AS His Majeſties gracious Letter to you now read in your hearing, carries very plain and full Expreſſions of His Eſteem, and Acceptance of the many Proofs you have given of your Loyalty and good Affection to His Perſon and Government. So His calling you together at this time when the Condition of Affairs is ſo much Changed, tho' He cannot be preſent with you, is a clear evidence of the entire Truſt and Confidence He has in you.
His Majeſty did intend to have held this Seſſion of Parliament in Perſon, but the preſent Circumſtances of Affairs having hindred His coming; It has pleaſed Him to appoint me to be His Commiſſioner in it. And I will earneſtly endeavour, to manifeſt that Fidelity and Zeal for His Majeſties Service, and the good of this Kingdom, which His Majeſty doth expect: and I confidently hope, that your Wiſdom and Abilities will not only bear with, but alſo ſuſtain me under the weakneſses which I may juſtly acknowledge: So as the publick Intereſt may thereby be at no prejudice.
His Majeſty has graciouſly given you full Aſſurance, that He is firmly reſolved, to make it his principal Care to maintain your Religion, Laws and Liberties, and Presbyterian Government in this Church; And I am commanded to let you know, that He is fully reſolved to continue the ſame: And as his Majeſty has told you, that he will give all due encouragement for promoting your Trade: So I am commanded in His Name to aſſure you, that His Majeſty is firmly reſolved to maintain the Priviledges of the Trade of this Kingdom, and particularly theſe eſtabliſhed by Treaties, Laws or Cuſtoms with other Nations.
I am both fully inſtructed in what His Majeſty judgeth to be neceſſary for the ſupp•••of His Government, and the Safety of this Kingdom; and have2 full power for paſſing ſuch Laws for the good of His People, as appear to be moſt needfull at preſent.
It is not to be doubted, but that as His Majeſty thinks, that the fulleſt Information he could have what Laws are fit to be made, would be His hearing Free-reaſonings in Parliament upon them by you who are ſo much intereſted, and have your Minds ſo much taken up about them; So you will think, that His Majeſty is beſt capable to Diſcover and Diſcerne upon the whole Matter, in the Bulk and Sum, what is fit and neceſſary to be done at this Time for the common Intereſt, as having a clearer Veiw of the bad Deſigns of our Enemies, and of the many Peices joyned together in that wiſe Contrivance, which (by the bleſſing of GOD) has been the ſupport of Affairs, than we can have.
You may very juſtly be perſwaded, that His Majeſties Judgement of theſe Matters, is ſolidly founded, and much to be relyed on; Not only becauſe he is highly concerned, both upon account of Honour and Intereſt, but likewiſe, becauſe he is a Prince of deep Underſtanding and perpetual Application to Buſineſs: And has turned up all the Sides of theſe Grounds of Judgement which he ſees in a truer Light, and at a nearer Diſtance than we do.
I am commanded to repreſent to you, that the continuing the Troops upon the preſent eſtabliſhment, is, What His Majeſty judgeth to be abſolutely neceſſary, for the Support of His Government, the Safety of the Countrey, and your Preſervation; And that His Majeſty is no ways doubtfull, but you will be convinced of it, and will provide ſuteable Supplies for mentaining them: And it's certainly moſt fit, that this be the firſt thing you take under your Conſideration, as what concerns the All: And then you can proceed to other things recommended to you by his Majeſty, or which may be propoſed.
Tho I am unwilling to take up much of your time, and to detain you from your Buſineſs, yet I cannot omit to invite you, to conſider ſeriouſly one thing which I am perſwaded cannot eaſiely eſcape the particular nottice of any here, that is, in what your gracious and kind Soveraign places the chief Satisfaction he has in bringing the great and dangerous War, wherein he has been ingadged to an End by an honorable Peace: Even the Proſpect he has of the Proſperity and Happineſs of His good Subjects.
His Majeſty undertook an enterpriſe almoſt deſperate in the Opinion of all Europe, he has followed it out and maintained it with imparralelled Courage and Conſtancy; He has expoſed his precious Life and Perſon in paſſing the Seas many times, in faceing and fighting his Enemies in many Battles: The ſecret Conſpiracies againſt Him have been many, yet (thanks to the Eternal GOD) he has been wonderfully ſupported and preſerved, and certainly His Majeſty has a very gratefull Senſe of, and a great Satisfaction in it. But His greateſt Satisfaction is the Proſpect which he has of the Proſperity and Happineſs of his good Subjects; This cannot be too often repeated, and is never to be forgot: Nay I am ſure it leaves ſuch an Impreſſion upon your worthy Spirits and Minds as is becoming for theſe, at whoſe inſtance and for whoſe behove ſo great things have been undertaken and performed, and I am als ſure there is no Scots man (that has a good effection to His Majeſty, and to the happy Revolution, and the Work of God amongſt us, and a good underſtanding to diſcern what is neceſſary upon this Occaſion, which I hope all here have,〈◊〉but who will honeſtly, cheerfully and readily give ſuch proofs of Gratitude to, and truſt in His Majeſty, as ſmall more and more endear to him this his Antient Kingdom, And honeſt hearted People.
