proceedings, and that I did not reveale the same at the first immediately after I was acquainted therewith, which offence I doe ingenuously confesse to be matter of high provocation against God, and of great scandall to his people: All which I thought necessarie for me to declare, first more largely by word, and now shortly in wryting, to this venerable meeting, (whereof the Generall Assembly was pleased to appoynt me a member), that I might disburden my mind by acknowledgment of this guilt before I went out of the Kingdome about the publick service, wherevnto I am called by the Comittee of Estates, earnestly beseeching that yow would remember me in your prayers at the throne of Grace, that the Lord may blesse mee with strength and faithfulnesse in the trust comitted to mee, which by his grace and assistance shall be the earnest study and constant endeavour of Your very affectionat servant in Christ, Edinburgh, the Subr. Jo. CHEISLIE." 10 October 1648. the Brethren The Commission of the Generall Assembly for the publick Commission to affaires of the Kirk, considering how necessarie it is That in sent to Eng pursuance of the intended Vniformity of Religion in the three land. Kingdoms, some from this Kirk wer now in the Kingdome of England for endeavouring the prosecution of that so much desired work, that after so great paines and travells the same may be, by the blessing of God, happily perfected and concluded, And the comission for the Treaty of Vniformity being renewed by the late Generall Assembly to the persones formerly entrusted, and such others as should be named by ws: Therefore doe nominat their Reverend Brother, Mr. Robert Blair, Minister, and Sir John Cheislie, Ruleing Elder, Authorizing them hereby with full power to endeavour the promoting of the said work of Vniformity, and to prosecute the Treaty thereanent with the honorable Houses of the Parliament of that Kingdome, the Reverend Assembly of Divynes there, or any Comittees appoynted by them, and to joyne with any other Commissioners named by the late Generall Assembly for the said Treaty of Vniformity when they shall be sent thither, And to doe all things conforme to the Comission of the Generall Assembly and the instructions which are now given or shall be given vnto them at any tyme hereafter. Their Instructiones. "Instructions from the Comission of the Generall Assembly to Mr. Robert Blair and Sir John Cheisly. October 11th 1648. 'Yow shall deliver to the honorable House of Comons and the Reverend Assembly of Divynes the letters direct vnto them, and shew the trew reason why the Generall Assemblies letter to the Synod of Divines wes not sooner delivered, the troubles and distractions here obstructing the safe convoyance of letters. 2. Yow shall carefully labour to prosecute the worke of Vniformity conforme to your Comission, and yow shall signifie that for the purpose some others from the Kirk shall be ready to come there to give their concurrence and assistance if it be found necessarie. '3. Yow shall not faill from tyme to tyme to give ws constant intelligence of affaires there, and when any matter of importance falleth in consideration or debate, yow shall timeously informe vs, and receive our advise before yow consent to any determination therein. 4. Yow shall give vnto the Parliament and Assembly there a right vnderstanding of all our affaires here, and labour that a good correspondence may be keeped betuixt the tua Kingdoms. 5. If yow have occasion, yow shall deal with the Kings Majestie vpon the grounds he wes dealt with at Newcastle, and according to the Comission of the Generall Assembly thereanent, especiallie labouring with him to signe the League and Covenant, and showing how vnsatisfactorie his late concessions were vpon the reasons contained in the Declaration of the late Comission of Assembly, and in the Petition of the late Generall Assembly, which, with the letter from ws, yow shall tender to his Majestie as yow shall find it necessary or convenient. 6 6. Yow shall labour earnestly for obtaining payment of Doctor Sharps precept,1 according to the severall recomendations of the Generall Assembly and their Comissioners to the Parliament and Comittee of Estates." The Comission appoynts the letter to be sent to the Synod of Divynes; Tenor quherof follows: 1 That is the precept of the Scottish Parliament authorising repayment of the sums he had lent them, out of the first £50,000 of the second £200,000 promised but never paid by the English Parliament. See note on p. 585 of previous volume of Minutes of Commission. Synod of 'MUCH HONOURED AND RIGHT REVEREND,-The distractions Letter to the and confusions of this tyme since the meeting of our Nationall Divynes. Assembly have been such as deprived ws, to our great greife and losse, of the comfort of all correspondence with yow in our very sad condition; Whereby also it hath come to passe that the letters of the late Assembly to yow have been keept back till this tyme. 