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A67694 Causes of the Lords wrath against Scotland manifested in his sad late dispensations. Whereunto is added a paper, particularly holding forth the sins of the ministery. Warriston, Archibald Johnston, Lord, 1611-1663. 1653 (1653) Wing W983; ESTC R204011 68,060 90

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CAUSES Of the LORDS WRATH against SCOTLAND Manifested in his sad late dispensations Whereunto is added a PAPER particularly holding forth the Sins of the MINISTERY Printed in the year 1653. Some General Heads of the Causes why the LORD contends with the Land agreed upon after seeking of the LORD by the Commission of the GENERALL ASSEMBLY 1650. with the advice of diverse Ministers from severall parts of the Kingdom met at Edinburgh October 1651. so far as for the present they could attain light therein which they offer and advise to be made use of by all the LORDS People in the Land leaving place to adde as the Lord shall make further discoveries hereafter of the guiltinesse of the Land and intending more fully and particularly to enlarge this Paper 1. Article THe grosse Atheisme and ignorance of God and of his Word and Works that is in a great part of the Inhabitants of the Land which is such that neither Law nor Gospel nor the most common and necessary points of truth are understood or known by many thousands 2. Article Horrible loosnesse and prophanity of Conversation in all sorts against the Commandments both of the first and second table which hath so abounded and encreased that scarce hath any of the Nations exceeded us therein 3. Article The despising and slighting of JESUS CHRIST offered in the Gospel which we look on as the chief and mother sin of this Nation and the not valuing and improving the Gospel and precious Ordinances of CHRIST unto the establishing and building up of our selves in the lively faith of CHRIST and power of godlinesse but either neglecting and despising these things altogether or else resting upon and idolizing outward and bare forms without studying to know in our selves or to promove in others the Kingdom of God which is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost whereby it hath come to passe that persons not rightly qualified have been admitted unto and continued in the Work of the Ministery and Elderships and that publick repentance and Kirk-censures have been gros●ely slighted and the Sacrament of the Lords Supper fearfully polluted by the promiscuous admitting of many ignorant and scandalous persons thereto and many wilfully ignorant and openly and continuedly prophane have been keeped in the fellowship of this Kirk contrary to the Word of GOD and Constitutions of this Kirk and that many other sad and fearfull consequences have followed unto the prophaning of all the Ordinances of GOD and rendering them for the most part barren and fruitlesse to us 4 Art Not only the exercise of godlines in families much slighted great men being unwilling and ashamed to call on the name of the LORD in their Family which guilt is exceedingly heightned by the continuing of many of these in the same after solemn Publick confessing thereof and engaging to the contrary duty in the year 1648. and others much neglecting the same But also the loathing and hating of the power and life of Religion and godlinesse and bearing down such as make conscience thereof or aime at any perfection therein which hath come to such an height that the Godly are every-where reproached reviled oppressed and persecuted throughout the Land by sundry of all ranks yea by sundry Magistrates and Ministers and the ungodly and prophane countenanced encouraged and imployed 5. Article The base love of the world and Covetousnesse which hath made not onely the Body of the People but many Ministers more to minde their own things then the things of JESUS CHRIST and many Masters Rulers Magistrates Officers and Souldiers in Armies exceedingly to abuse their power unto the exercising of intollerable oppression of all kindes on the poor to the grinding of their faces and making their lives bitter to them Which fountain of Covetousnesse did also produce the great insolencies and oppressions in our Armies in England and Ireland and the fearfull perjuries in the Land in the matter of valuation and Excise 6. Article The abusing and prostituting the Publick Faith of the Kingdom in the way of borrowing of Money and otherwise unto the dishonouring of GOD mocking of Men and reproach of the Nation 7. Article In pursuing of necessary Duties of renewing the Nationall Covenant and entring into and renewing the solemn League and Covenant the way of many mens taking these Covenants was without the knowledge of the necessary things contained therein and without reality and sincerity of heart in order to the performance thereof some being induced thereto by example some by fear and not a few by principles of policy following their own carnall and corrupt ends 8. Article The Following the work of God and pursuing the ends of the Covenant not in a Spirituall holy way setting the LORD alwayes before our eyes and acknowledging him in all our paths but in a carnall politick way abusing GODS Interest for our own interest and ends as if it had been the Work of men and not the Work of GOD which made us walk more in the counsels of our own hearts then in the Counsel of GOD and to trust more in the arm of flesh then in the Arm of the Lord. 9. Article Backslyding and defection from the Covenant and from our solemn Vows and Engagements the guilt whereof is exceedingly heightned by the aggravating circumstances of our renewed Oaths and of the LORDS Mercies and Engagements and of our frequent relapses into the same sins whereof we once seemed to have repented and which we condemned in others Of this Defection there be these speciall heads and Steps 1. Step. A soul falling from that honesty of heart and purity of conversation and from the singlenesse and integrity of heart and from the fervency zeal for GOD that appeared to be in many at the first entry to the Covenant and declining into loose walking and self interest and neutrality and indifferency from which haue issued many sad consequences especially the great scandall and stumbling of many godly in the Land at us and the Work of God in our hand 2 Step. The sitting up of many Professors in the Land under the Gospel and becoming formall and remisse not entertaining tenderness spirituall life and soberness of minde which as it hath been amongst the provoking Causes of the LORDS wrath and hath rendered some obnoxious to snares on both hands so may it if it be not mourned for and amended draw on more wrath and expose to the hazard of errour and disaffection to the Work of GOD. 3. Step. The secret falling off of some and open falling away of many unto the opposite party after their entering in Covenant especially that defection carried on by Iames Graham his party and that which was afterward carried on by the Authors and Abettors of the unlawfull Engagement 1648. 4. Step. The neglecting obstructing and condemning the purging of the Judicatories and Army 1649. and afterward from scandalous and disaffected men and of the constituting the same of men of known integrity
