Two Speeches Before the Subscribing of the Covenant, Speech 2
A Speech delivered by M. Alexander Henderson, immediatly before the taking of the Covenant, by the House of Commons, and Assembly of Divines.
ALthough the time bee farre spent, yet am I bold (Honourable, Reverend, and beloved in the Lord) to crave your patience a little; it were both sin and shame to us in this so acceptable a time, in this day, which the Lord hath made, to bee silent and to say nothing: If we should hold our peace, wee could neither be answerable to God, whose cause and worke is in hand; nor of this Church and Kingdome, unto which we have made so large profession of duty, & ow much more; nor to our Native Kingdome, so abundant in affection toward you; nor to our own heart, which exceedingly rejoyce to see this day: We have greater reason then the leprous men sitting in a time of great extremitie at the gate of Samaria, to say one to another, We do not well, this day is a day of good tydings, and we hold our peace? it is true, the Syrians are not yet sted; but our hope is through God, that the worke begun this day, being sincerely performed and faithfully pursued, shall put to flight, not onelyonly the Syreans and Babylonians, but all other enemies of the Church of God, of the Kings honour, and of our liberty and peace.
For it is acceptable to God and well pleasing in his sight, when his people come willingly in the day of his power (and how shall they not be willing in the day of his power?) to enter a religious Covenant, with him and amongst themselves whatsoever be the condition of the people of God, whether in sorrow and humiliation before deliverance, or in rejoycing & thanksgiving after deliverance? this is it, which the Lord waits for at their hands, which they have been used to performe, and with which hee hath been so well pleased, that it hath been the fountaine of many deliverances and blessings unto them. When a people beginneth to forget God, he lifteth up his hand against them and smitteth them: And when his people, humbled before him, lift up their hands not only in supplication, but in covenant before the most high God, he is pleased (such is his mercy and wonderfull compassion) first, to lift his hand unto them, saying, I am the Lord your God, as we have it three times in two verses of the 20. of Ezekiel, and next he stretcheth out his hand against his enemies and thers. It is the best work of Faith, to joyn in Covenant with God, the best work of love and Christian Communion to joyn in Covenant with the people of God; the best work of the best zeal, to joyn in Covenant for Reformation, against the enemies of God and Religion; the best work of true loyaltie, to joyn in Covenant for the preservation of our King and Superiours; and the best proof of naturall affection (and to be without naturall affection, is one of the great sinnes of the Gentiles) to joyn in Covenant for defence of our Native Countrey, Liberties, and Lawes; Such as for these necessary ends to withdraw and are not willing to enter into Covenant, have reason to enter into their own hearts and to look into their Faith, love. zeal, loyalty, and naturall affection.
As it is acceptable to God, so have we for it the precedent and example, not onelyonly of the people of God of old, of the Reformed Churches of Germany, and the Low Countreyes; but of our owne Noble and Christian Progenitors in the time of the danger of Religion, which is expressed in the Covenant it self. The defect was; They went not on throughly to enter in a solemne Covenant; an happinesse reserved for this time; which had they done, the corruptions and calamities of these dayes might have been prevented: And if the Lord shal bee pleased to move, loose, and enlarge the hearts of his people in his Majesties Dominions to take this Covenant, not in simulation, nor in luke warmnesse, as those that are almost perswaded to bee Christians, but as becommeth the people of God, it shall bee the prevention of many evils and miseries, and a meane of many and rich blessings, spirituall and temporall, to our selves, our little ones, and the Posterity that shall come after us for many Generations.
The neere and neighbouring example of the Church and Kingdome of Scotland, is in this case worthy of our best observation: When the Prelates there, were grown by their rents, and Lordly Dignities, by their exorbitant power over all sorts of his Majesties subjects, Ministers and others, by their places in Parliament, Councel, Colledge of Justice, Exchequer, and High Commission, to a monstrous dominion and greatnesse, and like Gyants, setting their one foot on the neck of the Church, and the other on the neck of the State, were become intolerable insolent; and when the people of God through their oppression in Religion, Liberties and Lawes, and what was dearest unto them, were brought so low, that they chused rather to die, then to live in such slavery, or to live in any other place, rather then in their own native Countrey; Then did the Lord say, I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people, and I have heard their groaning, and am come downe to deliver them. The beginnings were small, and contemptible in the eyes of the presumptuous enemies, such as use to be the beginnings of the greatest works of God; but were so seconded and continually followed by the undeniable evidences of Divine Providence, leading them forward from one step to another, that their Mountain became strong in the end. No tongue can tell what motions filled the hearts, what teares were poured forth from the eyes, and what cryes came from the mouthes of many thousands in that Land, when they found an unwonted flame warming their breastes, and perceived the power of God raising them from the dead, and creating for them a new world wherein should dwell Religion and Righteousnes. When they were destitute both of moneys and munition, which next unto the spirits and armes of men, are the sinews of Warre, the Lord brought them forth out of his hid treasures; which was wonderfull in their eyes, and matter of astonishment to their hearts: When they were many times at a pause in their deliberations, and brought to such perplexity, that they knew not what to chuse or to do, for prosecuting the work of God, onelyonly their eyes were toward him▪ not onelyonly the feares and furies, but the plots also and policies of the Adversaries, opened the way unto them, their devices were turned upon their own heads and served for the promoting of the work of God. The purity of their intentions elevated above base and earthly respects, and the constant peace of their hearts in the midst of many dangers, did bear them out against the malicious accusations and aspersions put upon their actions; all which were sensible impressions of the good providence o… God, and …eg…e characters of his work▪ which as the Church and Kingdom of England exercised at this time with greater difficulties then theirs have in part already found, so shall the Parallel be perfected to their greater comfort in the faithful pursuing of the work unto the end.
