The Nullity of the Pretended Assembly at St Andrews and Dundee, Title page 1 – To the reader 2
THE NULLITY OF THE PRETENDED-ASSEMBLY At Saint ANDREWS & DƲNDEE: Wherein are contained, The Repreſentation for Adjournment, the Proteſtation & Reaſons therof.
Together with A REVIEW and Examination of the VINDICATION of the ſaid P. ASSEMBLY. Hereunto is ſubjoyned the ſolemn Acknowledgment of Sins, and Engagement to Duties, made and taken by the Nobility, Gentry, Burroughs, Miniſtry, and Commonalty, in the year 1648. when the COVENANT was Renewed.
With ſundry other Papers, related unto in the foreſaid REVIEW.
Printed in the Yeer, 1652.
REader, We have here obſerved ſome few Eſcapes of the Preſs: ſome more groſs Errors thou wilt find in the Vindication, for which, neither the Printer, nor theje who gave him the Copy can be blamed: for the truth is, a Letter was written to the Moderator of the late p. Aſſembly at Edinburgh, deſiring a perfect Copy of the Vindication, by which any Error in that Copy which had come to our hands, might have been corrected: And in that ſame Letter there was deſired a copy of the Kings Letter to the p. Aſſembly at St. Andrews, with the Commiſſioners speech (ſeeing the Vindication doth refer to theſe, although it hath been ſpread alone, and theſe copies kept up) but to neither of theſe deſires was there any anſwer returned.
ERRATA:
PAge 4, for nonformiſts, read nonconformiſts. pag. 7. f. whom, r. wherein: f. tenents, r. tenets. pag. 8. f. too ſharp-ſighted, r. to be &c. pag. 15. f. may, r. nay. pag. 17. f. required, r. being required. pag. 30. l. 25. r. which ſeemeth. pag. 37. l. 1. r. Gentleman. pag. 58. r. as for and ibid. l. 29. r. no evil before them in. pag. 59. l. 13. f. then, r. when. pag. 62. r. theſe after againſt: ibid. f. accept, r. except: ibid. r. patiar f. patior: ibid. r. defections f. deſertions. pag. 63. r. for, after why. pag. 67. r. Quaries. f. Presbyteries, r. Prelacies. pag. 170. l. 8. r. men, and this. ibid. l. 9. r. as appears. p. 171. l. 19. r. conceſſion.
TO THE CHRISTIAN-READER
Chriſtian-Reader,
THat thou mayeſt with underſtanding read this Book, and the Debates contained therein; Thou art to take notice, that in the year 1651. in the month of July, many of the Commiſsioners from Presbyteries meeting at St. Andrews, did proceed to conſtitute themſelves into, and to act as a General Aſsembly of the Kirk of Scotland; againſt the conſtitution of which Aſſembly, ſundry of the Miniſters who had formerly born teſtimony againſt the employing and intruſting of the Malignant party, with the Cauſe and Kingdom did enter a publick Proteſtation in writing, ſubſcribed by their hands as not being a free and lawful General Aſſembly: within a few weeks thereafter one (as it ſeems of thoſe Proteſters) did pen a Paper, for ſtrengthning and cleering the grounds of that Proteſtation, and taking off ſuch Objections as are uſually made againſt the ſame. In Anſwer to both theſe, a Member (as I take it of that Aſsembly at St. Andrews) did within few months after write a Treatiſe intituled, a Vindication of the freedom and lawfulneſs, and ſo of the Authoritie of the General Aſſembly met at St. Andrews, &c. To which Treatiſe in the month of May laſt, there was a Reply written, bearing the name, of the Nullity of the Aſſembly at St. Andrews; or, A Review of a Vindication &c. which doth ſet down and make Anſwer unto that Vindication by Parcels and Sections. All theſe four are now offered to Thee in this Book, and in that order in which they were firſt penned, to wit, The Proteſtation againſt the Meeting at St. Andrews in the firſt place; the Reaſons for ſtrengthening and cleering thereof in the ſecond place; the Vindication and the Review thereof together in laſt place. There are alſo added ſome other Papers upon the by, for clearing of ſome things in the debate. The LORD give unto Thee a ſpirit of Judgment and underſtanding in reading, that Thou mayeſt Judge true and righteous Judgment, condemning the Guilty, and abſolving the Innocent.