THE work of reformation now renewed , and farre advanced in this Kingdome , hath in the whole progresse , met with all the opposition which the subtil malice of Romes emissaries our adversaries could plotte . But God hath hither-to disappointed all their intentions , and turned Achitophels wisedome into folly : And now when they cannot beat down the walls of IERUSALEM , they labour to undermine it with calumnies , according to the damnable maxime , & calumniare audacter , semper aliquid haerebit , & like Tobias , Sanballat , and such like , will not be wanting to oppose mightily the building of Ezra and Nehemiah , by saying to the King , Why is the rebellious citie builded ? The same steps are now traced by the authours of novations , in this Church , who taking the advantage of their opportunity ( which we want to our great regrate ) and being greatly assisted and stirred up by some of their own coat , perniciously and popishly affected , do there-upon presume to whisper unto his sacred Majestie , and spread abroad in the neighbour Kingdome of England , most untrue , and damnable aspersions , ( by and attouer the particulars layed to our charge , in the Proclamation , 18 of December , which are largely answered in our Protestation already published ) venting with equall impudence and malice , that we do only pretend religion , but do intend to shake off the most lawfull yoke of authoritie , by changing the forme of civill government ; to invade our neighbour kingdome of England , and inrich our selves by the spoils thereof . Although our conscience bear us testimonie against these untruths , and make us think charitably , that no men understanding rightly Religion and Policie , will grant belief unto these aspersions , forged against the bodie of a Church and Kingdome ; yet being certainly informed , that the authours of our novations and the arch-enemies of reformation , have laboured to poyson his Majesties sacred Ears with those imputations , and dispersed the same with open mouth among the subjects of England , we were forced to vindicat our innocencie and wyp away all impressions which those challenges might make in the beliefe of any , first by our Supplication given into the Lords of secret Councell 31 of Ianuary , and now by this our answer and publick declaration to the world : whereby wee take GOD to witnesse , that Religion is the only subject , conscience the motive , and reformation the aime of our designes : For attaining whereof , wee have never strayed from the humble and loyall way of petitioning his Majestie for legall redresse ; but doe yet , according to our bound duetie , beg the consummation of our happie beginnings , by the holding of the Parliament , for the ratification of the acts of the Assembly indicted by his royall authority ; and as we have often hereto-fore professed in our Supplications , religiligiously sworn in our solemne Covenant with GOD Almightie , and publickly declared before GOD and men in all our Protestations , made in the view of heaven and earth , that we had never the least intention to cast off our duetifull obedience unto his Majesties most lawfull authoritie ; So we do hereby renew the same , and solemnely declare , that our loyall breasts have never harboured any thought against our gracious Soveraigne , his Person , and government , to whom wee daily and earnestly pray the KING of Kings , to grant long and happie reigne over us ; and when he shall bee crowned with immortality , that there may not want one of his Seed rightly to rule us , and to sit upon his throne , so long as the Sun and Moone indureth . For wee acknowledge that hee is the Lords Vicegerent , swaying the Scepter of this Land , transmitted to him , by succession , of so many royall Ancestours , as none other King in the world can parallell the same , and none other Nation compare with us in the glorie of Antiquitie , under that lawfull subjection , to one Line of native borne Princes : which we will never deface , by any unnaturall and impious cogitation against the Lords Anointed ; but heartily wish that shame and confusion may be printed upon the face of his enemies , and that wee might bee happie in the occasion to expose our lives and fortunes to the greatest hazard , for maintenance of the Person and authoritie of our dread Soveraigne , and increase of his honour . Let mercie and truth preserve the King .

