THE GOOD NEWS OF ENGLAND'S APPROVING THE COVENANT SENT FROM SCOTLAND: And some Reasons for assisting the Parliament of ENGLAND, against the Papists and Prelatical Army.  
LONDON, Printed for John Bellamy, and Ralph Smith. 1643.   

4. September.  
THe Covenant which was sent up from the General Assembly, and Convention of Estates, was approven unanimously by the Assembly of Divines on Friday the first, by the House of Commons on Saturday the second, and by the House of Peers on Monday the fourth of September, nemine contradicente, as both the printed diurnals, and written Letters report, with a great and happy change of the countenance of people, and face of affairs thereupon. Blessed be the name of God therefore.   

Reasons for assisting the Parliament of ENGLAND against the Papists and Prelatical Army.  

FIRST, THe Controversy now in England, being betwixt the Lord Jesus and Antichrist with his followers, if we would not come under the curse of Meroz, we should come out upon so clear a call, from the representative body of England, to the representative body of Scotland, and help the Lord against the mighty, being assured that the help that we give to his Kirk, in such an exigent, is given to himself, and shall not want a blessed reward.  
Secondly, There was an Act passed by the Convention of Estates, Anno 1585. conform to the desire of the General Assembly 1583. for a common band and union betwixt the two Kingdoms, wherein the Estates found it necessary for their own safety, and the safety of Religion, not only to join all their Forces at home, but also to enter in a league and Christian confederation with all Protestant Princes and Estates, against the bloody league at Trent, and do think that this defence of the Gospel, is the most lawful cause that Christians can maintain and defend, especially this union betwixt the two Kingdoms, against all attempts contrary to either of them, to be a necessary security for both their Estates, and they conceive the same league to be offensive and defensive in matters of Religion, and do solemnly swear to confirm the whole Articles thereof in the next Parliament, and neither to spare their lives nor goods in the quarrel, and maintenance thereof, both against Foreign Invasion, and intestine Insurrection of Papists within this Island; Conformed to which there followed, first a league betwixt the two Crowns, subscribed at Berwick, 1586. to the same effect, and upon the fear and apprehension of the Spanish Armado, 1587. and 1588. the Confession of Faith was subscribed by all the Subjects of this Kingdom, together with the General Band therein, by the order of the King, Counsel and Convention of States, wherein the Subjects did swear to join and concur with the whole Forces of their Friends and Favourers against whatsoever Foreign, or Intestine Powers of Papists and their partners, shall arrive or rise, within this Land, or any part thereof, ready to defend or pursue them, and therefore the cause being the same, the parties being the same, and the danger being the same, now we are bound to perform, now what we promised then.  
Thirdly, we stand obliged to England, for old kindness to us being in the same posture then, that they are in now, for in the year 1556. and 1557. the Estates of this Land, finding the Reformation of Religion, opposed, by their own Princes with Arms and violence, and themselves oppressed by the Popish Army, sought and obtained the assistance of an Army from England, upon the conditions recorded in the History, whereby they expelled the French Army, made the pacification; at Leith held the Parliamant 1560. established the Religion. Thereafter they got new assistance from England, to suppress the general Popish Faction; whereby they took in the Castle of Edinburgh from the Laird of Grange, and in that public printed Prayer, prefixed to the Psalm Book, we solemnly promised never to forget their kindness against the French, which we call to mind in the manifestation of the lawfulness of the expedition into England, we stand obliged to them also for their late kindness, for they not only refused to levy Arms against us in the last troubles, but also did meditate for a Treaty, did welcome and kindly entertain our Army for a year, did freely bestow upon us their brotherly assistance of three hundreth thousand pound, whereupon we acknowledged our thankfulness, not to consist in affection and words at that time, but in the mutual kindness and real Declaration to be expected from the whole Kingdom of Scotland, in all time to come, besides solemn promises and vows, repeated in our late Declaration, and Information, published to the world, wherein we assure them of our help, in their need, as in the Remonstrance of the States of Scotland, 1639. page 28. Remonstrance to the Parliament of England 1640. page 15, 16. Intentions of the Army of Scotland, near the end.  
Fourthly, the common danger imminent to both Kirks and Kingdoms, do invite us to help them: for as we have expressed in many Declarations, we and they sail in one bottom, dwell in one house, are members of one body, that according to our own Principles, if either of the two Nations or Kirks be ruinated the other cannot long subsist, if the Parliament of England be destroyed, and Popery be set up there, it is a leading case to this Kingdom and Kirke, for we have the same friends and foes, the same cause, and must run the same hazard, and many years' experience hath taught us, what influence Popery and Prelacy in England may have upon Scotland, for from thence came the Prelates, the Ceremonies, the Book of Common Prayers, and Canons, and upon our refusal the bloody sword came from thence, therefore we are to take England's conditions to heart, as a common cause, to put forth our helping hand, if we tender Religion, Laws, and Liberties.  
