Proclamation of the date November 21 90 hath ratified and approven an Act of the General Assembly of the date November 12. that same year appointing a Solemn National Fast and Humiliation to be observed in all the Churches and Meeting-Houses within this Kingdom the 2d Thursday of this Instant We declare That we judge our selves obliged to give obedience to the foresaid Act of Council in so far as that is consistent with good Conscience and the Duty we owe to God and his Truth and that we are most desirous to joyn with all others within this Nation in the publick and solemn Confession of our Sins deprecating the Wrath of God and supplicating for his Mercy and in all the other Pious and Religious Exercises proper for that Day of Humiliation and Fasting But being that there are several Causes and Reasons expressed and specified in the said Act of the General Assembly which do manifestly contradict our Principles and Opinions and some things affirmed and asserted irreconcileable to Truth and Charity and other Christian Duties and lest our observance of that Fast should be Interpreted the Homologating of these or a sordid or deceitful Compliance against our Consciences we judge ourselves bound to declare as hereby we do declare That we intimate and publish this Fast and will observe it for these Reasons and Causes only that are consistent with our Opinions which we have owned by Solemn Oaths and with the Charity and other Duties incumbent on us by the Laws of the Gospel and do renounce all Grounds Reasons and Causes contrary unto or inconsistent therewith And in particular We do protest 1. That by keeping of this Fast we do not own or acknowledge the Power and Authority that the foresaid Assembly does arrogate over us in so far as that is contrary to the Word of God and never heard of in the Christian Church before this time to wit That Presbyters should have a power of Government and Jurisdiction over other Presbyters who are of the same Office and Degree 2. We do protest that we do not approve of these Words That the Supremacy was advanced in such a way and to such a height as never any Christian Church acknowledged being we know and are ready to prove that they are false and being tho the Supremacy is taken away by the Law as unsuitable to the present circumstances of affairs yet it is not declared a sinful Prerogative of the Crown neither do we esteem it as such 3. We do protest That we do not own or assent unto that Reason of the Fast That the Government of the Church was altered and Prelucy which hath always been grievous to this Nation introduced without the Churches consent and contrary to the standing Acts of our National Assemblies c. being we certainly know that Episcopacy was never more grievous to the Nation than Presbytery and that it was settled with the Churches consent in free General Assemblies after the Reformation and was afterward received and submitted to by the Church in free Meetings and Assemblies And in particular we do assert That the Assembly held at Glasgow 1610. which established and settled Episcopacy was as lawfully Convocated and of as undoubted Authority as the Assembly held at Glasgow 1638. which turned it out as also that Episcopacy was restored by a lawful Parliament An. 1661. and approved by the subsequent actings of the Church in so far as that was necessary in referencâ— to a Government formerly settled by Acts of Parliament and Assemblies of more unquestionable Authority than any that had Abolished the same 4. We do protest that we do not approve of these Words That Prelacy was introduced contrary to the standing Acts of our National Assemblies being it doth imply that the King and Parliament cannoâ— make any Law anent the External Government and Polity of the Church if contrary to any Act of a General Assembly which is to give an Absolute and Uncontroulable power to Church men and is inconsistent with the undoubted Right and Power the State hath for reforming Abuses in the Administration of Church-Government and Discipline and disposing of that as may best serve the ends of Religion and the peace of the Kingdom 5. We do protest that we do not approve of these Words Anâ— yet nevertheless of the then standing Ministry of Scotland many â—did suddenly and readily comply with that alteration of the Government some out of Pride and Covetousness or Men pleasing some through Infirmity and Weakness or fear of Man and want of Courage and Zeal for God many faithful Ministers were thereupon cast out and many insufficient and scandalous thrust into in their Charges c. for these do necessarily imply the Divine Right of Presbyterian Government that â—no Humane Authority can alter it and that submission unto or compliance with any other is sinful and that submission to Episcopacy restored An. 1662. did proceed from vitious Causes as also they do imply an uncharitable Censure of many faithful Ministers as Men pleasers wanting Courage and Zeal for God and the like which we think very opposite to the temper and disposition wherewith the Duties of Fasting and Humiliation should be performed 6. We do protest that we do not approve of these Words That there hath been under the late Prelacy a great decay of Piety so that it was enough to make a man be Nick named a Phanatick if he did not run to the same excess of Riot with others for tho we do grant there hath been much Impiety under the late Prelacy and do mourn for it yet we do affirm That it abounded as much under Presbytery and it is not agreeable to the sincerity of our Confessions on a Day of Solemn Humiliation or at any time to be partial in