{"collection":"scripture-revelation","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_12381/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_12381","id":"gutenberg_12381","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12381","summary":null,"tags":["Auchensaugh Renovation (1712)","Category: History - Modern (1750+)","Category: History - Religious","Category: Religion/Spirituality","Covenanters","National Covenant (1581)","Solemn League and Covenant (1643)"],"text":"THE AUCHENSAUGH RENOVATION\nOF THE\nNATIONAL COVENANT AND SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT;\nWITH THE\nACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SINS AND ENGAGEMENT TO DUTIES,\nAS THEY WERE\nRENEWED AT AUCHENSAUGH, NEAR DOUGLAS,\nJULY 24, 1712.\n(COMPARED WITH THE EDITIONS OF PAISLEY, 1820, AND BELFAST, 1835.)\nALSO,\nTHE RENOVATION\nOF THESE\nPUBLIC FEDERAL DEEDS\nORDAINED AT PHILADELPHIA, OCTOBER 8, 1880,\nBY THE\nREFORMED PRESBYTERY,\nWITH ACCOMMODATION OF THE ORIGINAL COVENANTS, IN BOTH TRANSACTIONS,\nTO THEIR TIMES AND POSITIONS RESPECTIVELY.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nPHILADELPHIA 1880.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nPREFACE.\n\nThe Reformed Presbytery, at a meeting in Philadelphia, October 6th 1880,\n\"_Resolved_, That another edition of the Auchensaugh Deed be published,\"\nand appointed the undersigned a committee \"to attend to this business\nwith all convenient speed.\"\n\nThis Presbytery, after forty years' experience, during which\nopportunities have been afforded for examining the opinions and\npractices of all parties, professing any regard for the Covenanted\nReformation, is still deeply impressed with the conviction that the\ntransaction at Auchensaugh 1712, is the only faithful renovation of our\nCovenants, National and Solemn League. The fidelity of our fathers in\nthat hazardous and heroic transaction, it is believed, has ever since\nbeen the _occasion_ (not the _cause_) of all opponents manifesting their\nhostility to the whole covenanted cause, by first assaults upon that\ndetested Bond. And that this is the real state of the case we proceed to\nprove by the following historical facts. _First._--In connection with\nremodeling the Testimony; or rather by supplanting it in 1806, the Terms\nof Communion, without submitting an overture, were also changed to\nharmonize with _Reformation Principles Exhibited_, by excluding the\nAuchensaugh Renovation from the fourth Term, where it had stood for\nnearly a century. The same party have for years excluded from their\nabstract of Terms the _Covenants themselves_. _Second._--In Scotland\nthis faithful document was expunged in 1822, obviously to prepare the\nway for the adoption of a _\"New Testimony\"(!)_, which appeared 1837-9.\nThe majority of the actors in that work who survive, are now in the Free\nChurch! _Third._--At the time when defection was progressing in the R.P.\nSynod of Scotland, the sister Synod of Ireland strenuously resisted an\nattempt to remove the foresaid Bond from its place in the Terms. The\nRev. Messrs. Dick, Smith and Houston in 1837, were faithful and\nsuccessful for the time in resisting that attempt. Mr. Houston \"_would\never resist any alteration_ in respect of the Auchensaugh Bond,\nregarding the objection laid against it as in reality aimed at the\nCovenants themselves.\" Yet as a sequel to their Renovation of the\nCovenants at Dervock 1853, the Auchensaugh Bond was subsequently \"shown\nto the porch\"--removed from the Terms! _Fourth._--At what was called\ncovenant-renovation at Pittsburgh 1871, we believe no one spoke in\nbehalf of their fathers' noble achievement in 1712. Indeed this could\nnot be rationally expected in a body who could tolerate members\nvilifying the very Covenants which they pretended to renew.\n_Fifth._--Other parties farther removed from the position of their\nreforming progenitors; but who still claim ecclesiastical affinity with\nJohn Knox, and commonly prefix to the symbols of their faith the\nhistorical word _Westminster_, give very strong expression to their\nfeelings of hostility--not to the Auchensaugh Bond, of which probably\nthey never heard, but to the British Covenants expressly; yea, to the\nvery ordinance of public social covenanting itself. But we shall let\nthem speak for themselves. One Doctor of divinity is reported as\nsaying--\"I am opposed to the whole matter of covenanting. Covenants do\nan immense sight more harm than good. Those Scotch Covenanters brought\npersecution upon themselves by their covenants.\"[1]\n\nAnother Dr. said, \"I have always been opposed to covenanting. One\ngeneration of God's people have no right to enter into bonds that entail\nobligations upon future generations.\"[2] A third Dr. said, \"I hold it is\na sin for men to go into the august presence of God and enter into\ncovenant with him. It is base presumption.\"[3] A fourth Dr. said, \"I\nhold that the church as an organization is not a responsible moral\nagent. Neither is the nation!\" These sentiments may well excite\nastonishment and alarm, when proclaimed by accredited teachers of\nmorality and religion. _Sixth._--Seceders have all along their history\nclaimed to be the sole heirs of the Scottish covenanted inheritance.\nThey are not ignorant of the Auchensaugh Renovation. How they view that\ntransaction may be best ascertained from their own language. The\n_Original Secession Magazine_ for November 1880, p. 861, speaks thus,\n\"The distinction drawn between 'Covenanters' and 'Seceders,' we have\nshown to be groundless. Are Reformed Presbyterians covenanters at all?\nThere is not an _actual_ Covenanter among them. They renewed the\nCovenants after a fashion in 1712. In our view the Covenants were not\nrenewed, they were only mangled,\" &c. These sentiments are sufficiently\nstrong and explicit to be intelligible. The writer's feelings evidently\ninterfered with judicial discrimination, while openly expressing that\nhostility to the Auchensaugh Bond which is concealed by others. The Rev.\nJohn McMillan, whom the Lord honored to take the lead at Auchensaugh, is\nespecially branded by this writer who asserts,--\"he did not secede and\nretire, he was expelled; nor was the position of his early associates in\nthe ministry of the purest water.\" Moreover, this writer asserts \"that\nthey (Seceders) have actually renewed the Covenants, from time to time,\nduring the whole period of their existence.\" How could this be, since\nSeceders have all along rejected \"the civil part of the Covenants?\" But\nthese documents bear on their face a direct aim at personal, domestic,\necclesiastical, and civil reformation. No party can intelligently and\nhonestly renew the National Covenant and Solemn League, while eulogizing\nthe \"Glorious Revolution\" of 1688, while in allegiance to the British\nthrone--that \"bloody horn of the beast;\" or whose political principles\nwill identify them with any other horn which may have power to scatter\n\"Judah.\" Zech. i: 21.\n\nWe have thus attempted by an induction of particulars, as concisely as\nwe could, to point out existing opposition to our Covenanted\nReformation, by various parties who assail the British Covenants\ndirectly, or by a first assault upon the Auchensaugh Bond, would reach a\nfatal stroke at the Covenants themselves. We believe with our\npredecessors that those who reject the Auchensaugh Renovation, by\nlogical necessity will relinquish the Covenants themselves.\n\nThe reader may be assured that neither we nor the Reformed Presbytery,\nwhose committee we are, claim Papal infallibility or Christian\nperfection; nor do we ask implicit faith in any uninspired documents.\nBut we sincerely believe ourselves that the Auchensaugh Renovation and\nthe Bond, to which the foregoing statements are prefixed, will be found\non examination to be sound, faithful, and \"in nothing contrary to the\nword of God.\"\n\nDAVID STEELE,\nROBERT ALEXANDER,\nJOHN CLYDE.\n_Committee_\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[Footnote 1: This gentleman does not seem to know that infidels use\nsimilar argument against Christianity. Or, did he never read--\"I came\nnot to send peace on the earth, but a sword.\" His logic also is as\nfaulty as his theology--_non causa pro causa_.]\n\n[Footnote 2: On what principle does this minister dispense the ordinance\nof baptism to subjects in their minority? Is baptism a mere ceremony,\ninvolving no obligation upon the children of believers? Gen. xvii: 14.]\n\n[Footnote 3: No _presumption_, when graciously invited to do so. Is.\nlvi: 4, 6, 11. This teaching tends to the subversion of social\norder--the moral order of the universe. 2 Pet. ii: 10.]\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\n\nTHE AUCHENSAUGH RENOVATION.\n\nTHE NATIONAL COVENANT AND SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT, WITH THE\nACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SINS AND ENGAGEMENT TO DUTIES: AS THEY WERE RENEWED AT\nAUCHENSAUGH, NEAR DOUGLAS, 24th JULY, 1712, WITH ACCOMMODATION TO THE\n(THEN) PRESENT TIMES.\n\n\nPSALM lxxvi: 11. Vow and pay unto the Lord your God.\n\nISAIAH xxiv: 5. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof:\nbecause they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken\nthe everlasting covenant.\n\nEZEK. xvii: 18. Seeing he despised the oath by breaking the covenant\n(when, lo, he had given his hand), and hath done all these _things_, he\nshall not escape.\n\n2 TIM. iii: 3. Truce-breakers--or Covenant-breakers.\n\n\n\nHISTORICAL INTRODUCTION.\n\n\nIt is the ineffable product of eternal love, and infinite condescension\nin God toward his rational creatures, that ever he was pleased to make a\ncovenant with them, and not to command and require obedience to his holy\nand just will, by virtue of his most absolute supremacy and rightful\ndominion only; but even to superadd sweet and precious promises, as a\nreward of that obedience, which he might of right have required, without\ngiving any such incitements or pursuasives to it. And as no tongue of\nmen or angels is sufficient to express, no strength of imagination to\nconceive, no sublimity of intellectual faculties to comprehend the depth\nof that spring, and breadth of that ocean of unbounded love, which hath\nexerted itself in God's covenanting with man; yea, with sinful man, by\nmeans of a Mediator: so shall it always afford matter of wonder and\nadmiration to all finite and intelligent beings, to the ages of\neternity, and shall never be comprehended by any, but by him whose\nunderstanding is infinite; wherefore He, who is all-sufficient and\nself-sufficient, should invite, yea, press and entreat unworthy indigent\nnothings, the sinful children of men to such an incomparable degree of\nhonor, dignity and advancement, as that is, to enter into a covenant\nrelation, and come into a solemn treaty of peace and conjunction with\nHim, who is infinitely removed beyond all blessing and all praise. To\nhave this invitation, is indeed the honor and privilege of all within\nthe visible church, to whose ears the joyful sound of the glorious\ngospel of Jesus Christ hath come; but few are so wise as to accept and\napprove it. Many, too many, account themselves unworthy of this honor,\nand by despising this privilege, and rejecting this dignity, deprive\nthemselves of the greatest happiness; but as all nations, upon whom the\nday-star of the gospel hath arisen, have had the invitation to this\nduty, and all sound and real believers have actually participated of\nthis honor, to have God making a covenant with them, and they striking\nhands with Him through a Mediator (which covenant is commonly termed the\n_Covenant of Grace_,) so these three kingdoms of Scotland, England and\nIreland conjunctly, and Scotland by itself, as an independent nation,\nhad in an eminent way and manner the honor, above most nations in the\nworld, to dedicate and surrender themselves to the Lord, by a most\nvoluntary, free and deliberate choice, and to come under the bond of a\nmost solemn oath, in a most religious manner, devoting their all to\nChrist, his interest and honor, the flourishing and thriving of his\nkingdom, the success of his gospel, and reformation of his churches; and\nopenly avouching him for their Lord and Master, to the honor of his\nname, and confusion of his enemies; which _Covenants National_ and\n_Solemn League_, though we look not upon them to be the same with the\ncovenant of grace, yet we conceive of them as a solemn superadded and\nnew obligation, tying us to all the duties, as well of a particular\nChristian conversation, as these which tend to the public and national\nadvancement of reformation in religion, whereof the covenant of grace is\nthe spring and foundation.\n\nThese covenants, as they were the effects and consequents of many\nremarkable and signal expressions of divine love and goodness, many\nsingular mercies and deliverances vouchsafed to these nations, as the\nreturn of many earnest prayers and wrestlings of the Lord's people with\nhim; so they were the occasions of many blessings, and great indications\nof God's favor and loving-kindness. Then the Lord delighted to dwell in\nthe nations; then did he beautify the place of his sanctuary; then did\nhe fill his people's hearts with joy and gladness, by the familiar\nintimations of his special love and down pourings of his Spirit's\ngracious influences, as our land can afford many instances. Then did he\nenlarge his people's affections, and animate their spirits with zeal and\ncourage, attended with knowledge, prudence and discretion to act for\nhim, and advance his kingdom. Then did he illustrate his churches in\nthese kingdoms, as bright and sparkling stars arising out of the thick\nclouds of antichristian darkness, and getting out from under Prelatic\nand Erastian yokes of bondage and slavery, and made them go forth as the\nmeridian sun glorious and excellent; _terrible as an army with banners_.\nHence it came to pass that these nations sent out a savory report to all\nthe neighboring reformed churches, a report which comforted, revived,\nstrengthened, animated and encouraged all the true and loyal subjects of\nChrist's kingdom; which struck terror and amazement to the hearts of his\nenemies; which shook and caused to tremble the pillars of Antichrist's\nkingdom, and disquieted the very foundations of the _seat of that\nbeast_; which made malignants at home and abroad to be ashamed and\nconfounded, and even forced the haters of the Lord to _feign submission\nto him_. Numberless were the advantages and privileges which did redound\nto these nations by, and were the lovely attendants and sweet\nconsequents of, these covenants; whereby God did set to his seal of\napprobation, and gave clear evidence and demonstration of his acceptance\nof his people's cheerful and willing adventures in this duty of\ncovenanting with him: and as these blessings and mercies, which, as the\ndew of Hermon, were distilled upon his people's heads and hearts, while\nthey abode steadfast with him, and faithful in his covenant were so many\nirrefragable proofs of his acquiescence in their first and laudable\nundertakings; so the many sad and fearful plagues, distractions,\nconfusions and miseries, which have attended and followed the many gross\nbreaches and violations of these covenants and departures from God, are\nno less evident discoveries, undeniable signs and pregnant convictions\nof the Lord's most just displeasure and indignation with the bypast and\npresent courses of revolting and backsliding from him; which courses of\ndeclension and grievous apostatizing from God and his covenant, all the\nthree kingdoms and in special this nation, and every individual therein\ncapable of such a work, are, without all controversy, called to bewail\nand confess before God, and by speedy amendment to turn from them, in\norder to avert judgments, and turn away justly impendent wrath and long\nthreatened strokes.\n\nThe consideration of these blessings and benefits, on the one hand,\nwhich followed the zealous entering into, and sincere performing of\nthese sacred oaths; and upon the other hand the sense we desire to\nretain of the plagues and curses, threatened by God in his word against\ncovenant-breaking inflicted upon covenant-breakers in former ages, and\nforeign nations, and visibly impending upon us in these nations, for our\nperfidious dealing in God's covenant; hath moved us a _poor\ninsignificant handful of people_, unworthy indeed to be called the\nposterity of our zealous reforming ancestors, though heartily desirous\nto be found adhering to the same standard of doctrine, worship,\ndiscipline and government to which they adhered, to attempt this solemn\nand weighty duty of renewing (in our capacities and stations) these\ncovenant obligations, that we might at least give some discovery of our\nrespect to the cause of God, for the advancement and preservation\nwhereof these covenants were first entered into, and afterwards again\nand again renewed by our religious progenitors, and by the whole\nrepresentative body of the three kingdoms, who had any zeal for the\ninterest of religion. And that we might, for our parts, be in some\nmeasure instrumental to transmit a testimony for the work of God in our\nland to the succeeding generation. Neither do we want, besides these\ngeneral motives, some special inducements to this undertaking. As 1.\nBecause these national covenants, having been nationally broken, and\ntheir funeral piles erected by wicked and perfidious rulers in the\ncapital cities of the kingdom, with all imaginable ignominy and\ncontempt, have long lien buried and (almost) quite forgotten under these\nashes; most people either hating the very name and remembrance of them,\nor at least being ashamed honorably to avouch their adherence to them,\nand afraid to endeavor a vigorous and constant prosecution of the duties\ncontained in them: So that it is high time that every one should do his\nutmost towards a reviving of them. 2. Because many openly declare their\nsorrow and grief that ever these covenants should have been entered\ninto: malignants calling them a conspiracy, attributing every\nmiscarriage of the persons engaged in them to the covenants themselves\nas their native effects; and others, who would take it ill to be called\nmalignants, making them the causes of all the tyranny, rapine, bloodshed\nand persecution of the late reigns, as having raised the spleen of the\nenemies of religion, and accounting it safer that they should lie still\nin their graves, than that they should irritate malignants any more by\ntheir resurrection.[4] Therefore we judge it our duty to renew them,\nthat we might evidence, that notwithstanding all these malicious\ncalumnies and false consequences cast upon them, we are still of the\nsame judgment with our reformers, that they are the most sovereign\nmeans, under the blessing of God, for the reviving and preserving the\nwork of God in the land. 3. Because of the courses that are carried on\nin direct opposition to these covenants; the nations, formerly cemented\nin peace and love in conjunction with truth and righteousness, having\nbroken these bonds, and united themselves upon another footing, by the\nlate sinful incorporating union: and imposing new oaths in opposition to\nthe covenant; such as abjuration, &c. granting license, protection and\ntoleration to all the evils abjured in the covenant; as heresies and\nerrors in doctrine, superstition in worship, Prelacy and Erastianism in\ngovernment, and overthrowing all good discipline. 4. Because of our own\nsinful miscarriages in, and woful declinings from our covenanted duties,\nour proneness to break covenant with God, and to be indifferent, lax,\nnegligent and unsteadfast in the cause and work of God, and to be led\naway with the error of the wicked, and to fall from our steadfastness;\nwherefore we thought it necessary to bind ourselves by a new tie to the\nLord, and one to another in a zealous prosecution of covenanted duties,\nthat the covenant might be as a hedge to keep us from running out into\nthe paths of destroyers. 5. We being sincerely desirous and having an\nearnest longing to celebrate the sacred ordinance of the Lord's Supper,\nwhereof many had unjustly called us despisers and contemners, and\nfinding it to have been the laudable practice of the church of Scotland\nformerly, that all such as were admitted to that holy table should swear\nand subscribe the covenant before their coming thereunto; we judged it a\nfit preparation for our receiving a sacramental confirmation of God's\ncovenanted love and favor to us, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that we\nshould avouch Him for our God, and testify our adherence to His cause\nand truth, by our renewing our national covenants with Him.\n\nUpon these and the like weighty considerations we resolved to set about\nthis solemn and tremendous duty; and being assured that we have no\nsufficiency in ourselves for any such undertaking, after frequently\nimploring the Lord for light and direction, strength and assistance, and\nseeking for ourselves a right way in the performance of the duty, upon\ndays of humiliation, both in our private societies and publicly in the\nfields, we did condescend upon the following _acknowledgment of sins_,\nthe more to enable us to remember our own and the land's breaches of\ncovenant, in our solemn public confession thereof; and did draw up the\nfollowing _engagement to duties_, not to superadd any new oath and\nobligation to the covenants, but only to adjust the articles of the\ncovenant to the circumstances of the time, and to explain in what sense\nthe covenant binds us against the present evils that are now prevalent\nin the land, and to the contrary duties. As for the covenants\nthemselves, we made no material alteration in them, as judging it a work\nmore proper for an assembly of divines, or representative body of church\nand state (had they been upright and faithful in this cause) than for\nus, who, as we are called by others in contempt, must own ourselves in\ntruth to be, _but a handful of weak and most illiterate people_, and but\nas babes in comparison of the first framers of our covenants; only that\nwe might make them in some measure accomodable to the present lamentable\ncircumstances, whereinto we are involved by our iniquities, we have\nannotated some few necessary alterations upon the margin, wherein the\njudicious will find that we have in nothing receded from the scope and\nsubstance of the covenant, but only in the phrase; for instance, where\nthe covenant binds to _the defence and preservation of the king's\nmajesty and government_, in regard we have no king nor supreme civil\nmagistrate so qualified, as God's law and the laudable laws of this\nrealm require, to whom we might, for conscience sake, subject ourselves,\nin a consistency with our defending the true reformed religion in all\nits parts and privileges: Therefore, we can only bind ourselves to\n_defend and preserve the honor, authority and majesty of lawful\nsovereigns, or supreme magistrates, having the qualifications aforesaid,\nwhen God shall be pleased to grant them to us_. Where no judicious\nperson will say that there is any substantial alteration as to the\n_matter of the duty_, but only as to the object to whom the duty is to\nbe performed; there being none such in being as can justly claim, or to\nwhom we may with a good conscience pay such an allegiance.\n\nHaving mutually agreed concerning these prerequisites to this sacred\naction, that the same might be orderly gone about, and might not be\nperformed in a clandestine way, so as to preclude any upright-hearted\nfriends to the covenanted reformation from joining with us in that so\nnecessary a duty, there was public intimation made of the design a\ncompetent space of time before, upon a day of humiliation, and likewise\nupon the Lord's day immediately preceding the work.\n\nAs for the particular way and manner, method and circumstances of the\nwork, we had not given any narrative of them; but that some, who came\nwith an evil eye, to spy out our liberty, for criticizing, not for\njoining or profiting, have in part misrepresented the same, and may\nfurther do so; therefore, to obviate all such misreports, we have\nthought fit to make this brief relation thereof.\n\nUpon Wednesday, July 23d, those who had the work in design being met\ntogether, the minister began the day's work with prayer for special\nassistance to attain due preparation, and a suitable frame, throughout\nthe whole solemnity: and thereafter had a prefatory discourse to the\npeople, showing the nature of the work in general, its lawfulness,\nexpediency, and necessity, from scripture precedents and approven\nexamples of the people of God, adducing the 9th chapter of Ezra, Neh.\nEzek. Dan. and Neh. x. 28, 29, for proof thereof; and of the day in\nparticular, that it was a day of fasting and supplication, with\npreaching of the word, in order to preparation for the solemnities\nintended, both of renewing the covenants and celebrating the sacrament\nof the Lord's, Supper. After which a part of the lxxviii. Psalm, from\nthe 5th to the 12th verse being sung, Mr. John M'Neil, preacher of the\ngospel, had a sermon upon Jer. 1. 4, and 5. \"In those days, and in that\ntime, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the\nchildren of Judah together, going and weeping: they shall go and seek\nthe Lord their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces\nthitherward, saying, Come and let us join ourselves to the Lord, in a\nperpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.\" From which text he\nraised and prosecuted largely, and particularly the two following\nobservations, as most pertinent for the work of the day; the first\nimplicitly supposed, the other more explicitly asserted in the words;\nviz. 1. That, _a people in covenant with God may be forgetful of and\ndeal falsely in their covenant_; or that _covenant-takers may be\ncovenant-breakers_. 2. That, _it is the duty of a people who have broken\ncovenant with God to engage themselves again to the Lord by the\nrenovation of their covenant_. Where in prosecuting the former, he\nshowed by what gradual steps of declension a people usually come to deal\nfalsely in God's covenant, such as, (1.) By forgetfulness, Deut. iv. 23.\nThere being a connexion between forgetting and forsaking, or dealing\nfalsely in God's covenant, so the church intimates, Psal. xliv. 17, 18.\n\"All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have\nwe dealt falsely in thy covenant; our heart is not turned back, neither\nhave our steps declined from thy way.\" And the returning remnant of\nIsrael being sensible of this connexion, resolve to bind themselves to\nthe Lord _in a perpetual covenant that may not be forgotten_. (2.) By\nseeking shifts and arguments to elude and evade the obligation of the\ncovenant and to defend the breaches thereof; which is after vows to make\ninquiry. (3.) By despising the bond of it; Ezek. xvi. 59. \"Which hast\ndespised the oath in breaking the covenant.\" (4.) By defection to the\niniquities which are sworn and engaged against in the covenant, Jer. xi.\n10. \"They are turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, which\nrefused to hear my words; and they went after other gods to serve them;\nthe house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken my covenant,\nwhich I made with their fathers.\" (5.) By changing the government, laws,\nand ordinances sworn to be maintained in the covenant; either the\ngovernment of the state, without consulting divine direction, and due\ninspection into the qualification of the persons set up, Hos. viii.,\ncompare the 1st and 4th verses. \"They have transgressed my covenant, &c.\nThey have set up kings, but not by me, princes and I knew it not;\" that\nis, without consulting me to know my will, and without my approbation\nand consent; or the government of the church, without regard to the\nrevealed will of God. Thus, Abijah justly chargeth Jeroboam that he had\n\"cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites,\"\nand that he had \"made priests after the manner of the nations of other\nlands;\" but encourages himself that he and Judah had the Lord for their\nGod, because they had not forsaken him; \"and the priests which\nministered unto the Lord were the sons of Aaron.\" 2 Chron. xiii. 6, 10.\n(6.) By an entire forsaking and disowning the obligation of the\ncovenant, Dan. xi. 30. \"He------shall have intelligence with them that\nforsake the holy covenant.\" (7.) By a stated opposition to the covenant,\nand persecuting of these who adhere thereunto. Thus Elijah justly\ncharges Israel, 1 Kings xix. 10, that they had forsaken God's covenant,\nbecause they had thrown down his altars, slain his prophets, and sought\nafter Elijah's life. And in a use of lamentation deduced from the\nforesaid doctrine, he showed, that all ranks in the land had reason to\nmourn over their breach of covenant, in regard that some of all ranks,\nfrom the throne to the dunghill, in church and state, are, or have been\nguilty of dealing falsely in God's covenant, in all and every one of\nthese diverse ways, and of declining from it: and in regard that there\nhas been so much ignominy and contempt cast upon these sacred covenants,\nnot only by breaking them openly, but also avowedly disowning and\ndisdaining their obligation, and making the adherence to them criminal;\nand, which is above all, burning them by the hand of the hangman, and\nburying them so long in forgetfulness. This guiltiness he applied not to\ngreat persons only, but also to professors, to ministers, and\nparticularly to ourselves, who are called dissenters from the present\nestablishment; pressing upon us no less than others, the absolute and\nindispensable necessity of being convinced of, and mourning over these,\nnot as the sins of others only, but also as our own--we having a chief\nhand in the trespass; pressing upon all present concerned in the work\nthe duty of self-examination, and putting themselves to the trial,\nconcerning their knowledge of the covenant obligations, both as to their\nnature and extent, as well as their sense of the breaches of these\nobligations.\n\nIn the second head of doctrine, viz., _That it is the duty of a people\nwho have broken covenant with God, to engage themselves again to him by\nrenovation of their covenant_; after proving the proposition by several\nheads of arguments deduced--1st, From the lawfulness of entering into\ncovenant with God, whether personal, as Jacob, Gen. xxviii. 20, 21, or\neconomical, as Joshua and his family, Josh. xxiv. 15, or national, as\nGod brought his people Israel under a covenant with himself, Exod. xix\n5. The consequence holding undeniably, that if it be lawful and\nnecessary, in any of these respects, to enter into covenant with God, it\nmust needs be also lawful and a duty to renew the same after the breach\nthereof. 2dly, From Scripture precedents of the people of God, who,\nafter breaking off and declining from God's covenant, renewed the same.\nAs for instance, the covenant made with Israel at Horeb, was renewed at\nthe plains of Moab, Deut. xxxix;--by Joshua, chap, xxiv.;--by Asa, 2\nChron. xv. 13, 14;--by Jehoiada, 2 Kings xi. 17;--by Hezekiah, 2 Chron.\nxxix. 10;--by Josiah, 2 Kings, xxiii. 2;--by Ezra and Nehemiah, Ezra, x.\n3;--Neh. ix ult. and x. 28, 29. 3dly, From Scripture precepts, Deut.\nxxix. 1--\"These are the words of the covenant which the Lord commanded\nMoses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside\nthe covenant which he made with them in Horeb.\" Psalm, lxxvi. 11--\"Vow,\nand pay unto the Lord your God.\" 4thly, From Scripture promises, wherein\nthe Lord promiseth as a blessing and mercy to his church and people,\nthat they should renew their covenant with him, Isaiah xix. 21, 23--25;\nZech. ii. 11. For further opening of the proposition, these two\nquestions were proposed and solved--_First_, Whether all persons who\nhave broken covenant with God may be admitted to renew the same?\n_Answer_, All sorts of persons in the three kingdoms are under the\nobligation of the covenant, and consequently, bound to renew and keep it\ninviolable; but all are not in present capacity, and therefore have no\nactual right to enter into covenant: such as are obstinately wicked,\nliving in error, profanity, or malignancy, have not God's call and right\nfrom him, as such, to renew a covenant with him; for, Psal. 1. 16,\n17--\"God says to the wicked, What hast thou to do to take my covenant in\nthy mouth?\" But all such as are reformed, or reforming from all\niniquity, and namely from the defections and compliances of the time;\nwho have some suitable sense of the breaches, and competent knowledge\nand understanding of the duties engaged unto in the covenant, Neh. x.\n28, have a right and an immediate call to the duty of renewing the\ncovenant. 2dly, If any number of people may renew a national oath and\ncovenant without the consent and concurrence of royal authority, or at\nleast, without the concurrence of some chief and principal men in church\nand state? _Answer_, Without the concurrence of church and state, a\ncovenant cannot be taken or renewed nationally, speaking strictly; yet a\nfew may publicly declare their adherence to their covenant-engagements\nby renewing them, not only without the consent and concurrence of\nauthority, but against it; and there are several precedents for so\ndoing, both before and since the established reformation. As for\ninstance, that covenant at Edinburgh, Anno 1557; at Perth, 1559; at\nStirling, the same year; another at Leith, Anno 1560; another at Ayr,\n1562. And at Lanark, a small handful of the Lord's people renewed it in\ndirect opposition to, and at Lesmahago, without the consent or\nconcurrence of authority; which instances may be both an inducement and\nencouragement to us to renew, and in our mean capacity, to testify to\nthe nation our approbation of, and adherence to these covenants.\n\nIn the prosecution of this doctrine, he had occasion also to insist upon\nthe _reasons_, or _motives_, and _manner_ of entering into covenant. The\nscope and argument of the reasons adduced as motives to the duty of\ncovenanting was to this effect:--\n\n1. The turning away of the Lord's wrath and anger from a land, or\npeople, which covenant-breaking hath deserved, may be a motive to\nrenewing covenant with God; this was the motive that prompted the good\nreforming King Hezekiah to make a covenant with the Lord, 2 Chron. xxix.\n10--\"Now it is in mine heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of\nIsrael, that his fierce wrath may turn away from us.\" And Nehemiah, with\nthe returned captives, Neh. ix. 38--\"And because of all this, we make a\nsure covenant.\"\n\n2. Reviving and advancement in reformation, being the ordinary\nconsequent and effect of upright covenanting with the Lord, may be\nanother motive and inducement thereunto; this appears both in personal\nand national covenanting--In personal, Psal. cxix. 106--\"I have sworn,\nand I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.\" The\nPsalmist's having sworn, was a very quickening consideration to excite\nhim to the performance of his duty. In national covenanting, we always\nfind, after the people of Israel and Judah had covenanted with the Lord,\nthey made progress in reformation, and the land was purged of\nabominations and idols. Thus it was in Asa's covenant, 2 Chron. xv. 12\nto 19; for there, the people have entered into a covenant with the Lord,\n\"and sworn with all their soul, and with all their heart,\" the Lord was\nfound of them; and Asa removed his mother, Maachah, from her royal\ndignity, and stamped the idol which she had made, and burnt it at the\nbrook Kidron; and he brought into the house of the Lord the things that\nhis father and himself had dedicated. Thus it was also in Jehoiada's\ncovenant, which he made \"between the Lord, and the king, and the people,\nthat they should be the Lord's people,\" 2 Kings xi. 17, 18, 20; for,\nimmediately after the making of his covenant, \"all the people of the\nland went into the house of Baal, and brake it down--his altars, and his\nimages brake they in pieces thoroughly; and the priest appointed\nofficers over the house of the Lord;\" and they slew Athaliah with the\nsword. The like is evident in Hezekiah's covenanting, 2 Chron. xxxiv.,\nxxxv. chapters.\n\n3. This upright renewing of covenant with the Lord is a way and mean to\nprocure many mercies, both spiritual and temporal, from the hand of the\nLord; which should be a strong inducement and motive to engage us\nthereunto. Spiritual mercies are entailed upon it, Deut. xxix. 12, 13.\n\"That thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into\nhis oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee this day: that he may\nestablish thee to-day for a people to himself, and that he may be unto\nthee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy\nfathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.\" Temporal mercies are also\npromised to this upright renewing and keeping covenant, Deut. xxix.\n9--\"Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may\nprosper in all that ye do.\" And, it is remarked, 2 Chron. xv. 15, that\nafter Asa's covenant, \"the Lord gave them rest round about.\"\n\n4. The malice and opposition of the Popish, Prelatical, and malignant\nparty against the covenants, and their doing what in them lies, to make\ntheir obligation void and null, may be a motive and argument for the\npeople of God so much the more to avouch their respect to them by a\npublic adherence, especially after long continued breaches.\n\n5. Upright entering into, or renewing covenant with God, is a most\nsovereign medicine for healing a people's breaches, as well as their\nbackslidings, the covenant being a cement, as well to join and unite the\npeople of God one to another, as all of them in their duty to God; and,\nas it flows from the nature of the covenant to unite the friends of\nreformation, so it is observable as one of the peculiar fruits of\ncovenant-renewing, that union in the Lord has followed thereupon: thus\nit was with Israel and Judah in the text, who united together in making\na covenant with the Lord. Whence all the people of God, who are called\nto be united and \"perfectly joined together in the same spirit, and in\nthe same mind;\" and especially they who have been lamentably divided one\nfrom another, by their manifold defections from God, and from their\ncovenant-engagements, ought to be strongly inclined, moved, and engaged\nto this duty; from this consideration, the upright covenant-renewing is\na usual mean of land-uniting and church-uniting dispositions amongst the\npeople of God.\n\nAs for the manner of renewing covenant with God, and how the duty ought\nto be gone about, he propounded and opened it in the following\nparticulars, to this effect:--\n\n1. That it must be done with understanding and judgment, both in\nrelation to the nature of the duties we engage to perform in the\ncovenant: grossly ignorant persons being justly deprived of the\nprivilege of engaging in covenant, though bound to inform themselves of\nits nature and obligation; and also in relation to the breaches, such as\nwould engage into it being called to have some suitable sense and\nunderstanding, both how it has been violated, and by what means persons\ncome to be guilty of the breach thereof. So, Neh. x. 28, 29--\"Every one\nthat had knowledge and understanding entered into the covenant.\"\n\n2. This duty must be gone about with sincerity and uprightness of heart;\nthus Joshua, when making a covenant with the people, that they should\nserve the Lord, exhorts them--\"Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve\nhim in sincerity and truth,\" Joshua, xxiv., compare the 25th verse with\nthe 14th. The want of which qualification in covenant-renewing, causes\nunsteadfastness and perfidy in covenant-performing--Psal. lxxviii. 36,\n37.