THE various Diſpenſations wherewith the righteous and wiſe Lord of Heaven and Earth hath been exerciſing us theſe many years bygone, cries loud to all the Subjects in Scotland, who have not laid aſide all ſenſe of ſinne & duty, to reflect ſeriouſly upon the publick Tranſactions of this Church & Nation; eſpecially upon the deportment thereof to the KING and the Royal Authority: And while the Lord is pleaſed to fix ſuch Thoughts upon our Spirits, we cannot, unleſs we would blindfold our own Conſciences, ſtop the mouth thereof, hide our ſinne in our boſome with Adam, & keep faſt Deceit under our Tongue, but give glory to God in an ane humble and ingenuous Confeſſion, as of the National guiltineſs of Scotland, ſo of our own iniquity, in ſo farre as we have been any way acceſſory to theſe ſinfull and rebellous affronts and wrongs which have been put upon Royal Authority, whether during the Reign of our late moſt Gracious Soveraign, that bleſſed Martyr CHARLES the I, or ſince his horrid Murder, to our Gracious King, who now in the Lords moſt wonderful and gracious Providence, reigns over us; and particularly we acknowledge theſe ſad & grievous ſinnes, to be lying on the Land, and upon us, according to the ſeveral Degrees and Meaſures of our acceſſion, whether driven thereto by force and violence of a prevailing party, through humane weakneſs in that hour of Temptation, or by ſinfull ſilence and want of Courage to have plead it againſt ſuch Courſes, viz. the riſing in Armes againſt the King, the preaching up the lawfulneſs of defenſive Armes by Subjects againſt the Supreme Magiſtrate, which is contrary to Scripture, to all ſound Antiquity, to the conſtant practice of the ancient primitive Church, to the Judgement of all ſound Orthodox Divines, contrary to our National Confeſſion of Faith, and to the Oath of Alleageance, popular Reformation without, much more againſt, the Kings ſpecial Conſent and Authority; The aſſiſting the Kings Enemies by joyning our Forces with them, while as they were in Rebellion againſt their Soveraign lord and Maſter the preaching down the Kings Cauſe & Intereſt, and preaching up the Intereſt of his Enemies; the giving out a Paper, called A ſeaſonable warning for delivering up the King at Newcaſtle, and that without any Aſſurances either by Writ or Pledges for his Majeſties Security, ſafety, honour and freedome, although there was no ſufficient Hoſtage in that Land to have been given for his ſacred Perſon; The preaching againſt the intend it Relief of his Majeſty of precious Memory, when he was a ſuffering Priſoner in the Iſle of Wight, anno 1648, where he was detained till at laſt theſe Uſurpers brought him to that fatal Block; The putting unjuſt Limitations and Reſtrictions upon out gracious King, who now reigns over us by Gods bleſſing (in deſpight of all open and vailled Enemies, who of late have put on the Robe of Loyalty) before he was admitted to the Exerciſe of his Royal power; The indignities which were put upon his ſacred Majeſty, by a factious and treacherous party in that infamous and treaſonable Remonſtrance; The oppoſing of the publick Reſolutions, both of King, Church and State by that party for the juſt & neceſſary defence of King, Religion, Honour, Country & all which was dear to Men or Chriſtians, the Land being invaded, & one half thereof being poſſeſs'd by an Army of Sectaries, who by force & fraud had inſlaved their own native Countrey, that ancient and famous Kingdom of England: And although theſe ſinnes of the Remonſtrance, oppoſing of, and proteſting againſt the publict Reſolutions, be not a National guiltineſs, both the one and the other being teſtifyed againſt and Condemned by the generality of the State, Church and Country: yet theſe being the guiltineſs of a party in the Nation, we could not omit them as matters of juſt provocation againſt God Almighty: The excluding of the Kings intereſt out of the ſtate of the quarrel betwix his Majeſties own Army, and that Uſurper and Tyrant, Oliver Cromwell, by that infamous Act of the weſt-Kirk: