them we will renounce and forswear it and the ends thereof are not these the men who are abusers of the Ordinances of God in our neighbour land tolerators of errors proclaimers of liberty dispensers with Bands and Oathes in Gods matters but rigid exactors and oppressors of persons yea of Nations in their Consciences Liberties and Estates in their own matters and for their own ends who have brought great scandall and reproach upon the name of God the the name of his people and the study of piety and who have not only broken the solemn and sacred Covenant betwixt God and these Nations but have in effect rejected it and trampled upon it are become enemies to all the ends thereof and persecutors of the servants and people of God for their adherence to it doe they not follow the wayes of the Prelaticall and malignant party who in the beginning of these troubles came to invade this Kingdome but blessed be the Lord returned with shame are they not walking in the same paths that the late Engagers did against England sinning with an high hand against God his Cause Covenant and People the sinfulnesse of their wayes meanes Instruments ends and aymes and the evident injustice of their quarrell against these who never gave them just ground of offence make it apparent We assisted and relieved England twice since the beginning of these troubles and returned both times peaceably out of the Kingdome Not only their own expressions but their consciences can bear witnesse to our sufferings and opposition in reference to the late engagement and will they requite us with War for our kind assistance hostilitie for friendship and render evill for good Surely he seeth all these things whose eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him and can speak peace unto their helpers and bring in the day of his vengeance and the year of recompence for the quarrell of his broken Covenant upon these who have set up Thresholds by his Thresholds and Posts by his Posts and not onely do so themselves but endeavour to compell and force others to do the same do they thus provoke the Lord to jealousie are they stronger nor he hath he not sworn by his great name that his people shall knov whether his designes or his enemies his counsell or theirs his word or theirs his work or theirs shall stand In the pride of their heart because of former successes and trusting to their Power skill and experience they think to doe with Jerusalem as with Samaria with Israel as with Edom and with the Covenanted people of God as with Malignants against whom they were raised as a scourge and a rod of indignation not considering that when the Lords work is done and the axe boasteth it selfe against the hewer then the Lord useth to send among their fat ones leannesse under their glory to kindle a burning and the light of Israel useth to be for a fire and his holy one for a flame to destroy the briars and thorns in one day saith the Lord. If we shall keep malignancy out of our quarrell and malignant Instruments out of our Counsels and forces and our selves free from every thing which may provoke the Lord and doe every duty that may engage them for us the case of the Ammonites against Jepthah and Israel the case of Jeroboam against Abijah the case of Amaziah gainst Joash the case of Zennacherib against Hezâ—kiah the case of Moab against Jehosaphat and the judgments which came on these Invaders speak terrour to our Adversaries that come against us and courage and comfort to the necessary defenders for the Lord lives and reignes for ever to confirm the word of his servants and perform the counsell of his Messengers and turneth the wisdom of the wise and strength of the strong backward maketh the Diviners mad and the despisers to wonder and perish for he will work a work which they shall in no wise beleeve though a a man declare it unto them Let us therefore arise and be doing for the Cause and for the Cities of our God and the Lord will be with us and will not forsake us if we forsake not him And who then can be against us He will be Jehovah Nissi and spread a banner of love over His people and send the angel of His presence among them for a sun and a shield and will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone a cup of trembling and a torch in a sheif to all that dare meddle with Sion and break the staffes of beauty and bands and he will soon go through the briars and thorns let in battell against him for the Cause and the battell is the Lords Let us wait on His salvation There is cause of humiliatâ—on when we consider our formality in the Worship of God our neglect of duties of true piety our undervaluing of the precious Gospel our unthankfulnes for mercies our stupidity under judgements our manifold backslidings of heart and seâ—f-seeking our not minding as we ought the inward work of Reformation resting too much on the out side of duties the profanes of many in the Land in our Aâ—my and many other transgreshons â—or these things we should lie low in the dust and acknowledge that it were just with the Lord to leave us to let our enemies prevail over us