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<DATE>2014-04-15</DATE>
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<NAME>Mona Logarbo</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B140212.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<STC T="W">C4229F</STC>
<STC T="G">1851.c.11[18]</STC>
<STC T="C">R223969</STC>
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<VID>188435</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="act of the National Assembly">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>&leaf; In the nationall A&s;&s;emblie at Edinburgh <DATE>the fourth day of Augu&s;t, 1641.</DATE></HEAD>
<P>_THe A&s;&s;emblie &s;eriou&s;ly con&s;idering the pre&s;ent ca&s;e and condition of this Kirk and Kingdome, what great things the Lord hath done for us; e&s;pecially &s;ince the renewing of our Covenant, notwith&s;tanding our former back&s;lydings and defection. And if we either become remi&s;&s;e in the duties of pietie, or &s;hall not con&s;tantly hold and keep our Religion, unto which we have bound our &s;elves &s;o &s;traitly and &s;olemnly, what di&s;honour we do unto the name of God before men, who have their eyes up|on us, and how great judgement we bring upon our &s;elves. Upon the&s;e and the like con&s;iderations, The A&s;&s;embly doth finde it mo&s;t nece&s;&s;ary to &s;tir up them&s;elves, and to provoke all others, both Mini&s;ters and People of all degrees, not onely to the reli|gious exerci&s;es of publick wor&s;hip in the congregation, and of private wor&s;hip in their families, and of every one, by them&s;elves apart; but al&s;o to the duties of mutuall edification, by in&s;truction, admonition, exhorting one another to forwardne&s;&s;e in Re|ligion, and comforting one another in what&s;oever di&s;tre&s;&s;e, and that in all their meetings, whether in the way of civill conver&s;a|tion, or by rea&s;on of their particular callings, or any other occa&s;ions offered by divine providence, no corrupt communicati|on proceed out of their mouth, but that which is good to the u&s;e of edifying, that it may mini&s;ter grace unto the hearers.</P>
<P>And becau&s;e the be&s;t means have been, and may &s;till be de&s;pi&s;ed or abu&s;ed, and particularly the duety of mutuall edification, which have been &s;o little in u&s;e, and &s;o few know to practi&s;e in the right manner, may be upon the one part &s;ubject to the mocking of ungodly and worldly men, who can not en|dure that in others which they are not willing to practi&s;e them&s;elves: And upon the other part, to many errours and abu&s;es, which the godlie through their weakne&s;&s;e may fall, or by the craftine&s;&s;e of others may be drawn into, Such as are errour, here&s;ie, &s;chi&s;me, &s;candall, &s;elf-conceit, and de&s;pi&s;ing of others, pre&s;uming above the common calling of Chri&s;tians, and u&s;urping that which is proper to the Pa&s;torall vocation, contempt, or mi&s;-regard of the publick means, idle and unprofitable que&s;tions, which edifie not, uncharitable cen&s;urings, neglect of dueties in particular callings, bu&s;ine&s;&s;e in other mens matters and callings, and many &s;uch evils in doctrine, charity, and manners, which have dolefully rent the bowels of other Kirks, to the great prejudice of the Go&s;pel.</P>
<P>Therefore the A&s;&s;embly moved with the zeal of God again&s;t all abu&s;es and corruptions, and according to their manifold obligation, mo&s;t earne&s;tly de|&s;iring, &amp; thir&s;ting to promove the work of reformation, and to have the comfort and power of true godline&s;&s;e &s;en&s;ible to every &s;oul, and Religion to bee univer&s;ally practi&s;ed in every family, and by every per&s;on at all occa&s;ions, doth charge all the Mini&s;ters and members of this Kirk, whom they do repre|&s;ent, that according to their &s;everal places and vocations, they endeavour to &s;uppre&s;&s;e all impiety, and mocking of religious exerci&s;es; e&s;peciall of &s;uch as put foule a&s;per&s;ions and factious, or odious names upon the godly; and upon the other part, that in the fear of God they bee aware, and &s;piritually wi&s;e, that under the name and pretext of religious exerci&s;es, otherwi&s;e lawfull and nece&s;&s;ary, they fall not into the fore&s;aid abu&s;es; and &s;pecially that they e&s;chew all meetings vvhich are apt to breed errour, &s;candal, &s;chi&s;me, neglect of dueties and particular callings, And &s;uch other evils as are the works not of the Spirit, but of the fle&s;h, and are contrary to truth and peace; and that the Presbyteries and Synods have a care to take order with &s;uch as tran&s;gre&s;&s;e the one way or the other.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="ratification of National Assembly act">
<HEAD>In the A&s;sembly at <HI>Edinburgh</HI> <DATE>the 6 day of Augu&s;t, 1641.</DATE></HEAD>
<P>SInce it hath plea&s;ed God to vouch&s;afe us the libertie of yearly Generall A&s;&s;emblies, It is ordained according to the Acts of the A&s;&s;embly at <HI>Edinburgh,</HI> 1639. and at <HI>Aberdeen</HI> 1640, That no novation in doctrine, wor&s;hip or Government be brought in or practi&s;ed in this Kirk, un|le&s;&s;e it be fir&s;t propounded, examined and allowed in the Generall A&s;&s;embly: And that tran&s;gre&s;&s;ours in this kinde bee cen&s;ured by Pre&s;|byteries and Synodes.</P>
