Letter to the General Assembly of Scotland
The source for this document is https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/eebo/A52060.0001.001
Project Note
This is licensed under Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND. This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.
The source of this document is the Early English Books Online (EEBO-TCP) website. Those books were transcribed in a character for character manner and can be very cumbersome to read since there was no standard spelling during that time. Many spelling variations such as "unlesse", "vnlesse", and "vnles" regularly appear.
This project was conceived to clean up those books as much as possible and make them more accessible to the interested reader, leading to the creation of a massive list of variant spellings and their corrections. This was used to clean up the text, but is of course only as complete as the list itself. Because of the nature of the original transcription, some words have missing characters or places where the original language (e.g., Greek) was not transcribed. This effort does not change that. Be aware that the original transcription can also be faulty and in some cases entire sentences may be missing.
Although this is no substitute for a properly compared, proofed, and scholarly edition, I believe that the result is a document which is far more accessible, particularly for searching for terms using standard spelling. The document has been cleaned and presented in what I hope is a pleasing and useful format for the vast majority of Christian brothers and sisters who just want access to read these spiritually nourishing works.
However, a word of warning: The Puritans were a very diverse group of people and their age was characterized with godliness, but also much upheaval, disputation and strife. They disagreed on many doctrines and some of these works contain less orthodox or Scriptural views than others. The reader is strongly advised to read with discernment, particularly if it is unknown whether author is trustworthy.
This project took a huge amount of time and skill to bring to fruition. I would particularly like to thank David Jonescue for the initial list of Puritans he found on EEBO and the concept behind this project as well as the continuous, unceasing efforts toward seeing this complete. Without his labor, this would not be available. Alex Sarrouf was invaluable in providing the initial list of over 7,000 spelling variations he had identified and corrected, as well as continuing to review more than 16,000 additions to that list for any typos.
Logan West
(with David Jonescue and Alex Sarrouf)
www.puritansearch.org
THE TRUE COPY OF THE LETTER, Which was sent from divers MINISTERS, BY M r Marshall, and M r Nye, TO THE GENERALL ASSEMBLY OF SCOTLAND.
LONDON, Printed for Samuel Gellibrand. September. 8. 1643.
Reverend and Beloved,
T HE experience we have had of your forwardness in receiving, and faithfulness in weighing our former addresses, hath given us abundant encouragement, to take hold upon this present opportunity of breathing out something of our sorrows, which your Love, and our Necessity command us to represent to your consideration and compassion. Much we know, we may commit to the Wisdom and Fidelitie of our Brethren, these Messengers, to impart unto you, concerning our miserable Condition, and unto them shall leave the most. Your own National, but specially Christian Interest, will not permit you to hide your Eyes from the bleeding Condi • ion of your poor distressed Brethren in England, should neither Messengers, nor Letters be sent unto you. But Messengers coming, we should at once neglect ourselves, should we not thus a li • tle ease our burdened Hearts by pouring them out into your Bosomes, and seem •• grateful to you, of whose readiness to suffer with us, and do for us, we have had so great and ample Testimonies.
Surely, if ever a poor Nation were upon the edge of a most desperate precipice: If ever a poor Church were ready to be swallowed up by Satan and his Instruments; we are that Na • ion, we are that Church. And in both respects, by so much the more miserable, by how much we expected, not a Preseruation only, but an Augmentation also, to Happynesse in the one, and Glory in the other. We looked for peace, but no good came, and for 〈…〉 of healing, and behold trouble? Our God, who in his former Judgments was as Mo •• h and Rottenness (and yet had of late begun to send us Health and Cure) is now turned into a. Lyon to us, and threatens to rend the very Cowl of our Hearts. From above he hath sent a Fire into our Bones, and it prevails against us. From our own Bowels he hath called forth and strength • ed an Adversary against us, a Genera • ion of Brutish Hellish men, the Rod of his anger, and the Staff of his indignation; under whose cruelties we bleed, and if present mercy step not in, we die▪ Righteous art thou, O Lord, and just are all thy Judgments! But, O the more then barbarous carriages of our Enemies; where ever God give any of his hidden ones up into their Hands! We need not express it unto You, who know the inveterate, and deadly malice of the Antichristian faction, against the Members of our LORD JESUS: And it is well, we need not, for in truth we cannot. Your own thoughts may tell you better then any words of ours what the mercy of Papists is towards the Ministers and Servants of our Lord JESUS CHRIST. But the Lord knows we are not troubled so much with 〈…〉 Miseries and Dangers; but that which breaks our Hearts is, The danger we behold, the Protestant Religion, and all the Reformed Churches in, at this time, through that too great and formidable strength, the Popish Faction is now arrived at: If our God will lay our Bodies as the Ground, and as the Street under their Feet, and pour out our Blood as Dust before their fury, The Will of the Lord be done. Might our Blood be a Sacrifice to ransom the rest of the Saints or Churches of Christ from Antichristian fury, we would offer it up upon this Service gladly. But we know their rage is insatiable, and will not be quenched with our bloods; Immortal, and will not die with us; Armed against us, not as men, but as Christians, but as Protestants, but as men desiring to Reforme our Selves, and to draw our Selves and others yet near unto GOD. And if GOD give us up to be devoured by this rage, it will take the more strength and courage, at least to Attempt the like against all the Protestant and Reformed Churches.
In a deeper sense of this extreme danger, threatening us, and you, and all the Churches, then we can express, we have made this address unto you: In the Bowels of our Lord JESUS CHRIST, humbly imploring your most fervent Prayers to the God that hears Prayers, who, should we Judge Providences, seems to be angry with our Prayers. (Though we trust, he doth but seem so: And though he kill us, yet will we trust in him.) Oh give us the Brotherly aid of your re-enforced Tears and Prayers, that the Blessings of Truth and Peace which our Prayers alone have not obtained, yours, conjoined, may. And give us, Reverend and much Honoured in our Lord, your Advises, What remains for us further to do, for the making of our own, and the Kingdoms Peace with GOD? We have lain in the Dust before him; we have poured out our Hearts in Humiliations to him; we have in sincerity endeavored to reform our Selves; and no less sincerely desired, studied, labored the public Reformation; nevertheless, The Lord hath not yet turned himself from the fierceness of his anger. And be pleased to advise us further, what may be the happiest course, for the uniting of the Protestant party more firmly? That we may all serve God with one consent, and stand up against Antichrist as one man: That our God, who now hides himself from our People; may, Return unto us, delight in us, scatter and subdue his, and uur enemies, and cause his Face to shine upon us. The Lord prosper you, and preserve us; so that the great work of these latter Ages may be finished, to his honor and our own, and the Churches happiness, through CHRIST JESUS.