and let in a flood-gate of error heresie schisme and profanesse to overflow the Lanâ— But there is no cause of fear or fainting if we will consider that the Lord delights to be called on as a God who will keep Covenant and mercy to and with his people notwithstanding their failings if we look either to the Lords former dispensations or present engagements for his Work and the honour of his great Name or if we will look to the eâ—emies quarrell their aymes and designes or to the resolutions of this Kâ—rk and Kingdom to stand for the Cause and Covenant against enemies and dangers on all hands If the Lord had intended to destroy the Land he would not have done so much for us and amongst us nor received a sacrifice off our hands Though the enemy should come in like a flood to overflow Immanuels Land His Spirit shall lift up a standard against him and not suffer His people to say a confederacy to such but shall magnifie himself in the borders of Israel Wherefore we desire all the people of the Land to beware that they be not deceived and insnared with the fair offers and smooth pretences of the Sectaries whole words are soft as butter and oil but gall and bitrernesse is in their hearts and actions they have the smooth voyce of Jacob but the rough hands of Esau And we do in the name and by the warrant of the Estates of Parliament discharge all persons whatsoever within the Kingdom to give them aide counsellor assistance or to correspond or comply with them any manner of way under the same paines and certifications that they are discarged to joyn assist correspond or comply with Malignants and Rebels in Arms. Tho. Henderson FINIS
appearance of the beginning of trouble in this Kingdom the Houses of Parliament did in their sense and apprehension of the Nationall Alliâ—nce betwixt the Kingdoms settled and confirmed by the large Treaty and Acts of Parliaments of both Kingdoms declare that they were bound to apply the Authority of Parliament and power of England to the preservation conservation of our Peace when the troubles of England did grovv to a greater height about the end of the year 1642. the Houses of Parliament did again declare that seeing the subtile practice of the common Enemy of the Religion and Liberty of both Nations did then appear in England with more evidence strength danger than it did in Scotland the former year therefore in their judgment the same obligation did ly upoÌ„ their Brethren of Scotland by the afore-mentioned Act vvith the power force of this Kingdom to assist England in repressing these amongst them who were in arms against the Parliament fordestruction thereof from which other Declarations and the expresse meaning and intent of the Treaty it may be easily collected that what wrong is done by the common enemies of both Kingdoms though it ought to be repaired yet it is not to be looked on as that which should cancel and dissolve the Treaty and the mutuall amity and alliance that is betwixt the Kingdoms but that either Kingdom ought when they aâ—e desired and called thereunto to be assistant to other in their strâ—â—ts and the treaties ought to continue undissolved and to be preserved for the good of the present and future generations unles it be intended that they shall for ever hereâ—fter remain in hostility or that the one shall conquer the other for they cannot be tyed by stricter bonds then they are already If the Covenant be alleadged against them they affirm they have kept it religiously which they would make out by a distinction thus The Articles concerning Religion and civil Liberties have the first place in the Covenant say they and these which concern the Kings Interest and constitution of Parliament the last and these with subordination one to another the Covenant tyed them to preserve Religion and libertie as the ends of it even when these were inconsistent with the preservation of the Kings Interest and the frame of Parliament because when the means and the end cannot both be injoyed together the end is to be preferred to the means That there was a reall inconsistence because the Houses accepted of his Majesties concessions at Newport which were destructive to Religion and the Covenant and acquiesced therein but the Armie appeared against them and so Religion and liberties are preserved But first there is no such distinction in the Covenant betwixt Articles as that one is a meane and another an end though each of them may conduce to the strengthening another the ends are expressed in the title narrative and Articles thereof and are unitive and copulative not disjunctive nor is there any inconsistencie betwixt the Articles and ends thereof otherwise it had been unlawfull for to have taken the Covenant And the third Article with which they quarrell most doth oblige us expresly to endeavour the prosecution thereof with the same sincerity reality and constancy as the rest Neither regall nor Parliamentary Government are in their own nature inconsistent with the preservation of Religion It were absurd to say so both reason and experience evidencing the contrary and there is great