crimes and misdemeanours against them for such particulars as doe upon the matter a mount to no more but zealous endeavours in opposing the way of the Sectaries Neither common sense nor christian sympathy can suffer us to conceive that the cause of Religion is in no greater danger then before when persecution is growing daily more and more hot agai●st s●ch as have most appeared against or endeavoured to hinder the late unsufferable exhorbitances of the Sectaries While the danger of Religion is thus increased abroade wee cannot say that it is growne any whit lesse at home but rather greater for besides the
dangerous influence which the growing power of the enemies of the Covenant in England is like to have upon this Kingdome the Malignant faction at home hath not so much decreased in profession as increased in designe and practice against this cause and Covenant surely they who are dis-affected in this Nation being many are as malitious as before when very shortly after the expedition into England perceiving no force within the Kingdome to resist them they tooke Armes and disturbed the publique peace And if they were so ready to stirre when that Army was but out of the Kingdome how much more if it shall bee disbanded Some enemies are still in the feilde and in actuall rebellion within this Kingdome And there is too great cause to feare that many others who retaine their former principles and continue in their former desig●es against this cause shall not be slow to take up Armes if your Lordships lay them downe And so much the more may this bee expected because as their pride and insolency is of late growne more intollerable upon hopes of disbanding the Army so there are many of them inraged as Beares robbed of their whelps or as Wolves of the evening being also desperate of mending their broken Estates except it be i● publique combustione others of them are animated and imployed by the great favour and indulgence which hath beene sh●wed towards them in their delinquencies in so much that they are thereby hardened from repenting of their Rebellion or compliance with Rebels and even blesse themselves for a better lot easier yoake and lighter burd●n th●n those who have beere most reall and active for the Covenant These dangers of Religion wee have insisted upon as being most proper for us to speake to and not as wee were insensible of the great danger of the Kings person and of Monarchical Government for preserving of which according to our Covenant our prayers and best indeavours shall not be wanting And now the danger of Religion in all this being so great and the grounds of our feares and apprehensions being so pregnant wee earnestly beseech and humbly obtest your Lordships in the bowels of Jesus Christ and by the vowes of God which are upon you that as your Lordships desire God and your own consciences and the posterity may not afterwards charge upon you the ruine of Religion King and Kingdomes so your Lordships may bee very tender and conscionable that no such designe be entertained or get place among you as tendeth to the dis-abling of this Church and Kingdome from an effectuall prossecuting and promoting of the ends of the Covenant or to the strengthening and inabling the enemies thereof by affording them the opportunity which they waite for to disturbe againe the peace and to destroy the present Reformation These and no better effects can be looked for if the Army in this Kingdome which hath beene so blessed of God and so faithfull to you shall bee disbanded before this cause which so much concerneth the glory of God the Reformation and defence of Religion the Peace and safety of the Kingdomes the Honour and happinesse of the King be settled upon a firme foundation In this our humble desire wee are not biassed with any respect to any particular party or interest our witnesse is in Heaven and within our brests that wee speake for the interest of Religion and of the cause of God neither doth that wee desire tend to a new Wane but to the preventing of a new war nor to the increasing of burdens in the Kingdom but to the preventing of greater burthers Nor is it ourdesire alone but many others are equally sensible with us of the great danger which may accrue to this cause from the disbanding of that Army It is not un-observed that most of those who are active for the laying downe of Armes are such as wer against the taking up of Armes in this Cause However since ther can be no assurance in human reason that the Kingdome shall reed no Army wee humbly offer it to your Lordships most serious thoughts bow farre a new state of the question setting aside the Covenant while some late debates both here and in England give us cause to feare and the raising or imploying another Armie which we also apprehend and expect if this Army was once disbanded may bee prejudiciall and even destructive to this Cause and Covenant for which this Nation hath done and suffered so much Having thus discharged our Consciences wee humbly leave all this to bee well weighed by your Lordships and wee pray the Lord himselfe to guide your Lordships councell that you may bee like the wise men of Issachar having understanding of the times what Israel ought to doe and what they ought not to doe ALEXANDER KER FINIS