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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A75377	An account of the methods and motives of the late union and submission to the assembly offered and subscribed by Mr. Thomas Lining, Mr. Allexander Sheilds, Mr. William Boyd		1691 (1691)	Wing A324B; ESTC R229748	40,969	47

privatively by withholding other necessary Instructions and Warnings Murdering their Souls 6. Because they were and are upon all these Accounts Scandalous and the Objects of the Churches Censure And thô through the iniquity of the times their deserved Censure hitherto hath not been inflicted yet they stand upon the matter convict by clear Scripture Grounds and by the standing Acts and judicial Decision of this Church in her Supreme Judicatories 7. Because this hearing and sumitting to them was required as a Badge Test and Evidence of Due Acknowledgement of and hearty Compylance with Erastianism and Prelacy or His Majesties Government Ecclesiastick Act. Parl. 1. Char. 2. July 10. 1663. which made it a case of Confession to withstand it 8. Because by our Covenants we are obliged to stand at a distance from such courses of Defection and to extirpate them yet in contradiction hereunto we were commanded by the Rescinders of the Covenants to bear the Prelatick Curats as a Badge of our yeilding to the rescinding of the Govenants 9. Because this Course was Offensive and Stumbling both in hardening those that complyed with Prelacy and weakening the Hands of those that opposed it and inferred a condemning of their Sufferings upon this Head Especially 10. When Communion with them was so stated that therein was not only a Case of Controversie among the Godly in which alwayes Abstinence is the surest side nor only in the judgement of many a Case of Confession which is alwayes dangerous to contradict and condemn but undenyably a Case of Competition between the true Church of Scotland her Ministers and Professors owning and adhering to her Holy Establishments claiming a Divine Right to their Offices and Priviledges contending for the Churches Reformation and a Schismatical Party setting up a new Church in a new Order under a new Head robbing them of their Offices and Priviledges and overturning the Reformation We must presume to Plead also That Enquiry be made unto the Heinous and Heaven-daring Affront done to the Holiness of GOD in the horrid Violations of our Holy Covenants National and Solemn League not only how the Popish Prelatical and Malignant Party have broken them enacted the Breaches of them by Law Burnt them and endeavoured to Bury them by making it a Capital Crime to owne their Obligation and by bringing in and substituting in their room Conscience ensnaring Anti-covenants Oaths Bonds and Engagements renouncing the former and obliging to Courses contradictory thereunto But that it may be considered how many wayes Ministers and Professors in this time of tentation and tribulation have been guilty of breach of these holy Covenants particularly by consenting unto subscribing swearing and taking any of the new multiplied mischievously contrived captiously conceived and Tyrannically imposed Oaths Tests or Bonds in matters of Religion since the overturning of the Covenanted Reformation and establishment of Prelacy and by perswading People to take them and forbearing a necessary warning of the danger of them and leaving People in the dark to determine themselves in the midst of these snares All which we Plead and Protest against as sinful and scandalous 1 Because all of them did infer import and imply a sinful unitive conjunction Incorporation Association and Confederacy with the People of these Abominations that were promoting a course of Apostasie from GOD. 2 Because all of them were incapable of the Qualifications required in Sacred Engagements to be taken in Truth Righteousness and Judgement 3 Because all of them in the sense of the Imposers interpreted by their Acts and Actings were condemnatory of and contradictory unto the Covenants some part of the Covenanted Reformation 4 Because by the Ancient Acts of Assembly all publick Oaths imposed by the Malignant Party without consent of the Church are condemned July 28. 