<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2008-07-22</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Emma Leeson Huber</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Corrected 1 illegibles of 1. Converted 0 illegibles To GAP DESC="illegible RESP="oxf".</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="OX" ID="A73800">
<STC T="S">665.5</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99898570</BIBNO>
<VID>173359</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<PB REF="2" MS="y">
<HEAD>An&s;weres to the particulars proponed by <HI>his Maje&s;ties Commi&s;&s;ionar.</HI></HEAD>
<P>HAving &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idered with our &s;elves that nothing in this world is &s;o pretious, and ought to be &s;o deare unto us as our Re|ligion, that the di&s;ea&s;es of this Kirk after long toleration did threaten no le&s;&s;e than her owne ruine, and expiring of the trueth of Religion at la&s;t. And that a free generall A&s;&s;embly was the ordinarie remedie ap|pointed by divine authoritie, and ble&s;&s;ed by divine providence in o|ther Kirks, and after a &s;peciall manner in the Kirk of <HI>Scotland;</HI> Wee have often and earne&s;tly &s;upplicated for the &s;ame, and have laboured to remove what was objected, or what we could concieve to bee any hinderance to the obtaining of our de&s;ire, like as wee have now for the &s;ame good end re&s;olved to returne this An&s;wer to the particulars proponed to bee performed by us before an A&s;&s;embly be indicted.</P>
<P>The particulars proponed are either matters Eccle&s;ia&s;tick or civil: Eccle&s;ia&s;tick or kirk matters are, the Fir&s;t concerning Mini&s;ters de|po&s;ed or &s;u&s;pended by the presbyteries, &s;ince the fir&s;t of Februar la&s;t without warrant of the Ordinar, that they bee reponed to their own places. The &s;econd concerning Moderators of presbytrys depo&s;ed &s;ince the for&s;aid day to be reponed, and all Moderators appointed by the &s;aid presbyteries without warrant for&s;aid to de&s;i&s;t from executing the office of Moderator. The third anent Mini&s;ters admitted &s;ince the day for&s;aid that they de&s;i&s;t fro~ exerci&s;ing the function of the Mini&s;te|rie in that place to which they had beene admitted. The&s;e three par|ticulars doe concerne the power, duetie and particular facts or faults of presbyteries where in wee have no power to judge and determine whether they have lawfully proceeded or not, far le&s;&s;e can wee urge or command them to alter or recall what they have determined or done, in the &s;u&s;pending, depo&s;ing or admitting of Mini&s;ters or Moderators: they beeing properly &s;ubject to the &s;uperiour A&s;&s;emblies of the Kirk, and in this ca&s;e and condition of the Kirke, to the generall A&s;&s;embly, where if they &s;hall not after tryall ju&s;tifie their proceedings from the good warrants of Scripture, rea&s;on, and of the acts and practi&s;es of the Kirk, they ought &s;u&s;taine their owne de&s;erved cen&s;ure. And &s;ince upon the one &s;ide there be many complaints again&s;t the Prelates for their u&s;urpation over Presbyteries in the like particulars: And on the other &s;ide there bee &s;uch complaints of the doings and di&s;orders of presbyteries to the offence of the Prelats. Wee tru&s;t that his Maje&s;ti|es
<PB REF="3">
Commi&s;&s;ioner will not e&s;teeme this to bee an hinderance of the in|diction of a generall A&s;&s;embly: but rather a powerfull and principall motive with &s;peed to conveen the &s;ame, as the proper Iudicatorie for determining &s;uch dangerous and univer&s;all differences of the Kirke. Neither doe wee heare that any Mini&s;ters are depo&s;ed, but &s;ome on|ly &s;u&s;pended during this <HI>interim,</HI> till a generall A&s;&s;embly for their erronious doctrine and flagitious life: So that it were mo&s;t offen&s;ive to God, di&s;gracefull to Religion, and &s;candalous to the people to repone them to their places till they be tried and cen&s;ured. And concerning Moderators none of them (as we under&s;tand) are depo&s;ed, but &s;ome only changed, which is verie ordinarie in this Kirk.</P>
<P>The fourth, anent the reparing of Parochinars to their own kirks, &amp; that Elders a&s;&s;i&s;t their Mini&s;ter in the di&s;cipline of the Kirk, ought to bee cogno&s;ced and judged by the particular Presbyterie to which the Parochiners and Elders are &s;ubject, &s;ince the cau&s;e may bee in the Mini&s;ters no le&s;&s;e than the Parochinars and Elders. And inca&s;e they find no redre&s;&s;e there, to a&s;cend till they come to a generall A&s;&s;embly, the want wherof makes di&s;orders to be multiplyed both in pre&s;byte|ries and paroches.</P>
<P>To the &s;ixth, that Mini&s;ters waite upon their owne Kirks, &amp; that none of them come to the a&s;&s;embly or place where the &s;ame is kee|ped: but &s;uch as &s;hall bee cho&s;en Commi&s;&s;ionars from presbyteries.</P>
<P>Wee an&s;were, that none are to come to the place of the a&s;&s;em|bly, but &s;uch as are either allowed, by commi&s;&s;ion, or other-wi&s;e have &s;uch <HI>interest</HI> as they can approve to his Maje&s;ties Commi&s;&s;ionar, and the A&s;&s;embly conveened.</P>