The forcing of the Kings Majeſty, being then in their power rather as a noble priſoner than a free King, ſore againſt his Royal will to ſubſcribe Declarations againſt himſelf and his Royal Family: The little ſympathy with his Majeſty in his ſufferings abroad: The ſinfull neglect of Duty for fear of men in not praying for him in publict, ſinfull ſilence in nor preaching abſolutly againſt the Uſurpers, too much at leaſt paſſive complyance with them, ſitting down like Iſſachar under the burden, and being like Ephraim a ſilly dove without a heart. For thoſe, and ſinnes of the like Nature done againſt the Royal authority, God in his Juſtice and Wiſdome, brought and keeped us long under a ſad Captivity and bondage. And have not all the Land and we according unto the meaſure of our acceſſion more nor reaſon to confeſs guiltineſs before God, Men and Angels, and to intreat earneſtly for mercy therefore at the throne of Grace? And now ſince is hath pleaſed the Eternal God, by whom Kings Reign, to bring back our native King, and to ſettle him upon his Royal Anceſtors throne, for which we ſhall deſire to bleſs the Lord while we live. We conceive that upon this ſignal Mercie God calls us to engage, likeas hereby we do in the ſtrength of God, engage our ſelves never to be acceſſory to any diſloyal principle or practiſe, but declare our utter abhorrence thereof, and of every thing that may have any tendency that way, oblieging not only our ſelves to ſubjection, obedience and ſubmiſſion to the Royal Authority and Commands, but alſo to preach Loyalty, ſubjection, obedience and ſubmiſſion, and to preſs the ſamen from the word of God and according thereto upon all his Majeſties ſubjects under our Miniſtry. And that it is ſinfull and ungodly for ſubjects to reſiſt the Kings Authority but in caſe of diſſatisfaction in any thing commanded by his Majeſty, it is their duty to ſuffer: And becauſe it hath pleaſed the Kings Majeſty and his high Court of Parliament for the over reaching of ſeveral miniſters in Scotland, their outſtreatching of Presbyterial Government by making it run in an excentick line in medling with civil concernments and •… o •… ng •… i • h the ſupreme Authority, and upon other grave Conſiderations, known to themſelves, which becomes us not to ſearch unto, to take away and reſcind the Laws and Acts of Parliament whereby the Government of this Church had any Civil Authority. That it would pleaſe the Kings Commiſſioner's Grace, and the High Court of Parliament, to Join with us in this our earneſt Petition, and to tranſmit the ſamen to his ſacred Majeſty. That he will allow us to be ſtill under his Majeſties protection; and that he may be pleaſed in his Wiſdom and Goodneſs, to ſettle the Government of this rent Church, according to the Word of God, the practiſe of the ancient primitive Church in ſuch way as may be moſt conſiſtent with Royal Authority, may conduce moſt for godlineſs, for unity, peace and order, for a learned, godly, peaceable, loyal Miniſterie, and moſt apt to preſerve the peace of the three Nations: For doing whereof, we ſhall be earneſt to ſupplieat God in his Majeſties behalf for Wiſdome, Counſel and Direction. We have conceived this Emiſſion to be a duty lying upon us, in reference to God, to the King, to this Church and Land, and for the exoneration of our own Conſciences before the World. And although this has been our principal motives, yet it hath been no ſmall encouragement to this Synode, that we have been put in remembrance by that Noble and worthy Lord the Earl of Marſhell in his Letter to the Aſſembly to this effect And for which the Synod renders his Lordſhip hearty thanks, conſidering that he, having ſo great influence in this Corner of the Land, may be very inſtrumental for advancing Religion, Juſtice and Loyalty here. And this Paper we have ordained to be regiſtred in our Synod Books ad futuram rei memoriam: And in teſtimony of our unanimitie therein, We have all ſubſcribed it with our Hands. At the Kings Colledge at Aberdeen the 18. of April 1661. years.