Records of the Kirk of Scotland / containing the Acts and Proceedings of the General Assemblies from 1638 downwards, as authenticated by the clerks of assembly.

by Church of Scotland. General Assembly

1. Our soleme ingagements to dewties, ather out of dark zeall or policy; and it is conceaued much of both thesse will, after deepe searche, be found in al our couenant ingagements.

2. The taxing of ourselues, by soleme couenants and othes, to the perpetuall mantinence of some thinges for wich ther is no warrant from the word: as perpetuall adherence to monarchy in such a line, and constant mantinence of the priuilidges of parliament; at least the clauses of our taxes thesse thinges so ambigously conceaued, that maney sueare them in the formentioned sense.

3. A fleschly zeall and policy in pursewing and carring one the couenant and leauge by creuell oppressions, making actes for constraning all sortes of persons, als weill men of tender consciences as the most prophaine and grosslie ignorant in the land, to take the couenant, wnder the hazard of incurring the heighest censures both of churche and stait.

4. Our preiudices; and that vpon our passinat and bitter invections, by word and wreatt, publicke and priuat, aganist suche of the people of God in England, quho had some differences of judgment from ws, not vsing the gospell way alloued by God for gaining others, houever carried away with errors; and therfor in the grate justice of God, his people in the land, quho wer formerlie one, are now so far dewydit in judgments and affections, that grounds of persecutione are layed doune and begune by the one aganist the other.

5. The espousing of the malignant quarrells, not only by our own coniunction with, and intrusting the malignant party, bot also by intending and concluding a trettey with the Kinge, putting him in the actuall exercisse of his power, and owning his intrest, albeit all the tyme of the trettey, and after it als weill as befor it, he did palpably euidence his disaffectione to the couenant and endes therof; wherby it hath come to passe, that the quarrell wich the Lord did formerly plead aganist the King, seimeth to be now tabled at the dore of churche and staite.

6. The pollutting of the Lords housse and ordinances, by continuing the vilest of men to be churche members, and to partake of the holy ordinances of Jesus Christ; so that all the people of the nation are members of the Churche; quherby the churche of Scotland is become lyker to a feild of thorns and briars then the wyneyaird of the Holy One of Israel. Nather could the remoueall of persons scandalows from a sacrament (wich also is much neglected,) be a sufficient remedy of this euill, seing beare negatiues are not sufficient to putt a man in a capacitie to be a churche member, muche lesse to partake of the sacraments; but besydes are requyred positiue euidences of grace, so far as to ground a judicious judgement of charity: and from this error of the actuall constitutione of this churche flowes the sinfull coniuctions with the malignant party in counsell and armies; for how can thosse, vpone aney groundes of conscience, be debarred from ciuill fellowschipe, quho may and ought to be admitted to churche fellowschipe? and therfor, though our disease may be skinned, zet neuer cured, till the present constitutione of the churche be helped.

7. The idolizing of men, and receauing doctrines from them implicitly, not bringing them to the ballance of the sanctuary: ministers medling with ciuill affaires, both in priuat and judicatories, quherby they lord it ouer the estaites, and tyranized ouer the consciences of men; though it is not denayed bot they may and ought to reproue sin, and that in all sortes of persones, so far as they haue varrant from word of God.

8. Our not cleiring, bot wreasting the trew staite of the quarrell, with a vilfull reiecting of all meines for prewenting the sheding of blood; whill treaties and conferences were not only requyred, bot refussed, though desyred and offred by the Englishes; throughe wiche it appeirethe, that the guilte of much blood shed in the lait warre, may be justly layed to the charge bothe of kirke and stait.

9. The smothring of light, and withdrawing from dewties, wpone the apprehensione of said euents.

10. Pitching vpone our forme of presbyteriall gouerniment, as the vtermost attainable perfectione of reformatione.