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and profane perfons much countenanced, and many times employed, until iniquity and ungodliness hath gone over the face of the land as a flood; nay, fufficient care hath not been had to separate betwixt the precious and the vile, by debarring from the facrament all ignorant and fcandalous perfons, according to the ordinances of this kirk.

Neither have the privileges of the parliaments and liberties of the fubject been duly tendered: but fome among ourselves have laboured to put into the hands of our king an arbitrary and unlimited power, destructive to both; and many of us have been acceffory of late to thofe means and ways, whereby the freedom and privileges of parliaments have been incroached upon, and the fubjects oppreffed in their confciences, perfons and eftates; neither hath it been our care to avoid these things which might harden the king in his evil way; but upon the contrary he hath not only been permitted, but many of us have been inftrumental, to make him exercife his power, in many things tending to the prejudice of religion and of the covenant, and of the peace and fafety of thefe kingdoms; which is fo far from the right way of preferving his majesty's perfon and authority, that it cannot but provoke the Lord against him, unto the hazard of both: nay, under a pretence of relieving and doing for the king whilft he refuses to do what is neceffary for the house of God, fome have ranversed and violated most of all the articles of the covenant.

Our own confcience within, and God's judgments upon us without, do convince us of the manifold wilful renewed breaches of that article, which concerneth the difcovery and punishment of malignants," whofe crimes have not only been connived at, but difpensed with and pardoned, and themfelves received into intimate fellowship with outfelves, and intrufted with our counfels, admitted unto our parliaments, and put in places of power and authority, for managing the public affairs of the kingdom; whereby, in God's juftice, they got at last into their hands the whole power and strength of the kingdom, both in judicatories and armies; and did employ. the fame unto the enacting and profecuting unlawful engagements in war against the kingdom of England, notwithstanding of the diffent of many confiderable members of parliament, who had given conftant proof of their integrity in the caule from the beginning; of many faithful teftimonies and free warnings of the fervants of God; of the fupplications of many fynods, presbyteries and fhires; and of the declarations of the general affembly and their commiffioners to the contrary; which engagement, as it hath been the cause of much fin, fo allo of much mifery and calamity unto this land; and holds forth to us the grievoufnels of our fin, of complying with malignants, in the greatnefs of our judgment, that we may be taught never to fplit again upon the fame rock, upon which the Lord hath fet fo remarkable a beacon. And after all that is come to pals unto us, because of this our trefpafs: and after that grace hath been dewed unto us from the Lord our God, by breaking thefe mens

yoke

Joke from off our necks, and putting us again into a capacity to act for the good of religion, our own fafety, and the peace and the fafety of this kingdom, fhould we again break this commandment and covenant, by joining once more with the people of these abominations, and taking into our bofom thofe ferpents, which had formerly ftung us almost unto death; this, as it would argue great madness and folly upon our part, fo no doubt, if it be not avoided, will provoke the Lord against us, to confume us, until there be no remnant nor efcaping in the land.

And albeit the peace and union betwixt the kingdoms be great bleffings of God unto both, and a bond which we are obliged to preferve unviolated, and to endeavour that juftice may be done upon the opposers thereof: yet fome in this land, who have come under the bond of the covenant, have made it their great study how to diffolve this union; and few or no endeavours have been used by any of us for punishing of fuch.

We have fuffered many of our brethren, in feveral parts of the land, to be oppreffed by the common enemy, without compaffion or relief: there hath been great murmuring and repining, because of expence of means, and pains in doing of our duty: many, by perfuafion or terror, have fuffered themselves to be divided and withdrawn, to the contrary part: many have turned off to a deteftable indifferency and neutrality in this caufe, which fo much concerneth the glory of God and the good of thefe kingdoms; nay, many have made it their study to walk fo, as they might comply with all times, and all the revolutions thereof. It hath not been our care to countenance, encourage, intrust and employ fuch only, as from their hearts did affect and mind God's work; but the hearts of fuch many times have been dif-couraged, and their hands weakened, their fufferings neglected, and themselves flighted; and many, who were once open enemies, and always fecret underminers, countenanced and employed: nay, even those who had been looked upon as incendiaries, and upon whom the Lord hath fet marks of defperate malignancy, falfhood and deceit, were brought in, as fit to manage publick affairs: many have been the lets and impediments that have been caft in the way, to retard and obftruct the Lord's work; and fome have kept fecret, what of themfelves they were not able to fupprefs and overcome.

