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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
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<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A DECLARATION Again&s;t A late dangerous and &s;editious BAND, under the name of <HI>An humble Remon&s;trance, &amp;c.</HI></P>
<P>Wherein The Plots and Projects of the Contrivers <HI>Tending to the</HI> Violating and &s;ubver&s;ion of our Covenants; Rai&s;ing and fomenting of Jealou&s;ies, within this, and between both Kingdoms; Prolonging of the unnaturall Wars; And, Impeding the intended Uniformity in RELIGION, Are di&s;covered, By the Commi&s;sion of the Generall A&s;&s;embly.</P>
<P><HI>Printed at Edinburgh by</HI> Evan Tyler, <HI>Printer to the Kings mo&s;t Excellent Maje&s;ty.</HI> 1646.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="license">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>Edinb. Penult. Martii 1646.</HEAD>
<P>THe Commi&s;sioners of the Generall A&s;&s;embly Do Ordain this Declaration to be forthwith Printed and publi&s;hed, and &s;ent to Presbyteries with all di|ligence: Requiring each Presbytery immediatly after the receit thereof, to take &s;peedie cour&s;e for the reading of it in every congregation within their bounds upon the Lords day after the Forenoon Sermon and before the Ble&s;sing; And that they report account of their diligence herein with the fir&s;t conveniencie.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>A. Ker.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<HEAD><HI>Edinb. Penult. Martii</HI> 1646. A DECLARATION again&s;t a late dangerous and &s;editious Band, under the name of <HI>An humble Remon&s;trance, &amp;c.</HI></HEAD>
<P>_WHen we con&s;ider the u&s;uall way of Gods wi&s;e di&s;pen&s;ation toward his people, in exerci&s;ing them with one trouble after another, and call to minde the inveterate malice of Sa|tan and his in&s;truments, and their ince&s;&s;ant practi&s;es to pervert the &s;traight wayes of the Lord; We do not think it &s;trange, while we are &s;till wre&s;tling with former difficulties, and under hope of prevailing by the mighty help of Gods right hand, that we are infe&s;ted with new a&s;&s;aults, from which <HI>he who hath delivered us from &s;o great troubles, and doth deliver us, in him we tru&s;t that he will deliver us:</HI> Yet perceiving by a Paper come to our hands, carrying the Title of <HI>An humble Remon&s;trance, &amp;c.</HI> the indeavours of &s;ome to deceive the &s;imple,
<PB N="4" REF="3"> and to in&s;inuate wicked coun&s;els and cour&s;es under the cover of &s;pecious pretences, We judge our &s;elves oblieged, out of con&s;cience of the tru&s;t committed unto us, according to the con&s;tant and commendable practi&s;e of the Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Generall A&s;|&s;embly in the like exigences, To unmask the face of di&s;gui&s;ed impiety, to di&s;cover the my&s;terie of Iniqui|tie, and to <HI>bring to light the hidden things of di&s;hone&s;ty,</HI> that they who through ignorance or inadvertencie have been drawn away into the errour of the wicked, may be reduced, the &s;imple pre&s;erved from &s;educti|on, the weak &s;trengthened, the &s;trong confirmed, and the wicked, if po&s;&s;ible, made a&s;hamed of their wayes.</P>
<P>It is ordinary in the Title of Remon&s;trances, to de&s;igne the per&s;ons to whom they are directed, but this doth altogether ab&s;tain from all de&s;ignation of that kind, though the Remon&s;trants knew that there were Judicatories both Civil and Eccle&s;ia&s;ticall ap|pointed by Parliament and Generall A&s;&s;emblie, to who&s;e con&s;ideration belonged matters of &s;uch pub|like concernment for Kirk and State; whereby they evidence their neglect and contempt of the&s;e, and their warine&s;&s;e to offend them who are in open Re|bellion, unto whom it is likely they labour to apply them&s;elves; &s;ince there is nothing in the whole Paper excluding them, but by the contrary clear in&s;inuati|ons of their de&s;ire and de&s;igne to have them parta|kers of the publike Peace.</P>