'Wee doubt not, deare brethren, yow have been very much afflicted with the oppressions and sufferings of the godly in this land, who, for keeping them selves free from and giving testimony against the iniquitie of that sinfull Engagement against the Kingdome of England, were made a prey to the Malignant Party, And that yow have not ceased to make mention of ws in your prayers to God, that we might keepe the Word of his patience, and be keept by his power in the hour of tentation. And we cannot conceale from yow (knowing that it will be the matter of your joy and thanksgiving) how wonderfully the Lord hath begun to worke our delivery, at once stirring vp the spirits of the godly and well affected among ws, who had but very lately been suffering greivous oppressions in their consciences, persons, and estates, to take armes for their necessary defence and preservation of our Religion and liberties, so that we must say, "He that is mighty hath done great things for ws, and holy is his name." And yet the Lord suffers ws not to want matter of exercise vnder the difficulties wherewith we still wrastle, that yow with ws may not onely thankfully make mention of his name who hath remembred ws in our low estate, and given ws a reviving in our bondage, but also may send vp prayers and supplications to God, who hath delivered ws from so great a death, that he would yet deliver ws and keep ws from despondency of spirit while new mountaines of opposition arise in our way. 'But it shall not be necessary for ws to say more of our present condition, having sent vnto yow our worthy and highly esteemed brother, Mr. Robert Blair, by whom yow may have more particular account of our affaires. And we hope, as he hes been faithfull amongst ws, so he shall with no lesse approbation acquitte himself amongst yow in the trust comitted vnto him for promoving the Lords worke, which we pray the great Master Builder to accomplish and perfect in your hands, to his Letter to the owne glory, and the confort of his people in all the three Kingdoms. Edinburgh, 11th October 1648. "The Comittee of Estates having entrusted Sir John Subscribed by your most loving brother and fellow-labourer in the name of the Commission of the Generall Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland.1 Cheisly in their affaires in that Kingdome, because The Commission approves the Letter to be sent to the Parliament of England; Tenor whereof followes :- 'Wee, the Comissioners of the Nationall Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland, having received a letter from the honorable House of Comons assembled in the Parliament of England, directed to the late General Assembly or their Comissioners, have thought it our duety to returne this answer to that honorable House. 'As this Kirk in the severall judicatories thereof have given manie publik testimonies by word and writt (some whereof are published in print to the view of the world) against that sinfull Engagement of manie in this Nation who joyned in war vpon our brethren in England, so doe we acknowledge that it hath been a notorius breach of the Solemn League and Covenant, against which the God of heaven hath manifested his displeasure, and all the godly in this land have evidenced their detestation. The just and pious resolution of the honorable House, that they will not impute this eivell to the Nation in generall, nor be induced by any provocation to withdraw themselves from those in this Kingdome who retain their former 1 The subscription of the Moderator however is not inserted. The Minutes of the Westminster Assembly contain no indication that this letter was actually delivered to the Assembly, or that Mr. Blair ever sat in it, though the House of Commons Journals, vol. vi. p. 61) on 26th Oct., and the House of Lords on the 27th Journals, vol. x. p. 566), agreed that he should do so. principles, is without doubt a singular testimony of the Lords mercy to both Nations, as contributing to the preserving of the Vnion betuixt the Kingdoms, which we beseek the God of heaven to keep inviolable to all generations. 'Wee know it is not vnvsuall that these who were about great works be obnoxious to manifold exceptions and lyable to greevous aspersions; And though we make no question but there have been many misrepresentations of your actions and proceedings, yet we cannot but professe our greefe for the slow progresse of the work of Reformation, for perfecting whereof we doe still long and pour out our hearts in the bosome of the Father of mercies. In the mean tyme we blesse the Lord for the severall stepps of his advancing toward the purging of his house and planting his ordinances, and in speciall wee magnifie his power and mercie who hath blessed the labours of the honorable Houses in the extirpation of Prelacy, in abolishing the Service Book, comonly called the Book of Comon Prayer, in taking away all superstitious ceremonies and Popish innovations, in passing Ordinances for authorizing the demolishing all the monuments of idolatrie and superstition, for ejecting of scandalous ministers and schoolmasters, and finallie in purging the Vniversities and chiefe schooles of the Kingdome, and planting therein such as are well affected to the Reformation of Religion and Vniformity with other Reformed Kirks. 'It is a matter of no small joy to ws, as highly tending to the honour of God, that the honorable Houses have established a Directory of Worship, comanding the practise of it throughout the whole Kingdome, have approven the Greater and Lesser Catechisme, and have made such progresse in the Confession of Faith and Presbyteriall Government. But how great a mater of rejoycing wold it be both to ws and all the Reformed Kirks, that they wold be pleased not only to receive Presbyteriall Government for a tyme, but to establish the same in its full perfection and power, according to the Word of God and example of the best Reformed Kirks; For without this we know no other propper and effectuall remedy against the dangers of Religion there, or from1 purging the Kirks from scandalls which are destructive ether to sound doctrine or to godlinesse. And 1 Probably instead of for. |