As for our intention to invade England , we attest the everliving GOD , who is conscious of our most secret thoughts , that we never had any such designe or motion , to offend or wrong in the smallest measure any other Nation , much lesse our neighbour Kingdome , living in one Yle , under one King , with as li●le controversie , and as much affection , as hath been betwixt two Nations once at variance , but now happily reconciled , and tyed together by most strait bands , which we desire rather to increase then diminish by any act of unjust hostility . And albeit we be confident that the inprobabilitie of this challenge , will stop the way of all credite to it ; yet to confound these reporters in their malice , we will shortly relate our regrats and fears , our desires and resolutions , with that freedome and sinceritie , which may evidence our brotherly respect to the subjects of England , and controll the false surmises of intentions against them : we regrate together with our dear Christian brethren of our neighbour Nation , that we should have so evident and sensible experiences of the dangerous plots set afoot , and intertained by the Church-men of greatest power in England , for introducing novations in Religion , by corrupting the Doctrine , changing the Discipline , daily innovating the externalworship of GOD , preaching publickly , and maintaining points of Arminianisme , and heads of poperie , defending and advancing preachers and professours of that judgement , and allowing books stuffed with that doctrine , fyning , confyning , and banishing all such as in conscience of their duetie to GOD , labour to oppose the doctrine , discipline , or worship of the Kirk of Rome , by their incroaching and usurping upon the Kings Majesties prerogative , tyrannizing over the conscience , goods , and estates , of persons of all qualities within that Kingdome : And not being content to keep within their own precinct , did induce , assist , and incourage the pretended Arch-bishops , and Bishops of this Kingdome , to presse not only a conformitie of this Church , with that of England , in matter of ceremonie , but also with the church of Rome , in the points most substantially erronious , as appeareth by these books of common prayer and canons , found to bee a masse of popish superstition , doctrine , and tyrannie , which was confessed to have been first plotted , then corrected and interlined in England , sent down to their associats the pretended Arch-bishops , and Bishoips of this Kingdome , to bee printed and pressed upon the whole Church here , without order or consent , as the only forme of divine worship and government of the Church , to make us a leading case to England : required by their letters , Stars-men , Noble-men , and Burghs , to further the advancement thereof , perswaded his gracious Majestie , to declare these books , full of popish superstition , yet to bee free of it , and to be fit means of edifying this Church : caused his Majestie prohibit the lawfull meetings , and humble supplications of his Subjects , under pain of treason , and to esteeme of his good Subjects as of traituors and rebels , for discovering this wicked plot , complaining thereof , and for their renewing of their nationall Covenant with GOD , and their alledgance to his Majestie , to threaten them by publick proclamation , with utter exterminion , and ruine , hath by their calumnies , moved his Majestie to discharge under the pain of treason , the sitting of our free generall Assembly , indicted by his Majestie , after so many supplications , and to ingadge his royall word of a Prince , to defend all disobeyers of the Church , to threaten and prepare for an invasive war against his most ancient loyall native Kingdome ; to distrust all our supplications , oathes , and declarations , ingenuously and humbly made , and thereby they have indevoured so farre as in them lyes to alienate his Majesties heart from his people , and estrange their due bound affections from him , if it were possible ; and in end for the full accomplishment of their wickednes ( as we are informed ) have made his Majesty follow the advice & counsell of professed papists , and to intrust them with the chiefest charges of the armes and armies now preparing for the threatned invasion of this Kingdome , and still intend to raise jealousies in the body of the one Kingdome against the other , and so to commit them together , which we beseech GOD to prevent , and hope it shall bee above their malice : The LORD opening the eyes of our Soveraigne , and of our neighbour nation , to discover that treacherie , whereby nothing is intended but to joyn the two Kingdomes in bloudy warre , that so reformed Religion may be extinguished and poperie introduced , which then may be easily effectuate , when both sides are weakned , and so may bee the more easily suppressed by the papists , having all power and charge ●n their hand , being already too strong in England , and incouraged with the expectation of forraine helpe , ready to accept that advantage , so much prejudiciall to his Majesties honour , power and manifold declarations , for the maintenance of the reformed Religion , whereof he is the defender . We have also reason to regrate , that any within that Kingdome should give more credite to false calumnies , cunningly invented to foment their jealousies , and make them prepare for invading us their brethren , then unto our solemne Protestations , Supplications , Declarations , and Covenant with GOD himselfe . Yet we are fully confident , that such are only drawen there-unto , partly through the mis-information of our adversaries , and partly for lack of cleare information , concerning our most loyall and Christian proceedings : And therefore doe most heartily wish , they may with wisedome and charity , suspend any further giving credit to things of that kinde , till they may have occasion to receive full information of the truth And we regrate that any should think the standing of Episcopacie in the Church of Scotland an just ground for invading of , and making war against this Nation , and consequently to raise up the old natiotionall bloud-shed and quarrels , which are now happily changed into a sweet peaceable conjunction of hearts and affections , seeing Episcopacie in this Church , is contrare to our ancient reformation , confession of Faith , and oath of this Church and Kingdome , whereby that government was abjured which cannot reasonably offend any other state or Church , who may bee ruled by their own laws and warrand , but as in every matter which falleth in deliberation to be put in execution , Iustice should be the mover and efficient , and benefit either in profit or honour useth to bee the end ; So especially in this weightie businesse , it should be well pondered , if this act of invading us by warre , for keeping our oath to GOD , and obeying the lawfull constitutions of our Church and Kingdome , be just upon the part of the invader , or if the benefit of re-establishng Bishops upon us will recompense the losse of so much Christian bloud , & hazard of dissension & war , whereof the event dependeth upon the LORD of hosts : but it is obvious to every mans consideration , that this war is by our adversaries intended for another end , & hath a more deep dangerous reach : other wise the Prelates if either good Christians or patriots would rather quit their Minion ambition , and worldly pompe , then ingadge two Kingdomes , with the hazard of true Religion .

