<!DOCTYPE ETS PUBLIC "-//UMDLPS//DTD EEBOPROOF 2.0//EN">
<ETS>
<TEMPHEAD>
<REVDESCR>
<CHANGE>
<DATE>2010-10-12</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Megan Marion</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Checklist:
x Add TEMPHEAD, change DATE, validate
xAdd DIV TYPEs, validate
xReview structure, use FRONT,BODY, BACK or rarely GROUP
xCheck PB placement and completeness, ensure sequence of N=""
xProof title page(s)
xCheck HEAD TRAILER ARGUMENT EPIGRAPH OPENER CLOSER SIGNED SALUTE BYLINE
xCheck ^, oe, abq, italic I / J, _Initals, space between &amp;c.
xCheck # @ -- UNCLEAR LB FIGURE
xCheck q; startq endq Q
xCorrect illegibles from proofsheet
xCheck illegible page, para, line, span, word, dollar signs
Final validate

Corrected [ ] illegible groups out of [ ].
Converted [ ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible".
DONE</ITEM>
</CHANGE>
</REVDESCR>
</TEMPHEAD>
<EEBO>
<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A79762">
<STC T="W">c4259h</STC>
<STC T="T">e293_25</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99860972</BIBNO>
<VID>113099</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A SOLEMNE AND SEASONABLE WARNING To the Noblemen, Barons, Gentle|men, Burrows, Mini&s;ters, and Commons of <HI>Scotland:</HI> As al&s;o to the <HI>Scoti&s;h</HI> Armies without and within that Kingdom.</P>
<P><HI>From the Generall A&s;&s;embly,</HI> 12 Feb. 1645.</P>
<P>And the humble Remon&s;trance of the afore&s;aid A&s;&s;embly to the King, 13. <HI>Feb.</HI> 1645.</P>
<P><HI>Shall the Watch-men of Sion be &s;ilent, when I&s;rael is in trouble?</HI></P>
<P>LONDON, Printed by <HI>J. Raworth,</HI> in the yeer 1645. <HI>According to the Copy printed at</HI> Edinburgh.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>12 <HI>Feb.</HI> 1645. <HI>Po&s;tmeridiem.</HI> Se&s;&s;. XVIII.</HEAD>
<P>THe Generall A&s;&s;embly, after mature delibe|ration, having found it mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary that this whole Nation be timely Warned, and duly Informed of their pre&s;ent Dangers, and the Remedies to be u&s;ed, and Duties to be done for preventing and removing thereof; Doth ordain this Warning to be fortwith Printed and Publi&s;hed, and &s;ent to all the Pre&s;byteries in this Kingdom, as al&s;o to the Pre&s;byteries that are with our Armies. And that each Pre&s;bytery, immediately after the receipt hereof, take &s;peedy cour&s;e for the Reading of it in every Congrega|tion within their bounds, upon the Lords day after the forenoons Sermon, and before the Ble&s;&s;ing: And that they give account of their diligence herein to the Com|mi&s;&s;ioners of the Generall A&s;&s;embly; Who have hereby Power and Warrant to try and cen&s;ure &s;uch as &s;hall con|temne or &s;light the &s;aid Warning, or &s;hall refu&s;e or neglect to obey this Ordinance.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD>A Solemne and Sea&s;onable Warning to the Noblemen, Barons, Gentlemen, Burrows, Mini&s;ters, and Commons of <HI>Scotland:</HI> As al&s;o to our Armies without and within this Kingdom. From the Generall A&s;&s;embly, <HI>12 Feb. 1645.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe Cau&s;e of God in this Kingdom, both in the beginnings and progre&s;&s;e of it, hath been carried, through much craft and migh|ty oppo&s;ition of Enemies, and through other perplexities and dangers; God &s;o di&s;po&s;ing, for the greater glory of his manifold and marvellous Wi&s;dom, and his invincible Power, &amp; for our greater tryall.</P>
<P>The&s;e dangers both from without and from within, together with the remedies thereof, have been from time to time repre&s;ented and held forth, in the many publick Supplications of this Kirk and Kingdom to the King, and in their many Declarations, Remon&s;trances, Letters, Acts, and other publick Intimations: Particularly by a nece&s;&s;ary Warn|ing, publi&s;hed by the Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Generall A&s;&s;embly in <HI>Janua|ry</HI> 1643. And by the Remon&s;trance of the &s;ame Commi&s;&s;ioners to the Convention of E&s;tates in <HI>July</HI> thereafter, concerning the Dangers of Re|ligion, and the Remedies of the&s;e Dangers. Which Warning and Re|mon&s;trance at that time had, by the ble&s;&s;ing of God, very good and com|fortable effects. And now the Generall A&s;&s;embly it &s;elf, being by a &s;pe|ciall Providence, and upon extraordinary occa&s;ions called together, while God is writing bitter things again&s;t this Land in great Letters, which he that runs may read: and knowing that we cannot be an&s;wer|able to God, nor our own con&s;ciences, nor the expectation of others, if from this chief Watch-Tower we &s;hould give no Sea&s;onable Warning to the City of God: While we think of the&s;e things; <HI>For Sions &s;ake we will not hold our peace, and for Jeru&s;alems &s;ake we will not re&s;t:</HI> tru&s;ting that God will give, though not to all, yet to many, a &s;eeing Eye, a hear|ing Ear, and an under&s;tanding Heart: For <HI>who is wi&s;e and he &s;hall under|&s;tand the&s;e things, prudent and he &s;hall know them; For the Wayes of the Lord are right, and the ju&s;t &s;hall walk in them; but the tran&s;gre&s;&s;ors &s;hall fall therein, and the wicked &s;hall do wickedly, and none of the wicked &s;hall under&s;tand.</HI></P>
