such trust or power as may be prejudicial to the cause of God and that such Officers as are of known integrity and affection to the cause and particularly such as have suffered in our former Armies may be taken special notice of § 13 The other resolution was concerning the admitting of persons to places of trust in the State and the rescinding of the Act of Classes of the date May 24. 1651. Wherein after the repetition of several desires of the King Parliament and Committee of Estates renewed with great earnestnesse for the space of two Months to the Commission for a clear and positive answer to the quaery propounded concerning that matter It is declared as followeth Least any aspersion should be cast upon us of incroaching upon or intruding our selves unto the Office of the civil Power and Authority we do declare that we do not assume to our selves and that it is not competent to us but only to the King and Parliament to make or repeal Acts of Parliament and therefore that as the Commission of the Kirk had not hand in making of the Act of Classes so neither do we take upon us to derermine the keeping up or rescinding or repealing of the same yet being required by his Majesty and Estates of Parliament to give our judgement and advice in point of conscience whether or not considering the ground contained in the Narrative of the Act of Classes viz. The solemn league and Covenant the solemn acknowledgement of sins and ingagements to duties Declarations emitted by the Kirk and the ingagement and pronnse made by the Committee of Estates to the Kingdom of England It be sinfull and unlawfull to admit to be members of the Committee of Estates persons formerly debarred from the publique trust or to rescind and repeal the Acts of Classes We declare that as for any engagement or promise made unto the Kingdome of England concerning not admitting unto places of power and trust persons accessary unto the sinful engagement against that Kingdome we know nothing of the nature or grounds thereof and therefore leaves it to the Estates of Parliament themselves to consider how it doth oblige or not oblige in the present condition of affairs in these Kingdomes But for the solemn League and Covenant the solemn acknowledgement and engagement and former Declarations we do find that they do not particularly determine any definite measure of time of excluding persons from publique trust for by-past offences but only binds and obliges condignely to punish offenders as the degree of the offence shall require or deserve or the supream judicatory of the Kingdom or others having power from them for that effect shall judge convenient to purge all judicatories and places of power trust and to indeavour that they consist of and be filled with such men as are of known good affection to the cause of God and of a blameless and Christian conversation which is a morall duty commanded in the Word of God and of perpetual obligation so that nothing upon the account of these grounds doth hinder but that persons formerly debarred from places of power and trust for their offences may be admitted to be members of the Committe of Estates and the censure inflicted upon them by the Acts of Classes may be taken off and rescinded without sin by the Parliament whose power it is to lengthen or shorten the time of such censures according as they shall find them just and necessary provided they be men who have satisfied the Kirk for their former offences have renewed or taken the Covenant and be qualified for such places with the qualifications required in the Word of God and expressed in the solemn acknowledment and engagement viz. That they be men of known good affection to the cause of God and of a blamelesse and Christian conversation which ought always carefully to be observed and made conscience of though there were no such Act of Classes to the effect that no persons get such power and trust into their hands as may be prejudicial to the cause of God § 14 These are the resolutions which have been and are so much noised abroad in the world because of which our dissenting brethren have made such stirs in Preaching and in writing and Printed papers determining them to be a horrid defection to our Covenants and forsaking of the cause of God and laying the weight of their first dividing from the rest of the Church and Countrey upon these though unjustly as may appear from what hath been cleared in the matter of the Remonstrance yea and branding honest men who concurred in them or consented to them with very odious imputations and determining these resolutions to be the grand causes of the Lords wrath against the Land Upon the account whereof they have separated from and rent the judicatories of the Church the condition of the times contributing thereunto and by their protestations and declinators against the general Assemblies the Church is brought into the confusions and distractions under which we do so sadly suffer And albeit somewhat hath been already spoken for vindicating us in this particular in the observations upon the differences in the Church of Scotland from page 10. to 17. And it is not our work in this Representation to publish a Treatise in defence of these resolutions yet we shall add a few things for clearing of the matter § 15 As to the former resolution of December 14. 