<P>The flouri&s;h of the fair de&s;cription they arrogate to them&s;elves, as being &s;uch <HI>who wi&s;h Religion to flou|ri&s;h, &amp;c.</HI> is not &s;ufficient to free them from the &s;ocie|ty
<PB N="5" REF="3"> of tho&s;e who by their barbarous and bloody cour|&s;es have bin &s;ubverting Religion, &amp; the Kings lawful authority, de&s;troying the Subjects and their lawfull Liberties, and fomenting the unhappy differences between the King and his people; for <HI>James Grahame</HI> him&s;elf is a pretender to all the&s;e as well as they: And we know that &s;ome, who are prime Leaders in the bu&s;ine&s;&s;e, had not onely their hand at that Band which did make the fir&s;t breach upon the Unity made by our Nationall Covenant, and was condem|ned as unlawfull by the Generall A&s;&s;embly holden at <HI>Edinburgh</HI> 1641. <HI>Se&s;&s;.</HI> 17. But al&s;o after the for|feiture and Excommunication of the before-named Traitour, did in the yeer 1645 &s;ub&s;cribe a Band of Union with him and others, as his Maje&s;ties faithfull Subjects, without mention of, or relation to any of the Covenants, whether Nationall, or of the three Kingdomes; wherein the power and Commi&s;&s;ion granted to the &s;aid <HI>James Grahame,</HI> there de&s;igned <HI>James</HI> Marque&s;&s;e of Montro&s;e, his Maje&s;ties Lieute|nant-Generall, is acknowledged and approven; and the publike re&s;olutions of Kirk and Kingdome are bla&s;phemed, as the horrid cour&s;es of a Rebellious fa|ction raging within this Kingdome, as mo&s;t wicked and Traiterous, unju&s;t and unnaturall, and as of a per|ver&s;e faction of de&s;perate Rebels, in fury again&s;t the King; Oblieging them&s;elves to u&s;e all their be&s;t and mo&s;t vigorous oppo&s;ition again&s;t the Actors and In|&s;truments thereof, as of abominable and mon&s;trous crimes, and mutually to a&s;&s;i&s;t one another, as they &s;hall be de&s;ired, or the occa&s;ion require. Which are enough to render their by-wayes hatefull to the
<PB N="6" REF="4"> well-affected, though they be &s;trawed with the pre|tences of Pietie and publike good.</P>
<P>Becau&s;e the Nationall A&s;&s;embly hath found and declared, that the Band forementioned, and all Bands of that and the like nature, may not lawfully be made: And the E&s;tates of Parliament <HI>Parl.</HI> 3. of King <HI>Charles, Act</HI> 4. findes that per&s;ons guilty of taking up Armes again&s;t the Kingdome and E&s;tates of the Countrey, are puni&s;hable by forfeiture of Life, lands, goods, or any other cen&s;ure the Parliament &s;hall plea&s;e to inflict. The&s;e Remon&s;trants, le&s;t people &s;hould be &s;carred from acce&s;&s;ion to their combina|tion, by the authority of Parliament and Generall A&s;&s;embly, have laboured to cover the nature of this Paper, under the name of <HI>An humble Remon&s;trance;</HI> which nevertheles is &s;o tran&s;parent, that every ordi|nary eye may &s;ee it in the end, a Band oblieging them each to others, and that by an Oath, <HI>To hazard Lives and Fortunes again&s;t all deadly</HI> for performing all the contents; whereby the Sub&s;cribers thereof become lyable to the cen&s;ures and puni&s;hments which the Kirk and State may inflict upon them for unlawfull Banding and rai&s;ing Arms again&s;t the Kingdom.</P>
<P>Although they mention the Nationall Covenant, and declare their re&s;olution <HI>of paying the debt they owe to the individuals</HI> (which we conceive to be the par|ticulars, or &s;everall Articles) therein contained; yet we cannot but affirme, that their charity is too too common who beleeve at all their deceitfull profe&s;|&s;ion, &s;ince the whole &s;train of their Remon&s;trance is an <HI>evident Demon&s;tration of their mon&s;trous defection.</HI> For, 1. Their altering of the words of the Cove|nant,
