AS we have upon every remarkable change of af­faires in this land, from our watch-towre blowen the trumpet unto the people, by setting before them the true state of their owne con­dition, and giving them warning of their due­tie in these darke and troublesome times: So a greater mysterie of iniquity being now disco­vered, then was any before, and of greater danger to the peo­ple of God, then any former designe which hes been known among us; we cannot forbeare to cry aloud to our flockes, to beware of ravenous Wolves who are risen to devour them. The danger we were in by Sectaries, we have formerly repre­sented at large, and have sufficiently vindicate our selves in all our actions relating to them: The late unexpected invasion by Malignants, we have faithfully informed our people of, and pressed upon them their duety for opposing the same. And now it hath pleased the Lord to suffer men among our selves to be our enemies, these who took sweet counsell together with us, renewed the Covenant, and entered in a solemne Declaration: do now lift up themselves against us, and un­der a pretence of delivering us, have indeed been the princi­pall instruments to ruine us and the work of God among us, if the Lord restraine them not from the accomplishing their whole designe: The chief head of those who pretend autho­rity above the rest, is the Lord Vicount of Ai [...]ds: whose pre­sen actions are so repugnant to his former Professions, that no Christian or ingenuous man can think upon them without horrour and detestation: His forwardnesse to renew the Co­venant: [Page] His fervency to have a solemne band and Declarati­on subscribed and entered into: His large promises to defend Religion: His disclaiming all conjunction, with Popist or Rebells with words of zeal and disdaine: His i [...]sinuations upon all honest men for gaining them to him: His consenting to all publick orders against Malignants being compared with his late undertakings, must clear to pre [...]ent to even mans view the great dissimulation and betraying of the people and Co­venant he is guilty of; for which our sorrow and grief is no lesse, then our rejoycing, had been great to have seene his Lordship stand faithfull, which was one of our chiefest de­sires.

For (whereas the danger of such accidents being foreseen) an Article was insert in the Declaration, to acknowledge the Kings Commands; Hee confirming all the Articles of the Covenant, before hee were admitted to the exercise of his Royall power, without which clause many would have trem­bled to joyn with him: Yet he hes now cloathed him selfe with a Commission from his Majestie, who as yet refuses to give any satisfaction in Religion unto the just desires of the Kingdome of Scotland. Yea, his concessions are lesse then these granted by his Royall Father; which yet were declared by Church and State, unsatisfactorie, and therefore, the exe­cuting of such a Commission, is nothing else but an endeavour to set up the Kings Majestie, not onely before Religion, but in a quarrell destructive unto it. For the first difference be­tween the King and his people, was touching his absolute and unlimited power in Civill things, and his adherance to Prela­cie, and maintaining their power; for which both our late Soveraigne, and his Majestie who now is, did raise Armes against their Subjects, and to this day that same quarrell is avouched and owned by his Majestie: and all his Commissions tend to the bringing him to that power which was justly de­med to his Royall Father. And it seemes the Lord of Airds does owne the same, for hee sayes in his new Declaration of the fourth of this instant directly. That the Kings Commissi­on did ever procure respect and obedience untill the worst of a mee, which must needs be meaned of that time, when the Kingdomes were united by a Covenant, in opposition to such Commissions given by the King to Malignants. And that one phrase may give us a taste what may be expected from [...]he rest [...] his Declarations concerning his professions to Religion. [Page] For if the refusing any Commissions from the King, was in the [...] oftimes, then surely the taking a Covenant, the Union of the Kingdomes, casting out Praelac [...]e, bringing downe Ma­lignants, all against a personall Commission is accounted by his Lordship, to How from the iniquity of the times: More­over in his Declaration hee further discovers his thoughts of Reformation, when hee professes to endeavour the bringing of the King to his Throne, whence hee is debarred by wicked men, who (as hee sayes) hes overturned Church and State in other his dominions (by which we conceave, he understands both Scotland and England, since no other but this is excepted) whereby his Lordships judgment of the government of Scotland would appear to be that it is both Civilly and Eccelesiastically overturned; what good shall we expect from him for Religi­on who thinks so. Yea, it appeares his Lordship thinkes that same of us, when hee sayes; There were some who would have had him run in absolute opposition to the Kings partie, as well as to Sectaries: By whom wee conceave among others, he must understand the Ministerie, who were indeed earnest to oppose Sectaries and Malignants equallie, which in his judgement is but a preferring our own opinions and ends to the well of the Kingdome. What assistance shall wee expect from him in the future for the good of Religion, when hee makes our former faithfullnesse our reproach. And whereas he promises to indeavour to procure from His Majesty a feeling of our Religion, we conceive Him to meane Religion either in the large extent as it can take in Prelacy, and as He calls it thereafter, The Protestant Religion, or else we believe He hes little ground to think that He will obtain that from His Majestie, which He hes refused to grant to His faithfull Subjects of Scot­land, to wit. An establishment of the Solemne League and Covenant; without which Religion can never be truly secured here, it being to small purpose though His Majesty should tol­lerat Presbyteriall Government in this Province for a time, and yet refuse to setle it in the rest of His Dominions.

