REASON'S Why the MINISTERS, ELDERS, AND PROFESSORS, Who Protested against the pretended ASSEMBLIES at St. Andrews, Dundee and Edinburgh, cannot agree to the Overtures made unto them at the Conference upon the 28. and 29. of July, 1652.  
Together with the INSTRUCTIONS, given by them to such of th●● number as were sent to the said Conference.  
And the Letter directed to Mr. David Dickson, for communicating their PAPERS.  
Printed at Leith by Evan Tyler, 1652.   

Right Reverend,  
WE have now for these fourteen days past, been employed in using our best endeavours, and waited for Overtures from you, for healing the breach, and removing the differences that are amongst us; And now there being no ground of hope given us, nor any desire made unto us for continuing the Conference, whereby a better understanding might be attained, We have thought good before our parting from this place, to send unto you this enclosed Paper, together with the Instructions given in writing to these who were sent from us to the Conference, the Copy whereof was offered by them to these who were sent from your number, and left with them; Both which Papers we desire you to communicate to those of your meeting. 〈…〉 st  
●…ry loving Brethren in the Lord. Edinburgh 29. July 1652. Subscribed in the name of many Ministers, Elders, and Professors throughout the Land, who desire Truth and Peace. Directed For the Reverend Brother Mr. David Dickson, Professor of Divinity in the College of Edinburgh.   

REASON'S Why the Ministers, Elders and Professors, who Protested against the Pretended Assemblies at St. Andrews, Dundee and Edinburgh, cannot agree to the Overtures made unto them at the conference upon the 28. and 29 of July 1652.  
Together with the Instructions given by them to such of their number as were sent to the said Conference, And the Letter directed to Mr. David Dickson for communicating the Papers.  
ALbeit the Essays and Endeavours which were used by us, before our coming hither, for removing of differences and attaining of Union and Peace, upon such grounds as might (indeed) bring forth a discovery of our and the Lands Sin, and contribute for removing the guilt thereof, and for securing and promoving the Work of Reformation amongst us, might in a great part have acquitted our consciences, and cleared us before the world; yet the deep sense that we had of the many and great prejudices which do ensue to the Work and people of GOD, by our continued Divisions and our ardent desire of Peace and Union, upon the grounds foresaid, constrained us to lay hold upon the opportunity of your meeting together at this time, and to re-present unto you some necessary and just Propositions, as fit subject of our conference; and that we were willing to hear what should be offered by you to us, in order to these ends; and, that therefore ye would forbear to assume unto yourselves the power of, or constitute yourselves into a General Assembly. And when we found this ineffectual, and our Union rendered more hopeless by your denying a desire so just and reasonable, and so agreeable to the practice of former Assemblies, as was instanced before you by these who knew the Records: Nevertheless upon a surmise of a purpose in you to confer with us, we did for divers days wait upon you, being desirous to have seen upon your part some serious applying of yourselves to the real means of healing, and to have found solid satisfaction unto the things contained in the Propositions offered to you by us: But in place of this, the Brethren who were appointed by you to confer with some of our number, did intimate unto us, that all which they had in Commission to make offer of, was, that ye were willing to take off the Censures infl●cted by the former Assembly at St. Andrews and Dunder, and the Censurableness that persons, who have transgressed against the Acts thereof might be liable unto, Providing that these Brethren Censured and deserving Censure, should pass from their Protestation against the former and present Assemblies and Judicially before their Presbyteries and Synods, engage themselves under their hands, not hereafter to deliver their judgements in Preaching or writing, or any way else to hold up the late differences: Which Overture when it was earnestly desired by these of our number to be given to them in writing according to their Instructions, not only because 'twas divers ways represented by such of your number as did confer with them, but also that they might the more perfectly and better understand the same, and be able to make an exact report thereof to these who sent them, and mistakes thereupon might be prevented: It was most peremptorily refused, albeit most earnestly urged and desired during the whole time of the Conference: Therefore having set down the same als truly and impartially as our judgements and memories could attain; We do for our own vindication, and satisfaction of others give these Reasons following, why we cannot accept thereof.  
I. Because there is hereby no remedy at all offered for the course of defection involved in the public resolutions, nor for preventing the like for times to come, which is the main ground of difference; but upon the contrary we are required upon the matter to retract our Testimonies thereanent, and judicially to give Bonds and Engagements hereafter to be silent concerning the sin and guilt thereof.  
II. Because our passing from our Protestation doth import a real acknowledgement of the lawfulness and freedom of the Assemblies in regard of their constitution, and of power in them to inflict and take off censures, and so by our own con●ent, doth not only retract and condemn the testimony which we formerly gave against the same; But also obstructeth the remeading of what is past, and the attaining a lawful, free General Assembly for the time to come, and so wreathes about our own neck, and the necks of the Lords people, the yoke of unfree, corrupt and unlawful Assemblies.  
III. Because the offer which is made, though it contains Immunity in regard of these who have not acquiesced unto, or opposed these Acts for the time past, yet the Acts of themselves do notwithstanding thereof, still stand in force, as a ground of persecution against all these Ministers and Professors, who shall not accept of the conditions contained in this offer, or thereafter fail in performance of the same.  
iv Because this offer is so far from reaching satisfaction to all or most part of the Propositions offered by us, that it doth not give satisfaction to any one of them, but pitcheth upon a particular, which ought to be of least consequence with us, (as importing but our personal suffering) without taking notice of the Lands defection, and of those things which do concern the Kingdom and Interest of JESUS CHRIST and the purging of his House; and what a sin and provocation should it be against the Lord, and what a stumbling and grief of heart unto the godly who have concurred in these Propositions, and after such a defection, do expect repentance and reformation, and the purging of his House of corrupt Officers and Members, if we should make such a transaction, as seems to promise present security to ourselves, but doth not contribute for preserving of the truth, and attaining a  peace and union in the Lord.  
V We cannot see how the passing from these Propositions, and the taking upon us such engagements for the time to come as are desired, should not involve us in the condemning of our own judgements, and in the acknowledgement of a sin and offence in making these Protestations, and bearing testimony against the Public, Resolutions, and import that what is done by you in taking off of consures and censurableness (as you term it) is an Act of mere favour and grace upon your part, unto Deliquents, upon their repentance. And though we hope that we shall never be ashamed, but esteem it our mercy and glory to acknowledge any thing whereby we have provoked the Lord, or offended others, yet being more and more convinced in our consciences, that what we did in these things was a necessary duty, we dare not purchase immunity and exemption from Censures at so dear a rate, as to deny the same, we shall rather choose still to be sufferers, and to wait upon the issue that the Lord shall give, then to provock the eyes of his glory, grieve the spirits of his People, and wound our own Consciences by so unsatisfying and so sinful a transaction.  
And conceiving that, we shall not have the opportunity to speak unto you hereafter, as being now about to dissolve our Meeting; We do from the zeal that we own to the honour of God, and from the tender respect that we own unto you as Brethren, and for exonering our own Consciences, most earnestly beseech and obtest you, by your appearing before the Lord Jesus Christ, to give yourselves unto Prayer, and searching of your own hearts and way, in Order to Public Resolutions and Actings, until each of you find out wherein ye have turned aside from the strait way of the Lord, and employed your gifts and power not for Edification, but for grieving the spirits of many of the Godly, and strengthening of the hands of the wicked, and to Repent thereof, and to do no more so, lest wrath be increased from the Lord, the godly of the Land more offended, and our breach made wider, and our wound more incurable. If both you and we might obtain mercy of the Lord to know our trespass, and why he contends, and to accept the punishment of our iniquity, and humble ourselves before him, who knoweth but that he might yet have compassion upon us, and pardon our sins, and heal our Land.   

