& Peace from God our Father, and
from the Lord Jesus Christ._

Although this Kirk of _Scotland_, whiles spoiled of her Liberties under
the Prelatical tyrannie, had much difficultie and wrestling to preserve
the true reformed Religion from being quite extinguished among ourselves;
yet since the mighty & out-stretched arme of the Lord our God hath brought
us out of that _Egypt_, and hath restored to us well constituted and free
national Synods, It hath been our desire and endeavour to set forward the
Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ and the purity of his Ordinances, not
only throughout this Nation, but in other parts also so far as God gave us
a call and opportunity and opened a way unto us. And among other things of
this nature we have more particularly taken into our serious thoughts the
sad and lamentable condition of many thousands of you our Country-men who
are scattered abroad as sheepe having no shepherd, and are through the
want of the meanes of knowledge grace and salvation, exposed to the
greatest spirituall dangers, whether through ignorance or through manifold
tentations to errors and false Religions, or through the occasions and
snares of sinne.

Wee have therefore thought it incumbent to us to put you in minde of the
one thing necessary, while you are so carefull and troubled about the
things of the world. And although we do not disallow your going abroad to
follow any lawfull calling or way of lively hood, yet seeing it cannot
profit a man although he should gain the whole world and lose his own
soul, and seeing you have travelled so farre, and taken so much pains to
get uncertain riches which cannot deliver in the day of the wrath of the
Lord, and which men know not who shall inherit; We doe from our affection
to the salvation of your immortall souls most earnestly beseech and warn
you to cry after knowledge and lift up your voyce for understanding,
seeking her as silver, and searching for her as for hid treasures, and so
play the wise Merchants in purchasing the Pearl of Price, and in laying up
a sure foundation for the time to come, by acquainting your souls with
Jesus Christ, and by faith taking hold of him whose free grace is now
offered and held out to sinners, excluding none among all the kindreds of
the earth who will come unto him. God forbid that you should let slip the
time and offers of grace, or neglect any warning of this kinde sent to you
in the name of the Lord. We shall hope better things