1650. we need not insist to declare That this debate is extrinsecal to our Doctrine Worship and Church-government and therefore it cannot be justified that such a rent should be made because of our differences about it That there was no question made by our Brethren of the lawfulnesse of the service wherein these Forces were to be imployed which might have added weight to the grounds of their dissent That the Country was really in that low condition supposed in the resolution occasioned partly by our Brethrens separation upon the account of the Remonstrance which could not but put State and Church into great straits and warrant them in their stations to improve all ordinary means not prohibited by the Word of God and the use whereof is not in it self sinful for necessary self preservation And that whatever latitude may be taken in such a case yet the commission in their resolution did use such caution that if they be judged thereby as they ought to be there can be no defection fastened upon them even by them who condemn a general concurrence of fellow subjects in cases of extremity for in effect they approve of none to be admitted but such as are professed friends to the cause of God and who enter in Covenant for that effect But passing all these we desire it may be remembred that our Brethren did not content themselves simply to condemn this resolution or to assert that it was unlawful to take in or imploy such as they are qualified in the resolution But running to
account They say a design was carried on to advance Malignants and to crush these who had formerly been opposite to them and yet no such design can be fastened on the Commissions resolution yea before this resolution was given they interposed for obtaining security for all that were to be admitted in that very particular and did not fail to bear witnesse against some who were admitted by the State against whom there was just cause of exception They cry out that many of these who were admitted upon this and the former resolution were but superficial in professing repentance for their former miscarriages and it was suddenly taken off their hands But we need not vindicate how injustly this imputation is cast upon many of them who were most opposed by them whose carriage hath proved them more stedfast in the cause of God and lesse seekers of their own interests then those that opposed them We do only assert that this cannot be laid to the charge of the Commission who as they walked justifiably in holding out the rule so they did receive very few themselves but remitted them to the judicatories charging them to be accurate in the matter and to proceed according to the order appointed by the general Assemblies Yea it was some of our Brethren themselves who did receive some of the most eminent of those upon profession of their repentance § 28 We proceed now to speak somewhat to the third matter of our publike difference Which relates to the two last Assemblies of this Church the one at St. Andrews and Dundie in the year 1651. and the other at Edinburgh the year thereafter Against the first of which our Brethren apprehending that it was likely the Commissions resolutions might be approved there were pleased to protest and declined it as unlawful and evil as to all authority as they did also against that which ensued and ever since will have them to be accounted no general Assemblies of this Church The evil of this course being so notour and sensible in the sad consequences thereof both at home among our selves and abroad also among all who hear of our differences and do love that truth and peace which once was amongst us we shall say but a few things to it And § 29 First It may be evident to all who are unbyassed that our Brethren by protesting once and again against the supreme Church-judicatory and being ready and waiting on to have done it the third time had the Assembly 1653. been permitted to fit and constitute themselves have begun and continued a sad rent in this Church destructive to the very being thereof if mercy prevent it not Albeit before this Rent one of the leading men of that party had declared in a particular case that protesting against the act of a general Assembly or of any delegates having their power deserved summary excommunication by the constitutions of this Church yet they have not spared when it was for their interests and the times seemed to afford them immunity to protest against the very being of two Assemblies Whereas had they contented themselves to have protested against the approving of the Resolutions or any other acts of these Assemblies which might have been a sufficient salve and exoneration to them we are confident it had been born with as many such irregular practices and protestations of theirs are laid aside without censure by inferior judicatories But by their overturning the very being and authority of these Assemblies They have taught ill-affected men too many criticisms upon all the Assemblies which have been in this Church They have learned others by their example to contemn the Authority of Church-judicatories as we find by daily experience They have laid down a course how themselves and others if they please to follow their example may do what they list and then decline the Judge who should cognosce upon their carriage They slight and oppose the resolutions of inferiour Church-judicatories protesting and appealing to a lawful general Assembly and yet by their principles they are sure the Church of Scotland shall have none lawful had they never so many till they be pleased to approve thereof And they have cast themselves upon a snare very sinful and scandalous in a National Church that by