ALL considerate States and Princes have used Religion as a mean to sweeten the spirits of their Subjects, and to make them obedient from Choice and Principle.

The Roman State which Conquered a great part of the then known World did so much as they could, comply with the Re­ligious Rites of their subdued Provinces; and were so far from obtruding their own upon the People subjected to them, that the Jews who averred all other Nations to be Idolatrous and Prophane, were protected in their Church-Government and sa­cred Rites at home, in their Synagogues, and freedom to make Proselytes in other Provinces.

But now for a long tract of Years it hath been the business of the Government of Scotland to force a Church-Government, a [Page 2] Discipline and set of Priests upon a devout and sincere People, to the racking of their Consciences, fomenting of Broyls and Tumults, continuing a horrid spectacle of Executions; and in short, to the introducing of Ignorance and all manner of Pro­fanity.

It is expected that the Honourable Assembly of the States will consider, that it is not only against good Policy to force Con­science, but as much against the Rights of Mankind, as to use violence against Life or Chastity, since he who complyeth for fear of Punishment with what is against his light, (whether good or bad in it self) must be obnoxious to the Anger of an irresistable God, and to the melanchollick sentences of a wounded spirit. And since the Persons and Estates of such as standeth it out, must be a Victim to the sanction of severe Laws, for refusing to of­fend God and wound their Consciences; which if duely pon­dered, cannot but encline the Honourable Assembly to restore to the People their natural Rights of Worshipping God, and choosing Teachers according to their Consciences, to instruct and rule them suitably to the Gospel of Peace, and their Reforma­tion from Romish T [...]anny.

It hath been the sad Fate of the Kingdom of Scotland to be ruined by Parliaments (the glorious Bulwarks of our neigh­bouring Nation) the Constitution whereof hath been manifestly perverted by various Innovations obtruded upon them by force and fraud.

The Officers of State, at first only admitted to be present in Parliament as Attendants upon the King's Person, have by de­grees wheedled themselves into a Custom of Voting, albeit no part of the three Estates of Parliament.

Though our Kings have had the Power of conferring Titles of Honour, yet such Grants for several Ages gave no Right to Vote in Parliament, 'till first approved by the Estates of Par­liament. By the Invasion upon this Right of Parliaments, the number of their Hereditary Members doth now exceed the number of the Elective, though they possess not so much as a tenth part of the Property of the Nation, and several possess no part of it at all.

The fourteen Prelates obtruded upon the Parliaments, on pur­pose to secure so many Votes to the Court, hath been suffered to [Page 3] continue the known dead weight of the House, though it cannot be understood what part of the Body Politick they represent, since the Clergy pretend to the Kingdom of Chist, whose King­dom is not of this World, who (to give them their due) have acted suitably, in constantly Voting for the King, whom they called their Head under Christ, in Prejudice of the Nations best Interest.

The Lords of the Articles were Calculate to obviate the Nati­ons reaping any suitable fruit of Parliament.

Members being obnoxious for what they speak in Parlia­ment, is a Plague which consumeth the Vitals of a Legislative Power.

The Imposing of unnecessary, disputable, and self-contradict­ing Oaths on all Members of Parliament, and Electors of such, hath deprived many of the Nobility of their Birth-rights, and the Gentry and Citizens from Electing and being Elected.

It hath done no good service to our Parliaments, that only King's Barons are admitted to Elect, which in some Shires are very few, whereas many Gentlemen who bear greater burden than many of them, and are as much to be supposed in the In­terest of the Countrey, are debarred from Electing, upon a ficti­on of the Fewdall Law, whereby they are esteemed to be repre­sented in their Superiours, which was more tolerable while the Constitution was standing, to which the Fewdall Law was Cal­culate.

It is not doubted, but the Wisdom of our great Assembly shall find out Expedients to remove all Innovations, and settle the Parliaments on a solid Foundation.

Most of all our Ministers of State, Judges and Privy Coun­cellers, have been these Twenty Eight years by-past the great Grievances of the Nation, the Substance of the Coun­trey hath been exhausted by persons of all Ranks going to Court for Redress, universally to no purpose: Upon which accompt, none can doubt but a wise Assembly, which hath it in their hands to prevent such mischiefs, shall secure to Par­liaments their ancient Priviledges, to recommend persons of Integrity and Capacity for the Service of the Nation in all publick Trusts; and above all make sure the frequent assem­bling of Parliaments, a sovereign Antidote against bad Mi­nisters.