And that none may suspect the sinceritie of our intentions , the lawfulnesse of our proceedings , or the truth of our declarations , and accusations against the enemies of our reformation and peace , wee are able , and wish to have occasion to justifie the same before the world : for unlesse we should have closed our own light , and resisted the known will of GOD , acknowledged , subscribed , and sworne by his Majestie , and our predecessours , in a solemne Covenant with GOD , and so often confirmed and ratified by acts of this church and kingdome , since the reformation , wee could not omit any thing which we have done . And albeit we be an Church and Kingdome , as free , ancient , and independent , as any other in the world : yet for clearing the minde of our neighbour nation , from all mis-information , and mis-construction of our intentions and proceedings , and to verifie the lawfulnesse , and absolute neeessity of our actions , and acts of the late Assembly , we do assure our selves , that if the Estates and Parliament of England , were conveened , and the whole progresse of this businesse faithfully represented to them , they would without doubt be so farre from censuring or condemning what we do , that they would rather bee moved to become petitioners to his sacred Majestie on our behalfe , and approve of the equitie and loyaltie of all our proceedings in this cause : And therefore in the mean time , wee intreat that no true English heart entertain any jealousies of us , who are confident of the innocencie of our proceedings and intentions , free hither-to of all blemishes against our Soveraigne or neighbour nation , as wee do beg the occasion of manifesting the same to them , and to all the world , as we have upon the knowledge of these mis-reports of us , cleared our selves of any such intention by our great oaths every one to another at our most frequent meetings .

The obtaining of this our so peaceable and just desire , shall not only bee comfortable to us , their Christian brethren , serving as a farther tye to unite our affections in time to come , and stirre us up to poure our heartie prayers to GDO on their behalfe , but without all question , the righteous Iudge of all the world , shall make you reap the fruit thereof one day , and who knoweth how soone .

In the mean time our care shall bee upon all occasions to make it appear clearly to all the world , how farre it hath alwayes been ( and by the grace of GOD ever shall bee ) from our intention first or last , to offer the least act of hostilitie to our neighbour Kingdome , except in so farre as we shall bee nececessitat in our own defence : and though ( as GOD forbid ) we should be forced thereunto , yet shall we remaine unwilling to conceive things of that kinde , to flow from the body of that Kingdome , with whom we intend no nationall quarrell , neither minde to wrangle with them , except in the case of invasion from them , but rather that this sturre hath been contrived and set forward by some ill affected persons to both kingdomes , with whom only our question is , & to whom alone we may justly intend according to their desert , as men who are set to ingadge both kingdomes in so bloudie a warre for their own base ends : and although a party raised from among our selves , fomented , and maintained from abroad , from whence we finde the sinews of that body within our selves to bee derived and maintained , may justly seeme to irritate , yet the vanitie and weaknesse of our intestine adversaries , even in this case of offence , is so farre from making us take fire , without manifest hostilitie offered , or ingadging us in any violent course that may interrupt the brotherly love and concord of these two Kingdoms , or blemish our holy profession in the least degree , as we are confident , no malicious mis-reports of our common adversaries , will induce our deare brethren to quarrell with us , for seeking to enjoy our Religion in puritie and our laws and liberties , according to the fundamentall constitutions of our Church and state , when we are so well affected to them , as we are truely sensible of their grievous burthens , & intolerable sufferings from the tyrannie of their hierarchie , and the fearfull bondage they underlye from the wicked counsel of their Clergie , suggested from Rome , and producing so dangerous innovations both in Religion and Policie .

This sincere manifestation of our reall intentions , wee finde our selves obliged , to publish for satisfying all good Subjects in our neighbour nation , being confident they are as desirous to be confirmed in their good opinion of us , and so to be armed against all slanders and calumnies of those that indevour the finall overthrow and utter exterminion of the Kingdome of Christ Iesus from this whole Island : wherof we pray God , to avert the danger , & to grant us peace and puritie , which is the height of our desire : for procuring whereof we shall employ none other weapons ( except we be enforced ) but fasting and prayer to GOD Almightie and humble supplications to our gracious Soveraigne .