their declinatures they are engaged not only against what they think sinful in the acts of these Assemblies but that they cannot join in most lawful things were it humiliations upon incontroversed causes which flow from that authority These are some few of the sad consequences necessarily attending these protestations which may abundantly evidence the evil and fin of such a course Secondly The evil of this course may appear further if we compare their fact with the Reasons upon which they ground it no wayes like these Reasons upon which the general Assembly at Glasgow condemned some former corrupt general Assemblies but for the most part so false and irrelevant that it is to us strange they should own them before the world and publish them in print They give out there was no access to many to come to that first Assembly by reason of the motions of Armies at that time and yet beside that this is very extrinsecal to the freedom and lawfulnesse of the Assembly Commissioners came from places most infested They say the Assembly was infrequent and yet the Roles of that Assembly will evidence it was as frequent as many of the Assemblies which they do not question They alleage that the Assembly was not free but over-awed and yet some of themselves who went along with that Assembly till the end thereof though afterward they joined in the protestation may bear witness if they will speak truth that never did Assembly more freely and fully debate and reason upon matters then this Assembly did upon these Resolutions They urge in their protestation against the second Assembly that many Presbtyeries refused to send Commissioners to it and yet they were but some and that where they had power for which the Assembly could not be blamed and some others who thought fit not to send Commissioners yet by their Letter to the Assembly did expresly declare they were not against the Authority of the former Assembly and consequently not against that To this may be added that our Brethren themselves did really evidence their own sense of the weaknesse of their grounds in that though all their Reasons were clear before the Assembly at St. Andrews and Duadie was constitute yet they forbare at first to give in their declinature but with some salvo's did sit and join in the Assembly chusing a Moderator and acting both in the Assembly and Committes for several dayes never appearing with their protestation till the day wherein a considerable part of the forces were defeat the assembly were met late atnight to adjourn to Dundie and then very unseasonably they gave in it Yea it further appears from this that the most part of these who now join in that
protestation refused then to go along in it nor did they after join with them till the face of affairs were more fully altered § 31 But that we do them no wrong and may obviate what may seem plausible in their way to these who are unacquainted with our affairs we shall speak a little to two particulars whereof they make especial use to justifie their protestations The first is that many members were admitted in these Assemblies who were guilty of a course of defection in the matter of the Resolutions formerly mentioned who therefore were incapable to be members This is the strong argument whereby they study to engage the simple and well-affected to their party and upon which they spare not in their emissions to professe the weight of their cause lieth and do condemn those Assemblies because they approved of these Resolutions And therefore we answer 1. Albeit the consideration of the persons whom they accuse as chief leaders in this defection might make them were they ingenuous blush to declare them uncapable of such a trust who for many years both under Prelates and since have been eminently honoured of God to be owners of truth and purity and promoters of piety when others were not Yet we trust what hath been hinted in defence of these Resolutions and against their Remonstrance will break this snare and clear where the defection lyeth And so these Resolutions being found to have been their duty the whole Superstructure must fall 2. These Resolutions what ever they were were not as yet nor could be judicially found to be a defection till the Assembly were constitute and cognosced thereupon and therefore they could not inflict such a censure on so many formerly Ministers and Elders till their cause was tried and themselves heard Only when their proceedings came to be tried they were to be removed as our Brethren know is the constant custom and judged by the Assembly and if they were found culpable the Assembly was free to inflict what censure they deserved And our Brethren know that in the Assembly 1648. such an exception was not accounted relevant in this Church to hinder members of a preceding Commission from sitting as members in the succeeding Assembly and to voice except in the matter of their own proceedings to be tried and judged until an account were taken of their proceedings And if they should have been removed before we see not but our Brethren who continued in opposition to them should also have been removed with them that the Assembly might have judged of both though the Assembly did freely allow such as were opposite to the Resolutions to sit and reason and voice according to their judgement in these matters when the Commission was removed 3. What over may be said of these Resolutions and the Assemblies approbation thereof yet it was but one act and we believe one act suppose sinful doth not