<P>That which we principally intend, is to hold forth (&s;o far as the Lord gives us light) how this Nation ought to be affected with their
<PB N="4" REF="3">pre&s;ent Mercies and Judgements; What u&s;e is to be made of the Lords dealings: And, what is required of a people &s;o dealt with.</P>
<P>Had we been timely awaked, and taken warning, either from the exemplary judgements of other Nations; or from Gods threatnings by the mouths of his &s;ervants among&s;t our &s;elves; or from our own former vi&s;itations, and namely, The Sword, threatned and drawn again&s;t us, both at home and from abroad, but at that time through the forbearance of God, put up in the Sheath again, we might have pre|vented the mi&s;eries under which now we groane. But the Cup of trem|bling, before taken out of our hands, is again come about to us, that we may drink deeper of it: And although when the&s;e bloody Mon|&s;ters, the Iri&s;h Rebels, together with &s;ome degenerate, unnaturall, and perfidious Countrey-men of our own, did fir&s;t lift up their heads, and enter this Kingdom in a ho&s;tile way, it was looked upon as a light matter, and the great judgement which hath &s;ince appeared in it, not apprehended: yet now we are made more &s;en&s;ible, that they are <HI>The rod of Gods wrath, and the &s;taffe in their hand,</HI> which hath &s;tricken us the&s;e three times, is <HI>his indignation. He hath &s;hewed his people hard things, and made us to drink the wine of a&s;toni&s;hment.</HI> Take we there|fore notice of the hand that &s;miteth us, <HI>for affliction cometh not forth of the du&s;t, neither doth trouble &s;pring out of the ground. There is no evill in the City</HI> nor Countrey <HI>which the Lord hath not done.</HI> He it is <HI>that for|meth the light, and createth darkne&s;&s;e; Who maketh peace, and createth evill:</HI> He it is that hath given a charge to the Sword, <HI>&s;o that it cannot be &s;till:</HI> He it is that hath his other <HI>Arrows ready upon the &s;tring to &s;hoot at us,</HI> the Pe&s;tilence and Famine.</P>
<P>In the next place, let us apply our hearts to know, and to &s;earch, and to &s;eek out wi&s;dom, and the rea&s;on of things, and to under&s;tand the lan|guage of this pre&s;ent judgement, and Gods meaning in it: For though <HI>the Almighty giveth not an accompt of any of his matters, and hath his way in the Sea, and his path in the deep waters which cannot be traced;</HI> Yet he is plea&s;ed by the light of his Word and Spirit; by the voice of our own con&s;ciences, and by that which is written and ingraven upon our judgement, as with the point of a Diamond and a Pen of iron, to make known in &s;ome mea&s;ure his meaning unto his &s;ervants. <HI>God hath &s;poken once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth not;</HI> Therefore now hath he made this rod to &s;peak aloud the third time, that we may <HI>hear the voice of the rod, and who hath appointed it.</HI> That which the rod pointeth at, is not any guilt of Rebellion or di&s;loyalty in us, as the Sons of <HI>Belial</HI> do &s;lander and belye the Solemne League and Covenant of the three Kingdoms, which
<PB N="5" REF="3">we are &s;o far from repenting of, that we cannot remember or mention it without great joy and thankfulne&s;&s;e to God, as that which hath drawn many ble&s;&s;ings after it, and unto which God hath given mani|fold and evident te&s;timonies; for no &s;ooner was the Covenant begun to be taken in <HI>England,</HI> but &s;en&s;ibly the condition of affairs there was changed to the better; and though a little before, the Enemy was coming in like a Flood, yet as &s;oon as the Spirit of the Lord did lift up the Standard again&s;t him, from that day forward the Waters of their Deluge did decrea&s;e.</P>
<P>And for our part, our Forces &s;ent into that Kingdom, in pur&s;uance of that Covenant, have been &s;o mercifully and manife&s;tly a&s;&s;i&s;ted, and ble&s;&s;ed from Heaven (though in the mids of many dangers and di|&s;tre&s;&s;es, and much want and hard&s;hip) and have been &s;o far in&s;tru|mentall to the foyling and &s;cattering of two principall Armies; Fir&s;t, the Marque&s;&s;e of <HI>Newca&s;tle</HI> his Army, And afterward, Prince <HI>Ru|perts</HI> and his together; And to the reducing of two &s;trong Cities, <HI>York</HI> and <HI>Newca&s;tle,</HI> that we have what to an&s;wer the Enemy that reproacheth us concerning that Bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, and that which may make iniquity it &s;elf to &s;top her mouth. But, which is more unto us than all Victories, or what&s;omever temporall Ble&s;&s;ing, The Reforma|tion of Religion in <HI>England,</HI> and Uniformity therein between both Kingdoms (a principall end of that Covenant) is &s;o far advanced, that the <HI>Engli&s;h</HI> Service-Book, with the Holy-dayes, and many other Cere|monies contained in it, together with the Prelacy, the fountain of all the&s;e, are aboli&s;hed and taken away by Ordinance of Parliament; and a Directory for the Wor&s;hip of God in all the three Kingdoms agreed upon in the A&s;&s;emblies, and in the Parliaments of both Kingdoms, without a contrary voice in either; the Government of the Kirk by Congregationall