Affembly at Edinburgh, August 30, 1639. Sess. 23. Act ordaining, by Ecclefiaftical authority, the Subfcription of the Confeffion of Faith and. covenant, with the Affembly's declaration. THE general affembly confidering the great happiness which may flow from a full and perfect union of this Kirk and Kingdom, ,with by joining of all in one and the fame covenant with God,w the King's Majelty, and amongst ourselves; having by our great oath declared the uprightnefs and loyalty of our intentions in all our proceedings; and having withal fupplicated his Majefty s high commiffioner, and the Lords of his Majesty's honourable privy council, to enjoin, by act of council, all the lieges in time coming to fubfcribe the Confeflion of Faith and covenant; which, as a teftimony of our fidelity to God, and loyalty to our King, we have fubfcribed: And feeing his Majefty's high commiffioner, and the. Lords of his Majesty's honourable privy council, have granted the defire of our fupplication, ordaining by civil authority, all his majelty's lieges, in time coming to fubfcribe the forefaid covenant: That our union may be the more full and perfect, We, by our Act and conftitution ecclefiaftical, do approve the forefaid covenant in all the heads and claufes thereof; and ordain of new, under all ecclefiaftical cenfure, That all the masters of universities, colleges, and fchools, all scholars at the pafling of their degrees, all perfon fufpected of Papiltry or any other error, and finally, all the members of this kirk and kingdom, fubfcribe the fame, with thefe words prefixed to their fubfcription, The article of this covenant, which was at the firft fubfcription referred to the determination of the general Affembly, being determined; and thereby the five articles of Perth, the government of the Kirk by bishops, the civil places and power of Kirkmen, upon the reafons and grounds contained in the acts of the general affembly, declared to be unlawful within this Kirk: We fubfcribe acording to the determination forefaid. And ordain the covenant, with this declaration, to be infert in the registers of the affemblies of this Kirk, General, provincial, and prefbeterial, ad perpetuam rei memoriam. And in all humility fupplicate his Majesty's high commiffioner, and the honourable e. ftates of parliament, by their authority, to, ratify and enjoin the fame, under all civil pains; which will tend to the glory of God, prefervation of religion, the King's Majefty's honour and perfect peace of this Kirk and Kingdom, Charles Charles I. Parl. 2. Act 5. At anent the ratification of the covenant, and of the Affembly's fupplication, Act of council, and Act of Affembly concerning the covenant, At Edinburgh, June 11th, 1640. Heeftates of Parliament, prefently conveened by his Majefty's fpecial authority, confidering, the fupplication of the General Affembly at Edinburgh, the 12th of Auguft 1639, to his majelty's High Commiffioner and the Lord's of his Majefty's honourable privy council; and the act of council of the 30th of August 1639 containing the anfwer of the faid fupplication: and the act of the faid general aflembly, ordaining, by their ecclefiaftical Conftitution, the fubfcription of the Confeffion of Faith and covenant mentioned in their fupplication and withal, having fupplicated his majefty to ratify and injoin the fame by his royal authority, under all Civil pains, as tending to the glory of God, the prefervation of religion the king's majelty's honour, and the perfect peace of this kirk and kingdom; do ratify and approve the faid fupplication; act of council, and act of affembly; and comform thereto, ordain and command the faid Confeffion and covenant to be fubfcribed by all his Majelty's fubjects, of what rank and quality foever, under all civil pains; And ordain the faid fupplication, act of council, and act of the affembly, the whole confeflion and covenant 1 itfelf, to be infert and regin the acts and books of parliament; And alfo ordain the fame to be prefented at the entry of every par liament, and, before they proceed to any other act, that the fame be publicly read, and fworn by the whole members of parliament, elaiming Voice therein otherwife the refufers to fubfcribe and fwear the fame, fhall save no place nor voice in Parliament; and fuch like ordain all judges, magiftrates or other officers, of whatsoever place, rank or quality, and minifters at their entry, to fwear and fubfcribe the fame Covenant, whereof the Tenor follows, tall THE NATIONAL COVENANT; OR, The CONFESSION of FAITH: fubfcribed at first by the king's Majefty and his houfhold in the year 1580; thereafter by perfons of all ranks in the year 1581, by ordinance of the Lords of Secret council, and acts of the general assembly: fubfcribed again by all forts of perfons in the year 