<PB N="7" REF="4"> argues their purpo&s;e to &s;werve from the true meaning of it. The Covenant bindes to the defence of the Doctrine and Di&s;cipline of this Kirk; they &s;ay they purpo&s;e to do <HI>what may mo&s;t tend for the propaga|tion of the Prote&s;tant Religion in purity,</HI> a phra&s;e u&s;ed in the Kings Declarations, wherein he profe&s;&s;eth the maintenance of Epi&s;copacie: The Covenant &s;peaks of the defence of the Kings Maje&s;ties per&s;on and au|thority, in the defence and pre&s;ervation of the true Religion, Liberties, and Lawes of this Kingdome; they, <HI>of the defence of the Kings Maje&s;ties ju&s;t Right and Property,</HI> and that &s;imply and ab&s;olutely, without any &s;uch relation to Religion, Liberties, &amp; Laws; The Covenant, of the Laws and Liberties of the King|dome; they, <HI>of the lawfull proper Freedoms and Li|berties of the Subjects.</HI> 2. Among other <HI>Individuals</HI> of the Covenant, this is one, That neither directly nor indirectly &s;hall we &s;uffer our &s;elves to be divided or withdrawn, by what&s;oever &s;ugge&s;tion, combina|tion, allurement, or terrour, from that ble&s;&s;ed and loyall conjunction: But they have directly divided and withdrawn them&s;elves from that ble&s;&s;ed and loyall conjunction, wherein the Kirk and Kingdom continue con&s;tant, by a cleer combination in writ un|der their hands. 3. Another particular in the Cove|nant is, That we &s;hall not ca&s;t in any let or impedi|ment, that may &s;tay or hinder any &s;uch re&s;olution as by common con&s;ent &s;hall be found to conduce for <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">o good ends: But they obliege them&s;elves to hinder re&s;olutions found by common con&s;ent of the E&s;tates of Parliament, to conduce for the ends mentioned in the Covenant, &s;uch as the keeping on foot Armies
<PB N="8" REF="5"> at home and abroad, and all means for their nece&s;&s;ary maintenance.</P>
<P>The &s;olemne League and Covenant, unanimou&s;ly approven by the Generall A&s;&s;emblies of this Kirk, ratified by the authoritie of the Parliament of this Kingdome, and univer&s;ally &s;worn and &s;ub&s;cribed through the Kirks of this Kingdome, is not &s;o much as once remembred in this Remon&s;trance; yea clear|ly enough to a perceiving beholder, though warily and clo&s;ely they exclude the &s;ame, while they call the Nationall Covenant <HI>Approven,</HI> as if the other were not approven, and while they deny a <HI>de&s;ire of di&s;&s;olving the link of fraternitie betwixt us and our Brethren of England,</HI> in&s;inuating their di&s;avowing of a League and Covenant of fraternitie; Otherwi&s;e they would not have &s;hunned the mention of the League and Covenant, when they had &s;o fair an oc|ca&s;ion offered of expre&s;&s;ing their approbation there|of, as a tye of our unitie with our Brethren in Eng|land: So that the &s;ub&s;cription of this Band brings with it a fearfull breach of the League and Cove|nant.</P>
<P>Unitie and Uniformitie in Religion and Kirk go|vernment, &s;o much pre&s;&s;ed by our Commi&s;&s;ioners, as a &s;peciall means for con&s;erving the Peace betwixt the two Kingdomes, upon the grounds and rea&s;ons contained in their Paper of the 10. of March 1641. and given in to the Treatie and Parliament of Eng|land; &s;o much promoved by the continued labours of the following Generall A&s;&s;emblies, and their Commi&s;&s;ioners from time to time, both at home, and at London; to the endeavouring whereof we are
<PB N="9" REF="5"> &s;o &s;trongly engaged by the League and Covenant of the Kingdome, and which is &s;o far advanced in the Directory for Wor&s;hip, agreed upon by the A&s;|&s;emblies, and ratified by the Parliaments in both Kingdomes, is utterly neglected, and not &s;o much as mentioned in this &s;editious Band.</P>
<P>What is here offered by them to the view of the world, if it be looked upon with the eye of any, but &s;uch as have given them&s;elves to a dete&s;table indif|ferencie &amp; neutralitie in this cau&s;e, wherein the Kirk and Kingdom are engaged, &s;hall be found fraughted with the Characters, &s;et down in the &s;olemne and &s;ea&s;onable Warning of the Generall A&s;&s;embly, holden at Edinburgh 1645. whereby &s;ecret Malig|nants and di&s;-covenanters may be known, &s;uch are, Their &s;lighting and cen&s;uring of the Publick Re&s;o|lutions of this Kirk and State Art. 3. and 4. Their la|bouring to rai&s;e jealou&s;ies and divi&s;ions, to retard or hinder the execution of what is ordered by publick Judicatories, Art. 5. Their cen&s;uring and &s;landering the&s;e whom GOD hath honoured as his chief In|&s;truments in this Work, Art. 2. and 3. Their draw|ing of Parties and Factions, to the weakning of the Common Union in their conclu&s;ion; Their endea|vours, Informations, and Solicitations, tending to weaken the hearts and hands of others, and to make them with-hold their a&s;&s;i&s;tance from this Work, which is the very &s;cope of their 6. Article.</P>