the Rehearsal of our Sins or to distinguish our selves from others as if we were more Righteous and to confine Religion and Godliness to a Party 7. We do protest that we do not approve of that Reason of the Fast That the Nation hath been guilty of breaking their Oaths and imposing and taking ungodly and unlawful Oaths and Bonds c. in so far as these may signifie the Oaths of Allegiance Supremacy and the Test which Oaths as we Swore in Judgment Righteousness and Truth so we do still acknowledge the equity and obligation of them 8. We cannot approve of that Reason of the Fast The wonted Care and Religious Sanctifying of the Lords Day is gone c. And of that Petition we are required to send up unto God that the preaching of the Word and dispencing of the Sacraments may be accompanied with the wonted presence power and blessing of the Spirit of the Lord in so far as they may imply that the power of the Word and Sacraments is restrained and true Godliness decayed under Episcopacy and that they abounded under Presbytery which is to make the Life of Religion depend upon Opinions and outward Forms of Government or to have the
was judged by his first resolution and if there were but the least flaw in ones compliance he was dealt with as if he had not offered any compliance at all By these means a great many more of the Episcopal Clergy were laid aside and the Presbyterians would have been glad to have had all turned out this way for then they thought the Odium would not lye upon them But this method failed at last too for the Council became weary of it as they had reason so the next thing resolved on as was reported was to procure an Act of Parliament for declaring all the Churches within the Kingdom vacant The pretence was that the present Incumbents were all obtruded upon the Parishes and therefore it was fit that the people should have their free choice and be allowed to call Ministers suitable to their own Inclinations but they were advised not to propose this as that which would be very far from serving their design because upon calculation it would be found that most of the Parishes within the Kingdom would call back their own Ministers or other Episcopal ones for by this time the people were every where shewing their disgust both at Presbytery and the present Presbyterians and by manifold instances it appeared that neither of them were acceptable to the greater and better part of the Nation Seeing therefore they could work no more by other mens means the Presbyterian Clergy resolved to do the work themselves howsoever invidious it may seem to be and for this end they got the Government of the Church and all Ecclesiastical Iurisdiction by Act of Parliament put into their own hands When the Covenant was in force they found good service of Itinerant Committees or Commissions and they judged it would be of no less use now to set them up again and so before the rising of the Assembly two were appointed one for the South and an other for the North with full power to visit all Ministers and to purge out of the Church such as should be thought Insufficient Scandalous Erroneous or supinely Negligent The Names of the persons appointed for these Commissions together with an Abstract of their Instructions are set down page 53 54 and 55. of the Hiâ—â—orical Relation of the General Assembly The giving them Instructions seemed to limit them but in truth they have all the power of a General Assembly it self and are so much freer that they have not one from the King to check and controul them I shall begin with the Committee or Commission for the South which according to appointment sate down at Edinburgh the 21st of Ianuary 91. being the third Wednesday of that Month. Several Ministers up and down the Country received citations to appear before them and among the rest Mr. Alexander Malcolm Mr. Iames Hutchison Mr. Iohn Farqhuar three Ministers of Edinburgh Mr. Kay at Leith Mr. Samuel Nimbo Minister of Collinton Mr. Andrew Lumsden Minister at Dudduston and Mr. Iohn Monro Minister at Sterline There was also many others whose Processes had been referred to them either by the General Assembly or some particular Presbyteries The three Ministers of Edinburgh received the Citation on Saturday the 10th of Ianuary betwixt Nine and Ten a Clock at Night which both the Ministers and others constructed to be done on design to discompose them for Preaching the day following At this very hour also they sent a Summons to Dr. Robeâ—â—son Minister of the Gray-frier-Church in Edinburgh who had been Sick for a long time and whom all the City knew to be then in Articulo mortis as indeed he died some few hours after The tenor of the Summons was this To compeir before the Commission upon the twenty first of January to be tryed in Life and Doctrine and discharge of the Duties of the Ministerial Function and censured by the said Commission as they shall think Iust. Mr. Alexander Malcolm Mr. Iames Hutchison Mr. Iohn Farqhuar Mr. Samuel Nimbo and Mr. Andrew Lumsden met and all of them resolved to take the same joint-measures seeing they were all in the same Circumstances Accordingly on the 21st day of Ianuary to which they had been cited Mr. Iames Hutchison presented himself before the Commission and in his own Name and in Name of the other four he desired of the Commission a special Citation containing and expressly naming their Crime or Crimes for which they were to be tryed and censured the Accusers and Witnesses Names and a competent time for preparing such Defences as were legal and just but all this was flatly denied The next day Mr. Malcolm compeired and