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<DATE>2009-07-01</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
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<BIBNO T="oclc">20187162</BIBNO>
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<DIV1 TYPE="answers">
<PB REF="1">
<PB REF="1">
<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 then 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 conceive 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 be 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 civill: 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 pre&s;byteries, &s;ince the fir&s;t of Februar la&s;t without warrant of the Ordinar, that they be reponed to their own places. The &s;econd, concerning Moderators of pre&s;bytrys depo&s;ed &s;ince the for&s;aid day to be reponed, and all Moderators appointed by the &s;aid pre&s;byteries 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 from 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 pre&s;byteries, wherein wee have no power to judge and determine whether they have lawfully proceeded or not, far le&s;&s;e can we urge or command them to altar 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 being properly &s;ubject to the &s;uperiour A&s;&s;emblies of the Kirk, and in this ca&s;e and condition of the Kirk, 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 own de&s;erved cen&s;ure. And &s;ince upon the one &s;ide there be many complaints, again&s;t the prelats for their u&s;urpation over Pre&s;byteries in the like particulars: And on the other &s;ide there bee &s;uch complaints of the doings and di&s;orders of pre&s;byteries to the offence of the Prelats, We tru&s;t that his Maje&s;ties
<PB REF="2">Commi&s;&s;ionar 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 conveene the &s;ame, as the proper judicatorie for determining &s;uch dangerous and univer&s;all differences of the Kirke. Neither doe wee heare that any Min&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 erroneous 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 tryed 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 very ordinary in this Kirk.</P>
<P>The fourth, anent the reparing of Parochiners to their own Kirks, and 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 Pre&s;byterie, 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 then the parochiners add elders And inca&s;e they &s;inde no redre&s;&s;e there, to a&s;cend till they come to a generall A&s;&s;embly, the want whereof makes di&s;orders to be multiplyed both in pre&s;by<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="2 letters">|ries and paroches.</P>
<P>To the &s;ixth, that Mini&s;ters waite upon their owne Kirks; and that none of them come to the a&s;&s;embly or place where the &s;ame is keep|ed: but &s;uch as &s;hall be cho&s;en Commi&s;&s;ionars from pr<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;byteries.</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>intere&s;t</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 pre&s;byte|ries to be Commi&s;&s;ionars to the generall 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 nationall 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 be 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 pre&s;byteries, and no Mini&s;ter without his owne pre&s;byterie: Wee &s;ay that according to the order of the Kirk
<PB REF="2">none but Mini&s;ters and Elders of Kirks ought to have voice in choo|&s;ing Commi&s;&s;ionars for pre&s;byteries: And that no Mini&s;ter or Elder ought to have voice in election, but in his own pre&s;byterie.</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;t<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">es &s;ubjects. And that the generall a&s;&s;em|bly ought not to be delayed upon any complaint of that kinde.</P>
<P>The eight, requiring that Bi&s;hops and other Mini&s;ters may bee &s;ecured in their per&s;ons: We thinke &s;o rea&s;onable, that wee will pro|mi&s;e everie one of us for our own 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 kinde of mole&s;tation in that atten|dance, except by order of Law<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">s the parties are ju&s;tly puni&s;hable ac|cording to the degrie of their faule 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 being keeped for no other end, but for con&s;ul<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="OXF" EXTENT="1 letter">ing about lawfull remedies again&s;t &s;uch pre&s;&s;ing grievances as threaten the de&s;olation of the Kirk and State, cannot be di&s;&s;olved till the evils be removed. And we tru&s;t that nothing in the&s;e our meetings hath e&s;caped us which earr&s;eth in it the &s;malle&s;t appearance of unduetifulne&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;cinde 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 Sub&s;cription of this our Confe&s;&s;ion of Faith and Covenant, being an act &s;o evidently tending to the glorie of God, the Kings honour, and happine&s;&s;e of the King|dome.
<PB REF="3">And having alreadie 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 with that both his Maje&s;tie, and all his good Subjects may bee par|takers of the &s;ame comfort: Like as we finde 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 wee are mo&s;t willing to remove all hinderances, that things may bee carried in a peaceable manner worthie of our profe&s;&s;ion 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 be &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 delay 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>
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<PB REF="3">
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