AN ANSWER to a Declaration of the Commissioners of the General Assembly, To the whole Kirk and Kingdom of SCOTLAND. Concerning present dangers, and duties relating to the Covenant and Religion.  By BORIALIS Guard. 
THE Commissioners of the general Assembly of the Church of Scotland are better read in books than men, and in this age of different opinions, they do like those at the confusion of languages, sort themselves with whosoever they be that jump with them in judgement, and think them honest and infallible in all things else, that hit right in Presbytery, though they but pretend to it, for such there are that are neither Presbyterians, nor Independents, but cry up the one, because it cries down the other, and consequently the English Army that new model, which they hate for their virtues, not for their vices, their victories, not their tenets. But the greatest Clerks are not always the wisest men, nor see not the furthest into a millstone. Some read Machiavelli to do him, but they to undo him. There are Protestant Jesuits of the short robe, that can so disguise themselves as to cousin them of the long, and draw them (by an erroneous credulity) to be really theirs, but by seeming that they are not.  
all's not gold that glisters, nor all true Englishmen or Patriots that are friends to Presbytery, or foes to the Army. Believe it, there are many Lay Lord-bishops still alive, that go disguised in Presbyterian visors, because they know it is in vain to strive against the stream, until the wind blow right for them. Whoever he is that is an Englishman, and entrusted for the Commonwealth, if he be factor for the King, he holds his principles as well Ecclesiastical as civil, and intends the Prerogative of both, time will tell you so, though they do not; if God deceive them not, they will deceive you; but hitherto they have miss their mark, traveled with iniquity, conceived mischief, and brought forth a lie, and so I am confident will ever do. Only take heed you of partaking in other men's sins, call not evil good, nor good evil, but distinguish; cry down error, but not the Army, lest you change the actors, but not the tragedy, and cry up Presbytery, but not all Presbyterians, lest as wise as you are, at last you conclude with a non putarem.  
The King long since pawned both the word of a King and a Gentleman, and never yet redeemed them (for Peter Martyr observes, That at Rome it's a maxim that Merchants, not Kings are to keep their words, and Popery and he have been long bedfellows) how to charm our English credulities, in his papers he calls God to witness, another state stratagem (it seems he is not witness to oaths and promises) for nothing must be left unsaid or unassaid, and vouches conscience for the continuing of Archbishops, Bishops and their lands, because of the great Charter, and the curse of the superstitious donors. So that the Ecclesiastical part of Magna Charta may not be violated, nor Popish Episcopal lands alienated, but the civil or secular part of it may without offence, his people's liberty, property, and estates too sans scruple. Rare Chemistry, in conscience, that can distinguish without a difference, whereas indeed the root of the matter grows out of that old rotten maxim, No Bishop, no King. He that can break his word when he will, and make conscience of what he will, well he may ruin me, but he shall never deceive me, whose nature is so apparently disagreeing to his office, and the duties belonging thereunto.  
From the Bishops, whose abolition he tells you in his message from the life of Wight, he cannot consent to, he falls down to the Militia, and does as unclearly consent to that, as he clearly dissented from the other; for first having laid a firm foundation of it to be inherent in the Crown (as if the interest of the King were divers from that of the Kingdom, and the Crown or Court to be preferred to the Commonwealth and its safety) by a strong assertion, though he can neither press men nor raise moneys, and therefore cannot give his consent to alienate it from the Crown, and that because of his trust, which he is careful to keep, but not to perform. Yea, so tender is he of the Commonwealth, that he will not part with the Militia no not to itself; but to give an infallible evidence of his intentions, he will and he will not as to himself departed with it during his reign, for first he says he will consent to an act that the whole power of the Militia shall during that time be ordered and disposed by the two houses, and after he comes with a mental reservation, and saith, that neither his Majesty, nor any other (by any authority derived only from him (shall execute, etc. also that patents and commissions must go as formerly, viz. In his own name, which to grant, it seems in court construction, is to yield the right of the Militia to be in the Crown, the thing he drives at, for thereby he gains more de jure than he loses defacto, and is the more to be avoided, and the legal intentions of such laws, and their terms (bordering upon the Crown) both in this and other things of like nature ought to be made more explicate both to the vulgar people's better understanding and Kings also, who only talk of a trust to delude the people, and make it a stalking horse to compass their wills, and make themselves absolute, for what bears their image or superscription, it seems  to the Court-credit is believed to be absolutely and inseparably theirs, as if the Crown were neither from, nor for the people; upon these terms, in time, our moneys will be pretended to as well as our Laws, if care be not taken to prevent it. All monopolies have legal pretences, specially Prerogative the worst of all, wherewith his Majesty is so impetuously principled, that he is not counsellable in things touching common and public good in a regular understanding of them according to the end and ordination of government. If the Militia be a flower of the