proposed in his own Name and in the Name of his Brethren the same things and had the same answer for Mr. Kennedy the Moderator said That the Commission was not bound to give an account why they Summoned them nor to tell who were their Accusers nor for what they were Accused or who were to Witness against them but that being cited they were obliged to answer instantly to what should be asked of them and if they refused he told them the Commission had power to Censure them and would do it To which Mr. Malcolm replied That it was illegal to Summon any Super inquirendis that he and his Brethren were not bound either by Civil Laws or Ecclesiastical Cannons to regard or obey general citations and that none of them would answer except they got citations which were special and particular He added That they were more unjust than Festus a Heathen Judge for he thought it unreasonable to send a prisoner to Caesar and not withal to signifie the crimes laid against him but saith he we are here convened before you and you 'll not tell us for what cause Upon this he was ordered by the Moderator to remove Ianuary the 23d these five Ministers to free themselves of farther trouble from the Commission resolved to disown and decline their Authority and so they sent one Mr. French as Proctor for them with the following Declaration which he delivered and took Instruments upon the delivery of it WE under-subscribers Mr. Alexander Malcolm James Hutchison John Farqhuar Ministers of Edinburgh Mr. Samuel Nimbo Minister of Collinton and Andrew Lumsden Minister of Duddiston being continued in the peaceable Exercise of our Ministerial Function notwithstanding of the alteration of the Church-government by Act of Parliament and being under the protection of their present Majesties by our Submission and Obedience to Authority and we being nevertheless cited to compeir before the Commission of the late General Assembly to hear and see the Iudgment of the said Commission given anent us and our Session Books and Records and to hear and see such tryal taken of our Life Doctrine and discharge of the Duties of our Function as the said Commission shall think Iust. We having all of us considered the import of the said compeirance upon the Citations given us do hereby declare That we have no freedom in our Consciences to compeir or
Synod in Fife will have him again laid aside upon the former Indictment telling him that the private judgment or advice of a particular Committe did not oblige them seeing the Assembly made no Act in his favour ` Again it is said that they will not depose them simply for their judgment about the Government of the Church that is for this thing only but withal it implies that this may be one reason and we see it is often made a principal one for they lay such stress upon it that for this cause they set Spies on persons actions and search out all that can be said to render any odious who differ from them in this matter It is evident that persons principles together with the places which they held has been the great motive of prosecuting them hitherto but what is most remarkable is that it s said they will not urge Re-ordination upon them for not to urge a thing certainly imports this much That they may require it tho for grave and weighty reasons they will also dispense with it It was advisedly done to make this only a Declaration of the Moderator for it would not probably have passed into an Act for tho there be none other in the World who call in question the lawfulness and validity of Episcopal Ordination Boxter himself believed it so necessary that he would needs be ordained by a Bishop if I remember aright 't was Bishop Hall after he had received the Ordination of Presbyters yet the most of them at present carry things so high as to deny the lawfulness of it and there are some instances of Re-ordination in the former times of Presbytery so little do they regard the Ordination and Ministerial Authority of Episcopal men that it has been declared frequently in their Sermons that all the time of Episcopacy people have been without a Ministry and without Sacraments Some two or three years ago there was one who preached up this Doctrine so warmly in and about the Lead-Mines of Hopton that as was reported he prevail'd with many to suffer themselves to be Re-baptized and Re-married and had twelve pence from each of them for so doing And one Mr. Cassine in Fife when he was admitting Elders in the Kirk of Flisk caused them before the Congregation to renounce their Baptism and all the Sacraments and Ordinances which they had received from Curates as he called Episcopal Ministers by way of contempt This is so true that the Heritors and Parishioners of Abdie did upon this very head protest against Mr. Cassine his coming amongst them but notwithstanding this the Presbytery of Couper admitted him so that it seems they have not look'd upon that as any fault or errour Now what jugling and hypocrisie is it how do they play at fast and loose with us when sometime they tell us that they will make no difference on the accounts of mens judgments and sentiments about matters of Government and yet never check or censure such gross and wild extravagancies nay so far from it as to encourage such as are guilty of them and to be forward to settle them in Churches while others more moderate are slighted and neglected As Mr. Alexander Orrok who as all that know him say has more sense and learning than the most of them and yet for all the vacancies they have never bestowed one Church upon him And they joyned with Mr. Rymer to keep him out of St. Andrews to