\n\n3. This duty of covenant-renewing requires, as a qualification towards\nthe right performing of it, that there be a due consideration, and some\nsuitable impression of the solemnity and weightiness of the work: which\nariseth, partly from the _object_ or _party covenanted with_, the holy\nand jealous God, Joshua xxiv. 19--\"He is a holy God, he is a jealous\nGod, he will not forgive your transgressions, nor your sins,\" and partly\nfrom the _subject matter covenanted, or engaged to_. The articles of the\ncovenant of grace, which we have professedly, at last, yielded to in our\nbaptism, are weighty; for therein, as God engages to give us himself,\nhis Son Christ Jesus, and in him all temporal and eternal blessings; so\nwe engaged to be obedient children, and faithful subjects to him all the\ndays of our lives. And the articles of these national covenants are\nweighty, for therein we engage to great things relating to the glory of\nGod, and the good of our own and other's souls. And, partly, this\nweightiness ariseth from the great _danger and dreadful punishment of\nbreaking the covenant_; which is threatened in many places of Scripture.\nThe same is also intimated to us in the customs both of the Jews and\nHeathens, in entering into covenant; particularly, we find that the Jews\nused to cut a calf, or some other clean beast, in twain, and pass\nbetween the parts of it--using this, or the like form of speech, as the\nJewish doctors relate--\"So God divide or separate me, if I keep not this\ncovenant.\" Jer. xxxiv. 18, compared with verse 20--\"I will give the men\ninto the hands of their enemies who have transgressed my covenant, which\nthey had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed\nbetween the parts thereof.\" Nehemiah also, chap. v. 12, 13, when he took\nan oath of the priests, shook his lap and said--\"So God shake out every\nman from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this\npromise,\" &c. And all the covenanters said--\"Amen.\"\n\n4. Much tenderness and heart-melting is requisite to the right\nperforming of this duty. So it was with covenant-renewing Israel and\nJudah, who were \"weeping as they went to seek the Lord their God, and to\nmake a covenant never to be forgotten.\" This brokenness of heart, and\ntender-melting frame may arise, both from the consideration of the many\nsins and iniquities whereby persons have provoked the Lord their God to\nanger, whence they come \"to be like doves of the valley, every one\nmourning for his iniquity:\" and likewise from the consideration of the\ngrace and mercy of God, manifested in Christ Jesus, his condescension to\nenter into a covenant with sinful men, and readiness, upon his people's\nrepentance, to pardon their former breaches; from the consideration of\nthis transcendently free grace, an humble and sincere covenanter will be\ntransported into an ecstacy of wonder and admiration; as the church is,\nMic. vii. 18, 19, 20--\"Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth\niniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his\nheritage?\" &c.\n\n5. Dependency and recumbency upon the Lord by faith, for strength to\nperform covenant engagements, is requisite to right covenanting, Isa.\nxxvii. 5--\"Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with\nme; and he shall make peace with me.\" This is to \"take hold of\" God's\ncovenant, Isa. lvi. 4.\n\n6. Affection to God and the duties whereunto we engage, is requisite to\nright covenanting, and that in its flower and vigour, height and\nsupremacy. Thus, 2 Chron. xv. 12, 15, Asa and the people \"entered into a\ncovenant, to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart,\nand with all their soul:--And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they\nhad sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire.\"\nThey had an affection to the work, and did it with complacency, not in\ndissimulation, so as not to design to perform it: nor through\ncompulsion, with an eye to secular profit or preferment, as many in\nthese lands did.\n\n7. It is necessary, in order to right covenanting, that the work be\ngone about with a firm purpose and resolution (through grace enabling\nus) to adhere to our covenant engagements, notwithstanding whatever\nopposition and persecution we may meet with from the world for so doing,\nand whatever difficulties and discouragements may arise from the\nmultitude of those, who prove unsteadfast in, or foully forsake their\ncovenant. We must stand to our covenant, as it is said of Josiah, 2\nChron. xxxiv. 32, that \"he caused all that were present in Judah and\nBenjamin, to stand to\" the covenant, which implies as well a firm\nresolution to perform, as consent to engage, as in the latter part of\nthe verse, it is remarked, that \"the inhabitants of Jerusalem did\naccording to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers;\" where\n_doing according to the covenant_ is exegetical of _standing to it._\nDavid also joins the resolution of performance with swearing; Psal.\ncxix. 106. \"I have sworn, and I will perform, that I will keep thy\nrighteous judgments.\"\n\nFrom the doctrine thus confirmed and explained, he drew this inference,\nby way of information, that seeing it is a people's duty, who have\nbroken covenant with the Lord, to engage themselves again to him, by\nrenewing their covenant, that it is not arbitrary for us (as many are\napt to think) to renew, or not to renew our covenant; but that there is\na plain and positive necessity for our repenting and returning again to\nthe Lord, by entering anew into covenant with him, whether personal made\nin baptism, or at the Lord's table, or under affliction and trouble, or\nnational vows and covenants entered into by ourselves or our fathers.\nAnd in a use of lamentation, he bewailed the backwardness of these\nlands, and particularly of this nation, to this duty; in that, now after\nsixty years and upwards of great defections from, and grievous breaches\nof our covenants by people of all ranks; yet there appears so little\nsense of either the obligations or breaches of them, and of a\ndisposition to reviving them, even amongst those who not only profess\nsome love to the reformation of religion, but even some belief of their\nperpetual binding obligation; and that notwithstanding, as the Prophet\nIsaiah saith, concerning Judah, chap. xxiv. 5, \"The earth (or the land)\nis defiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed\nthe laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant;\" our\nland having been denied with Popery and Prelacy, and with a flood of\nabomination and profanity, the natural consequent of perfidy, the\nordinances having been changed, perverted and corrupted, and the\ncovenant not only broken, but burnt ignominiously, and the adherence to\nit made criminal; yet, for all this, there has not been a time found for\nrenewing them these twenty-three years; and that ministers, at whose\ndoor it chiefly lay to stir up the land to this work, have many of them\nbeen as careless as others, waiving and putting off a stumbled and\noffended people, expressing some concernedness for this duty, with these\nand the like pretexts, that it was not a fit time, nor the land in a\ncase for it (too sad a truth), but not laboring to get the land brought\nto be in a case and disposition for it, by pressing the obligation, and\nplainly discovering the violations thereof; so that, instead of being\nbrought to a fitter condition for this duty, the covenants are almost\nforgotten and quite out of mind, so that the succeeding generation is\nscarce like to know that ever there was a covenant sworn in Scotland.\nAnd more particularly, that the godly, who are dissatisfied with, and\ndissent from the defections and corruptions of the times, have\ndiscovered so little concern about the work of reformation, and cause of\nGod, which the covenants oblige us to own, defend, and promote. All\nwhich laxness and remissness is for a lamentation, and ought to be\nlamented and mourned over by the people of God.\n\nIn the exhortation, he pressed upon us who are embodied together to\nrenew our _covenant-engagements_, by giving an open and public testimony\nof our adherence to the _covenants, national_ and _solemn league_, that\nwe should labor to attain a suitable frame, and serious consideration of\nthe weightiness, solemnity, and awfulness of the work we were then\nundertaking: enforcing the same by several cogent motives, as namely,\nbecause in renewing these covenants we are called to remember our\nbaptismal and personal vows, whereby we had renounced the devil, the\nworld and the flesh, and devoted ourselves to the Lord to be his people;\nwhich if they were slighted and forgotten, there could be no right,\nacceptable, and comfortable entering into _national covenants._ And\nlikewise because of the weightiness of the duties engaged to in our\n_national covenant_, and in the _solemn league_ and _covenant_, which\nhe proved to be a covenant that ought to be renewed by us in this nation\nno less than our _national covenant_, in regard it was a religious,\njust, and holy covenant made betwixt God and the three kingdoms, though\nit cannot now be taken in the same consideration and extent, as at the\nfirst framing it was, viz.: As a league betwixt us and the\nrepresentative body of the kingdoms of England and Ireland: where he\ntook occasion to go over the several articles of the covenant, showing\nthe nature and weightiness of the duties.\n\nBeside these two more general doctrines which were chiefly insisted\nupon, he observed several others pertinently deducible from the words,\nas first, _That unfaithful dealing in God's covenant will breed distance\nand estrangement from God._ This is implied in the children of Israel\nand Judah seeking the Lord, asking the way to Zion, &c.; their asking\nthe way to Zion, importing that they had forgotten the right way of\nworshipping God, and that their sins had made a sad separation between\nthem and their God. Secondly, That it is necessary that persons become\nsensible of their sin against God, and of his anger against them, and\nlay these things to heart, that they may be concerned about\nreconciliation with God, and reform their lives. Thirdly, That the\nkindly exercise of repentance in a backsliding people lamenting after\nthe Lord, and setting about to renew their covenant with him, hath an\neffectual influence to unite and cement the divided people of God: thus\nin the text the children of Israel and Judah, whom their iniquities had\nlong and sadly divided, are uniting together in this desirable frame of\nweeping and seeking the Lord their God, and making a perpetual covenant\nwith him. This doctrine he proved and applied briefly as the time would\npermit, both because of its native result from the text, and because of\nhis own, and our sincere desire to see a holy union and communion, in\nthe way of truth and duty effected by returning to the Lord, and\nrenewing the covenant with him, as among all the godly, so especially\namong those that profess their dissent from, and dislike of the corrupt\ncourses of the times.\n\nSermon being ended, after prayer, the covenants were first read\naccording to the _Directory for renewing the solemn league and\ncovenant_, prescribed by the Act of the General Assembly at Edinburgh,\n6th October, 1648, post meridiem, entitled, _Act for renewing of the\nSolemn League and Covenant;_ and, thereafter, the following\nAcknowledgment of Sins was also read: after which, prayer was made,\ncontaining a comprehensive confession of the more general heads of the\nforesaid Acknowledgement of Sins; and a part of the 78th Psalm,\nbeginning at the 36th verse, was sung; and the minister dismissed the\ncongregation with a short reprehension and advice, reproving them for\ntheir unconcerned carriage and behaviour during the reading of the\nacknowledgment of the breaches of these covenants, which had been first\nentered into at the expense of so much blood and treasure, and confirmed\nand sealed with the blood of many honourable martyrs of all ranks in the\nland; withal, exhorting all present to labour after a heart-melting\nframe for the right performance of the work in hand.\n\nUpon Thursday, July 24th, after singing a part of the 105th Psalm, from\nthe 6th to the 12th verse, and prayer--Mr. John M'Millan preached upon\nIsaiah, xliv. 5--\"One shall say I am the Lord's: and another shall call\nhimself by the name of Jacob: and another shall subscribe with his hand\nunto the Lord, and sirname himself by the name of Israel.\" Whereupon,\nafter the unfolding of the context, and explication of the words,\nshowing that they clearly contain an intimation of a covenant relation\nbetwixt God and a people, and their avouching of the same upon their\npart; the words seeming to have a reference to the state of the New\nTestament Church, and conversion of the Gentiles, who, being allured by\nthe great gospel blessings and mercies bestowed by God upon the Jews, to\njoin themselves to the church, should avouch their interest in the\nMessiah and covenant of grace, by taking the Lord for their God, and\nowning themselves to be his people. So that the words may be taken up as\nan answer to such a presupposed question as this, _Whose are you?_ _and\nwhat is your name?_ To which question, one shall answer, _I am the\nLord's;_ another, _I am one of old Jacob's family and offspring_;\nanother, if you desiderate my name, look the covenant subscriptions and\nyou will find it there; another shall say, whatever my name was before,\n_my sirname now is an Israelite_. So sweetly should a shower of gospel\ngrace engage the hearts of the New Testament converts to avow their\ncovenant relation to the Lord, and glory in their union with his church\nand covenanted people. Having taking up the sense of the words to this\neffect, he deduced from them these two observations:\n\n_1. That the Lord is graciously pleased sometimes to privilege his\npeople with very remarkable tokens of his gracious presence._ This\ndoctrine is clear from the context, verses 3d and 4th--\"For I will pour\nwater upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground; I will\npour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring. And\nthey shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the\nwatercourses.\"\n\nUnder this head of doctrine, he gave the following marks to evidence\nwhether the present time of renewing our covenant with God was indeed to\nus a time of the Lord's privileging us with his gracious presence--1st,\nThat a time of God's privileging his people with his gracious presence,\nand with a shower of gospel grace, is a very inviting and alluring time;\nwherein, as the Lord invites his people to their duty, by engaging their\nhearts and souls, through his Spirit's gracious influences, to fall in\nlove with him and his commandments, so they mutually invite one another\nto covenant with God. 2d, That such a time proves a soul-engaging and\ntaking time, wherein souls are engaged to fall in love with the\ncovenant, and with Christ the Mediator of the covenant, and are taken in\nthe net of the gospel. 3d, That a time of the letting out of God's\ngracious presence is ordinarily a time of many sweet and excellent\nresolutions, the people of God resolving to walk more accurately and\ncircumspectly in the ways of new obedience. 4th, That this usually is a\ntime of ridding marches, and clearing of evidences. 5th, That it is a\ntime of many and special confirmations of God's love to the soul. 6th,\nThat this time of God's letting out much of his gracious presence to his\npeople, is a very uniting and healing time to them amongst themselves.\nHaving given these marks, to show whether the Lord were, at the\noccasion, letting out his gracious presence, he added, by way of\ncaution, that seeing (no doubt) the people of God would be expecting\nsomething of all these, upon the undertaking of so great a work; if so\nbe that they found it not, they should not thence be induced to have\nhard thoughts of the Lord, and to conclude that he keeps not his usual\nmethod with his people, or is not so good to them as formerly he hath\nbeen: for whatever defects there are upon his people's part, there is\nnone upon the Lord's, for he remains the same to them, providing they do\nso to him; the change of his dispensations towards his people being from\nthe change of his people's deportment towards him.\n\nThe Second Doctrine, resulting more directly from the words, was, _That\nthe Lord's Spirit poured out in plenty upon his people will quickly\nbring them to an embracing of him, and to a public acknowledgment and\navouching of the same._ Thus it was with the people of God in the\ntext--no sooner does the Lord \"pour water upon the thirsty, and floods\nupon the dry ground,\" even his Spirit upon the spiritual seed of Israel,\nbut presently they are at covenanting work and subscribing work; \"One\nshall say, I am the Lord's,\" etc. In prosecuting this doctrine he shewed\nfirst negatively that he was not for that occasion largely to treat of\nthe several ways that the Spirit useth to manage this work of engaging\nthe hearts of his people to embrace Christ, and so to make a public\navouchment of the same; whether he doth it by representing to their\nviews the sweet and precious promises made in the covenant of grace,\nthereby sweetly alluring and drawing them with the cords of love to\nhimself, or by holding forth to their consciences the terrors and\nthreatenings of the law, and thereby powerfully constraining them to fly\nto him as to the city of refuge from the face of Divine Justice pursuing\nthem: for seeing the Spirit is a free agent and blows both how and where\nhe listeth, he may engage a soul to close with Christ by either of these\nways, though most usually he doth it by a conjunction and concurrence of\nboth. Only this ought to satisfy us, that what way soever the Spirit\ntaketh in bringing a soul to embrace Christ upon the gospel terms, he so\nmanageth the work as that the end is effectually and infallibly\nattained.\n\nNor Secondly, Was he to enquire into the measure of the outpouring of\nthe Spirit's graces and operations, which is effectual for attaining the\nend, this being one of the deep things of God which the Spirit alone\nsearcheth, and therefore is not necessary for us further to know, save\nonly that we understand so much to be needful as may serve to empty the\ncreature of all confidence in or dependence upon itself, or any other\ncreature-helps whatsoever, and bring it to rely upon Christ alone, for\nacceptance with God; so much is necessary, and less cannot be\nsufficient.\n\nNor Thirdly, Was he to handle the material differences between those who\nare brought really and sincerely to accept, embrace and acknowledge the\nLord for their Lord, and to avouch the same publicly, which presupposeth\na mighty power of the Spirit manifested in the sweet impressions which\nhe maketh upon the soul, moving them sweetly and readily to comply with\nand yield to Christ without any longer resistance, and these who only in\nsemblance and shew profess to avouch Christ to be their Lord, and feign\nsubmission to him, not from the Spirit's effectual and saving\noperations, but either from carnal and external considerations, or at\nmost from the Spirit's common motions and convictions; which differences\ncommonly arise from the different natures, motives, manner or ends of\nthis their acknowledging and avouching Christ for their Lord, and\ncovenanting with Him.\n\nThese things, as not so immediately proper for the work in hand, though\nnatively involved in the doctrine, being only cleared in transition; he\ncame in the second place more positively to insist upon and handle the\nfollowing heads. First, More generally to propose some considerations\nwhich make such a great work as renewing covenant with the Lord a\nweighty, hard and difficult work. And upon the other hand, to lay down\nsome counterbalancing considerations which render such a work more easy\nand light, and may afford matter of encouragement toward the undertaking\nof it. Secondly, More particularly in application to ourselves and the\nwork in hand, to lay before those who were resolved to enter into\ncovenant with the Lord, what were the things that seemed to speak\nagainst us in the work, and might prove matter of discouragement in the\nundertaking of it. And what, upon the other side, might speak for us,\nand be ground of encouragement to us to go forward in humble and sincere\nendeavors to renew our covenant with the Lord. Thirdly, To give some\nadvices and directions to such as were resolved upon the work. As for\nthe first: The considerations which make covenanting work weighty and\ndifficult. The _first_ consideration was drawn from the greatness of the\nparty to be covenanted with, the great and glorious Jehovah, the\nCreator of the ends of the earth, who is a holy and jealous God, and who\nwill not forgive the iniquity of such as are false hearted and\nperfidious in his covenant, obstinately persisting in their false\ndealing; so Joshua premonisheth a people making very fair resolutions\nand promises to serve the Lord, that it was a harder work than at the\nfirst sight they apprehended; \"That they could not serve the Lord, in\nregard he is an holy God, he is a jealous God, and would not forgive\ntheir transgressions nor their sins; and that if they should forsake the\nLord, and serve strange gods, then he would turn and do them hurt and\nconsume them, after he had done them good,\" Josh. xxiv. 19, 20. 'Tis a\npart of his name, Exod. xxxiv. 7. _That he will by no means clear the\n(obstinately and impenitently) guilty_.\n\nA _second_ consideration that makes the work of covenanting with God to\nappear a hard and difficult work, was taken from the nature of the work\nitself, which is to serve the Lord in a covenant way, and in the\ncapacity of covenanted children, this covenant relation involving in it\na walk and conversation in all things like the chosen of the Lord; and\n'tis no small matter, so to walk, and so to behave as to be accounted\nworthy of a covenanted union with the Lord and interest in him, this\ncovenant relation being confirmed with such awful sanctions, as in\nscripture we find, Neh. x. 29. \"They------entered into a curse and into\nan oath, to walk in God's law,\" &c. This consideration, that covenanting\nwork is weighty in its own nature, was further illustrated and amplified\nfrom the difficulty both of the things to be engaged against, and of the\nthings to be engaged unto. As for the former, the things to be engaged\nagainst, which is sin in all its kinds and degrees, and in all the\ninducements to it, both with reference to ourselves, and also as to\nparticipation in the sins of others. This must first be put away, if one\nwould be a right covenanter. Well did old Jacob understand the necessity\nof this, who being resolved to go up to Bethel, to renew his covenant\nwith God, that answered him in the day of his strait, advises his family\nfirst \"to put away the strange gods that were amongst them, and to be\nclean.\" Gen. xxxv. 2. So David assures us, Psal. xxxiv. 14, that\ndeparting from evil must precede doing of good. A man that would lift up\nhis face without spot in renewing covenant with God, must first \"put\niniquity far away, and not suffer wickedness to dwell in his\ntabernacles,\" as Zophar advises Job, chap. xi. 14, 15. They that would\ntake on with a new master must be fairly parted from the old, there is\nno way of pleasing both Christ and mammon, and therefore no possibility\nof serving both; whence the nature of covenanting work requires, that\nthere be an upright putting away of all sin; for if the soul have any\nsecret reserves in favor of a beloved sin, it has no ground to think\nthat Christ will accept it, as his covenanted spouse and bride. Nor is\nthis all, but 2dly, it must be mourned over and truly bewailed,\nespecially upon the account of the offence done to a gracious God\nthereby; which sorrow must not be of an ordinary sort, but an\nextraordinary and most intense sorrow, for it cannot be an ordinary kind\nof sorrow, provided it be in any suitable measure proportioned to the\noffence. And 3dly, which follows upon the former, there must be a\n\"loathing of the person's self because of these its ways and doings that\nhave not been good in his sight,\" Ezek. vi. 9, even to that degree as to\nfill the soul with wonder and astonishment, that ever it should have an\noccasion of renewing covenant with God again. 4thly, There must be a\nsincere and hearty resolving against all sins, consequent upon this\nloathing; the soul saying with a steady purpose, \"if I have done\niniquity I will do so no more,\" Job xxxiv. 32.\n\n2dly, As to the latter, the things engaged unto render the nature of\ncovenanting work difficult and weighty, which are duties of various\nkinds, such as, 1st, Holiness towards God, which is one special and\nchief part of the covenant, and that not for a time only, but for ever;\nboth in regard that God, the party covenanted with, is holy and\nunchangeably so, and calls his people to imitate him in this attribute\nespecially; and also in regard that the covenant itself is for its\nnature holy, all the articles being morally good and consonant to the\nroyal law, the scriptures of truth; and for the extent of its duration,\nof perpetual force and obligation. This duty of holiness towards God,\nengaged to in the covenant, comprehends in it a zealous endeavor to\nmaintain the purity of the doctrine, worship, discipline and government\nof his institution, in opposition to all those who would corrupt it, or\ndecline from it. 2d, Righteousness towards our neighbor, and more\nespecially to our covenanted brother; which righteousness should\ndiscover itself both in reference to sin and duty, by reproving him for\nsin; or upon his rejecting reproof, by withdrawing from him, that he may\nbe ashamed, and so come to be reclaimed from his evil course; and by\naffording him all that help and assistance to covenanted duties, that\nmay be warrantably called for, and generally by uprightness towards him\nin all our transactions and dealings of any kind. 3d, Faithfulness\ntowards our nation, which comprehends a constant endeavor to advance and\npromote in our station the common good thereof; and a stedfast\nopposition to the courses that tend to take away the privilege of the\nsame. 4th, Uprightness towards ourselves, in everything relating to the\nreal good of our own souls and bodies; by walking in all the duties of\nsoberness, temperance, and moderation; for as others are to have their\ndue, so ourselves are not to be neglected.\n\nA _third_ consideration, whereby the duty of renewing covenant with God\nappears to be difficult and weighty, was deduced from _the manner and\nway of engaging_; whereunto several things of great difficulty to be\nattained were showed to be absolutely necessary, as, 1st, _Judgment_, to\nknow, and in some measure comprehend, the nature of the duties to be\nengaged to, and the advantages flowing from the right entering into, and\nkeeping of the covenant, and the losses redounding to the breakers\nthereof. 2d, _Seriousness_, which, if ever it be in exercise, will\ncertainly then be most lively, when the soul is entering upon a work of\nso high import, as making a covenant with God; for then the creature has\none of two things to look for, either covenant blessings, or covenant\ncurses, according as it performs or not performs the tenor of the\ncovenant. 3d, _Deliberation_; rashness in covenanting is of dangerous\nconsequence: 'tis not the example of others only, nor raw flashes of\nconviction or love, nor external considerations, as gain, honor, men's\napprobation, &c., that must induce to this duty; but a fixed permanent\npurpose of heart and soul, rationally and deliberately entered into.\n4th, _Heart-integrity_, That it be done with all the heart, 2 Chron. xv.\n15, for the man brings himself under a curse, that \"having a male in his\nflock, sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing.\" Mal. i. 14.\n\nA _fourth_ consideration, from whence the work of covenanting comes to\nbe a difficult and hard work, was deduced from the _way and manner of\nperforming_ the duties engaged to; which is (as 'tis expressed in the\ncovenant) with sincerity, reality, and constancy; the difficulty of\nattaining to these qualifications in the performance of covenant-duties,\narising partly from the strength of corruption within, the law of sin\nand death, which opposes the law of God; and partly from the strength of\nsnares and temptations from without; which requires, that (as becomes\ncovenanted children) there be a daily recourse to Jesus Christ, for\nlight to discover, and strength to overcome these corruptions and\ntemptations; and life, that the soul turn not dead and insensible under\nthem.\n\nA _fifth_ consideration, from whence the difficulty of covenanting with\nGod is sometimes heightened, was taken from _the meanness of such as\nattempt the work_. When the great ones, the nobles that are called _the\nshields of the earth_, do not afford their authority and patrociny, as\nan encouragement to the undertaking; and when the wise and learned will\nnot employ their learning, parts, and abilities for the facilitating\nthereof; but the mean and weakest are left to do the work alone. This\nwas no small difficulty and discouragement to the Tekoites, in their\nbuilding and repairing the wall of Jerusalem, \"That their nobles put not\ntheir necks to the work of their Lord.\" Neh. iii. 5.\n\nA _sixth_ consideration, which may sometimes render such a work hard and\ndifficult, was drawn from _the want of the concurrence of civil\nauthority; and the opposition made thereunto by the laws of the land_;\nwhich, when it happens to be the case of a people designing to renew\nnational engagements cannot but be a very difficult and discouraging\ningredient amongst others in their cup.\n\nOn the other hand, these counterbalancing considerations were adduced,\nwhich are as so many props and pillars to support his people, and to\nallay the difficulties of the duty of entering into covenant with God,\nand to make it the more light and easy. 1st, _That the work is the\nLord's_, and he is greatly concerned in it; and, therefore, his people\nmay safely lean to him for help, he having enacted no law against it, as\nmen have. 2d, That _he looks not upon his people in such undertakings,\nas in themselves_, for then it were impossible for creatures, having\nthe least sinful imperfection in them, to covenant with their spotless\nCreator, and come so near a jealous God, who is a consuming fire to the\nworkers of iniquity; _but he considers his people in their covenanting\nwith him, as in their head, Christ, his eternal Son_; whence we may\nsafely say, That our national covenant wants not a Mediator more than\nthe covenant of grace, in this sense, as it is through him we have\naccess to make this covenant with God. 3d, That _the Lord has promised\nhis presence to his own work_; thus we find through the whole of the\ncovenants made, and renewed by the people of Israel and Judah, that the\nLord discovered his gracious presence with them, by some remarkable\neffect of his goodness. Thus it is remarked of Hezekiah, that after he\nhad entered into covenant, \"That the Lord was with him, and he prospered\nwhithersoever he went forth,\" 2 Kings xviii. 7, compared with 2 Chron.\nxxix. 10. 4th, That _the Lord puts none of his people to any piece of\nhis work upon their own proper expense and charges, but upon his own_;\nand whatever complaints his people may have of want of necessary\ncharges, he both has wherewith to supply them, and has undertaken to\nmake it actually forthcoming for them, having commanded his people to\nopen their mouths wide, and he has promised to fill them. 5th, That the\ncovenant has a greater entail of blessings, than what will sufficiently\ncompensate whatever expense and pains a people may be at, in undertaking\nand performing it. In regard, that though a Christian should lose all,\nyea, even life itself, upon the account of it, yet the covenant will\nbring in all with advantage to a hundred fold, and glory to the\noverplus, when it is duly observed. 6th, That _the undertakers have\nGod's call and commandment to set about it_; this is that which, above\nall other considerations, inspires a Christian with undaunted courage\nand alacrity in the undertaking of a duty, when it is made clear that\nthe person has God's call and command for a warrant; otherwise the want\nof this may make the duty to be heartlessly and doubtingly entered upon,\nand lamely performed.\n\nSeeing, therefore, that sometimes a work may be the Lord's, and yet the\nLord's call to such a particular person, or people to undertake it, may\nbe wanting; he came necessarily (which was the _second_ head proposed)\nto enquire, what were the several things that might seem to speak\nagainst us, as not having this call from the Lord, and what were the\nthings that spake for us, and might give us matter of encouragement in\nundertaking the work before us.--In solution of which the following\nconsiderations were proposed.\n\n1st, As to the things that might seem to speak against us: 1st, _Our\ndarkness_, not whether covenanting be a duty, but in regard of the want\nof right apprehensions of the nature and greatness of the duty, which\ncannot be a sufficient ground to neglect the duty, unless there were\nsome duties from which a Christian is exeemed and that this is one of\nthem, which indeed will not be found in the whole Bible. 2d, _Our want\nof a frame suitable for the greatness and weightiness of the work_,\nwhich speaks sadly against us, but is not to be a ground to neglect the\nduty, we being commanded to look to the God of the covenant for it.\n\nUpon the other hand, the things which seemed to speak for us, and yield\nmatter of encouragement, that not only the work was the Lord's, but also\nthat we had his call to the same, were, 1st, The many, palpable, plain,\nand open breaches of these covenants, are a loud call to renew them. 2d,\nThe undervaluing account that the nations have made of them, is a call\nto all such as have any respect to the sacred name of the Lord invocated\nin these covenants, to do their utmost to vindicate them from that\ndisgrace, by showing how high a price and value they put upon them. 3d,\nThe lands enacting the perpetual banishment of these covenants, and\nimposing oaths contrary and opposite to them; which brings double\nperjury upon the nation, both by disregarding and omitting the\nperformance of this just, lawful, and commendable covenant, and by\nmaking unjust, sinful and hateful covenants, for opposing the growth and\nsuccess of Christ's kingdom, even the reformation of these many abuses\nthat have corrupted the holy religion of his institution: And perjury\ndrawing wrath after it, as a native and necessary fruit consequent; they\nthat would stand in the gap, to turn away national wrath, cannot\notherwise make up the hedge, that the land should not be destroyed, but\nby renewing and keeping national covenants. 4th, That so many are\nspeaking against them everywhere, accounting them a conspiracy against\nroyal authority, a popular combination for advancing private ends and\ninterests under the cloak of religion, or at least unnecessary and\nunprofitable for the end intended by them, binding to things of such a\nheterogeneous nature, as renders the keeping of them, and keeping within\nthe sphere of our own activity and station, inconsistent and impossible,\nand such things as whereof we now have no occasion, and the like; which\nis a loud call to us, or any that retain other thoughts of their nature\nand ends, than the generality do, to speak for them; which cannot be\ndone more fitly, honorably, nor conspicuously any other way, than by\nrenewing and observing them. 5th, The practice of the godly in such a\njuncture of time, as what ours appears to be, is a call and encouraging\nconsideration to set us upon this work: the godly usually in times of\ngreat defection from the purity and power of religion, and corruption of\nthe ordinances of God's worship, set about renewing their covenant,\nthereby to prevent covenant curses, and procure covenant blessings; as\nwe find both in scripture record, 2 Chron. xv. 12, 13; xxix. 10; xxxiv.\n30, 31; Ezra x. 3, and in our own ecclesiastic history. And the practice\nwas justified by the success, for the most part terminating in some\nreviving and reformation. 6th, The time being come to such a crisis,\nthat such as would keep the word of Christ's patience cannot any longer\ndo it in a distinguishing way from those that are covenant-breakers, but\nby renewing covenant, and thereby making a test and trial of the\nwell-wishers to the covenanted interest in the land, is a call to set\nabout this work: in former times the godly held fast this their\nprofession, by suffering for their adherence to covenanted duties,\nresisting unto blood, striving against the sin of covenant-breaking;\nwhereas now our call seems to be more clear to do it, by renewing those\ncovenant-obligations. 7th, The covenants themselves have, as it were, a\nloud voice to call us, and all who own their obligation, to set about\nrenewing of them; they call by the justness and intrinsic goodness of\nthe matter, which is of binding force by virtue of the law of God, prior\nto any covenant-tie, and by the holiness and excellency of the end, to\nwit, the reformation and preservation of religion. Yea, the covenant\nseems to say to us, and to every true hearted son of the church of\nScotland, as Job said in another case, \"Have pity upon me, O my\nfriends,\" &c. So says the covenant: Have pity upon me, all ye that have\nany respect for me, for church and state have forsaken me.\n\nThe _third_ thing proposed was to give some advices and directions for\nright managing the duty intended. The scope and substance whereof\nbriefly follows:\n\n1st, Such as would make a covenant with God aright, so as the same may\nnever be broken nor yet forgotten, must labor to know if they be in good\nterms with the God of the covenant, and with the Mediator of the\ncovenant; if they sincerely closed with the terms, and acquiesced to the\nproposals of the covenant of grace; this personal and particular\nacceptance of Christ in the new covenant being the only fountain of\nacceptable entering into national covenants. Hence it concerns all that\nwould be right Covenanters, to search and see how it may be betwixt God\nand them, because 'tis but a profanation of the covenant to have the\nhand and tongue at it, and the heart from it: a well informed head\nwithout a reformed heart is not sufficient: a good opinion and liking of\nthe covenant without a heart and affection to the covenant avails\nnothing in God's sight.\n\n2d, Such as would rightly renew covenant with God, must be well resolved\nconcerning the motives leading them to covenant; which motives must\nneither arise wholly from without, nor yet wholly from within, for if\nthese motives arise wholly from without, it discovers a great deal of\ntreachery in the persons covenanting, as not beginning at the heart, not\nduly considering the inward case of the soul, but being moved from some\nexternal considerations, as a name amongst men, or affectation of zeal\nfor public concerns, or such like; if they arise wholly from within it\nbetrays much weakness and lowness of spirit, as not being able at the\nsame time both to have a concern about the inward frame of the heart,\nand eternal state and condition of the soul, and likewise a zeal for the\npublic good of the nation, and thriving of the work of God and kingdom\nof Christ. Both which interests ought to be in their due proportion\nbefore the eyes of a sound and real Covenanter; a right engager in\ncovenant must be moved thereto, both from a due sense of the strength\nand power of corruption within, and also from the consideration of the\nlowness of God's work through defection without.