Fifthly, the common advantage redounding to both Kirks and Kingdoms, do persuade help: for hereby we have a fair opportunity to advance uniformity in Discipline and Worship, which will prove the surest bond of Union, and bulwark to both. And it is most desired by the godly, and most opposed by Papists. They have already laid the foundation of a good building, by casting out the Prelacy, that great Idol, and they are now calling for our help to rear the building, and put on the Cap-stone in Gods own time, and also that Union will prove the greatest terror abroad of both Kingdoms, and the greatest comfort and encouragement to the bleeding, down-born Kirks abroad: And may give the greatest blow to the Kingdom of Antichrist.  
Sixthly, If we forsake England, we forsake our dearest friends, who can best help us incase we be reduced to the like straits hereafter, by the common adversary, for the distance and distressed estates of other Protestant Kirks, make them unable to help us in this kind, and if we denude ourselves of the support of England, by suffering them to sink, we do not only betray their safety, but our own, let us do herein as we would be done to, what course would we crave of them, in case the Popish and malignant Faction did prevail, by murders and rapines, as in the days of Queen Regent did ruin our Kirks and Kingdom, certainly not answer would be satisfactory, but timely help.  
Seventhly, If we suffer the Parliament of England to be cut off, we have lost our peace with England, because after our disappointment through breach of the Declaration at Dunce, we resolved to seek not a present, but a durable peace for ourselves and our posterity, and the surest mean we could pitch on, was to settle our demands by advice of the Parliament of England, as the best caution and warrant of our peace, and particularly that Parliament hath undertaken upon public faith, to pursue and apprehend any of their subjects that should break the peace by invading this Kingdom, therefore Religion and sense teaches us to see to the preservation of that amity which did obtain, and yet doth maintain our Religion and Liberties against the designs of our common enemies in England, Papists and Prelates; seeing we may remember, that these persons who now bide in the Parlialment, were the main impediments of Subsidies, for tevying war against us, and the prime procurers of ●hat Brotherly assistance, and so are probably the instruments that will most secure our peace from any disturbance from that Kingdom; but if they be destroyed, and the Popish and Prelatical Faction, the workers of our woe, do overrule the Parliament; and force it by arms, we may expect war both from King and Parliament, which they will, over power, and may upon three month's warning, denounce war against us, whereunto they will not want pretences; and we have reason to fear, that seeing they know their dis-appointment to have come from this Kingdom, yea, they do construct all, resisting of the King by arms, to be rebellion and foul treason; yea, some of the Malignants at home are reported to have vented, that the King was not tied to keep what he had granted to us, because by calling and keeping of the Convention, we have first broken to him.  
Eighthly, If we should desert them at this time, yet as Mordecai said to Esther, deliverance shall arise to them from elsewhere, but we and our Father's house may look for destruction, and who knoweth but we are restored to our Religion and Liberties, to a free Convention at this time, and made a mirror of God's mercy to all Nations and Kirks, that we may help our Brethren of England, pouring out their tears and blood for a Reformation; such an occasion to express love to Christ, and zeal for his Cause, was never offered to any Nation: therefore as the two Tribes of Reuben and Gad, with the half of Manasseh, did not sit down and take their ease, but went over Jordan armed before their Brethren, to possess them in the Land of Promise: so should we go before our Brethren, and help them to the liberty of the Gospel, and casting out of the Canaanites.  
Ninthly, that this is the only means for the procuring of an happy agreement betwixt the King and the Parliament, by putting up of the sword, and saving Christian blood from being shed, suppressing of Papists, and establishing Religion in his Dominions: for humble Supplications and Remonstrances, reached out with naked hands, will not prevail with our adversaries, who have environed our King, and closed his ears to the cry of his Subjects.   
But it will be objected, seeing our Religion and Liberties are established according to our own desires by Act of Assembly and Parliament, with his Majesty's consent, and seeing his Majesty's Declaration to the whole Kingdom, and Letter to every Nobleman and Burrow, do give assurance for preservation of the same, without altering, we have no interest nor hazard however business go in England, but should keep ourselves in peace and quiet.  

