Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n
Text snippets containing the quad
|
ID |
Title |
Author |
Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) |
STC |
Words |
Pages |
|
A45874
|
An information of the present condition of affairs, and declaration concerning present duties from the commission of the General Assembly, unto the kirk and kingdom of Scotland
|
Church of Scotland. General Assembly. Commission.
|
1648
(1648)
|
Wing I170; ESTC R11397
|
6,062
|
13
|
AN INFORMATION OF THE Present condition of Affairs AND DECLARATION Concerning Present DUTIES from the COMMISSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY UNTO THE KIRK AND KINGDOM OF SCOTLAND EDINBVRGH Printed by Evan Tyler Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majestie 1648. Edinburgh 9. October 1648. Post meridiem AS the onely wise God is pleased to exercise his people and carry on his work in these Kingdoms with many strange revolutions of providence so it becomes us according to the variety of his dispensation to declare and make known unto the Land the condition of the affairs of his house and the deuties which he calls for in regard of the same After the foundation of that unlawfull Engagement against England so destructive to Religion and the Union betwixt the Kingdomes was laid in the Isle of Wight by the unhappy and sinfull compliance of the Commissioners and others of this Kingdom with his Majesties purposes and desires It was carried on and concluded by a prevailing party of Malignant and disaffected men in the Parliament notwithstanding of the dissent and protestation of a considerable number of the House who had been straight and active in the cause of God from the beginning and of the free and faithfull warnings of the servants of God and the supplications of many Synods Presbyteries and Shires to the contrary And was violently prosecute unto the great oppression of the Lords people in their consciences persons and estates and unto the taking of Berwick and Carlile and invading the Kingdom of England with a numerous Army under the conduct of the Duke of Hamiltoun untill the Lord beholding the affliction of his people and taking notice of the Pride and Blasphemy of the adversary did scatter that Army and bring upon them so shamefull and totall an overthrow as may be a witnesse unto the following generations of his sore displeasure against the breakers of his Covenant and dispisers of his word Wherein we do not desire that any should rejoyce according to the flesh but wish that it may be sanctified to those on whom it has fallen that they may repent and unto the lovers of God and his cause that they may acknowledge his work and trust in his name for the time to come A little before the defeat of those Forces in England the well affected party in this Land thought it necessary and had resolved to bestir themselves upon their former principles for the good of Religion and the safety of the Kingdom and their own defence and safety against the Tyranny and oppression of the Malignant partie who were now wreathing their yoke upon the necks of honest men by a second levy and divine providence making the certain news of the defeat tryst with the beginning of their motions they looked upon it as an invitation and encouragement from the Lord to follow their former resolutions with the greater celerity and speed And whilst they were advancing towards Edinburgh for that end some who had been active promoters of the Engagement against England did issue out Commissions to classed Rebells and Incendiaries to take Arms for acting their former mischief and cruelty and taking themselves into the fields did invite unto their help the Irish Forces under the command of George Monro and some other remnants of the scattered Army in England for keeping themselves still in capacity and power to prosecute their own interests and ends and carry on the Engagement as is evident from their letters of the 28 August sent to the Earl Marshall Vicount or Dudope Clerk Regester and George Monro ten dayes after the defeat of the Army in England Wherein speaking of the Engagement they declare their resolutions to recruit their Regiments and to hazard their lives and fortunes and all that was dearest unto them for carrying on against all opposition whatsoever that pious and loyall service and that they and many others of this Kingdom did intend not to live and out-live it But afterwards finding themselves at disadvantage did move for an accommodation upon such termes as were not onely dishonourable and dangerous but sinfull and unjust as including a reall approbation of the Engagement against England and a continuing of these in place and power who had been mainly instrumentall in all the present evils Yet that it might appear how willing those with whom they had to do were to hearken to the motions of peace and to prevent the shedding of blood they were content that some of both sides should meet for composing of differences in a just and fair way And the Commission of the Generall Assembly also resolved to send some of their number to exhort them to repentance and perswade them to just and necessary overtours of peace or if they should continue in their wicked way to intimate to them that they would be necessitate to proceed against them with the sentence of excommunication A Treaty with cessation of Arms during the time thereof being concluded on both sides in the mean while before any meeting the enemy marched unto Stirling and surprising the Forces which were there who were secure upon the advertisement of the Treaty did kill some and take others prisoners and possesse themselves of the Town and Bridge and passes there and left no means unessayed for strengthening and increasing of their Army by labouring for a supply of Forces from the High-lands and the Northern Shires Yet notwithstanding of this hightning of differences by such a way of dealing The Noblemen and Gentlemen in Arms for the Covenant in pursuance of their former resolutitions of Peace did intertain the motion of the Treaty and sent four of their number unto the place of meeting at Woodside with Overtours of disbanding all Forces on both sides and referring all things concerning Religion unto the Generall Assembly and their Commissioners and all Civill bussinesse unto a lawfull and free Parliament And albeit those things could not but satisfie all unbyassed men and that they who went from the Commission of Assembly did freely and faithfully acquit themselves in all things which they had in charge yet did they not condiscend or agree to accept of those conditions And some dayes being spent in fruitlesse debates The Committee of Estates who were then returned unto Edinburgh consisting of such persons onely as had dissented from the Engagement considering that as yet they had no modelled Army and that those in Stirling were strengthening themselves unto the raising a new and dangerous warre did take in deliberation what was fit for them to do in such an exigent And whilst they were about their resolutions therein they were informed by letters from the English Forces that they did resolve to prosecute the warre untill their Enemies were put out of a condition of growing unto a new Army and the Garrisons of Berwick and Carlile were reduced and that they were advanced into Scotland for pursuance of those ends And the Committee not finding themselves in a posture at that time and that
