Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A58609
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A declaration of the Committee of Estates of the Parliament of Scotland to the honourable Houses of Parliament, and to all their brethren of England concerning the necessity, grounds, and ends of their engagement, and of the return of the Scots armie into England.
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Scotland. Parliament.
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1648
(1648)
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Wing S1208; ESTC R34038
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12,072
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18
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A DECLARATION OF THE COMMITTEE of ESTATES Of the PARLIAMENT of SCOTLAND TO THE Honourable Houses of the PARLIAMENT And to all their Brethren of ENGLAND Concerning The Necessity Grounds and Ends of their Engagement and of the RETURN of the SCOTS ARMIE into ENGLAND EDINBURGH Printed by Evan Tyler Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty 1648. GOD save the KING C R HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE A Declaration of the COMMITTEE of the Estates of the Parliament of Scotland To the Honourable Houses of the PARLIAMENT and to all their Brethren of England AFter so long a continuance of the sad calamities that have almost wasted these three Kingdoms and the uninterrupted endeavours of this Nation to have all the causes of them removed We cannot possibly expresse with what grief of soul we find them still more likely to be increased than diminished Neither did any part of our former sufferings more deeply afflict us then again to be necessitated to Expressions and Actions that by some will rather be looked upon as Incentives of new troubles then meanes to quiet and calme the present distempers Therefore we have thought fit to offer this ensuing Declaration to the Honourable Houses of Parliament and to our Brethren of England for satisfaction of all religious loyall and honest men that Heaven and Earth may beare witnesse with us of the necessity of our Engagement and undertakings at this time and of the candour of our Intentions and Resolutions After that by the blessing of God upon the endeavours of this Nation and their Armies at home and in England in two severall Expeditions a happy Peace was setled Religion and the just Liberties of this Kingdom established a Parliament called in England and great progresse made towards the redresse of all grievances and reforming abuses both in Church and State It pleased the Lord again to call us to new troubles For the differences betwixt the King and Parliament being increased and heightened into a bloody War the many Addresses of this Kingdom to His Majesty and the two Houses for an amicable composure of differences having proved fruitlesse and ineffectuall and the Parliament reduced to a low condition This Kingdom was invited to the assistance of their Brethren large Professions by them were made of their desires of unity and uniformity in Religion of a neerer conjunction with this Kingdom and the dangers were fully represented to us of a prevailing Party in England different from us in Religion and Church-Government It was then acknowledged that the same fate in Religion attended both And because it was well known that although unhappy differences had arisen betwixt his Majesty his Subjects of this Kingdom yet Scotland could never be drawn into any action against His Majesty or that fidelity and subjection which they owe to Him and his Posterity large professions were therefore made by the two Houses of their loyalty to their King whose greatnesse and authority they professed they never intended to diminish as may more fully appear in the severall Declarations Commissioners were sent into this Kingdom Invitations renewed a Treaty made and a Covenant solemnly signed and sworne for Reformation and defence of Religion the honour and happinesse of the King and the peace and safety of the Kingdoms Thus both Kingdoms were equally and mutually engaged and in pursuance of the Covenant and Treaty an Army marched into England in the hardest Season and both Kingdoms in their joynt-Declaration Jan. 6. 1643 4. obliged themselves and decreed never to lay down Arms till Truth and Peace by the blessing of God were setled in this Iland upon a firm foundation for the present and future Generations Although we shall not mention what successe that Army had what Blood they lost both in Scotland and England what hardships they endured and how much this Kingdome was thereby impoverished yet we cannot but remember how that by the blessing of God upon the joynt Councels and Forces of both Kingdoms the two Houses of Parliament were recovered into a condition of making good those Engagements and with what unity both Kingdoms proceeded towards the attaining of those Ends untill that Party in the Houses who since have declared themselves Independents who seemed forward in the engaging of this Kingdom and at first profest greatest care of our Army had attained to power discovered their intentions and interrupted all these fair beginnings They created and fomented jealousies against the Scots and by their influence on the two Houses cashiered all in England by Sea and Land how eminent how faithfull soever that they could not confide in And by the successe of their new-modelled Army for the most part Sectaries they engrossed all power Military and Civill into their own and their Creatures hands the Propositions formerly agreed on by both Kingdoms and treated on at Vxbridge were altered yet this Kingdom and those imployed by them were content so far to deny themselves and their own interests as to wave the Propositions most advantagious to Scotland and for witnessing their desire of Peace to joyn in those framed by the two Houses where the Independents had got such a power And for the greatest testimony of our confidence in the Honourable Houses of Parliament notwithstanding the many injuries and discouragements received in England from the then and still prevailing party in the English Army and their Abetters who were grown Anti-Covenanters and threatned a disappointment of all the Ends of the Covenant upon the publike faith of the Houses given to us for the preservation and safety of His Majesties sacred person and of making joynt addresses to His Majesty for setling a safe and well-grounded Peace and free accesse of all imployed by this Kingdom to his Majesty the Armies of Scotland returned from England and left the King with the English Commissioners most of our Army were immediately thereafter disbanded and no more kept on foot but so many as were necessary for reducing some Scots Rebels and Irish Subjects of the Crown of England whom by the large Treaty England was bound to reduce We expected that the like course would have been taken for disbanding of the Armies in England and none kept on foot but such as were necessary for the Garrisons and safety of the Kingdom there being then no profest Enemy in Arms and those to have been such as both Kingdoms might have confided in for affection to Religion and Monarchy whereunto the Honourable Houses of Parliament did effectually apply themselves as appears by their Declaration of the 28. of May 1647. But the Independent party were as diligent to hinder it First by contriving and procuring a Petition from the Army against their disbanding which by the Houses was Voted mutinous and the Abetters of it enemies to the State 200000 l. was provided and Commissioners sent down to the Army for disbanding it and engaging a considerable Supply for Ireland under the Command of Generall-Major Skippon and Lieut. Generall