which he had a Call from the Presbyterian party there and where he himself desired to be And all this because he is somewhat moderate as to the distinguishing principles and entertains some favourable sentiments of many of the Episcopal Clergy And as they do not encourage their own unless they be rigid and severe about their modell of Government and Discipline so they give all discouragement to such as have served under Episcopacy but are willing to submit to Presbytery and to live peaceably with them Mr. William Hamilton offered himself with such submission that they had no shadow of excuse for refusing to admit him into their Communion but they deny him all other kindness and favour they neither offer to repone him to either of the Churches out of which he was rabled nor do they encourage any Call to any other for they have so concerted it among themselves as that none shall invite him to Preach or any wise imploy him He had lately an invitation to serve the Cure at Curry in the absence of another Mr. Hamilton who is settled Minister there at first the Presbytery of Edenburgh agreed to it but afterwards Mr. Hugh Kemedy revoked the order and dashed it out of the minuits of the Presbytery with his own hand He had also another Call to the Kirk and Parish of Lauder subscribed by the Magistrates of the Town and the most of the Heritors and Parishoners which when he presented to the Presbytery they rejected it and preferred another made by five Weavers We have another late instance of their want of moderation towards these who differ from them in point of Church Government which if it do not expresly contradict the abovementioned Declaration of the Moderator of the Assembly Yet it clearly sheweth that the inferiour Judicatures of Synods and Presbyters are not of that mind nor resolved to bind themselves up to these measures Mr. Iohn Miller a Licentiaâ—e under Episcopacy who lived with that Reverend and good man Mr. Laurence Charters and sometimes officiated for him when he was under any bodily indisposition This person was no ways scandalous nor had he maleversed in any manner nor was any crime or fault objected to him yet the Presbytery of Hadington did prohibite him to Preach any more within their bounds And tho he has at divers times addressed to them for a Licence to Preach at such times only when Mr. Charters sickness and infirmity disabled him for that exercise Nevertheless they peremptorly refused it and do continue the former restraint meerly because after conference they do find him not such a 〈…〉 Presbyterian as themselves as is manifest from the final 〈◊〉 which he had from the Moderator of the Presbytery in Presentâ—a which was as follows For as much as your answer is the same that it was the last day and after further deliberation you seem to be more confirmed in it and are not clear simply to say that you wish the contiâ—ance of the present Church Government and to declare your approbation of it and yâ—ur preference of it to all others we do think fit to continue the restraint formerly laid upon you by the Presbytery Whilst I am shewing my own omissions I may be excused if I give an account of an omission of the Clerk or Recorder of the Assembly Who had forgot to set down an Act said to be made by them either amongst the Printed Acts or in the List of the unprinted ones and I confess for his excuse that I cannot meet with any
person who remembers to have heard it once mentioned in the Assembly So that we owe the knowledge thereof only to the Presbytery of Dalkeith who lately declared it upon this occasion They sent one or two of their number sometime ago to the Parish of Inverask which lyeth within four Miles of Edinburgh to entreat them to choose a Minister and because this people unanimously shewed their aversion to a Presbyterian for of three or four thousand in that Parish there are only some twenty or thirty that incline to that party therefore there was a promise made them that if they made choice of any good or pious man who would submit to the Civil Government he should be accepted of whether he were a Presbyterian or Episcopal whether the person who promised this spoke ingenuously his own sentiments or the mind of his brethren whether it was said only to dispose the people to be more favourably enclined towards the Presbytery of Dalkeith or because they saw it impossible to to get their consent to a Presbyterian Minister I shall not enquire But the Parish laid hold on this promise and accordingly did commissionate some of their number to wait upon the Presbytery of Dalkeith with a List of seven or eight persons Episcopal Ministers who had submitted to the Civil Government and to entreat their allowance for their Preaching to them according to the promise which was made that such of them as pleased the Parish best might be called to be their Ministers When this was first proposed the Moderator huffed and grew angry and asked if they came to abuse and reproach the brethren The Gentlemen replyed they designed not to abuse any that what they alledged was true and they were ready to prove it or they would appeal to the persons themselves who had said it Then the Moderator told them That if any Brother had said or promised so he had done it rashly of his own head and would receive a Reprimand from the Presbytery for it that the Presbytery could allow of no such thing for there was an act of the Assembly forbiding Episcopal Incumbents to preach out of their own Churches or people to give them a call So under the shadow of this invisible Act and in all appearance of their own devising they shifted the