<P>The Article of Inviting the Kings Maje&s;tie into this his Native Kingdom, though it &s;eem plau&s;ible a<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter"> the fir&s;t hearing, and for that cau&s;e fir&s;t placed: Yet let it be pondered by &s;econd thoughts (which
<PB N="10" REF="6"> are the wi&s;e&s;t) in the &s;cales of rea&s;on, and the preju|dice thereof &s;hall clearly appear. For 1. he who con&s;idereth that much innocent blood of his Maje|&s;ties good Subjects hath been &s;hed by his Maje&s;ties Commands and Commi&s;&s;ions, Iri&s;h Rebels have been brought over into both Kingdomes, and en|deavours to bring over more; as al&s;o Forces from forreigne parts; That his Maje&s;ty is in open ho&s;tili|ty again&s;t the Parliament of England, Forces on foot by his Maje&s;ties Commi&s;&s;ion, again&s;t the King|dome of Scotland, under the leading of that accur&s;ed and forfaulted Traitour, and the Warre in Ireland fomented and prolonged by his Maje&s;ty; whereby the three Kingdomes are brought neer to utter ruine and de&s;truction, Shall perceive, that untill &s;atisfa|ction and &s;ecuritie be fir&s;t given to both Kingdoms, his Maje&s;ties coming hither cannot be convenient, nor called for. Upon which ground, the Parliament of England, and the Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Parlia|ment of Scotland, in their Letter to his Maje&s;ty; Ja|nuary 13. 1646. refu&s;e the per&s;onall Treaty de&s;i|red by his Maje&s;ty, and declare, That Propo&s;itions from both Kingdomes are to be &s;ent to his Maje&s;ty, which they conceive (far otherwayes, and upon &s;u|rer ground then the&s;e Banders do) to be the onely way for attaining a happy and wel-grounded Peace. 2. Such an invitation for making Peace, may not proceed from this Kingdome, without the advice and con&s;ent of our neighbour Kingdom, with which we are entred in League and Covenant (far le&s;&s;e from a few private per&s;ons, banded in this Remon|&s;trance) unle&s;&s;e we will directly break the 8. Article
<PB N="11" REF="6"> of the Treaty, ratified in the 3. <HI>Parl.</HI> of King <HI>Charles, Act</HI> 5. wherein it is agreed and concluded, That no ce&s;&s;ation, nor pacification, or agreement for Peace what&s;omever, &s;hall be made by either Kingdome, or the Armies of either Kingdomes, without the mu|tuall advice and con&s;ent of both Kingdomes, or their Committees in that behalf appointed, who are to have full power for the &s;ame, in ca&s;e the Parliament or Convention of the E&s;tates of <HI>Scotland,</HI> or the Hou|&s;es of Parliament of <HI>England</HI> &s;hall not &s;it. 3. This In|vitation and incoming of the Kings Maje&s;ty, while he is &s;till in terms of Ho&s;tility again&s;t his Parliament of England, is &s;o far from &s;etling a &s;olid Peace (as they confidently conceive) that it will undoubtedly pro|long the&s;e unnaturall Warres, and draw upon this Land the heavie&s;t weight, and deepe&s;t dint of them.</P>
<P>The&s;e Judicatories, the re-e&s;tabli&s;hment whereof is de&s;ired by their third Article, have neither been al|together &s;ilent, For &s;ome of them have &s;it and kept their diets of meeting; Neither yet have bin &s;i|lenced by men (as they do in&s;inuate) but have been nece&s;&s;arily interrupted through the Inva&s;ion of the barbarous Iri&s;hes, and In&s;urrection of di&s;-natured Countrymen, and through the &s;preading and raging of the fearful Plague of Pe&s;tilence, and now by ordi|nance of Parliament they are to meet again at the ordinary times, if the like cau&s;es do not nece&s;&s;itate an unexpected vacation. In the mean time it is to be remembred, that Judicatories authori&s;ed by Parlia|ment with &s;uch power as the condition of affairs, &amp; the nece&s;&s;ity of the&s;e pre&s;ent times required, were
