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<DATE>2012-08-24</DATE>
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<NAME>Pip Willcox</NAME>
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<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1">
<P>A DECLARATION by the Presbytery at <HI>Bangor,</HI> in <HI>Ireland,</HI> July 7. 1649.</P>
<P>Setting forth the apparent ruine of Religion, and the great violation of the COVENANT fol|lowing upon the pre&s;ent change of Command in this Province:</P>
<P>With &s;ome ob&s;ervations upon the Lord Vicount of ARDS late Declaration, of <HI>July</HI> 4.</P>
<P>Printed Anno Dom. 1649.</P>
</DIV1>
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<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="declaration">
<PB REF="2">
<PB REF="2">
<HEAD>A DECLARATION by the Presbytery at <HI>Bangor,</HI> the &s;eventh of July, 1649. &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P>_AS we have upon every remarkable change of af|faires in this land, from our watch-towre blowen the trumpet unto the people, by &s;etting before them the true &s;tate of their owne con|dition, and giving them warning of their due|tie in the&s;e darke and trouble&s;ome times: So a greater my&s;terie of iniquity being now di&s;co|vered, then was any before, and of greater danger to the peo|ple of God, then any former de&s;igne which hes been known among us; we cannot forbeare to cry aloud to our flockes, to beware of ravenous Wolves who are ri&s;en to devour them. The danger we were in by Sectaries, we have formerly repre|&s;ented at large, and have &s;ufficiently vindicate our &s;elves in all our actions relating to them: The late unexpected inva&s;ion by <HI>Malignants,</HI> we have faithfully informed our people of, and pre&s;&s;ed upon them their duety for oppo&s;ing the &s;ame. And now it hath plea&s;ed the Lord to &s;uffer men among our &s;elves to be our enemies, the&s;e who took &s;weet coun&s;ell together with us, renewed the Covenant, and entered in a &s;olemne Declaration: do now lift up them&s;elves again&s;t us, and un|der a pretence of delivering us, have indeed been the princi|pall in&s;truments to ruine us and the work of God among us, if the Lord re&s;traine them not from the accompli&s;hing their whole de&s;igne: The chief head of tho&s;e who pretend autho|rity above the re&s;t, is the Lord Vicount of <HI>Ai<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ds:</HI> who&s;e pre|&s;en actions are &s;o repugnant to his former Profe&s;&s;ions, that no Chri&s;tian or ingenuous man can think upon them without horrour and dete&s;tation: His forwardne&s;&s;e to renew the Co|venant:
<PB REF="3"> His fervency to have a &s;olemne band and Declarati|on &s;ub&s;cribed and entered into: His large promi&s;es to defend Religion: His di&s;claiming all conjunction, with <HI>Popi&s;t</HI> or Rebells with words of zeal and di&s;daine: His i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">&s;inuations upon all hone&s;t men for gaining them to him: His con&s;enting to all publick orders again&s;t <HI>Malignants</HI> being compared with his late undertakings, mu&s;t clear to pre<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">ent to even mans view the great di&s;&s;imulation and betraying of the people and Co|venant he is guilty of; for which our &s;orrow and grief is no le&s;&s;e, then our rejoycing, had been great to have &s;eene his Lord&s;hip &s;tand faithfull, which was one of our chiefe&s;t de|&s;ires.</P>
<P>For (whereas the danger of &s;uch accidents being fore&s;een) an Article was in&s;ert in the Declaration, to acknowledge the Kings Commands; Hee confirming all the Articles of the Covenant, before hee were admitted to the exerci&s;e of his Royall power, without which clau&s;e many would have trem|bled to joyn with him: Yet he hes now cloathed him &s;elfe with a Commi&s;&s;ion from his Maje&s;tie, who as yet refu&s;es to give any &s;atisfaction in Religion unto the ju&s;t de&s;ires of the Kingdome of <HI>Scotland.