Kingdome nor c. Thus you would argue us into a confusion of interests Againe by the other expression quoted from your papers page 7. doe you not argue thus Whatsoever is intended for the good peace and security of both Kingdomes must be done by the mutuall advice and consent of both Kingdomes But the disposing of the Kings person while in this Kingdome and upon the same ground the disposing of all the Militia Forts Castles Townes and Forces by Sea and Land all offices and places of Trust yea all our estates and interests are intended for the good peace and security of both Kingdomes Therefore these must be disposed of by the mutuall advice and consent of both Kingdomes Brethren confident we are you will sooner beate out English mens brains than force that argument into their heads surely God hath given us a better stocke of reason and humanity than thus to be charmed into bondage and slavery we have read your owne words declared by you 1641. viz. that neither by your Treaty with the English nor by seeking your peace to be established in PARLIAMENT nor any other action of yours you doe acknowledge ANY dependency upon them or make them Iudges to you or your Lawes or any thing that may import the smallest prejudice to your Liberties Are you so tender of the Mint and Cummin of Scotlands Liberties that you will not admit of the smallest prejudice thereof and shall the Parliament of England the grand Trustees of the Kingdomes Liberties dispence with the Great things of Englands interest betraying their trust and breaking their covenant yea and bringing upon them the guilt and cry of so much bloud as hath been shed in the just defence of the Kingdomes interest Brethren did you come to free us from slavery by others that you might enslave us to save us from rods that you might whip us with Scorpions to deliver us from the little finger of the King that we might feele the loynes of the Scot Doubtlesse brethren though we thankfully acknowledge that your help was seasonable in the day of our trouble which we hope we shall never forget yet were we not so profane as to contract the parting with our birthright for that Scottish pottage and therefore remember your promise page 4. That you woùld not stretch your selves beyond your line and that which is within the EXPRESSE condition of your solemne League and Covenant the duty of your Allegeance the Treaty and Declaration between the two Kingdomes And before we leave this we pray againe remember the word EXPRESSE and doe not presse us with an extorted sense for we shall never abide it In the next place you begin methodically to speak unto two heads First of the best and most probable meanes to procure a good agreement with the King for setting Religion and a lasting Peace And next of the Propositions which are to be the foundation of the peace and safety of both Kingdomes We shall not take upon us to speak unto every particular expression of yours wherein you seeme to reflect upon the Parliament our daily imploiments and busines of our callings not affording us those opportunities of knowing and understanding the severall transactions which it is very likely have passed between the Parliament and you and we doubt not but an answer to satisfaction will be given by that Honourable Assembly whom you have blemished by your writings and the publication thereof but such things which are of most plaine and obvious observation whereof there is plenty sufficient to take away those scandals which are cast upon the Parliament are these that we shall insist upon First then in your method you begin with that which you call The best and most probable meanes to procure a good agreement with the King for the setling Religion and a lasting peace and you say It is still your opinion and judgement that it must be by a personall Treaty with the King and that his Majesty for that end be invited to come to London with honour freedome and safety If you are of that opinion we pray you tell us what satisfaction for bloud and security as to peace you have received from his Majesty that this Kingdome if possibly may be of your opinion Have you concluded a peace with his Majesty without the Parliament of England Then have you broken your Treaty If you have not say so You know they are not of your opinion for a personall treaty but we would gladly weigh your reasons for it we can better beare your reasons then blowes you tender us your reasons by the halfe dozen Let us see your Position and your reasons your position is this The best way to procure a well-grounded Peace is by a personall treaty with the King at LONDON Here we are to consider first the thing a personall Treaty secondly the place at London We shall looke upon your reasons with reference to both First for the thing your first reason is The sending of Propositions without a Treaty hath been oftentimes assayed without successe and the new Propositions are lesse advantagious to the Crown than the former were 1. What if Propositions have been successelesse heretofore Doth it follow they will be so still English spirits to speake without vanitie are more noble and generous then to despaire because of repulse So many Garrisons had not been taken by some and so few by others if this Argument had prevailed with all as it hath with some 2. These foure Bills were so model'd as might have administred hopes