As we are not without the knowledge, so are we not without the feeling of the distresses of our Native Countrey, and of the troubles of our dear Brethren, specially that the hand of the Lord is stretched out against you, not only by Invasion from without of the basest of the children of men, but also by the unnatural treachery of some within; who have dealt perfidiously in the Covenant and Cause of God: _They hisse and gnash the teeth; they say, Wee have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that wee looked for: Wee have found, wee have seen it; the Lord hath caused thine Enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine Adversaries:_ Yet (saith the Lord, who is thy Maker and thy Husband, _the Lord of hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer the holy One of Israel) for a __ small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hide my face from thee, for a moment; but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee: For this is as the waters of Noah, the Covenant of my peace shall not be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee._ When the foundation of the House of the Lord was laid, the Priests and Levites sung together in praising and giving thanks to the Lord; _Because he is good, for his mercy endureth for ever,_ And we hope at this time upon the coming of our reverend Brethren, and the sight of that which they bring with them, the noise of the shout of joy; shall be louder then the noise of the weeping of the People. This we may say, that not many years ago many of us would have been content to have losed our lives, that we might have obtained that which the Lord, if not in a miraculous, yet in a marvellous and merciful providence, hath brought to passe in this Iland, in these dayes, which many before us, have desired to see, & have not seen. God forbid that it should seeme a small thing in your eyes which is done here already, as it is expressed in a Paper from the Parliament, and Letters from the Assembly. Ye are best acquainted with the tentations and difficulties which ye meet with there, which are also very sensible unto us; And when we consider how the Lord hath carried on his work here at the first taking of the Covenant, and since, against much learning and contradiction, against much Policie, power, and all sorts of opposition (such as Reformation useth to encounter) we are ravished with admiration of the right hand of the Almighty. For our part, we may confidently avouch in the sight of GOD and before you, whom next unto GOD we do respect and reverence, and to whom as your servants we are accomptable, that in all our proceedings we had first of all the word of GOD before our eyes for the Rule; and for our Patern the Church of _Scotland_, so much as was possible; and no lesse (if not more) then if all this time since we parted from you, we had been sitting in a National Assembly there, and debating matters with our Brethren at home: Where we