</HI> Yea, his conce&s;&s;ions are le&s;&s;e then the&s;e granted by his Royall Father; which yet were declared by Church and State, un&s;atisfactorie, and therefore, the exe|cuting of &s;uch a Commi&s;&s;ion, is nothing el&s;e but an endeavour to &s;et up the Kings Maje&s;tie, not onely before Religion, but in a quarrell de&s;tructive unto it. For the fir&s;t difference be|tween the King and his people, was touching his ab&s;olute and unlimited power in Civill things, and his adherance to Prela|cie, and maintaining their power; for which both our late Soveraigne, and his Maje&s;tie who now is, did rai&s;e Armes again&s;t their Subjects, and to this day that &s;ame quarrell is avouched and owned by his Maje&s;tie: and all his Commi&s;&s;ions tend to the bringing him to that power which was ju&s;tly de|med to his Royall Father. And it &s;eemes the Lord of <HI>Airds</HI> does owne the &s;ame, for hee &s;ayes in his new Declaration of the fourth of this in&s;tant directly. <HI>That the Kings Commi&s;&s;i|on did ever procure re&s;pect and obedience untill the wor&s;t of a mee,</HI> which mu&s;t needs be meaned of that time, when the Kingdomes were united by a Covenant, in oppo&s;ition to &s;uch Commi&s;&s;ions given by the King to Malignants. And that one phra&s;e may give us a ta&s;te what may be expected from <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">he re&s;t <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> his Declarations concerning his profe&s;&s;ions to Religion.
<PB REF="3"> For if the refu&s;ing any Commi&s;&s;ions from the King, was in the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> oftimes, then &s;urely the taking a Covenant, the Union of the Kingdomes, ca&s;ting out Praelac<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e, bringing downe Ma|lignants, all again&s;t a per&s;onall Commi&s;&s;ion is accounted by his Lord&s;hip, to How from the iniquity of the times: More|over in his Declaration hee further di&s;covers his thoughts of Reformation, when hee profe&s;&s;es to endeavour <HI>the bringing of the King to his Throne, whence hee is debarred by wicked men, who</HI> (as hee &s;ayes) <HI>hes overturned Church and State in other his dominions</HI> (by which we conceave, he under&s;tands both <HI>Scotland</HI> and <HI>England,</HI> &s;ince no other but this is excepted) whereby his Lord&s;hips judgment of the government of <HI>Scotland</HI> would appear to be that it is both Civilly and Eccele&s;ia&s;tically overturned; what good &s;hall we expect from him for Religi|on who thinks &s;o. Yea, it appeares his Lord&s;hip thinkes that &s;ame of us, when hee &s;ayes; <HI>There were &s;ome who would have had him run in ab&s;olute oppo&s;ition to the Kings partie, as well as to Sectaries:</HI> By whom wee conceave among others, he mu&s;t under&s;tand the Mini&s;terie, who were indeed earne&s;t to oppo&s;e Sectaries and Malignants equallie, which in his judgement is but a preferring our own opinions and ends to the well of the Kingdome. What a&s;&s;i&s;tance &s;hall wee expect from him in the future for the good of Religion, when hee makes our former faithfullne&s;&s;e our reproach. And whereas he promi&s;es to indeavour to procure from His Maje&s;ty a feeling of our Religion, we conceive Him to meane Religion either in the large extent as it can take in Prelacy, and as He calls it thereafter, <HI>The Prote&s;tant Religion,</HI> or el&s;e we believe He hes little ground to think that He will obtain that from His Maje&s;tie, which He hes refu&s;ed to grant to His faithfull Subjects of Scot|land, to wit. An e&s;tabli&s;hment of the Solemne League and Covenant; without which Religion can never be truly &s;ecured here, it being to &s;mall purpo&s;e though His Maje&s;ty &s;hould tol|lerat Presbyteriall Government in this Province for a time, and yet refu&s;e to &s;etle it in the re&s;t of His Dominions.</P>
<P>It is moreover ob&s;ervable, that his Lord&s;hip never menti|ons Presbyteriall Government in all his Declaration, nor doth he once name the Covenant, or promi&s;e any thing in relation to it which is too gro&s;&s;e a character of his Lord&s;hips di&s;affection to Reformati<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">n, and may &s;eem clearly to be done that He may be an&s;wereable to His Maje&s;ty for his Profe&s;&s;ions, that they are no larger then His Commi&s;&s;ion allowes Him
