Page:Brief historical relation of the life of Mr. John Livingston Minister of the Gospel.pdf/46

( 46 ) as I conceived, altho’ a State or their commiſſioners ſhould agree with a king, upon terms diſadvantageous to religion and liberty, a miniſter might well ſhow his mind, but if they went on, it was not a minister’s part to oppoſe the ſame; but ſubmit himſelf to the government, although not rightly conſtituted, and deſired them to do according as, they found themſelves warranted in their commiſſion and inſtructions," I am ſince convinced, that I might have dealt more freely, and ſhewed them, that I thought their proceedings were not conſonant to their inſtructions, and that the honeſt party in Scotland, would not be ſatisified with them; and that so far as I could diſceern, there was no appearance of a bleſſing from God upon the treaty: but partly I ſaw ſuch a torrent in carrying, on that buſineſs, partly I ſomewhat doubted thy own judgment, and partly my weakneſs of nature made me neglect that duty.

After this Mr. James Dalrymple ſecretary to the commiſſioners, was ſent home to Scotland with the cloſed treaty. I thought to have written home my ſenſe of the whole buſineſs, but partly we were ſtrictly forbidden by the commiſſioners, to divulge any thing of the treaty, or write anything of it; and partly I had obſerved Mr. Dalrymple a little too forward, for that ſame way of cloſing the treaty. Altho’ great hade was made to cloſe the treaty, yet after it was ended, we perceived no great haſte of going to Scotland.

The Saturday before the king left Breda, to come to Scotland, we got notice about three or four of the clock in the afternoon, that he was about to communicate kneeling the morrow after. We dial were commiſſioners for the church, prepared a paper and preſented it to him, and both in the paper and by ſpeech, ſhewed the ſin of ſo doing, and that it would provoke God to blaſt all his deſigns, and what inconveniency it might bring on his buſineſs, and confirmation to all enemies, and what ſcandal to ſuch as were honeſt, and how it was againſt that which he had granted in his conceſſions, and would confirm ſome to think, that the was but dallying with God and with us; we left him to think upon it till after ſupper, but when we went to him, we