of his Majesties concurrence being in order to a Treaty had you not anticipated by charging the new propositions to be lesse advantagious to the Crown than the former were and which we have cause to suspect hath made this last addresse to his Majesty through your means as successelesse as the former hath been contrary to the hopes and expectations of many And the truth is his Majesties answer and your lines doe so consimilate that a man would thinke that Sir John Cheisly was the Scribe to both Your next reason is this The Kings removall from the Parliament was the cause of the warre therefore his returne may be the means of peace 1. That may not follow especially as the case now stands when pretended friends change principles for self-ends and forgetting their solemne League and Covenant decline the Parliament and the Kingdoms interest and turn Royalists 2. Was not this reason as valid when you did concurre to send Propositions Your third reason is this In a personall Treaty the Commissioners of both Kingdomes may give reasons of their desires but Propositions without a Treaty may be esteemed impositions 1. We make no question but the Parliaments propositions carry their reasons in their foreheads and may be easily discerned by an English eye And doe not you know that the King of England is bound by his Oath to grant the just desires of his Parliament
for mentioning Religion in the first place in his addresse to the Parliament and to charge the Parliament with profanesse for post-poning Religion But wherein doth the piety of the King so much consist is it in asserting the Episcopacy or the toleration of all sorts of Religions only prohibiting the Masse and the publishing of Atheisme and blasphemy or wherein else Is it true that the King whom your generall Assembly so deeply charged with guilt of the shedding the bloud of many thousands of his best Subjects hath passed through the valley of Bacha weeping and lamenting with ashes upon his head and sackcloth on his loines for his former wayes exhibiting his repentance as a doore of hope that his three Kingdomes will be happy in him notwithstanding all that is past have you heard that his heart is tender that it hath melted before the Lord for all his abhominations that he hath cut downe the groves broken the Altars destroyed the Images which were a provocation to the eye of Jealousie hath he given satisfaction for bloud and security for peace untill which you once professed you would never assent unto his comming to London to treat hath he recall'd his Declarations and Proclamations against his Subjects English and Scotch as Traitors and Rebels c is it thus indeed or * are you like men that dream as once you were that you applaud the King for his zeale for Religion putting the Reformation of that in the first of his proposals to the Parliament at the best and chiefest foundation of peace If the cause be thus deferre not our joy your very feet would be beautifull to us would you bring us these glad tidings it would be unto us as the resurrection from the dead but if you have no such newes to cheere us with all no such fruit from the tree of life to revive our hearts sicke through our hopes deferred what 's your meaning of this Royall applause do you thinke your consciencious Brethren Presbyterian or Independent will commend you for this Having done with the Order you now come to the materiall differences and alterations concerning Religion which you branch out into the Parliaments errour of omission and difficiency and into that of commission and excesse The first thing you complaine of under the head of omission is no lesse than the solemn League and Covenant and here you abound with your pathetick interogations to affect the hearts of those whose eyes are in their bowels whose understandings are drown'd swallowed up in their passions after this manner And shall the Covenant which is as solemne a vow as creatures on earth can make to God in Heaven c And againe shall the Covenant for the preservation of c. And againe like the Papists which holds up their Idolatrous Eucharist in the eyes of the people that they may fall down and worship it shall the Covenant which both Houses recommended to the Assembly of c Yet againe as if here lay all your baite to catch gudgins shall our mutuall and solemne League and Covenant subscribed by the Parliaments of both Kingdomes c Once more yet for if this Springe failes all our sport will be lost shall the Covenant even with those that tooke it to be already out of date c. To all which we reply First What if the Parliament thinke it â—â—â— fit to trouble His Majestie with pressing the Covenant in the Propositions for Peace was it not your owne reason * for the altering your judgements about sending Propositions will you not give the same allowance to others which you assume to your selves are you all for having will you give nothing Secondly If the Covenant be laid aside out of date deleted as your words are your perverting it hath beene the occasion of it did we promise to take the Covenant and after to submit to what sence thereof our Brethren of Scotland would please to impose upon us hath not the Covenant been so perverted that many Covenanters are ready to enter into a new Covenant against the sence that is put upon the old Brethren we haue taken the Covenant in a true proper plaine