A96239:20
A letter from the Assembly of Divines in England, and the commissioners of the…
A letter from the Assembly of Divines in England, and the commissioners of the Church of Scotland, written, and sent by order of the honourable House of Commons assembled in Parliament, to the Belgic, French, Helvetian, and other reformed churches. Translated into English, and now published with the several inscriptions to those churches. By order of the said House.A letter from the Assembly of Divines in England, and the commissioners of the Church of Scotland, written, and sent by order of the honorable House of Commons assembled in Parliament, to the Belgick, French, Helvetian, and other reformed churches. Translated into English, and now published with the severall inscriptions to those churches. By order of the said House.
London: printed by Richard Cotes for Ralph Smith, 1644
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Letter: A Letter from the Assembly of Divines in England, and the Commissioners of the Church o…
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
And although, when the Parliament saw that these wicked instruments prevailed with the King, to raise force to be protected from the justice of the Laws (which the Parliament went about to inflict upon them for their former Treasons and other high crimes) and to accomplish their former designs, they endeavoured to secure the Forts & Navy & provide means for the defence of themselves, and of Laws, Liberties, and Religion (all which these men endeavoured ⟨p. 7⟩to destroy;) Yet such hath been their cunning, by false glosses to hide their own intention, and to seduce others, Or rather, such is the righteous judgement of our now angry God, for our abuse of our long peace that we have not yet been able by Supplications, Petitions, and Remonstrances, to recover his Majesty out of their hands; or to bring these men to deserved punishments; but the sword rageth almost in every corner of this woeful land.
And although, when the Parliament saw that these wicked instruments prevailed with the King, to raise force to be protected from the justice of the Laws (which the Parliament went about to inflict upon them for their former Treasons and other high crimes) and to accomplish their former designes, they endeavored to secure the Forts & Navy & provide meanes for the defence of themselves, and of Laws, Liberties, and Religion (all which these men indevoured ⟨p. 7⟩to destroy;) Yet such hath been their cunning, by false glosses to hide their own intention, and to seduce others, Or rather, such is the righteous judgement of our now angry God, for our abuse of our long peace that wee have not yet been able by Supplications, Petitions, and Remonstrances, to recover his Majesty out of their hands; or to bring these men to deserved punishments; but the sword rageth almost in every corner of this wofull land.
And, to make up our misery to the full, they have now at last prevailed with his Majesty so far to own the bloody Rebels in Ireland, as not only to call them his Roman-Catholic Subjects now in Arms, &c. but even to grant them a Cessation for a year, (when they were brought into great extremity) and to hold what they have gotten, liberty to strengthen themselves, with Men, Money, Arms, Ammunition from any place, freedom to send or come to his Majesty; and thereby be not only enabled to destroy the remnant of the Protestants there, but to come over hither, (as many of them are already) to act the same butcheries upon us, as they have hitherto exercised upon our miserable and distressed Brethren among themselves.