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My Lords and Gentlemen.
AFter what my Lord Commissioner hath so well represented to you, it will be very little necessary for me to say much.
I shall only take the liberty to put you in mind, (of what I believe you are very sen∣sible
already) of the many obligations this Nation lies under to be grateful to our great Monarch.
When by the Command of the late King, His Majesty who now Reigns came first hither, what Disorders, Divisions, and Animosities found He amongst us? To bring the state of things into your prospect as it was then, could not be very grateful to you, nor pleasing to me, but we all remember with joy how well He left us, and by what easie gentle ways He brought about the Establishment of that Unity, which we were beginning to despair of:
Since that time, how much we have been in His particular care, during the Happy Reign of that Excellent Prince His Brother, of ever Blessed and Glorious Memory, is known to all the World.
But of all the instances of His Majesties Care for us, his Favour towards us, and his good Opinion of us, this of His calling us together in the very beginning of his Reign, (which God grant may be long and prosperous) that we might have the opportunity of present∣ing Him with the first Fruits of the Service of His Parliaments, and of becoming Exemples to His other Dominions, is the greatest and what we should prize the most, improving it as far as it will go.
When we consider what strange turns the extravagant Follies of some, and the mali∣cious devilish Contrivances of others among us have taken, since the last Meeting of Parliament, what Convulsions have Attacted the Body of this Nation, and how vile a Ferment has raged in it, to have our Advice called for by our Prince, how to provide proper Remedies for it, is the greatest Honour could be put upon us.
That we may do what in Duty we are bound in return, let us lay aside all private Aims and Ends; for how can we hope to serve His Majesty, or promote the Interest of the Nation, while our Eye is directed only towards our own particular? and let us with the Frankness and Cheerfulness of honest SCOTS MEN. use all possible means for Uniting of the Nation, and the driving from amongst us, whoever will not joyn with us upon such Terms as may conduce to the Advancement of the Honour and Interest of our King and His Crown, and the Well-being of this our Native Countrey, which we should not suffer to be defiled and rendred contemptible to the whole World by enter∣taining so Venemous a Bastardly brood of villanous men, as have of late, to the reproach of Scotland, and of Humane Nature it self, maintained Principles, and ventured upon Practices not to be named amongst any who have ever heard of a Government, much less of Religion.
My Lords and Gentlemen.
You all know what a Conspiracy hath been entered into by ill men of both Kingdoms, against the Sacred Lives of the late King and his present Majestie; and who but incarnate, Devils could think of attempting any thing against such precious Lives? For what Prince in E••rop, or the whole World, was ever like the late King, except His Glorious Brother who now Reigns? and to have cut off any of them, had been barbarous to a degree of making us appear more abominable then any people ever were, but for us to have lost both, had been our utter ruine. Yet against both was the design laid, and had suceed∣ed, if that watchful Providence, which hath often preserved the two Royal Brothers in so many difficulties, had not defeated the success, by an un-fore-seen accident, and had it succeeded, what Confusion, what Cruelty, what Blood, what un-expressible Misery had overflowed these Kingdoms?
But besides this, we have a new Sect sprung up amongst us from the dunghil, the very dregs of the people, who kill by pretended Inspiration, and in stead of The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, have nothing in their mouths but The Word of God, wresting that blessed conveyance of his Holy Will to us, to justifie a practice suggested to them by him who was a Murtherer from the beginning, who having modelled them∣selves into a Common-wealth, (whose Idol is that accursed paper the Covenant, and whose only Rule is to have none at all) have proceeded to declare themselves no longer His Majesties Subjects, to forefeit all of us who have the honour to serve him in any considerable station, and will be sure ere long to do so by this great and honourable
Court. It is how to rid our selves of these men, and of all who incline to their Princ••¦ples, that we are to offer to His Majesty, our Advice, Concurrence, and utmost Assi••¦ance. These Monsters bring a publick reproach upon the Nation in the eyes of all 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Neighbours abroad, while in their Gazets we are mentioned as acting the vilest Assass••¦nations, and the horridest Villanies, they render us unquiet and unsecure at hom•• they bring Reproach upon our Religion, and are our great plague.
Let us for the sake of our Allegiance, for His Majesties Honour, for our Reputatio•• abroad, for the vindication of our Religion, and for our own Peace and Tranquillity make haste to get our selves cured of it.
If this were once effectuated, we might yet hope for quiet, and in order to the mak¦ing our quiet the more comfortable to us, when once we are come to a Resolution abou•• what relates to the publick peace, and to the respect we owe to His Majesty, we may have occasion of considering what Laws may be necessary towards the facilitating th•• well-governing of our selves and Native Countrey, both as to the regulating our Carriag•• one towards another, and the securing our Estates, from any thing that may be unea〈…〉〈…〉 from the distribution of Justice between man and man, as to the improving of our Trade and Commerce abroad, and encouraging Industry and Frugality at home; for in all these things His Majesties care will not fail us. And my Lord Commissioner amongst his ma∣ny other advantages, is so well known to be a lover of his Countrey, that we need not fear, but that He will give his Concurrence in what He is allowed so freely to consent to.