Crown, pray, take it out, and stick a jewel i'th' room on't which is both of more Majesty and less danger. From the Militia he passes to the Armies arrears, and in time proffers to pay them 400000. abl. a great sum (it seems he hath been lustily promised, and well advised, during his abode at Hampton-Court) but nothing to a willing mind, for so he hopes either to disband them (and then he knows how to re-inburse that money, and as much more as will pay his arrears also) or to win them to himself when he himself becomes their pay master. And though he cannot departed with the Militia from the Crown, yet with the Court of Wards he can, though that also is invested in the Crown for protection and that of Infants, but this he is content to have taken away if it seem grievous, not the other though it be so, to all. In the close he minds them of that which of all other must not be forgotten, The dissolving this Parliament to make way for another by due elections, that is wherein his partizent, Cavaliers and malignanrs may be both elected and electors, and so undo all that either is already or shall hereafter be done by this, and then we have spun a long thread to little purpose, rare sophistry and King craft. But I hope the people of England understand their interest better than thus to pull down their props, and bring the house upon their heads, and that they will not take seem for Being's, nor shadows for realities. Take heed of disguises and Court-masks, after so many blows and bullets, be not fooled with fair words, and false fires. I pray your Majesty Believe yourself a Subject, as well as a Sovereign, and know that honesty is the best policy. stand not on your head and shake your heels against heaven. Take God more into your counsels and your people into your care: It hath ever been the fault of Kings to study and practice policy more than piety, which hath brought so great miseries upon many of them, and some to untimely ends, and what came of them after, God knows: what will it advantage you to gain the whole world (of power, and that power never so absolute) and lose your precious soul, you must die as well as other men and leave your Crown behind you when you go to the grave. Sure Kings either think they may sin cum privilegio, or that those things which are sins in other men, as b'ing, dissembling, oppression, murder, rapine, swearing, forswearing, are not so in them. Play with your conscience which one day will be serious with you, pretend, not protection when you intent destruction, be not deceived, Got will not be mocked. How can you expect to be believed that never kept your word till this parliament, nor now if you could have broken it, the endeavours whereof hath been the cause of all this Civil war and bloodshed, besides, you still retain the same principles, entertain the same counsellors, and adhere to the same friends. It's true that Kings are called Gods, so are Devils to, therefore bear not yourself upon that, as if there were no excellence in God but Power and Sovereignty, whereas he hath other Attributes and Properties besides that are honourable, and that he is to be honoured for, as goodness, mercy, justice protection, faithfulness, initate him in these, so shalt you be Gods indeed, and though you must die like men, yet shall you be as the Angels, for as ill Kings their condemnation is greater, so are good Kings their glorification higher, by how much their talon and stewardship on earth is above others.  
The Scots are singular Schoolmen in State-matters, and can distinguish to a mote in the sun. If the Parliament wished them to advance Southward, they retreated Northward by a Scotch figure, because the North of England, is the South of Scotland. And lay just so long before Newarke, till by private confabulation, the King came to their Leaguer, and then, and there broke their word (but kept Covenant with the Parliaments Commissioners,) against their promise carrying away the King to Newcastle, in all post haste, as if they had meant to have invited him to Edinburgh, in freedom, honour and safety, but no such martyr my Lord; touching the King's dignity and greatness; the Covenant only binds on this side Tweed, for beyond it He's little enough, but it seems they have bargained with him like the two Tribes and half, so they may have all beyond Jordan, they'll see him in safe possession of Canaan, therefore, for that end, must there needs be a personal Treaty, and an invitation of him (whom they'll near invite into Scotland) to London, in honour, safety, and freedom, the Kings own words, fiddle and stick, which makes Pregmaticus (the Court-jester) ready to leap out of his skin, for joy, to hear this tune played upon the Scotch Bagpipes, so that he'll go near to want a Theme, to time upon next week, being reconciled to this loyal fraternity. But they tell you the reason (and for my part I believe them) why they would have the King entertained at our cost, because they say their happiness is in him, for you must consider the two great wheels of the Scotch Engine is now in perpetual motion, the one to make England Scotland in matters Ecclesiastical, so that It is, and It is not so, in Scotland, were urged in the Assembly like ipse dixit in the Schools: the other is to make Scotland England in things ervill, and though an English man in Scotland must not untie the King's shoe latchet, yet they stick not to propose to have the third part of offices about him here. They cry out of the abuse offered a single Commissioner at Hampton-Court, and that no repair is made, the whilst they sanctuary Knox, and nose us with Cheesley those arch incendiaries, that in whole volumes abused the whole state of England, with breach of privilege of Parliament to boot, which by Covenant is to be maintained, and they punished, but a trick at maw will help that, for they can in their printed Papers (those Scotch spectacles to blind Englishmen) take the Covenant in