<P>To the &s;eventh, anent the appointing of Moderators of presbyte|ries to be Commi&s;&s;ionars to the genertll a&s;&s;embly: only con&s;tant Mo|deratours, who cea&s;ed long &s;ince, were found in the a&s;&s;embly 1606 (which yet was never reputed by this Kirk to be a lawfull national a&s;|&s;embly) to be nece&s;&s;arie members of a generall a&s;&s;embly. And if both the Moderators, who if they bee nece&s;&s;arie members need not to bee cho&s;en, and the cho&s;en Commi&s;&s;ionars repare to the a&s;&s;embly: the A&s;&s;embly it &s;elf can judge be&s;t of the members where-of-it ought to bee con&s;titute.</P>
<P>To the nynth, that no laick what&s;oever meddle with the choo&s;ing of Commi&s;&s;ionars for the presbyteries, and no Mini&s;ter without his owne presbyterie: Wee &s;ay that according to the order of the Kirk
<PB REF="3">
none but Mini&s;ters and Elders of Kirks ought to have voice in choo|&s;ing Commi&s;&s;ioners for presbyteries: And that no Mini&s;ter or Elder ought to have voice in election, but in his own presbyterie.</P>
<P>The re&s;t of the particulars are civill matters, as the fifth, anent the paying of the rents and &s;tipends of Bi&s;hops and Mini&s;ters: Con|cerning which wee can &s;ay no further, but that the Lawes are patent for them as others his Maje&s;ties &s;ubjects. And that the generall a&s;&s;em|bly ought not to bee delayed upon any complaint of that kind.</P>
<P>The eight, requiring that Bi&s;hops and other Mini&s;ters may bee &s;ecured in their per&s;ons: Wee think &s;o rea&s;onable, that we will pro|mi&s;e everie one of us for our owne parts they &s;hall &s;uffer no violence from us, and &s;hall hinder others &s;o far as we may, and if any trouble them otherwi&s;e, or make them any kind of mole&s;tation in that atten|dance, except by order of Law: the parties are ju&s;tly puni&s;hable ac|cording to the degrie of their fault as other &s;ubjects are.</P>
<P>To the tenth, concerning the di&s;&s;olving of all convocations &amp; meet|ings and the peaceablene&s;&s;e of the Countrie: The&s;e meetings beeing keeped for no other end, but for con&s;ulting about lawfull remedies again&s;t &s;uch pre&s;&s;ing grievances as threaten the de&s;olation of this kirk and State, cannot be di&s;&s;olved till the evills be removed: And we tru&s;t that nothing in the&s;e our meetings hath e&s;caped us, which carryeth in it the &s;malle&s;t appearance of undutiefullne&s;&s;e, or which may &s;eeme to tend to the breach of the common peace; But although our adver|&s;aries have heerein calumniated us, yet we have alwayes &s;o behaved our &s;elves as be&s;eemed his Maje&s;ties mo&s;t humble and loyall &s;ubjects petitioning his Maje&s;tie for a legall redre&s;&s;e of our ju&s;t grievances.</P>
<P>To the la&s;t, concerning the Covenant: The Commi&s;&s;ioner his G. having many times and mo&s;t in&s;tantly pre&s;&s;ed us with that point. We did fir&s;t by invincible rea&s;ons make manife&s;t that we could not with|out &s;inning again&s;t God and our con&s;ciences, and without wrong done to this Nationall Kirk, and the po&s;teritie, re&s;cind or alter the &s;ame. And thereafter did at length cleare the &s;ame of all unlawfull combi|nation again&s;t authority by our la&s;t Supplication &amp; declaration which his Maje&s;ties Commi&s;&s;ionar accepted as the mo&s;t readie and power|full of all other meanes which could come within the compa&s;&s;e of our thoughts to give his Maje&s;tie &s;atisfaction. The &s;ub&s;cription of this our Confe&s;&s;ion of Faith and Covenant, beeing an act &s;o evidently tending to the glorie of God, the Kings honor, and happine&s;&s;e of of the king|dome.
<PB REF="4">
And having already proven &s;o comfortable to us in the in|ward of our hearts: It is our ardent and con&s;tant de&s;ire, and heartie wi&s;h that both his Maje&s;tie, and all his good Subjects may bee par|takers of the &s;ame comfort: Like as wee find our &s;elves bound by con&s;cience and by the Covenant it &s;elfe to per&s;wade all his Maje&s;ties good Subjects to joyne with us for the good of Religion, his Maje|&s;ties honour, and the quyetne&s;&s;e of the Kingdome, which being mo|de&s;tly u&s;ed by us without pre&s;&s;ing or threatning of the meane&s;t, wee hope &s;hall never give his Maje&s;tie the lea&s;t cau&s;e of di&s;content.</P>
<P>Seeing therefore according to our power and intere&s;t we are mo&s;t willing to remove all hinderances, that thinges may bee carried in a peaceable manner worthie of our profe&s;sion and Covenant, doe ayme at nothing but the good of the Kingdome, and pre&s;ervation of the Kirk, which by con&s;umption and combu&s;tion is like to bee de&s;pe|rately di&s;ea&s;ed, except remedie &s;ome way bee &s;peedily provided; and delight to u&s;e no other meanes but &s;uch as are legall, and have beene ordinarie in this Kirk &s;ince the Reformation, We are confident that without further delaye for preventing of greater evills and mi&s;eries than wee can expre&s;&s;e Our ju&s;t de&s;ires &s;hall bee granted. So &s;hall we bee incouraged in the peace of our &s;oules &s;till to pray for his Maje&s;tie all encrea&s;e of true honour and happine&s;&s;e.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
<PB REF="4">
<PB REF="5">
<PB REF="5">
<PB REF="6">
<PB REF="6">
<PB REF="7">
<PB REF="7">
<PB REF="8">
<PB REF="8">
<PB REF="9">
<PB REF="9">
<PB REF="10">
<PB REF="10">
<PB REF="11">
<PB REF="11">
<PB REF="12">
<PB REF="12">
<PB REF="13">
<PB REF="13">
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