\n\n3d, A right covenanter must be well resolved concerning the terms of\nthe covenant; that it excludes all coming and going, according to the\nrevolutions of the times, and the ebbing and flowing of worldly\ninterests: One that has given up his name to the Lord in covenant, and\ncalled himself by the name of Israel, must not, like the Samaritans, be\nan Israelite only in the time of Israel's prosperity, but he must be one\nin adversity too: The things engaged to in the covenant being of an\neverlasting and permanent duration, in their nature, must be lasting\nalso in their observation.\n\n4th, A right renewer of covenant must be well resolved anent the cost\nand expense of steadfast keeping of covenant. This should be first\ncounted and deliberately resolved upon before engaging, lest after\npersons have engaged they want sufficiency to finish and fulfil the\nundertaking; and the Wise man assures us, it is better not to vow, than\nto vow and not pay. The covenant may come to require the cost both of\ndoing and suffering to finish it: there must, therefore, be a resolving\nupon both, before engaging.\n\n5th, A right covenanter must be well resolved concerning the separating\nnature, and the uniting tie and bond of the covenant, for as it\ndistinguished between friends and foes, so it unites covenanters amongst\nthemselves in duties, interests, and concerns. So that they become one\nsociety, having an identity of common duties and privileges, common\ncrosses and rejoicings; and must rejoice together and weep together.\n\nHe closed the Sermon with a two-fold advice or exhortation, to two sorts\nof persons.\n\n1st, To those who had some good opinion of, and some love for the\ncovenant, but yet were not resolved to join in covenant with us, because\nof many entanglements in a world; some estate, farm, or place of\nemployment would be forfeited thereby; and hence, though the covenant\nbe, in their opinion, a lawful and commendable engagement, yet not for\nthem; they are in a course inconsistent with it, and could not be\notherwise without foregoing some worldly accommodation. Those he advised\nto consider the matter duly; not to engage without a resolution to\nforsake all interests that might interfere with covenanted duties; for\nto engage in the covenant, and yet to walk in a course opposite to it,\nwould be exceedingly sinful; but to labour rather after old Jacob's\nspirit and disposition, who looked to and trusted in the God of the\ncovenant when he had nothing else to look to--no outward encouragement,\nGen. xxxii. 10--He had but his staff in his hand when he passed over\nJordan, and the Lord made him to return with two bands. For, if a person\ncould attain Jacob's spirit, name and sirname would be lovely in their\neyes, covenant and covenanting.\n\n2dly, To those who had put their hands to many sinful covenants in\nopposition to this covenant, and such as being in a natural and\nunrenewed state, in league with sin and Satan, and in covenant with hell\nand death. Those he advised and earnestly obtested to break all their\nsinful covenants, to loathe and abhor them, and be humbled for them: and\nto come and fall in with this covenant, to say in sincerity that whereas\nother lords have had too long dominion over them, henceforth they would\nmake mention only of the name of the Lord as their Lord; and that their\nname should henceforth be _Jacob_, and their sirname _Israel_, and to\nsign and seal the same with their oath and subscription. This\nexhortation he enforced by the several calls to the work mentioned\nbefore, and by the two following motives: 1st, Because right entering\ninto, and steadfast keeping of this covenant is the way to a holy life,\nand a holy life tends to make a holy nation; for, if we would observe\nthis covenant sincerely, uniformly, and constantly, we could never be an\nunholy, and consequently, never an unhappy people; but it should be\nwritten as a motto upon our walls and gates, JEHOVAH SHAMMAI, _the Lord\nis there._ 2d, Because the entering rightly into and due observance of\nthis covenant would be our strength in the midst of all perplexing\nthoughts, whether arising from inward corruptions, or from outward\ntemptations or dangers; the covenant yielded more satisfaction to David\nwhen dying than a royal diadem, a melodious harp, a puissant army,\nstrong cities, a numerous offspring, or any earthly comforts could do,\nwhen, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5, he supports himself with this, That \"though his\nhouse was not so with God,\" yet He had made with him \"an everlasting\ncovenant, well-ordered in all things, and sure.\" The keeping of this\ncovenant had been to our nation a Samson's lock, whereby we should have\nbeen able to oppose all our enemies; whereas the breach of it hath\nopened a door to all sorts of enemies to creep in amongst us, and hence\nis verified that which the Lord has threatened his people with for\ntheir breach of covenant, Deut. xxviii. 44, that the enemy shall be the\nhead, and his people the tail.\n\nSermon being closed by prayer, the Acknowledgment of Sins was again\nread, as preparative to the engaging part; and the minister, in the\nfirst place, admonished all such as were guilty of such public steps of\ndefection as are confessed in the Acknowledgment, to make full and free\nconfession thereof before the congregation, with such a due sense of,\nand sorrow for these public sins, as might evidence a hearty design of\nabandoning them and of adhering more closely to covenanted duties, which\naccordingly many did, both with respect to the perjurious oaths of the\nlate times and defections of the present.\n\nBecause many have made a handle of this, above any other part of the\naction, to reproach and render the whole of the work contemptible,\ncalling it Jesuitic superstition, enthusiasm, advancing our own\nconfessions into the room of Christ's satisfaction, and expecting pardon\nupon the score of superficial public acknowledgments:--therefore, to\nvindicate this part of the work from such groundless calumny, we desire\nit may be adverted. 1st, That this is a commanded duty, that such as\nhave violated the law and commandments of God, and being guilty of false\nand unfaithful dealing in his covenant, should unfeignedly confess their\niniquity, which, if they do, God is faithful and just to forgive. 2d,\nThat according to the nature of the offence, as the same has been acted\nsecretly or publickly, and is of a secret or public nature and concern,\nso it ought to be confessed. If the offence be in its nature and way of\nperpetration a secret sin, known only to God and the person's own\nconscience, secret repentance sufficeth: nor can the church require any\nthing else, in regard such sins come not within the sphere of her\ncognizance;--but if the sin be public and national, or only personal,\nbut publickly acted, so as the same has been stumbling, scandalous, and\noffensive to others; then it is requisite, for the glory of God and good\nof offended brethren, that the acknowledgment be equally public as the\noffence. These are _first principles_ that will not need to be proved,\nbut may be taken for granted. But, 3dly, To make it appear that it is\nconsonant to the practice of the godly to make public confession of\nnational backsliding, we will advance two or three Scripture instances.\nJoshua, chap. vii. 19, compared with verse 11, commands Achan, who had\nbroken God's covenant which he commanded Israel, and so brought upon the\nwhole nation the Lord's anger, that he would give glory to God, by\nmaking confession to him. Whence it appears, that such sins as are\nnational in their consequences, and bring national judgments upon a\npeople, ought to be publickly confessed for turning away these\njudgments, and vindicating the honour of the Supreme Lawgiver, Ezra x.\n1,2--\"Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping, and\ncasting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him\nout of Israel a very great congregation of men, women, and children: for\nthe people wept very sore.\" Verse 2d, And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel,\none of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed\nagainst our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land.\nVerse 3d, Now therefore let us make a covenant with our God, to put away\nall the wives, and such as are born of them. Verse 10, And Ezra the\npriest stood up and said unto them, Ye have transgressed and taken\nstrange wives, to increase the trespass of Israel. Verse 11, Now\ntherefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers, and do his\npleasure. Verse 12, Then all the congregation answered, and said with a\nloud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.\" Neh. ix. 1--\"Now, in the\ntwenty and fourth day of this month, the children of Israel were\nassembled with fasting and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. Verse\n2d, And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and\nstood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.\nVerse 3d, And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the\nlaw of the Lord their God, one fourth part of the day, and another\nfourth part they confessed and worshipped the Lord their God.\" Acts xix.\n18--\"And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their\ndeeds.\"\n\nThese Scripture examples, as we conceive, do sufficiently evince, that\nsuch public confession, for the substance of it, is not only expedient,\nbut also necessary for such as would renew their covenant with God. As\nfor some circumstances of the manner thereof, neither are we to\nvindicate them, nor can they justly be charged upon the whole of those\nwho made those confessions; far less upon the minister, who, though he\nexhorted such as were guilty of scandalous defection, to glorify God by\na public confession, yet obliged none thereunto _authoritatively_: and\nsuch as confessed the sin of their thoughts, or any other sins not\nscandalous or offensive to others; he exhorted to be serious in mourning\nover these things secretly before the Lord; but withal told them that\nthese things are not the subject matter of such a public acknowledgment.\nSuch as were unconcerned in their confessions, and seemed rather to do\nit from the examples of others, than from a real and deep sense of their\nguiltiness before God (as it must not be dissembled, there were too\nmany,) he exhorted to attain a sense of the things confessed, and posed\ntheir consciences, whether they were convinced of what they pretended to\nconfess. If any was so ignorant and weak in their apprehensions of the\nnature of right repentance and justification, as to put their\nacknowledgment of sin in the room of Christ's satisfaction, and to rely\nthereupon for peace and acceptance with God, as it is alleged they did,\nit must be owned that they wofully erred in a matter of the highest\nconsequence: but to affix this either upon all in general, or upon any\nparticular person by name, is against the law of charity, and a judging\nof the heart, which is not obvious to man, but only to God, and so an\nusurping of God's prerogative; wherefore it appears, that the objecting\nof these and other such like things against this duty, is the effect of\nan impotent malice, and passion against the whole design of the work,\nwhich is too shrewd an evidence of a malignant spirit.\n\nWhereas, some have taken occasion to pass injurious reflections upon the\nminister, because he made confession and acknowledgment of his own\npersonal miscarriage; as though he did it with design to please the\npeople, and to excite them to make confession of the things whereof they\nhad no due sense, and that he should have proposed himself, as an\nexample to the people; therefore, to discover the falsehood of such\nreports, we must declare plain matter of fact upon this head. The\nminister did indeed acknowledge his own iniquities in general, with\nothers, and also particularly at the entry of the work; but without any\ndesign to please party or person; but only for the glory of God as\nhimself declared, which if any shall say was but hypocritical\nself-seeking, we must remit them to the apostle's interrogation, to\nprepare an answer, _Who art thou, O man, that judgest?_ Neither did he\nsay that he did it to be an example to others, though, even in that\ncase, he had not been to be blamed, seeing the best of God's saints, in\npublic employment in church and state, have done the like in public\nassemblies, as Josiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, in sacred record, and in our\nchurch history, the Rev. John Davidson, who, at the renewing of the\ncovenant, March 30th, 1596, not only exhorted the brethren of the\nministry to a serious confession of their sins, but did also make\nconfession of his own, and excited the rest by his example, as is\nrelated by Mr. Calderwood in his history of the church of Scotland, page\n317. Wherefore, seeing he has the command of God, and the most eminent\nof his saints for his warrant and precedent, he may be perfectly\nunconcerned, what are the constructions that such persons as are\nindifferent either about national sins or judgments do put upon this\naction,\n\nThe Acknowledgment of Sins being read, the minister prayed, confessing\ntherein the sins which had been publicly confessed in the said\nAcknowledgment, and begging assistance to know and do the duties engaged\nunto, then the Engagement to Duties was likewise read in the audience of\nthe congregation; where he showed that the design of these engagements\nwas to accommodate the covenants to our case and circumstances. And\nadvised the mixed multitude to beware of entering into the covenant,\nunless they were duly resolved concerning the performing of the same,\naccording as our fathers understood it, as the same was explained and\napplied to the present condition of things in these engagements. After\nwhich the minister having prayed for the gracious presence and\nassistance of the divine Spirit, to enable us both to engage and\nperform; commanding those who were to renew their covenant to stand\nupright, and hold up their right hands, he proceeded to the\nadministration of the oath, causing the people to elevate their hands at\nthe end of each article. The covenants being renewed, the minister\naddressed himself to those that had entered into covenant to this\npurpose. Now, you who have renewed your covenant with God must not\nimagine that you may sit down upon your performance and rest yourselves\nas though your work was perfected and finished; nay, but you must\nconsider with yourselves that now it is but beginning; your race is\nbefore you, the greatest, part of the work is before your hand:\ncovenanting is relative to performing; you must, therefore, meditate\nupon, and ponder your engagements more now than before; for now you have\nput a new bond upon your souls, to walk with God in all the ways of new\nobedience. In order therefore to your performing, as you have\nundertaken, I would put you in mind of several particulars, which you\nmust have much and frequently upon your hearts, and before your eyes.\n\n1st, You must know that a holy life is what becomes Covenanters; it is\nnot holiness in name, show and appearance, but holiness in reality, in\ntruth and substance, that must be interwoven with all your actions and\nduties; though others should not look to conscience, yet you must;\nthough others slight and neglect religion, you must by no means do it;\nyou must put on a Joshua's generous and holy resolution, \"That whatever\nothers do, you and your house will serve the Lord.\" You must consider\nupon it, that well-set speeches concerning the covenant, is not what you\nare principally to study, but well-set hearts; you must shake off\nlaziness as well as hypocrisy.\n\n2d. You must be very regular in your walk; an uniform conversation in\nthe way of holiness is that which greatly adorns a Christian, and\nconsequently, a Covenanter. And if you endeavor such a regular course of\nlife, you will not shape yourselves according to the company you fall\ninto. As some have a religion for every company, so they have one for\nman and another for God, and will be more careful and afraid lest their\nhypocrisy be discovered by men, than they are afraid to be made manifest\nto the Lord. But so it must not be with you who have renewed your\ncovenant with the Lord: you must be the same in the closet as in the\npublic assembly, and have a greater regard to the eye of Jehovah, and\nthe answer of a good conscience, than the approbation of fellow\ncreatures.\n\n3d, You mast be careful to perform all things which you have engaged to,\nwithin your sphere and station, but must not go without it: God is _a\nGod of order_, and as he hath placed the stars in their proper orbs for\nthe order and ornament of the universe, so hath he assigned to\nChristians their diverse stations, for the beauty, order, and union of\nthe Church; Christ, the Captain of salvation, hath marshalled his\nsoldiers into rank and file, and it were a disordering of his army if\nany should break their ranks.\n\n4th, You must slight no opportunity of pursuing the ends of your\ncovenant; whatever it may cost you when the occasion offers, suffering\nmust not deter you from it; and if the times be such now as spare both\nyour persons and purses, yet you must not be sparing in your prayers for\nthe reviving of the work of God in the land, which is the very end of\ncovenanting.\n\n5th, You must be careful that you do not forget the covenant; forgetting\n(as you heard before) is a step towards forsaking, and, therefore, you\nmust endeavour to have the covenant nearer to you than the Israelites\nhad it--they had it written upon the posts of their doors, you must have\nit written upon the tables of your hearts.\n\n6th, You must evidence a great deal of cheerfulness and patience under\nyour crosses, which may occur to you for your adherence to this your\ncovenant; you must neither weaken your own hands in the discharge of\ncovenanted duties, by drooping and discouragement under these crosses,\nnor stumble others, by repining at these losses, or by any carriage and\ndeportment under them that may import your repenting of what you have\nnow done. And because you are impotent and weak in yourselves,\ntherefore,\n\n7th, You must see that faith be in exercise in all your performances of\ncovenanted duties. If this be wanting you will perform nothing to\npurpose, \"for without faith it is impossible to please God.\" By this\ngrace you must keep up acquaintance with Christ, and have frequent\nrecourse to him, both for cleansing you from your defilements, when you\nbreak the covenant, and for strength to perform what you are obliged to\nby covenant; both for recovering grace, to raise you up when fallen, and\nfor preventing grace, to preserve you from falling or relapsing again.\n\n8th, That you may be the more active and vigilant in keeping covenant,\nyou must labor to maintain a constant fear of breaking it, and have a\nfixed impression of the tremendous threatening denounced against\ncovenant-breakers; and you must know that all are such in God's account,\nwho satisfy themselves with the form of godliness, denying the power\nthereof. For this end read and ponder these and the like scriptures.\n\nLev. xxvi. 25, \"And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the\nquarrel of my covenant, and when ye are gathered together within your\ncities, I will send the pestilence among you: and ye shall be delivered\ninto the hand of the enemy.\" Neh. v. 13--\"So God shall shake out every\nman from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this\npromise; even thus be he shaken out and emptied.\" Jer. xi. 3, \"Cursed be\nthe man that obeyeth not the words of this covenant, which I commanded\nyour fathers in the day that I brought them forth from the iron\nfurnace.\" Ezek. xvii. 15, \"Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doth\nsuch things? or shall he break the covenant and be delivered?\" Verse 18,\n\"Seeing he hath despised the oath, by breaking the covenant, when lo, he\nhad given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not\nescape.\" Verse 19th, \"Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, as I live,\nsurely mine oath that he hath despised and my covenant that he hath\nbroken, even it will I recompense upon his own head.\"\n\nThe minister having given these exhortations, closed the day's work with\nprayer, and singing a part of the ciii. Psalm from the 17th to the 19th\nverse. And having intimated the time of meeting for more immediate\npreparation for the _holy communion_, putting the people in mind to be\npreparing for the work, by fervent prayer and supplication, joined with\nserious and upright self-examination, he dismissed the congregation\nafter the usual form.\n\nThis true and unbiassed account of the work in its design, progress and\nissue we have given, not to pre-occupy false reports only, which we\ncannot rationally suppose an entire freedom from, unless we fall in with\nthe opposers of our covenanted reformation, and to purchase the good\nopinion and commendation of men at the rate of losing the favor of God.\nThe main end of relating some of the more material heads, scope and\nargument of the _sermons_ is because there are some things handled in\nthem which behoved to have been inserted in this _preface_, to clear up\nour motives and call to the work, which could not be better done than as\nthe same was cleared then to the people. And this brief relation,\nthough falling short of the matter then delivered, may serve to bring\nthings to the memories of those that found sweet satisfaction in hearing\nthem in the public. As for what may be the observations of censorious\ncritics, either _of the sermons_ in particular, or of the _work_ in\ngeneral, we are perfectly unconcerned about them, seeing we equally\nvalue their approbation or disapprobation; providing true matter of fact\nbe not misrepresented, and so truth injuriously wronged. Nor are we\nwilling here to make any observation of our own concerning the issue and\non-carrying of the work, though all the godly there present ought to\nobserve the Lord's gracious assistance and favor (so far as they found\nthe same afforded to themselves, or displayed in others), lest we may\neither be in danger to diminish the grace of God by complaining, or\nincur the suspicion of self-flatterers by commending, but shall leave it\nto the judgment of such as were then present, and the candid\ninterpretation of others that may read this preceding account thereof.\n\nThere have been many objections made against the _design, matter_ and\n_form_ of the _covenants_: more against subjects covenanting to defend\nthe purity and promote the reformation of religion, without the royal\nconcurrence of their sovereign princes; most of all against private\npersons entering into covenant, or renewing thereof, for the said end\nwithout the general concurrence of the representative body of the church\nand state. Those which concern the former two, have been fully answered\nby the greatest of our reformers, whose piety and learning set them\nsufficiently above the snarling censures of whatsoever cavilling pens or\ntongues: As for what are made against the last, they are also answered\nbetter than we can pretend to, in the analysis upon the 19th chapter of\nDeuteronomy, prefixed to the National and Solemn League and Covenant\nrenewed at Lesmahago, whereunto we refer the reader. Only because that\nbook may not be at hand to every one that would desire these objections\nsolved, we shall here transcribe the answers to two or three of the most\nmaterial of these objections, making but small, if any, variation from\nthe author's words.\n\n_Object_. 1. \"In all the national covenants whereof we read in\nscripture, there was still the concurrence of either the sovereign\nauthority then in being, or at least of the Captains, Elders, Officers,\nand Heads of the tribes; And, therefore, it cannot be done by private\nsubjects, without either royal or parliamentary authority.\"\n\n_Ans_. Certainly the obligations of the Covenant, held forth Deut. xxix.\n10, 11, 12, being so extensive as to reach all the members of church and\ncommonwealth, of all qualities, ranks, vocations, ages, sexes; is to be\nunderstood _positively_, that all these are obliged to enter into\ncovenant, but not _negatively_, that without any of these the covenant\nshould not be entered into. The motives mentioned are to the small as\nwell as to the great; and without them as well as with them; the\narticles of it, and the keeping and doing them, are common to both\nalike: The relation that the small and meaner sort of people have to God\n(the other contracting party) is the same that the nobles and great ones\nhave, and the privileges of it, to be established as a people unto\nhimself and to have him for their God, do no more belong to the one than\nthe other; And consequently the small may renew it, as well as the\ngreat; but not nationally to bind the whole nation formally, to which\nindeed the concurrence of the representatives is necessary. As for\nprecedents of this practice, see them above, in the narrative of the\nsermons, [p. 9].\n\n_Object_. 2. \"This covenant having been disclaimed by the political\nfather, and made void by law, never again revived by authority of\nparliament, nor the law rescinded by which it was declared not\nobligatory; is therefore of no binding force upon us, who have never\npersonally sworn it; and to renew it, and bring ourselves under the bond\nof it, when we are free, without the concurring or imposing authority of\nour rulers, is high presumption in private subjects.\"\n\n_Ans_. If any engagements can be supposed binding to posterity,\ncertainly national covenants to keep the commandments of God, and to\nadhere to his institutions, must be of that nature. It cannot be denied,\nthat several obligations do bind to posterity; such as public promises\nwith annexation of curses to breakers, Neh. v. 12, 13. Thus Joshua's\nadjuration did oblige all posterity never to build Jericho, Josh. vi.\n26. And the breach of it did bring the curse upon Hiel the Bethelite, in\nthe days of Ahab. 2dly, Public vows: Jacob's vow, Gen. xxviii. 21, did\noblige all his posterity, virtually comprehended in him, Hos. xii. 4.\nThe Rechabites found themselves obliged to observe the vow of their\nforefather Jonadab, Jer. xxxv. 6, 14, for which they were rewarded and\ncommended. Public oaths do oblige posterity: Joseph took an oath of the\nchildren of Israel, to carry up his bones to Canaan, Gen. i. 25, which\ndid oblige posterity some hundred years after. Exod. xiii 19. Josh.\nxxiv. 32. National covenants with men before God, do oblige posterity,\nas Israel's covenant with the Gibeonites, Josh. ix. 15, 19. The breach\nwhereof was punished in the days of David, 2 Sam. xxi. 1. Especially\nNational Covenants with God, before men, about things moral and\nobjectively obliging, are perpetual; and yet more especially (as Grotius\nobserves) when they are of an hereditary nature, i.e. when the subject\nis permanent, the matter moral, the end good, and in the _form_ there is\na clause expressing their perpetuity.\n\nAll which ingredients of perpetual obligations are clear in Scotland's\nCovenants, which are _national promises_, adjuring all ranks of persons,\nunder a curse, to preserve and promote reformation according to the word\nof God, and extirpate the opposite thereof. _National vows_, devoting\nthe then engaging, and succeeding generations to be the Lord's people,\nand walk in his ways. _National oaths_, solemnly sworn by all ranks,\nnever to admit of innovations, or submit to usurpations, contradictory\nto the word of God. _National covenants_, wherein the king, parliament\nand people did covenant with each other, to perform their respective\nduties, in their several places and stations, inviolably to preserve\nreligion and liberty: Yea, more, _national laws_, solemnly ratified by\nthe king and parliament, and made the foundation of the people's compact\nwith the king, at his inauguration: And, finally, they are _national\ncovenants with God_, as party contracting, to keep all the words of his\ncovenant. The subject or parties contracting are permanent, to wit, the\nunchangeable God and the kingdom of Scotland, (the same may be said of\nEngland and Ireland,) which, whilst it remains a kingdom, is still under\nthe obligation of these covenants. The _matter_ is _moral_, antecedently\nand eternally binding, albeit there had been no formal covenant: the\n_ends_ of them perpetually good, to wit, _the defence of the true\nreformed religion, and the maintenance of the King's Majesty's person\nand estate_, (as is expressed in the National Covenant,) _the glory of\nGod, the advancement of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ; the honor\nand happiness of the King's Majesty and his posterity, and the public\nliberty, safety, and peace of the kingdoms_, as it is expressed in the\nSolemn League. And in the _form_ of them there are clauses expressing\ntheir perpetuity. In the National covenant it is said, _that the present\nand succeeding generations in this land are bound to keep the foresaid\nNational Oath and Subscription inviolable_. And in the Solemn League,\nArticle 1, _That we and our posterity after us, may, as brethren, live\nin faith and love_. And Art. 5, _That they may remain conjoined in a\nfirm peace and union to all posterity_.\n\nWe may add also the sanctions of rewards and punishments descending to\nposterity, prove the obligation perpetual: Which is, alas! too visible\nin our case as to the punishments inflicted for the breach of our\ncovenants, and like to be further inflicted, if repentance prevent not;\nso that as we have been a taunting proverb, and an hissing, for the\nguilt, we may look to be made a curse and an execration for the\npunishment of it. The distinction which some make use of to elude this\nobligation, \"That suppose they be materially bound, yet seeing they have\nnot sworn the covenants personally, they are not formally bound,\" is\nboth false and frivolous; for our father's oath having all the aforesaid\nqualifications, binds us formally as an oath, though we have but\nvirtually sworn it; and whether the obligation be material or formal,\nimplicit or explicit, it is all one in God's sight, if it be real,\nseeing even virtual obligations have frequently brought rewards and\npunishments upon the head of the observers or breakers of them, as well\nas formal. Seeing, then, the obligation of the covenant upon us is\nevident to a demonstration, it cannot, in justness, be called a\nrebellious action against lawful authority, to declare in our station\nthat we believe so much and resolve to practice accordingly. It is\nindeed too true that the wicked laws enacting the perpetual breaches of\nthese covenants have never been rescinded; but seeing they are wicked\nand opposite to the commandment and covenant of the Lord, the supreme\nlegislator, they are naturally void and null, and have been still so\nesteemed by us.\n\n_Object_. 3. \"Albeit the National Covenant should be granted to be\nbinding upon us the people of Scotland, and, therefore, may be renewed:\nyet, to renew the Solemn League with England and Ireland, as matters now\nstand, is ridiculous and impossible.\"\n\n_Ans_. This objection is partly answered before in the Sermons, [page\n14,] and may be further cleared, if we consider, that the Solemn League\nand Covenant may be taken under different respects, _either as a league\namongst men_ or _a covenant between God and men_: in the former sense,\nas it notes a _league offensive and defensive_ made betwixt the\ncollective bodies of these kingdoms, it is certain it cannot be taken by\nus, who are but a poor insignificant handful of people, far from any\nauthority, or influence in church or commonwealth; the collective and\nrepresentative body of the three kingdoms having basely abandoned their\ncovenant with God, and united in a sinful compact opposite thereto, so\nthat to make a league with England or Ireland in this sense, were to\nenter into a sinful confederacy with apostate covenant breakers; but in\nthe latter acceptation, as it is a covenant with God, not as a witness\nonly, but also as a party contracting, there is no absurdity or\nimpossibility why Scotland, or any part thereof, may not renew it,\nobliging themselves by a solemn vow to perform what they are bound to\nantecedently by the law of God. And if it be considered as an\nassociation, it respects those only who now do, or hereafter shall,\nadhere unto it, whether here or in the other two kingdoms. Hence, the\nwords in the preamble of the Solemn League and Covenant, expressing the\nseveral ranks and the extent of the Covenanters, were not read at the\nrenewing of it at Douglass, because we own ourselves to be under a\nleague with none but such as own the covenanted Reformation; these, and\nthese only, we heartily embrace as our colleagues, into the nearest and\ndearest bonds of Christian union and fellowship, according to this\nLeague and Covenant.\n\nAs the revolt of the ten tribes from the true religion and covenant of\nthe Lord their God, hindered not the godly of Judah, nor the small party\nthat joined in the sincere worship of God, out of Ephraim and Manasseh,\nto renew their covenant under the auspicious reigns of Asa, Hezekiah,\nJosiah; Nor did the horrid apostacy of the Sectarian party in England\nimpede our ancestors to renew this Solemn League and Covenant in\nScotland, Anno, 1649. So neither can the defection of the generality of\nthe three kingdoms, which is to be bewailed, if possible, with tears of\nblood, hinder us from testifying our adherence to the covenant, or\ninvalidate what we have done therein.\n\n_Object_. 4. \"Albeit the action should be granted to be for the main,\nlawful and right, yet it was most unseasonable to undertake it at such a\ntime, when the parliament and ministry is composed of a set of men that\nevidence no good affection to the present established church in\nScotland, who will be ready to interpret the action of a few\nimmoderately and unseasonably zealous people, as the deed of the whole\nPresbyterians in Scotland, and to make a handle thereof against them, to\nimpose upon them some new burdens; or to take such measures as will\neffectually put a stop to the more general renovation thereof throughout\nthe land.\"\n\nIn answer to this objection, we shall only desire the gentlemen that\nmade it to remember, That now for the space of 24 years they have been\ncrying, the time is not come wherein we should set about\ncovenant-renewing; one while they have pretended that the time was not\nseasonable, because such as were in authority were friends to the\nchurch; and it would look like a suspecting of their integrity, to enter\ninto covenant for defence and reformation of religion, as if they would\nnot show themselves active enough for these ends, and prove an\nirritation to them to turn enemies to Presbyterian government; it would\ncause them to think the Presbyterians to be a people of indiscreet and\nungovernable zeal, and so disgust them at the establishment. Another,\nwhile they excuse themselves from this duty, because these in authority\nare unfriendly to the Presbyterian establishment, they must walk\ncautiously now and manage prudently, lest they give any umbrage to\nJacobites and Episcopalians to represent them ill at court, and so\noccasion the overthrow of the great security founded in the Union\nTreaty. Formerly they needed not renew the covenant, because religion\nwas not in danger; now they dare not attempt to do it because it is;\nthey must wait till a well-affected parliament and good counsellors set\nit out of danger again, and then they will not need to covenant for its\nsafety. These shifts are too shrewd discoveries of neutrality in this\ncause. It is to be feared that the godly have too long been hoodwinked\nwith such frivolous pretexts; and it is high time for every one that\nhas the low case of the work of God in the land at heart, to be awakened\nto renew their covenant with God and keep the same. The motives and\ncalls to the work above mentioned will sufficiently, we hope,\ndemonstrate the seasonableness of it. But if there was a defect as to\nthe seasonableness, it was not because it was so soon set about, but\nbecause it was no sooner.\n\nWe shall not dwell any longer upon these and the like objections; there\nwill not want mountains of difficulties in the way till such time as the\nLord, coming by his Spirit in a day of his power, shall be pleased to\nlevel them and say, \"Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubabel\nthou shalt become a plain.\" In that day (we doubt not) there shall be a\nwilling people to enter covenant with the Lord, even a perpetual\ncovenant that shall not be forgotten; but, in the mean time, they would\ndo well to consider the hazard they bring themselves into who wilfully\nraise objections against the covenant, because they are unwilling to\nenter into it, or be bound by it.\n\nIt may be some will desiderate an account of the other _solemn holy\naction_ that followed upon the back of this, in regard there were some\ncircumstances in it not so ordinary in this church in former times,\nbecause of the paucity of public instruments; but neither do we think it\nneedful to give any large account of it, nor will it fall so properly\ninto this preface, which concerneth only national covenanting, and, it\nis likely the reader's patience is too far transgressed upon already;\nnor was there any _substantial or formal_ difference betwixt it and the\ncomely order of the Church of Scotland observed in our purest times of\nreformation in the celebration of that sacred ordinance, except what in\nthe form arose from the circumstances we were in, and the reason now\nmentioned. The work was awful and great, the persons employed about it\nfew, insignificant in their own eyes, as well as mean in the eyes of\nothers; and hence the Lord's power and grace was the more conspicuous,\nwho (we must not dissemble it) was present to the sensible experience of\nmany, sealing instruction upon the hearts of some, and granting,\nstrengthening, and confirming grace to others, for which he ought to\nhave all the glory.\n\nBut because there has been, as we are informed, no small clamor raised\nanent some expressions used in debarring the ignorant and scandalous\nfrom the holy table of the Lord; _That the Minister should have\nunreasonably and presumptuously excommunicated the Queen and Parliament,\nand the whole Ministers of the established church of Scotland_;\nTherefore, we shall here insert the very words relating to that affair,\nas they were uttered by him without any alteration. In warning the\nignorant, scandalous and profane to beware of presuming to approach to\nthe holy table of the Lord, the minister observed (as the manner is) the\norder of the decalogue, where, in the sins forbidden in the second\ncommandment, as they are enumerated by the very Reverend the Assembly of\nDivines sitting at Westminster, in their humble advice concerning a\nLarger Catechism, we find these amongst others--\"All devising,\ncounseling, commanding, using, and any ways approving any religious\nworship not instituted by God himself, tolerating a false religion.----\nAll superstitious devices, corrupting the worship of God, adding to it,\ntaking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received\nby tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom,\ndevotion, good intent, or any other pretence whatsoever.\" Hence, he\nexpressed himself in these words--\"I excommunicate and debar from this\nholy table of the Lord, all devisers, commanders, users, or approvers of\nany religious worship not instituted by God in his Word, all tolerators\nand countenancers thereof; and by consequence I debar and excommunicate\nfrom this holy table of the Lord, Queen and Parliament, and all under\nthem, who spread and propagate or tolerate a false superstitious\nworship, ay and until they repent,\" And in relation to the opposing of\nthe covenants and work of reformation, he had these words--\"I\nexcommunicate and debar all who are opposers of our covenants and\ncovenanted Reformation, and all that have taken oaths contrary to our\ncovenants, and such particularly as are takers of the Oath of\nAbjuration, whether Ministers or others, until they repent.