July the 28. Antemerid. 1652.  
Mr. Andrew Cant, Mr. Samuel Rutherford, Mr. James Guthry, My Lord Waristoun, Mr. Robert Trail, Mr. John Nevay, Mr. James Nasmith, being nominated to meet and confer with some Brethren, Members of the present pretended Assembly, the Instructions following were given them, and the Meeting doth require and expect that they will walk according thereto.  
I. That they shall Declare to the Brethren with whom they are to meet, That as they do adhere to the Protestations formerly and lately given in; so they do protest that they do not meet nor confer with them, nor receive any Papers from them as being in the capacity of Commissioners of a General Assembly, but only as sent from a meeting of Ministers and Elders, wanting any such Authority.  
II. That whatever be offered by the Brethren with whom they do confer, they desire to get it in writing from them as the mind of the Meeting whereof they are Members; That it being communicated to us, Answer may be given thereunto by our whole Meeting.  
III. That they do not engage in Conference with them at first about the matter of Censures; It being neither the chief nor only ground of our grievance; and because with us things of that nature, and any thing of personal concernment ought to be of the smallest value, while there are many things in question betwixt them and us of far higher Consequence to the Kingdom of Christ and his Interest; as anent the causes of God's controversy with the Land, and the way of Remedy and cure of the former and late defection, and the way of preventing the like in time coming; The est ablishing and promoving the Work of Reformation, and the purging of the Kirk, and the like, as are said before them in our Propositions given in to their Meeting; And that they do intimate to the Brethren foresaid, that we cannot look upon an offer relating only to the Censures upon some of our number as satisfaction to them or us, and that (besides what we have said, for other Reasons to be communicated in due time to their Meeting. And that therefore they shall offer to these Brethren, and desire of them that if there be any Conference at all, the subject matter of it may be upon the whole Propositions in the order as they stand.  
iv That in case of their refusing the latter part of the former Article, they shall require and demand from the Brethren of the other Meeting, That they would Declare whether we may expect that th●se from whom they were sent will either by the said rethrens, or any other way give Answer and Satisfaction to us anent the Propositions, and what is their sense and meaning of the Public Resolutions, and anent the Constitution, Acts and Proceed of the Meeting at Dundee, and of this at Edinburgh, and what they minds to do in reference to the same.  
V That in case there be not satisfaction on obtained in these so just and necessary things, They do pro●esse their own and our dis-satisfaction with any thing that hath been offered by them to us, or answered to our desires first or last. And that they protest for themselves and us, That as we have sought Peace and pursued it by all lawful and possible means, though much in vain on their part So we are henceforth free from the guilt and blame of the sad prejudices and evil consequences whatsomever, which may follow upon their present way, and their former and future Actings of that nature so contrary and destructive to Edification and Peace.  
FINIS.