An Humble REMONSTRANCE OF THE Commissioners of the General Assembly, met at Edinburgh, the 13th of October 1647. And since concluded.  
Concerning The KING'S Majesties ANSWER to the PROPOSITIONS of both Kingdoms for Peace.  
ALSO About the ARMY in England, and touching some things in Relation to the PARLIAMENT.  
WITH Their Desires presented to the Right-Honourable the Committee of Estates for the Kingdom of Scotland.  

By the Appointment of the Commissioners of the General Assembly.  
Signed, ALEXANDER KER.  
Novemb 1. 1647.  
Imprimatur,  
Gilbert Mabbott.   
Printed at Edinburgh by Evan Tyler, Printer to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, 1647. And Reprinted at London by Robert Ibbitson, in Smithfield, 1647.   

TO THE RIGHT-HONOURABLE THE COMMITTEE of ESTATES: The humble Remonstrance of the Commissioners of the General Assembly, met at Edinburgh the 13th. of Octob. 1647.  
AS there hath been very lately a public and solemn Thanksgiving, for the great mercies and deliverances, which God hath wrought for this Nation, after he had brought it very low, so the dangers which are interwoven with our deliverances are very great, and still growing greater. This also cometh forth from the Lord of Hosts, who is wonderful in Council, and excellent in working, that we may not be secure, or think that all our storms are overpast, but may serve the Lord in fear, and rejoice in trembling, and be the more stirred up to watchfulness, circumspection, and zeal, in all the duties which the condition of this time calls for.  
We therefore in the discharge of that great trust which is committed to us, and according to the duty of watchmen set upon this watch-Tower, can not be silent in a time of so great danger, but hold it incombent to us, humbly and faithfully to report, and Remonstrate to your Lordships that the dangers of the true reformed Religion, and cause of God in this whole Island, whereby the late general Assembly their Declaration, communicated to Your Lordships, discovered to be in many respects so great, and so imminent, as might justly occasion to your Lordships, in your wisdoms, to think of some more effectual means, and remedies for preventing of removing of such dangers, although they could not now be aggravated by any new emergents. Nevertheless we have too great cause to conceive that the dangers of Religion are now grown greater, than they were at the time of the General Assembly.  
And even since the time of publishing your Lordship's Act, concerning the disbanding of the Army in this Kingdom, The wise and marvellous providence of God is making answer and Proclamation aloud in both our ears, that the danger is become greater, and more imminent, for the waters of the present deluge, are grown many cubit's higher since that time; for evidence whereof, the King's Majesties late Answer to the Propositions of both Kingdoms, may be instead of many Demonstrations. It is our great grief that we have cause to say so, but we must speak to the matter as it is, and unless we would shut our eyes, we cannot but behold in that Answer a threefold growing danger to Religion. For,  
1. His Majesty professeth, That as when the Propositions were offered to him at Newcastle, he could not agree to some of them without violation of his Conscience and Honour; So neither can he agree to others of them now, conceiving them more disproportionable to the present condition of Affairs then when they were formerly presented to him; as being destructive to the principal Interests of the Army: So that his Majesty's dis-agreeing being now more enlarged, and of a greater latitude than before, if his Majesty's former Answer to the Propositions was justly conceived to be unsatisfactory in point of Religion, this last doth much less satisfy; For although his Majesty did not in his former Answer agree to the Covenant, and other material Propositions, concerning Religion, yet there was in that Answer some part of satisfaction, even to the Propositions concerning Religion: Whereas in the late Answer, even that part of satisfaction is by the aforesaid expression unsettled, instead of being adhered unto: We shall pass that clause in the Answer which owneth the Interests of the Army, so fare as to prejudice the more public Interests of both Kingdoms in those Propositions agreed upon after mature deliberation by both Parliaments.  
2. His Majesty's waving the Propositions of both Kingdoms, and pressing the Proposals of the Army to be the subject of a Treaty, doth yet further increase the danger of Religion, seeing those Proposals, as they omit and abandon the former desires of both Kingdoms, in point of Religion, so they cannot avoid (as the words stand) the continuing of Prelacy, the Toleration of Heresies and Sects, and the taking away of the Ordinance enjoining the taking of the Covenant, as is more fully expressed in the Declaration of the late General Assembly.  
3. His Majesty's Answer doth also divide that joint and common Interest of both Kingdoms in the Propositions, which was formerly the ground of a joint Treaty of both with his Majesty: Hereby ( may be the prejudice otherwise) surely Religion will suffer not a little, forasas the Propositions concerning the Covenant of the three Kingdoms, and the uniformity between them in Religion, and by this means in effect excluded from the Treaty; The joint desires, and common cancernments of the Kingdoms in point of uniformity in Religion, being no part of the subject of a Treaty, with either Kingdom severally, but of a Treaty with both jointly.  