<PB REF="4"> to make them, which is not, either to defend o<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters">res Dy<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="3 letters"> i<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> Government or the Covenant, but to receive His commands from the Marque&s;&s;e of <HI>Ormond,</HI> who he<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> been &s;till an Enemie to both, and who hath made a Peace with the Rebels de&s;tru|ctive to Religion; unto which Peace the Lord <HI>Airds</HI> contrary to his many profe&s;&s;ions and &s;ub&s;criptions, his now joyned him&s;elf: For his Commi&s;&s;ion imports no le&s;&s;e binding him (as we are Informed) to protect and be carefull of His Maje|&s;ties Catholick &s;ubjects. His late actions al&s;o declares it, for He imployed Iri&s;h Papi&s;ts in His &s;ervice for &s;ubduing the two Gari&s;ons of <HI>Be<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">fa&s;t,</HI> and <HI>Craigfergus,</HI> as is clear, not only by His avouching the chief command over them, and giving them Orders, but al&s;o in His Declaration He &s;eems not ob|&s;curely to ju&s;tifie their inva&s;ion, calling them by the friendly names of &s;trangers, and making their quarrell to be but a pre&s;&s;ing the Kings intere&s;t, which He &s;ayes, was not &s;uffici|ently &s;ecured among us. And in another placed &s;peaking of them, He &s;ayes that the Quarters are not able to bee &s;uch a burthen without ruine. By which &s;eems His L<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> would not weary of them, if the Quarter could be able to beare them, all which as it is but a mockry of the Publick Decla|ration, &s;o it is a notorious breach of Covenant, for He is &s;worn to oppo&s;e all Malignants who are again&s;t that &s;olemne League, or would divide the King from His People in their defence of it, ye<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> He joynes with Malignants who bla&s;phemes the Covenant. In the Covenant Hee is &s;worne to exti<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">at Poperie and Prelacie, yet Hee puts on a Commi&s;&s;ion which binds Him to maintain Prote&s;tant Religion in the large ex|tent and Papi&s;ts in the exerci&s;e of their Religion. Yea, the Marque&s;&s;e of <HI>Ormond,</HI> from whom He is to receive commands is an avouched maintainer of Prelacie, and retains &s;till the old Engli&s;h Liturgie (as Wee are informed) in his publick devoti|ons. In the Covenant Hee is &s;worn to endeavour the bring|ing to puni&s;hment tho&s;e who would divide the King from his Kingdomes or one of them from another, yet Hee exe|cute &s;uch a Commi&s;&s;ion which foments the di&s;tance betwixt His Maje&s;tie and the Kingdome of Scotland, and is a mighty ob&s;truction unto His Maje&s;ties granting of Their ju&s;t de&s;ires. In <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> Covenant He is &s;worne to defend to His uttermo&s;t pow<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="2 letters"> all the<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">e who <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> in the Covenant, in the defence the <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 span"> He under <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 word"> long of &s;trengthning, betrayed Cove|nant <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 span"> bound <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 span"> to the Covenant, by bring|ing
<PB REF="4"> for th<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter"> <GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 span"> bounde the power of a command oppo&s;ite to the Covenant. As the&s;e things makes clear as the beames of the Sun, the unlawfullnes of his Authority by &s;uch a Com|mi&s;&s;ion (any thing his L. brings in defence of it in his De|claration notwith&s;tanding) for Hee pretends nothing there but nece&s;&s;itie and His good intentions, none of which can excu&s;e Him from &s;o unhard of violation of his vowes and &s;ub|&s;criptions, neither are the mi&s;eries &s;o great which His Com|mi&s;&s;ion met with at his fir&s;t making u&s;e of it as tho&s;e which his &s;o &s;infull an engagement &s;hall bring on hereafter, for the judgement He pretends to prevent by joyning with Malig|nants again&s;t Sectaries, will prove but Phy&s;ick of no value to this poor Land, and will involve them in &s;adder judgements then any they could have apprehended from both the former, if they had continued con&s;tant oppo&s;ers equally of both and joyned with neither. Shall he pro&s;per that doth the&s;e things, or &s;hall Hee break the Covenant and be delivered? The faith|full man &s;weareth to his own hurt and changeth not.</P>