Befides thefe, and many other breaches of the articles of the covemant in the matter thereof, which it concerneth every one of us to fearch out and acknowledge before the Lord, as we would with his wrath to be turned away from us; fo have many of us failed exceedingly, in the manner of our following and puriuing the duties contained therein; not only feeking great things for ourselves, and mixing of our private interefts and ends concerning ourselves, and friends, and followers, with thofe things which concern the publick good; but many times preferring fuch to the honour of God, and good of his

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caufe, and retarding God's work, until we might carry along with us our own interefts and designs. It hath been our way to trust in the means, and to rely upon the arm of flesh for fuccef, albeit the Lord hath many times made us meet with difappointment therein, and ftained the pride of all our glory by blafting every carnal confidence unto us: we have followed for the most part the counfels of flesh and blood, and walked more by the rules of policy than piety, and have bearkened more unto men than unto God.

Albeit we made folema publick profeffion before the world, of our unfeigned defires to be humbled before the Lord for our own fins, and the fins of thefe kingdoms, especially for our undervaluing of the inestimable benefit of the gospel, and that we have not laboured for the power thereof, and received Chrift into our hearts, and walked worthy of him in our lives; and of our true and unfeigned purpose, defire and endeavour for ourselves, and all others under our power and charge, both in publick and private, in all the duties which we owe to God and man, to amend our lives, and each one to go before another in the example of a real reformation, that the Lord might tura away his wrath and heavy indignation, and establish thele kirks and kingdoms in truth and peace: Yet we have refufed to be reformed, and have walked proudly and obftinately against the Lord, not valuing his gofpel, nor fubmitting ourselves unto the obedience thereof: not seeking after Chrift, nor studying to honour him in the excellency of his perfon, nor employ him in the virtue of his offices; nor making confcience of publick ordinances, nor private nor fecret duties; nor studying to edify one another in love. Ignorance of God, and of his Son Jefus Chrift, prevails exceedingly in the land; the greatest part of mafters of families, amongst noblemen, barons, gentlemen, burgeffes and commons, neglect to feek God in their families, and to endeavour the reformation thereof; and albeit it hath been much pressed, yet few of our nobles and great ones, even to this day, could be perfuaded to perform family duties themselves, and in their own perfons; which makes fo neceffary and useful a duty to be mifregarded by others of inferior rank: nay, many of the nobility, gentry and burrows, who fhould have been examples of godlinefs and fober walking unto others, have been ringleaders of excefs and rioting. Albeit we be the Lord's people, engaged to him in a folemn way; yet, to this day, we have not made it our study, that judicatories and armies fhould confift of, and places of power and truft be filled with men of a harmlefs and Chriftian converfation, and of known integrity, and approven fidelity, affection and zeal unto the cause of God; but not only thofe who have been neutral and indifferent, but difaffected and malignant, and others who have been profane and fcandalous, have been intrufted: by which it hath come to pass, that judicatories have been the feats of injustice and iniquity; and many in our armies, by their mifcarriage, have become our plague, unto the great prejudice of the caufe of God, the

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great fcandal of the gofpel, and the great increase of loofenefs and profanity throughout all the land. It were impoffible to reckon up all the abominations that are in the land; but the blafpheming of the name of God, fwearing by the creatures, profanation of the Lord's day, uncleanness, drunkenness, excefs and rioting, vanity of apparel, lying and deceit, railing and curfing, arbitrary and uncontrouled oppreffion, and grinding of the faces of the poor by landlords, and others in place and power, are become ordinary and common fins; and, befides all these things, there be many other tranfgreffions, whereof the lands wherein we live are guilty. All which we defire to acknowledge and to be humbled for, that the world may bear witnefs with us, that righteousness belongeth unto God, and fhame and confufion of face unto us, as appears this day.

