Assembly should try whether that government was abjured by the covenant or not. And was not that a sufficient empowering of the Assembly to declare the true sense thereof? But what would this author gather from all this? He concludeth that," Whatever the Assembly at Glasgow did, after the covenant was taken by the body of the land, could not oblige all the takers thereof to own their declaration of the sense of the covenant. Ans. Though their deed could not oblige the body of the land to own their sense, yet the covenant itself did oblige them, and the body of the land did then see themselves obliged, by the declaration of the true sense of the covenant which they gave. And what necessity was there for more? The Assembly never offered to give a sense of their own which had not been heard of before; for that had been intolerable, but, according to their place and duty, they, for the good of the land and satisfaction of the covenanters, search out of the authentic records of the church, what was the sense and meaning of the church at that time when the covenant was first taken, which every private person could not be so able to do, and which necessity did require to be done, because of several doubts which were raised thereabout.

He addeth," And the body of the land hath not indeed abjured Episcopacy by that national covenant; neither the covenant, nor added interpretation, doth import any such thing." Ans. This is a strange thing. How can this be, seeing the body of the people of the land took that covenant, by which (when first taken by the body of the land) Prelacy was abjured? It is true, some who took the covenant then, being unclear in a matter of fact (which had been done some fifty or sixty years before, and in trying and searching out of which there was some difficulty), whereby one article was unclear to them at that time, could not think that Prelacy was undoubtedly abjured; yet others did, and those same who at first did doubt received light by the Assembly's declaration, and then saw that, by the covenant, when first taken by the church, Prelacy was abjured; and that, by their taking of the covenant according to its true, genuine, native and first sense, now discovered and made plain (though before, as to this particular, unclear), they had also abjured the same government of the church by prelates. 2. How the covenant itself importeth the abjuration of Pre

lacy hath been shown above, and the added interpretation needed not import any such thing.

Next, he says, " Nor hath the body of the people of the land, by any after deeds, owned that Assembly's sensing of the covenant. Ans. Neither was it necessary that they should do so, seeing, by taking of it, they did own it in its true sense; and the Assembly did no more but declare which was its true sense, against which, when declared, the body of the land did not protest, and therefore, by their silence, did sufficiently declare their owning of that sense as the only true sense. And further, the after actings of the body of the land, in prosecuting the ends of that covenant, did abundantly show their owning of that sense, and of none else.

"Nor (saith he) was there any act of that Assembly ordaining that all should own their determination of the sense thereof." Ans. And that, because there was no necessity for such an act, their clearing of the true meaning of the oath, and showing how it could be understood in no other sense, was sufficient. All such as took the covenant, by a native undeniable consequence, behoved to take it in this sense, and to own the Assembly's determination, because they behoved to take it in its own sense, and the Assembly did no more but show what that

was.

2. There is an act enjoining all, in time coming (for avoiding any further doubt or dispute), to take it according to their determination in the points then debated; and another act discharging any to take it in any other sense. "True (saith he), but few did so; and if any did so, they are to consider whether they have been too rashly carried on, in the current of that time, without a just examination of matters." Ans. Whether there were few or many that did so, all is one, since he thinketh it rashness in any to do it. But why was it rashness to take a covenant, and a lawful covenant, in its true sense? Can this be an act of rashness, or is it not rather an act of wisdom and deliberation? But, moreover, was it rashness to obey an act of council, made August 3, 1639, concerning this; and an act of a General Assembly, having the consent of, and civil sanction added by, his Majesty's commissioner, August 17, 1639? Sure he will not be able to make this good.

Thus is all which this author doth allege against the obliging force of the national co

venant answered. And now, the reader may judge whether or not, by virtue of that covenant which was imposed by lawful authority, both by church and state, and against which no exceptions of any force can be brought, the whole land standeth obliged against the government of the church by prelates; and whether there can be any clear ground or warrant for abjuring of that covenant, taken from any deed of the Assembly 1638, seeing that Assembly did nothing but clear up the true sense and meaning of the covenant out of the authentic records of the church; and their sense was approved by his Majesty's commissioner, and by an act of the privy council; and then, 1640, all this was confirmed and ratified by act of parliament. So that it must be the height of impiety to subscribe a declaration for abjuration of this covenant.

Now may the world wonder at the boldness of men, who dare, upon such slender grounds, encourage others unto such horrid acts of iniquity, at the hearing of which heathens may stand astonished.