they could not in Justice refuse to suffer the Englishes to pursue those who had invaded their Kingdom sent some of their number unto Berwick and Carlile to perswade the rendering of those Garrisons and unto the English Army to take care that their comming into the Kingdome of Scotland might be without any prejudice to Religion and as little detriment to the Countrey as possible A few dayes thereafter the Forces at Stirling accepted of the conditions offered unto them by the Committee of Estates It shall be needlesse to insist upon the vindication of the rising of these Noblemen and Gentlemen others that took Arms for the Covenant the Tyranny of those with whom they had to do being insupportable and such as threatned ruine and desolation to the Land and tended unto the rending a sunder of the Union betwixt the Kingdoms the overturning of the work of God and the putting of an Arbitrary and unlimited power unto the hands of the King and the setting up of the Popish Prelaticall and Malignant party for acting all their mischievous and wicked designes And they who took Arms being a considerable part of the Parliament who had dissented from and protested against the Engagement and had been the chief instruments of carrying on the Lords work from the beginning and having assisting unto them many others of place and power and having also for them the body of the people of the Land and the Ministry and all the Judicatories of the Kirk and being obliged by the Covenant to promove this cause against all lets and Impediments whatsoever It were also needlesse to take pains in proving the sinfulnesse and unlawfulnesse of the Engagement against the Kingdom of England The Generall Assembly having done it so fully from the word of God and from the Covenant and the Lord having ingraven upon it so visible charactars of his heavy displeasure not onely by giving up most of the instruments that were imployed in it unto the lust of their own heart to commit all sort of wickednesse with greedinesse But also by so shamefull and totall a defeat of that Army as has few paralells i◠〈◊〉 age It shall be more usefull in this posture of affaâ—â—â— whilst the Lord is breaking the horn and â—â—â—…ging down the power and pride of Enemies for 〈◊〉 one in the Land to consider his work and to regard thâ—â—peration of his hands And therefore in the first 〈…〉 1. It doâ—â— câ—â—â—â—rn all the Authours Promoters and Abettors of 〈◊〉 â—…ickâ—â—…â—ourse and all these who comply with the pâ—rposes and designes of the Malignant party throughout the Land to behold the Majesty of the Lord and his hand lifted up in behalf of his people that they may learn Righteousnesse and dash themselves no more against the rock of his displeasure by continuing to oppose his work and disturbe the peace of his people The Lord hath now for ten years past showen himself against them in all their devices and designes And though he has many times suffered them to conceive mischief yet they have alwayes travelled with vanity and brought forth the wind They have alwayes been snared in the work of their own hands and their devises have returned upon their own heads yea their most subtill and malicious plots have in a strange way of dispensation from him who is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working turned to the advantage of the Lords cause and good of his people And if they be not wise at last to observe and see these things as their way is delusion so the end hereof shall be bitternesse and death There could be nothing more satisfying to us then that the spirit of Malignancy were banished from the hearts of men and the name of Malignants buryed never to be revived nor remembred any more amongst us And could such be induced to quite their prophane and formall way and to turn unto God we are confident that all the enemity that they have against his work and his people should quickly evanish and that they should find mercy and comfort But as long as they stand at a distance with the Lord in regard of their private condition and carriage what wonder is it though they have no love to his cause nor his servants We wish that God may give them repentance that they may recover themselves out of the snare of Sathan and come to amendment 2. What ever shall be the frunt of the Lords work in these It concerns such who were formerly oppressed in their consciences persons and estates in this day of reviving and delivery to remember their wayes and be ashamed as for all the evil thereof so for the great cumvence and countenance they gave unto disaffected and Malignant men and carried on that wicked Warre that has been the cause of so much sinne and misery unto this poore Land Neither is it to be forgotten that though many keep their conscienees pure and did rather choose to suffer the spoyling of their goods and to expose themselves to the hazard of all the violence and oppression of these who caried on the Engagement then to sin against God yet not a few even of these who wish well to the Lords work whether through fear or earthly mindednesse gave so farre place unto their wrath as in some measure to comply with the evil of their course by giving obedience unto their unlawfull command in putting out Horse and Foot and advancing moneys for that end who albeit they have many things to plead for themselves before men yet their way hath not been straight before the Lord who searches the hearts and ponders the paithes 3. It is high time for those in whose hands the Lord hath again put the managing of publick affairs from dear bought experience to learn Wisdome and avoid the rocks upon which they have formerly split Carnall counsell foolish pittie and self interest made many of these not only to slack their hands and remit their zeal against the opposers and underminers of the Lords work But also to receive them unto publick counsells and imployments And if after this way hath been so much cursed of God unto them they should again fall therein as the fault will be without excuse so it cannot but bring some strange testimony of the Lords displeasure upon these who after that he has punished them lesse then their iniquities do deserve and given them such deliverance do again return to break his Commandment by joyning with the people of these abominations And therefore we trust that such will take heed that they be not again deceived neither by the carnall counsell of their own hearts from within nor by the fawnings and flatteries of these men from without As the Malignancie of some and unrighteous dealing and loose and scandalous walking of others in Judicatories and Armies and places of power and trust in the Kingdom have been a main cause of all the evils both of Sin and punishment under which the Land groans