\"\n\nThat this was no presumptuous and rebellious arrogance is evident,\nbecause the sins for which he debarred Queen and Parliament, and all\nothers guilty of them, are proven from Scripture to be gross breaches of\nGod's law, and every violation thereof persisted in without repentance,\nis a sufficient cause (in the opinion of Protestant Divines) to debar\nand exclude from the Lord's table. Now, it is certain that even those\nministers of the established church who make such obloquy against the\nwork for this particular, do the same thing in effect every time that\nthey administrate this ordinance, for (as can be proved if they please\nto require it, or do deny it,) they excommunicate from the table all\nguilty of such sins as are forbidden in the second commandment,\naccording as they are specified in the forsaid Catechism; and so, by an\ninfallible consequence, they excommunicate the Queen and Parliament, who\nare grossly guilty of the most of them, only they have not the courage\ningenuously and freely to own and express the consequence, but that it\nfollows natively and necessarily from the premises, even according to\ntheir own principles, they will never be able to disprove.\n\nNow, Reader, thou hast a just and true account as far as was necessary,\nof our poor and weak endeavours in this matter, which we hope will, at\nleast, stand as a witness and testimony (without arrogance we desire to\nspeak it) against the apostacy of some and indifferency of others, who\nshould have been to us as the _he-goats before the flock_ in paving our\nway to Zion, but are rather _making to themselves captains_ to carry us\nback to Babylon, and pollute our land with idolatry and superstition;\nand, as a pledge to posterity that the Lord has not yet utterly deserted\nthe land, though we rather wish,(if so it may consist with his holy\npurpose, _who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working_) that it\nmight tend to excite, some to bethink \"whence they have fallen, and\nrepent, and to do their first works, lest the Lord come quickly, and\nutterly remove his candlestick from us:\" and engage them to renew these\ncovenants in a more public way, and prosecute the ends of them with more\nzeal, fidelity, and constancy, \"that the Lord may yet delight to dwell\namongst us, make our judges peace, and our exactors righteousness,\" and\nmake us to be called _Hephzibah_, and our land _Beulah_.\n\nThe reader may please to cast his eye upon the following passages,\nquoted from the writings of some of the ablest divines, wherewith these\nkingdoms have been blessed, since the first reformation from Popery;\nwherein he will see, how far different an opinion they have entertained\nof the Covenant, from what are the thoughts of the learned\nLatitudinarians of our age.\n\n_A Testimony to the truth of_ JESUS CHRIST _and to our Solemn League\nand Covenant, &c., subscribed by the Ministers of Christ, within the\nprovince of London, December_ 14, 1649 Head IV.\n\n\"In order unto reformation and defence of religion within these three\nkingdoms, we shall never forget, how solemnly and cheerfully the Solemn\nLeague and Covenant was sworn with hands lifted up to the most high\nGod.--We were, and are abundantly satisfied, that our Solemn League and\nCovenant of September 27, 1643, is not only warrantable for the matter\nof it and manner of entering into it, but also of such excellency and\nimportance,--That it will be very hard in all points to parallel it;\nand, therefore, as we did sincerely swear this covenant with God, with\nall our heart, and with all our soul, much rejoicing at the oath with a\ntrue intention to perform it, and not for promoting any politic design;\nso we do believe and profess to the world that we still stand as firmly\nengaged to the real performance of it, and that it is not in the power\nof any person or persons on earth to dispense with it or absolve from\nit.\"\n\n_The harmonious consent of the Ministers of the county Palatine\nLancaster with their Reverend Brethren the Ministers of the province of\nLondon._ Head V.\n\n\"We shall never forget how solemn it (the Solemn League and Covenant)\nwas sworn, and what rejoicing there was at the oath, sundry at the\ntaking of it weeping for joy; and when the Covenant was thus taken, we\nthought with ourselves, that surely now the crown is set upon England's\nhead: We judged the day of entering into this Covenant to be England's\ncoronation-day, as it was the day of the gladness of our hearts.\"\n\n_Mr. Philip Nye's Exhortation at the taking of the Covenant, September\n29th, 1649, p. 2._\n\n\"This Oath is such, and in the matter and consequence of it of such\nconcernment, as I can truly say, it is worthy of us, yea, of all the\nkingdoms of the world; for it is swearing fealty and allegiance to\nChrist the King of kings, and giving up of all these kingdoms which are\nhis inheritance, to be subdued more to his throne, and ruled more by his\nsceptre, upon whose shoulders the government is laid.\"\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_THE NATIONAL COVENANT, OR THE CONFESSION OF FAITH OF THE KIRK OF\nSCOTLAND_;\n\n\nSubscribed at first by the King's Majesty and his Household, in the year\nof God 1580; Thereafter, by persons of all ranks, in the year 1581; By\nOrdinance of the Lords of the Secret Council, and Acts of the General\nAssembly. Subscribed again by all sorts of persons in the year 1590, by\na new Ordinance of Council, at the desire of the General Assembly, with\na Band for the maintenance of the true religion, and the King's person:\nAnd subscribed in the year 1638, by the Noblemen, Barons, Gentlemen,\nBurgesses, Ministers and Commons, then under-subscribing; together with\ntheir resolution and promises for the causes after specified, to\nmaintain the True Religion, and the King's Majesty, according to the\nConfession aforesaid and Acts of Parliament; And upon the supplication\nof the General Assembly to his Majesty's High Commissioner, and the\nLords of his Majesty's honorable Privy Council. Subscribed again in the\nyear 1639, by Ordinance of Council, and Acts of General Assembly, &c.,\n&c. The Tenor whereof here followeth.\n\nWe all, and every one of us underwritten, protest, that after long and\ndue examination of our own consciences in matters of true and false\nreligion, we are now thoroughly resolved in the truth by the Word and\nSpirit of God: And, therefore, we believe with our hearts, confess with\nour mouths, subscribe with our hands and constantly affirm before God\nand the whole world, that this only is the true Christian faith and\nreligion pleasing God, revealed to the world by the preaching of the\nblessed evangel; and is received, believed, and defended by many and\nsundry notable kirks and realms, but chiefly by the _Kirk of Scotland,\nand sometimes by the King's Majesty, and the three estates of this\nrealm_, as God's eternal truth and only ground of our salvation, as more\nparticularly is expressed in the Confession of our Faith, established\nand publickly confirmed by sundry Acts of Parliaments, and now of a long\ntime have been openly professed by the King's Majesty, and whole body of\nthis realm, both in burgh and land. To the which Confession and form of\nreligion, we willingly agree in our own consciences, in all points, as\nunto God's undoubted truth and verity, grounded only upon his written\nword. And, therefore, we abhor and detest all contrary religion and\ndoctrine; but chiefly all kind of Papistry in general, and particular\nheads, even as they are now damned and confuted by the word of God, and\nKirk of Scotland. But in special we detest and refuse the usurped\nauthority of that Roman Antichrist upon the Scriptures of God, upon the\nKirk, the civil Magistrate, and consciences of men: All his tyrranous\nlaws made upon indifferent things against our Christian liberty: His\nerroneous doctrine against the sufficiency of the written word, the\nperfection of the law, the offices of Christ, and his blessed evangel:\nHis corrupted doctrine concerning original sin, our natural inability\nand rebellion to God's law, our justification by faith only, our\nimperfect sanctification and obedience to the law; the nature, number,\nand use of the holy sacraments: His five bastard sacraments; with all\nhis rites, ceremonies, and false doctrine, added to the ministration of\nthe true sacraments, without the Word of God: His cruel judgment against\ninfants departing without the sacrament: His absolute necessity of\nbaptism: His blasphemous opinion of transubstantiation, or real presence\nof Christ's body in the elements, and receiving of the same by the\nwicked, or bodies of men: His dispensations with solemn oaths,\nperjuries, and degrees of marriage forbidden in the Word; His cruelty\nagainst the innocent divorced: His devilish mass: His blasphemous\npriesthood: His profane sacrifice for the sins of the dead and the\nquick: His canonization of men; calling upon angels or saints departed;\nworshipping of imagery, relics and crosses; dedicating of kirks, altars,\ndays; Vows to creatures: His purgatory, prayers for the dead; praying or\nspeaking in a strange language; with his processions and blasphemous\nlitany, and multitude of advocates or mediators: His manifold orders,\nauricular confession: His desperate and uncertain repentance; His\ngeneral and doubtsome faith: His satisfactions of men for their sins:\nHis justification by works, _opus operatum_, works of supererogation,\nmerits, pardons, peregrinations and stations: His holy water, baptizing\nof bells, conjuring of spirits, crossing, earning, anointing, conjuring,\nhallowing of God's good creatures, with the superstitious opinion joined\ntherewith: His worldly monarchy, and wicked hierarchy: His three solemn\nvows, with all his shavellings of sundry sorts: His erroneous and bloody\ndecrees made at Trent, with all the subscribers and approvers of that\ncruel and bloody bond, conjured against the Kirk of God.\n\nAnd finally, we detest all his vain allegories, rites, signs, and\ntraditions brought into the Kirk, without or against the Word of God and\ndoctrine of this true reformed Kirk; to the which we join ourselves\nwillingly, in doctrine, faith, religion, discipline, and use of the holy\nsacraments, as lively members of the same in Christ our head: Promising\nand swearing by the _Great Name of the Lord our God_, that we shall\ncontinue in the obedience of the doctrine and discipline of this kirk,\nand shall defend the same according to our vocation and power, all the\ndays of our lives, under the pains continued in the law and danger both\nof body and soul, in the day of God's fearful judgment. And, seeing that\nmany are stirred up by Satan and that Roman Antichrist, to promise,\nswear, subscribe, and for a time use the holy sacraments in the Kirk\ndeceitfully against their own consciences, minding thereby, first, under\nthe external cloak of religion, to corrupt and subvert secretly God's\ntrue religion within the Kirk, and afterwards, when the time may serve,\nto become open enemies and persecutors of the same, under vain hope of\nthe Pope's dispensation devised against the Word of God, to his greater\nconfusion, and their double condemnation in the day of the Lord Jesus.\n\nWe, therefore, willing to take away all suspicion of hypocrisy, and of\nsuch double dealing with God and his Kirk, protest, and call _the\nSearcher of all hearts for witness_, that our minds and hearts do fully\nagree with this our _Confession, Promise, Oath_, and _Subscription_, so\nthat we are not moved with any worldly respect, but are persuaded only\nin our own consciences, through the knowledge and love of God's true\nreligion, imprinted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, as we shall answer\nto him in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed.\nAnd because we perceive that the quietness and stability of our religion\nand kirk, doth depend upon the safety and good behaviour of [the[5]\nKing's Majesty,] as upon a comfortable instrument of God's mercy,\ngranted to this country, for the maintaining of this kirk, and\nministration of justice amongst us, we protest and promise with our\nhearts, under the same oath, hand-write, and pains, that we shall defend\n[his[6] person and authority,] with our goods, bodies, and lives, in\nthe defence of Christ's evangel, liberties of our country, ministration\nof justice, and punishment of iniquity, against all enemies within this\nrealm, or without, we desire our God to be a strong and merciful\ndefender to us in the day of our death, and coming of our Lord Jesus\nChrist. To whom with the Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and\nglory eternally. Amen.\n\nLikeas, many Acts of Parliament not only in general do abrogate, annul,\nand rescind all laws, statutes, acts, constitutions; canons, civil or\nmunicipal, with all other ordinances and practique penalties whatsoever,\nmade in prejudice of the true religion and professors thereof; or of the\ntrue kirk-discipline, jurisdiction and freedom thereof; or in favor of\nidolatry and superstition; or of the Papistical kirk; as Act. 3, Act.\n31, Parl. 1; Act. 23, Parl. 11; Act. 114, Parl. 12, of King James VI.\nthat Papistry and superstition may be utterly suppressed, according to\nthe intention of the Acts of Parliament, repeated in the 5th Act, Parl.\n20, King James VI. And to that end they ordain all Papists and priests\nto be punished with manifold civil and ecclesiastical pains, as\nadversaries to God's true religion, preached, and by law established\nwithin this realm, Act 24, Parl. 11, King James VI.; as common enemies\nto all Christian government, Act 18 Parl. 16, King James VI.; as\nrebellers and gainstanders of our sovereign Lord's authority, Act 47\nParl. 8, King James VI.; and as idolaters, Act 104, Parl. 7, King James\nVI. But also in particular, by and attour the Confession of Faith, do\nabolish and condemn the Pope's authority and jurisdiction out of this\nland, and ordain the maintainers thereof to be punished, Act 2, Parl. 1;\nAct 51 Parl. 3; Act 106, Parl. 7; Act 114, Parl. 12, King James VI., do\ncondemn the Pope's erroneous doctrine, or any other erroneous doctrine\nrepugnant to any of the articles of the true and Christian religion,\npublickly preached, and by law established in this realm; and ordain the\nspreaders and makers of books, or libels, or letters, or writs of that\nnature, to be punished, Acts 46, Parl. 3; Act 106, Parl. 7; Act 24, Par.\n11, K. James VI. do condemn all baptism conform to the Pope's kirk, and\nthe idolatry of the mass; and ordains all sayers, wilful hearers,\nconcealers of the mass, the maintainers and resetters of the priests,\nJesuits, trafficking Papists, to be punished without any exception or\nrestriction, Act 5, Parl. 1; Act 120, Parl. 12; Act 134, Parl. 13; Act\n139, Parl. Act 1, Parl. 19; Act 5, Parl. 20, King James VI., do condemn\nall erroneous books and writs, containing erroneous doctrine against the\nreligion presently professed or containing superstitious rites and\nceremonies Papistical, whereby the people are greatly abused; and\nordains the home-bringers of them to be punished, Act 25, Parl. 11, King\nJames VI., do condemn the monuments and dregs of the bygone idolatry, as\ngoing to crosses, observing the festival days of Saints and other\nsuperstitious and Papistical rites, to the dishonour of God, contempt of\ntrue religion, and fostering of great error among the people; and\nordains the users of them to be punished for the second fault as\nidolaters, Act 104, Parl. 7, King James VI.\n\nLikeas, many acts of parliament are conceived for maintenance of God's\ntrue Christian religion, and the purity thereof in doctrine and\nsacraments of the true church of God, the liberty and freedom thereof in\nher national synodical assemblies, Presbyteries, sessions, policy,\ndiscipline, and jurisdiction thereof, as that purity of religion and\nliberty of the church was used, professed, exercised, preached, and\nconfessed according to the reformation of religion in this realm. As for\ninstance, the 99th Act, Parl. 7, Act 23, Parl. 11; Act 114, Parl. 12;\nAct 160, Parl. 13, King James VI., ratified by the 4th Act of King\nCharles. So that the 6th Act, Parl. 1, and 68th Act, Parl. 6, of King\nJames VI., in the year of God 1579, declares the ministers of the\nblessed evangel, whom God of his mercy had raised up, or hereafter\nshould raise, agreeing with them that then lived in doctrine and\nadministration of the sacraments, and the people that professed Christ\nas he was then offered in the evangel and doth communicate with the holy\nsacraments, (as in the reformed kirks of this realm they were publickly\nadministrate) according to the Confession of Faith, to be the true and\nholy kirk of Christ Jesus within this realm, and decerns and declares\nall and sundry who either gainsay the word of the evangel, received and\napproved as the heads of the Confession of Faith, professed in\nparliament in the year of God 1560, specified also in the first\nParliament of King James VI, and ratified in this present parliament;\nmore particularly do specify, or that refuse the administration of the\nholy sacraments as they were then administered, to be no members of the\nsaid kirk within this realm, and true religion presently professed, so\nlong as they keep themselves so divided from the society of Christ's\nbody; and the subsequent Act 69, Parl. 6. of King James VI. declares,\nthat there is none other face of kirk, nor other face of religion, than\nwas presently at that time by the favour of God established within this\nrealm, which therefore is ever styled, _God's true religion--Christ's\ntrue religion--the true and Christian religion--and a perfect religion_;\nwhich, by manifold acts of parliament, all within this realm are bound\nto subscribe the articles thereof, the Confession of Faith, to recant\nall doctrine and errors repugnant to any of the said articles, Act 4 and\n9, Parl. 1; Act 45, 46, 47, Parl. 3; Act 71, Parl. 6; Act 106, Parl. 7;\nAct 24, Parl. 11; Act 123, Parl. 12; Act 194 and 197, Parl. 14, of King\nJames VI. And all magistrates, sheriffs, &c. on the one part, are\nordained to search, apprehend, and punish all contraveners; for\ninstance, Act 5, Parl. 1; Act 104, Parl. 7; Act 25, Parl. 11, King James\nVI.; and that notwithstanding of the King's Majesty's licence to the\ncontrary, which are discharged and declared to be of no force, in so far\nas they tend in any ways to the prejudice and hinder of the execution of\nthe acts of parliament against Papists and adversaries of true religion,\nAct 106, Parl. 7, King James VI. On the other part, in the 47th Act,\nParl. 3, of King James VI. it is declared and ordained, seeing the cause\nof God's true religion and his highness' authority are so joined, as the\nhurt of the one is common to both; and that none shall be reputed as\nloyal and faithful subjects to our sovereign lord or his authority, but\nbe punishable as rebellers and gainstanders of the same, who shall not\ngive their confession, and make their profession of the said true\nreligion, and that they who, after defection, shall give the confession\nof their faith of new, they shall promise to continue therein in time\ncoming, to maintain our sovereign lord's authority, and at the uttermost\nof their power to fortify, assist, and maintain the true preachers and\nprofessors of Christ's evangel against whatsoever enemies and\ngainstanders of the same; and namely, against all such (of whatsoever\nnation, estate, or degree they be,) that have joined and bound\nthemselves, or have assisted, or assist to set forward, and execute the\ncruel decrees of Trent, contrary to the preachers and true professors of\nthe Word of God, which is repeated, word by word, in the articles of\npacification at Perth, the 23rd of February, 1572; approved by\nParliament, the last of April, 1573; ratified in Parliament, 1587; and\nrelated, Act 123, Parl. 12, of King James VI., with this addition, that\nthey are bound to resist all treasonable uproars and hostilities that\nare raised against the true religion, the King's Majesty, and the true\nprofessors.\n\nLikeas all lieges are bound to maintain the King's Majesty's royal\nperson, and authority, the authority of Parliaments, without the which\nneither any laws, or lawful judicatories can be established, Act 130,\nAct 131, Parl. 8, K. James VI. and the subjects' liberties, who ought\nonly to live and be governed by the King's laws, the common laws of this\nrealm allenarly, Act 48, Parl. 3, K. James I. Act 79, Parl. 6, K. James\nIV. repeated in the Act 131, Parl. 8, K. James VI. Which, if they be\ninnovated or prejudged, the commission anent the union of the two\nkingdoms of Scotland and England, which is the sole Act of the 17 Parl.\nof K. James VI. declares such confusion would ensue, as this realm could\nbe no more a free monarchy, because by the fundamental laws, ancient\nprivileges, offices and liberties of this kingdom, not only the princely\nauthority of his Majesty's royal descent hath been these many ages\nmaintained, but also the people's security of their lands, livings,\nrights, offices, liberties, and dignities preserved, and therefore for\nthe preservation of the said true religion, laws and liberties of this\nkingdom, it is statute by the 8 Act, Parl. 1, repeated in the 99 Act,\nParl. 7, ratified in the 23 Act, Parl. 11, and 114 Act, Parl. 12, of K.\nJames VI. and 4 Act K. Charles I. That all kings and princes at their\ncoronation and reception of their princely authority, shall make their\nfaithful promise by their solemn oath in the presence of the eternal\nGod, that enduring the whole time of their lives; they shall serve the\nsame eternal God to the uttermost of their power, according as he hath\nrequired in his most holy word, contained in the Old and New Testaments.\nAnd according to the same word, shall maintain the true religion of\nChrist Jesus, the preaching of his holy word, the due and right\nministration of the sacraments now received and preached within this\nrealm (according to the Confession of Faith) and shall abolish and\ngainstand all false religion contrary to the same, and shall rule the\npeople committed to their charge, according to the will and command of\nGod, revealed in his foresaid word, and according to the laudable laws\nand constitutions received in this realm, no ways repugnant to the said\nwill of the eternal God; and shall procure, to the uttermost of their\npower, to the kirk of God and whole Christian people, true and perfect\npeace in all time coming; and that they shall be careful to root out of\ntheir empire all heretics, and enemies to the true worship of God, who\nshall be convicted by the true kirk of God, for the foresaid crimes,\nwhich was also observed by his Majesty[7] at his coronation in\nEdinburgh, 1633, as may be seen in the order of the coronation.\n\nIn obedience to the commandment of God, conform to the practice of the\ngodly in former times, and according to the laudable example of our\nworthy and religious progenitors,----which was warranted also by Act of\nCouncil, commanding a general bond to be made and subscribed by his\nMajesty's subjects of all ranks, for two causes: one was, for defending\nthe true religion as it was then reformed, and is expressed in the\nConfession of faith above-mentioned, and a former large Confession\nestablished by sundry acts of lawful General Assemblies, and of\nParliament, unto which it hath relation, set down in public Catechisms,\nand which had been for many years (with a blessing from heaven) preached\nand professed in this kirk and kingdom as God's undoubted truth,\ngrounded only upon his written Word. The other cause was, for\nmaintaining the King's Majesty, his person, and estate; the true worship\nof God and the King's authority being so straitly joined as that they\nhad the same friends and common enemies and did stand and fall together;\nand finally, being convinced in our minds, and confessing with our\nmouths, that the present and succeeding generations in this land are\nbound to keep the foresaid national oath and subscription inviolable.\nWe,------------under subscribing, considering divers times before, and\nespecially at this time, the danger of the true reformed religion\n--------, and of the public peace of the kingdom; by the manifold\ninnovations and evils generally contained and particularly mentioned,\n[in supplications, complaints, and protestations,[8]] do hereby\nprofess, and before God, his angels, and the world, solemnly declare,\nthat with our whole hearts we agree and resolve, all the days of our\nlife, constantly to adhere unto and defend the foresaid true religion;\nand (forbearing the practice of all novations already introduced in the\nmatters of the worship of God, or approbation of the corruptions of the\npublic government of the kirk, or civil places and power of kirkmen,[9]\ntill they be tried and allowed in free assemblies and in Parliaments,)\nto labor by all means lawful to recover the purity and liberty of the\ngospel, as it was established and professed before the foresaid\nnovations; and because, after due examination, we plainly perceive, and\nundoubtedly believe, that the evils contained in our [supplications,\ncomplaints, and protestations,[10]] have no warrant of the Word of God;\nare contrary to the articles of the foresaid Confessions, to the\nintention and meaning of the blessed reformers of religion in this land,\nto the above-written Acts of Parliament, and do sensibly tend to the\nre-establishing of the Popish religion and tyranny, and to the\nsubversion and ruin of the true reformed religion, and of our liberties,\nlaws and estates. We also declare, that the foresaid confessions are to\nbe interpreted, and ought to be understood of the foresaid novations and\nevils, no less than if every one of them had been expressed in the\nforesaid Confessions, and that we are obliged to detest and abhor them,\namongst other particular heads of Papistry abjured therein; and,\ntherefore, from the knowledge and conscience of our duty to God, [to our\nKing and country,[11]] without any worldly respect or inducement, so far\nas human infirmity will suffer, wishing a further measure of the grace\nof God for this effect, we promise and swear by the _great name of the\nLord our God_, to continue in the profession and obedience of the\nforesaid religion; that we shall defend the same, and resist all these\ncontrary errors and corruptions, according to our vocation, and to the\nuttermost of that power that God hath put in our hands, all the days of\nour life; and, in like manner, with the same heart, we declare before\nGod and men, that we have no intention nor desire to attempt any thing\nthat may turn to the dishonour of God, or to the diminution of [the\nKing's[12]] greatness and authority; but on the contrary, we promise and\nswear, that we shall, to the uttermost of our power, with our means and\nlives, and to the defence of [our dread sovereign, the King's Majesty,\nhis person and authority[13]] in the defence and preservation of the\nforesaid true religion, liberties, and laws of the kingdom; as also, to\nthe mutual defence and assistance every one of us of another, in the\nsame cause of maintaining the true religion [his Majesty's[14]]\nauthority, with our best counsel, our bodies, means, and whole power,\nagainst all sorts of persons whatsoever. So that whatsoever shall be\ndone to the least of us for that cause, shall be taken as done to us all\nin general, and to every one of us in particular; that we shall, neither\ndirectly nor indirectly, suffer ourselves to be divided or withdrawn, by\nwhatsoever suggestion, allurement, or terror, from this blessed and\nloyal conjunction; nor shall cast in any let or impediment that may stay\nor hinder any such resolution, as by common consent shall be found to\nconduce for so good ends;--but, on the contrary, shall, by all lawful\nmeans labour to further and promote the same, and if any such dangerous\nand divisive motions be made to us by word or write, we, and every one\nof us, shall either suppress it, or if need be, shall incontinent make\nthe same known that it may be timeously obviated; neither do we fear the\nfoul aspersions of rebellion, combination, or what else our adversaries\nfrom their craft and malice would put upon us, seeing what we do is so\nwell warranted, and ariseth from an unfeigned desire to maintain the\ntrue worship of God, the majesty of [[15] our King,] and peace of the\nkingdom, for the common happiness of ourselves and the posterity.\n\nAnd because we cannot look for a blessing from God upon our proceedings,\nexcept with our profession and subscription, we join such a life and\nconversation as beseemeth Christians who have renewed their covenant\nwith God: We, therefore, faithfully promise, for ourselves, our\nfollowers, and all other under us, both in public, in our particular\nfamilies and personal carriage, to endeavor to keep ourselves within the\nbounds of Christian liberty, and to be good examples to others of all\ngodliness, soberness and righteousness, and of every duty we owe to God\nand man. And that this our union and conjunction may be observed without\nviolation, we call the living God, the searcher of our hearts, to\nwitness, who knoweth this to be our sincere desire and unfeigned\nresolution, as we shall answer to Jesus Christ, in the great day, and\nunder the pain of God's everlasting wrath and of infamy, and loss of all\nhonour and respect in this world: Most humbly beseeching the Lord to\nstrengthen us by his Holy Spirit for this end, and to bless our desires\nand proceedings with a happy success, that religion and righteousness\nmay nourish in the land, to the glory of God, the honour of [our\nKing[16]] and peace and comfort of us all. In witness whereof we have\nsubscribed with our hands all the premises, &c.\n\nThe article of this covenant, which was at first subscription\nreferred[17] to the determination of the General Assembly, being now\ndetermined, and thereby the five articles of Perth, the government of\nthe Kirk by Bishops, the civil places and power of kirkmen upon the\nreasons and grounds contained in the Acts of the General Assembly,\ndeclared to be unlawful within this kirk, we subscribe according to the\ndetermination foresaid.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_THE SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT, FOR REFORMATION AND DEFENCE OF\nRELIGION, ETC_.\n\n\nWe, having before our eyes the glory of God, and the advancement of the\nkingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the honour and happiness\nof [the[18] King's Majesty and his posterity] and the true public\nliberty, safety, and peace of the kingdoms, wherein every one's private\ncondition is included; and calling to mind the treacherous and bloody\nplots, conspiracies, attempts and practices of the enemies of God\nagainst the true religion and professors thereof in all places,\nespecially in these three kingdoms, ever since the reformation of\nreligion; and how much their rage, power, and presumption are of late,\nand at this time increased and exercised, whereof the deplorable estate\nof the church and kingdom of Ireland, the distressed estate of the\nchurch and kingdom of England, and the dangerous estate of the church\nand kingdom of Scotland, are present and public testimonies. We have now\nat last [[19] after other means of supplication, remonstrance,\nprotestation and suffering] for the preservation of ourselves and our\nreligion from utter ruin and destruction, according to the commendable\npractice of these kingdoms in former times, and the example of God's\npeople in other nations, after mature deliberation, resolved and\ndetermined to enter into a mutual and Solemn League and Covenant:\nWherein we all subscribe, and each one of us for himself, with our hands\nlifted up to the Most High God, do swear--\n\n1. That we shall sincerely, really, and constantly, through the grace of\nGod, endeavour in our several places and callings, the preservation of\nthe reformed religion in the church of Scotland, in doctrine, worship,\ndiscipline, and government, against our common enemies; the reformation\nof religion in the kingdoms of England and Ireland, in doctrine,\nworship, discipline and government, according to the Word of God, and\nthe example of the best reformed churches; and shall endeavour to bring\nthe churches of God in the three kingdoms, to the nearest conjunction\nand uniformity in religion, Confession of Faith, Form of\nChurch-government, Directory for Worship and Catechizing; that we and\nour posterity after us, may, as brethren, live in faith and love, and\nthe Lord may delight to dwell in the midst of us.\n\n2. That we shall, in like manner, without respect of persons, endeavor\nthe extirpation of Popery, Prelacy (that is, church government by\narch-bishops, bishops, their chancellors and commissaries, deans, deans\nand chapters, archdeacons, and all other ecclesiastical officers\ndepending on that hierarchy), superstition, heresy, schism, profaneness,\nand whatsoever shall be found to be contrary to sound doctrine and the\npower of godliness; lest we partake in other men's sins, and thereby be\nin danger to receive of their plagues; and that the Lord may be one,\nand his name one in the three kingdoms.\n\n3. We shall, with the same sincerity, reality and constancy, in our\nseveral vocations, endeavor with our estates and lives mutually to\npreserve the rights and privileges of the parliaments[20] and the\nliberties of the kingdoms; and to preserve and defend [the King's[21]\nMajesty's] person and authority, in the preservation and defence of the\ntrue religion and liberties of the kingdoms; that the world may bear\nwitness with our consciences of our loyalty, and that we have no\nthoughts or intentions to diminish [his[22] Majesty's] just power and\ngreatness.\n\n4. We shall also with all faithfulness endeavor the discovery of all\nsuch as have been, or shall be, incendiaries, malignants, or evil\ninstruments, by hindering the reformation of religion, dividing [the[23]\nKing] from his people, or one of the kingdoms from another, or making\nany faction or parties amongst the people, contrary to this League and\nCovenant, that they may be brought to public trial, and receive condign\npunishment, as the degree of their offences shall require or deserve, or\nthe supreme judicatories of both kingdoms respectively, or others having\npower from them for that effect, shall judge convenient.\n\n5. And whereas the happiness of a blessed peace between these kingdoms,\ndenied in former times to our progenitors, was by the good providence of\nGod granted unto [[24]us] and--concluded, and settled by both\nparliaments, We shall, each one of us, according to our place and\ninterest, endeavor that they may be and remain conjoined[25] in a firm\npeace and union to all posterity, and that justice may be done upon the\nwilful opposers thereof, in manner expressed in the precedent article.\n\n6. We shall also according to our places and callings this common cause\nof religion, liberty and peace of the kingdoms, assist and defend all\nthose that enter into this league and covenant, in the maintaining and\npursuing thereof; and shall not suffer ourselves, directly or\nindirectly, by whatsoever combination, persuasion or terror, to be\ndivided and withdrawn from this blessed union and conjunction, whether\nto make defection to the contrary part, or to give ourselves to a\ndetestable indifferency or neutrality in this cause which so much\nconcerneth the glory of God, the good of the kingdoms, and honor of\n[the[26] King;] but shall all the days of our lives zealously and\nconstantly continue therein, against all opposition, and promote the\nsame according to our power, against all lets and impediments\nwhatsoever; and what we are not able ourselves to suppress or overcome,\nwe shall reveal and make known, that it may be timely prevented or\nremoved; all of which we shall do as in the sight of God.\n\nAnd because these kingdoms are guilty of many sins, and provocations\nagainst God and his Son Jesus Christ, as is too manifest by our present\ndistresses and dangers, the fruits thereof; we profess and declare\nbefore God and the world, our unfeigned desire to be humbled for our own\nsins, and for the sins of these kingdoms, especially that we have not,\nas we ought, valued the inestimable benefit of the gospel, that we have\nnot labored for the purity and power thereof, and that we have not\nendeavored to receive Christ in our hearts, nor to walk worthy of him in\nour lives, which are the causes of other sins and transgressions so much\nabounding amongst us; and our true and unfeigned purpose, desire and\nendeavor for ourselves, and all others under our power and charge, both\nin public and private, in all duties we owe to God and man, to amend our\nlives, and each one to go before another in the example of a real\nreformation; that the Lord may turn away his wrath, and heavy\nindignation, and establish these churches and kingdoms in truth and\npeace. And this Covenant we make in the presence of Almighty God, the\nsearcher of all hearts, with a true intention to perform the same, as we\nshall answer at the great day, when the secrets of all hearts shall be\ndisclosed; most humbly beseeching the Lord to strengthen us by his Holy\nSpirit for this end, and to bless our desires and proceedings with such\nsuccess as may be deliverance and safety to his people, and\nencouragement to other Christian churches that may be groaning under, or\nin danger of, the yoke of Antichristian tyranny, to join in the same,\nor like association and Covenant to the glory of God, the enlargement of\nthe kingdom of Jesus Christ, and the peace and tranquility of Christian\nkingdoms and commonwealths.\n\nN.B.--These Covenants above-written, formerly nationally taken and\nrenewed, and still nationally binding, We, in our private station only,\nswear and subscribe in their genuine sense, conform to the Explication\nand Application thereof, in our present Acknowledgment of the public\nSins and Breaches of the same, and Engagement to the Duties contained\ntherein, which do in a special way relate to the present times, and are\nproper for our capacities therein.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_A SOLEMN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF PUBLIC SINS, AND BREACHES OF THE NATIONAL\nCOVENANT AND SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT_.\n\n\nWe all and every one of us--being _by the good hand of our God upon us_,\nnow, after a long and due deliberation, determined to testify to the\nworld, for the glory of God, and the exoneration of our consciences, in\nthe matter of our duty, our adherance to the whole of our attained\nReformation, by renewing these our vows and Covenant-engagements with\nGod, and knowing that it is a necessary preparative for the right\nperformance of that so great and solemn a duty, that we be duly sensible\nof, and deeply humbled for the many heinous breaches thereof, which\nthese nations, and we ourselves in particular are guilty of; do\ntherefore, with that measure of sorrow and repentance which God of his\nmercy shall be pleased to grant us, desire to acknowledge and confess\nour own sins and violations of these vows, and the sins and\ntransgressions of our fathers; to which we have also an example left us\nby the _Cloud of witnesses, which through faith and patience have\ninherited the promises_, ever since the Lord had a visible national\nchurch upon earth, and more especially by our progenitors in this\nnation; as, for instance, in the year 1596, \"Wherein the General\nAssembly, and all the kirk judicatories, with the concurrence of many of\nthe nobility, gentry and burgesses, did with many tears acknowledge the\nbreach of the National Covenant, and engaged themselves into a\nreformation, even as our predecessors, and theirs, had done in the\nGeneral Assembly and Convention of Estates in the year 1567.