fallacie in the argument given to prove their inconsistencie for the Instance is concerning the actions of Governours which are saâ—d to be destructive to Religion But what is that to the Government they might as well have reasoned thus The English Army did in the yeer 1647 offer proposalls to the King which were destructive to religion therefore the Army must be taken away and we will have no more Armies If then the preservation of Religion and the civil Government be consistent as the Covenant it self doth necessarily presuppose then certainly our endâ—avours to preserve them may very well consist and ought to be performed with sincerity realty and constancie and unavoidably it will follow that an endeavour to destroy any of them is a cleare breach of and inconsistent with our Covenant and oath to God their distinction then falls to the ground and consequently their conclusion so that their endeavouring to destroy and actually destroying the King and changing the fundamentall Government is in our judgement so far from being a keeping of the Covenant as it is a clear and evident breach thereof It might have been much more strongly argued for Zedekiah then any thing that can be said in the present case that the keeping of his oath made to the King of Babylon was destructive to Religion and inconsistent with his dutie to God as King of Israel and with the civil liberties of the people of God when the King of of Babylon had spoiled the temple and carried away all the Princes all the mighty men of vallour all that were apt for war and all that were crafts men and smiths that the Kingdom might be base and not lift it self up yet what saith the Spirit of GOD Shall he prosper Shall he escape that doth such things Or shall he break the Covenant and be delivered As I live saith the Lord God surely in the place where the King dwelleth that made him King whose Oath he despised and whose Covenant he brake even with him in the midst of Babylon shall he die When it was alleadged against the late engagers that their invading England was contrary to the 5. Article of the Covenant by which they were obliged to endeavour that the Kingdoms may remain conjoyned in a firm Peace and union to all posteriâ—y they were ready under the pretences of endeavoring the reformation of Religion the rescuing of his Majesties Person and preservation of the priviledges of the Parliament of England to declare before God and the world that they were resolved never to break the Union betwixt the Kingdoms nor to entreanch upon the Nationall rights of the subjects of England or their liberties not considering that the Articles of the Covenant were unitive and copulative and that the Covenant is broken and not kept when any one Article thereof is broken And now under the like pretences of the advancement of Gods glory and the furthering just freedom the Sectaries are invading Scotland contrary to that 5. Article of the Covenant but the same Lord who avenged the quarrell of His broken Covenant upon the late Engagers lives and reigns to avenge it upon the Sectaries Whereas they mention their appearing against the Houses of Parliament who had accepted of the Kings concessions at Newport which were destructive to Religion and that thereby they have preserved both Religion and Liberty how do they know that Religion and Liberty would have been destroyed if they had not appeared the Lord could have preserved them by lawfull means
and stands not in need of sinfull assistance to accomplish his work But how they can say to those that fear the Lord in Scotland that Religion and Liberty are now preserved we very much wonder let them read over that testimony of the Kirk of Scotland against Toleration from which they borrow that proof that the Kings concessions were destructive to Religion and compare it with the state of Religion this day in England and they shall find in the Judgement of the Kirk of Scotland Religion is by that Army endeavoured to be destroyed and not preserved As their arguments from inconsistence doe not so these taken from the subordination of the ends of the Covenant will much lesse help them Gods Ordinances are not contrary to nor destructive of other Christ commands us to give unto God what was Gods and also unto Caesar what was Caesars which is agreeable to that known maxim subordinata non pugnant some duties doe deserve preference to other yet never so as to take off the obligation of endeavouring to perform other duties so farre as is in our power much lesse doth it allow us a liberty to doe the contrary we should not be carnally wise and over anxious about the issue but ought to perform duties according to Gods revealed will and leave the event to him The Malignants under a pretence of doing duties to the King neglect all duties to God and the Sectaries under pretence of Religion and Liberty neglect all duties to the King but neither of these wayes have been blessed of God the Malignants have never done reall service to the King but were seeking their own interest and and ends under the pretence of his service so the Sectaries for all