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<DATE>2009-01-04</DATE>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B090019.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<DIV1 TYPE="document">
<PB REF="1" MS="y"><!-- PDF PAGE 11 -->
<HEAD><FIGURE>
</FIGURE>AN ACT Appointing a FAST throughout the vvhole Kingdom OF SCOTLAND.</HEAD>
<OPENER><SIGNED><HI>_CHARLES,</HI> by the Grace of God, King of Great <HI>Brittain, France,</HI> and <HI>Ireland,</HI> Defender of the Faith,</SIGNED>
<SALUTE>To all and &s;undry Our Lieges and Subjects whom it effeirs, Greeting.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P> Fora&s;much, as the Almigh|ty God, in His mo&s;t Wi&s;e and Righteous Providence, after the &s;infull abu&s;e of His mo&s;t &s;ignal mercies of the ble&s;&s;ed Go&s;pel, of Our Own and Our Subjects wonderfull Deliverance from the Yoke of U&s;urpa|tion and Bondage, by the almo&s;t Miraculous Re&s;tauration of Us to the exerci&s;e of Our Government, and of the long and mercifull Continuance of Our de&s;pi&s;ed Peace and Plenty; Doth, by His Warnings and Judgements incumbent and impendent, manife&s;tly di&s;cover His Anger and Di&s;plea&s;ure again&s;t the grie|vous Sins of this Kingdom; and particularly by the &s;ad and pinching dearth, whereby many indigent per|&s;ons and families are reduced to a &s;tarving condition, and by the long and threatning Drought, the Lord, in His Righteous Judgement, having &s;o long bound up the Clouds, making the Heavens Bra&s;s, and the Earth Iron, thereby threatning Our Subjects of this Kingdom with the breaking of the Staff of their Bread, and with the dreadful plague of Famine: Which Di&s;pen&s;ation doth with a loud voice call upon all ranks of people for &s;peedy and true Repentance, and the Na|tional expre&s;&s;ion hereof by deep Mourning and &s;olemn Fa&s;ting and Humiliation.</P>
<P>Therefore We, with Advice and Con&s;ent of the Lords of Our Privy Council, do Ordain a day of Publick and Solemn Fa&s;ting and Humiliation to be keeped and ob&s;erved by all the people of this Kingdom in the &s;everal Paroches thereof; Strictly Command|ing and Requiring them upon that day, to cea&s;e from all the Works of their ordinary Callings, and to repair to their re&s;pective Pa|roch Churches, and there make &s;olemn Confe&s;&s;ion of their Sins, and implore the Divine Mercy for the Land, by Praying, Mour|ning, Fa&s;ting, and &s;uch other Devotions, as are requi&s;ite and u&s;ual upon &s;uch dayes of Publick Humiliation: And more par|ticularly, Humbly to Confe&s;s and Mourn for the great Neglect and Contempt of, and Di&s;obedience to the Ble&s;&s;ed Go&s;pel, and the Ordinances thereof, and the great and lamentable increa&s;e and prevalency of <HI>Athei&s;m,</HI> Profanene&s;s, and Irreligion which is thereby occa&s;ioned, and for the &s;infull undervaluing of the great Ble&s;&s;ing of Peace &s;o long enjoyed by Our Subjects under Our Go|vernment. By all which, and many other crying Sins, the Lords Jealou&s;ie and Anger are kindled, and His hand is &s;tretched out again&s;t this Kingdom, threatning the De&s;truction of the Fruits of the Ground, the nece&s;&s;arie Provi&s;ion for the Life of Man and Bea&s;t, that by &s;erious Mourning for, and &s;incere and hearty turning from the&s;e provoking Sins, the Lord may graciou&s;ly pardon them and repent Him of the evil &s;eemingly determined by Him, and mo&s;t righteou&s;ly de&s;erved by us, and may open the Clouds and grant the latter Rain in its due &s;ea&s;on and mea&s;ure, re&s;erving for us the appointed weeks of the Harve&s;t. And for this end and purpo&s;e, We, with Advice fore&s;aid, do &s;eriou&s;ly recommend to, and require the Arch-Bi&s;hops and Bi&s;hops, to be carefull that this Fa&s;t be duely ob&s;erved by the Mini&s;ters in their re&s;pective Dioce&s;&s;es, as followes; To the Arch-Bi&s;hops of St. <HI>Andrews</HI> and <HI>Gla&s;gow,</HI> the Bi&s;hops of <HI>Edinburgh, Dunkell, Brechin</HI> and <HI>Dumblane,</HI> to cau&s;e it to be intimated in the &s;everal Paroch Kirks of their Diocies upon Sunday, the twenty fifth, and ob&s;erved on Wedne&s;day, the twenty eighth of <HI>July</HI> in&s;tant; and the remanent Bi&s;hops, who&s;e Diocies are more remote, to cau&s;e it to be intimated on Sunday, the fir&s;t of <HI>August,</HI> and to be ob&s;erved the fourth of <HI>Angu&s;t</HI> next. And as to &s;uch Mini&s;ters, who, by rea&s;on of their di&s;tance from <HI>Edinburgh,</HI> cannot be &s;o &s;oon adverti&s;ed, that they celebrate this Fa&s;t upon the next convenient Wedne&s;day thereafter.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Given under Our Signet, at <HI>Edinburgh,</HI> <DATE>the fifteenth day of <HI>July,</HI> and of Our Reign, the twenty &s;eventh year, one thou&s;and &s;ix hundred and &s;eventy five years.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED><HI>Per Actum Dominorum Secreti Concilii. Al. Gib&s;on, Cl.</HI> S^t^i Concilii.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
<CLOSER>God &s;ave the King.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<P><HI>EDINBURGH,</HI> Printed by <HI>Andrew Ander&s;on,</HI> Printer to the King's mo&s;t Excellent MAJESTY. <HI>Anno</HI> 1675.</P>
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