1648. Ante merid Sess 18. And Those Ministers are Ordained to be Censured who subscribe any Bonds or take any Oaths not approven by the General Assembly or by their Counsel Countenance or Approbation make themselves accessary to the taking of such Bonds and Oaths In like manner we dare not forbear to Cry and Crave that it may be considered what wrongs Christ hath received from the Erastian and Antichristian Usurpation of the Supremacy encroaching upon the Prerogative of the Lord Jesus Christ his incommunicable Headship and Kingship as Mediator giving to a Man a Magisterial and Architectonick power to alter and innovate Authorise and Exauctorate allow or restrain and dispose of the Government and Governours of the Church according to his pleasure invading the liberties of the Gospel Church introducing a civil Dominion upon her Government contrare to its nature being only a Ministerial-Stewardship distinct from the Civil Government in its Nature Causes Ends Officers and Actings and giving to the Magistrate the power of the keyes without and against Christs Donation and Authority even the Dogmatick Critick and Diatactick Decisive Suffrage and Power in Causes Ecclesiastick which Christ hath intrusted to the Church Representatives and denying to the Church the Exercise of these Keyes and Powers without the Magistrates warrand and Indulgence We crave also that it may be inquired into how far this encroachment hath been connived at submitted unto complyed with homologate strengthened and established by receiving and accepting without consent of the Church yea against the express dissent and testimony of some faithfull Ministers to the contrare the Indulgences anno 1669 and 1679 And by the silence of others not witnessing against the same and others censuring the Faithful for discovering the sinfulness thereof Which we Remonstrate upon these grounds complexly considered 1 Because as the contrivance and end of the grant thereof was to advance and establish the Supremacy to engage Presbyterians either to co-operate towards the settling and strengthening thereof or to surcease from opposing the peaceable possession of the Granters Vsurpation and to extort from them at least an indirect Recognizance of acknowledged Subordination in Ministerial Exercises to his usurped power in a way which would he best acquiesced in To suppress the Preaching and Propagation of the Gospel in persecuted Meetins in houses and fields so necessary at that time and to divide and increase differences and animosities among Presbyterians by insinuating upon these called the more Moderate to commend the Indulger his Clemency while other Non-Conformists adhering to interdicted duties were justly complaining of the Effects of his Severity And as the woful effects of it strengthening the Supremacy weakening the hands of these that witnessed against it extinguishing Zeal and increasing many divisions did correspond with these wretched designs So these could not be counteracted but very much strengthened and promotted by the Acceptance of the Indulgence which in its own nature was so palpably subservient thereto even thô there had been a Testimonie against these designs and ends yet when the means adapted to these ends were complied with it was rendered irrite and contra factam 2 Because as the Supremacie received

Toleration we have been several times consulting about some endeavours in our poor Capacity to discharge that duty with the least tumult or trouble to the Country that was possible not being able any longer to endure to see this purely Reformed and Covenanted Land polluted again with Idolatry and impunity of the Entycers thereunto and thereby exposed to the ineluctable Wrath of the Most High without some witness of our indignation at the same and thereupon had appointed this same concurrence of our Brethren at this present Meeting this same day to conclude upon some Course to effectuate it Yet as many of our Brethren in several corners of the Land without any Corespondence or Communication with one another were animated and encouraged at one and the same time to set about this work with others that the Lord stirred up to Zeal against Popish Idolatry So the extraordinar Emergent alarming the Country with fears and many reports of the Papists intending and Attempting to raise fire and Sword through the Land did prevent our appoyntments and provoked us to go to Armes for the preservation of our Religion Lives and Liberties defence of the Country and Relief of our Brethren that lay nearest the hazard then threatened and feared In which posture some of our Number that were furthest remote from the sure intelligence of the truth of these Allarms have continued hitherto not being willing to disperse until by this Meeting formerly appointed somewhat should be concluded with common consent as expedient for the present juncture and emitted for their vindication from some disorders falsly imputed and most grievous to us We do therefore further doclare That whereas Reports have come to us that some have robbed Gentlemen and some Episcopal Curats of their Horse and Armes Money or Houshold stuff As for Horse and Armes taken in these Tumultuary Confusions if any be amongst us as we have endeavoured so we shall endeavour Restitution But as for money or any other thing robbed from these we neither know the guilty persons nor are partakers with them but do disowne Disclaim and Detest all