Elder&s;hips, Cla&s;&s;icall Presbyteries, Provinciall and Nationall A&s;&s;emblies, is agreed upon by the A&s;&s;embly of Divines at <HI>Westminster,</HI> which is al&s;o voted and concluded in both Hou&s;es of the Parliament of <HI>England:</HI> And what is yet remaining of the intended Uniformitie, is in a good way; So that let our Lot fall in other things as it may, <HI>the Will of the Lord be done;</HI> In this we rejoyce, and will rejoyce, that our Lord <HI>Je&s;us Christ</HI> is no lo&s;er, but a Conquerour, that his Ordinances take place, that his Cau&s;e prevaileth, and the work of purging and building his Temple goeth forward, and not back|ward. Neither yet are we &s;o to under&s;tand <HI>the voice of the rod</HI> which lyeth heavy upon us, as if the Lords meaning were to pluck up what he hath planted, and to pull down what he hath builded in this
<PB N="6" REF="4">Kingdom, to have no more plea&s;ure in us, to <HI>remove our Candle&s;tick, and to take his Kingdom from us:</HI> nay, before that our God ca&s;t us off, and the <HI>glory depart from I&s;rael.</HI> let him rather con&s;ume us by the Sword, and the Famine, and the Pe&s;tilence, &s;o that he will but keep his own great Name from reproach and bla&s;phemy, and own us as his people in Convenant with him. But <HI>now there is hope in I&s;rael concerning this thing,</HI> we will beleeve <HI>that we &s;hall yet &s;ee the goodne&s;&s;e of the Lord in the Land of the living:</HI> We will not ca&s;t a way our confidence of a ble&s;&s;ed Peace, &amp; of the removing of the &s;courge and ca&s;ting it in the Fire, when the Lord hath by it performed <HI>his whole Work upon mount Sion and Jeru&s;alem,</HI> much more will we be confident of the continuance of the ble&s;&s;ings of the Go&s;pel, <HI>that glory may dwell in our Land. This is the day of Jacobs trouble, but he &s;hall be &s;aved out of it:</HI> And the time is coming, when a new Song &s;hall be put in our mouths, and we &s;hall &s;ay, <HI>This is our God, we have waited for him, and he hath &s;aved us.</HI> Though the Lord &s;mite us, it is the hand of a Father, not of an Enemy, he is not con&s;uming us, but refining us, that we may come forth as Gold out of the Fire. <HI>We are troubled on every &s;ide, yet not di&s;tre&s;&s;ed; we are perplexed, but not in de|spaire; per&s;ecuted, but not for&s;aken; ca&s;t down, but not de&s;troyed.</HI> We know a&s;&s;uredly there is more mercy in emptying us from Ve&s;&s;ell to Ve&s;&s;ell, than in &s;uffering us to &s;ettle on our Lees, whereby our ta&s;te &s;hould re|main in us, and our &s;ent not be changed.</P>
<P>The&s;e things premi&s;ed, we come to the true langauge of this heavy judgement, and to the reall procuring cau&s;es thereof. <HI>For the tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ion of Jacob is all this, and for the &s;ins of the hou&s;e of I&s;rael.</HI> God is hereby &s;hewing to great and &s;mall in this Land their work and their tran&s;gre&s;|&s;ion, that they have exceeded. <HI>He openeth al&s;o their eare to di&s;cipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity.</HI> We leave every Congregation in the Land, every Family in every Congregation, and every Per&s;on in every Family, to examine their own hearts and wayes, and to mourn for Congregationall, Dome&s;ticall, and Per&s;onall &s;ins: Cur&s;ed &s;hall they be who have added fuell to the fire, and now bring no water to extin|gui&s;h it; who had a great hand in the provocation, and bear no part in the humiliation.</P>
<P>Let every one commune with his own con&s;cience, and repent of his, even his wickedne&s;&s;e, and &s;ay, <HI>What have I done?</HI> We &s;hall here touch onely the Nationall &s;ins, or at lea&s;t more publike ones, than tho&s;e of a Family or Congregation, which we al&s;o intend for chief cau&s;es of a pu|blike Fa&s;t and Humiliation. If among our Nobles, Gentry, and Barons, there have been &s;ome &s;tudying their own private intere&s;ts more than the
<PB N="7" REF="4">publike, and, <HI>Seeking their own things more than the things of Chri&s;t, or oppre&s;&s;ing and defranding the poorer &s;ort and the needy, becau&s;e it was in the power of their hand:</HI> and if among our Mini&s;try there have been divers Time-&s;ervers, <HI>Who have not renounced the hidden things of di&s;hone&s;ty, who&s;e hearts have not been right before God, nor &s;tedfa&s;t in his Covenant,</HI> who have been &s;ecretly haters of the <HI>Power of Godline&s;&s;e,</HI> and of Mortifica|tion; &s;hall not God &s;earch all this out? <HI>who will bring to light the hidden things of darkne&s;&s;e, and will make manife&s;t the Councels of the hearts.</HI> In the&s;e al&s;o leaving all men to a judging and &s;earching of them&s;elves, there are many other provocations which are apparent in all or many of this Nation, from which, <HI>though they wa&s;h with nitre, and take much &s;ope,</HI> yet they cannot make them&s;elves clean: Becau&s;e of the&s;e <HI>the Land mourneth,</HI> and at the&s;e the Sword &s;triketh.</P>