Psalm 139. 21 22. Do not I hate them O Lord that hate thee And am not I grieved with these that rise up against thee I hate them with perfect hatred I count them mine enemies 23. v. Search me O Lord and know my heart try me and know my thoughts And yet hath it not gotten great footing amongst us and made wicked men get up the head and wickednesse to grow and abound every-where The wicked walk on every side when the vilest men are exalted Psalm 12. last verse 5. Article THe fifth Article speaks of Covetousnesse and Oppression the one as the root the other as the fruit and effect thereof We need not to insist to shew what a sin the love of the World and Covetousnesse is the Scriptures hold it forth as Idolatry Col. 3. 5. Mortifie therefore your members which are on the earth fornication uncleannesse inordinate affection evil concupiscence and covetousnesse which is Idolatry as the root of all evill 1 Tim. 6. 10. For the love of money is the root of all evil which while some men have coveted after they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows As that which is inconsistent with the love of God 1 Ioh. 2. 15. Love not the World neither the things that are in the world If any man love the World the love of the Father is not in him As that which makes the Lord wroth with men Isai. 57. 17. For the iniquity of his covetousnes was I wroth and smote him I ●id my self and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart And to abhor them Psalm 10. 3. The wicked boasteth of his hearts desire and blesseth the covetous whom the Lord abhorreth As that which brings the curse of God on them and on their families Hab. 2. 9 10 11. Wo to him that coveteth an evil covetousnesse to his house that he may set his nest on high that he may be delivered from the power of evil Thou hast consulted shame to thine house by cutting off many people and hast sinned against thy soul. For the stones shall cry out of the wall and the beam out of the timber shall answer it And though it have in it all these and many other mischiefs and evils yet hath it taken hold on and doth cleave closely to many of all ranks in the Land in their carriage and actings Do not the Body of the People spend their time in seeking after the things of a present world and according as they prosper or are crossed in these things accordingly do they think themselves happy or miserable And there be Ministers not a few that as they entered so do they follow the work of the Ministery for the things of a present world and are more for caring for these things then for the souls committed to their charge and more eager in pursuing an encrease and augmentation in these things then in pursuing the things that concern the beating down of Satans Kingdom and the promoving of the Kingdom of the Lord JESUS CHRIST And hence also it is as from a main cause that Ministers not a few prove unfaithfull in their duty and unsutable in a day of temptation rather choosing to forbear to reprove and censure the faults of these who may bring prejudice to them in things worldly rather then to offend them and rather choosing to become neutrall and indifferent or comply with evill courses then to hazard the losse of their stipends but especially the sad and wofull fruit of this wofull evill appears in Masters to their servants Landlords to their Tenents Magistrats and Rulers to these over whom they bear rule Judges to these who come before them Advocats and Procurators to their Clients Clerks Commissars and Collectors to these with whom they have to do Officers and Souldiers in the Countrey where they bear charge yea and amongst the Commons themselves where they have any power one over another The Lord hath forbidden to oppresse an hired servant and hath commanded at his day to give him his hire Deut. 24. 14 15. Thou shalt not oppresse an hired servant that is poor and needy whether he be of thy brethren or of thy strangers that are in the land within thy gates at his day thou shalt give him his hire neither shall the sun go down upon it for he is poor and needy and setteth his heart upon it lest he cry unto the Lord against thee and it be sin unto thee Yet behold the hire of the labourer is by many Masters keeped back violently fraudulently and this cryeth unto Heaven and is entred into the eares of the Lord of hosts Jam. 5. 4. Behold the hire of the labourer which have reaped down your fields which is of you kept back by fraud cryeth and the cryes of them which have reaped have entred into the ears of the Lord of sabbath The oppression of Landlords to their Tenents are so many and so exorbitant that they cannot easily be reckoned the Lands for the most part set by them at a dearer rate then the Tenents can pay the Duty and live in any tollerable condition themselves and therefore are they forced with their wives and children to drudge continually in the earth from morning till evening by which it comes to passe that their lives is but a kind of lasting bondage and slavery and that they have neither time nor encouragement for serving and seeking GOD themselves in their Families or for breeding their children in knowledge vertue and piety Secondly Beside the Rent of the Land condescended on they also lay on them many burdens and taxations in an arbitrary way by their Bailiffs and Courts and otherwayes at their pleasure such as services of all sorts beyond paction and agreement and quarterings and beside the putting out of the Foot and the burden thereof sometime the burden of putting out the Horse and the bearing of a great part or the whole Monethly Maintenance and Sesse Thirdly The giving of short Laces of Lands and removing them therefrom and taking away what they have when they grow poor and are not able to pay or else if they thrive by heightening and augmenting their Farms and Rent by which means it hath in the righteous judgment of GOD occasioned that Tenents in many places prove undutifull to their Masters and deny to them these things which in conscience and reason they are obliged to perform And for the Rulers albeit we be far from joining issue with these who from dis-affection to the Work of GOD and the Instruments thereof did traduce and speak evill of those whom GOD set over us in their charge and even in the imposing of the most necessary burdens and in the most moderate and equall way yet we cannot but acknowledge and bemoan the great reproach that hath been brought on the chief Judicatories of the Land and on the Work of GOD by the felfshness and particularity of some persons of note