make void and null the Authority of a judicatorie to all effects otherwise all judicatories might easily be overturned 4. We desire it may be considered how deep our Brethrens principle will draw For if these mens being in a course of defection as is supposed do render the judicatorie unlawful where they are admitted and oblige men not to join with them in that judicatorie Then by parity of reason they must also overturn all inferiour Church-judicatories whereof they are members nor must they join in these with them Nay we see not how their principles will allow them to join with them in any lawful act of Religion and worship more then in an assembly § 32 The next thing they alleage is That Presbyteries were prelimited in their due election of Commissioners to the Assembly 1651. by a Letter of the Commission sent to them appointing such Brethren as after conference remain unfatisfied with and continue to oppose the publike resolutions to be cited to the general Assembly Answ 1. This sayeth nothing against the Assembly 1652. where no such prelimitations were yet they protested against it They alleage prelimitations in it also by the acts of the former Assembly But their consciences cannot but tell them that any such acts to say nothing to the matter of them relating to the publike resolutions were so far from being put in execution that they were wholly laid aside and the Commission of the Assembly at St. Andrews and Dundie did at a meeting and conference with them earnestly presse and intreat they would join with them in the ensuing assembly which they refused to do upon the account of the Resolutions even though the subject matter thereof and so all occasion of debate about them was then extinct and because that Assembly had a dependence upon the former they had protested against and had appointed time and place thereof albeit legally they could no other way have accesse to keep a new assembly but by vertue of the former indiction and appointment 2. We think it strange our brethren should be against all prelimitations in the matter of constituting assemblies and that taking such course as the Commission then took about emergent scandals or errors should render an assembly null and unlawful We may say it in our conserences with our brethren we have found them averse from joining in an assembly with us without both prelimitations and pre-ingagements And it is not unknown in this Church that such courses as that of the Commission have bene followed without any reflexion upon the freedom of assemblies And to passe other instances which may be and are elsewhere produced we shall pitch on that parallel of the Commission 1648. Wherein some of our brethren had the chief hand In which by expresse acts The Commission earnestly recommends to Presbyteries to take special notice and trial of every Brothers carriage in the publike business That if any be found that do not declare themselves against the present malignant course nor come with their brethren in the common resolutions against it nor give publike information to the people that they be referred to the next general assembly And if any of them have already declared for it that they be presently censured Here we will not only find a parallel to that done by the Commission 1651. but somewhat that went beyond them Here such as were silent or joined not with their brethren nor informed the people were referred to the general assembly The commission 51. did not meddle at all with such nay nor with their continued dissatisfaction after conference if they did not actively oppose and by their preaching and other actings obstruct the execution of the Resolutions for defence of the Nation Here such as declared themselves were to be presently censured by Presbyteries but the Commission 51. did only appoint opposers after reference to be cited to the general Assembly that they might be accountable for their carriage as the Commission was for their proceedings and that they might prosecute if they had any thing to say these libels they had emitted
their first protestation and declinatour and thereafter immediately did not only desert the Assembly but left the place of their meeting retiring to their own homes So that the Assembly could have no opportunity to confer with them that they might fall upon amicable ways to take them off that divisive course Shortly after that Assembly when the condition of assairs was so altered as they needed apprehend no prejudice had the judicatories been never so violent some of us did deal with some of them that they would forbear to prosecute their protestations by counter-actings or following any irregular course but would let the matter lie for a time if so be spirits of men might now be calmed and there might be a healing of that rupture But instead of hearkning thereunto they proceeded immediately to convene in their extrajudicial meetings to erect their pretended Commission and to publish such things to the world and fall upon such irregular actings as did widen the breach and afford us too just ground of fear that nothing would satisfie them unlesse they had all their will and were invested with chief power to manage all Church matters and govern the whole Church Thereafter in May 1652. at a meeting of correspondents from Synods it was desired that they would joyn in the Assembly shortly after ensuing seeing the Assembly only could apply a sit and effectual remedy for curing of that breach But they did not only refuse to hearken to this desire