Series 3 > Register of the consultations of the ministers of Edinburgh and some other brethren of the ministry > Volume 1

186 THE REGISTER OF CONSULTATIONS
actings of these who crie themselves up as the eminent’
professors of piety. Wee are not ignorant that it is
frequently suggested by them how the judicatories of
this Church do persecute them, and are utterly averse
from any purging of the Church by casting out scandalous
and insufficient Ministers and Elders, and that therefore
they are necessitat to seek power for their owne pre¬
servation and for the good of the Church. But (to say
nothing how unjust their generall criminations against
the Ministers and Elders of this Church are, and how little
warrant they have for these courses of theirs, being but
a few private men, were the case as they suppose), wee
hope it is clear to all impartiall observers that never
were such courses borne with so much moderation, as
hath been shewed toward them in their wayes. And we
can upon convincing grounds make it appear that the
obstructing of the work of purging of God’s House doeth
not lye at our door, who have offered all rationall satis¬
faction to them in that particular upon an union, and
who (as formerly hath been our practise so yet) resolve
to employ any power we have by ourselves for that end
in so farr as may tend to edification. It is to be charged
upon them, who by their divisions have weakened the
authority of judicatories and blunted the edge of dis¬
cipline, so that we cannot make much progress as we
would.
Wee do crave pardon for interrupting your Lordship
with this tedious narrative of our sadd case, which floweth
from the sense we have of duety to God and His Church,
our mother, and our obligation to inform your Lordship
that nothing may be done to the ruine of this Church
while none of these who are concerned know of it, and
that our Covenanted Reformation be not overturned to
satisfie the will of a few. Hitherto it hath been professed
that there would be no interposing in the matter of our
differences amongst ourselves ; and therefore we cannot
expect that by yeelding to their desire the contraversie
shall be decyded, the Assemblies and generality of Pres-
bytries condemned as null and erring, and they justified