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Prayeres said, rolles called.
Anent the petitione givine in to the estates of parliament be the generall assemblie, quhairof the tennor fallowes: To the honorable and height court of parliament, the humble petitione of the generall assemblie of the kirke of Scotland. According to the commendable and constant practeise of the generall assemblies of this kirke, we judge it incumbent to us right honorable when the displeasor of the Almightie and the extreme danger of this kirke and kingdome is so wndenyablie demonstrate to the eyes of the whole world by the invasione, increase and success of these barbarous Irishes and treacherous cuntreymene joyned with them, not only out of consience of the trust committed wnto us to proceed with the censures of the kirke aganes these who have joyned or shall happine to joyne themselves with these enemyes of God and his cause, to appoint a solemne fast and humiliatione throw the kingdome and to give warneing to all the ministeres and memberes of this kirke of the dangeres and deuties of the tyme, bot also out of respect to your honoures, who judge not for man bot for the Lord, who is with yow in the judgement and standeth in the congregatione of the mightie, humblie to present your honoures with our thoughtes and desyres concerneing the dewties which the exigencie of this tyme expecteth from your handis. The impunitie of knowne incendiaries and malignantes as by the course of divine providence (permitting these who have formerlie excapted the hand of justice to be the pryme instrumentes of our present troubles) it is held furth for a cause of the wrath which yit burneth more and more, so hath it bene acknowledged before God in our publict humiliationes to be a maine cause of Godes contraversie with the land, ane occasione to the guiltines of the cruelltie, villanie and other mischeifes committed by them and thair falloweres and so ly still wnder the guilt eftir solemne confessione, were ane highe provocatione of God and ane heavie agravatione of our sinne; and one the ane pairt doeth greive the godlie, discourage thair heartes and weakine thair handis, one the other pairt doeth hardine thame who are allreddie engadged to persist in thair wnnaturall and bloodie practises, heartenes otheres who have not hitherto awoved thair malignancie oppinlie to declaire themselves and is laid hold wpoun by the disaffected who ly in wait to find occasiones as fitting to worke the people to ane wnwillingnes of wndergoeing necessarie burthenes for publict good. Althought the Lord hath shewne wnto us great and sore troubles and our heart may be brokine with reproach, shame and dishonour put wpoun us by the vilest amongest men, yit hath he made knowne wnto us the power of his workeing amidest these manifold troubles, bringing foirward the much desyred worke of wniformity in worshipe and governement to a greater perfectione then wes expected (as your honoures and we did sie the other day with joy of heart), which is a testimony from heavine that the Lord heath not left us in the fierie furnas but duelleth still in the middest of the burning bush, and should rouxe wp our drouping spirites to fallow God fullie and quicken our slownes to hasten and helpe the Lord aganes the mightie. In delay there is perrell of strentheneing the arme of the intestine enemy, making faint the heartes of our neighthoures and freendis and disabling us of reacheing helpe of these who are wrestling aganest much oppositione to perfyte the worke of reformatione, the reproach wnder which we ly allmost buried should be so farr from retarding proceedings that it should intend the spirit wnto a higher degrie of desyre and expeede the hand to a speedier actione for vindicating our owne name and that name which is above all names from the daylie reproach of the foolish. May it please thairfore your honoures in zeale of the Lord to proceed with some speedie course of justice aganes such persones as are knowne to have joyned themselves ather actuallie in armes or by thair counsells, supplies and encouragementes have strenthened the hands of the bloodie enemyes wherby a cause of the contraversie shall be removed, the land cleansed of the blood that is shed thairin, the cruell and crooked generatione disheartened, the fainting heartes of the godlie refreshed and thair feeble knees strenthened, and cheerfullie and unanimouslie to resolve wpoun and put in executione all laufull and possible wayes of speedie and active persueing and extirpating these barbarous and wnnaturall enemyes within the kingdome, wherby your thankefullnes to God for prom[ov]eing his owne worke and your endevoures of wniformitie shallbe testified, your sence of the dishonour of this natione and of the danger of delay expressed and your consience wpoun the oath of God wpoun yow manifested. Wee are confident of your honores consience and cair, onlie wee exhorte you in the Lord to wnit your spirites and accelerate your counselles and endevoures and pray the Lord of hostes to prosper your interpryses according to the ingagement of his name, interes of his worke and necessitie of his people to his owne glorie, the establishment of the king's throne in righteousnes, the comfort of his saints and the conversione or confusione of enemyes. Be of good courage and behave your selves valientlie for our people and for the cities of our God arise and the Lord be with yow. Subscribitur, J. Ker. Quhilke supplicatione abovewrittine being red in audience of the estates of parliament, they, in acknouledgement of the cair and vigilencie that the generall assemblie witnesssed by the offer of the foirsaides desyres mentionat in the said supplicatione, doe thairfore ordeane the samene to be recordit in the bookes of parliament as is abovewrittine, and ordeanes and declaires that the constante tenor of thair proceedings and practeises from tyme to tyme shall give ane satisfactorie ansuere to all the poyntes of the foirsaids demandis.