[Page 4] Whereas every wise Government considereth by what means it can probably be defended, and where the publick Revenue of the Countrey is no wise sufficient to sustain a standing Force proportioned to their defence, care is taken to arm, incourage and model the Subjects for the security of the State.

The Subjects of Scotland have been again and again disarm­ed, a standing Force hath been kept on foot, to the number of three or four thousand men, no wayes suited to the De­fence of the Countrey, but sufficient to Harass and Inslave a disarmed people.

It cannot escape the Providence of the Honourable Assem­bly, to put the Subjects in posture of Defence, under Officers no less recommended upon the accompt of Integrity and Love to their Countrey, as upon the Accompt of Courage and Ex­perience: And take care that no standing Force be suffered to be kept in the Kingdom without consent of Parliament, nor be Leavied to serve under other States or Princes, with­out Permission and Obligation, that they shall be sent back when the Parliament shall find it necessary for the Nations Service.

A long continued Race of both Elective and Successive Scotch Kings, have constantly acknowledged, that they are bound to Oblige themselves by solemn Oath, to protect their Subjects and defend their Rights, at the solemn receipt of the Peoples Allegiance.

But to Crown the Miseries of that bleeding Nation, James the Seventh, pretending a Right from God alone, assumed the Govern­ment, without obliging himself by solemn Oath to the Subjects, contrary to the Fundamental Constitution, continual Custom and Acknowledgment of his Ancestors, and an express Statute, which is only a Declaration of the fundamental Constitution, enlarged by what was absolutely necessary for the peace and safety of the Subjects when Reformed from Romish Darkness and Superstition: And as his being a bigoted Papist did ren­der him incapable to oblige himself to his Subjects, according to the terms of the Oath contained in the foresaid Statute, and consequently incapable of the Regal Dignity; so his Ar­bitrary and Popish Designs made it impossible he could ingage [Page 5] himself to defend the Liberty and Property of the Subjects: And if the Act of Succession made in the Parliament, Eighty one, should be objected, the Answer is obvious, that that pre­tended Parliament was holden by himself, whom many former Laws had rendered incapable of bearing any Office in our Protestant Countrey, yea incapable of being a lawful Subject, and so all its Acts are ipso sacto, null and void.

Again, it was not in the power of any Parliament to alter a fundamental Constitution, more ancient then Parliaments, than it was to turn Kings or Parliaments out of doors.

In short, his Usurping the Government, his Arbitrary ma­nagement thereof; and at last his relinquishing Great Brittan, and betaking himself to the protection of the Arch-Enemy of Christianity, yea, Humanity it self, giveth sufficient ground to declare him an Enemy of this Kingdom, and the Peoples Right to provide for themselves.

Since the Almighty God hath raised up the Prince of Orange now King of England (the hereditary Hercules of the latter World) to undertake so glorious an Enterprize, as the deli­vering of Brittain and Ireland from Popery and Slavery, and hath hitherto blessed his great and good Designs with suitable success: Gratitude and Justice requireth the Honourable As­sembly to conferr the Regal Dignity upon him, that he may be the more encouraged to accomplish the Deliverance of these Nations, and assisted in the procurement of an universal Repose to all Christendom.

The former prelimenaries cannot be disagreeable to a Prince who striveth with his Subjects to put them in a Condition, that it may be in his and his Successors power to do them good, but not to hurt them.

It is not to be doubted, but the Honourable Assembly will find it the Interest of Mankind to pray, Let King William live for ever; and to make no otherwise mention of a Successor, than to renew their Laws disenabling all Papists to have any Interest in the Government of the Kingdom, and to appoint the Parliament immediately preceeding the decease of King William (whose Life God long preserve) to assemble within Fif­teen days after his decease.

[Page 6] It is likewise hoped, that the Honourable Assembly (so soon as the Nation's most pressing Affairs are settled) will fall upon proper Expedients to obtain an Union with our bordering Nation, that so the united Strength of great Britain may be intirely laid out for the Relief of our Neighbouring Protestants, yet groaning under the Heavy Yoak of their An­tichristian Romish Tyrants.