<P>As fir&s;t, the contempt, neglect, and di&s;-e&s;teem of the glorious Go&s;pel; our unbelief, unfruitfulne&s;&s;e, lukewarmne&s;&s;e, formality, and hardne&s;&s;e of heart, under all the means of Grace; our not receiving of Chri&s;t in our hearts, nor &s;eeking to know him, and glorifie him in all his Offices. The power of Godline&s;&s;e is hated and mocked by many to this day, and by the better &s;ort too much neglected, and many Chri&s;tian duties are not minded: as, <HI>The not &s;peaking of our own words, nor finding of our own plea&s;ure upon the Lords day:</HI> Holy and edifying conference both on that day, and at other occa&s;ions: The in&s;tructing, admoni&s;hing, comfort|ing, and rebuking one another, as Divine Providence mini&s;treth occa|&s;ion. In many Families almo&s;t no knowledge nor wor&s;hip of God to be found: yea, there are among the Mini&s;ters who have &s;trengthened the hearts and hands of the profane more than of the godly, and have not taken <HI>heed to the Mini&s;try which they have received of the Lord to ful|fill it.</HI></P>
<P>Next, God hath &s;ent the Sword to avenge the quarrell of his broken Covenant: For be&s;ides the defection of many of this Nation under the Prelats from our fir&s;t National Covenant, a &s;in not forgotten by God, if not repented by men as well as for&s;aken, our latter Vows and Cove|nants have been al&s;o foully violated, by not contributing our uttermo&s;t a&s;&s;i&s;tance to this Cau&s;e, with our E&s;tates and Lives; by not endeavour|ing with all faithfulne&s;&s;e, the di&s;covery, triall, and condigne puni&s;h|ment of Malignants, and evil In&s;truments; yea, by complying too much with tho&s;e, who have not onely born Arms, and given their per&s;onall pre&s;ence and a&s;&s;i&s;tance, but al&s;o drawn and led on others after them in the &s;hedding of our Brethrens blood: Therefore is our &s;in made our puni&s;hment, and <HI>We are filled with the fruit of our own wayes. The&s;e horns
<PB N="8" REF="5">now pu&s;h the &s;ides of Judah and Jeru&s;alem, becau&s;e Carpenters, when they ought and might, did not them off:</HI> And yet to this day the cour&s;e of Ju&s;tice is ob&s;tructed: The Lord him&s;elf will execute ju&s;tice, if men will not. But above all, let it be deeply and &s;eriou&s;ly thought of, that our Covenant is broken by the neglect of a reall Reformation of our &s;elves and others under our power: let every one ask his own heart what lu&s;t is mortified in him, or what change wrought in his life &s;ince, more than before the Covenant? Swearing, Cur&s;ing, Profanation of the Lords day, Fornication and other uncleanne&s;&s;e, Drunkenne&s;&s;e, Inju|&s;tice, Lying, Oppre&s;&s;ion, Murmuring, Repining, and other &s;orts of Prophanene&s;&s;e &s;till abound too much both in the Countrey and in our Armies: yea, there is no Reformation of &s;ome Members of publike Judi|catories, which is a great di&s;honour to God, and a foul &s;candall to the whole Nation.</P>
<P>Thirdly, we have not glorified God according to the great things which he hath done for us, nor made the right u&s;e of former mercies: &s;ince he loved us <HI>(a Nation not worthy to be beloved)</HI> he hath made us precious and honourable, but we have not walked worthy of his love: <HI>We waxed, fat and kicked, for&s;aking God who made us, and lightly e&s;teeming the Rock of our &s;alvation.</HI> And this great unthankfulnes filled up our Cup.</P>
<P>Fourthly, Notwith&s;tanding of &s;o much guiltine&s;&s;e, we did &s;ent forth our Armies, and undertake great &s;ervices pre&s;umptuou&s;ly, without re|pentance, and making our peace with God, like the Children of <HI>I&s;rael,</HI> who tru&s;ting the goodne&s;&s;e of their cau&s;e, minded no more, but <HI>Which of us &s;hall go up fir&s;t?</HI></P>
<P>It is now high time, under the feeling of &s;o great a burden both of &s;in and wrath, to humble our uncircumci&s;ed hearts, <HI>to put our mouths in the du&s;t, if &s;o be there may be hope, to wallow our &s;elves in a&s;hes, to clothe our &s;elves with our &s;hame as with a garment,</HI> to ju&s;tifie Gods righteous judge|ments, to acknowledge our iniquity, to make our &s;upplication to our Judge, and to <HI>&s;eek his face,</HI> that he may <HI>pardon our &s;in, and heal our Land.</HI> The Lord roareth, and &s;hall not his children tremble? The God of glo|ry thundereth, and <HI>the Highe&s;t uttereth his voice, hail&s;tones and coales of fire,</HI> who will not fall down and fear before him? The fire waxeth hot, and burneth round about us, and &s;hall any &s;it &s;till and be &s;ecure? The &s;torm bloweth hard, and &s;hall any &s;luggard be &s;till a&s;leep? This is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of bla&s;phemy, who will not take up a lamentation? Let the Watch-men rouze up them&s;elves and others, and &s;trive to get their own, and their peoples hearts deeply affected, and even melted before the Lord: Let every one turn from his evil way, and
<PB N="9" REF="5">cry mightily to God, and give him no re&s;t till he repent of the evill, and &s;mell a favour of re&s;t, and &s;ay, <HI>It is enough.</HI> He hath not &s;aid to the &s;eed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain. <HI>We do not mourn as they that have no hope, but we will bear the indignation of the Lord, becau&s;e we have &s;inned again&s;t him, untill he plead our cau&s;e, and execute judgement for us.</HI> And what though our Candles be put out? &s;o that our Sun &s;hine: What though our ho|nour be laid in the du&s;t? &s;o that God work out his own honour, yea, our happine&s;&s;e out of our &s;hame. In vain have we tru&s;ted to the arm of Fle&s;h: in the Lord our God is the <HI>&s;alvation of I&s;rael.</HI> No fle&s;h mu&s;t glory before him, <HI>but he that glorieth, mu&s;t glory in the Lord.</HI></P>