promise made to the Parish of Inverask It was said at that time that there was no such Act in all the History of the Assembly To which it was replyed that if it was not Printed it would be Printed very shortly which I have done lest the honest man should fail in his word Before I leave their Acts it will be fit to take notice of the reasons of An Act which was mentioned in the Historical Relation of the Assembly viz. An Act which prohibiteth private use and Administration of the Sacraments on any account whatsoever The Reasons of this Act are worthy to be remarked The first of them is That by the Authority of this Church in her former Assemblies the private use of them hath been condemned Which brings to my remembrance the Character that the Reverend and Pious Bishop Leighton was wont to give of the Presbyterians viz. That they made themselves the Standard of opinions and practices and never looked either abroad into the world to see what others were doing nor yet back into the former times to observe what might be warranted or recommended by Antiquity and as by this means they become singular in many things so in the point in hand they differ from all other Churches in the World All the Reformed Churches abroad allow the use of the Lords Supper to sick and dying persons which they have peremptorily prohibited as there was nothing more ordinary in the Primitive times which might be made appear from several instances It was from this practice that it received the name of Viaticum and seeing our Blessed Lord did institute this Holy Sacrament for the commemorating his death and for the conveying the blessed effects of it to strengthen our faith and hope and to assure us of the pardon of our Sins and of a victory over Death and Hell through our Lord Jesus Christ It may be truly thought great Cruelty to deny this sensible consort to sick and dying persons because they stand most in need of it for then it is they have the deepest sense of their sins and the greatest fears of Death and its consequences The other reason given by them for this prohibition is that by allowing the private use of the Sacraments in pretended cases of necessity the superstitious opinion is nourished that they are necessary to Salvation not only as commanded duties but as means without which Salvation cannot be contained Therefore the Assembly discharges the Administration of the Lords Supper to sick Persons in their Houses and all other use of the same except in the publick Assemblies of the Church and also do discharge the Administration of Baptism in private that is in any place or at any time when the Congregation is not orderly called together to wait on the dispensing of the Word In which we may take notice of these particulars First that they deny the comfort and benefit of Christ's own Ordinances to some because others entertain wrong notions of them which may be more safely removed by publick and private instruction Secondly that they restrain the use of Christs Ordinances to times and places without any Divine warrant for the same And yet Mr. Rule hath laid it down as a principal Representation of the Presbyterian Government page 2. That Christ as head of the Church hath given forth Laws by which the affairs of the Church should be managed and hath not left any nomothetick power in the Church to make Laws for her self her work being to declare and exâ—â—ute the Laws of Christ Thirdly that they have no regard to what our Lord says Math. 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name there will I be amongst them otherwise they would not prohibit the private Administration of the Sacraments in cases of necessity and great conveniency in which they use only to be desired and even then they were never wont to be administred but in the presence of a greater number than that our Saviour speaks of Fourthly this Act of theirs about Baptism proceeds from a mistake of Math. 28. 19 as if thereby Teaching or Preaching were appointed to go before Baptizing whereas the word in the Original signifies not to Preach but to make Disciples and if their sense were true none ought to be Baptized but such as were first taught and consequently Infants ought not to be Baptized at all because incapable of being taught Fifthly we may gather hence their wrong notion of Pâ—eaching and dispensing the Word as they call it For as Baptism was never used to be Administred even in private among us in Scotland without the Word that is without some previous discourse of the nature of the
more easily without any change The King's Letter required two things One was to redress the Grievances which the Episcopal Ministers complained of The other was To forbear the proceeding any more against them so long as the King was absent from Britain They had no Mind to grant the first at all but in compliance with the last they thought it convenient to stop a little that they might not give their Adversaries occasion to irritate the King against them and to withdraw his Favour which was their only present support The yielding to this was only a delaying their Affairs till they were better stated which afterwards might be eaâ—ily compensated and by doing so they would dispose the King's Mind for receiving their Defences for what was already done So leaving all things as they were the Commission was adjourned till the next Qarterly Sessiâ—n But it must not be forgot that they left particular Presbyteries and Synods to act their part in the mean time for they issued out no Order to stop them neither made they any intimation of the King's Letter or of his Will and Pleasure therein