<PB N="12" REF="7"> not &s;ilent, though &s;ome of the&s;e Remon&s;trants would not hearken to them; Or el&s;e they had been more active again&s;t the publike Enemies, which had made a fairer way for opening the Ordinary Judica|tories, than the &s;trengthening of the bloodie hands of the Rebels unto the works of violence, by con|triving a Band.</P>
<P>The danger of weakning the Kingdome, and ren|dring it a prey to forraigners repre&s;ented in the third Article, is increa&s;ed by this cour&s;e which they have taken; The Kingdome being thereby made the more unable, not onely to re&s;i&s;t forraigne Inva&s;ion, but al&s;o to &s;uppre&s;&s;e the Inte&s;tine Rebellion, while it doth not onely want their a&s;si&s;tance, but findeth their re&s;i&s;tance. The be&s;t way of &s;trengthening and &s;ecuring the Kingdome, is, To joyne unanimou&s;ly and actively, in pur&s;uit of the Rebels within the &s;ame, who&s;e garments have been dyed in the blood of the People of GOD; To entertain a firm Peace and Union between the two Kingdomes, for pro&s;e|cuting the ends of our League and Covenant; But above all, To turn every man from his evill wayes, and to return unto him that hath &s;mitten us, who can heale us, and humble our Adver&s;aries, and turn his hand again&s;t our Enemies: <HI>Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made the heaven and the earth, With whom it is nothing to help with many, or with them that have no power; through him we &s;hall do valiantly, and he &s;hall tread down our enemies:</HI> Which are the precious words of GOD, and not the &s;pecious phra&s;es of men.</P>
<P>The fourth Article. 1. Laboureth by reproach|full
<PB N="13" REF="7"> expre&s;&s;ions, To make odious unto the people the be&s;t wayes and means that the E&s;tates of Parliament and Committees thereof could think upon, for the nece&s;&s;ary maintenance of Warre again&s;t the wicked Rebels; Whereby they ca&s;t in a let and impediment to hinder publike Re&s;olutions (though &s;ome of the&s;e have of all others lea&s;t cau&s;e to complaine) and di&s;|claime the nece&s;&s;ity of maintaining an Army again&s;t <HI>James Grahame,</HI> which will affoord him and his com|plices leave to gather &s;trength; For the Enemy can|not be &s;uppre&s;&s;ed without a competent number of Forces, and Forces cannot be kept together without maintenance, and maintenance cannot be had with|out &s;uch publike burdens. 2. Mentioneth the exact|ing of great Fines and Intromi&s;&s;ions with mens For|tunes and Rents, whereby they evidence their favour to, and indeavour to conciliat the favour and follow|ing of &s;uch as have been &s;o dealt with by the E&s;tates, for being acce&s;&s;ory, le&s;&s;e or more, unto the unnaturall and bloody Rebellion: And, 3. Maketh a lie a|gain&s;t the E&s;tates, as if they had received great &s;ums of money from other Kingdoms or Common|wealths than <HI>England.</HI></P>
<P>If the&s;e who have been mo&s;t active in this Com|bination had been pre&s;ent in Parliament, they would have been witne&s;&s;es of the care taken by the E&s;tates to give full &s;atisfaction to every one who de&s;ired to be informed of the publike expences &amp; disbur&s;ments, by appointing a particular Committee for examina|tion of the publike Compts, and thereafter cau&s;ing keep the Book of Accounts in a publike Chamber, with intimation of free acce&s;&s;e to all that plea&s;ed:
<PB N="14" REF="8"> But they are willingly if not wilfully ignorant, and bewray their di&s;affection, by apprehending all pro|bable appearance to rai&s;e and foment Jealou&s;ies be|tween the Parliament and the Countrey and Soul|diers, which is the drift of the 5. Article.</P>
