A DECLARATION OF THE Convention of Estates in Scotland, concerning their ARMIE: With their reasons for continuance thereof untill March next; And in what manner the Officers and Souldiers shall be paid. Dated at Edinburgh October 15, 1647.
Together with An Exhortation of the Generall Assembly of the Kirk of SCOTLAND, unto the Scots Merchants and other their Country-people scattered in Poland, Swedland, Denmark and Hungary.
EDINBURGH, Printed by Evan Tylar, Printer to the King's most Excellent Majestie. And reprinted at London for ROBERT BOSTOCK. MDCXLVII.
THe Committee of Estates being frequently met, to take into consideration the disbanding of the Army presently within the Kingdom, according to a former Act of the Committee of the eleventh of Sephember last; and considering the dangers at this time imminent to Religion, His Majesties Person and Authority, the Union betwixt the Kingdoms, and Peace of this Kingdom, which were fully represented to them in the Remonstrance of the Commissioners of the Generall Assembly, in the Letters from their Commissioners at London and in the informations sent hither from severall places of the Kingdom: And having at length debated thereupon▪ do finde it necessary, in regard thereof, that the Army be kept up till the meeting of Parliament in March next to come come: And do therefore remit and refer the consideration of the disbanding the Army till that meeting. And in the mean time, that the burden of the entertainment of the Army do not appear greater then really it is, The Committee of Estates have thought fit to make known to all His Majesties good Subjects, That this day the Lord Generall, the [Page 2]Lieutenant Generall, and Generall Majors, to testifie the willingnesse of the Army to ease the Kingdom as much as can be; Have for themselves, in th [...] n [...]me of the whole Officers and Souldiers under their command, and contained in the establishment of the Army, freely quit and discharged to the Kingdom the proportion of their Pay underwritten, from the tenth of October instant, to the tenth day of March next to come, viz. the Foot souldier quits daily twelve pennies Scots, the Trooper two shillings Scots, the Dragooners proportionally; and the Officers above a Lieutenant quits the third part of their Pay; Which offer the Committee hath accepted, and with that deduction ordains the Armie be entertained from the said tenth of October, till the said tenth day of March next, according to the rule of Maintenance, the accounts whereof is to come in to the Generall Commissary as formerly: And the retention of the Annual rents to be proportionable to the Maintenance: And whereas by the foresaid Act of the eleventh of September, the Shires were ordained to advance presently new three Months Maintenance; The Committee in regard of the course taken by this Act, dischargeth the advance of the said three months Maintenance, and all execution to passe for payment thereof. And ordains their presents to be Printed, and published at the Market Crosses of the severall Burrows of the Kingdom, and to be sent to the Committees of War of the Shires, that none pretend ignorance thereof.
ALthough this Kirk of Scotland; whiles spoiled of her Liberties under the Prelatical tyranny, had much difficulty and wrestling to preserve the true Reformed Religion from being quite extinguished among our selves; yet since the mighty and out-stretched arm of the Lord our God hath brought us out of that Egypt, and hath restored to us well-constituted and free national Synods, It hath been our desire and endeavour to set forward the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the purity of his Ordinances, not onely thorowout this Nation, [Page 4]but in other parts also, so far as God gave us a call and opportunity, and opened a way unto us. And among other things of this nature, we have more particularly taken into our serious thoughts the sad and lamentable condition of many thousands of you our Country-men, who are scattered abroad as sheep having no Shepherd, and are through the want of the means of knowledge, grace and salvation, exposed to the greatest spiritual dangers, whether through ignorance, or through manifold tenta [...]ions to errours and false Religions, or through the occasions and snares of sin.
We have therefore thought it incumbent to us to put you in minde of the one thing necessary, while you are so careful and troubled about the things of the world. And although we do not disallow your going abroad to follow any lawful calling or way of livelyhood, yet seeing it cannot profit a man although he should gain the whole world and lose his own soul, and seeing you have travelled so far, and taken so much pains to get uncertain riches, which cannot deliver in the day of the wrath of the Lord, and which men know not who shall inherit: We do from our affection to the salvation of your immortal souls, most earnestly beseech and warn you to cry after knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding, seeking her as silver, and searching for her as for hid treasures, and so play the wise Merchants in purchasing the Pearl of price, and in laying up a sure foun [...]ation for the time to come, by acquainting your souls with Jesus Christ, and by faith taking hold of him, whose free grace is now offered and held out to [Page 5]sinners, excluding none among all the kinreds of the earth who will come unto him. God forbid that you should let slip the time and offers of grace, or neglect any warning of this kinde sent to you in the Name of the Lord. We shall hope better things of you, & that knowing the acceptable time and the day of salvation will not always last, but the Lord Jesus is to be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the Gospel, you will the rather bestir your selves timely and with all diligence to seek the Lord while he may be found, to endeavour that you may have among you the ordinary means of grace and salvation, to pray that God would give you Pastours according to his heart, who shall feed you with knowledge and understanding, to consult also and agree among your selves, with consent of your Superiours under whom you live (whose favour and good will we trust will not be wanting to you in so good and necessary a work) for setting up the Worship of God and Ecclesiastical Discipline among you according to the Form established and received in this your mother Kirk, and for a way of setled maintenance to Pastours and Teachers: Which if you do, our Commissioners appointed to meet from time to time in the interval betwixt this and the next national Assembly, will be ready (upon your desire made known to them) to provide some able and godly Ministers for you, as likewise to communicate to you our Directory for the publike Worship of God, and our form of Ecclesiastical Government and Discipline; together with the Confession of Faith and Catechism.
And in the mean time, we exhort you that [...] neglect not the worship of God in secret and in your families, and that ye continue stedfast in the profession of that Faith in which ye were baptized, and by a godly, righteous and sober conversation adorn the Gospel; and withal, that distance of the place make you not the lesse sensible of your Countries sufferings, both in respect of the just judgements of God for the sins of the Land, & in respect of the malice of enemies for the common Cause and Covenant of the three Kingdoms, of which happie Conjunction, notwithstanding we do not repent us, but by the grace of God shall continue faithful and stedfast therein.
This Letter we have thought fit to be printed and published, that it may be with the greater ease and conveniency conveyed to the many several places of your habitation or traffique. Consider what we have said, and the Lord give you understanding in all things. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all, Amen.