unto them so that when it was objected by any Episcopal Minister they still pretended ignorance This Month the Synod of Lothian and Tueddale met at Edinburgh and concluded a Monthly Fast to be kept for some time For this end the Secret Council was addressed to that they might ratifie and approve the same by an Act Which indeed they did but Duke Hamilton would admit of no other reason for the Fast than that of the present War and the King's Expedition to Flanders This did not a little displease the Brethren who to delude and amuse the People and to serve their own particular Ends had heap'd up a number of such Reasons as the Assembly gave for the former Fast Wherefore because the Council would not accept of and agree to the Act and Reasons as they were drawn up by them they resolved to shew no regard to what the Council had done So at the intimation of this new Fast they did take no notice of the Act of Council or Proclamation published by them but enjoyned it in the Synod's Name and Authority reading to the People the Act and Reasons of the Synod for it Particularly Mr. Kirkton in the Tolbooth Church of Edinburgh said That they ought to look to this Paper which came from the Synod for their direction in the end and nature of this Fast and not to that other which was selling up and down the Town by which he meant the Act and Proclamation of the Council The Earl of Crawford and two more of the Council were present One of them said That the Council could not sit with this nor let it pass without censure for their Authority was baffled and affronted But it seems it was found convenient to take no notice of it lest they should be more baffled and affronted by medling with these peremptory and stubborn Kirk-men who are like an imperious Wife that will both have all her own Will and a part of her Husbands About the middle of Iuly the Commission met again Some few days before the two Ministers they had sent over to Flanders returned of whose Reception by the King there were various Reports But in answer to that Letter which they carried from the Commissioners there came a second Letter from the King which was ordered to be delivered to the two Ministers if they returned before the Meeting of the Commission But if they were late a-coming another was appointed to give it to the Commission at its first sitting down So the night before Mr. Iames Elphinston went with it to Mr. Iohn Law and Mr. David Blair who presented it to the Commission the next day with an account of their Negotiation and Diligence A Copy of the second Letter from the King to the Commission of the General Assembly To the Right Reverend and our Well-beloved Ministers and Elders Commissioners of the General Assembly of the Church of our ancient Kingdom of Scotland W. Rex RIght Reverend and Well-beloved We greet you well By the Letter presented to us from you by Mr. John Law and Mr. David Blair Ministers your two Commissioners we do perceive you sufficiently understood our Intentions contained in our Letter directed to you from the Hague and we are well-pleased with what you write both as to your own unanimous Inclinations to redress those who may be lesed and to unite with such of the Clergy who have served under Episcopacy and fallen neither under the Qualifications of the Act of Parliament nor the Terms of our Letter and that you are sufficiently instructed by the General Assembly to receive them From all which we do expect a speedy and happy success and that ye will be so frank and charitable in that matter that we cannot doubt but that there shall be so great a progress made in this Union betwixt you before our return to Britain that we shall then find no cause to continue that stop which at present we see necessary and that neither you nor any Commissioner Church-Meeting do meddle in any process or Business that may concern the purging out of the Episcopal Ministers And we do not restrain you aâ— to other matters relative to the Church or your selves nor did we ever intend to protect any in the Ministry who were truly scandalous erroneous or supinely negligent and therefore we did propose their subscribing the Confession of Faith as the Standard of the Church-Communion which takes off the suspicion of Errour And as for those who are really scandalous insufficient and supinely negligent if such shall apply either by themselves or with others though they were willing to acknowledge our Authority and to join with you we do not oblige you to receive such and in that case where there is just cause you may proceed to a fair impartial Inquiry in order to their being received in the Government of the Church but not in relation to the turning them out of their Benefices and Ministry as the Act of our Parliament has left them to our further Orders we will not doubt of the sincere performance of what you have so fairly promised in your Letter whereby you will best recommend your selves to us and answer that Trust reposed in you by the Act of our Parliament So we bid you heartily farewel Given at our Court at Aprebrux the â—â— â—â— of June 1691. and of Our Reign the Third Year By his Majesty's Command Sic subscribitur JO. DALRYMPE Ever since this Revolution the Kingdom of Scotland has been divided about the Government of the Church The Episcopal Party have been upon the defensive side First they studied to preserve the Government of Episcopacy it self and for that end addressed to the Parliament which proved altogether in vain In the next place when Presbytery was established by Act of Parliament the Episcopal Clergy petitioned for a share of the Government of the