<P>The&s;e duties of Humiliation, Repentance, Faith, Amendment of life, and Fervent Prayer, though the principall, yet are not all which are re|quired at the hands of this Nation, but men of all &s;orts and degrees, mu&s;t timely apply them&s;elves to &s;uch other Re&s;olutions and Actions as are mo&s;t &s;uteable and nece&s;&s;ary at this time: Which that all may the better under&s;tand, and be excited and encouraged to act accordingly, let it be well ob&s;erved, that the pre&s;ent &s;tate of the Controver&s;ie and Cau&s;e is no other but what hath been formerly profe&s;&s;ed before God and the World, that is, The Reformation and Pre&s;ervation of Religion, The Defence of the Honour and Happine&s;&s;e of the King, and of the authority of the Parliament, together with The maintenance of our Laws, Liber|ties, Lives, and E&s;tates. We are not changed from our former princi|ples and intentions, but the&s;e who did fall off from us to the contrary party, have now made it manife&s;t, that the&s;e were not their ends when they &s;eemed to joyn with us: <HI>Therefore are they gone out from us, becau&s;e they were not of us.</HI> And as our Cau&s;e is the &s;ame, &s;o the danger thereof is not le&s;&s;e, but greater than before, and that from two &s;orts of Enemies: Fir&s;t, from open Enemies, we mean tho&s;e of the Popi&s;h, Prelaticall, and Malignant Faction, who have di&s;played a Banner again&s;t the Lord, and again&s;t his <HI>Chri&s;t,</HI> in all the three Kingdoms, being <HI>&s;et on fire of Hell,</HI> and by the &s;peciall in&s;piration of Satan, who is full of fury, be|cau&s;e he knows he hath but a &s;hort time to reign. The Cockatrice be|fore hatched, is now broken forth into a Viper. The danger was before feared, now it is felt; before imminent, now incumbent; before our divi&s;ion, now our de&s;truction is endeavoured; before the Sword was fourbi&s;hed and made ready, now the <HI>Sword is made fat with Fle&s;h, and drunk with Bloud,</HI> and yet it hungreth and thir&s;teth for more. The Queen is mo&s;t active abroad, u&s;ing all means for &s;trengthening the Po|pi&s;h, and &s;uppre&s;&s;ing the Prote&s;tant party; in&s;omuch that Malignants have in&s;olently expre&s;&s;ed their confidence, that her journey to <HI>France</HI>
<PB N="10" REF="6">&s;hall prove a &s;ucce&s;&s;efull Councell, and that this Mand, and particular|ly this Kingdom, &s;hall have a greater power to grapple with, before the next Summer, than any which yet we have encountred with. The <HI>Iri&s;h</HI> Rebels have offered to the King to &s;end over a greater number into both the Kingdoms: The ho&s;tile intentions of the King of <HI>Denmark,</HI> if God be not plea&s;ed &s;till to divert and di&s;able him, do plainly enough appear from his own Letters, &s;ent not long &s;ince to the E&s;tates of this King|dom. In the mean time, the helli&s;h crue under the conduct of the ex|communicate and aforefaulted <HI>Earle of Montro&s;e,</HI> and of <HI>Ala&s;ter Mac-Donald,</HI> a Papi&s;t and an Outlaw, doth exerci&s;e &s;uch barbarous, unnatu|rall, horrid, and unheard-of cruelty, as is above expre&s;&s;ion: And (if not repre&s;&s;ed) what better u&s;age can others not yet touched expect from them, being now hardened and animated by the &s;ucce&s;&s;e which God hath for our humiliation and correction, permitted unto them? and if they &s;hall now get leave to &s;ecure the High-Lands for them&s;elves, they will not only from thence infe&s;t the re&s;t of this Countrey, but endea|vour a diver&s;ion of our Forces in <HI>England,</HI> from the pro&s;ecution of the ends expre&s;&s;ed in the Covenant of the three Kingdoms, toward which ends, as their &s;ervice hath been already advantageous, &s;o their continu|ance is mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary.</P>
<P>The &s;econd &s;ort of Enemies, from which our pre&s;ent dangers ari&s;e, are &s;ecret Malignants and Di&s;-covenanters, who may be known by the&s;e and the like Characters: Their &s;lighting or cen&s;ulting of the pu|blike Re&s;olutions of this Kirk and State: Their con&s;ulting and labour|ing to rai&s;e Jealou&s;ies and Divi&s;ions, to retard or hinder the execution of what is ordered by the publike Judicatories. Their &s;tandering of the Covenant of the three Kingdoms and Expedition into <HI>England,</HI> as not nece&s;&s;ary for the good of Religion, or &s;afety of this Kingdom, or as tend|ing to the diminution of the Kings ju&s;t power and greatne&s;&s;e: Their confounding of the Kings Honour and Authority, with the abu&s;e and pretence thereof, and with Commi&s;&s;ions, Warrants, and Letters, pro|cured from the King, by the Enemies of this Cau&s;e and Covenant, as if we could not oppo&s;e the latter, without encroacing upon the former: Their whetting of their tongues, to cen&s;ure and &s;lander tho&s;e whom God hath honoured as his chief In&s;truments in this Work: Their com|mending, ju&s;tifying, or excu&s;ing the proceedings of <HI>James Grahame,</HI> &s;ometime <HI>Earle of Mon<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter">ro&s;e,</HI> and his Complices: Their conver&s;ing or intercommuning by word or writ, with him, or other excommunicate Lords, contrary to the nature of that Ordinance of Chri&s;t, and to the old Acts of Generall A&s;&s;emblies: Their making merry, and their in&s;e|lent