\" As also\nthe more recent practice of the godly renewing the National Covenant,\nand acknowledging the breaches of it, both before they obtained the\nconcurrence of civil authority, in the year 1638, and again, by\nauthority, in the year 1639. And that noble precedent of that _National\nSolemn acknowledgment of Public Sins and Breaches of the Solemn League\nand Covenant, and Solemn Engagement to all the duties contained\ntherein_, (which we are here taking for our pattern, and enlarging the\nsame as the sad sins and transgressions since that time committed, and\nthe circumstances of time give occasion) condescended upon, \"by the\nCommission of the General Assembly, and approven by the Committee of\nEstates, and publickly owned in all the churches, at the renewing of the\nSolemn League, Anno 1648, and 1649, together with that solemn renovation\nthereof accompanied with such confession of sins as did best suit that\ntime, by that small company of the Lord's people at Lanark, before their\ndiscomfiture at Pentland hills. And perceiving by the foresaid\ninstances, that this duty, when gone about out of conscience, hath very\noften been attended with a reviving out of troubles--or at least out of\ndeadness, security, and formality, under which we and the land are at\npresent sinking, and with a blessing and success from heaven;--'We do\nhumbly and sincerely, as in His sight who is the searcher of hearts,\nacknowledge the many sins and great transgressions of the land; we have\ndone wickedly, our kings, our princes, our nobles, our judges, our\nofficers, our teachers, and our people. Albeit the Lord hath long and\nclearly spoken unto us, we have not hearkened to his voice. Albeit he\nhath followed us with tender mercies, we have not been allured to wait\nupon him and walk in his way. And though he hath sticken us, yet we have\nnot grieved: nay, though he hath consumed us, we have refused to receive\ncorrection. We have not remembered to render unto the Lord according to\nhis goodness, and according to our vows and promises; but have gone away\nbackward, by a perpetual backsliding, and have most sinfully and\nshamefully broken the National Covenant, and all the articles of the\nSolemn League and Covenant, which our fathers sware before God, angels\nand men.'\" Albeit there has been in the land, ever since the reformation\nof religion, some of all ranks who have been for a testimony unto the\ntruth, and for a name of joy and praise unto the Lord, by living godly,\nstudying to keep their garments pure, and being steadfast in the\ncovenant and cause of God; and there yet continues to be some, though\nreduced to a very small number, destitute of outward power and ability,\nand other helps fit for the right managing of a testimony, wanting the\ncountenance of civil authority, and having few to feed or lead them; who\nare, notwithstanding all these difficulties, labouring in the strength\nof Christ to keep the good old way of these faithful witnesses who are\ngone before, in bearing testimony to the truths of Christ. \"Yet we have\nreason to acknowledge, that most of us in this land have not endeavoured\nwith that reality, sincerity, and constancy that did become us, to\npreserve the work of reformation in the Kirk of Scotland, as we are\nobliged by the first article of the Solemn League, and by the National\nCovenant; wherein we promise and swear by the great name of the Lord our\nGod, that we shall continue in the obedience of the doctrine and\ndiscipline of this kirk, and shall defend the same according to our\nvocation and power all the days of our lives, under the pains contained\nin the law, and danger both of body and soul in the day of God's fearful\njudgment, and resist all contrary error and corruptions, according to\nour vocations, and the utmost of that power God hath put in our hands\nall the days of our life--according to these Scriptures.\"\n\nEzra ix. 10, 11, \"And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? for\nwe have forsaken thy commandments. Verse 11. Which thou hast commanded\nby thy servants the prophets, &c.\" Isaiah xxiv. 5, \"The earth also is\ndefiled under the inhabitants thereof, because they have transgressed\nthe laws, changed the ordinances, broken the everlasting covenant.\"\nJeremiah ix. 13, \"And the Lord saith, because they have forsaken my law,\nwhich I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked\ntherein. Verse 15. Therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of\nIsrael, behold I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and\ngive them water of gall to drink.\" Daniel vii. 25, \"And he shall speak\ngreat words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the\nMost High, and think to change times and laws.\" Galatians v. 1, \"Stand\nfast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be\nnot entangled again with the yoke of bondage.\" I Timothy iv. 16, \"Take\nheed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine: continue in them: for in doing\nthis, thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.\" 2 Timothy\ni. 13, \"Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me,\nin faith, and love, which is in Christ Jesus.\" Revelation in. 10, 11,\n\"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee\nfrom the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try\nthem that dwell upon the earth. Behold I come quickly; hold fast that\nwhich thou hast, that no man take thy crown.\"\n\n\"But we have been so far from such endeavours, that there hath been a\nstupid submission to our rulers and great ones, breaking down and\nruining the whole work of reformation, razing the bulwarks thereof,\nrescinding the laws in favour of the same, and not only breaking but\nburning the covenants for preserving it, enacting the breaches thereof,\nand declaring the obligation thereof void and criminal to be, owned;\nand, upon the ruins thereof, setting up abjured Diocesan Erastian\nPrelacy, with its concomitant bondage of patronages--a blasphemous and\nsacrilegious supremacy and arbitrary power in magistrate over church and\nstate. There was little conscience made of constant endeavours to\npreserve the reformation, when there was not a seasonable testimony\nexhibited against these audacious and heaven-daring attempts; when our\nministers were by a wicked edict ejected from their charges, both they\nand the people too easily complied with it. Albeit, in the National\nCovenant, the land is obliged to defend the reformation, and to labour\nby all means lawful to recover the purity and liberty of the gospel, by\nforbearing the practice of all novations introduced in the worship of\nGod, or approbation of the corruptions of the public government of the\nkirk: yet was there given all the approbation required by law of the\nnovation and corruption of Prelacy by hearing the Prelatic curates. Both\nministers and people, in a great measure complied with, submitted unto,\nand connived at the encroachments of the supremacy and absolute power,\nboth in accepting and countenancing the former indulgences and later\ntoleration; the generalty took and subscribed oaths and bonds imposed\nduring the reigns of these tyrants, Charles II. and James Duke of York,\npressing conformity with the then establishments of church and state,\nmost contrary to the reformation which the nation had sworn to preserve;\nsome of these oaths and bonds restraining the takers from all endeavours\nto preserve it, as those that renounced the privilege of defensive arms;\nsome of them abjuring the covenants expressly, and condemning the\nprosecution of the ends of them as rebellion, viz., the declaration and\ntest; the most part did, Issachar like, crouch beneath all the burthens\nof maintaining and defending an arbitrary power and absolute tyranny,\nwholly employed and applied for the destruction of reformation, and paid\nsuch subsidies and supplies as were declaredly imposed for upholding the\ntyrant's usurpations, and suppressing all endeavours to preserve the\nreformation.\"\n\nAnd after the Lord was pleased in mercy to break the rod of oppression,\nand burst the bands of that horrid tyranny from off his people's necks,\nand to allow us a time of peace and ease; yet have we not made\nconscience of keeping this our oath; but instead of all lawful means to\npreserve the discipline and government of this church, there have been\nfrequent invasions made thereupon by the civil powers, exercising an\nErastian supremacy over her assemblies, by indicting, prorogueing, and\ndissolving them at their pleasure, and in their name and authority;\nwhereby Christ's supremacy and kingly dignity was highly injured. And as\nthe state for their part have, contrary to this article, made these\nusurpations upon the government of the church, so have backslidden\nministers in their stations shamefully succumbed to, been silent at, and\npleaded in defence of these usurpations, and have not zealously and\nfaithfully asserted their Master's prerogatives, and the privileges of\nhis church, sacrilegiously encroached upon by the magistrate. And people\nlikewise have, in their stations, been unconcerned about these wrongs\nand injuries done to Christ, and have not used all lawful endeavour with\ntheir superiors (which they own as such,) whether of church or state, in\norder to reformation thereof, nor made faithful protestations against\nthem, when they could not obtain redress--and as the government of the\nchurch has not been duly preserved; so there has been a want of constant\nendeavours to preserve pure the doctrine of this reformed church; and\nthat ever since that fatal distraction of _public resolution principles_\nbegan to creep into the church, which corrupted people in that doctrine\nof abstaining from association with malignants and enemies to truth and\ngodliness, and so far prevailed that the avowed enemies of religion were\nbrought into places of greatest trust and authority. And these\nassociations have not been made only with the haters of religion at\nhome, but are also entered into with the enemies to the Protestant\nreligion abroad; and many backsliding ministers in the late times of\ntyranny were very faulty in this point of not labouring to preserve the\npurity of doctrine, either by express condemning of some important\ntruths then persecuted, or at least in being silent and not asserting\nthem, nor applying their doctrine to the time's corruptions; whereby\nmany of the people were left to be overcome by snares--\"And so laid open\nto seek out other principles to justify their practices of compliance,\nor extravagances on the right or left hand, not consistent with the\ndoctrine and rules of the Church of Scotland, others were not constant\nin confessing those doctrines before men when called to suffer for, and\navouch them.\" Neither are there at this day, nor has there been all\nalong during these years of peace and quiet, suitable endeavours for\nsuppressing all sorts of unsound doctrine, or purging the land of the\nleaven of erroneous principles. Although there have been many laws made\nagainst Popery, yet how have they been put to execution, when Papists\nare so rife and Popery prevalent?--the idolatrous mass being set up in\nseveral places of the kingdom; the maintainers and promoters of\nQuakerism, Bourignianism, Arminianism, &c, are not punished, but\nprotected by the state, and connived at by the church. And whereas, the\nright endeavouring of maintaining sound doctrine, doth require\nuprightness and sincerity in the profession and belief thereof, and a\nsuitable practice accompanying that belief; we have it to lament that\nthe most part of us in this land are but hypocritical in the professing\nof the doctrines of the gospel, and want a suitable practice and\nconversation becoming the gospel, cause, and cross of Christ. Many are\ngrossly ignorant of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, or study\nthe circumstantial and controverted more than the fundamental truths.\nThere has also been great short coming of _real, sincere and constant\nendeavors to preserve the worship of God_, public and private. \"In times\nof hazard, many ministers left off preaching, and the people hearing. We\nhave been negligent and remiss in family worship; and, instead of\npreserving, many have done much to discourage and hinder it: And in\nsecret we have been formal and careless: Many have satisfied themselves\nwith the purity of the ordinances, neglecting the power thereof, yea,\nsome have turned aside to crooked ways destructive to both.\" Neither\nhave we been careful to preserve the discipline, church censures being\nlaid aside, and not impartially exercised against scandals, personal and\npublic. Scandalous persons being admitted to hold up their children to\nbaptism, and to partake of the Lord's table and other privileges of the\nchurch, without respect to the rules of Christ. The discipline of the\nchurch hath also been circumscribed, limited, and bounded by Acts of\nParliament, and is now rendered ineffectual by the late Act of the\nBritish Parliament, entitled, _Act for preventing the Disturbing of\nthose of the Episcopal Communion in that part of Great Britain called\nScotland_. So that ministers could not without transgressing these Acts\n(which they too punctually observe) draw out the sword of discipline\nagainst many covenant-breakers; perjured hireling-curates being allowed\nto enjoy churches and benefices without censure or molestation, if\nsubject to the civil government, as is evident from the 27th Act of the\nfifth Session of William's first Parliament, entitled, _Act concerning\nthe Church_. Ministers have neglected to draw out the sword of\ndiscipline, duly and impartially against scandalous persons of every\nrank and quality; so that many gross offenders have been passed over\nwithout censure, as, namely, such as shed the blood of the Lord's\npeople, complied with the tyrants and usurpers in the times of\npersecution, by testing, bonding, hearing of curates, paying of cess and\nother taxations, intelligencers, and informers against the people of\nGod, accepters of indulgences and toleration, and such as preached under\nthe covert of remissions and indemnities bought by sums of money from\nthe council, such as had been lack and negligent in testifying against\nthe corruptions of the times, were not brought to an acknowledgment of\nit; but, upon the contrary, encouraged as well-doers, and advanced to\noffice and public employment in the church without evident signs of\nrepentance. And many other scandalous persons are daily connived at and\nsuperficially past, without sufficient discoveries of their repentance\nand amendment: Many also have been overlooked because of their eminency\nin the world, or past over for pecuniary mulcts. And, whereas, in the\nsame first Article of the Solemn League, we are bound \"to endeavor the\npromoting and propagating of the Reformation and uniformity of religion,\nConfession of Faith, Form of Church-government (which as it was\nprimarily understood, so still we own to be only Presbyterial) Directory\nfor Worship and Catechising. According to the Scriptures.\"\n\nIsa. xix. 18. \"In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak\nthe language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of Hosts.\" Jer. xxxii. 39.\n\"And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me for\never, for the good of them and of their children after them.\" Zech. xiv.\n9. \"And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day there\nshall be one Lord, and his name one.\" Acts ii. 46. \"And they continuing\ndaily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread, from house to\nhouse, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.\" Acts\niv. 32. \"And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart, and\none soul.\" I Cor. vii. 17. \"But as God hath distributed to every man, as\nthe Lord hath called every one, so let him walk; and so ordain I in all\nchurches.\" Gal. vi. 16. \"And as many as walk according to this rule,\npeace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.\" Phil. iii. 16.\n\"Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained; let us walk by the same\nrule; let us mind the same thing.\"\n\nYet as our fathers had reason to complain, \"that the profane, loose, and\ninsolent carriage of many in their armies, who went to the assistance of\ntheir brethren in England, and the tampering and unstraight dealings of\nsome commissioners and others of our nation, in London, the Isle of\nWight, and other places, had proved great lets to the work of\nreformation and settling of kirk government there, whereby error and\nschism in the land had been greatly increased, and sectaries hardened in\ntheir way;\" so much more during the time of the late persecution, the\noffensive carriage of many who went to England is to be bewailed, who\nproved very stumbling to the Sectarians there.\n\nThere hath been little zeal or endeavour for such a uniformity, little\npraying for it, or mourning over the obstructions of it; but, upon the\ncontrary, a toleration was embraced, introductive of a sectarian\nmultiformity of religion without a testimony against the toleration even\nof Popery itself, under the usurper James, Duke of York; and since the\nRevolution the land hath done exceeding much to harden them. 1st, By\naccepting such persons to the royal dignity over this realm as had sworn\nto maintain the Antichristian hierarchy of Prelacy, with all the\nsuperstitions and ceremonies of the Church of England, and who\ncountenance a multiformity in the worship of God and government of the\nchurch, and do not suppress such as are unsound and heterodox in the\nfundamental articles of the Christian faith. And, next, to put a full\nstop to all endeavours of uniformity and union in the Lord's way, and to\nbring the nation under an indespensible necessity of covenant breaking,\nthis nation hath entered into an _incorporating union_ with England in\nsuch terms, and upon such conditions as formally and explicitly\nestablished Prelacy as the Church-government there to all succeeding\ngenerations; and that while, in the meantime, all manner of Sectarian\nerrors are there encouraged, maintained, and supported by means of a\ntoleration. By the concluding of which union, this land hath said upon\nthe matter that there is no obligation upon us to tender the advancement\nof religion in that nation, or to study such means and methods as might\ntend to bring them to a sense of their breach of covenant, or reduce\nthem to a performance of the duties whereunto they are engaged; and thus\nthis land hath hardened them in their sinful ways and courses, contrary\nto this Solemn League, and given them ground to think that we look upon\nthe obligation thereof to be loosed. This land hath been wanting in\ncompassion to them as brethren, in not labouring to show them their sin\nand danger, while persisting in a professed violation of their vows, and\nrefusing them help in their need, when supplication was made by some of\nthem to the first Assembly after the Revolution for ministers to preach\nthe gospel. And though this land hath sought out methods how to\nentertain amity and friendship with them, yet have they not endeavoured\nto have it such as that the Lord should, upon that account, delight to\ndwell amongst us: nay, upon the contrary, unless these methods be\nrepented of and forsaken, it is impossible that reformation should ever\namount to that degree of perfection in these kingdoms, to which, through\nthe mercy of God, it once arrived; so that instead of _living together\nin peace and love, we and our posterity after us_, are like to live in a\njoint defection from our covenant engagements made to the Most High God.\n\nIn the second Article of the Solemn League and Covenant, we swear, \"That\nwe shall, without respect of persons, endeavour the extirpation of\nPopery, Prelacy, Superstition, Heresy, Schism, Profaneness, and\nwhatsoever shall be found to be contrary to sound doctrine and the power\nof godliness. And in the National Covenant to abhor and detest the\nAntichristian wicked Hierarchy,\" &c. According to the Scriptures.\n\nExod. xxiii. 32, 33. \"Thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor with\ntheir gods. They shall not dwell in thy land, lest they make thee sin\nagainst me: for if thou serve their gods, it surely will be a snare unto\nthee.\" Exod. xxxiv. 12, 13. \"Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a\ncovenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be\nfor a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars,\nbreak their images, and cut down their groves.\" Deut. xiii. chapter\nthroughout. Judges ii. 2. \"And ye shall make no league with the\ninhabitants of this land; you shall throw down their altars,\" &c. Zech.\nxiii. 2, 3. \"And it shall come to pass in that day saith the Lord of\nHosts, that I will cut off the names of idols out of the land, and also\nI will cause the prophets and the unclean spirits to pass out of the\nland. And it shall come to pass, that when any shall yet prophesy, then\nhis father and his mother that begat him, shall say unto him, Thou shalt\nnot live; for thou speakest lies in the name of the Lord: and his\nfather, and his mother, that begat him, shall thrust him through, when\nhe prophesieth.\" I Tim. iv. 1, 2, 3. \"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly,\nthat in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed\nto seducing spirits and doctrines of devils: Speaking lies in hypocrisy,\nhaving their conscience seared with a hot iron: Forbidding to marry, and\ncommanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received\nwith thanksgiving of them which believe, and know the truth.\" Rev. xvii.\n5. \"And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE\nGREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS, AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. Verse 16.\nAnd the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the\nwhore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh,\nand burn her with fire.\" Compared with Rev. xviii. 4, 5, 6. \"A I heard\nanother voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye\nbe not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues:\nFor her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her\niniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her\ndouble according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled, fill to\nher double.\"\n\nYet, alas! so far has the land been defective in this, that upon the\ncontrary, it hath been polluted with idolatrous masses; altars, and\nother monuments of idolatry were suffered again to be erected; the penal\nstatutes were disabled, stopped, and suspended by an absolute arbitrary\npower by means of a toleration in its own nature tending, and in its\ndesign intending to introduce Popery and slavery, which yet was accepted\nand addressed for by many backslidden ministers, who to this day have\nmade no public acknowledgement of the sin of so doing, notwithstanding\nall the reformation which is bragged of, and was countenanced, complied,\nand concurred with by many people without a testimony or endeavour to\nwithstand it. Yea, the administration of the government and the greatest\noffices of power and trust were committed into, and permitted to abide\nin the hands of Papists; and the head of them and great pillar and\npromoter of Popery, James the VII, was owned as King, contrary to the\nlaws of God and man and covenant obligations, without respect of persons\nto extirpate Popery and Papists; and few during that time evinced any\njust zeal or indignation against, or fear of the manifest appearances of\nthe coming in of Popery and intended establishment of it in the land.\nAnd not only then, but even to this day, there is too much conniving at\nPapists; the laws are not put in execution against them in their full\nextent and latitude: And albeit this land, yea, whole Britain and\nIreland, were purged of Popery, yet cannot we be said to have made\nconscience of performing this part of the oath of God, while there is a\nconfederating with Papists abroad and fighting in their quarrel, and\nthat, whilst in the meantime they are persecuting, with the height of\nrigour and severity, all such as profess any thing of the reformed\nreligion in their dominions. And as there hath been great failures in\nrespect of extirpating Popery, so especially in the performance of that\npart of the covenant which binds us to the extirpation of\nPrelacy--\"_i.e._ Church government by arch-bishops, bishops, their\nchancellors and commissaries, deans, deans and chapters, archdeacons,\nand all other officers depending upon that hierarchy:\" there hath been a\nmost wilful and palpable violation of the oath of God, though it be most\nclearly our duty prescribed in his word.\n\nMatt. xx. 25, 26. \"But Jesus called them unto him, and said, ye know\nthat the Princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they\nthat are great exercise authority upon them: But it shall not be so\namong you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your\nminister.\" Luke xxii. 25, 26. \"And he said unto them the Kings of the\nGentiles exercise lordship over them,\" &c. Acts xx: 17. \"And from\nMiletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.\"\nCompared with verse 28. \"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all\nthe flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you observers (bishops)\nto feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.\"\nI Peter v. 3. \"Neither as being lords over God's heritage: but being\nensamples to the flock.\" 3 John verse 9. \"I wrote unto the church; but\nDiotrepehes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence among them, receiveth\nus not.\"\n\nAnd these breaches of it were not only made during the tunes of\npersecution, when Charles the II. by an arbitrary power, granted him by\na parasitical Parliament, did overturn Presbyterian government, and\nintroduce Prelacy, to which change the greatest part of the ministry did\nperfidiously yield, and became vassals to the bishops; such as were not\nwilling to conform, were pressed to it by confinement, banishment,\nimprisonment, confiscation of goods, all manner of tortures, and,\nfinally, death itself.\n\nDuring which hour and power of darkness, many complied with the enemy,\nby taking oaths and bonds, indulgencies and toleration, and because so\nremiss in this matter, that it was all one to them which government had\nthe ascendant, so they might enjoy their worldly accommodations. And\nnot only then, while Satan was let loose in his members and emissaries\nto persecute and waste the Church of Christ, but since peace and\nquietness are obtained, this duty continues to be greatly slighted; yea,\nin place of extirpating Prelacy, have there not been courses taken\neffectually to establish it? To instance a few--the accepting of William\nand Mary, and after them the present possessor of the Crown, to be\nsupreme Magistrates, while they are knownly and professedly Prelatical\nin their judgment, and engaged by oath at their coronation to maintain\nthe same; the swearing oaths of allegiance to them without security for\ntheir preserving of the true reformed religion--yea, without any\nlimitation or qualification whatsoever; as also, the taking an oath of\nadjuration, wherein, by consequence, the takers engaged to do to the\nutmost of their power to procure that the Kings or Queens of these\nkingdoms shall be of the communion of the Prelatical Church, and so that\nthey shall contribute to the support of Prelacy.\n\nAgain, the Episcopal clergy who subjected to it during the time of its\nlegal establishment, have not been therefore prosecuted by the\ndiscipline of the church; but such as did, and yet do profess it as\ntheir principle, are allowed equal encouragement with the Presbyterians,\nonly providing they evidence good affection to the civil government. And\nnow, since the late _incorporating union_ with England, we of this\nnation have consented that Prelacy shall be established there to all\nsucceeding generations, (as was observed in the first article); and,\nmoreover, have given into the hands of the Prelatics in England, the\npower of making laws which must become binding upon this land, they\nbeing members of the British Parliament and council; which power has\nbeen already improved, to establish a liberty and protection for the\nwhole rabble of the Episcopal Clergy in the free exercise of the Popish\nceremonies of the Church of England, without any provision against the\ngrossest heretical opinions that they please to broach, excepting only\nthe denying of the doctrine of the blessed Trinity. Where, then, are our\nendeavours for the extirpation of the wicked hierarchy?--where is the\nabhorrence and detestation of it, sworn and engaged to in these\nCovenants?--Do not many who profess themselves to be Presbyterians show\nthemselves so indifferent in this point, that they can join with\neither, as may suit their interest?--instance the Sacramental Testers.\nFew mourn over and pray earnestly for the subversion of that hierarchy.\nFew doctrinally discover the evils of such a government, and how\ncontrary it is to God's Word--or labour to bring their hearers into a\ndislike and detestation of it, and the sad fruits which result from it.\nFew study to convince others of the evil of such a principle, and\nfollowing such a course by the Apostle's rule, avoiding all unnecessary\ncompany with them, that they may be ashamed; but, upon the contrary,\nmany Presbyterians too familiar and unnecessary converse with them,\nencourage and harden them; and, particularly, ministers are to be blamed\nherein, who preach one half of the Lord's day in the church, and allow\nthe curate the other half. Few impartially reprove and warn them of\ntheir sin and danger; but, upon the other hand, many professed\nPresbyterians, by their untender and unchristian walk and conversation,\nor by their lukewarmness and indifferency in Christ's matters, now\ncalled _moderation_, and by their walking contrary to covenant\nengagements, do exceedingly harden them in their evil way, and\nscandalize them at their duty. Instead of endeavours to extirpate\nsuperstition and heresy, as we are bound by the same article of the\nSolemn League, and by the \"National Covenant to detest all superstition\nand heresy, without or against the Word of God, and doctrine of this\nreformed kirk, according to the Scripture.\"\n\nDuet. xii. 30, 31, 32--\"Take heed to thyself, that thou be not snared by\nfollowing them, after that they be destroyed from before thee, and that\nthou inquire not after their gods, saying, How did these nations serve\ntheir gods? even so will I do likewise. Thou shalt not do so unto the\nLord thy God; for every abomination to the Lord which he hateth, have\nthey done unto their gods: for even their sons and their daughters they\nhave burnt in the fire to their gods. What thing soever I command you,\nobserve to do it: thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it.\" Acts\nxvii. 22--\"Then Paul stood in the midst of Mar's-hill, and said--Ye men\nof Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.\" Gal.\niv. 10--\"Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.\" Gal. v.\n20--\"Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife,\nseditions, heresies.\" Col. ii. 20--\"Wherefore, if ye be dead with Christ\nfrom the rudiments of the world; why as though living in the world, are\nye subject to ordinances? verse 21, Touch not, taste not, handle not:\nverse 23, Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and\nhumility, and neglecting of the body, not in any honour to the\nsatisfying of the flesh.\" Tit. iii. 10--\"A man that is an heretic, after\nthe first and second admonition, reject.\"\n\nYet, in the darkness of the times of persecution, many dregs of Popish\nsuperstition were observed, many omens and freets too much looked to;\nPopish festival days--as Pasche, Yule, Fastings-even, &c, have been kept\nby many; and Prelatical anniversary days, and festivities devised of\ntheir own heart, appointed for commemorating the King's and Queen's\nbirthdays, (as May 29th, October 13th, February 6th,) who were born as a\nscourge to this realm, were complied with by many. Yes, some have\nsuperstitiously made use of the Scriptures as a fortune book, looking to\nthat which first cast up to them, or to impressions borne in upon their\nminds from such and such places of Scripture as Divine responses,\nwithout a due search of them as the Lord hath commanded. And many\nwavering and unstable souls have been seduced unto damnable and\npernicious heresies, as Quakers, and delirious delusions, as those that\nfollowed John Gib. All which have been breaches of Covenant, as well as\nof Divine commands. Yea, even to this very day, the same superstitions\nare observed and practised, as abstaining from labouring upon the\nforesaid festivities, and observing presages of good or tad fortune (as\nit is called,) upon them and other times; as likewise, many practisers\nof enchantments and users of charms--yea, such as are in actual compact\nwith the devil, are not carefully sought out, nor accurately tried, in\norder to be brought to punishment, but overlooked and protected.\n\nThere has been also since the revolution, as well as before, a great\ndeluge of errors through these covenanted lands, which, to this day,\ncontinue and increase: that might be sufficient to convince us that\nthere have not been proper measures taken to suppress them, as this\narticle obliges us to do;--nay, instead thereof, they are tolerated,\nmaintained, and protected by authority, as appears both from the late\nAct of Parliament, and from the liberty allowed to that pestilent\ngeneration of Quakers, who keep their general meetings yearly in\nEdinburgh, being guarded by a company of the town guards. And as the\nstate do not prosecute the promoters and abettors of these heresies with\ncivil pains, as is the duty of such as call themselves God's\nvicegerents, and own themselves to be intrusted with keeping of both\ntables of the law; so the church is nothing speedier or more active in\ndrawing out their ecclesiastical sword to cut off these luxurant\nbranches, and to take _the little foxes which spoil the wines_. Many\nwhose duty, by virtue of their office, is to give warning from Zion's\nwalls, as watchmen entrusted with the city of God, neglect to discover,\nand from the scriptures to confute these errors, or to show their flocks\nby doctrine or writing the danger of being tainted with them. And as\nsuitable endeavours have been wanting effectually to extirpate heresy\nand error, so schism, its inseparable companion, and necessary\nconsequent, has exceedingly grown and increased, to the great damage of\nthe church of Christ in these kingdoms, and utter subversion of that\nmost pleasant fabric of uniformity in religion, which the League and\nCovenant binds us to endeavour. The word of God makes schism a very\ngreat sin, as is evident from Rom. xvi. 17; 1 Cor. xi. 18, xii. 25; Heb.\nx. 25; Jude 19.\n\nAnd all the nation are to be reputed guilty of it who depart from the\ndoctrine and laudable constitutions delivered by Christ and his\napostles, and adhered unto by the church of Scotland in her purest times\nof Reformation. And if we consider schism under this notion, as we ought\nto do, then will we find that the greatest part of the land is guilty of\nit. Few are firmly and constantly adhering to the attained Reformation;\nbut many upon the left hand, have turned aside to compliance with\nPrelacy and Erastianism, and so have by their defection broken the\nchurch's _beauty_ and _bands_, order and union, in making a faction\nrepugnant to her established order, and, censurable by all her standing\nacts, in bringing innovations in the government, and making a rent in\nthe bowels of the church; by causing divisions and offences contrary to\nthe doctrine of the church; whereby they have made themselves guilty of\nschism; and some have fallen into delusions and dotages upon the right\nhand, who, in seeking to be religious above what is commanded, have come\nshort of the truth of religion, and made a faction repugnant to this\ncovenant. Some, being private persons, have pretended an immediate\ncommission to preach the word, and administer the sacraments. Others,\nbeing stumbled with the defection of the time, have turned aside to\nindependency. \"Some upon slender and insufficient grounds, have and do\nseparate both from faithful ministers and Christian societies and\nfamilies, because of difference in judgment and incident debates,\nwherein the testimony of Christ is not much concerned; or because of\npersonal offences easily removed, not observing the rules of Christ for\nremoving of them, not having respect to his great commands of charity,\nforbearance, forgiving one another, or condescendency. And among divided\nparties, which in our day have been long biting and devouring one\nanother, there hath been too much both of sinful union and confederacy\nin terms prejudicial to truth; as our joinings in the _Angus regiment_,\nat the _Revolution_, and our guarding and supplicating that corrupt\n_Convention of Estates_, which consisted mostly of such as had been\ndirectly or indirectly guilty of the murder of the Lord's people; and\nupon the other hand, there hath been too much of sinful heats,\nanimosities, and jealousies, pride, passion, and prejudice, grieving the\nSpirit of the Lord, and eating out the power and life, and much\nhindering the holy practice and spiritual exercise of religion.\"\n\n_We have been so far from endeavouring to extirpate profaneness, another\nevil engaged against in the covenant, and condemned in the Word of God_.\nDeut. xxix. 19; Job xxi. 14; Jer. xxiii. 15; Ezek. xxii. 26; Hos. iv.\n1-3; Heb. vii. 15.\n\n\"That profanity hath been much winked at, and profane persons much\ncountenanced, and many times employed, till iniquity and ungodliness\nhave gone over the land as a flood; and profanity, beginning at the\ncourt, hath spread itself through every rank and quality in the land: so\nthat immoralities and sins against every precept of both tables are\ngreatly abounding.\" As, namely, great contempt of God and godliness,\nignorance, atheism and irreligion, unsuitable walking to the knowledge\nof him and his perfections which we have, and not labouring in the use\nof means to attain more. Much neglect of pressing after peace and\nreconciliation with him, through a Mediator, and of living up to the\nprofession which we make of him. Despising of his holy ordinances and\nmeans of worship; deafness and stupidity under the calls of his Word.\nProfanation of his holy sacraments, neglect of secret prayer (wherein\nmuch of the life of religion lies), and of prayer in families, or a\nnegligent, careless and superficial performance thereof; many using a\nformality of words and expressions learned by custom. Some using our\nblessed Lord's prayer as a set form, which ought to be used as a rule of\ndirection in all our prayers, and not as a dead form of words: many\nseeking more to be seen of men in this and all other duties, than to\napprove themselves to God, and more careful to come by apposite words\nand expressions, when praying with others, than to attain and entertain\nthe breathings and influences of the Spirit of God. Much neglect of\npropagating Christian knowledge in congregations and families; ministers\nand masters of families not making diligent search into the knowledge of\nthe flocks and families under their charge, and instructing them\nsuitably. Much swearing and profanation of God's name, by loose and vain\noaths in common discourse: yea, swearing by the creatures--as, soul,\nfaith, conscience, and the like, thereby sacrilegiously attributing to\nthem divine honour; as also, by imposing upon all persons in any public\ntrust the unlimited and unlawful oath of allegiance, together with the\nbond of assurance, and the oath of abjuration, contrary to the oath of\nthe covenant, thereby debauching people's consciences, and involving\nthem in the guilt of perjury. Great profanation of the holy Sabbath, and\nneglect or careless performance of the duties therein required; breaking\nit by unnecessary feasting, walking, idle, vain and impertinent\ndiscourse, and such like recreations; yea, by hunting, hawking, riding\nand going of journeys, sounding trumpets before their lords of\nJusticiary when going to church, reading of proclamations wholly\nirrelative to religion, and making publications not necessary nor\nexpedient to be made upon that day. Much disobedience to parents, and\nundue carriage of persons of all ranks and relations towards each other.