</DIV1>
<DIV1 TYPE="letter">
<OPENER><SALUTE>Right Reverend and beloved Brethren.</SALUTE></OPENER>
<P>_THe&s;e times pa&s;t many Letters have been directed unto you, for keeping daies of humiliation. But now (which is the mercy of God upon us in hearing and an&s;wering of our prayers) the &s;eventh day of September approching is agreed upon by the Commi&s;sioners of the Treatie betwixt the two Kingdomes, for keeping a &s;olemne thank&s;-giving in all the Kirks of his Maje&s;ties Dominions, according to a particular Article of the Treatie, wherin it is al&s;o agreed, that all Declarations, Proclamations, Acts, Books, Libels, &amp; Pamphlets, that have been made &amp; publi&s;hed again&s;t the Loyalty and Duetifulne&s;&s;e of his Maje&s;ties &s;ubjects of Scotland &s;hall be recalled, &s;uppre&s;t and forbidden in <HI>England</HI> and <HI>Ireland:</HI> and that upon the day of Thank&s;giving the loyalty of his Maje&s;ties &s;aid Subjects &s;hall be made known in all places, and particularly in the paroch Kirks of his M^a^t^i^e^s Dominions.</P>
<P>Thus much are we commanded by the King and E&s;tates of Parliament, and by the Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Generall A&s;&s;embly, with &s;peed to make known unto you, that the moderators of the Presbiteries may give adverti&s;ement to all the brethren for intimating the &s;ame to the people the Sabboth before, which will be the fift of September, and in ca&s;e the&s;e &s;hall not come timeou&s;ly to your hands for ob&s;erving that day, That the next Tue&s;day after the Letter co|meth to the Moderator of every Presbitery be ob&s;ervd. We have no cau&s;e to doubt but all that fear God, and have given them&s;elves to ob&s;erve his wonderful waies with us this time pa&s;t, will go cheerfully about this &s;o de&s;ireable and delectable a worke, e&s;pecially now when our Army is returned in &s;afetie and peace from <HI>England:</HI> all our difficultie will be to get it done by our &s;elves and the people in &s;uch a manner as may not provoke but plea&s;e the Lord, which we mu&s;t recomend unto your wi&s;edome, zeale, and diligence as earne&s;tly and with as great fear and &s;olicitude as ever we did any Duty &s;ince the be|ginning of this worke: For ye know a &s;pirituall thank&s;giving and rejoycing is an excerci&s;e of no le&s;&s;e difficulty then prayer and extraordinary Humiliation; we remit the particulars unto your &s;elf, only we wi&s;h that the people conceave it not to be a day for eating and drinking and ri&s;ing up to play, but that both before and afternoone they a&s;&s;emble for hearing and meditating upon the &s;peciall and extraordinary favours and benefits which are the occa&s;ion of this &s;pi|rituall &s;olemnitie, and upon other mercies which thereby &s;hould be brought to their remembrance, and by &s;inging of P&s;almes both in the publick congre|gation, and in private families, and that the love and care of Chri&s;t be &s;o far exalted, that we may all &s;ee our owne unworthines, may rejoyce in his grace and goodne&s;&s;e, may have our faith and confidence in God for afterward confirmed, and may remember and renew our vowes and &s;olemn promi&s;es made in our Covenant, both of piety to God, and of love among&s;t our &s;elves, and concerning this la&s;t point we think it very convenient that the act of the late a&s;&s;embly be read in everie Pulpit, &amp; the particular duties conteined in it be earne&s;tly recommended to the people, that they may be practi&s;ed by them &amp; all the mini&s;ters.</P>
<P>This time now appointed being kept in this manner by us with other Kirks in his Maje&s;ties dominions wilbe a good preparation for another day of thank&s;|giving after the clo&s;ing of the Parliament to be ob&s;erved by all the Kirks of this Kingdome by it &s;elfe, as being bound in a &s;ingular manner, and above all the re&s;t to magnifie the name of God for his mercies, and for bringing our native King among&s;t us to be an in&s;trument of &s;o many ble&s;sings: But concerning this adverti&s;ement &s;hall be given afterward: Be&s;eeching the Lord who is worthy to be prai&s;ed, and waiteth for prai&s;e from us, above all Nations, to direct, &s;an|ctifie and a&s;&s;i&s;t you all, Wee continue in him,</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE>Edinburgh, <DATE>August 25. 1641.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED>Your loving Brethren &s;ub&s;criving in name of the Commi&s;&s;ioners of the Generall A&s;&s;embly
<LIST>
<ITEM>M. <HI>Alexander Hender&s;on</HI> late Moderator.</ITEM>
<ITEM>M. <HI>Archibald John&s;ton,</HI> Cle. Eccl.</ITEM>
</LIST></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV1>
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<BACK>
<DIV1 TYPE="colophon">
<P><HI>Edinburgh</HI> printed by <HI>Robert Bry&s;on.</HI></P>
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