Necessity, which hath in it a kind of Soveraignty, & is a Law above all Laws, and therfore is said to have no Law, doth mightily presse the Church and Kingdom of Scotland at this time: It is no small comfort unto them that they have not beene idle and at ease, but have used all good and lawfull means of Supplications, Declarations and Remonstrances to his Majestie, for quenching the combustion in this Kingdome: And after all these, that they sent Commissioners to his Majestie, humblie to mediate for a reconcilement and Pacification; But the offer of their humble service was rejected, from no other reason, but that they had no warrant nor capacity for such a Mediation; And that the intermixture of the Government of the Church of England with the Civill government of the kingdom, was such a mistery as could not be understood by them. Althoug it be true, which was at that time often replyed, that the eighth demand of the Treatie, and the answer given thereunto concerning the Uniformity of Religion, was a sufficient ground of capacity; and the proceedings of the Houses of Parliament against Episcopal Government, as a stumbling block hindering Reformation, and as a prejudice to the Civil State, was ground enough for their information The Commissioners having returned from his Majestie without successe, and the miseries of Ireland, the distresses of England, and the dangers and pressures of the kingdom of Scotland, growing to greater extremity; such as were intrusted with the publick affairs of the Kingdome … according to the practise of former times (his Majesty having denyed a Parliament) to call a Convention of the Estates for considering of the present affairs, and for providing the best remedies: which immediatly upon their meeting by the speciall providence of God, did receive information of diverse treacherous attempts of Papists in all the three Kingdomes, as if they had been called for that effect; And by the same providence, Commissioners were sent from both Houses of Parliament to consider with the Estates of the Kingdome of Scotland, of such Articles and Propositions as might make the conjunction betwixt the two Nations more beneficiall and effectuall for the securing of Religion and Libertie against Papists and Prelates with their adherents. Their Consultations with the Commissioners of the Generall Assembly, did in the end bring forth a Covenant, as the onelyonly meane after all other have been assayed, for the deliverance of England and Ireland out of the deeps of affliction, preservation of the Church and Kingdome of Scotland from the extremity of miserie, and the safety of our Native King and Kingdomes from destruction and desolation. This is the manifold necessity which Nature, Religion, Loyaltie, and Love hath laid upon them.
Nor is it unknown in this Honourable Reverend and wise Audience, what errours and heresies in doctrine; what Superstition and idolatrie in Worshippe, what Usurpation and Tyrannie in Government, what cruelty against the soules and bodies of the saints have been set on foot, exercised, and executed for many Generations, and now of late by the Romane Church; all which we hope through the blessing of God upon this work, shal be brought to an end. Had the Pope at Rome the knowledge of what is doing this day in England, and were this Covenant written on the Plaster of the wall over against him, where he sitteth Belshazzar-like in his sacralegious pomp, it would make his heart to tremble, his countenance to change, his head and Miter to shake, his joynts to loose, and all his Cardinals and Prelates to be astonished.
When the Reformed Churches, which by their Letters have been exciting us to Christian Communion and Sympathie in this time of the danger of Religion and distresse of the Godly, shall heare of this blessed conjunction for uniformity in Religion according to the word of God and the defence thereof; it shall quicken their hearts against the heavinesse of oppressing sorrows and feare; and be no other than a beginning of a Jubilee and joyfull deliverance unto them, from the Antichristian yoke and tyrannie.
Upon these and the like considerations wee are verie confident, that the Church and Kingdome of Scotland will most chearfully joyne in this Covenant, at the first motion whereof, their bowels were moved within them? And to give testimony of this our confidence, we who are Commissioners from the Generall Assembly, although we have no particular and expresse Commission for that end, not from want of willingnesse, but of foresight) offer to joyn our hearts and hands unto it, being assured that the Lord in his own time wil against all opposition even against the gates of Hell, crown it with a blessing from Heaven. The word of God is for it, as you have been now resolved by the consent and testimonie of a Reverend Assembly of so many godly, learned, and great Divines. In your own sense and experience you will find, that although while you are assaulted or exercised with worldly cares and fears, your … other times, when upon seeking of God in private or publike, as in the evening of a wel spent Sabbath; or day of Fast and Humiliation your disposition is more spiritual, and leaving the world behind you▪ you have found accesse unto God through Jesus Christ, the bent and inclinations of your hearts will be strongest to go throgh with this work▪ It is a good testimony that our designes and wayes are agreeable to the will of God, if we affect them most when our hearts are furthest from the world and our temper is most spirituall and heavenly, and least carnall and earthly. As the Word of God, so the prayers of the people of God in all the Reformed Churches are for us, and on our side: It were more terrible then an Army to hear that there were any fervent supplications to God against us; blasphemies, curses, and horrid imprecations there be, proceeding from another spirit, and that is all. That Divine Providence also which hath maintained this Cause, and supported his Servants in a marvellous manner unto this day, and which this time past hath kept things in an equall ballance and vicissitud of successe, will we trust from this day-forth, through the weight of this Covenant, cast the ballance and make Religion and Righteousnesse to prevail, to the glory of God, the honour of our King, the confusion of our common enemies, and the comfort and safety of the people of God: Which he grant, who is able to doe above any thing that we can ask or think.
FINIS.
End of the text · Philip Nye, Two Speeches Before the Subscribing of the Covenant (1643)