\nGreat murder and bloodshed, so that the land is defiled with blood, and\nthat not only the blood of the Lord's people, who, in the times of\npersecution, were led forth like sheep to the slaughter, because of\ntheir adherence to their duty, and refusing conformity with wicked\ncourses and subjection to wicked laws, eversive of their covenant\nengagements, not yet mourned over, nor purged away by the blood of those\nthat shed it; but likewise many through the land are murdered\nfrequently, and the murderers are not prosecuted with due severity: nay,\nsuch are the methods that are now taken to embolden the wicked in that\nand all other crimes, that whatever presumptions of guilt may be had, or\nhow ample confession soever be made, if it be extrajudicial, and the\nvery fact not proved by witnesses, the delinquent is passed over and\nabsolved as a well-doer, and many actually convicted of murder are\nindemnified and let pass unpunished.\n\nMuch uncleanness and filthiness, adultery, fornication, incest,\nbestiality, sodomy, lasciviousness, promiscuous dancing, stage plays,\nexcessive drinking, vanity in apparel, and the like abominable\nunchastity and incentives to it. Much stealing, robbery and oppression,\ngrinding the faces of the poor by unjust taxations and heavy\nimpositions, and by hindering the poor from begging, for the support of\ntheir lives in times of scarcity, by a wicked edict. Perverting of\njustice in law suits; lawyers and advocates finding means, for their own\ngain and worldly advantage, to obtain decisive sentences in favor of the\nrich, contrary to justice and equity; much cheating and deceiving in\nbargaining; forestalling of markets in times of scarcity; depriving the\npoor of their habitations and livelihoods by building of parks and\nin-closures; tenants taking leases over their neighbor's head, and the\nlike. It is, moreover, to be bewailed that many ministers, who should be\nexamples of charity and good works, are ringleaders in this sin of\noppression. Much lying and bearing of false witness, defaming one\nanother's good name, reproaching persons for their adherence to the\ntruths and cause of Christ, or for discovering any piece of zeal and\naffection that way. Much covetousness and worldly-mindedness, repining,\nmurmuring and discontentment with God's dispensations; revenge, wrath,\nmalice, envy, bitterness and innumerable sins, both against the precepts\nof the moral law, and the offers of Christ in the Gospel, which plainly\nsays that we have not used the endeavours which in this Article we\npromise, for \"Rooting up profaneness and whatsoever is found contrary to\nsound doctrine and the power of godliness, lest we partake of other\nmen's sins, and so be in danger to receive of their plagues.\" Nay, hath\nnot much unsound doctrine been maintained in the arguments which have\nbeen used for defending the lawfulness of the courses of compliance with\nPrelacy and Erastianism? and these, amongst other unsound notions, have\nbeen entertained amongst us--\"That lesser and circumstantial truths are\nnot to be suffered for; that confession of these truths hath not been\ncalled for in our day; that people are not in hazard of the sins of\nothers, especially of magistrates and ministers, if they do not directly\nact the same sins themselves; that sins of bypast times (if they be not\npresently practiced) are not to be confessed, nor the persons guilty to\nbe stood at a distance from, till they give evident documents of their\nrepentance;\" contrary to express and plain Scripture.\n\n2 Sam. xxi. 1; 2 Sam. xxiv. 17; 2 Kings xxi. 11, 12; Isa. xliii. 27, 28;\nJer. xiv. 15,16; Mic. iii. 11, 12.\n\nWhence both ministers and people have been involved in the sins of\nPrelacy, Indulgence, Toleration, Erastianism, subjecting the government\nof the church to the secular and civil authority; while they thought\nthese only to be the sins of Prelates, or of wicked and usurping rulers;\nthey in the meantime yielding all the conformity with, submission unto,\nand approbation of them, that was by wicked laws required. On the other\nhand, many of us have rested too much in a non-compliance with these,\nand \"having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.\"\n\nIn the third Article, whereas we are bound, \"in our several vocations,\nmutually to preserve the rights and privileges of Parliaments, and\nliberties of the kingdoms;\" meaning the true, real and righteous\nprivileges and liberties--consonant to the Word of God.\n\nDeut. i. 13; Deut. xvi. 18; Isa. i. 26.\n\nLikeas, all lieges are bound by the laws of the land inserted in the\nNational Covenant, to \"maintain the authority of Parliaments, without\nwhich neither any laws nor lawful judicatories can be established.\" Yet\nas our fathers had reason to complain \"that neither had the privileges\nof the Parliament nor liberties of the subject been duly tendered; but\nsome amongst them had laboured to put into the hands of the king an\narbitrary and unlimited power destructive to both; and many of them had\nbeen accessory to those means and ways whereby the freedom and\nprivileges of Parliaments had been encroached upon, and the subjects\noppressed in their consciences, persons and estates;\" so afterwards, all\nalongst the tract of tyranny and persecution, they had rather the name\nand show than the real power and privileges of lawfully constituted\nParliaments; having advanced the royal prerogative to such a boundless\npitch of arbitrariness, and being so corrupted, that faithful men and\nhonest and honourable patriots were excluded, and those admitted who by\nthe law of God and man should have been debarred; and so prelimited that\nthe members behoved to take such oaths (for instance, the declaration\nand test, abjuring and condemning the Covenants) as engaged them to be\nperjured and conjured enemies both to our religion and liberty, which\nboth the electors of Members of Parliament and the elected did sinfully\ncomply with; neither did the body of the land make conscience of\nrecovering these rights and privileges thus perverted and polluted; but\nin stupid subjection did own those for representatives who betrayed\ntheir liberties, and made laws to enslave the nation and entail slavery\nupon, posterity. On the other hand, they that disowned them did not make\nconscience of preserving those rights and privileges of supreme\njudicatories, when inadvertently and unadvisedly they put in such\nexpressions and styles in some of their declarations as do not belong to\nprivate persons, but only to such judicatories. And not only then, but\nsince the Revolution, have there been many ways taken for corrupting and\ndepriving the Members of Parliament; as that all members and electors of\nmembers have been obliged to take the oath of allegiance, with the\nassurance to such as did, and do, in their dominions, support Prelacy\nand exercise an Erastian supremacy over the church of Christ.\n\nAnd now, last of all, by the means of this fatal Union with England, in\nterms and upon conditions inconsistent with our covenanted Union,\nengaged to in the League and Covenant; the nation's sovereignty and\nindependency are given up, the rights of Parliament entirely lost, or\nvanished into a shadow, little preferable to no Parliament; so few\nbeing to represent this nation in the Parliament of Great Britain, as\ncan never be able to prevent, by their number of voices, any act which\nit shall please the English to make, how destructive soever the same be\nto our sacred or civil concerns. Which treaty of Union was concluded in\na Parliament as manifestly prelimited, as any which ever was seen in\nScotland; the members were corrupted with bribes and preferment, and so\nengaged to act contrary to the will and mind of those whome they did\nrepresent, and to comply with that stratagem hatched by the English, for\nenslaving this poor nation, and denuded it of its privileges, as well\nsacred as civil. And alas! how insignificant were the endeavours then\nused to prevent that course, and preserve the privileges of the\nParliament and liberties of this kingdom? only some faint addresses, all\nother attempts being laid aside at their Queen's command, by her\nproclamation, as _treasonable convocation of the lieges_.\n\nAgain, the subject's liberties, both as men and as Christian, which the\nscriptures allow, we should preserve,\n\nI Sam. xiv. 25; Acts xxii. 25,28; xxv. 11,16,27; Gal. v. 1.\n\nHave been miserably encroached upon by arbitrary government, whereby the\nsubjects have been oppressed in their consciences, persons and estates,\nby all the oaths and bonds pressing conformity with the corruptions,\nnovations, and usurpations the government of church and state, and\npersecutions for recusancy, and by impositions of the freedom of secret\nthoughts, which no law of men can reach, which yet in the time of the\nlate persecution were extorted, by threatening of death and manifold\ntortures; the church's liberties have also been invaded by the\necclesiastical supremacy, declared by a blasphemous law inherent to the\ncrown, which law, though it be not now in force, is yet still kept up in\npractice by the indiction, prorogation, and dissolution of Assemblies,\nand prescribing diets and causes of fasting and thanksgiving in the\nmagistrate's name and authority, to which ecclesiastical supremacy,\nusurped by the magistrate, this backslidden church hath always\nsubjected, and now to discover to the world that they are not ashamed of\nthis surrendering of our Lord's prerogative to his enemies they have, in\ntheir Assembly, holden at Edinburgh, Anno 1710, most explicitly and\nfully subscribed to this ecclesiastical supremacy, in their Act for\nobservation of fasts, wherein they affirm, \"that it is much for the\nhonor of God that fasts whether appointed' by the church, or the civil\nmagistrate, be duly observed.\"\n\nIn that same third Article, we are likewise bound to defend \"The supreme\nmagistrate's person and authority, in the preservation and defence of\nthe true religion and liberties of the kingdom:\" as in the National\nCovenant is expressed: likewise, \"to defend his person and authority, in\nthe defence of Christ his evangel, liberties of our country,\nministration of justice, and punishment of iniquity; and to stand to his\ndefence, in the defence of the true religion, liberties and laws of the\nkingdom;\" as the duty is qualified in scripture.\n\nII Sam. v. 3.; II Kings xi. 17; II Chron. xxvi. 16, 17, 18, 21; Rom.\nxiii. 3, 4, 6; I Pet. ii. 13, 14.\n\nAs our fathers in their acknowledgments had reason to say, \"Neither hath\nit been our care to avoid these things which might harden the king in\nhis evil way; but, upon the contrary he hath not only been permitted,\nbut many of us have been instrumental to make him exercise his power in\nmany things tending to the prejudice of religion, and of the Covenant,\nand of the peace and safety of these kingdoms; which is so far from the\nright way of preserving his Majesty's person and authority that it\ncannot but provoke the Lord against him unto the hazard of both. Nay,\nunder a pretence of relieving and doing for the king, whilst he refuses\nto do what was necessary for the house of God, some have ranversed and\nviolated most of all the Articles of the Covenant.\"\n\nSo, during the unhappy days of the late tyranny, it was the land's sin\nand shame, and ought to be our sorrow, that men were mounted upon a\nthrone of iniquity whose main design and practice was to subvert\nreligion and persecute it, to introduce Popery itself and slavery, to\ndestroy the nation's liberties, suppress the evangel, and oppress its\nprofessors; who enacted and executed manifest injustice, stopped the\nministration of justice against idolaters, adulterers, murderers, and\nother malefactors, and punished equity and duty, instead of iniquity;\narrogated and obtained a monstrous prerogative above all rights and\nprivileges of Parliaments, all laws, all liberties; a power to tyrannize\nas they pleased without control. But, as it was their sin who\ninaugurated Charles II. after such discoveries of his hypocritical\nenmity to religion and liberty, upon his subscription to the Covenants,\nso when he burned and buried that Covenant, and degenerated into\nmanifest tyranny, and had razed the very foundation upon which both his\nright to govern, and the people's allegiance were founded, and remitted\nthe subjects' allegiance by annulling the bond of it: it was the land's\nsin that they continued still to own his authority when opposite to, and\ndestructive of religion and liberty; and of those who appeared in arms\nat Pentland and Bothwell Bridge, that they put in his interest (with\napplication of the words of the Covenant to him, though stated in\nopposition to it) into _the state of the quarrel_, in their _declaration\nof war_, for which (so far as the godly could discern) the Lord put them\nto shame, and went not forth with their armies. It was likewise the sin\nof the land, and a great breach of Covenant, when the Duke of York was\nadmitted to the exercise of the royal office against the laws of God and\nman; being incapable of the Covenant qualifications of a magistrate, and\nbeing a Papist, and so incapable of taking the \"oath of coronation to\nmaintain the true Protestant religion, and gainstand and abolish\nPopery;\" which, for the preservation of the true religion, laws, and\nliberties of this kingdom, is stated by the 8th Act of Parliament, I\nKing James VI, \"That all kings, at the reception of their princely\nauthority, shall take and swear;\" yet this authority, though\ninconsistent with, and declaredly opposite to religion and liberty, was\nowned and upheld, by paying cess and supplies, expressly exacted for\nupholding tyranny in the destruction of religion and liberty; and though\nthe Lord did, for a long time, by the tyranny of Charles II. and James\nVII., chastise these covenanted lands, yet there has not been a turning\nto him that smiteth: but these lands have again transgressed the Lord's\ncommandments, and broken this part of the Covenant of the Lord, by\nreceiving, admitting, supporting and subjecting to such, for Kings and\nQueens over these realms as want the qualifications required in God's\nword, and enacted by the righteous and laudable laws of the land to be\nin magistrates, superior and inferior: which were not brought under\nCovenant ties and obligations, to be for God and religion in their own\npersons and families, and to advance and preserve the same allenarly in\ntheir dominions; but in place thereof have come under oath and\nobligation to countenance, protect end advance the Romish superstitions\nand innovations in the worship of God and government of the Church,\nwhich the Covenant binds these kingdoms to suppress and extirpate, and\nin consequence of, and in conformity to, these obligations, do maintain\nand defend, or tolerate and allow Prelacy and Sectarian errors in their\ndominions, contrary to the true religion and sound doctrine, contrary to\njustice and equity; yea, contrary to that trust especially committed to\nthe hands of Christian Magistrates, who for that end have the sword\ngiven them, _that they may be a terror to evil doers_, preserve and\ndefend the true religion and professors thereof, and punish and\nextirpate false religion and heresies, and bring the wheel over the\nbroachers, maintainers and abettors thereof; which did, and do exercise\nan Erastian supremacy over the church, in proroguing, and dissolving\nGeneral Assemblies, appointing diets and causes of fasts and\nthanksgivings; and by their civil authority causing them to be kept and\nobserved; which do not impartially execute justice upon all offenders,\nwitness the frequent indemnities and remissions granted to murderers; as\nparticularly, the passing without punishment the persons which\nperpetrated the inhuman, barbarous and lawless action of the massacre of\nGlencoe. Which waste and destroy the kingdom, by levying men and raising\nmoney for maintaining a long and expensive war, undertaken neither for\nthe advancement of the true religion, nor for the advantage and safety\nof the nation; but in favour of the house of Austria, which hath been,\nand yet continues to be, one of the strong pillars of Antichrist's\nkingdom, and inplacable enemies to the true reformed religion, as\nappears by the persecution of the Protestants in Silesia, Hungary, &c.\nAnd yet notwithstanding of all this, many in the land of all ranks have\nsworn to bear true and faithful allegiance to them, without any\nconditional restriction or limitation; so that it is not possible for\nthem, in a consistency with their oath, to disown their authority, and\ndeny them subjection, or refuse to defend their persons and government,\nalbeit they should proceed to the greatest pitch of arbitrariness; which\nis very far from the defence promised to Magistrates in the Covenant:\nthe whole land (almost) hath complied with them in all the\nforementioned particulars so diametrically opposite to the Covenants,\nand supported, strengthened and encouraged them in these evil courses,\nby paying them cess and other subsidies; and ministers have minded so\nmuch to be loyal to their government, that they have forgotten to be\nfaithful to their souls, in that they have not discovered to them the\nsin and danger of patronising Prelacy, and exercising Erastianism over\nthe church; but in order to obtain their favor, have clapped their hands\nin these sins, which certainly is most opposite to that loyalty which we\nought to maintain towards Princes, and tends rather to diminish their\njust power and greatness, than to increase and preserve it; and, instead\nof being a proper way of defending their persons and authority, is\nrather a mean to bring the wrath of a just and jealous God upon them,\nand those who defend or connive at them in these unlawful courses.\n\n\"Our own consciences within, and God's judgment upon us without, do\nconvince us of the manifold, wilful, renewed breaches of the fourth\nArticle, which concerneth the discovery of malignants, consonant to the\nScriptures.\"\n\n2 Sam. xxiii. 6; Esther vii. 5. 6; Psalm xxvi. 5; Psalm ci. 8; Prov.\nxxv. 5.\n\n\"For their crimes have not only been connived at, but dispensed with and\npardoned, and themselves received into intimate fellowship, intrusted\nwith counsels, admitted into parliaments, and put in places of power and\nauthority for managing the public affairs of the kingdom; whereby, in\nGod's justice, they got at last into their hands the whole power and\nstrength of the kingdom, both in judicatories and armies, and did employ\nthe same unto the enacting and prosecuting an unlawful engagement in war\nagainst the kingdom of England, notwithstanding the dissent of many\nconsiderable members of parliament, who had given constant proof of\ntheir integrity in the cause from the beginning; of many faithful\ntestimonies and free warnings of the servants of God; of the\nsupplications of many synods, presbyteries, and shires; and the\ndeclaration of the General Assembly and their Commissioners to the\ncontrary; which engagement, as it was the cause of much sin, so also of\nmuch misery and calamity unto this land, and held forth the grievousness\nof our sin, in complying with malignants in the greatness of our\njudgment, that we may be taught never to split again upon the same rock,\nupon which the Lord hath set so remarkable a beacon. And, after all that\nis come to pass unto us, because of this our trespass, and after that\ngrace hath been showed unto _our fathers and us once and again_ from the\nLord our God, by breaking these men's yoke from off _their and our\nnecks, and sometimes_ delivering our fathers _so far from their\ninsultings_, that he put them in a capacity to act for the good of\nreligion, their own safety, and the peace and safety of the kingdoms,\nshould they and we again break the commandment and covenant of the Lord,\nby joining once more with the people of these abominations, and taking\nunto our bosom these serpents which had formerly stung us almost unto\ndeath; this, as it would argue great madness and folly upon our part, so\nno doubt, if it be not avoided, will provoke the Lord against us, to\nconsume us until there is no remnant nor escaping in the land? many\ntimes have we been warned of the sin of complying with malignants, both\nby faithful ministers, and fatherly corrections from the Lord;\"--yet,\nafter all these punishments, we have again joined with the people of\nthese abominations; the Lord is righteous, for we remain yet escaped as\nit is this day; behold, we are before him in our trespass, we cannot\nstand before him because of this.\n\nThese incendiaries, malignants, and evil instruments, made many grievous\nencroachments, and prevailed much in the days of our fathers--yet not\nwithout dissent, testimonies, warnings, and declarations; but more\nespecially in the dismal days of persecution and tyranny, they were\nsuffered, yea, encouraged, without any significant joint testimony, not\nonly to hinder the reformation of religion, but to overturn the whole\nwork of reformation, to burn and bury the covenants for it, to\nre-establish abjured Prelacy, erect a monstrous Christ-exauctorating and\nchurch-enslaving supremacy, attempt the introduction of Popery and\nslavery at the gate of an anti-Christian toleration, and to persecute\nand destroy the godly, who durst not in conscience comply with them; and\nnot only to divide the _King from his people, or one of the kingdoms\nfrom another_--but first, to divide the bulk and body of both kingdoms,\nand make them pursue divided interests from the interest and cause of\nChrist, and then to divide the remnant of such as adhered to it amongst\nthemselves, by indulgences and other bonds of contention, in order to\nget them more easily destroyed; and at length to engage the King into\nsuch a division from the people, as to make him, instead of their\nprotector, their declared destroyer; and not only to _make parties among\nthe people contrary to his league and covenant_, but to draw and divide\nthe whole people into a party with perjuries. The generality,\nnotwithstanding, did own allegiance to the head of these incendiaries\nand malignants, yea, a Popish incendiary, because he wore a crown on his\nhead; and did pay the cess imposed for the maintenance and encouragement\nof malignants; many did associate with them in expeditions of war,\ndrawing up with them in their musters and rendezvouses, thereby\ncountenancing a malignant cause, and listing themselves under a\nmalignant--yea, Popish banner; many subscribed and sware themselves\ncontrary to the covenant by taking tests, oaths, and bonds, obliging\nthem to surcease from covenanted duties, and to keep the peace and good\nbehaviour with them, whom they were obliged by covenant to seek to bring\nto punishment; yea, some, and not a few, were inveigled in the snare of\nthe oath of delation, to delate the persecuted people of God to their\ncourts, and thereby made them (instead of discovering malignants\naccording to the covenant,) to discover their brethren to malignants.\nAnd very many, almost the universality of the land, were involved in the\nsnare of the oath of abjuration, renouncing the principle of declaring\nwar against a malignant King, and of asserting the lawfulness of\nbringing his murthering accomplices and incendiaries to condign\npunishment; but, on the other hand, some of the suffering party did\nsometimes exceed the bounds of moderation in this matter, in usurping\nthe sword without God's call, without respect to the rule, and against\nthe scope of their own declarations, to take vengeance on them at their\nown hand; yea, even to that degree, of taking the lives of some of them\nin an extravagant manner;[27] for which, they were sadly rebuked of God,\nan occasion was given and taken to reproach and blaspheme the way of God\nupon that account. But to descend to our own time, we have it to\nbewail, that whatever alteration there is in the face of affairs since\nthe yoke of tyranny was taken off our neck, yet there is no alteration\nin this matter to the better, but rather to the worse; malignants are so\nfar from being brought to condign punishment, that they are the whole\nadministrators of the affairs of the kingdom; whence it is come to pass,\nthat the supreme judicatories which should take trial of such and bring\nthem to punishment, and to whom they should be delated, are wholly, or\nmostly composed of such; yea, none may now be reputed malignant unless\nhe be disaffected to the civil government; so that malignancy is not now\ndisaffection to the cause and work of God, but disaffection to the\npresent establishment, and so far are they that are truly disaffected to\nChrist and his interest this day advanced and strengthened in their\ndesigns, that they have (so far as in them lies) put a final stop to all\nfurther progress in reformation in these covenanted kingdoms; so that\ninstead of discovering and bringing to punishment them who make parties\nand factions against the League and Covenant, and reformation therein\nconcerted, the most part of Britain and Ireland are nought else but a\nparty and faction against it, who have cast it out of doors, and, for\nwhat is apparent, are never minded to receive it again; and, upon the\ncontrary, such as are labouring to adhere most closely (though in\nweakness) to these engagements, and prosecute the ends of these\ncovenants, are unjustly looked upon as a party and faction, and\nprosecuted as offenders by such as, according to the genuine sense of\nthis Article, ought to be brought to condign punishment. It is likewise\npromised in this Article, that such _shall be brought to trial as shall\ndivide the King from his people, or one of the kingdoms from another_,\nwhich clause hath been broken, by using endeavours to have King and\npeople and the kingdoms all conjoined in a _union_ and conjunction\ncontrary to, and eversive of this Solemn League and Covenant; and these\nthat go under the character of ministers, from whom it might in all\nreason be expected that they should interpose for having malignants duly\npunished, are so far from doing so, that they make it their endeavour\nto please them; and upon the contrary, they spare no pains to incense\nthe persons in the government against those whose design it is, in the\nLord's strength, to adhere to their covenant engagements, and keep\nthemselves unspotted from the abominations of the times. We acknowledge\nalso ourselves guilty of the breach of this Article, in so far as we\nhave not more frequently and fervently, from a real respect and zeal to\nthe glory of God, after we saw no means of getting such evil instruments\nand opposers of reformation punished and suppressed by human\njudicatories, applied by prayer and supplication to God, that he would\neither of his infinite mercy convince them of, and reclaim them from, or\nin justice reprove and punish them for their opposition to his cause and\ninterest. As also, that we have not duly searched into our own sins, and\nespecially the malignancy of our own hearts: by means whereof, the Lord\nis highly provoked to permit such evil instruments not only to afflict\nand oppress us, but also to retard the success of his own work; and that\nwe have not impartially or sincerely mourned over these sins in our own\nhearts and lives, which hinder our own personal, and so have influence\nto impede national reformation, and have not forsaken and abandoned\nthem.\n\nIn the fifth Article, we are bound, \"according to our place and station,\nto endeavor, that the kingdoms may remain conjoined in a most firm peace\nand union to all posterity; and that justice may be done upon the wilful\nopposers thereof;\" according to Isa. ii. 2, 3, xiv. 23, 24; Jer. 1, 4,\n5; Ezek. xxxvii. 16, 17; Zech. ii. 11. viii. 21, 22; Gal. v. 12.\n\n\"But through the peace and union of the kingdoms (while duly subordinate\nto the interest of religion) was a great blessing of God unto both, and\na bond which we are bound to preserve inviolated, and to endeavor that\njustice may be done upon the wilful opposers thereof; yet some in this\nland, who have come under the bond of the Covenant, have made it their\ngreat study how to dissolve this union, and few or no endeavors have\nbeen used by any of us for punishing of such;\" yea, very little, or none\nat all, have the most of us been concerned about this Article; whether\nthere be peace with, or holiness and truth in, the other kingdoms; or\nwhat sort of peace, or on what foundation it be settled: both kingdoms\nare mutually guilty of dissolving this Covenant Union, in invading each\nother, at several times, contrary to the Covenant, the English nation\nin subjecting us to their conquest, and forcing us to a submission to\ntheir Sectarian usurpations on church and state; and this nation, in\ngiving such provocations to them, by the unlawful engagement in the year\n1648, by treating with, setting up and entertaining, the head of the\nmalignant party, their enemy and ours both, as our King in the year\n1650, and invading them upon his quarrel, at the Worcester expedition,\nAnno 1651; since which time, after that kingdom and this both united in\nthat unhappy course of restoring the King, without respect to the\nCovenant, and re-establishing the Prelacy, which broke our Covenanted\nUnion and Conjunction, that nation hath sometimes sent aid to our\npersecutors, for suppressing our attempts to recover our religion and\nliberties; and this nation hath sent forces to help their destroyers,\nand to suppress their endeavors for the recovery of their privileges.\nAnd in the mean time, we have been very little solicitous for\ncorrespondence to settle union with such of them as owned the Covenant,\nor for giving to, or receiving from them, mutual informations of our\nrespective cases and conditions, under all our calamities and calumnies\ncast upon us: nor have we studied to keep sympathy or communion of\nsaints, or mutual bearing of one another's burdens, as became covenanted\nbrethren.\n\nOn the other hand instead of union in truth and duty according to the\nbond of the Covenant, a confederacy hath been studied in defection from\nthe Covenant, and an union and peace which wanted the foundation laid\ndown in the foregoing Articles of the Covenant, viz., \"uniformity in\ndoctrine, worship, discipline and government, against Popery, Prelacy,\nSchism, Sectarianism, for our religion, laws and liberties, and\ndiscovering, suppressing and punishing the enemies of these interests.\"\nSuch an Union has not been studied nor sought, but on the contrary an\nUnion against the Reformation and Uniformity, for Prelacy and\nSectarianism multiformity, by maintaining tyranny and strengthening\nmalignancy. Yea, by the means of this incorporating Union now of late\nestablished, Prelacy is not only strengthened and confirmed, but so\nsettled as to continue to all succeeding generations, and this nation's\nslavery as well as their sin perpetuated. And persons of all ranks have\nhad a deep hand in this trespass: the nobility and gentry who\nrepresented the nation, in surrendering their own and the nation's\nrights and privileges; ministers in not warning them faithfully to\nbeware of that covenant-breaking course, which could not but provoke God\nto anger against this poor island, but showing more concern in that\njuncture for settling their own, then for securing and advancing\nChrist's interest; and the body of the land, in that they did not bestir\nthemselves, for the defence of their own liberties in a lawful way.\n\nIn the sixth Article we are bound, \"according to our places and\ncallings, in this common cause of religion, liberty and peace, to assist\nand defend all those that enter into this League and Covenant, in the\nmaintaining thereof. And in the National Covenant, in like manner, we\nare bound to stand to the mutual defence and assistance, every one of us\nof another, in the same cause, with our best counsel, our bodies, means,\nand whole power, against all sorts of persons whatsoever; so that\nwhatsoever shall be done to the least of us for that cause, should be\ntaken as done to all of us in general, and to every one of us in\nparticular.\" A duty very clear in the scriptures; Judges v. 23; 1 Chron.\nxii. 1, 18; Neh. iv. 14; Prov. xxiv. 11, 12.\n\nBut alas! how little conscience hath been made of this duty? \"We have\nsuffered many of our brethren in many parts of the land to be oppressed\nof the common enemy, without compassion or relief. There hath been great\nmurmuring and repining because of expenses of means and pains in doing\nof our duty;\" and not only so, but many did swear and subscribe oaths\nand bonds expressly against such assistances, and to condemn all such\nendeavors, to assist, defend and rescue them, as rebellion and sedition,\nand obliging them to assist their murdering malignant enemies, by such\noccurrences as they required. Yea, many instead of coming out to _help\nthe Lord against the mighty_, and defending their brethren, did come out\nto the help of the mighty against the Lord, his cause, Covenant, and\noppressed people; concurring in arms against them at all the appearances\nthat were made and essayed for the cause of Christ; compearing at\ncourts, held for informing against and condemning their brethren, that\nwere present at, or concerned in such appearances for the Covenanted\ncause, and coming in as witnesses against them; sitting in assizes for\ncondemning them, and guarding them to their executions, when martyred\nfor their duty, and the interest of truth. Many likewise denied to\nreset, harbor or entertain their brethren, persecuted for maintaining\nthe Covenanted Reformation; some raised the hue and cry after them,\nthereby occasioning, and assisting in, the murder of several faithful\nbrethren; the most part owned the great murderer who authorized all the\nrest, and enacted all these murders, and assisted him and his\naccomplices, and executioners of his murdering mandates, with their\npersons and estates, in paying the supplies professedly demanded, and\ndeclaredly imposed, for enabling them to accomplish these mischiefs.\nYea, many were so far from assisting, that they added afflictions to\ntheir afflicted brethren, their reproaches, and persecuting by the\ntongue those whom the Lord had smitten, and talking to the grief of\nthose he had wounded. And all sorts of us have been wanting in our\nsympathy with, and endeavoring succor to, our suffering brethren, let be\nto deliver them from their enemies' hands according to our capacity. So\nalso, it is for matter of lamentation, that many ministers all alongst\ndiscovered great unconcernedness with, and contempt of, poor despised\nand reproached sufferers, condemned the heads of their suffering, forgot\nor refused to pray for them publicly. And as this Article was all\nalongst through the persecuting times, most grossly violated, so to this\nday it continues to be. Any that would appear in the least active in\nthis cause, are so far from being assisted that they are borne down,\nderided, sentenced, and sometimes imprisoned; whatever motions are made\nin private discourses, or public sermons, which may import a respect to,\nor liking of, this noble cause of religion, or a dislike of, and\ndisplacency with the courses opposite unto it, are so far from being\ncountenanced, that the movers are hated, vilipended, contemned or\ncensured, as raisers of dust, formenters of division, pragmatic,\nturbulent and fractious spirits, and loaded with many other defamatory\nepithets and calumnies. Many instances of which may be given since the\nRevolution. For example, when in the year 1690, there was a paper of\ngrievances presented to the Assembly by some of those who had been\nkeeping up a witness against the iniquitous courses of the times, and\nwere now expecting that as the fruit of a merciful delivery from\ntyrannical usurpations, and antichristian persecutions, Reformation\nshould be revived, grievances redressed, judicatories rightly\nconstituted, and duly purged, it was far from receiving a kind and\nfriendly reception and they who presented it left without assistance and\nhelp, contrary to the tenor of the Covenant, so that that paper could\nnot be allowed a hearing, let be a redress, and the persons who offered\nit to their consideration were, to their great sorrow and grief of\nheart, dismissed without a satisfying answer. As also when Messrs.\nLinning, Shields and Boyd, who had been carrying on a Testimony against\nthe time's defection, and were now minded to join with the Assembly,\nafter the exhibition of their Testimony, whatever acceptance it might\nmeet with at their hands, had in prosecution of this their design,\nexhibited their proposals to the Committee of Overtures, these\nproposals, though both worthy of consideration and necessary to be\nredressed, were not allowed a hearing in open Assembly, but rejected as\nbeing \"made up of mistakes, reflections, unseasonable and impracticable\novertures,\" and the said persons, so far from being assisted, in order\nto a removal of the evils therein complained of, as destructive to the\ncause of God, that upon the contrary the four named persons stand in the\nfifth Act of that pretended Assembly characterized with the name and\nepithet of persons who had followed courses contrary to the order of the\nchurch, and in their Moderator's exhortation, _to walk orderly in time\ncoming, in opposition to all schism and division_, their former practice\nof testifying against the corruptions of the times was implicitly\ncondemned as disorderly, schismatic and divisive. Another instance of\nthis appeared not long after; when in the year 1692, some of the godly\nof the land published their declaration disowning William and Mary's\ngovernment, because not qualified as God's word, and our Covenants do\nrequire, as it is specified at large in the narrative of that\ndeclaration; some of them were apprehended and imprisoned, for that\npiece of adherence to the Covenanted Reformation, and opposing or at\nleast witnessing against the courses which they found to be contrary to\nit. Yet who at that juncture appeared to assist them in their laudable\nundertakings? And all alongst since, whosoever has offered grievances,\nor any way witnessed against the bypast and present defections, have\nbeen and are prosecuted with church censure, or persecuted with bitter\nand malicious invectives and reproaches, falling from the tongues and\npens of those that are obliged by Covenant to have assisted, defended\nand encouraged them. And especially ministers, who by virtue of their\noffice, as well as Covenant engagements, are obliged to excite persons\nto, and assist them in their duty, have been active to do the quite\ncontrary; for instance, when some persons offered to give public\nsatisfaction for their compliance with Christ's enemies, they refused to\nadmit them. But to what purpose do we repeat these instances? It is too\ncertain and evident, that there is more assistance and encouragement\nafforded to the enemies of this cause and Covenant, by persons of all\nranks than to the friends and well wishers of it. Love to, and zeal for\nthis cause are greatly decayed, and therefore mutual sympathy and\naffection amongst the people of God in the prosecution and maintenance\nof it are much a wanting.