<PB N="11" REF="6">carriage, and the News of any pro&s;perous &s;ucce&s;&s;e of the Popi&s;h and Malignant Armies in any of the&s;e Kingdoms: Their drawing of Parties and Factions, to the weakning of the common Union: Their &s;preading of Informations, That Uniformity in Religion, and the Pres|byteriall Government, is not intended by the Parliament of <HI>England:</HI> Their Endeavours, Informations, and Sollicitations, tending to weaken the hearts and hands of others, and to make them withhold their a&s;&s;i&s;t|ance from this Work.</P>
<P>Let this &s;ort of bo&s;ome Enemies, and di&s;affected Per&s;ons, be well marked, timely di&s;covered, and carefully avoided, le&s;t they infu&s;e the poy&s;on of their &s;educing Councels into the minds of others: Wherein let Mini&s;ters be faithfull, and Presbyteries vigilant and unpartiall, as they will an&s;wer the contrary to God, and to the Generall A&s;&s;embly, or their Commi&s;&s;ioners.</P>
<P>The cau&s;e and the dangers thereof being thus evidenced, unle&s;&s;e men will blot out of their hearts the love of Religion, and the Cau&s;e of God, and ca&s;t off all care of their Countrey, Laws, Liberties, and E&s;tates, yea, all naturall affection to the pre&s;ervation of them&s;elves, their Wives, Children, and Friends, and what&s;oever is deare&s;t to them under the Sun (all the&s;e being in the vi&s;ible danger of a pre&s;ent ruine and de&s;tru|ction) they mu&s;t now or never appear actively, each one &s;tretching him&s;elf to, yea beyond his power. It is no time to dally, nor go about the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e by halfes, nor by <HI>almost,</HI> but <HI>altogether</HI> zealous: <HI>Cur&s;ed be he that doth the Work of the Lord negligently, or dealeth fal&s;ly in the Co|venant of God.</HI> If we have been &s;o forward to a&s;&s;i&s;t our Neighbour Kingdoms, &s;hall we neglect to defend our own? Or &s;hall the Enemies of God be more active again&s;t his Cau&s;e, than his People for it? God forbid. If the Work, being &s;o far carried on, &s;hall now mi&s;carry, and fail in our hands, our own con&s;ciences &s;hall condemne us, and po|&s;terity &s;hall cur&s;e us: But if we &s;tand &s;toutly and &s;tedfa&s;tly to it, the <HI>plea&s;ure of the Lord &s;hall prosper in our hands, and all Generations &s;hall call us ble&s;&s;ed.</HI></P>
<P>Let Mini&s;ters &s;tir up others by free and faithfull preaching, and by admoni&s;hing every one of his duty, as there &s;hall be occa&s;ion: And if it &s;hall be the lot of any of them to fall under the power of the Enemy, let them through the &s;trength of Chri&s;t, per&s;evere in their integrity, choo&s;ing affliction rather than &s;in, glorifying God, and not fearing what Fle&s;h can do unto them.</P>
<P>Let our Armies beware of ungodline&s;&s;e, and worldly lu&s;ts, living godly, &s;oberly, and righteou&s;ly, avoiding all &s;candalous carriage, which
<PB N="12" REF="7">may give occa&s;ion to others to think the wor&s;e of their Cau&s;e and Co|venant, and remembring that the eyes of God, Angels, and Men are up|on them: Finally, renouncing all confidence in their own &s;trength, skill, valour, and number, and tru&s;ting onely to the <HI>God of the Armies of I&s;rael,</HI> who hath fought, and will fight for them.</P>
<P>Lat all &s;orts both of high and low degree in this Kingdom, call to mind their Solemne Covenants, and pay their vows to the mo&s;t High; and namely, that Article of our fir&s;t Covenant, which obligeth us not to &s;tay nor hinder any &s;uch Re&s;olution, as by common con&s;ent &s;hall be found to conduce for the ends of the Covenant, but by all lawfull means to further and promove the &s;ame; Which lyeth as a bond upon peoples con&s;ciences, readily to obey &s;uch orders, and willingly to undergo &s;uch burdens, as by the publike and common re&s;olution of the E&s;tates of Parliament, are found nece&s;&s;ary for the pro&s;ecution of the War; con&s;i|dering that the Enemy cannot be &s;uppre&s;&s;ed without a competent num|ber of Forces, and Forces cannot be kept together without mainte|nance, and maintenance cannot be had without &s;uch publike Burdens; which however for the pre&s;ent, not joyous, but grievous, yet it &s;hall be no grief of heart afterwards, even unto the common &s;ort, that they have given &s;ome part of their nece&s;&s;ary livelihood, for a&s;&s;i&s;ting &s;o good a Work. It is far from our thoughts, that the pinching of &s;ome, &s;hould make others &s;uperfluou&s;ly to abound: It is rather to be expected of the richer &s;ort, that they will &s;pare and defalk, not onely the pride and &s;u|perfluity, both of apparell and diet, but al&s;o a part of their lawfull al|lowance in the&s;e things, to contribute the &s;ame as a free-will-offering, be&s;ide what they are obliged to, by Law or upblike Order, after the ex|ample of godly <HI>Nehemiah,</HI> who for the &s;pace of twelve yeers, while the walls of <HI>Jeru&s;alem</HI> were a building, did not eat the bread of the Go|vernour, that he might ea&s;e by &s;o much the Peoples Burthens and Bon|dage.</P>