English sense as well as your selves and stand unto 〈…〉 Thirdly Whereas you 〈…〉 that the Covenant is brought in by the Parliament in the 7th qualification of the 14. Pâ—â—position only as a hooke to catch some into the notion of Delinquency we reply that if any 〈◊〉 on this side Tweed should have said the Covenant was made a hooke to catch men into Delinquency you would have marked him with an M. or an S. for a Malignant or Sectary we will not say the Covenant was first intended as a booke to catch men into the notion of Delinquency though you are so bold and peremptory to charge this upon our Parliament to their very teeth and that in the face of the Kingdome tempting their civility and patience above measure the like affronts we presume were never offered to any Nation by Commissioners of another State yet we wish it had not been used as a hooke to catch not a few but even the Parliament and Kingdome of England into a new designe by introducing another Nation to be one of the Estates of this Kingdome and to have a negative voice in all things concerning their welfare You tell the Parliament from their omission of the solemne League and Covenant to your very much wonder that they are so liberall in the matters of God and so tenacious in what concernes themselues Your zeale for the Covenant is your zeale for God that is your zeale to introduce your Nation to be one of the Estates of this Kingdome and to have a negative voyce in all things concerning our welfare Your zeale to intermeddle with the Militia of England with disbanding our Armies with conferring titles of honour with the revenue of the Crowne with all our goods by vertue of the solemne League and Covenant Is your zeale for the matters of God and the Parliaments care in their preservation of the pure and unmixt interests of this Kingdome according to their solemne League and Covenant without suffering you to intermeddle therewith is their prophane tenaciousnesse in that which concernes themselves See my zeale for the Lord was Iehu's tone when the tune of his heart plaid another game As for the King you are pleased to tell us Though His MAIESTY shall not come up to the full length of your desires yet WE must never depart from our Covenant It seemes you have a royall sence to bestow upon His Majestie but vae pauperibus woe to the poore they must abide the fire of this purgatory is it true here also no penny no Pater-noster Is there no allowance for tender consciences except it be of Kings and Princes You say your zeale for the Covenant doth not abate or diminish your loyalty and duty to the King though he cannot
not understanding your wayes here we are Seekers And if the Lord in mercy doe not afford us more liberty and indulgence in the quiet enjoyments of our priviledges and interests in things Civill and Religious then for ought we see you would afford us we may be quickly reckoned amongst the new Sect of Shakers you would make us tremble under your hands from which condition Libera nos Domine Brethren such Sectaries in the sense delivered the Parliament may well desire to tollerate but your assertion of the Parliaments sinfull tolleration of the Sectaries of your Catalogue is a scandalous false an unbrotherly aspersion For have they not in terminis declared against the tollerating of Popery Masse Service book it is not the property of a brother to be the accuser of brethren That next Religion wherein you differ in judgment from the Propositions is concerning the interest and power of the Crowne being obliged by our solemne League and Covenant Allegeance and duty of Subjects not to diminish but to support the Kings just power and greatnesse You should have added In our severall places and callings a passage in the Covenant which ever and anone doth flye in your faces Next you come to the question Wherein the Kings Regall authority and just power doth consist and you answer it in the first place that it is chiefly in making enacting laws and upon this principle you document the Parliament of England about the Kings power in making laws c. What have you to do to busie your selves in such things which meerly concerns another Kingdome but since you thus take upon you confident we are beyond your commission we desire you in your next to declare faithfully the power of the King in making laws in the kingdome of Scotland how valid his negative voice is there But in the mean while why doe you professe Ignorantium facti juris alieni and yet interpose in the power of making laws in the Kingdome of England Brethren remember that golden passage in the covenant Our places and callings and doe not stretch your selves beyond your line It is not the property of wise men to bee medling Againe if the King hath a negative voice in making lawes hath he not the same in repealing lawes And if so farewell Presbytery and Directory In the next place you intermeddle with the Militia of the kingdome to that wee pray you hands of would we suffer you to feize upon that for ought we know the honour of Englishmen would bee quickly contained in the Court complement Your humble servants and the Catholick titles and tearms of Dominus dominantium and servus servorum would soon be divided between the Scot and the Englishman Englishmen are better soldiers than to part with their weapons and Militia of their kingdom and suffer another nation