Yea, which is yet more wonderful, it was publicly debated and concluded in parliament, That no covenant or promise made by the king to his subjects, in the time of a civil war, is obliging, but that so soon as ever occasion is offered he is at liberty to break the same, though even Grotius cannot but say, de Jur. Bel. ac Pac., lib. 2, cap. 14, sect. 6, that, from a promise or a covenant made by a king unto his subjects, there ariseth a true and proper obligation which giveth right unto the subjects. A resolution which may make all Protestants in (Europe, it may be, at least in) Germany, France, Piedmont and the Low Countries, to tremble; for all the security which they have for their liberties and freedom of religion in peace and quietness, is upon a covenant or promise which was made to them in a civil war. And if neighbour princes and kings have this principle in their heads and hearts, Protestants have need to be upon their guard; for now they may see their neck and all in hazard, whenever any occasion is offered, and they need trust their kings and princes no longer than they see them out of a capacity to hurt. Must not those be bloody men whose hearts do thus thirst for Christian blood, who have such bloody conclusions and resolutions. "No faith is to be kept to heretics (say Papists), and no faith is to be kept unto subjects," say

they. But what if this bloody resolution, which they did intend against others, shall recur upon themselves? Reader, think not this impossible. Yea, by this resolution, they have laid down that ground, which, in end, may prove the most destructive conclusion to the throne that ever was hatched out of hell; for let it be but supposed (and what hath been may be again, and is not impossible) that there were a civil war betwixt king and subjects, how shall it end? For now they shall never once come to a treaty, no covenant, no agreement, no promise will ever be heard of, because there is no security in these, by their own confession. The war, then, must never end till the one party do utterly destroy the other; and if the king shall utterly destroy his subjects, where shall his kingdom be? And what glorious advantage will he have in that victory? And if the people prevail (and the manifold by-past experiences through the world hath made this appear to be the most probable of the two), and root out the king and all his posterity, and so overturn the throne, let the world judge who is most to be blamed. The duchess of Parma gave such an answer at the first unto the nobles of the Netherlands, when they desired her to mind her promise: "That she was not bound to do so further than she saw it for her advantage;" and the world now seeth where and how that war ended. Buchanan recordeth in his Annals, lib. 16, that when Alexander, earl of Glencairn, and Hugh Campbell, sheriff of Ayr, were sent unto the queen regent, in name of the congregation, to deprecate her anger that was going out against them, and, among other things, they requested her to mind her promises; but she answered "That princes should perform their promises no further than they see it for their own advantage." Unto which they replied, That if so, they would pass from their allegiance and obedience, and acknowledge her no more for queen. It was such a thing as this which did animate the congregation to withstand the queen regent and the French, because (as saith Buchanan, ubi supra) they had to fight with an unsociable and cruel adversary, which made light of all equity, right, law, promises, faith and oaths: so that upon every small gale of hope of advantage they annul both their words and their deeds; and therefore there is no agreement to be made with them, nor no peace, till one of

the parties be quite destroyed and overthrown, or else all the strangers be put out of the land: so that they must resolve either to overcome or to die. And hence it was that a little thereafter, when there was a treaty, there could be no peace concluded, because the reformed congregation, being so often deceived, could not believe their promises any more.

THE CONCLUSION.

Thus, reader, thou hast a clear view of the present state and condition of the church of Scotland, and the true grounds upon which she is now suffering. Thou seest how the ways of Zion do mourn, and how the Lord hath covered her with a cloud, in his anger; how he hath violently taken away his tabernacle, as if it were of a garden; he hath destroyed his places of the assembly, and caused the solemn feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion; how he hath cast off his altar, abhorred his sanctuary, and given up into the hand of her enemies the walls of her palaces; so that she is now made to cry out, Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me, in the day of his fierce anger. All who pass by clap their hands at her; they hiss and wag their head, saying, Is this the city that men call the perfection of beauty, the joy of the whole earth? All her enemies have opened their mouth against her, they hiss and gnash their teeth: they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked for: we have found, we have seen it. And therefore they are consulting to cut her off, that she may no more be a nation. But, which is worse, the anger of God is gone out against her; he hideth his face, and testifieth his displeasure against her and her courses; and, in so doing, just and righteous is he, for she hath rebelled against him. It is the Lord who hath given her to the spoil and to the robbers, even he against whom she hath sinned; for she would not walk in his ways, neither be obedient unto his law, therefore hath he poured upon her the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle; and it

hath set her on fire round about, yea, she knew it not, and it burned her, yet she laid it not to heart. Therefore let no man think, whatever apology any make in her behalf, that she or they do intend to quarrel with the most High for any of his dispensations towards her. Nay, he is just and righteous in all his ways, yea, though he should punish her yet seven times more, it would become her to put her mouth in the dust, to be silent, and to bear the indignation of the Lord, because she hath sinned against him. And, as yet, she must say, that whatever wrongs her enemies are doing to her, and however unjustly she be suffering at their hands, yet the righteous God is doing her no wrong, but punishing her less than her iniquities do deserve: so that, as to his dealing with her, she hath no cause to complain; for it is of the Lord's mercy that she is not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