their fair pretences to preserve and defend Religion are but destroying it can dispense with oathes and sacred Covenants in order to their own interest making Religion subservient to their particular ends When the Covenant is alleged against their proceedings for changing the civill Government the Army saith that they have kept it religiously and they labour to answer objections to the contrary by distinctions granting that they have alterd the form but say they have kept the substance but those who claim to be the Parliament of the Common wealth of England would seem to deal more ingenuously in their Declaration of the 14. July 1649. for say they the Parliament hath not by the Covenant Treaties and Declarations excluded it selfe from the use and exercise of the supream legislative authority to alter repeal and make voyd any thing whatsoever appertaining to the Government of that Nation or if they have it is not to be imagined that any Covenant Treaty or Declaration in that behalf could be binding in things which a Parliament cannot give away from if selfe or lastly if any thing of that kind could be urged from the Covenant Treaties and Declarations the late Invasion of England hath cancelled it and made it invalide as to any obligation upon England They plainly disclaim all obligations by the Covenant in relation to the preservation of the form of Government yet what strange subterfuges are here perhaps they would be thought to have some regard to the Covenant In a word that which they say is either there is nothâ—ng in the Covenant which rerstrains the use and exercise of the legislative authority in altering any thing appertaining to the Government of that Nation or if there be any thing in it of that nature it is not binding or if it be binding the late Engagers of Scotland have loosed if and so it is cancelled Is it not a wonder to see how men can so dally with the oath of God and how their consciences can rest upon such doubtfull alternatives and yet in all this hesitation and darknesse act so forwardly As to the first case which they make it is very clear that they are bound by the Covenant all the dayes of their lives to endeavour to preserve the rights and priviledges of the Parliament and if any rights or priviledges certainly these which the Parl. hath both before and since the taking of the Covenant declared to be fundamentall they are likewise to endeavour to preserve the Kings person and authoriâ—y in the preservation and defence of the true Religion and Liberties of the Kingdoms that the world may bear witnesse with their consciences of their loyalty and that they have no thoughts or intentions to diminish his Majesties just power and greatnesse and herein the legislative authority is undoubtedly restrained and limited from all endeavours to the contrary And as to the second case where they say it cannot be binding they know they should not change though they sweare to their hurt the Almighty blessed bee his glorious name holdeth himselfe obliged to keep Covenant even with his owne Creatures and shall not the creature be bound to keep Covenant when they swear to him Wee know not what a vast power they would ascribe to their legislative authority but as it is used it seems to be like that mad-man in the Gospel that brake all bands so as nothing could hold him fast The power of dispensing with oathes is condemned in Popes and Princes and there is no reason to maintain the same power in others Neither will the third serve their turn to say that the late Engagers have broken the Covenant and so they are free for the transgressions of others cannot absolve their consciences from the obligation of a Covenant made with God the knowledge of their sin and punishment may well aggravate their guiltinesse in the sight of God We shall say no more on this subject but pray the Lord to direct us sincerely and uprightly to minde all the ends of the Covenant and to keep us from declining or shifting the obligations which it layeth upon us as some doe and from that which others call a religious keeping of it though they break it in some Articles For Presbyteriall Government they say it is not to be imposed by force but wherefore have they opposed by force the Establishing of it as was Ordained by the Houses of Parliament and if they desire not themselves to be forced to any way why came they in a hostile mannner to force their wayes upon us Certainly that is no effect of Faith working by Love They tell us of the danger we are in from Malignants and bring in one instance from the procedings of some Lords and others in the North of Ireland and another from the late engagers against England to which we say that we are so far associating with Malignants as we have neither admitted them to trust in our Counsels or Armies nor permitted them to come into our armies but have discharged them under high penalties yet however we do acknowlege there is danger from the pretences of Malignants but that is no argument why we should not also beware of the smooth pretences and dangerous insinuations of Sectaries We trust the Lord