been so kept off Field action All which hath not onely done prejudice to the publike Service but hath brought things to great hazard yea almost to the undoing of all But God in his mercy hath turned the balance no thank to your remissenesse wherein God sheweth although men will not do what they ought and can do for his Service upon I cannot tell what consideration he will do the work of men by no men When I think on John Knox and George Buchanan how freely they spoke and writ at all times and upon all occasions when the Church and State were concerned without fear of any man or Assembly whatsoever having nothing before their eyes but the glory of God and the good of his people They were weak and infirm men as we are all but their stout zeal to the publike was admirable and is ever to be remembred by us not onely to their praise but also to spur us up to imitate them in this heroike vertue For me I value the zeal and stoutnesse of these two Champions of the Truth more than all their other vertues howsoever eminent they were But you will say It is now another age and consequently another way of carriage of things is required It is true we live now in another age which is worse than that of these men Wherefore we must then strive with greater zeal and vertue to oppose the wickednesse of this time For although by a prudentiall preventing and declining by clear-seeing men many plots and devises of the wicked may be for a time shunned Yet there is no way to make the wicked leave or weary of resisting and oppressing goodnesse but by a vigorous and stout opposing of them Besides although the Cards be new we play with all yet it is the same very Game that our Fathers had in Scotland and our Neighbours had lately in our dayes in France Where and when nothing did prevaile or do good unto the Cause but resolution and zeal in carrying on the things not onely against the Common Enemy but also against the false Friends and they that walked then any other way betrayed the Cause and purchased unto themselves the title of silly inconsiderable men of whatsoever rank or degree they were To say nothing of the judgement of God that fell upon them and to this day hangs upon them and theirs I shun examples in this case for I love to reprove faults and spare mens persons Moreover since the Malignants every where are so busie running to and fro like so many Bees with great care and heat and so bold to forge and invent lyes by word and writing to abuse the World and so wrong treacherously the publike Service Why should not then faithfull men be diligent and stout in all freedom to make known the truth of things for the confirming of the well-affected and for stopping of the mouth of the wicked and so consequently for the better carrying on of the work now in hand Now being thus friendly and freely admonished by one who wisheth well to the Common Cause you now serve with his whole heart and unto your selves in particular in so far as you are faithfull and earnest zealous and stout in this Cause of God and his people laying aside all humane prudence which is not subservient to zeal and stoutnesse as well as to faithfulnesse and earnestnesse I hope you will take care to minde this slip by giving unto the publike a true and free relation of all things from time to time as the occasion shall require and in your meetings about Church and State to be stout and free for the advancing of the publike Service to the glory of God to the good of his people and to the contentment and satisfaction of well-affected men in despite of malignancy In the interim till you perform this duty give me leave in this place plainly and homely to put unto the view of the World the relation of some things of speciall note hardly well known to many at least taken notice of but by a few concerning the carriage of the Scots ever since the very first beginning of these unhappy troubles to this day the knowledge whereof will do good I am sure to the publike Service and will help to right in some measure men both faithfull and constant in the Work Yea the commemoration of these things although known I am perswaded will give content to all honest and well-meaning men unto whom the publike good is dearer than the interest of any particular man whatsoever with whom they ought to go along no further than the particular man goeth on with the publike of Church and State laying aside all other relation As for other men I value them no more than the open declared enemies who preferre the pleasure of one abused Prince under pretext of obligation they have to him unto the good of Church and State And thus I begin The Common Enemy having designe to bring these Dominions under spirituall and temporall slavery all things disposed for his ends according to his mind thinks fit for his purpose to begin this great work in Scotland promising unto himself to find least opposition there for reasons which hitherto by Gods mercy hath deceived him The Scots being pressed to receive the corrupt Liturgy to say nothing in this place of what was before put upon them fairly decline it by iterate supplications and humble remonstrances unto the King But nothing will do the turn they must receive the Prelats Master-Peece and Romes essay the Nove-Antic-Service-Book either by fair play or foul The Scots on the other side constant to their principles refuse to receive the Book for which they are published by the Prelats and the Court to be refractaries and rude fellows without God or Religion Which gave occasion to the Scots to make known not onely unto their own people at home but to all men abroad namely to their Brethren of England by a publike Declaration their condition how they were wronged the equity of their Cause their lawfull proceedings and their good intentions by this means their friends good will is confirmed unto them and their enemies designe in some measure is broken who did intend by lyes to steal from them the good affection of their friends Next The Scots being constrained to have recourse to the Sword for their just defence all other means tryed failing were back-bitten as mutinous taking Arms for poverty with intention to cast off the just Authority of their Native and lawfull Prince and to invade England for the spoile thereof To these most pernicious calumnies the Scots replyeth by another Declaration particularly addressed unto England whereby they made known the absolute necessity of their taking up Arms with their honest intentions therein All which they made good thereafter in due time by reall performance For so soon as they had occasion to shew their respect to the King they did it with all readinesse and submission and when they