pieces, and quote it in abstract Propositions leaving out the principal verb still, the conditionate coherence of one thing with another, so that the reason why they so cry up themselves (wherein they have an excellent faculty) for transeendent Covenanters, is, because they do by the Covenant, as some Sectaries of these times do by the Scriptures, bring their sense to it, and not take sense from it. And for most part what is their Religion? Presbytery, they do by it as the Jews did by the Temple, worship it instead of God, and though swearing lying, and dissembling, be even national vices amongst them, yet by virtue of this bare badge they cry up themselves for the people of the Lord, as if heaven also could be caught by craft, but forma dat esse is a maxim undeniable with them, they are the best Christians and Covenanters, because the best Presbyterians, which they make their staulking-horse to catch city and country, and the Assembly also, and their screen to be-spatter the English Parliament, except the eleven Members, whose devotion to Presbytery and the old Model, prefers them in favour above the rest. From State Presbyters, Libera nos.  
But however let us do them all good Offices, and keeps them at all due distances mix not interests, keep Covenant in the intive plain English sense of it, avoid their tedious Haranys, penned speeches, and voluminous Papers, which they only speak to the Parliament first, to the end that after they may speaks them in print to the people, which they know so great a body as the Parliament, pressed with infinite and weighty businesses cannot suddenly answer, and so think to carry the cause by cajoling the vulgar, and to divide betwixt the body real and representative, and then the towas' their owns; too much Serpentins wisdom to stand with the innocency of Doves. Think not the worse of Presbytery because they Idolise it, but let power of godliness and purity of worship get hand in hand. Let (in a word) the Parliament be true to their trust, and England to itself.  
The Army are men both in their effects and defects, and Englishmen also, the Kingdom have cause to say so, though too many are loath to speak out their commendations for fear of discommindng themselves. Emulation as it tends towards imitation is a virtue, but as to envy a vice. In the way of their possession they have done rare things, both as good Soldiers and true Patriots, in overcoming open enemies, and disappointing secret ones; but they are nothing so good at book-work, as at sword-play; it cannot be denied but they make foul work with Scripture and Pulpits, we never read of Centurion Preachers, and yet one built a Synagogue, and had so great a faith that Christ himself marvelled at it, but he had deep humility withal, and yet a great Commander, moving in his sphere as a Soldier, and not out of it. The other is renowned for a devout man, fearing God with all his house (there indeed it seems he taught as a pater familias) a Giver of Alms, and frequent in prayer, but neither before nor after Peter came to him, do we read that he took upon him to preach: It seems though they were both gracious men, yet neither of them was a Gifted Brother. They abound in Victories, and so they do in Errors, it is pity they should do so, that they who have been the Lords Host, and fought his Battles, should now be the Devils seeds-men and sow his Tares.  
Yet I would have them to be not so bitter against the Reverend and godly Ministers in the Land, because of Ordination, you know not what spirits ye are of, nor whose Design you drive therein; they have the same Seal for their Ministry that Paul had for his Apostleship, 1 Cor. 9.2, they have by it converted not a few to Christ, and that too as the truth is in Jesus, which we do not find to be the property of Antichrist or his Ministers. An orderly call adds both beauty and efficacy to the Word preached. Take heed by disparaging them or their Function in the eyes or ears of their People, you weaken not their hands in the Lords work, for which they ought to be had in estimation, or of being an occasion of putting out such lights, who have shaken the kingdom of Darkness, and by the blessing of God upon their labours have made England famous for powerful Preaching and professing in all the Christian World, and those of you that are sons and not bastards, I am confident under God have had them for your fathers. Beware of a spirit of Antichrist amongst yourselves, it is he that pretends to both Swords, and whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness, viz.  Doctrine and Error, and the reason is rendered, because they receive not the love of the truth, which is not then so light a matter as you take it for, when as the Gospel of peace (if it understand itself aright) bids us contend for it, against men of heretical judgements. Dote not so much upon the word gifted Brethren, it is a proud word since extraordinaries ceased, and makes grace a younger brother, those of you that are gracious, communicate your graces and spiritual experiences unto edification as fellow-members and private Christians, and be not many Masters in opinion, do not the work of an Office in the Church (I speak not of cases extraordinary, which have their extraordinary privileges and dispensations) Without being an Officer of the Church, one of those that Christ hath ordained. Gifts no more entitle men to public Offices in the Church than in the Commonwealth or Army, without a call. An outward call is not nothing. Study not confusion, God is not at all the God of it, and least of all in his Church. There is no better nor no worse argument against you than that of Christ, The tree is known by his fruits. Some of your Converts I have seen and talked with, full of opinion but very empty of grace and the vital Principles of Religion, put them upon dispute and they are old excellent, but upon Christian communion and they have not a word to say.  