to intermeddle with that We have not the patience to admit of a word of discourse of your medling with the Militia of England The next thing you complain of under the head of Commission and excesse is the standing of our Armies to that you tell us You thinke fit that neither King nor Parliament ought to keep up an Army in the field when the war is ended You give your judgement before it is demanded we think fit you should forbeare intermedling untill it appears within your vocation and calling according to the solemne League Covenant Brethren we do not interpose nor busie our selves about Your Army in Scotland or affairs particularly belonging unto that kingdome neither do we envie your mountains but are contented with our own vallies As for Our Army they are only Englands charge why should they bee the Commissioners of Scotlands trouble It is very true the charge of the Army is great but whether Needlesse as you tell us the judgement of our Pâ—rliament and not the Scotch Commissioners must determine for us a hand of mercy to our distressed kingdome did at first gather them a hand of power hath hitherto been with them and a hand of providence hath kept them together to preserve the interest of their native country intire whole from the violence of those that would be fingring therewith And though it be true that the sea is our Bulwark by Gods mercy from forrain enemies which are beyond it yet you know very well that our late wars have been fomented by our own natives for sometimes brethren prove unnaturall and Paul joynes his perills among false brethren with his perils at sea If you doe indeed condole the griefs of the people from the charges of our Army you will take heed that wee be not troubled with any from forrain parts for confident we are the whole kingdome will never abide it no though they should enter into a soleme League and Covenant that they would only help us to disband our Armies and ease the people of the oppressions therof You tel us If the Houses had according to your earnest desires of the 3 of March 1644. when they model'd their Army made choice of such officers as were known to be zealous of the reformation of Religion and of that uniformity with both kingdomes are obliged to promote and maintain c. and put in execution their severall declarations as that of the 20. of Sept. 1643. as also the 15. of Feb. 1644 ordering all Officers under Sir Thomas Fairfax to take the Covenant c. it would have prevented a world of inconveniencies and evils which have ensued upon the neglect thereof We judge ourselves to have cause to bind the sacrifice with cords to the hornes of the Altar and praise the name of the Lord for his wisdome and goodnes in modelling the Army even as he did though contrary to the advice of the Scotch Commissioners yet we plead not at all for any errour or evill of judgement or practice either of the Army or any therein 'T is true we heare of all religions in this Army and of no religion in another of error of judgement here of error of practice elsewhere of quartering upon the countrey by this Army of quartering the countrey by another of officers and soldiers that through scruple of conscience cannot tâ—ke the Covenant in this Army and of officers and soldiers that can both take the Covenant with hands lifted up to the most high God and yet strike hands with death and hell by cursing and swearing plundring and stealing in another Army It is no pleasure to us to dabble in the mire of another Army neither can we endure that the Scotch Commissioners should bespatter our Army If the Houses had according to your earnest desire the 3. of March 1644 when they model'd their Army made choice of such officers as were known to be zeâ—lous of the reformation of religion and of that uniformity which both kingdoms are obliged to promote and maintain that is if they had made choice of such Officers
yet but the meere-shadow of Presbiterian Government and so are fit for nothing more let them be first instructed and then commanded The Parliament are English men themselves who know the disposition of their own Country-men to be such that they will freely run when they are drawne with the cords of men viz. reason and love but are extreame head-strong in case of compulsion they could never endure the bramble should raigne over them when the Kingdome is taught in the substance of Presbytery its likely the meere shadow Will flie away Thirdly It may be the Parliaments designe may be first to feed the Kingdome with substantials of Religion the finest of the flower the milke and honey of the Land of Canaan viz the great Doctrines of faith towards God and repentance from dead works and untill the time of some proficiency therein the shadow of Discipline may be sufficient the substance whereof is but a meere shadow in comparison of these our late Prelates whilst they so hotly contended for Discipline and government in pretence of suppressing a deformity and multiformity of Heresies and Sects Errour Scandall c. Did destroy and crucifie RELIGION and her children when they bowed the knee to DISCIPLINE crying haile Master and kissed it we hope the Parliament will not permit such a Faction againe Whereas you say The Parliament hath granted in their Propositions a liberty to all sorts of Service and Worship of God an opening a doore to Atheisme to all Religions to