\n\nIn the same Article we are bound, \"not to suffer ourselves directly or\nindirectly, by whatsoever combination or terror, to be divided or\nwithdrawn from this blessed union and conjunction, whether to make\ndefection to the contrary part, or to give ourselves to a detestable\nindifferency or neutrality in this cause; and in the National Covenant,\nthat we shall neither directly nor indirectly suffer ourselves to be\ndivided, or withdrawn, by whatsoever suggestion, allurement or terror,\nfrom this blessed and loyal conjunction. According to scripture\nwarrants.\"\n\nGen. xiii. 8; Psal. cxxxiii. throughout; Zech. viii. 19; I Cor. i. 10;\nEph. iv. 3; Phil. i. 27, ii. 2; Heb. xxi. 14; Jer. ix. 3; Ezek. xxii.\n25; Hag. i. 2; Phil. ii. 21; II Tim. iv. 10; Rev. iii. 15.\n\nBut, alas! it is long since our fathers had reason to complain and\nconfess, \"That many in their day through persuasion or terror, suffered\nthemselves to be divided and withdrawn to make defection to the contrary\npart. Many had turned off to a detestable indifferency and neutrality in\nthis cause, which so much concerneth the glory of God, and the good of\nthese kingdoms. Nay, many had made it their study to walk so, as they\nmight comply with all times, and all the revolutions thereof. That it\nwas not their care to countenance, encourage, entrust, and employ, such\nonly as from their hearts did affect and mind God's work; but the hearts\nof such, many times had been discouraged, and their hands weakened,\ntheir sufferings neglected, and themselves slighted, and many who had\nbeen once open enemies, and always secret underminers, countenanced and\nemployed. Nay, even those who had been looked upon as incendiaries, and\nupon whom the Lord had set marks of desperate malignancy, falsehood and\ndeceit, were brought in as fit to manage public affairs.\"\n\nAll which sins and breaches of covenant have now increased to a great\nheight of heinousness; for, in our day, these incendiaries, desperate\nand engrained malignants have only been employed in, and admitted to the\nmanagement of the affairs of the kingdom, and none but they accounted\nhabile by law; and such divisions from the Covenanted-conjunction, and\ndefections to the contrary part have been, and are enacted and\nestablished by law; yea, all the unhappy divisions that have been from\nthe _public resolutions_, and downward, have been the woful consequents\nand effects of defections to the contrary part. At the first erection of\nPrelacy, many, both ministers and professors, partly by terror, partly\nby persuasions, did withdraw from this covenanted conjunction, and make\ndefection unto Prelacy, with which they combined, conforming with, and\nsubmitting to the ministry of the conforming curates; and afterward, by\nthe terror of the fear of men, and the persuasions of their counsel and\nexample, many of the land were seduced into a combination with\nmalignants, in taking oaths and bonds contrary to the covenant, thereby\ndividing themselves from the recusants, and making defection to the\nparty imposing them, and opposing the covenants. By combination of those\nthat preferred peace to truth, and ease to duty--by the terror of\nthreatened continuance of persecution, and the persuasion of a promised\nrelaxation and immunity from troubles; many ministers have been divided\nfrom the testimony of the Church of Scotland, against the enroaching\nsupremacy and absolute power, and one from another, and have made\ndefection to that part and party that were advancing these encroachments\nand usurpations on the prerogatives of Christ and privileges of his\nchurch; by receiving indulgences and tolerations from them, in their own\nnature destructive unto, and given and received on terms inconsistent\nwith the duties of the covenants, which were contrived and conferred on\npurpose to divide them from this cause, and from their brethren that\nmore tenaciously adhered to it; and did effectuate that design in a\ngreat measure--and others gave themselves to a detestable indifferency\nin complying with, conniving at, and not witnessing against these\ndefections, but passing them over in a secure submissive silence. And\nas, in the times of persecuting violence, these breaches of this Article\nwere made by reason of the snares of that sinful time; so much more has\nthere been a manifest violation of it since, when at this day there is\nsuch a universal combination of interests in opposition to the\ncovenanted reformation. Are not the most of the three kingdoms in one\ngreat combination against it, by this cope-stone of defection, this\nincorporating union? How have we made conscience of performing that part\nof the covenant anent _resisting the persuasion of men to make defection\nto the contrary part_, when the whole land is so deeply involved into\nit? There has been, alas! too much way given to carnal arguments and\npersuasives--such as worldly gain, ease, profit, and preferment, and too\nmuch slavish fear and terror of men, whose breath is in their nostrils,\nhas been entertained, without a due reliance and dependance upon\nOmnipotency; which has greatly carried men off their feet, and wheedled\nthem into a compliance with, and defection to the contrary part, or into\na neutrality and indifferency in this cause; so that few are found\nvaliant for the truth upon the earth. What strange laxness and Laodicean\nindifference has there appeared in this cause, through the whole conduct\nof affairs in church and state, since the revolution; whereby many\ndiscover to every observant eye that they are satisfied if they obtain a\npeaceful enjoyment of their own things, and liberty to dwell in their\nceiled houses--albeit the Lord's house (in a great measure) lies waste?\nWhere are there any acts of Assemblies, or proceedings of the church,\nwhich discover any due concern or zeal for the covenanted interests?\nNay, the contrary has too frequently appeared; as for instance, when by\nthe 5th act of the 2d session of William and Mary's 1st Parl., the\nestablishment of the church was calculated for the meridian of\nstate-policy, according to act 114, Parl. 12, King James VI. Anno 1592.\nOn purpose to pass over in shameful oblivion the church's choicest\nattainments in reformation betwixt 1638 and 1649; and particularly, to\nmake void the League and Covenant, with the Assembly's explanatory\ndeclaration affixed to the National, the malignants' grand eye-sore,\nthere was no faithful protestation and testimony exhibited against this\nby the Assembly, then indicted, and convened the 16th of October\nfollowing; which, if duly pondered in all its circumstances, without the\nmask and pretexts industriously drawn over it, will appear to be,\nperhaps one of the greatest sins of this nation, and to be little\ninferior in nature and aggravations to the burning of the covenants,\nwhich is granted by all Presbyterians to be a most atrocious act of\ncontempt done to the eternal God, and to his Son Jesus Christ, and\ncannot be called to mind by any of the godly without great abhorrence\nand detestation of it; in so far as the passing over and not ratifying\nthese acts of Parliament and Assembly by the respective judicatories,\nwhich were made during that time of reformation, was a practical and\ninterpretative condemning of them as unprofitable, and did greatly\ncorroborate the acts whereby Charles II. had declared them null and not\nobligatory; and did likewise import a vilifying and despising of what\nGod had wrought for his people in these lands, during that time; and,\nlastly, was a manifest indication of disregard to the oath of God, which\nthese lands had come under. Neither did that, nor any succeeding\nAssembly, impartially and explicitly enumerate the land's sins in their\nnational fasts; namely, the indulgence and toleration, with the\naddresses and thanksgiving for it, and the burning of the covenant, &c.;\nneither have they, in any of their addresses to their King or Queen, by\nletters, or other means, declared unto them the indispensable duty of\nrenewing the covenants, nor applied to the Parliament for that effect;\nneither have they, by their Assembly-acts, asserted the intrinsic power\nof the church; neither did they in any of their acts, or public papers,\nmake honourable mention of those who had laid down their lives for their\nadherence to Christ's truths during the times of persecution, nor\ntestified their approbation of what was done that way; and yet many of\nus have been wanting in testifying our dislike of these backsliding\ncourses, by discountenancing, withdrawing from, and keeping ourselves\nfree of all participation with them; but have received the sacraments\nof Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and the privilege of marriage at their\nhands, and paid tithes and stipends. By all which, it is apparent now\nmuch indifferency there has been in this cause of covenanted interest,\nwhich so much concerneth the glory of God, the good of the kingdoms, and\nthe honour of the civil Magistrate.\n\nMoreover in the same Article we are sworn, \"All the days of our lives,\nzealously and constantly to continue in this cause, against all lets and\nimpediments whatsoever, and what we are not able ourselves to suppress\nand overcome, to reveal and make known the same that it may be timeously\nprevented. And in the National Covenant, never to cast in any let, that\nmay stop or hinder any such resolution, as by common consent shall be\nfound to conduce for so good ends; but on the contrary, by all lawful\nmeans, to labor to further and promote the same; and if any such\ndangerous or divisive motion be made to us by word or writ, that we and\nevery one of us shall either suppress it, or if need be, incontinent\nmake the same known, that it may be timeously obviated. Agreeing very\nwell with the scriptures.\" Numb. xiv. 9, 10; Neh. vi. 3, 6, 8, 9, 10,\n11; Isa. viii. 12, 13, 14; Acts iv. 19, 20, 24, xxi. 13; Gal. ii. 5;\nPhil. i. 28.\n\nNevertheless, _many have been the lets and impediments, that have been\ncast in the way, to retard and obstruct the Lord's work_, by Prelacy,\nsupremacy, indulgences, toleration, and absolute tyranny and compliance\ntherewith, enacted by law, and all the mischiefs established by a throne\nof iniquity since the unhappy restoration of Charles II. to this day.\nYet few have ever zealously contended and fewer have constantly\ncontinued in contending, against these obstructions, so obstructive to\nthe cause, many have kept secret the first motions and appearances of\nthese things, while they might have been suppressed and overcome, and\nthe generality have passed them over in silence, and not made known, nor\nadvertised unto evil of these things when declared, by witnessing\nagainst these things, when, they could not be otherwise removed or\novercome. Yea, many of us have ourselves cast in lets and impediments,\nobstructive to the cause, by our defections divisions and disorders\nagainst common consent, and precipitances, without common consent even\nof our brethren adhering to the testimony. Many a divisive motion hath\nnot been counted dangerous, of those which tended to divide us from the\nCovenanted cause. And many a good and necessary motion hath been\naccounted divisive, namely, such as proposed the necessity of confessing\nand forsaking sin.\n\n\"Besides these and many other breaches of the Articles of the Covenant,\nin the matter thereof, which concerneth every one of us, to search out\nand acknowledge before the Lord, as we could wish his wrath to be turned\naway from us, so have many of us failed exceedingly in the manner of\nfollowing and pursuing the duties contained therein, not only seeking\ngreat things for ourselves, and mixing private interests, and ends\nconcerning ourselves, and friends, and followers, with those things\nwhich concern the public good; but many times preferring such to the\nhonour of God and good of his cause; and retarding God's work until we\nmight carry alongst with us our own interests and designs: it hath been\nour way to trust in the means, and to rely upon the arm of flesh for\nsuccess, albeit the Lord hath many times made us meet with\ndisappointments, and stained the pride of all our glory, by blasting\nevery carnal confidence unto us. We have followed for the most part the\ncounsels of flesh and blood, and walked more by the rules of policy than\npiety, and have hearkened more unto men than unto God.\"\n\nIn the conclusion of the Solemn League and Covenant there is a\nprofession and declaration \"before God and the world of our unfeigned\ndesires to be humbled[28] for our own sins and for the sins of these\nkingdoms[29]; especially that we have not valued, as we ought, the\ninestimable benefit of the gospel[30], that we have not laboured for the\npurity[31] and power thereof[32], and that we have not endeavoured to\nreceive Christ into our hearts[33], nor to walk worthy of him in our\nlives[34], which are the causes of other sins and transgressions so much\nabounding amongst us[35]: all which we are under many obligations to\nconfess and mourn over from the word; and, of our true and unfeigned\npurpose and desire, to endeavour for ourselves and all others under our\npower and charge[36] both in public and in private, in all dutie[37] we\nowe to God and man, to amend our lives[38] and each one to go before\nanother[39] in the example of a real reformation, that the Lord might\nturn away his wrath and heavy indignation,[40] and establish these\nkingdoms in truth and peace.[41] Yet we have refused to be reformed and\nhave walked proudly and obstinately before the Lord, not valuing his\ngospel, nor submitting ourselves unto the obedience thereof; not seeking\nafter Christ, nor studying to honour him in the excellency of his\nperson, nor to employ him in the virtue of his offices; not making\nconscience of the public ordinances, nor studying to edify one another\nin love. The ignorance of God and his Son Jesus Christ prevails\nexceedingly in the land.\" Even our fathers in their purest times\nconfessed, in their acknowledgement of sins, \"That the greatest part of\nmasters of families among noblemen, barons, gentlemen, burgesses, and\ncommons, neglected to seek God in their families, and to endeavour the\nreformation thereof. And albeit it had been much pressed, yet few of the\nnobles and great ones could be persuaded to perform family duties\nthemselves in their own persons, which made so necessary a duty to be\ndisregarded by persons of inferior rank.\"\n\nWe may add, in our degenerate times, not only the great ones generally\nprofess the neglect and contempt of so necessary a duty, both in their\nown persons and in the use of chaplains; but the great part of the\ncommons are altogether strangers to it; many performing no part of the\nfamily worship at all, others only singing a psalm and reading a chapter\nwithout praying, and others making a fashion of all, but very\nperfunctoriously, formally, and indifferently, and scarcely once in a\nday. And ministers also making little conscience of visiting families to\nsee how this duty is performed, not pressing it upon the negligent, nor\nstirring up the formal to a more spiritual way of performing it, nay,\nsome giving bad examples to their flocks, by neglecting it themselves in\ntheir own families. _The nobility, gentry, and barons, who should be\nexamples of sober walking unto others, are very generally ringleaders of\nexcess and rioting_. We have been far from amending our lives and\npromoting a personal reformation, and going before one another in the\nexample of a real reformation, when we have been examples of deformation\nin our personal practices and public transactions, and being\ntoo-familiar and too far united with the patrons and patterns of the\nland's deformations. \"Our fathers also acknowledged, albeit they were\nthe Lord's people engaged unto him in a solemn way; yet they had not\nmade it their study that judicatories and armies should consist of, and\nplaces of power and trust be filled with men of blameless and Christian\nconversation, and of known integrity and approved fidelity, affection,\nand zeal unto the cause of God. And not only those who were neutral and\nindifferent, but disaffected and malignant, and others who were profane\nand scandalous were intrusted. By which it came to pass that\njudicatories, EVEN THEN, were the seats of injustice and iniquity. And\nmany in their armies, by miscarriages, became their plague unto the\ngreat prejudice of the cause of God, the great scandal of the gospel,\nand the great increase of looseness and profanity throughout all the\nland.\" But, since the time of that acknowledgment there has still been\nmore and more degeneracy, so that judicatories have consisted of, and\nbeen filled with perjured traitors to God and their country. And armies\nmade up of these plagues marshalled under a displayed banner against\nChrist and his interest, not only to the scandal, but for the\nsuppression of the gospel, and forcing people to profanity throughout\nthe land; and now are, to the disgrace of the Protestant religion, made\nup of the refuse of the lands, and employed in the support of an\nAntichristian interest abroad. Yet have we not sighed and cried for\nthese abominations, nor have we been concerned, as we ought, with the\nabounding of them through the land. As also, with blushing, we must\nconfess our pride and presumptuous boasting of external privileges of\nthe gospel and outward reformation, and of a testimony which we bragged\nof, as if that had made us better than others, while we made no\nconscience of personal reformation, which, no doubt, amongst other\nsinful miscarriages, was a main cause of the Lord's depriving us so long\na time of the comfortable and soul-enriching mercy of a faithfully\ndispensed gospel.\n\nAnd, in like manner, the conceitedness of some in suffering and\ncontending for truth, rather for keeping up the contention abetting a\nparty, and many times under too lofty names of the suffering party, and\nremnant, and the like, than to keep and hold fast the word of the Lord's\npatience to his glory as our crown; and many other evidences of pride\nhateful to God, such as boasting in the strength of armies in the\nsuffering times in an ostentatious way, vaunting of, and being too much\ntaken up with them, though then necessary for the defence of our lives;\nrejoicing in our numerousness or worldly abilities, or in the number of\nthem that frequent the public ordinances in the fields; or that they,\nwho are owners of the testimony, are for the most, part kept free from\nthe gross out-breakings into which others are left to fall; which\nthings, though very good and desirable in themselves, may yet be, and\nhave been, occasions of sin when boasted in, more than humbly and\nthankfully acknowledged to be from the hand of God. As also, revengeful\nresenting of affronts, passionate and disdainful refusing to take\nreproof for faults, or for the excess in any duty, as to the manner of\nit, when we thought the matter was right.\n\nAnd, it is likewise matter of regret, that both in the time of greatest\nsuffering and afterwards, idleness of both kinds did too much prevail\namongst us; both that when we were in a manner driven from the world,\nand shut up from all employment but the exercise of godliness, many did\nnot improve that opportunity of the cross to promote acquaintance and\ncommunion with God, being slothful in prayer, reading and other duties;\nand some again, even when they might have had access to lawful\nemployments, continued idle and out of work, to the opening of the\nmouths of many against the cause; albeit they were not called to, or\nemployed in any public business for the same.\n\nAnd besides all these things, there may be many other transgressions\nwhereof the lands wherein we live are guilty, and these attended with\nmany heinous aggravating circumstances beyond what they were in our\nfathers, which we have not been humbled for to this day; but, instead of\nmourning for them, confessing and forsaking them, we have been rather\ndefending or daubing, covering or coloring, excusing or extenuating\nthem. All which we now desire to acknowledge and be humbled for, that\nthe world may bear witness with us, that righteousness belongeth unto\nGod, and shame and confusion of face to us, as appears this day.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n_A SOLEMN ENGAGEMENT TO THE DUTIES CONTAINED IN OUR NATIONAL AND SOLEMN\nLEAGUE AND COVENANT._\n\n_Particularly adjusted to the Circumstances of these Times, Anno 1712_\n\n\nBecause it is requisite, in order to obtain mercy, not only to confess,\nbut also to forsake our sins, and to do the contrary duties; therefore,\nthat the sincerity and reality of our repentance may appear, we resolve,\nand solemnly engage before God, in the strength and through the\nassistance of Christ, that we shall carefully endeavour, in all time\ncoming, to avoid all these offences, whereof we have now made solemn\npublic acknowledgment, and all the snares and temptations tending\nthereunto; and to testify this sincerity of our resolution, and that we\nmay be better enabled in the power of the Lord's might, to perform the\nsame, we do again renew our Covenants, both National and Solemn League,\npromising to make conscience of a more exact performance of all the\nduties therein contained, so far as we, in our stations, and present\ndeplorable circumstances, are capable; particularly such as follow.\n\nBecause religion is of all things the most excellent and precious in its\nown nature, and therefore most to be desired by the children of men,\nand the knowledge of the great truths of the gospel, so generally\ndecreased in this land, is so absolutely necessary to salvation;\ntherefore in order to attain it, we shall labor to be better acquainted\nwith the _written word of God_, the only infallible rule of faith and\nmanners; and shall (according to our capacity) study more than formerly\nthe doctrine of the reformed church of Scotland, summed up in our[42]\nConfession of Faith, Catechisms Larger and Shorter, Sum of Christian\nDoctrine and practical Use of Saving Knowledge, Directory for Worship\n(as the same was received and observed by this church in her purest\ntimes, viz. in the year 1649,) Propositions concerning Church\nGovernment, and Ordination of Ministers, annexed to the Confession of\nFaith, and other writings clearing and confirming these truths, approven\nby this church, and agreeable to the word of God.\n\nWe shall likewise endeavor the advancing and promoting the power of this\ntrue Reformed Religion, against all ungodliness and profanity, the\nsecuring and preserving the purity thereof, against all kinds of errors,\nheresy and schism, as namely, Independency, Brownism, Anabaptism,\nAntinomianism, Arminianism, Socinianism, Libertinism, Familism.\nScepticism, Quakerism, Deism, Burignonism and Erastianism; and as we\ndeclare, that we willingly agree in our consciences unto the doctrine of\nthe church of Scotland in all points, as unto God's undoubted truth and\nverity, grounded only upon his written word, so we resolve constantly to\nadhere unto, maintain and defend, profess and confess, and (when called\nof God) to yield ourselves sufferers for the said doctrine, as we shall\ndesire to be approven and confessed by Jesus Christ, before God and his\nholy angels. _2dly_, We shall also study more sincerity, uprightness and\nheart-integrity in the worship of God, and shall not satisfy ourselves\nwith the form of it, without the power and spirituality, which God the\nonly object of religious worship, doth require: and shall endeavor the\ndue performance of all the duties of religious worship, which God hath\nin his most holy word required. And shall (if Providence offer\noccasion) endeavor to recover, and labor to preserve the purity thereof\nfrom all corruptions, mixtures, innovations and inventions of men,\nPopish, Prelatical, or any other; and while we are not able, by reason\nof the prevailing power of the abettors and maintainers of them, to get\nthem removed, we shall labor (through grace) to keep ourselves free from\nall sinful communion and participation with them, and shall, in our\nstations, testify against these corruptions and perversions of God's\nworship, by all competent means. _3dly_, We shall likewise by all lawful\nmeans endeavor, that Presbyterian church government in kirk-sessions,\npresbyteries, synods and general assemblies, may be recovered in its\nformer purity, established upon its proper basis and foundation, the\nword of God; and that it may be freed from all encroachments and\ninvasions made thereupon by the powers of the earth; and that the\ndiscipline of the church may be impartially exercised against all\nscandalous offenders, great or small; and when the ministers of this\nchurch, or any of them, shall sincerely and conscientiously endeavor the\nrestoration of the government in all its privileges, and freedom from\nall Erastian encroachments, and to have the discipline duly and\nimpartially exercised, then we promise to be obedient, and be subject\nthereunto, as becomes the flock of Christ; but shall always testify our\ndislike of all encroachments made and yielded to, prejudical to the\nprivileges which Christ hath bestowed upon his church.\n\n_4thly_, We shall always desire and pray for the reviving of the work of\nuniformity in the three kingdoms, and (if the Lord in his providence\nshall offer opportunity) shall seek and endeavour it by other means\npossible, lawful, expedient, and competent to us in our capacities; and\nshall never cordially consent unto, nor cease to testify against,\nwhatsoever doth obstruct and hinder that work of uniformity, and shall\ndetest and abhor all multiformity, introduced by Erastianism, Prelacy,\nand Sectarianism, now so prevalent, and confirmed by this late union\nwith England.\n\nAccording to the second Article, we shall do our utmost endeavour to\nhave the land purged of Popish idolatry, and the monuments thereof\ndestroyed, particularly the abomination of the mass; and, so far as lies\nin our power, shall never suffer the same to be re-introduced or erected\nagain, nor favour any attempts tending thereunto. We shall never make\nany conjunction with these abominable Popish idolaters, at home or\nabroad, in armies or otherwise; and shall, according to our National\nCovenant, detest and abhor all their wicked superstitious rites and\nceremonies. We shall never consent, for any reason whatsoever, that the\nPenal Statutes made against Papists should be annulled; but shall, when\nopportunity offers, be ready to concur in putting them to a due and\nvigorous execution. _2dly_, We shall, by all approven means, in our\nstations and vocations, endeavour the extirpation of Prelacy; and shall\nnever submit to that wicked hierarchy of Bishops, Archbishops, &c.,\nhaving superiority of order and jurisdiction above preaching Presbyters,\nwhether Erastian or only Diocesan, in any form or degree, howsoever\nreformed, accommodated, limited, or restricted by cautions and\nprovisions of men; seeing that all such superiority is flatly condemned\nin the Word of God, and hath proven many times fatal to the church of\nChrist. We shall detest and abhor, and in our stations witness against\nwhatsoever courses, tending to the establishment of that abominable\nhierarchy; and particularly, the oaths of allegiance, with the\nassurance, and oath of abjuration, lately imposed on the persons of\npublic trust in these realms, in regard they may justly be interpreted\nto strengthen that hierarchy, by upholding the persons that maintain the\nsame. We shall not submit to any orders issued forth by Bishops, nor own\nthem as our lawgivers, nor acknowledge any title they have to be members\nof parliament or council. _3dly_, We shall in like manner detest, and\nabhor, and labour, to extirpate all kinds of superstition--all rites and\nceremonies superadded by human invention to the worship of God, not\nenjoined and required in his Word; together with all heresy and false\ndoctrine, and all profaneness and immortalities of every kind, and\nwhatsoever is contrary to sound religion; and shall in the strength, and\nthrough the help of Christ, endeavour to deny all ungodliness and\nworldly lusts, and from henceforth to live righteously towards our\nneighbour, soberly in ourselves, and to walk humbly with our God.\n\nWe shall upon the one hand, endeavour to keep ourselves, as far as we\ncan, from all partakings in other men's sins, by consenting unto\nassociations, incorporations, combinations, compliance with, or\nconniving at, their sins. And upon the other, to guard against all\nschism, and sinful separation, or unjust, rash, and disorderly\nwithdrawing from societies, congregations or families, or any part of\nthe communion of the true reformed church of Scotland, holding purely\nand entirely the doctrine, worship, discipline and government of the\nsame, in principle and exercise, according to the rules of Christ, and\nstanding acts and constitutions of this church, consonant thereunto, so\nfar as the Lord gives light therein. And as we look not upon our\npractice in withdrawing from the backslidden ministers of the present\nErastian church, for reasons valid and sufficient, to be a gathering and\nsetting up formed separate churches under other ordinances and ministry,\ndistinct from the Presbyterian church of Scotland, (although we be\nfalsely aspersed as doing it) so we purpose and resolve always to adhere\nto that standard of doctrine, discipline, and government, and that\npurity and form of worship, which during our reforming times were\nestablished, and to embrace such ordinances, and such a ministry as are\nof divine appointment; and that we shall not presume to withdraw from\nminister or member of that body for any offence, in any case, where\neither the offence may be legally removed without withdrawing, or cannot\nbe instructed to be condemned by the word of God, and constitution of\nthis church, or is in itself an insufficient ground of withdrawing, or\nwhere it is not defended, or obstinately persisted in, or is a thing to\nbe condescended upon, forborn, or forgiven; but shall study to maintain\nunion and Christian communion, with all and every one, whether ministers\nor private Christians, who adhere unto the purity of the doctrine,\nworship, discipline and government of the church of Scotland, and to the\nwhole word of Christ's patience, in the sufferings and contendings of\nhis people, in opposition to his enemies' encroachments; and shall join,\nin the way of truth and duty, with all who do, and in so for as they do,\nadhere to the institutions of Christ. And because many have labored to\nsupplant the liberties of the true kirk, and have in a great measure, of\nlate by indulgences and toleration, and now by oaths of allegiance and\nabjuration, and encroaching on the freedom of Christ's courts, obtained\ntheir design: we shall therefore, to our power withstand and witness\nagainst all these encroachments made upon the liberties of Christ's\nchurch in our land, and when we can do no more, shall withdraw our\ncountenance and concurrence from such as hold their freedom from, and\nare modified by such usurpation; and shall neither hear their sermons,\nnor pay them stipends, while they continue unfaithful; and shall,\nwhenever God gives us opportunity, endeavor to recover, and when\nrecovered, to maintain and defend the liberties and privileges of the\nchurch of Scotland, against all who shall oppose or undermine the same,\nor encroach thereupon, under any pretext whatsoever.\n\nWith reference to the third Article, wherein we are bound to defend the\nprivileges of the Parliament, liberties of the kingdoms, and the King's\nMajesty's person and authority, in the defence of the true Reformed\nreligion: albeit God, in his righteous judgment, hath left the nations\nso far to the counsels of their own hearts, as to suffer them to set up\nMagistrates, wanting the qualifications requisite, and to fill places of\npower and trust with insufficient and disaffected persons, who have no\nrespect to the interest of religion, and this nation in particular to\ngive up the rights and privileges of Parliament, and kingdom, to the\nwill and lust of the English, and so to betray the interest both of\nreligion and civil liberty for unworthy by-ends; yet we purpose and\npromise, that we shall always in our capacities bear witness against\nthese courses, and shall not by any means corroborate them, or encourage\nand countenance the maintainers and abettors of them. And if ever the\nLord in his mercy shall be pleased to open a door of relief, and break\nthe cords of the ungodly, we shall not be wanting in all lawful and\nsuitable endeavors to promote, to our power, the recovery of that\nliberty and freedom which we have lost, and to have those acts and\noaths, which impede Reformation, rescinded: and that all the righteous\nlaws, made in favor of the Covenanted Reformation, may be put in full\nforce, and duly executed.\n\nWe shall earnestly pray to God that he would give us able men, men of\ntruth, fearing God and hating covetousness, to bear charge over his\npeople, and that all places of power and trust in church, state, or\narmy, may consist of, and be filled with men of known good affection to\nthe cause of God, and of a Christian and blameless conversation; and\nwhen it shall please the Lord to give us such magistrates and judges\nsupreme and subordinate, then we will, in the terms of the covenant,\nyield allegiance to them, and loyally subject to their good government,\nnot from any by-end or sinistrous principle, but out of sincere\nobedience to God's commandment; and shall willingly support and defend\nthem, with our estates and lives, in their persevering and defending the\ntrue reformed Protestant religion, in doctrine, worship, discipline and\ngovernment, and suppressing all kinds of false religion in their\ndominions, and in the administration of justice and punishment of\niniquity; but while the Lord, in his just displeasure for our sins,\nwithholds such from us, we intend to wait till he turn away his anger,\nand not to stretch forth our hands to iniquity, in owning and\ncountenancing such as are not duly qualified; as, particularly, those\nthat are Popish or Prelatical in their professed principle and practice,\nand by oaths engage themselves to maintain, and accordingly to defend,\nthe Prelatical form of church government, who oppose and encroach upon\nthe true government of Christ's house by their supremacy, and tolerate\nSectarian errors in their dominions, and that every one of them supreme\nand subordinate; and shall not corroborate their unjust authority, by\npacing them cess and supply, for upholding their corrupt courts and\narmies, employed in an unjust and antichristian quarrel; or, by\ncompearing before their judicatories, either to defend or pursue\nlawsuits, or upon any other account.\n\nBecause we are not in a case to bring to due trial and punishment,\ncondign, according to the merit of their offences, malignants and evil\ninstruments, according to the fourth Article; therefore, we shall\nendeavour to keep ourselves, as far as possible, from any compliance\nwith, or approbation of their cause and courses, opposite to the cause\nand work of God; and shall endeavour to keep at a distance from\neverything that may anyways import a unitive conjunction, association,\nor confederacy with them, or strengthening them in their opposition to\nthe cause of God--the covenanted interest. We shall, through grace,\nendeavour to represent before the throne of justice their wicked\ncourses; and pray that God would defeat their inventions, though we\nshall always, as becomes Christians, implore the throne of grace for\nmercy to their souls, so far as it may be consistent with God's eternal\npurpose of electing love. Moreover, we shall always endeavour to guard\nagainst all unwarrantable and irregular ways, not approven in God's\nWord, of punishing malignants and incendiaries, for their opposition to\nreformation.\n\nWhereas, in the fifth Article, we are bound to endeavour, that the\nkingdoms may remain united in a most firm peace and union to all\nposterity; which union did consist in a uniformity in doctrine, worship,\ndiscipline and government, though, as was said, it is now laid aside,\nand a union entered into which establishes multiformity therein, and so\nis the opposite of this Covenanted Union. We shall, therefore, deny our\nconsent unto, and approbation of this union, and shall, as we have in\nweakness been witnessing against it formerly, so continue to do for the\nfuture, and shall not corroborate or strengthen the same; but upon the\ncontrary, if the Lord afford opportunity, shall do our utmost to have\nthe _union of the kingdoms settled_ upon the true covenanted basis; and\nshall lay out ourselves, as far as possible, to entertain correspondence\nand sympathy with every one in the kingdoms of England and Ireland, who\ndo, or shall, to our knowledge, adhere to this League and Covenant.\n\nAccording to the sixth Article, considering what danger we and all our\nbrethren, under the bond and owning the obligation of these covenants,\nare in, and may be exposed unto, from the Popish and Prelatical\nmalignant faction still prevailing, and from this backslidden church;\nand being sensible of the many defects which have been amongst us, in\nthe duty of defending and assisting one another in maintaining the\ncommon cause of religion and liberty, we do here solemnly enter into a\nbond of association with all that do now renew these covenants, \"with\nthe Acknowledgement of the Public Sins and Breeches, and the Engagement\nof Duties thereof, and concert and assert the old covenanted cause and\nquarrel,\" as our fathers stated and contended for it, from the year 1638\nto the year 1650. Which cause of the covenanted reformation in doctrine,\nworship, discipline and government, and all interests, or rights,\nreligious or civil, contended for during the foresaid space of years,\nconducing to promote the same, we faithfully promise to prosecute,\npropagate, preserve and maintain, to the utmost of our power, with our\nlives and all that we have; and to adhere to all the faithful\ntestimonies, protestations and declarations, in the defence of the\nforesaid covenanted reformation, agreeable to, and founded on God's\nWord, ever since the foresaid year 1650, not regarding the foul\naspersions of rebellion, combination or schism, or what else our\nadversaries, from their craft and malice, would put upon us; seeing what\nwe do is so well warranted, and ariseth from an unfeigned desire to\nmaintain the true religion, to obtain the protection and preserve the\nhonour of righteous government, and promote the peace and happiness of\nthe kingdoms.\n\nAnd for the better performance of what we here engage to, we shall\nsympathize, bear all burdens, embark our interest with, assist and\ndefend all those, who enter into, or join this association and Covenant,\nand shall reckon whatsoever is done to the least of us, for this cause,\nas done to us all in general and to every one of us in particular: and\nshall account it a breach of Covenant, if seeing our brethren pursued\nfor this very cause, and having sufficient means to comfort and assist\nthem, any of us shall either make peace with the persecutors, bind up\ntheir hands by oaths and bonds from resisting them, refuse to hide,\nharbor, or supply their brethren, decline to venture, in lawful and\nnecessary attempts for their relief, or withdraw from their dutiful\nsupport; and being thus united and associated in this cause, as we\nresolve and oblige ourselves to abide in this firm conjunction, and\nneither consent nor concede to any combination or counsel, suggestion,\npersuasion, allurement or terror, that may have any known tendency or\ninfluence, whether direct or indirect, to seduce us either to a division\namongst ourselves, or defection to our adversaries, or a base\nindifferency and neutrality between the two; but shall, with all zeal,\nfidelity and constancy, communicate our best help, counsel and\nconcurrence, for promoting all resolutions, which by common consent\nshall be found to conduce to the good of the cause, and shall endeavor\nto discover, oppose and suppress, all contrivances or counsels, that may\ncast in any let or impediment, that may be obstructive or prejudicial to\nthe same. So we shall likewise desire, design and endeavor, (whenever\nthe Lord in his providence shall offer opportunity) to get the\ndefections, unworthy neutralities, and unhappy divisions, which have\nlong and lamentably wounded, and wrecked this church, removed and\nremedied. And shall be willing, with all tender sympathy and compassion,\nto embrace and welcome with the utmost bowels of kindness and respect\nthat we can, all who shall confess and forsake these defections, and\naccording to their stations, as ministers or private Christians, shall,\nby all proper means, labor to satisfy the conscience of the godly, that\nare through these defections and scandals justly offended, and that\naccording to the rules of Christ, delivered in his word, and received in\nthis church, in her Reforming times, and join cordially with us in the\nprosecution of this cause; and we shall be willing also, at their\ndesire, to acknowledge and forsake, for peace and unity, whatever we can\nrationally be convinced to be bad in our conduct and management, as we\nmust acknowledge, that in all things we fail, and come exceedingly short\nof that perfection, which we should and would be at.