<P>In our la&s;t Covenant, there is another Article which (without the oblivion or neglect of any of the re&s;t) we wi&s;h may be well remem|bred at this time; namely, That we &s;hall a&s;&s;i&s;t and defend all that en|ter into this League and Covenant, in the maintaining and pur&s;uing thereof, and &s;hall not &s;uffer our &s;elves, directly or indirectly, by what|&s;oever Combination, Per&s;wa&s;ion, or Terror, to be divided and with|drawn from this ble&s;&s;ed Union and Conjunction, whether to make de|fection to the contrary part, or to give our &s;elves to a dete&s;table indiffe|rency or neutrality in this Cau&s;e: According to which Article, mens reality and integrity in the Covenant, will be manife&s;t and demon&s;tra|ble,
<PB N="13" REF="7">as well by their omi&s;&s;ions, as by their commi&s;&s;ions; as well by their not doing good, as by their doing of evil; <HI>He that is not with us, is against us; and he that gathereth not with us, &s;cattereth.</HI> Whoever he be that will not according to publike order and appointment, adven|ture his Per&s;on, or &s;end out the&s;e that are under his power, or pay the Contributions impo&s;ed for the maintenance of the Forces, mu&s;t be taken for an Enemy, Malignant, and Covenant-breaker, and &s;o invol|ved both into the di&s;plea&s;ure of God, and Cen&s;ures of the Kirk, and no doubt into civill puni&s;hments al&s;o to be inflicted by the State.</P>
<P>And if any &s;hall prove &s;o outward and perfidious, their iniquity &s;hall be upon them&s;elves, and they <HI>&s;hall bear their puni&s;hment:</HI> Deliver|ance and good &s;ucce&s;&s;e &s;hall follow tho&s;e who with purpo&s;e of heart cleave unto the Lord, and who&s;e hearts are upright toward his glory. When we look back upon the great things which God hath done for us, and our former deliverances out of &s;everall dangers and difficulties which appeared to us in&s;uperable, <HI>experience breeds hope:</HI> And when we con&s;ider how in the mid&s;t of all our &s;orrows and pre&s;&s;ures, the <HI>Lord our God hath given us a naile in his holy place,</HI> and hath lightened our eyes with the de&s;irable and beautifull &s;ight of his own glory in his Temple, we take it for an argument that he hath yet <HI>thoughts of peace,</HI> and a purpo&s;e of mercy toward us; <HI>Though for a &s;mall moment he hath for&s;aken us, yet with great mercies he will gather us:</HI> He hath lifted up our Enemies, that their fall may be the greater, and that he may ca&s;t them down into de&s;olation for ever. <HI>Ari&s;e, and let us be doing; The Lord of Ho&s;ts is with us, the God of Jacob is our Refuge.</HI></P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="14" REF="8">
<HEAD>TO THE KINGS MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. The humble Remon&s;trance of the Generall A&s;&s;embly of the Kirk of <HI>Scotland,</HI> met at <HI>Edinburgh</HI> the <HI>13</HI> day of <HI>February, 1645.</HI></HEAD>
<P>AS our Record is on high, and our con&s;ciences within us bear us witne&s;&s;e; &s;o the many former Supplications and Remon&s;trances to your Maje&s;ty, from this Kirk and Kingdom, our &s;olemne Covenants, and the whole cour&s;e of our proceedings from time to time in the pro&s;ecution of this Cau&s;e, Do make known to the World, and we tru&s;t al&s;o to your own con&s;cience, our loyalty and faithfull &s;ubjection, and how far our intentions are from the diminution of your Maje&s;ties ju&s;t Power and Greatne&s;&s;e; And although the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of many of our humble addre&s;&s;es to your Maje&s;ty, hath been &s;uch as did fru&s;trate our de|&s;ires and hopes, yet this hath not blotted out of our hearts our loyalty, &s;o often profe&s;&s;ed before God and the World; but it is &s;till our Souls de|&s;ire, and our Prayer to God for you, that your Self and your Po&s;terity may pro&s;perou&s;ly reign over this your ancient and native Kingdom, and over your other Dominions. And now as we have publi&s;hed a &s;olemne and free Warning to the Noblemen, Barons, Gentlemen, Burrows, Mi|ni&s;ters, and Commons of this Kingdom, concerning the pre&s;ent affli|ction of this Nation, and their &s;ins procuring the &s;ame; So when we call to mind, that God accepteth not the per&s;ons of men, and that the grea|te&s;t are not to be winked at in their &s;ins; We a&s;&s;ure our &s;elves, that the be&s;t and mo&s;t reall te&s;timony which we can give at this pre&s;ent, of the tenderne&s;&s;e and uprightne&s;&s;e of our affection to your Maje&s;ties true Hap|pine&s;&s;e, is this our humble and faithfull Repre&s;entation of your Maje|&s;ties great and growing dangers, and the cau&s;es thereof; Of which, if we &s;hould be &s;ilent, our con&s;ciences would condemne us, and <HI>the &s;tones them&s;elves would immediately cry out.</HI></P>
<PB N="15" REF="8">