And yet it cannot but be expected that such as have tasted of the cup of affliction themselves, and have resisted unto blood, striving against sin, and have known by experience what refreshing hath been in the known sympathy of neighbour churches, in the day of their trial and temptation, will mind and make conscience of this Christian duty, of sympathy towards the poor church of Scotland, now when her enemies are the chief, and prosper, and have spread out their hands upon all her pleasant things, when her gates are desolate and her priests sigh. It cannot be thought that such churches as own Christ for their head and husband, can look upon a poor bleeding sister church, which was once decked with ornaments, when her head and king took pleasure in her habitations, but now is stripped naked and exposed to shame, and to the scorn and contempt of her enemies, and not have their eyes affecting their heart. Shall it be thought that there are any of the reformed churches who, Esau-like, can look on the day of their sister, in the day that she is become a stranger, that can rejoice over her in the day of her destruction, or speak proudly in the day of her distress, or look on her affliction in the day of her calamity, or lay hands on her substance in the day of her calamity, or stand in the cross-way to cut off those of hers that escape, or deliver up those of hers that did remain in the day of distress? Nay, it is hoped, that as the elect of God, holy and beloved,

they have put on bowels of mercies and kindness, and have learned to have compassion, and to love as brethren, and to be pitiful, and so cannot forget the afflictions of his people in those islands, but do bear them on their heart when they have access unto the throne of grace, and say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them. Wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God? Seeing it is the desire of that poor afflicted church, that all would cry unto their God and her God, that he would turn from his hot wrath and displeasure, and turn to her with healing under his wings; that he would heal her backslidings and love her freely, and that until he be pleased to turn from the fierceness of his anger, his people may be blessed with Christian patience and submission under the mighty hand of God, and helped to hear the voice of the rod, and who hath appointed it, and to turn unto him who smiteth, that he may bind up and heal that which he hath broken; that the iniquity of Jacob may be purged, and the fruit of all this may be to take away sin; and at length his heart may turn within him, and his repentings may be kindled together, that he may not execute the fierceness of his anger, nor return to destroy Ephraim, seeing he is God and not man; for he is a God who is gracious and long-suffering, slow to anger and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil, who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him.

That poor church will be very far disappointed of her expectation, if, instead of Christian sympathy, pity and compassion, she shall meet with unbrotherly and unchristian dealing at the hands of any, and if there shall be any such as will be ready to condemn her, as suffering upon very slender and inconsiderable grounds, as it will be no small matter of grief and sorrow unto the already sorrowful mourning church, yea, an addition unto her affliction, so it will yield these little comfort in the day when the cup shall pass over unto them, to reflect upon their unchristian thoughts and sharp censures of a poor member of Christ's body, while lying under the feet of oppressors, and such as said to her soul, Bow down, that we may go over. It is true the infinitely wise God hath thought fit to try that church with more searching trials than he did Eng

land and Ireland, and it was the policy of her adversaries to begin with such small things, to the end they might get such as they desired drawn into their net, and then they were sure, piece and piece, to get them brought alongst to countenance them in all their courses, as sad experience hath proved; for some, who at the first resolved to go some length for peace's cause, having no purpose to move one foot further, to whom if it had been then said, that, ere all were done, they would go such a length as now they have gone, with Hazael they would have replied, Are we dogs to do such things? are now going all the length desired, scrupling at nothing, which is a warning to all to beware of the beginnings of a defection; and, indeed, for as great as the defection and apostacy in that church is at present, and for as great a conspiracy as is found among her prophets, if the trial had been nothing more searching than that wherewith the neighbour churches were tried, there would not have been so many that would have departed from their former principles as there are this day; and therefore it was a mercy unto many in these neighbour churches that their sieve was not more narrow and searching. It is no small mercy unto particular persons when they see their enemies in their own colours, and the bait is not able to cover the hook wherewith their adversaries think to catch them; and it is likewise a mercy (and will be so found and acknowledged in end) unto the church of Scotland, that God hath followed such a way with her as shall prove most discovering, and consequently most purging, by making her dross to appear, and bringing to light in a short time more corruption and naughtiness than, in all probability, would have been found out many a year if God had not taken this course. But now, let none blame those who have desired to keep their garments clean, and to adhere zealously and constantly unto their former principles, and therefore have refused compliance in the least, and would not willingly quit with a hoof, or sell a bit of the precious truth of God. There is a time when such things are very momentous and considerable, which at other times seem not to be of much concernment. Armies may yield more unto their enemies at another time and place than when they are keeping a considerable pass, the loosing of which would prove of great disadvantage unto themselves, and an inlet unto all the enemy's