<P>For this cau&s;e, as the Amba&s;&s;adours of Chri&s;t, Wee be&s;eech our people in his &s;teed, not to joyn hands with &s;uch a cour&s;e, or to medle with them who are given to change: And part<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="pdcc" EXTENT="1 letter">|cularly Wee charge all who hes renewed the Covenant, and hes entred into the Declaration of the Armie and Countrie not to joyne in executing of &s;uch a Commi&s;&s;ion by taking charge in the Armie under the pre&s;ent command or &s;erving them, either as Officers or Souldiours, el&s;e We foretell them in the name of the God of Truth, that the quarrell of the Covenant &s;hall pur&s;ue them, and they &s;hall wring out the dregs of the cup, which Malignants hes beene drinking the&s;e many years by pa&s;t. Yea, their judgement &s;hall be enlarged far above the former, becau&s;e both they have &s;een the others plagues, and hes of late renewed the Covenant which Malig|nants oppo&s;e.</P>
<P>We do al&s;o in the name of Je&s;us Chri&s;t, warne the people of our charge to keep them&s;elves free from all complyance with their ungodly cour&s;e, either by &s;peaking favourably of them, acknowledging the Authority of the pre&s;ent command under the Marque&s;&s;e of <HI>Ormond</HI> and the Lord of <HI>Airds,</HI> by im|po&s;ing of Ce&s;&s;e upon others for maintaining their unlawfull Power, or by con&s;tant obeying their Orders, in paying Ce&s;&s;e unto their Armie, which is nothing el&s;e but a &s;ubmi&s;&s;ion un|to their Authority, a &s;trengthning of their hands, and an up|holding
<PB REF="5"> of them who maintain a quarrell de&s;tructive to the Covenant, all which is &s;infull complyance and a breach of Covenant als well as to fight in their quarrell, for it is a pro|moving of their cour&s;e, tho not by Armes, yet by &s;upplying that which is the &s;inews of War, Money and Victuals. Nei|ther can any nece&s;&s;ity be an excu&s;e to it, for Wee ought to choo&s;e affliction rather then &s;inne, to help the ungodly and to &s;trengthen the hands of the wicked, is an evill wor&s;e then any &s;uffering.</P>
<P>The Lord who &s;uffered this Land to make defection when they were called to action again&s;t this partie, is now calling them for a time to &s;uffering rather then complyance, &s;o to try more narrowly the fidelity of his People, and their love to his Truth more then their Goods or Lives, otherwi&s;e the &s;udden de&s;truction which &s;hall come on the Malignants here &s;hall likewi&s;e overtake the Land, and make their &s;ufferings then far greater with an evill con&s;cience, then they &s;hall now indure for well doing, and the God of Truth &s;hall fulfill his promi&s;e to his people, that tho&s;e who indure cheerfully the &s;poyling of their Goods, &s;hall have in heaven a better and more induring &s;ub&s;tance, yea, &s;hall have an hundreth fold heer, and in the end life everla&s;ting.</P>
<P>There are none in this land who formerly &s;uffered for righ|teou&s;nes &s;ake who needs this day to repent it, and for whom the Lord provided not abundantly in their greate&s;t want: and therefore we do again exhort them to &s;tand fa&s;t to the Cove|nant, that neither per&s;wa&s;ion nor terrour may with-draw them from the Truth which is now oppo&s;ed, but that they lament for former &s;ins which brings on the&s;e calamities, turne in to the Lord and imbrace the Go&s;pel, and to rejoice in the cro&s;&s;e of Chri&s;t, and when the times of refre&s;hing &s;hall come from the pre&s;ence of the Lord, their &s;ins &s;hall be blotted out, and the Lord &s;hall return their captivity like the &s;treames of the South.</P>
<TRAILER>FINIS.</TRAILER>
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