Error Scandall Schisme Heresie c. we reply Brethren your language reflects upon your descent and your expressions do disparage your honourable employment as Commissioners of State your pens seeme to be rather steered by the hands of some of the late scandalous Pamphlet writers then of the Scotch Commissioners You callumniate boldly but will any thing stick let 's observe your charge The Parliament you say desires the settlement of a vast deformity or multiformitie of Heresies and Sects and grants a liberty for all sorts of Service and Worship of God yea and the opening a doore to liberty of Errour Scandall Schisme dishonouring God opposing the Truth bindering Reformation and seducing others and all this is aggravated in so much as it is done after a most sacred and solemne League and Covenant to suppresse all these according to the Word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches Brethren two things you should have done before you can make this good you know that Religion and the Covenant requires the suppression of these things according to the Word of â—od and the example of the best reformed Churches First then you should have shewed by the Word of God what are these Errors Heresies Scandals c. which you say the Parliament desires a settlement of Secondly You should have proved the methods and waies the rules and directions of the Word of God for the suppression of these and the Parliaments practice in opposition to that and then put it unto the judgement of ingenious men to determine the case have you done this in the eye of the Kingdome before whom you have slandered the Houses of Parliament if not were you not Commissioners of State we would tell you more plainly your deserts but for the present we say no more but this If any man among you seeme to be Religious and bridleth not his tongue much more his pen but deceiveth his owne soule this mans Religion is in vaine Be it known unto you that we verily beleeve that the things you speake of much more the toleration of them and most of all the setling the same are the first-borne of abominations unto our present Parliament and in the meane while we clearely discerne that while you pretend to plead with such imparalleld zeale against Errours Heresie c. you sticke not to abuse the repute and blemish the good name of a whole representative Kingdome at once violating the most plaine evident and obvious rules shall we say of Christianity yea of common justice and honesty and therefore we tell you as you tell the Parliament and take notice of it Certainly 〈…〉 mocked You tell us page 7th that it is far fr 〈…〉 ions that pious and peaceable men should be troubled because in every thing 〈◊〉 cannot conforme themselves to Presbyterian Government for you say you did never oppose such an indulgenâ—e to their Persons as is agreeable to the Word of God may stand with the publique peace and is not destructive to the Order and Government of the Church yet you do from your soules aâ—hor such a generall and vast toleration as is exprest in the Proposition c. Who shall judge of pious and peaceable men in England the Parliament of England or the Scotch Commissioners Againe who shall determine what kind of iudulgence is agreeable to the Word of God may stand with the publique peace and is not destructive to the Order and Government of the Church established in England the Parliament of England or the Scotch Commissioners what meane you by indulgence to their Persons such a kind of indulgence of their persons as pious and peaceable men may have in Spaine Rome Turkie among even Infidels themselves or of a better consideration If we may plough with your owne heifer we may quickly expound your riddle you would not have a toleration of any Sectaries and we see who they are by your large Schedule page 12 Anabaptists Antinomians Arminians Familists Erastians Brownists Separatists Libertines Independents Nullifidians Seekers and the new Sect of Shakers can any man in the least degree withstand your Presbytery and not be rankt among these Sectaries except the Episcopalians for which it seemes we shall have a toleration Cum privilegio Scotico Brethren we are not yet baptized into the spirit of Scotch Presbytery there we are Anabaptists we cannot submit unto the Lawes thereof there we are Antinomians holding that we have power and liberty of will therein here wee are Arminians neither doe wee judge it sinfull though we should act contrary to your Presbytery there we are Familists perhaps we judge that there is not so plaine and cleare a Forme of Church-government and Rule of Discipline to be found out in the word of God as some do suppose and therefore do hold that Christian Magistrates may establish such a discipline it being not contrary to the word of God as they shall judge meet and that we ought to submit unto it here we are Erastians and yet wee judge that we ought to come out of Babylon and decline corrupt and superstitious worshipping of God there we are Brownists and Separatists judging our selves free from receiving the law of Church government from the Scotch Oracle here we are Libertines neither will we depend upon your judgements as infallible here we are Independents extreamly doubting your judgements therein not questioning our salvation though we have no faith therein here we are Nullifidians being extreamly in the dark