YOu have given many Evidences of your great Zeal, Duty and Affection to His Majeſties Royal Perſon and Government, and His Majeſty has intire Truſt and Confidence in you, as is fully expreſt in his moſt gracious Letter, and by my Lord Commiſſioner His Grace in His Name.
His Majeſty is very ſenſible that you did cheerfully provide ſuitable Supplies for maintaining thoſe Troops that were thought needful for your Defence at Home, whereby you ſecured Peace and Quiet within this Kingdom during the War.
You alſo Raiſed and Recruited the Regiments of this Kingdom, that were imployed in His Majeſties Service Abroad, for the Support and Defence of the Common Intereſt of Europe, as well as the Security of His Majeſties Dominions.
The vigorous Proſecution of the War, and the Blesſing of God Almighty upon His Majeſties Endeavours, has procured us an Honourable Peace; And therefore His Majeſty has upon this Occaſion called you together, that you may provide for your own Safety and better Eſtabliſhment.
You will eaſily be convinced, that we have many Enemies both at Home and Abroad, ready to lay hold of any Opportunity to diſturb our preſent Peace and Tranquillity.
The King knows our Circumſtances and Dangers better than we do our ſelves, and is certainly the beſt Judge of what is needful, and he has told you plainly, that the Troops which He has Eſtabliſhed, are indiſpenſibly neceſſary for your Preſervation.
His Majeſty does therefore expect, that you will proceed in this Matter with Cheerfulneſs and Unanimity, to the Diſcouragement of His and your4 Enemies; And as the Subſidies that are demanded of you, are to be imployed for your own Safety, ſo they will again circulat amongſt you, and cannot diminiſh the wealth, nor prejudge the Intereſt of the Nation.
His Majeſty has alwiſe judged his Intereſt to be inſeperable from yours; He has been the powerfull Inſtrument of God Almighty in reſcueing you from Popery and Arbitrary Government: He has expoſed His Royal Perſon to the greateſt Dangers for the common Safety, and all that have the Occaſion to know his Meaſures muſt be convinced, that the Happineſs and Proſperity of his Subjects is His chief care and concern.
In His Reign you have the full enjoyment of your Religion, Laws and Liberties, you have alſo Presbyterian Government eſtabliſhed in this Church which His Majeſty has declared he will maintain, and you have many good Laws and Conſtitutions granted for the Eaſe and Satisfaction of the Nation.
Seing then, that by him you enjoy all theſe and many other Blesſings, you will certainly judge it your intereſt and Duty to comply with what is now only propoſed as neceſſary to render you Secure, againſt the Deſigns of His and your Enemies
His Majeſty was reſolved to have been preſent with you in this Seſsion of Parliament, that he might have more perfectly underſtood what Laws were fit for the welfare and Satisfaction of his Subjects; But the great Affairs in which he is neceſſarly ingadged, not allowing us that happineſs, he has fully inſtructed my Lord Commiſsioner his Grace, to paſs ſuch Acts as appear to His Majeſty moſt proper for the Benefit and intereſt of this Kingdom; And He has given full Aſſurances, that he will give all Encouragement for promoting Trade, and particularly, that he will protect the Priviledges of the Tread of this Kingdom eſtabliſhed by Laws, Treaties, and Cuſtoms with other Nations.
I am very ſenſible of my own unfitneſs for the Station in which it has pleaſed his Majeſty to imploy me; But your ready Complyance with what has been propoſed by his Majeſtie on other Occaſions, did chiefly encourage me to accept, and to hope for an happy Concluſion to this Seſsion: To the Satiſfaction of the King, the Honour of the Government, and the Security of the Nation.
Edinburgh, Printed by the Heirs and Succeſſors of Andrew Anderſon, Printer to the King's moſt Excellent Majeſty, Anno Domini 1698.
(EEBO-TCP ; phase 2, no. A89521)
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