but scattered their papers throughout the Land some whereof are since published in Print perswading not only those who had protested against the former Assembly but all who were not satisfied with the publique Resolutions not to joyn in electing or being elected Commissioners to this Assembly a desire beside the iniquity thereof upon the matter most divisive destructive to Church unity and contrary to the Apostles rule of keeping unity in a bond of peace where there may be differences in judgement about some particulars as we are perswaded learned and rational men will perceive and judge And albeit they did refuse to joyn with us yet that Assembly being constitute and notwithstanding they did protest against the same behaving themselves so in that matter as we have no pleasure to repeat did not cast off thoughts of peace but made an Overture to them for peace wherein all they required was not retracting of their judgements nor an acknowledgement of the offence they had given by their practices which yet had formerly been required of men who had not done so great disservice to the Church but only that they would for peace sake passe from their protestations and declinatures which had made such a breach upon Church-Government and led so bad a preparative for any who should please to trace their steps as a combined party of some Ministers formerly desposed did in part at that same Assembly and that they would forbear to keep up debates upon the matters of our publique differences as those for the Assembly were also content to do But our brethren did not so much as once hearken to this Overture but utterly rejected it as hoping tospeed better another way in their designs as indeed they did some particulars whereof are touched formerly § 49 Thirdly Though our Brethren after that time put us out of all hopes of peace and by their irregular actings and indeavours to subvert the Government of this Church for some years and by divers means and ways did give unto us matter of sad mourning before the Lord and serious apprehensions of the result of their practices and ways Yet as union was still in our heart and desires to God both in publique and private so we continued in our moderate way of bearing their injurious reproaches and forbearing to irritate them by any censures though sometime the judicatories were necessitate for their own exoneration nakedly to answer their reproaches and declare their dissatisfaction and non-approbation of their irregularities And when we were hopelesse of curing our publique differences at least till we had a general Assembly yet considering the many disorders following upon these differences we did at meeting in June 1655. propound some Overtures to our brethren for preventing the total subversion of Church-Government by these disorders till an Assembly might meet which were rejected by them Thereafter when they did professe a desire of union which how and upon what account it came on foot among them themselves best know and accordingly there was a meeting and conference for that effect in November 1655. We gladly laid hold of the opportunity and laying aside all prejudices did stretch our selves to the utmost keeping truth and a good conscience to gain them if possible to an union in the judicatories of the Church The Papers which passed at that conference are in the hands of divers and will speak for themselves and we are confident will plead for us in this matter in the judgement of discerning and unbyassed men The particulars of our condescentions are too large to be here related Only let this suffice in brief In order to peace and union it was offered that whatever was our own judgement of the censures inflicted upon any by the assemblie at St. Andrews and Dundee yet we were content that all these censures should be taken off and that in such a way as might neither reflect upon the Assembly nor our Brethren or us That any Acts ordaining censures because of these matters should be sisted till an Assembly wherein we should endeavour the abrogation of them that in our after-joynt-actings we should abstract from all reflexion upon by-past differences that as to the matter of the Resolutions and the two controverted Assemblies however we could not in our consciences condemn nor be consenting to the annulling thereof yet we did not urge them to renounce their own judgement in either of these nor that they should passe from their Protestations as a standing Testimony of their judgements whatever we judged they ought to do but were content that these Resolutions and Acts and declarations concerning the same should never be urged against them as the definitive judgement of this Church to any effect that the authority of these Assemblies should not be urged against them that however we doubted not of the lawfull constitution thereof yet ensuing Assemblies should be constitute according to the constitution of general Assemblies preceding our differences and that we would not bind them up if they pleased from propounding reasons to any ensuing Assembly against the publique resolutions though we judge they would never be able to bring any sufficient reason against them Only we desired they would not urge us to renounce our judgements in condemning these Resolutions and declaring null the authority of these Assemblies and that they would declare that they should not at any time hereafter make use of these protestations in any judicatory to call in question and annull the constitution and authority