forces. There is a time when such things must be stood at, which, if abstracted from that time and place, would signify little or nothing, whether done or not done. The giving of a book or of a piece of paper out of the hands of the martyrs, was, at that time, and as so circumstantiated, a main business when they were upon the point of avouching truth for God. A little matter, when it becometh casus confessionis, is of great moment: Mordecai's beck is no small matter; Daniel's closing of his windows is a great business, as it was then circumstantiated. And doleful experience, in all ages, hath made it appear what mischief hath followed upon yielding unto the adversaries in small-like matters, in the beginning of a defection, what through inadvertency, what otherwise. By little and little the Pope came to his throne, and not in one day; by little and little came prelates formerly to their height in that church, and therefore, as before, so now the honest party thought themselves called of God to withstand beginnings, and not to cede in the smallestlike matters, when they saw that the opening of never so small a passage would be enough to occasion the drowning of all: as (according to the proverb) the burnt child doth fear the fire, so that church cannot be blamed for keeping such a distance from that plague of Prelacy, which formerly had burnt up and consumed all the vitals of religion, and the whole power of godliness, and had made that church to look like an harlot, and not like the spouse of Christ. Especially after God had wrought such wonderful deliverances unto her, and had graciously delivered her from that iron furnace, and with his out-stretched arm had brought down all her enemies, should they again break his commandments, and join in affinity with the people of those abominations, would not God be angry with them till he had consumed them, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? And it is very remarkable that there are none who have hitherto rued their suffering upon that account, but rather they are all blessing the name of the Lord, for that he hath kept them from yielding in the least; and though their adversaries, the prelates, by using barbarous and inhuman, let be unchristian ways, to afflict them still more and more, by procuring acts to be made, discharging any charity to be extended to them or their families who are now suffering for the cause of

God, yet they have no cause to complain. God, for whose sake they are suffering, is providing for them, and, withal, is comforting them with the consolations of the Holy Ghost, supporting their spirits, keeping them from fainting, and encouraging them, so that they resolve, through his grace, never to comply with these workers of iniquity, lest they partake of their judgments. Yea, they are persuaded, that if any members of the Christian churches abroad, who had the root of the matter within them, were in their souls' stead, they would no more comply with this present course of defection than they have done, or desire to do; so that, whatever can be looked for from men of corrupt minds, and such as are enemies to the truth and to the power of godliness, yet they are sure that such as know what it is to walk with God, to have a tender conscience, and to make this their exercise, to keep a good conscience both towards God and man, will be loath to condemn them in the least. Yea, or if they saw what a deluge of profanity is now broken in upon these lands, what unparalleled wickedness is there perpetrated,-what abomination of all sorts reigneth since this course of defection was begun, their hearts would tremble, and they would scar at such a course as is so destructive to the kingdom of God within, and so advantageous for the promoting of the main interest of Satan, and never acknowledge that to be a divine truth which is not after godliness. Sure there is a principle in all the godly which will incline them to affect that course best which is most for promoting the work of grace in souls, and abhor that which openeth a gap to all profanity and licentiousness; and though they could dispute none against such a course, this were enough to make their gracious souls abhor it. Let none say that such preciseness and refusing to cede in a little will prove destructive to the church, by incensing the civil magistrate the more; for God's way is always the best, both for particular persons and for churches; and an instance cannot be shown where a church, by her faithful adhering to the truth of God, standing to her principles, and refusing to go back in the least, hath ruined herself; but, upon the other hand, it hath frequently been seen how a church, by her yielding unto the snares of her adversaries, through fear or prudence (falsely so called), hath brought ruin or destruction insensibly