\n\nAnd because there be many who heretofore have not made conscience of the\noath of God--but some, through fear, others by persuasion, and upon base\nends, and human interests, have entered thereinto, who have afterwards\ndiscovered themselves to have dealt deceitfully with the Lord, in\nswearing falsely by his name; therefore, we, who do now renew our\ncovenants with reference to these duties, and all other duties contained\ntherein, do, in the sight of him who is the searcher of hearts, solemnly\nprofess, that it is not upon any politic advantage, or private interest,\nor by-end, or because of any terror or persuasion from men, or\nhypocritically or deceitfully, that we do again take upon us the oath of\nGod; but honestly and sincerely, and from the sense of our duty. And\nthat, therefore, denying ourselves and our own things, and, laying aside\nall-self interests and ends, we shall, above all things, seek the honour\nof God, the good of his cause, and the wealth of his people; and that,\nforsaking the counsels of flesh and blood, and not leaning upon carnal\nconfidences, we shall depend upon the Lord, walk by the rule of his\nWord, and hearken to the voice of his servants. In all which, professing\nour own weakness, we do earnestly pray to God who is the Father of\nmercies, through his Son JESUS CHRIST, to be merciful unto us, and to\nenable us, by the power of his might, that we may do our duty, unto the\npraise of his grace in the churches. Amen.\n\nFOOTNOTES:\n\n[Footnote 4: In the Preface to this edition, the reader may perceive the\nsame spirit in 1880. | ED.]\n\n[Footnote 5: The lawful supreme Magistrate.]\n\n[Footnote 6: The persons and authority of such, when God of his mercy\nshall grant them to us.]\n\n[Footnote 7: King Charles the First.]\n\n[Footnote 8: Remonstrances, declarations and testimonies of old, and of\nlate.]\n\n[Footnote 9: Or any other corruptions thereof, Prelatic or Erastian,\neither tried or to be tried; such as indulgence, the toleration, the\nmagistrates appointing fasts without advice and consent of the church,\ndissolving assemblies, &c.]\n\n[Footnote 10: Remonstrances, declarations and testimonies.]\n\n[Footnote 11: To righteous governors, (when obtained), and to our\ncountry.]\n\n[Footnote 12: The lawful supreme Magistrate's.]\n\n[Footnote 13: The person and authority of sovereigns having the\nqualifications which the Scriptures require.]\n\n[Footnote 14: The lawful supreme Magistrate's.]\n\n[Footnote 15: The lawful supreme Magistrate.]\n\n[Footnote 16: Lawful supreme Magistrates.]\n\n[Footnote 17: Anno 1638.]\n\n[Footnote 18: Lawful supreme Magistrates.]\n\n[Footnote 19: After all supplications, remonstrances protestations and\nsufferings of our fathers, and our own grievous sufferings and\ncontendings both before and since the late Revolution.]\n\n[Footnote 20: When restored, according to their ancient foundation.]\n\n[Footnote 21: The lawful supreme Magistrate's.]\n\n[Footnote 22: The lawful Magistrate's.]\n\n[Footnote 23: The lawful Magistrate, when obtained.]\n\n[Footnote 24: Our Reformers.]\n\n[Footnote 25: As they were then.]\n\n[Footnote 26: The lawful supreme Magistrate.]\n\n[Footnote 27: Such as the Curate of Carsphairn, and some others. But it\nis to be noted, that this sentence is not meant of those who either\ndesigned or actually executed that act of extraordinary justice upon the\nArchbishop of St. Andrews, who being an arch-traitor, and public\nincendiary, and implacable enemy to the work of God, and all the godly\nin the kingdom, was therefore justly put to death; though (because of\nthe defect of justice in those that had authority,) the act, in respect\nof the persons executing, was singular and extraordinary. See the same\nvindicated, _Hind Let Loose_, head vi., page 633, &c.]\n\n[Footnote 28: Ezek. vii. 16. But they that escape of them shall escape,\nand shall be on the mountains like doves of the vallies, all of them\nmourning, every one for his iniquity.]\n\n[Footnote 29: Ezek. ix. 4.----Set a mark upon the foreheads of the men\nthat sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the\nmidst thereof.]\n\n[Footnote 30: Matt. xxii. 5. But they made light of it, and went their\nways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise.]\n\n[Footnote 31: 1 Tim. vi. 14. That thou keep this commandment without\nspot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.]\n\n[Footnote 32: 2 Tim. lii. 5. Having a form of godliness, but denying the\npower thereof.]\n\n[Footnote 33: Eph. in. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by\nfaith.----Col. ii. 6. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the\nLord, so walk ye in him.]\n\n[Footnote 34: Col. i. 10. That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all\npleasing.]\n\n[Footnote 35: 2 Thes. ii. 10, 11, 12. Because they received not the love\nof the truth----For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that\nthey should believe a lie. That they all might be damned, who believed\nnot the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.]\n\n[Footnote 36: Josh. xxiv. 15.----But as for me and my house, we will\nserve the Lord. Gen. xviii. 19. For I know him, that he will command his\nchildren and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the\nLord, to do justice and judgment.]\n\n[Footnote 37: 1 Tim. iii. 15----That thou mayest know how thou oughtest\nto behave thyself in the house of God.----]\n\n[Footnote 38: Psal. ci 2. I will walk within my house with a perfect\nheart. Jer. vii. 3. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel;\namend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this\nplace. Isa. I. 16, 17; _Cease to_ do evil. Learn to do well.----]\n\n[Footnote 39: Jer. 1. 8. Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go\nforth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be ye as the he goats before\nthe flocks.]\n\n[Footnote 40: Zech. i 3. Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I\nwill turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Psal. lxxxv. 3. Thou hast\ntaken away all thy wrath; thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness\nof thine anger. Verse 4th. Turn us, O God of our salvation and cause\nthine anger towards us to cease]\n\n[Footnote 41: Psal. lxxxv. 9, 10. Surely his salvation is nigh them that\nfear him; that glory may dwell in our land. Mercy and truth are met\ntogether; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.\n\nIsa. xxxii. 17. And the work of righteousness shall be peace, and the\neffect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever.\n\nZech. viii. 19----Therefore love the truth and peace.]\n\n[Footnote 42: Note. The Confession of Faith is here adhered to, as it\nwas received and approven by the General Assembly of this church, by\ntheir Act of the 27th of Aug. 1647, Sess. 23, the 2d Article of the 31st\nChap, being understood, as explained in that Act, and the 4th Sect, of\nthe 23d Chap, being understood, as it is explained in our Informatory\nVindication, page 196, 2d Edition.]\n\n[Typographical errors excepted, and _Historical Introduction_\nsubstituted for _Preface_, this edition agrees with those of Paisley,\n1820, and Belfast, 1835.--ED.]\n\n\n\n\nACT OF COVENANT RENOVATION,\n\nAGREED UPON AT PHILADELPHIA, OCTOBER 8, 1880,\n\nBY THE\n\nREFORMED PRESBYTERY,\n\nAFTER THE APPROVED EXAMPLE OF OUR FATHERS, AT\n\nAUCHENSAUGH, 1712, AND ACCOMMODATED\n\nTO THE PRESENT TIME.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n\"I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous\njudgments.\"--_Psalms_ cxix: 106.\n\n\"They (Egyptians) shall vow a vow unto the Lord, and perform it.\"--_Is_.\nxix: 21.\n\nThe Corinthians \"first gave their own selves to the Lord.\"--_2 Cor_.\nviii: 5.\n\n\n\n\nCOVENANT RENOVATION.\n\nVow, and pay unto the Lord your God.--_Ps_. lxxvi: II.\n\n\nPREFACE.\n\n\nHaving in prospect a united, public and solemn approach to our covenant\nGod, some important principles should be understood, that we may proceed\nwith intelligence and have sure ground for our faith.\n\n\"God is love;\" and reciprocal love constitutes \"the bond of perfectness\"\nbetween God and rational creatures. Communion with God is the supreme\nfelicity and highest honor of which angels and men are capable. The\nfirst emanation of divine love revealed to us was displayed in the\ncovenant of works; although not called a covenant, the narrative\ncontains all the elements essential to a federal deed, comprising a\nsummary of the whole moral law. Thus the sovereign love of God was\nmanifested through the medium of law and covenant inseparably combined;\nand this is the Lord's manner of dealing with mankind till the present\ntime.\n\nThat covenant was made with us in Adam as our common father and public\nrepresentative. By the breach of it we are born in Adam's image and\n\"children of wrath;\" for the principle of representative identification\npervades the moral universe. Our rational and social nature fits us both\nfor personal and federal responsibility.\n\nWhen we had \"destroyed ourselves\" by apostasy from God, then did God\n\"show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us\nthrough Christ Jesus.\" The gift of his Son to be a covenant head to\nsinners is God's highest, and most glorious demonstration of his\nineffable love. The breadth, and length, and depth, and height of the\nlove of Christ passeth knowledge; and the displays of this love through\nthe covenant of grace will doubtless furnish matter of admiration to\nholy angels, and of adoring gratitude to redeemed sinners throughout\neternity. Rev. i: 5, 6.\n\nEver since our fall in Adam God has dealt with our sinful race by\ncovenant. This covenant was made with Christ as Mediator between God and\nman, and as the representative of all whom the Father gave him to be\nredeemed and brought to glory. John xvii: 2. Accordingly, the Lord\nJesus, immediately on the fall of our first parents, entered upon his\nwork of mediation. To them first he announced his commission, declaring\nhis purpose to \"bruise the serpent's head--to destroy the works of the\ndevil.\" Gen. iii: 15; 1 John iii: 8. Christ is given \"for a witness to\nthe people; a leader and commander to the people; to have power over all\nflesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as the Father hath\ngiven him.\"\n\nThroughout the whole of the mediatorial administration the law and the\ncovenant are distinct, though inseparably connected: and although many\ncovenants are mentioned in the Scriptures, and even distinguished as\n_old_ and _new_. Jer. xxxi: 31; Heb. viii: 8; yet we must understand\nthese as only different and successive modes of administering one and\nthe same Covenant of Grace. This covenant was proclaimed before the\ndeluge by prophets, as Enoch and Noah; after the flood by patriarchs;\nthen by the ministry of Moses and other prophets, when John the Baptist\nand the Messiah in person proclaimed it; and from the day of Pentecost\ntill the end of the world is the last dispensation--still, the covenant\nis immutably the same. The most solemn and memorable act of covenanting\nwith God was at Horeb, otherwise called Sinai, when the Israelites were\nfirst and formally organized in ecclesiastical and civil relations. Then\n\"Judah was his sanctuary, and Israel his dominion.\" Ps. cxiv: 2.\n\nBesides circumcision and the passover, both of which involved covenant\nobligation, God instituted the additional ordinance of public and social\nfederal transaction, that the whole body might glorify him by a united\nact of solemn dedication as his special property separated visibly from\nthe world. Is. lxiii: 19. And that this is a moral ordinance, and of\nperpetual obligation, is evident from the practice of God's people, both\nunder the Old and New Testament, and the language of prophecy. Deut.\nxxix: 10-12; 2 Cor. viii: 5; Is. xliv: 5.\n\nAgain, when we renew our covenant, we do not mean that the obligation\nhas ceased, or that we can increase its obligation, for this is infinite\nand permanent; we intend by our personal act to deepen and render more\ndurable our sense of preexisting obligation. This is, indeed, the\nimmediate object of all renovations, by Moses, Joshua, kings of Judah\nand Nehemiah. And as we have seen, this ordinance was observed by\nChristians in the time of the apostles, so their practice may be traced\nthrough history afterwards, however obscure, until the time of the\nReformation from Popery; when in Europe, both continental and insular,\nthis ordinance was revived and exemplified. Among all nations in\nChristendom Scotland stands preeminent since first emancipated from\nbondage in mystical Babylon, for the frequency and fidelity of her\necclesiastical and national vows to the Most High. After many struggles\nwith Popery and Prelacy, during which Christ's witnesses in that land\nderived strength and courage from vows renewed to withstand these\norganized oppressors; at length by their example and influence the\nkingdoms of England and Ireland were brought into a confederation by\nthat famous and grand document, the Solemn League and Covenant. Taken in\nconnection with the National Covenant of Scotland, those three nations\nand the churches in them were voluntarily bound to God and to each other\nby all the solemnity of cords and bands made in heaven. Yet, through the\ncorruption of human nature and the restless malice of the Dragon and his\nangels, these bands were treacherously broken and the cords cast away.\nAlthough those symbols of the public faith were Scriptural documents,\nyet the reformation as truly described by the late Mr. Robert Lusk, was\nto the majority \"a reformation only on paper.\" Like Israel of old the\nhearts of most of the people were not right with God, neither were they\nsteadfast in his covenant. Ps. lxxviii: 37. This was soon made manifest\nby the Public Resolutions, accepting Indulgences, and the subsequent\ntwenty-eight years of persecution inflicted upon those who \"stood to the\ncovenant.\" Then followed, in 1689, what the apostates called, and their\nsuccessors still fondly hail, as the \"glorious Revolution\nsettlement!\"--a settlement which, by forms of law, consigned the\nnations' solemn vows to oblivion, with all possible expressions of\ndetestation by the infamous \"Act Rescissory.\" In the year 1707, the \"Act\nof Incorporation\" brought the church and kingdom of Scotland under\ndegrading bondage to the anti-Christian, Prelatic and Erastian throne of\nBritain.\n\nWhile these steps of apostasy were in progress, the Lord preserved a\n\"wasted remnant\" of witnesses, who \"resisted unto blood striving against\nsin.\" These valiant Christian patriots--\"the Society People\"--kept\nthemselves and their garments clean, and kept also the word of Christ's\npatience. They never were _dissenters_, nor properly called the \"Old\nDissenters.\" During this hour of temptation they were destitute of the\nhelp and guidance of a public ministry. At length, in the year 1706, Mr.\nJohn M'Millan, wearing the honorable badges of suspension and\ndeposition, imposed by his apostate brethren for advocating in their\nAssembly the continued obligation of the Covenants. National and Solemn\nLeague, (Is. lxvi: 5,) was joyfully received as their minister by the\nvoice of the Society people. In the year 1712, at Auchensaugh, Mr.\nM'Millan, with the assistance of Mr. John M'Neil, licentiate, \"resolved\nto set about this solemn and tremendous duty of renewing their national\ncovenants with God.\" Their mode of procedure was Scriptural, following\nthe examples of Moses and others to Nehemiah--\"the footsteps of the\nflock.\" They framed three papers, History, Confession and Engagement.\nThe text of the Covenants of our fathers was left entire, only some\nexplanatory words and phrases being placed in the margin. These\nexplanations were then necessary to clear that question of\nquestions--\"Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee?\"--a\nquestion to be finally settled only at the sounding of the last\nApocalyptic trumpet. Rev. xi: 15. That transaction was ever after\nincorporated with the Terms of Communion.\n\nSome years after this transaction another renovation took place in\nScotland, at a locality called Crawford-John; but no attainments were\nthen made, nor has any authentic record of the proceedings been\ntransmitted to posterity. Also the Seceders, soon after their erection\nas a distinct organization in Scotland, and repeatedly since in Britain\nand America, by public covenanting have contributed to the preservation\nof sound doctrine and Christian practice. We cannot, however, accord to\nthem the honor of being the successors of the covenanted witnesses,\nwhich they unwarrantably claim, seeing that they disowned the \"civil\npart\" of the public Covenants, and thus unwittingly, we charitably\nbelieve, passed an implied censure on the One Lawgiver for having given\nus a second table in the moral law!\n\nWe merely refer to the Octoraro transaction, (1743,) conducted by that\nunstable minister, Mr. Craighead, as being unworthy of anything more\nthan historical notice.\n\nThe two most noteworthy instances of avowed covenant-renovation within\nthe present century are those at Dervock, Ireland, in 1853, and in\nPittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1871; and we class them together, because\nhowever the respective documents differ in their provisions, and in our\njudgment some of these are irreconcilable, yet the parties have ever\nsince agreed to coalesce. Reference is here made only to a sample of\n_essential_ discrepancies. In the Dervock bond the British Covenants are\nexpressly mentioned and owned; in the Pittsburg bond they are neither\nowned nor mentioned, although both were urged at the time, while they\nwere openly vilified without rebuke. In the former Prelacy is abjured,\nin the latter it is not so much as named. The fourth article of the\nformer is irreconcilable with the fourth article of the latter. The\nformer is limited by _recognized truth_; the latter substitutes for\ntruth _supposed piety_. But since these two parties, in the face of such\nantagonistic fundamental principles, do actually harmonize in practice,\ncoming down to treat with opposing parties in the plain of Ono, their\nexample of treachery in covenant can be regarded only as a beacon of\nwarning.\n\nStrictly speaking, no new obligation has been imposed or assumed since\nthe law was given at Sinai. We are to \"keep the words of the covenant,\nthe ten commandments.\" This is just what Christ still enjoins upon his\ndisciples--\"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have\ncommanded you.\" The footsteps of Christ's flock differ nothing now from\nwhat they were in the days of Solomon. Some turn back into Egypt, while\nothers turn aside with the \"flocks of the companions to right-hand\nextremes or left-hand defections\"; for the harlot's \"ways are moveable\nthat thou canst not know them,\" and we are warned--\"Come not near the\ndoor of her house.\"\n\nThe federal deeds which we propose to renew are, of course, those of our\nwitnessing fathers, the National Covenant of Scotland and the Solemn\nLeague of Scotland, England and Ireland, adapting these public deeds to\nour time, and comprising all preceding and subsequent attainments, as\nwas done by our predecessors at Auchensaugh. Our condition and\nsurroundings are in many respects similar to theirs. \"Their soul was\nexceedingly filled with the scorning of those that were at ease, and\nwith the contempt of the proud\"; but they were also exposed to many\nperils from the existing ecclesiastical and civil authorities which they\npublicly disowned.\n\nAll inspired records of public vows to God by his united people, from\nthe time of Moses to Nehemiah, contained a synopsis of special\nprovidence towards themselves and others, of sins, mercies and\njudgments; and these were motives to this special duty, though not a\nrule--\"And because of all this we make a sure covenant and write it.\"\n\nAfter these examples, which we judge \"written for our learning,\" we\nrenew our own and our ancestors' covenants, neither ecclesiastically nor\nnationally as representatives of either church or state, as they are now\nconfederated against the Lord and his Anointed: but we appear publicly\nas a \"despised remnant,\" avowing allegiance to Zion's only King and\n\"Prince of the kings of the earth,\" pledging adherence to those public\ndeeds of our progenitors, in which the divine ordinances of Church and\nState are exhibited; and in which they are exemplified as co-ordinate,\nmutually independent, friendly, and helpful to the family and to each\nother. Thus acted the people of God under the covenant of grace in all\nages; and so acted his servants at Auchensaugh, whose more immediate\nexample we propose to follow.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nCONFESSION OF PUBLIC SINS.\n\n\nAll authentic history confirms the declaration of the Sacred Scriptures,\nThat by one man sin entered into the world, and that there is not a just\nman upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not. Yet there is mercy with\nGod that he may be feared, and plenteous redemption to redeem Israel\nfrom all his trespasses. But we are assured that \"he that covereth his\nsins shall not prosper, but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall\nhave mercy.\"\n\nBelieving these teachings of God's word, and in view of renewing solemn\nvows to him, we now give glory to the Lord God of Israel by making\nconfession of our own and our fathers' sins in violating our solemn\ncovenants. We acknowledge the heinous sins of repeated violation of our\ncovenanted unity--_First_, By joining in a military confederacy with the\nAmerican Colonies in the revolutionary war of 1776. _Second_, Joining in\na similar confederacy with Irish Papists and others to cast off the\nBritish government in 1798. _Third_, In a similar confederacy in the war\nbetween the United States and England in 1812. _Fourth_, By the like\nmilitary association in the recent civil war: and these sins were\naggravated by framing oaths of allegiance or fidelity in the years 1812\nand 1863.\n\nSome of those who had violated their covenants by military association\nwith the United Irishmen fled for refuge to the United States; and\nwithout undergoing censure became active agents in constituting a\npresbytery without authority had from the parent body in Scotland, 1798;\nand proceeded in 1806 to frame and publish _Reformation Principles\nExhibited_, a work which removed landmarks which the fathers had set;\nand which with an abstract of Terms of Communion unpresbyterially\nintroduced, unsettled the foundations and issued in the lamentable\ndisruption of 1833.\n\nIn Scotland the leaders of the people caused them to err by changing the\nTerms of Communion in the year 1822, and the Testimony in 1837. While\nthese changes were made in the Covenanted Church's organic law some of\nthe most popular and influential ministers--theological professors, were\npublicly transgressing our covenants by joining in affinity with divers\nconfederacies for moral reform. Doctor Andrew Symington, the most\ninfluential minister in the Synod did actually and publicly co-operate\nwith the Evangelical Alliance; and in 1841 the same professor was among\nthe foremost in projecting a plan for a \"concert of prayer,\" by diverse\nsorts of professors, those of the Established Church of Scotland being\nexpressly mentioned. No wonder the hesitating _Covenanter_ ventured at\nleast to express preferance for \"more generally small meetings for\nprayer, to a large number of Christians of different names.\" This kind\nof amalgamation being contrary to Scripture was a breach also of the\nSolemn League, the sixth article of which was evidently designed by our\nfathers to prevent such social sins under the name of religion. The\nTheological Seminary in Scotland, as a corrupt fountain, polluted all\nthe streams, the ministers taking the lead in the defection, as is now\nmanifested to the world.\n\nAll along our history in Scotland, Ireland and America, the sin of the\nantediluvians and of Israel after the flesh has been imitated by\nus--joining with the known enemies of truth and righteousness, in the\nface of many fearful judgments for such breaches of solemn vows.\n\nThe ministers took the lead in joining and inducing others to join the\nColonization Society, a scheme for the removal of colored freedmen from\namong the bondmen, that slavery might be more secure and more certainly\nperpetuated by removing the disturbing element; and all this under the\nguise of evangelizing Africa! The General Synod which had unanimously\npatronized that scheme in 1828, discovering the deception, did in 1836,\nby a majority transfer its patronage to the rival cause of Abolition,\nthus continuing and persevering in the same transgression, from which\nthey are not reclaimed to this day.\n\nAbout the same time when we were ensnared in these unscriptural\nconfederacies, occasional hearing naturally became developed in a\nsabbath-school, which for a short time was conducted jointly by three\ndenominations in Pittsburgh--Covenanters, Seceders and Associate\nReformed, violating our covenanted unity and erecting an unauthorized\nagency for spiritual instruction. The General Synod did, in 1840,\nabolish its own deligation form and the Subordinate Synods in violation\nof conventional law and Presbyterial order, and still continues to\nadhere to this two-fold breach of the brotherly covenant. That body,\ncarrying on defection, joined in military association as noticed above,\nduring the late civil war between the Union and Confederate armies,\nframing an \"oath of fidelity,\" and thus profaning a divine ordinance by\npledging themselves to enforce an atheistical constitution and execute\nthe laws: and some of them glory in their shame and boast of this\nflagrant and complicated breach of solemn vows to the contrary.\n\nWhile recognizing many precious principles embodied in the Dorvock bond,\nwe cannot give it our approbation as an adequate renovation of our\nNational Covenant and Solemn League, because it not only omits but\nobviously excludes the Form of Presbyterial Church Government and the\nDirectory for Public Worship, and seems to substitute for these the\nTestimony which is incompatible with that of 1761; although the two\ndocuments above named were received by our General Assembly of Scotland\nas \"part of the uniformity\" to which we are bound in the Solemn League.\nAnd besides, all their symbols of faith mentioned in the Dervock\ntransaction as subordinate, are owned only as \"_Doctrinal_ Standards,\"\nthus leaving at loose ends individual and social Christian _practice_.\nThis document is therefore a defective, evasive, and consequently\ninadequate renovation of our Covenants.\n\nThe sound principles comprised in the Pittsburgh bond are still more\npalpably rendered nugatory by contradictions, manifold evasions and\nambiguous phrases; such as \"accepted manuals, our fathers' covenants,\"\netc.; while the solemn pledge to \"maintain Christian friendship with\npious men of every name, and to feel and act as one with all in every\nland who pursue this grand end \"--an _undefined_ end--would overthrow,\nif this were possible, the whole scriptural fabric of our Presbyterial\nCovenanted Reformation. Treachery and perfidy, not to say perjury, are\nbound up in the Pittsburgh bond, especially in pledging themselves to\nthe performance of civil duties \"not forbidden in the law of God.\" Some\nof the native fruits of this transaction, tending still more to corrupt\nthemselves and others are the continual practice of occasional hearing,\nexchange of pulpits and correspondence by delegation.\n\nThis body has placed itself under the authority of the Pennsylvania\nLegislature, having petitioned for and obtained an act of incorporation,\nand having voluntarily submitted to the Erastian civil jurisdiction of\nthe state of Pennsylvania and of the United States. The civil Charter\nexpressly institutes and appoints its trustees to be regulated and\nlimited in the exercise of the functions of their respective offices by\nthe constitutions of Pennsylvania and of the nation. Their bond prepared\nthe way for this more gross and practical surrender of all that is\ndistinctive in our covenanted position. And finally, so far as we know\nall parties in the three lands claiming to be Reformed Presbyterians,\nhave for years renounced those provisions of our Directory which require\nthe lines to be read in public praise to God, and the banns to be\nproclaimed before marriage.\n\nThe nations throughout Christendom, continue in league with Antichrist\nand give their strength to the beast. They still refuse to profess and\ndefend the true religion in doctrine, worship, government and\ndiscipline, contrary to the example of the kingdoms of Scotland, England\nand Ireland in the seventeenth century. Some of them have waged wars of\nconquest, under pretence of opening a way for the spread of the gospel;\nand disregarding international law, have violated solemn treaties among\nthemselves, and all of them practically disregard divine authority;\nhabitually profaning the Christian Sabbath, by carrying the mail, by\ncommercial traffic, and parties of pleasure on land and water.\n\nAcknowledging the righteousness of divine judgment upon ourselves and\nothers for manifold violations of God's law and breaches of our own and\nour fathers' solemn vows in our domestic, ecclesiastical and civil\nrelations; we desire to humble ourselves before God for these sins, and\nfor others not contained in this enumeration. Seeing that God hath\npunished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hath left us a small\nremnant in his sovereign mercy, our prayer to him is that he may enable\nus by his grace to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, to the glory\nof his great and holy name, and the commendation of his pardoning mercy.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nACT OF ADHERENCE TO OUR COVENANTS. NATIONAL AND SOLEMN LEAGUE; AS\nADAPTED TO THE PRESENT TIME.\n\n\nWe, office-bearers and members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church,\nconvinced by the Word and Spirit of God of our guilt and depravity by\nour breach of covenant in Adam; of utter inability to save ourselves\nfrom the ruins of the falls or its just penal consequences; desiring\nmoreover to bless, the Lord, that when we were yet without strength\nChrist died for the ungodly; that a door of faith has been opened to the\nGentiles, and repentance unto life granted to such; taking our warrant\nand encouragement from God alone, with our hands lifted up toward\nhim:--do swear by his great and fearful name as the Lord our God,\nthat--\n\nI. We accept God in Christ for ourselves and our children as offered to\nus in the gospel, to be our everlasting portion; and we joyfully\nsurrender ourselves and our all to him as his rightful and exclusive\nproperty. We cordially approve the Covenant of Grace, and embrace it as\nall our salvation and all our desire. Dead to the law as a covenant of\nworks, we cheerfully receive it from Christ's hand as our perfect rule\nof life, to direct our personal and social conduct. Aiming to glorify\nGod as our chief end, and to do good unto all men as we have\nopportunity--especially to the household of faith--we promise in the\nstrength of divine grace to search the Scriptures, conforming heart and\nlife to this standard, in constant opposition to the course of this\nworld, exemplifying godliness and honesty before men all our days.\n\nII. Set for the defence of the gospel, and under manifold obligations to\ncontend earnestly for the faith which was once delivered to the saints,\nwe acknowledge the Scriptures of the Old and new Testament to be the\nWord of God and the alone infallible rule of faith and manners,\nrejecting any and all additions or subtractions, false translations,\nperverting or wresting them to men's destruction.\n\nWe own also, as subordinate standards of faith and practice of doctrine\nand order, the National Covenant and Solemn League: as also the\nWestminster formularies, well known by their names--viz., the Confession\nof Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, Form of Church Government,\nand Directory of Public Worship; as these were received respectively by\nthe Church of Scotland in the years 1645, '47, and '48, not merely as\n\"_Doctrinal_ Standards,\" but as symbols, all of them, of Christian\npractice also, and as a part of the uniformity sworn to in the Solemn\nLeague. We adhere to the Renovation of the National Covenants at\nAuchensaugh, 1712, as comprising the same grand Scriptural principles\nwith the original deeds, and preserving the identity of the moral\nperson, which became more visible in 1761 by a Judicial Testimony,\nre-exhibited in 1858 and 1876.\n\nWe repudiate the Renovation at Dervock, 1853, as being inadequate,\ndefective, and unfaithful--part of the document couched in abstract,\nevasive, and equivocal language. Also, we condemn and reject the\nPittsburgh Bond, as ambiguous, self-contradictory and treacherous--\"a\nsnare on Mizpah.\" We abjure and testify against Popery, as delineated by\nour ancestors in the National Covenant, together with the fictitious\ndogma of the Immaculate Conception, and the blasphemous assumption by\nthe Pope of Jehovah's incommunicable prerogative of Infallibility. In\nlike manner we reject Prelacy, whether Erastian or Diocesan, as abjured\nin the National Covenant and more explicitly in the Solemn League; while\nin pity for the persons involved in these despotic systems, we will pray\nand labor for the extirpation of these poisonous plants, and the\nemancipation of their deluded admirers. We condemn and disown all\nexisting systems which involve the infidel element called Voluntaryism,\nrepresenting the divine ordinances of Church and State as mutually\ninimical or in any way antagonistic, thus impeaching the wisdom of the\nAlmighty.\n\nIII. Believing that the Son of God has been, as Mediator appointed heir\nof all things, and invested with universal dominion; that he reigns and\nmust reign till all his impenitent enemies be put under his feet: we\npledge ourselves in reliance on divine grace to continue our advocacy of\nhis claims upon the homage and willing obedience of individual and\nsocial man, in the family, the church and the civil commonwealth. We\nwill maintain and urge his exclusive right to prescribe the faith and\norder of the church by his royal authority. We promise to inculcate and\nexemplify Presbyterian Church Government as alone of divine right and\nunalterable.\n\nBelieving, moreover, that civil government, originating in the will of\nGod as Creator, has been placed by the Father under the authority of the\nMediator, and that the principal objects to be promoted by this divine\nordinance are the glory of its Author, the welfare of mankind, and the\nprosperity of the church; we engage to endeavor the reformation of the\nnations by testifying against all neglect or contempt of Messiah's\nclaims, or impious invasion of his rights by either rulers or subjects.\nIn joyful anticipation of the universal reign of righteousness and peace\non the earth, we will labor and pray for a gospel ministry and a\nScriptural magistracy; testifying against all corruptions of these or\nsubstitutes for them. Persuaded of the adaptation and sufficiency of\ndivine ordinances to effect reformation, we will refuse to identify or\nincorporate with any substitutes for these, or to co-operate with\nvoluntary associations for moral reform, whether secret and sworn, or\nopen and pledged, as these imply want of faith in divine ordinances, and\nin the wisdom and beneficence of our covenant God.\n\nIV. Believing that the Christian Church is one by her divine\nconstitution, and lamenting existing divisions among the children of\nGod; recognizing the obligation upon us to love the brotherhood, we will\nendeavor to cultivate charity in private intercourse towards all who\nreflect the divine image; and help to elevate them to the platform of\nthe Covenanted Reformation as our only recognized bond of organic and\nministerial church-fellowship. Nor will we, in reliance upon the\npromised and continued supplies of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, permit\nourselves to be divided from this our covenanted unity and uniformity by\nthe promises, threats, or solicitations of surrounding communities.\nThrough divine grace we will endeavor, by practical manifestation of the\ntruth, to commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of\nGod, as the most effectual means of healing Zion's breaches, that are\ngreat like the sea.\n\nV. Having learned from God's Word that all who live godly in Christ\nJesus shall suffer persecution, in their character, in their substance,\nor in their persons; and knowing from the recorded history of those who\nnobly stood to their covenant that they were subjected to all these\nkinds of suffering; and since our Sovereign Lord in his holy providence\nfor the trial of the patience and faith of his saints permits Antichrist\nto practice and prosper, the kings of the earth still giving their\nstrength unto the beast: we therefore, anticipating like treatment from\nan opposing world wherever we may sojourn, resolve in his strength to\nfollow the Lamb, whithersoever he goeth, as our leader, endeavoring so\nto diffuse the sweet savor of his name, that in due time and in every\nland men shall be blessed in him, and all nations shall call him\nblessed.\n\nVI. Finally, this solemn renewal of our federal obligations we confirm\nby oath in the presence of the omniscient God, who searcheth our hearts,\nuninfluenced by any selfish, worldly, politic, or carnal motives or\nends; but singly with a view to the glory of God and the temporal and\neternal welfare of our fellow-men; beseeching our Father in heaven for\nChrist's sake so to furnish us with the gifts and graces of his Holy\nSpirit, that we may prove faithful unto death, and joyfully welcome, the\nglorious appearing of our final and chosen Judge.\n\nAnd in testimony of our desires, and assurance to be heard, we\nsay--Amen.","title":"The Auchensaugh Renovation of the National Covenant and: Solemn League and Covenant; With the Acknowledgment of Sins and Engagement to Duties, as They; Were Renewed at Auchensaugh, Near Douglas, July 24, 1712. (Compared; With the Editions of Paisley, 1820, and Belfast, 1835.) Also, The; Renovation of These Public Federal Deeds Ordained at Philadelphia,; October 8, 1880, by the Reformed Presbytery, with Accommodation of; the Original Covenants, in Both Transactions, to Their Times and; Positions Respectively","tradition":"scripture-revelation","translated_text":null,"word_count":53270}