the mixture or addition of their own interest for God will have our work wholly for himself and if we be faithfull in it he will not forget to give us what we need to have for our selves otherwayes he will not onely cast us off and our work but will curse both it and us Again I say Let England take example at her Neighbour yet I am sure God in his Judgement will remember his Mercy unto Scotland and for his own Name sake will keep his promise unto his faithfull ones whereof he hath a great number of all ranks and conditions in that distressed Countrey and will not suffer this proud insulting Enemy to domineer thus ever his poor people far lesse set up again his abominations and profane his holy Name but God will arise and throw his Enemies to the dust for it is against him they fight and for his sake they thus trouble vex now oppresse his People And although that all men at this great last blow were struken with astonishment yet many take courage to go on with the Service of the Cause of God with their whole heart and strength acknowledging Gods Justice in this his thus chastising them and confessing heartily their sins by which they have so provoked God to anger and are truly sorry not so much for their sufferings they now lie under as for their offending their good God on whom they are resolved to rely and in whom they will constantly trust and to whom they will more neerly adhere then ever let him deal with them as he pleaseth they are the Servants he is the Lord they are the Pot he is the Porter they are the Creatures and he is the Creator whose will is alwayes good not onely it self but for us if we be obedient and faithfull unto him But I will hold thee here no longer So recommending thee to God I go to the Discourse it self A short and true Relation of divers passages of things wherein the Scots are particularly concerned from the first beginning of these troubles to this day IT is not unknown to men of understanding how that many sinistrous reports one after another raised of the Scots for their faithfulnesse constancy to the Cause of Religion and Liberty in these Dominons by Malignants that is by Atheists Libertines Papists Prelatists and Sectaries of all kindes officiating in their severall wayes for the Common Enemy and spred abroad by the contrivers thereof with the help of their instruments Agents and Favourers then received by the simpler sort not knowing the truth of things lesse the drift of the Malignants in these calumnies otherwayes well-meaning people for the truth is no sooner made known unto them but they willingly lay hold on it and being admonished of the pernicious designe of the adversaries they do abhorre and detest both it and them hath done and yet doeth great prejudice according to the intent of the Enemy unto the service now in hand of the Common Cause of Church and State these two inseparable twins which both Kingdoms do now maintain and intend to do unanimously with heart and hand as they stand bound and united to lay aside all other and former tyes by the Nationall Covenant through the great Providence of God in mercy to both so that they prove faithfull and constant to this Cause of his and of his people according to the said Covenant against all opposition whatsoever whether by declared and open war or by clandestine and indirect undermining Wherefore after long forbearance with grief of mind and compassion to see faithfull men and earnest in this Common Cause so maliciously traduced and in them the good Cause so much wronged as likewise so many well-affected men to the said Cause so grosly abused by crafty lyes and impudent untruths I have thought fit for the good and service of the Common Cause to the advancement whereof every one is obliged to contribute according to what he hath as he will answer one day to him whose Cause first and principally it is to undeceive many well-minded men and to right in some measure those faithfull men to the Cause who are so wickedly slandred in giving unto the publike this true and short Discours whereby the truth of divers things will be made more known lyes in a kind repressed and the service of the Common Cause somewhat furthered at least it will not be so far kept back as it hath hitherto been by these undermining courses And the rather do I undertake this task that those in a manner are silent by whom most men do expect the clear truth of things of this kinde not so generally known should be conveyed to all by a particular publication of them in writing to the end that this course of so maliciously lying against trusty men may be stopped and the well meaning men no longer thus abused But these of whom men look for performance of this duty going about the main work they are come hither for in all earnestnesse and singlenesse of heart with care and diligence and not without a great deal of drudging to and from as faithfull and trusty labourers do take but little notice of this wicked practise of their and the cause its Enemies by lyes howsoever industriously devised and cunningly set forth as altogether below them chosing rather that their own good carriage with constant resolution and faithfull endeavours and that of their Country-men engaged with them in the same businesse although in another way in sincerity of heart advancing the publike work now in hand should speak for them both then either a flourishing tongue or a nimble pen Here although I value much the goodnesse of these men to relye rather upon their own their Countrey-mens honesty and integrity in and about the work then upon the setting forth of any Declaration by writing of their own and their friends faithfull proceedings and fair carrying on of things in the publike service Yet in this I cannot esteem their prudency for albeit native beauty ought not to be set forth by painting and patches being compleat in it self yet it must be kept free from spots and and dirt and made seen unto all under a modest and comely dressing by which means it is more pleasing and better liked of every one And although where there is no fault no Apologie ought to be made yet to make the truth openly known when it is desguised for the information of those who take things meerly upon trust and to stop the going on of wicked men with lyes is not only an Act of Wisdom but of Piety yea of Necessity if men will not abandon the interest of a good cause to the malice of the Enemies thereof and as it is said by the wise man Thou art not to answer a fool according to his folly that is in exorbitancy c. lest in so doing thou become like unto him even so by the same wise man thou art ordained to answer a fool