The good old Puritan that is not ashamed of faith and repentance is the name of substance, your Proselytes must needs be strange creatures, that are strangers to the sincere milk of the Word, borne and bred a mongst foolish janglings, for your Sermons which tends to singularity and plurality of opinions, conduce not to devotion but to disputation, which old Mr. Dod (whose very name is precious for his practical piety) was wont to say, made his heart the worse a long time after.  
And indeed a practical hearted Christian loves not to hear truth doubted, for that makes faith take wind, and the whole Soul consequently far the worse, but knows they are ordained to other use, viz to be a whet-ston to our graces not to our wits. Such preaching disputants batch addle eggs, fill empty hearts with empty notions. How forcible are right words, but what doth your arguing avail? but to distune the soul. Opinion begets pride, and that keeps out every thing but itself. If you will needs preach, then preach truth and not error, as you will answer it at the dreadful day of judgement, and gather the sense of Scripture from its scope and drift, comparing spiritual things with spiritual; and not incoherently making it speak what it never meant. You have been victorious over Error, therefore let not error at the last get victory over you, like the Israelites that having conquered Idolaters, worshpped their Idols. Cry not up liberty of Conscience to the loss of Conscience, and countenancing licentiousness of opinion, see ye not how his Majesty himself pretends deeply to its for the setting up prerogative and Episcopacy. What Snake may not lie hid under that herb? when once it's grown a word in fashion. Liberty of conscience will be as common, as not guilty at the Assizes, and of equal credit. Divine Truth is always the same, of an inflexible nature, various not according to men's judgements, shall the judgement of a man be the rule of God's un-erring Truth? Truth is truth, and error error, whether men think it to be so or no, principles of nature vary not like languages, and if they be inviolable, and indispensible, much more is Divinity, for the known will of God is obliging, which way soever it be revealed, whether by nature, or by the word, though against nature, as when Abraham was commanded to kill his son; or above nature, as in the union of the two natures in one person, or the being of three persons in one Godhead, nay of the two; the word is the more foreible and binding, because nature is so much defaced; therefore not the Law given to the Israelites the more obliging, and their sins the more provoking. Opinion ought not to be the rule of things, but the nature of the thing is self. There is a Truth of God, and that but one, which we must maintain to the death (else the Martyrs died in vain, if for but opposing another's lawful liberty) not only in resisting impiety, but in opposing heresy. Thus saith the Lord, Jer. 6.16. Stand ye in the ways, and see, ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.  
And for Malignants that would fight again to be slaves, though they had more wit before than to stand to it. For the ingenuousest of them say, that if the King had got the better, the Kingdom had been undone, they see so fare now into his disposition, and yet they in hope to be sprinkled with Court holy water, are content to sell their birthright, which their Progenitors nobly purchased with their blood, and they as ignobly sell it with theirs. They are weary of peace already, which yet is a cheaper tenure to hold by then disseising, which would fall to our share if they should paramount, as themselves stick not to say, and threaten to try us all for Traitors at the King's Bench bar, where proud Mallet and pricket Heath should give sentence, and then there would be old work for new Tyburn. Hambleten and Taffe denizoned with the Estates of Northumberland and Pembreeke, and their blue Ribbons to boot; as judging most fit, that they should ride on horseback that fought for S. George.  
But why should we engage again, let them have slavery and bondage without fight for it. Those of them whose Ancestors gained their Honours by fight for their Country, let them now lose theirs for endeavouring to fight against it, a doom which their own forefathers would pass upon them, were they alive, to see such degenerate stems to grow out of such noble stocks, for Nobility and Gentry ought not to distend by propagation without derivation, not by blood but by virtue. And those of them who Citizen like bought their Arms and Honours, let them all be reversed till they renew their Patents at the old rate, and compound at Heraulds-Hall for their forfeited honours, by shameful deserting their Country, more worth them the Kings in Christendom.  
FINIS.