such disorderly and abominable practises And further the we owne and avouch it as our duty bound upon us from the Word of God Solemn Covenants and Constitutions of this Church to endeavour by all approven meanes the Extirpation of Prelacy as well as Popery And therefore do resolve through the Lords help and as He shall give us Call and Capacity to contribute our outmost assistance for the removing and dispossessing the Prelatical Curats from the Churches upon which they are intruded Yet we do not approve nor shall we attempt the taking of any thing that belongs to them Moreover we mean not now nor whensoever we may be constrained or called to rise in Armes defensive to wrong or encroach upon the Priviledges of any City Burgh or Town whatsomever or disturb the Peace of the Country either by Tumults or continuing together in Armes unnecessarly to oppress either one or other But as now we intend so at any other time when we are together we shall dismiss and go hame and live in quiet so long as either Duty or Safety will permit us For thô we be through Grace as ready as ever to suffer Persecution upon the same Heads of Truth that we have hitherto contended for and resolve rather to loss our dearest blood then to part with one hoof of them And are as resolute as ever to defend our selves all our Covenanted Bretheren in the common Cause Testimony against all Assaults of our Malignant Enemies so far as we can resist Yet if they will forhear to persist in their Persecuting and Murdering us for the time we intend not to take or seek revenge of them until we see what access the Lord our Avenger will give to a Legal Prosecution of them Only this much opposition they must expect that we will not embodie with them in any association for the Cause which they have betrayed destroyed nor with any other known avowed Enemies of Truth and Godliness Religion and Liberty But since the Lord hath in His wonderful Providence which we adore raised up helped and honoured the Illustrious Prince of Orange to be an Instrument in His Hand of breaking in a great measure the unsupportable Yoke of that Absolute Tyranny under which we have been long howling As we pray the Lord so to incline his Heart to favour the Lords righteous Cause and that he may pity and not permit the yet remaining Ireacherous and Truculent Promotters Abettors and Executioners of that Tyranny to devour and destroy us any more So we mind in due season to remonstrate to his Highness the unparalelled Grievances and Severities we have sustained from them And in the mean time do our best in dependence on the Lords strength to defend our selves against their Insults Finally we conclude declaring our cordial and constant Adherence to the good Old Way and Cause of Scotlands Covenanted Reformation in all it s received and established Doctrine Worship Discipline and Government according to the Word of God Confession of Faith Catechisms National Covenant Solemn League Solemn Acknowledgement of Sins and Engagement to Duties Causes of Wrath Acts of General Assemblies both the ancient unrepealled Acts and those from 1638. to 1650. And all the Testomonies Protestations Remonstrances and Declarations of old and of late founded upon and consonant to the same against Popery Prelacy Erastianism Sectarianism Tyranny and all the Encroachments of Absolute Power over Laws and Liberties of Church and State either by Persecution or Toleration This in short is the State of our Testimony transmitted to us from our renowned Ancestors sealed by the Martyrs and Confessors of CHRIST in our day Which we hope the Lord will more and more Vindicate and Propogate to Posterity Published at Douglass the 4 th of January 1689. THereafter beginning to get more Converse with some of our Brethren which the violence of Persecution precluded all access to before And this Converse begetting more desires of Unity and Amity with them We intertained the first Motion from some of the Reverend Ministers of Glasgow to confer with them about Points of Difference and Methods of Composing them The Conferences at that time produced only some janglings and at length some Overtures tendered on both sides wherein we could not agree These Reverend Brethren proposing after some premitted Considerations pressing the necessity of Union That an Act of Oblivion be agreed upon for all Faillings about points or Practises controverted among Presbyterians since the year 1650 to this day And that the Basis of our Union be the Holy Scriptures sensed and applied for the Resolution of all controverted practises amongst us according to the laudable Constitutions Customs Practises Acts of our National Assemblies Books of Discipline Gonfession of Faith Covenants c. That caution be observed from all Reflections c. That after sighting and approving their Ordinations and Licenses