<P>The large laying forth of the di&s;tre&s;&s;ed condition of this Kingdome, in&s;i&s;ted upon in the 6. Article, aimes at the di&s;couraging and weakning of the hearts and hands of the well-affected, and tends to per&s;wade the disbanding our Forces imployed again&s;t the Re|bels, which expo&s;eth what is re&s;erved from the fury of the Enemy, to be preyed upon by them without oppo&s;ition: But if they, as becomes Covenanters and Countreymen, had con&s;idered that the mo&s;t of tho&s;e calamities have been cau&s;ed by the cruelty of the Iri&s;h crew, and the re&s;t of that Traiterous Company, and by the lukewarmne&s;&s;e, temporizing, and double dealing of hollow-hearted men, they would have re|&s;olved again&s;t all difficulties to cleave unto the King|dom, in the pur&s;uit and &s;uppre&s;&s;ing of the&s;e children of Belial, as a compendious way to the removall of di&s;tre&s;&s;es. Shall they have Lives and Fortunes to hazard again&s;t all deadly, for re&s;cuing the&s;e Rebells from their de&s;erved puni&s;hment? And is there no|thing left unto the Kingdome to hazard for its own defence, and bringing Malignants unto their due cen|&s;ure, according to our League and Covenant? And if the condition of our affaires crave a&s;&s;i&s;tance from our Brethren in <HI>England,</HI> we are confident they will be mindful of our mutuall ingagements, though the&s;e Banders like bad husband-men, labour to &s;ow the &s;eeds of Jealou&s;ies among&s;t us.</P>
<PB N="15" REF="8">
<P>In the 7. they covertly calumniate the prime managers of affairs, as men indi&s;po&s;ed to Peace, who have abundantly evidenced their earne&s;t de&s;ire of Peace, by Supplications, Remon&s;trances, Declarati|ons, Treaties for Peace, Propo&s;itions of Peace. And we further declare and profe&s;&s;e, in the &s;ight of him who &s;earcheth the heart, That nothing is more in the de&s;ire of us all, then that Reformed Religion may be enjoyed, with a happy and well-grounded Peace, through all his Maje&s;ties Dominions: And from the beginning of the&s;e troubles, we have been cloathed with, and yet will not put off a re&s;olution to u&s;e (as we have been ever u&s;ing) all po&s;&s;ible and lawfull means to procure the &s;ame. And for this effect we be&s;eech all men, who love the Cau&s;e of God, and their Countreys good, to dive&s;t them&s;elves of pri|vate quarrels and particular intere&s;ts, that with the greater unanimitie and hope of &s;ucce&s;&s;e, they may pur&s;ue the troublers of our Peace. But we do inge|nuou&s;ly acknowledge, That our &s;ouls abhor to enter into the &s;ecret, and our glory to be joyned with the a&s;&s;embly of them who &s;ue for &s;uch a Peace as com|prehends the prime authors of all our troubles, and would &s;uffer the&s;e who have &s;hed the blood of War in Peace to go in peace into the grave.</P>
<P>As in the entry, &s;o toward the end, that the hook of the Band may the better take with well-meaning men, they busk it with great variety of fair colours; and like the harlot, they deck the bed with coverings of tapi&s;try, carved works, and fine linnen; they per|fume it with myrrhe and cynamon, and with impu|dent face, they &s;peak of Peace-offerings and paying
<PB N="16" REF="9"> their Vows; that with much fair &s;peech they may cau&s;e the &s;imple ones to yeeld, and with the flatte|rings of their lips, force them: But he that hath un|der&s;tanding will di&s;cern that this their Profe&s;&s;ion is contrary to their intent formerly di&s;covered, will learn not to be credulous unto them, who &s;peak lies in hypocri&s;ie, and not &s;uffer his heart to decline to their wayes, and go a&s;tray in their paths which go down to the chambers of death; The repetition of their intention here, giveth them not one grain weight of truth and realitie more than they had be|fore.</P>
<P>The&s;e Banders are not all of the &s;ame kind and di&s;po&s;ition of heart: Some of them have joyned in actuall and open Rebellion, and embrued their hands in the blood of their Countreymen: The&s;e if they had truely for&s;aken that unhappy conjunction, would have ere now, or will now at length for&s;aking this combination apply them&s;elves to Kirk and State for reconciliation; which if they do not &s;pee|dily go about, they manife&s;t to the world, that they &s;till per&s;i&s;t in their former Rebellion, and pro&s;ecute the &s;ame wicked practices. Some there be, who have by &s;ome acts, and by &s;ome omi&s;&s;ions of action when opportunitie was offered, brought them&s;elves under the &s;u&s;pition of Malignancie: And the&s;e if they continue in this b<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="KEYERS" EXTENT="1 letter">nded cour&s;e make it evident, that they have been lying in wait for the &s;ea&s;on when they might vent their malignant de&s;ignes, and do involve them&s;elves under the di&s;plea&s;ure of God, and cen&s;ures of the Kirk. Others there are, who have joyned in this Remon&s;trance (to judge charitably)