as is fit and convenient for the repressing of his folly lest he think himself wise and so go on in his evil course to the dishonour of God the Father of truth and to the prejudice of both Church and State who are to be directed by the truth Surely if ever at any time the lye and calumny of the fool for so I call the calumniator how cunningly soever he lyeth is to be repressed with a fit answer it is at this time when there lieth so much at the stake in both Kingdoms as Religion and Libertie with whatsoever else is or ought to be dear unto men Now then to answer unto the calumnies of those Malignants to make the simple truth known to all is absolutely necessary at this occasion to the end that not onely the lyer may find his craft to be folly but also his wicked intent to be disappointed which is no lesse then a breach betwixt the two Nations and hath been such from the beginning and consequently the ruine of both now so united and joyned in the common interest of Church and State that they must sink or swim together for if they should once devide as the one doubtlesse will be presently undone so the end of the other will not be far off Wherefore he that doth any evil office to raise or increase jealousie betwixt them under whatsoever pretext is worse then any open Enemy and what he intends to the publike will come upon himself that is ruine with disgrace But me thinks I hear you whom I blame for silence in so necessary a case and so needfull a time say We have not been wanting in this very thing you find fault with For we have constantly and diligently communicated all things of any moment freely and ingeniously in all truth and simplenesse of heart to some chief leading men our particular good friends upon whom we have relyed from our first hither-coming in all things concerning us and our Countrey-men employed in the service to the end that they should convey the truth of businesse as in discretion they thought fit and did see cause for the publike good and for the right of us their friends to the Houses and from thence to the publike To this I answer You have mistaken the right way Sirs for you should have made your addresses to the whole Parliament or at least to the Committee appointed by the Parliament to hear you consult with you in a word to deal or treat with you of all things wherein you and they are jointly concerned and not suffer your selves to be engrossed by some few howsoever they be Prime men and what do you know if by thus suffering your selves to be as it were led by them hath not increased their credit For men may say that they have reason to follow those by whom you of so much reputation of wisdom and resolution are guided c. Further should not you have thought that particular men howsoever they serve the publike have ordinarily particular ends of ambition and avarice which the publike cannot have And although those your friends be free of these distempers yet you are not assured of their constancy unto you for many things fall out betwixt man and man which makes them not onely fall from intimacy of one with another but makes them adverse and opposite one to another oftentimes And although your friends be free of this infirmity Are you wise men to relie upon others for doing the things you should do your selves without a Procure He that trusteth another to do a thing fitting for himself to do must expect to have the thing done if at all done neither so timely nor so well at least not so soon nor so to his mind as is it falleth out often of extraordinary occasions and occurrences there is no certain rule Next I know you will say We have acquainted the Houses of Parliament to the full with the truth of all things by cut severall papers given unto them at divers times upon divers occasions and we have made known unto the Synode what concerneth Church businesses and so we think we have done enough in this But give me leave Sirs under favour herein also you are hugely mistaken you do well to communicate freely and carefully unto the Houses of Parliament all things and to acquaint them with your proceedings wherein they have common interest with you for the publike service of Church and State in these Dominions I hope they do so with you at least they ought to do it for the common good of both otherwayes the work wherein both Kingdoms are so ingaged and you both are employed will go but slowly and limpingly on Yet this is not enough for first the main passages of publike things done and the chief reasons of the doing thereof are to be made known to the whole Church and State since the whole hath the chief interest in things common to all although you are to communicate your counsels deliberations and conclusions of things to be done for fear of miscarriage onely to the Trustees of Church and State as your selves are Yet I say again what is de facto concerning all must be made known to all for the Trustees of the State and Church are not Lords of them as Kings and Popes pretend to be but servants as they avouch themselves set on work by them for the good of both upon trust which if they betray they are double Traitors First they falsifie their truth to the State and Church whereof they are Members and Children and unto whom they owe all under God Next they betray the trust imposed upon them for the good and benefit of both Church and State Yea the Houses of Parliament themselves shew you the way how to carry your selves in this very particular for they not onely for the satisfaction of the whole Kingdom cause publish the things done by those whom they as Trustees have employed to carry on the service of the publike in the Fields but also they publish unto the Kingdom Declarations of their honest intentions and fair proceedings with Votes and Ordinances for the good of Church and State And I am sure the Trustees of your Nation for your Church and State have done so from the beginning in your particular troubles and that not onely to your own Countrey but also to your neighbour which hath done no harme neither to the advancement of your affaires at home nor to your reputation abroad Although the Houses of Parliament rest satisfied in themselves of the honesty of your proceedings Yet this giveth but small satisfaction unto the Kingdom Yea when you send in your papers to the Houses it may happen that divers Members are absent at the time and so remain as ignorant of your affaires as before the in-giving of the papers for the Houses are so taken up with other thoughts and businesses that they cannot acquaint the absents with your own affaires yea some who are