It is moreover observable, that his Lordship never menti­ons Presbyteriall Government in all his Declaration, nor doth he once name the Covenant, or promise any thing in relation to it which is too grosse a character of his Lordships disaffection to Reformati [...]n, and may seem clearly to be done that He may be answereable to His Majesty for his Professions, that they are no larger then His Commission allowes Him [Page] to make them, which is not, either to defend o [...]res Dy [...] i [...] [...] Government or the Covenant, but to receive His commands from the Marquesse of Ormond, who he [...] been still an Enemie to both, and who hath made a Peace with the Rebels destru­ctive to Religion; unto which Peace the Lord Airds contrary to his many professions and subscriptions, his now joyned himself: For his Commission imports no lesse binding him (as we are Informed) to protect and be carefull of His Maje­sties Catholick subjects. His late actions also declares it, for He imployed Irish Papists in His service for subduing the two Garisons of Be [...]fast, and Craigfergus, as is clear, not only by His avouching the chief command over them, and giving them Orders, but also in His Declaration He seems not ob­scurely to justifie their invasion, calling them by the friendly names of strangers, and making their quarrell to be but a pressing the Kings interest, which He sayes, was not suffici­ently secured among us. And in another placed speaking of them, He sayes that the Quarters are not able to bee such a burthen without ruine. By which seems His L [...] would not weary of them, if the Quarter could be able to beare them, all which as it is but a mockry of the Publick Decla­ration, so it is a notorious breach of Covenant, for He is sworn to oppose all Malignants who are against that solemne League, or would divide the King from His People in their defence of it, ye [...] He joynes with Malignants who blasphemes the Covenant. In the Covenant Hee is sworne to exti [...]at Poperie and Prelacie, yet Hee puts on a Commission which binds Him to maintain Protestant Religion in the large ex­tent and Papists in the exercise of their Religion. Yea, the Marquesse of Ormond, from whom He is to receive commands is an avouched maintainer of Prelacie, and retains still the old English Liturgie (as Wee are informed) in his publick devoti­ons. In the Covenant Hee is sworn to endeavour the bring­ing to punishment those who would divide the King from his Kingdomes or one of them from another, yet Hee exe­cute such a Commission which foments the distance betwixt His Majestie and the Kingdome of Scotland, and is a mighty obstruction unto His Majesties granting of Their just desires. In [...] Covenant He is sworne to defend to His uttermost pow [...] all the [...]e who [...] in the Covenant, in the defence the [...] He under [...] long of strengthning, betrayed Cove­nant [...] bound [...] to the Covenant, by bring­ing [Page] for th [...] [...] bounde the power of a command opposite to the Covenant. As these things makes clear as the beames of the Sun, the unlawfullnes of his Authority by such a Com­mission (any thing his L. brings in defence of it in his De­claration notwithstanding) for Hee pretends nothing there but necessitie and His good intentions, none of which can excuse Him from so unhard of violation of his vowes and sub­scriptions, neither are the miseries so great which His Com­mission met with at his first making use of it as those which his so sinfull an engagement shall bring on hereafter, for the judgement He pretends to prevent by joyning with Malig­nants against Sectaries, will prove but Physick of no value to this poor Land, and will involve them in sadder judgements then any they could have apprehended from both the former, if they had continued constant opposers equally of both and joyned with neither. Shall he prosper that doth these things, or shall Hee break the Covenant and be delivered? The faith­full man sweareth to his own hurt and changeth not.

For this cause, as the Ambassadours of Christ, Wee beseech our people in his steed, not to joyn hands with such a course, or to medle with them who are given to change: And part [...] ­cularly Wee charge all who hes renewed the Covenant, and hes entred into the Declaration of the Armie and Countrie not to joyne in executing of such a Commission by taking charge in the Armie under the present command or serving them, either as Officers or Souldiours, else We foretell them in the name of the God of Truth, that the quarrell of the Covenant shall pursue them, and they shall wring out the dregs of the cup, which Malignants hes beene drinking these many years by past. Yea, their judgement shall be enlarged far above the former, because both they have seen the others plagues, and hes of late renewed the Covenant which Malig­nants oppose.

We do also in the name of Jesus Christ, warne the people of our charge to keep themselves free from all complyance with their ungodly course, either by speaking favourably of them, acknowledging the Authority of the present command under the Marquesse of Ormond and the Lord of Airds, by im­posing of Cesse upon others for maintaining their unlawfull Power, or by constant obeying their Orders, in paying Cesse unto their Armie, which is nothing else but a submission un­to their Authority, a strengthning of their hands, and an up­holding [Page] of them who maintain a quarrell destructive to the Covenant, all which is sinfull complyance and a breach of Covenant als well as to fight in their quarrell, for it is a pro­moving of their course, tho not by Armes, yet by supplying that which is the sinews of War, Money and Victuals. Nei­ther can any necessity be an excuse to it, for Wee ought to choose affliction rather then sinne, to help the ungodly and to strengthen the hands of the wicked, is an evill worse then any suffering.

The Lord who suffered this Land to make defection when they were called to action against this partie, is now calling them for a time to suffering rather then complyance, so to try more narrowly the fidelity of his People, and their love to his Truth more then their Goods or Lives, otherwise the sudden destruction which shall come on the Malignants here shall likewise overtake the Land, and make their sufferings then far greater with an evill conscience, then they shall now indure for well doing, and the God of Truth shall fulfill his promise to his people, that those who indure cheerfully the spoyling of their Goods, shall have in heaven a better and more induring substance, yea, shall have an hundreth fold heer, and in the end life everlasting.

There are none in this land who formerly suffered for righ­teousnes sake who needs this day to repent it, and for whom the Lord provided not abundantly in their greatest want: and therefore we do again exhort them to stand fast to the Cove­nant, that neither perswasion nor terrour may with-draw them from the Truth which is now opposed, but that they lament for former sins which brings on these calamities, turne in to the Lord and imbrace the Gospel, and to rejoice in the crosse of Christ, and when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord, their sins shall be blotted out, and the Lord shall return their captivity like the streames of the South.