And becaule it is needful for those who find mercy, not only to confefs, but also to forfake their fin; therefore, that the reality and fincerity of our repentance may appear, we do refolve and folemnly engage ourselves, before the Lord, carefully to avoid for the time to come all thefe offences, whereof we have now made folemn publick acknowledgement, and all the fnares and tentations which tend thereunto: and to teftify the integrity of our refolution herein, and that we may be the better enabled in the power of the Lord's ftrength to perform the fame, we do again renew our folemn league and covenant, promifing hereafter to make confcience of all the duties, whereunto we are obliged, in all the heads and articles thereof, particularly of thefe that follow.

1. Because religion is of all things the most excellent and precious, the advancing and promoting the power thereof, against all ungodlinels and profanity, the fecuring and preferving the purity thereof against all error, herefy and fchifm; and namely, independency, anabaptifm, antinomianifm, arminianifm, and focinianifm, familifm, libertinilin, fcepticism, and eraftianifin, and the carrying on the work of uniformity fhall be ftudied and endeavoured by us before all worldly interefts, whether concerning the king, ourselves, or any other whatsomever, 2. Because many have of late laboured to fupplant the liberties of the kirk, we fhall maintain and defend the kirk of Scotland, in all her liberties and privileges, against all who fhall oppofe or undermine the fame, or encroach thereupon, under any pretext, whatsomever. 3. We fhall vindicate and maintain the liberties of the fubjects, in all thefe things which concern their confciences, perfons and eftates. 4. We fhall carefully maintain and defend the union betwixt the kingdoms, and avoid every thing that may weaken the fame, or involve us in any measure of acceffion unto the guilt of these who have invaded the kingdom of England. 5. As we have been always loyal to our king, fo we shall still endeavour to give unto God that which is God's and to Cæfar the things which are Cæfar's. 6. We shall be fo far from conniving at, complying with, or countenancing of malignancy, injuftice,

iniquity,

iniquity, profanity and impiety, that we fhall not only avoid and dif countenance those things, and cherish and encourage these persons who are zealous for the caufe of God, and walk according to the gospel; but also fhall take a more effectual courte than heretofore, in our re spective places and callings, for punishing and fuppreffing thefe evils; and faithfully endeavour, that the best and fittelt remedies may be applied for taking away the caufes thereof, and advancing the knowledge of God, and holiness and righteou nefs in the land. And therefore, in the last place, as we shall earnestly pray unto God, that he would give us able men, fearing God, men of truth, and.bating covetousness, to judge and bear charge among his people; fo we fhail, according to our places and callings, endeavour that judicatories, and all places of power and truft both in kirk and ftate, may confist of, and be filled with fuch men as are of known good affection to the caufe of God, and of a blameless and Christian conversation.

And, because there be many, who heretofore have not made confcience of the oath of God, but fome through fear, others by perfuafion and upon bafe ends and human interests, have entered thereinto, who have afterwards difcovered themselves to have dealt deceitfully with the Lord, in fwearing falfly by his name; Therefore we, who do now renew our covenant, in reference to these duties, and all other duties contained therein, do, in the fight of him, who is the Searcher of hearts, folemnly profefs, that it is not upon any public advantage, or private intereft or bye-end, or because of any terror or persuasion, from men, or hypocritically and deceitfully, that we do again take upon us the oath of God, but honeftly and fincerely, and from the fense of our duty; and that therefore, denying ourselves and our own things, and laying afide all felf-intereft and ends, we shall above all things feek the honour of God, the good of his caufe, and the wealth of his people; and that forfaking the counfels of flesh and blood, and not leaning upon carnal confidences, we fhall depend upon the Lord, walk by the rule of his word, and hearken to the voice of his fervants. Jn all which, profeffing our own weakness, we do earnestly pray to God, who is the Father of mercies, through his Son Jefus Chrift, to be merciful unto us, and to enable us by the power of his might, that we may do our duty, unto the praife of his grace in the churches, Amen.

FIN 1. S.

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