1. Answer, in all the proceed of this business we have from time to time declared that neither verbal promises, nor fair Declarations for maintaining Religion and Liberty could secure us, because we have so often found facta verbis contraria, and that by the power and means of our adversaries. As for example, the treaty at Dunce, when we for his Majesty's honour confided to verbal gracious expressions of his Majesties for conditions of the Treaty, yet afterwards they were denied, and burnt by the hands of the hangman, and all reversed that then was condescended on, for our Religion and Liberty, and an Army levied against us; it was the counsel of Monsieur de Osel to the Queen Regent at Saint Andrews, for reversing our first Reformation to grant our Predecessors in fair promises and Declarations all that they craved, and when thereby they should be divided, to interpret these by herself: and to take order with the heads of the opponers: and this policy was used by the King of France for subverting of the Protestant Religion, for he fed the one half of them with fair promises of Freedoms and Privileges, until he had cut off the other half, as witnesseth Monsieur de Thou; 71 pag. 463.  
2. As we have found by former experience, that the establishment of our first Reformation by an Act of Assemby and Parliament, could not secure us from the violent pressing of Innovations against both; and in the new Remonstrance, 1640. pag. 16. we have fully expressed, that no Assembly or Parliament, no rotten Cable, nor slipping Anchor of Articles, whereunto we had fastened our hopes, can be any Road or Harbour of safety for us, so long as our enemies sit at the Helm, and govern the King's Council, and Courses, and who makes the King's Majesty by extrajudicial Declarations, to enerve and evacuate all that is done in Assembly and Parliament, and to interpret Laws contrary to the advice of Judicators of Kirk and State, as of late our mediation betwixt his Majesty and his Parliament, was rejected contrary to the advice and judgement of Commissioners of the peace, and the Council and hard answer to the Commissioners of the Kirk, was contrary to an Article of the Treaty, and the Act of the General Assembly, and his stopping of our Commissioners to go to London, contrary to his own safe conduct.  
3. If the Parliament of England that now is, be destroyed, who shall undertake for our safety, as the King's Declarations of his own Intentions cannot exceed his Person, nor secure us at the hands of his Successors; so we may perceive in the late discovery of the plots of the Scots, English, and Irish Papists, that these Declarations can be no sufficient security against the surprising of Papists and Malignants, if they be permitted to carry arms within any of the Kingdoms.   
But we are a poor people, not able for such an undertaking.  
For answer, the representative body of the Kingdom now convened, can best satisfy this objection. Secondly, when God calls his people, and makes them willing, he gives them also strength, that through him they do valiantly. Thirdly, God hath helped us in all enterprises for his Cause, and he will yet provide, in the Mount it shall be seen; we were but poor the last time, we went to the field in his errand, and yet he provided for us beyond expectation; his hand is not shortened that he cannot save, if the Lord call us, he will be with us, and if he be with us, we shall not want: we hope the wise Convention of States will see to the conditions that the Kingdom receive as little detriment as may be, only let us not think it strange if the best works meet with the greatest difficulties. Thirdly, it is objected they will not embrace a Presbyterial government in the Kirk, and so no hope of uniformity. Answer, they have already put out Espiscopall government, root and branch, neither will they, nor do the Protestant Kirks know of any other but Presbyterial.  
Secondly, their zealous Predecessors having in the days of Queen Elizabeth adventured upon many and heavy sufferings for setting up a Presbyterial government, were born down with the streams of the times, and the power of Prelacy; and if any zealous man amongst them have their scruples against Presbyterial government, we trust the Lord will reveal the truth unto them.  
Thirdly, they have in many Declarations, expressed their resolutions and desires for uniformity.  
FINIS.   

Imprimatur,  
Ja. Cranford.