<P>The troubles of our hearts are enlarged, and our fears increa&s;ed in your Maje&s;ties behalf, perceiving that your Peoples patience is above mea&s;ure tempted, and is like Cart pre&s;t down with &s;heaves, and ready to break, while as be&s;ide many former de&s;ignes and endeavours to bring de&s;olation and de&s;truction upon us, (which were (and we tru&s;t all of that kinde &s;hall be) by the marvellous and mercifull providence of God di&s;covered and di&s;appointed) Our Countrey is now infe&s;ted, the blood of divers of our Brethren &s;pilt, and other acts of mo&s;t barbarous and horrid cruelty exerci&s;ed, by the cur&s;ed crew of the Iri&s;h Rebels and their Complices in this Kingdom, under the conduct of &s;uch as have Commi&s;&s;ion and Warrant from your Maje&s;ty. And unle&s;&s;e we prove unfaithfull both to God and to your Maje&s;ty, we cannot conceale ano|ther danger which is infinitely greater than that of your Peoples di&s;plea|&s;ure: Therefore we the Servants of the mo&s;t high God, and your Ma|je&s;ties mo&s;t loyall Subjects, in the humility and grief of our hearts, fall down before your Throne, and in the Name of our Lord and Ma&s;ter <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> who &s;hall judge the world in righteou&s;ne&s;&s;e, both great and &s;mall, and in the Name of this whole Nationall Kirk, which we repre|&s;ent, We make bold to warn your Maje&s;ty freely, that the guilt which cleaveth fa&s;t to your Maje&s;ty and to your Throne, is &s;uch, as (what&s;o|ever flattering preachers, or unfaithfull councellors may &s;ay to the con|trary) if not timely repented, cannot but involve your Self and your Po|&s;terity under the wrath of the ever-living God, For your being guilty of the &s;hedding of the blood of many thou&s;ands of your Maje&s;ties be&s;t Subjects; For your permitting the Ma&s;&s;e, and other Idolatry, both in your own Family, and in your own Dominions; For your authori|zing, by the Book of Sports, the profanation of the Lords Day; For your not puni&s;hing of publike &s;candals, and much profanene&s;&s;e, in, and about your Court; For the &s;hutting of your eares from the humble and ju&s;t de&s;ires of your faithfull Subjects; For your complying too much with the Popi&s;h party many wayes, and namely, by concluding the Ce&s;&s;a|tion of Arms in <HI>Ireland;</HI> and your embracing the councels of tho&s;e who have not &s;et God nor good before their eyes; For your re&s;i&s;ting and op|po&s;ing this Cau&s;e, which &s;o much concerneth the glory of God, your own honour and happine&s;&s;e, and the peace and &s;afety of your King|doms; and for what other cau&s;es your Maje&s;ty is mo&s;t con&s;cious, and may be&s;t judge and &s;earch your own con&s;cience (nor would we have mentioned any particulars, if they had not been publike and known.) For all which it is high time for your Maje&s;ty to fall down at the foot|&s;tool of the King of Glory, to acknowledge your offence, to repent
<PB N="16" REF="9">timely, to make your peace with God through <HI>Je&s;us Chri&s;t,</HI> (who&s;e blood is able to wa&s;h away your great &s;in) and to be no longer as wil|ling that the Son of God reign over you and your Kingdoms in his pure Ordinances of Church-government and Wor&s;hip. The&s;e things if your Maje&s;ty do, it &s;hall be no grief of heart unto you afterward, a ble&s;&s;ing is re&s;erved for you, and you &s;hall find favour with God, and with your People, and with all the Churches of <HI>Chri&s;t;</HI> But if your Maje&s;ty refu&s;e to hearken to this whol&s;ome councell (which the Lord forbid) we have di&s;charged our own con&s;ciences, we take God and Men to wit|ne&s;&s;e, That we are blamele&s;&s;e of the &s;ad Con&s;equences which may fol|low, and we &s;hall wait upon the Lord, who, <HI>when he maketh inqui&s;ition for blood, will not forget the cry of the humble.</HI> In the mean while, be|&s;eeching your Maje&s;ty to take notice That we are not &s;taggering or fainting through diffidence of the &s;ucce&s;&s;e of this Cau&s;e and Covenant of the three Kingdoms, unto which, as God hath already given manifold Te&s;timonies of his favour and ble&s;&s;ing; &s;o it is our &s;tedfa&s;t and un|&s;haken confidence, that this is the Work and Cau&s;e of God, which &s;hall gloriou&s;ly prevaile again&s;t all oppo&s;ition, and from which; with the a&s;|&s;i&s;tance of the grace of God, we &s;hall never &s;uffer our &s;elves to be divi|ded or withdrawn, but &s;hall zealou&s;ly and con&s;tantly in our &s;everall Vocations, endeavour with our E&s;tates and Lives, the pur&s;uing and promoving thereof.</P>
<P>That which we have concluded concerning Uniformity in Religion between both Kingdoms, is to be humbly offered to your Maje&s;ty from the Commi&s;&s;ioners of this Kingdom, for your Royall Con&s;ent and Ra|tification. Although your Maje&s;ty was not plea&s;ed to vouch&s;afe us the pre&s;ence of your Commi&s;&s;ioner, according to the &s;upplications of the Commi&s;&s;ioners of the preceding Generall A&s;&s;embly, yet we have pro|ceeded with as much re&s;pect to your Maje&s;ties honour, and as much re|membrance of our duty, as if your Royall Per&s;on had been pre|&s;ent in the mids of us: And we &s;hall &s;till continue our Prayers for you, that God would graciou&s;ly incline your heart to the Councels of Truth and Peace, and grant unto your Maje&s;ty a long and happy Raign, that we may live under you a peaceable and quiet life, in all Godline&s;&s;e and Hone&s;ty.</P>
</DIV1>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