Yet his Majesty's Answer to the Propositions, is not the only danger to be now looked on in this business, for ever since that Answer was given, this common cause and Covenant hath been yet further weakened, and dangerously wounded by the late strong endeavours in England, to move the Parliament to establish by their Authority, a toleration of Sectaries, and to slight and lay aside such of the Propositions of peace as concern the Covenant, and the joint interest of the Kingdoms in Religion.  
It addeth grief to our sorrow, that we have cause to mention the new persecutions raised there by meanus of the sectaries, against divers who have been zealous and active for the good ●f Religion, King, and Kingdoms Yea, they who plead so much for Liberty of Conscience to themselves, allow so little of it to others who differ from them, that they can now make up a charge either of constructive Treason, or of high crimes and misdemeanours against them, for such particulars as do upon the matter a mount to no more but zealous endeavours in opposing the way of the Sectaries.  
Neither common sense, nor christian sympathy can suffer us to conceive that the cause of Religion is in no greater danger than before, when persecution is growing daily more and more hot against s●ch as have most appeared against, or endeavoured to hinder the late unsufferable exhorbitances of the Sectaries.  
While the danger of Religion is thus increased abroad, we cannot say that it is grown any whit less at home, but rather greater: for besides the dangerous influence which the growing power of the enemies of the Covenant in England is like to have upon this Kingdom, the Malignant faction at home, hath not so much decreased in profession, as increased in design and practice against this cause and Covenant; surely they who are dis-affected in this Nation, being many, are as malicious as before, when very shortly after the expedition into England, perceiving no force within the Kingdom to resist them, they took Arms, and disturbed the public peace: And if they were so ready to stir when that Army was, but out of the Kingdom, how much more if it shall be disbanded? Some enemies are still in the field, and in actual rebellion within this Kingdom; And there is too great cause to fear that many others who retain their former principles and continue in their former designs against this cause, shall not be slow to take up Arms, if your Lordships lay them down.  
And so much the more may this be expected, because as their pride and insolency is of late grown more intolerable upon hopes of disbanding the Army, so there are many of them enraged as Bears rob of their whelps or as Wolves of the evening, being also desperate of mending their broken Estates, except it be i● public combustione; others of them are animated and employed by the great favour and indulgence which hath been showed towards them in their delinquencies, in so much that they are thereby hardened from repenting of their Rebellion, or compliance with Rebels, and even bless themselves for a better lot, easier yoke, and lighter burd●n th●n those who have beer most real and active for the Covenant.  
These dangers of Religion we have insisted upon, as being most proper for us to speak to, and not as we were insensible of the great danger of the King's person, and of Monarchical Government, for preserving of which according to our Covenant, our prayers and best endeavours shall not be wanting.  
And now the danger of Religion in all this being so great, and the grounds of our fears and apprehensions being so pregnant, we earnestly beseech, and humbly obtest your Lordships in the bowels of Jesus Christ, and by the vows of God which are upon you, that as your Lordship's desire God, and your own consciences, and the posterity may not afterwards charge upon you, the ruin of Religion, King and Kingdoms, so your Lordships may be very tender and conscionable, that no such design be entertained, or get place among you, as tendeth to the dis-abling of this Church and Kingdom from an effectual prosecuting, and promoting of the ends of the Covenant, or to the strengthening and enabling the enemies thereof by affording them the opportunity which they wait for, to disturb again the peace, and to destroy the present Reformation.  
These and no better effects can be looked for, if the Army in this Kingdom, which hath been so blessed of God, and so faithful to you, shall be disbanded before this cause, which so much concerneth the glory of God, the Reformation and defence of Religion, the Peace and safety of the Kingdoms, the Honour and happiness of the King, be settled upon a firm foundation.  
In this our humble desire we are not biased with any respect to any particular party or interest, our witness is in Heaven, and within our breasts, that we speak for the interest of Religion and of the cause of God; neither doth that we desire tend to a new Wane, but to the preventing of a new war, nor to the increasing of burdens in the Kingdom, but to the preventing of greater burthers: Nor is it ourdesire alone, but many others are equally sensible with us of the great danger which may accrue to this cause from the disbanding of that Army.  
It is not un-observed that most of those who are active for the laying down of Arms, are such as were against the taking up of Arms in this Cause: However since there can be no assurance in human reason that the Kingdom shall read no Army, we humbly offer it to your Lordship's most serious thoughts, bow fare a new state of the question, setting aside the Covenant (while some late debates, both here and in England, give us cause to fear) and the raising or employing another Army, (which we also apprehend and expect, if this Army was once disbanded) may be prejudicial and even destructive to this Cause and Covenant, for which this Nation hath done and suffered so much.  
Having thus discharged our Consciences we humbly leave all this to be well weighed by your Lordships, and we pray the Lord himself to guide your Lordship's council that you may be like the wise men of Issachar having understanding of the times, what Israel ought to do, and what they ought not to do  
ALEXANDER KER.  
FINIS.