England yea almost all Laws divine and humane violated The people of England opprest with Free-Quarter and Taxes and the union and brotherly correspondence betwixt the Kingdoms much weakened and endeavoured to be taken away And being very sensible of the many injuries and affronts done to this Nation their Army and those imployed by them weighing also well how fruitlesse all their endeavours by way of Treaty and Messages for curing those evils and removing those differences had proven and how little regard was had to our Commissioners and their endeavours at London of late Thought it high time to look to their own preservation and to put this Kingdom into a posture of Arms. Yet before any further Engagement they resolved to try if by the Three just and necessary Demands of the 26. of Aprill made to the Houses of Parliament it were possible in an amicable way to compose those differences and provide for the security of Religion of His Majesty and of the peace and union of the Kingdoms To the which had a satisfactory Answer been returned all the Inconveniencies that may ensue might have been prevented which we have still since that time patiently expected But in stead of security to Religion according to the Covenant against the dangers on all hands In stead of freeing His Majesty from his base imprisonment that he may come to some of his houses in or neer London with Honour Freedom and Safety where both Kingdoms may make their applications to him for setling Religion and a well-grounded Peace In stead of disbanding the Army of Sectaries by whose power and tyrannie all those evils are come upon us and further threaten us without taking any notice at all of what upon so just and necessary grounds we demanded without any reparation given of the many injuries done to this Kingdome and those imployed by them or any Answer to that demand made by our Commissioners Whether it was intended that His Majesty should bee debarred from exercising any act of Government in relation to this Kingdom Or whether Scots men imployed and allowed by Scotland might have free accesse to him In stead we say of all these we have received three Propositions to be presented to His Majesty that after His Majesty assent thereto and to such Acts of Parliament as shall be offered by both Houses for confirmation thereof then both Houses will treat with his Majesty without telling him or us where or with what security to either concerning the future settlement of the Government of the Church and the settlement of the Militia and the rest of the Propositions formerly tendered at Hampton-Court And a desire from the English Commissioners residing here for us to prepare such Propositions as we shall judge fit and necessary for this Kingdom that they may be sent to His Majesty with all convenient speed They did also communicate to us some Votes of the two Houses and the Committee of Estates told them That they could return no Answer till first they received satisfaction to the Demands of this Kingdom of the 26. of April And these are as little satisfied Religion the King and his Kingdoms as little secured and the solid grounds of a Religious and good Peace as little provided for now as formerly We shall not much insist on the particulars of these three Propositions Our Commissioners did on some of them so fully expresse themselves especially that of the Militia in their late Answer to the Propositions before they went to the I le of Wight which we here hold as repeated But we cannot conceale how very unsatisfactory that concerning Religion is and we are sorry to see other Interests still so carefully provided for and so little security to Religion which indeed was the main and principall cause of our Engagement in the late warres In these Propositions we still find the Covenant omitted one end of it only mentioned by way of Narrative and the Propositions for Uniformity according to the Covenant with all the other Propositions of Religion left to the future Treaty and all that is now desired is That Presbyteriall Government be confirmed by Act of Parliament in such manner as both Houses of Parliament have agreed in severall Ordinances of Parliament That is to say c. The Commissioners of the Parliament and Generall Assembly of this Kingdome have severall times exprest their sense of these Ordinances which we shall not here repeat But we doubt this new c. be of a larger extent and relates to that impious Toleration setled by both Houses so contrary to Covenant so destructive to the ends of it and for ought we know not yet repealed against which this Kingdom hath so fully declared in the forementioned Answer to the new Propositions for it was then brought in as a part of the Proposition for setling Presbyteriall Government as the way that both the Houses then agreed to And seeing the same over-awing power continues which first brought in that Toleration avowedly we have reason to apprehend it still remains but is now covered rolled up in this new c. And we have the greater reason to be unsatisfied that Presbyteriall Government is only demanded for three years and in the end of the Propositions it is professed that the Houses will treat with his Majesty concerning the future settlement of the Government of the Church without relating to the Covenant as a rule of the Government or the Propositions formerly agreed upon by both Kingdoms but in such a generall as may overthrow all the Reformation established and open a door to Hierarchy or Anarchy to Episcopacie or Independencie and to Toleration All abjured in our solemn Covenant And seeing no satisfaction is given to the so just necessary demands of the Parliament of the 26 of April either for Religion or the Kings Majesty but that Religion is still in as much hazard as ever the King still barbarously detained in his base imprisonment and as we are credibly informed daily in hazard of his life by Treachery and Poyson and that Army of Sectaries the great cause of all our evills and dangers still kept up strengthned and a great part of it now marched close to our Border Though this Kingdome shall never be averse from giving and receiving mutuall satisfaction by Treaty yet we cannot agree to these Propositions nor joyn with the two Houses in presenting of them to His Majesty whilst neither King nor Parliament enjoy their liberties THEREFOR we can no longer as unconcerned spectators be witnesses to the losse and ruine of all which by the oath of God that lies upon us in our solemn League and Covenant and by many other obligations we are bound to endeavour to preserve And the ends being now the same for which we were invited and in prosecution whereof we lost so much Blood did undergoe so many hardships and so much impoverished our own country and being engaged by the joynt Declaration of both kingdomes never to