<PB N="17" REF="9"> not out of a minde to oppo&s;e the Cau&s;e of GOD, having done and &s;uffered &s;o much, and hazarded all for the &s;ame: But partly out of their re&s;pect to their friends, to whom they have naturall and particular tyes; partly pre&s;&s;ed with the apprehen&s;ion of &s;ome pre&s;ent perill, or greater evill conceived to en&s;ue up|on refu&s;all; and partly deceived by the &s;pecious pretences in the Remon&s;trance, not con&s;idering the bad intentions of the Contrivers, nor the dangerous importance and con&s;equence of it in it &s;elf. The&s;e, we expect, when they con&s;ider the condition of the Work (laid forth before them in this our Declara|tion) and the quality of the Company with whom they joyne, le&s;t they wrong them&s;elves and the Work of GOD, contrary to their de&s;ires, and more than they are aware of, will without longer deliberation or delay, renounce that banding Re|mon&s;trance, and with all convenient diligence, ac|quaint the Kirk and State with their &s;en&s;e of that e&s;cape, and with their re&s;olution not to &s;uffer them|&s;elves hereafter to be divided or with-drawn, by what&s;omever &s;ugge&s;tion, combination, per&s;wa&s;ion, or terrour, from the Nationall Covenant, and from the &s;olemne League and Covenant of the three Kingdomes; Which will bring peace to their own mindes, and joy to the hearts of the Godly, and re|&s;tore them to the place which they have had in the e&s;teem of all that love the welfare of Zion.</P>
<P>Having thus declared our thoughts concerning that divi&s;ive Band, and the&s;e who are joyned toge|ther in it, We exhort and warn all the people of God
<PB N="18" REF="10"> in this Land, and the&s;e e&s;pecially who have it in Commi&s;&s;ion to reveal his arm to this generation, To ob&s;erve them who cau&s;e divi&s;ions and offences, and to avoid them; To keep them&s;elves free from appro|ving of, or adhering to this Remon&s;trance, the wic|kedne&s;&s;e whereof is now &s;o plainely pointed forth; and as one man, with one minde, according to both our Covenants, unto the utmo&s;t of their power to oppo&s;e the &s;preading of it, and the endeavours of &s;uch as pertinaciou&s;ly per&s;i&s;t therein. Let us all follow on to &s;eek the Lord, and let the Watch|men of I&s;rael rouze up them&s;elves and others, and &s;trive to get their own, and their Peoples hearts deeply affected under the feeling of the great burden both of the Sins of the Land, and of the wrath upon it. Let every one turne from the evill of his wayes, and crying mightily to GOD, give him no re&s;t, till he repent of the evill, &s;mell a &s;avour of re&s;t, and &s;ay, It is enough. And we are confident in him, who hath done all our Works for us, That no &s;uch cour&s;es or coun&s;ell &s;hall pro&s;per, as tend directly or indirectly to the breach of both, or either Covenants, to the &s;topping of the cour&s;e of the Go&s;pell, to the &s;trengthening of the hands of the Wicked, or to the &s;uppre&s;sion of Religion and Reformation; And that GOD all-&s;ufficient, again&s;t all impe|diments, &s;hall carry forward and perfect the ble&s;&s;ed and glorious Work which he hath be|gun, to the glory of his great Name, to the ad|vancement of the Kingdome of his Son JESUS
<PB N="19" REF="10"> CHRIST, to the de&s;truction of Antichri&s;t, to the confu&s;ion of all de&s;perate and irrecoverable Malignants, and to the firme Peace and happy Union in Religion of all the Dominions of his Maje&s;ty; For whom wee &s;hall &s;till continue our Prayers, That GOD would graciou&s;ly incline his heart to the coun&s;els of Truth and Peace, that we may live under him a peace|able and quiet life, in all god|line&s;&s;e and hone&s;tie.</P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>A. Ker.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
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