1590,by a new ordinance of council, at the defire of the general affembly; with a general bond for the maintaining of the true Chriftian religion, and the King's Perfon; and, together with a refolution and promife for the causes after-exprefled to maintain the true religion, and the king's Majefty, according to the forefaid confeffion, and Acts of parliament,fubfcribed by Barons, Nobles, Gentlemen, Burgefles, Minifters and commons, in the year 1638. approved by the general affembly 1638 and 1639, and fubfcribed again by perfons of all ranks and qualities in the year 1639, by an ordinance of council, upon the fupplication of the general affembly, and act of the general Affembly; rafified by an act of parliament 1640 and fubfcribed by King Charles II, at Spey, June 234, 1650. and Scoon, January 1ft 1651. E all and every one of us underwriten, Protest, truth by the word and fpirit of God: And therefore we believe with our hearts, confefs with our mouths, fubfcribed with our hands, and conftantly affirm before God and the whole world, that this only is the true Christian faith and religion, pleafing God, and bringing falvation to man, which now is, by the mercy of God, revealed to the world by the preaching of the bleffed Evangel; and is received, believed and defended by many and fundry notable Kirks and realms, but chiefly by the kirk of Scotland, the king's Majefty and three eftates of this realm, as God's eternal truth,and only ground of our falvation; as more particularly is expreffed in the Confeffion of our Faith, established and publicly confirmed by fundry acts of Parliaments, and now of a long time hath been openly profeffed by the king's majefty, and the whole body of this realm both in burgh and land. To the which confeffion and form of religion we willingly agree in our confcience in all points, as unto God's undoubted truth and verity, grounded only upon his written word. And therefore we abhor and deteft all contrary religion and doctrine; but chiefly all kind of Papiftry in the general and particular heads,even as they are now damned and confulted by the word of God and Kirk of Scotland. But in fpecial we deteft and refuse the ufurped authority of that Roman antichrift upon the fcriptures of God, upon the Kirk, the civil magiftrate, and confciences of men: All his tytannous laws made upon indifferent things against our Christian liberty; his erroneous doctrine against the sufficiency of the written word, the perfection of the law, the office of Chrift and his bleffed Evangel: his corrupted doctrine concerning original fin, our natural inability and rebellion to God's law, our juftification by faith only, our imperfect fanctification and obedience to the law; the nature, number, and ufe of the holy Sacraments: his five baftard facraments: with all his rites, ceremonies and falfe doctrine, added to the miniftration of the true facraments without the word of God: His cruel judgment against infants departing without the facrament: his abfolute neceffity of baptifm; his blafphemous opinion of Tranfubftantiation, or real prefence. of Chrift body in the elements, and receiving of the fame by the w.ked, or bodies of men; his difpenfations with folemn oaths, perjuries, and degrees of marriage forbidden in the word: His cruelty against the innocent divorced; his devilifh mafs; his blafphemous Priesthood: His profane fa THE NATIONAL COVENANT; OR, The CONFESSION of FAITH: fubfcribed at first by the king's Majefty and his houfhold in the year 1580; thereafter by perfons of all ranks in the year 1581, by ordinance of the Lords of Secret council, and acts of the general affembly: fubfcribed again by all forts of perfons in the year 1590,by a new ordinance of council, at the defire of the general affembly; with a general bond for the maintaining of the true Chriftian religion, and the King's Perfon; and, together with a refolution and promife for the causes after-exprefled to maintain the true religion, and the king's Majefty, according to the forefaid confeffion, and Acts of parliament,fubfcribed by Barons,Nobles, Gentlemen, Burgefles, Minifters and commons, in the year 1638. approved by the general affembly 1638 and 1639, and fubfcribed again by perfons of all ranks and qualities in the year 1639, by an ordinance of council, upon the fupplication of the general aflembly, and act of the general Affembly: ratified by an act of parliament 1640 and fubfcribed by King Charles II, at Spey, June 234, 1650. and Scoon, January 1ft 1651. E all and every one of us underwriten, Proteft, WER That, after long and due examination of our own confciences in matters of true and falfe Religion, we are now throughly refolved in the truth by the word and fpirit of God: And therefore we believe with our hearts, confefs with our mouths, fubfcribed |