4. Because they were, and are perjured covenant breakers, avowedly disowning our covenants, and stated in opposition to that reformation, which is therein sworn to be maintained.

5. Because they were, and are in several points erroneous, in their doctrine, many of them tainted with the leaven of popery, arminianism, and socinianism, and all of them hetrodox, in the point of the magistrate's power in church matters, in the matter of oaths, and in condemning the work of our reformation, and covenants; seducing thereby their hearers, and both positively by these doctrines, and privately by with-holding other necessary instructions and warnings, murdering their souls.

6. Because they were, and are, upon all these accounts, scandalous, and the object of the church's censure: And though through the iniquity of the times, their deserved censure hitherto hath not been inflicted, yet they stand upon the matter convict, by clear scripture-grounds, and by the standing acts, and judicial decision of this church, in her supreme judicatories.

7. Because this hearing and submitting to them, was required as a badge, test, and evidence of due acknowledgment of, and hearty compliance with erastianism and prelacy, or his majesty's government ecclesiastic, Act parl. 1. Char. II. July 10th, 1663, which made it a case of confession to withstand it.

8. Because, by our covenants, we are obliged to stand at a distance, from such courses of defection, and to extirpate them, yet, in contradiction hereunto, we were commanded by the rescinders of the covenants, to hear the prelatic curates, as a badge of our yielding to the rescinding of the covenants.

9. Because this course was offensive and stumbling, both in hardning those that complied with prelacy, and weakning the hands of those that opposed it, and inferred a condemning of their sufferings upon this head. Especially,

10. When communion with them was so stated, that therein was not only a case of controversy among the godly, in which always abstinence is the surest side, not only is the judgment of many a case of confession, which it is always dangerous to contradict and condemn, but undeniably a case of competition, between the true church of Scotland, her ministers and professors, owning and adhering to her holy establishments, claiming a divine right to their offices and privileges, contending for the church's reformation; and a schismatical party, setting up a new church, in a new order, under a new head, robbing them of their offices and privileges, and overturning the reformation.

II. We must presume to plead also, That enquiry be made into the heinous and heaven-daring affront done to the holiness of God, in the horrid violation of our holy covenants, national and solemn league; not only how the popish, prelatical, and malignant party, have broken them, enacted the breaches of them by law, burnt them and endeavoured to bury them, by making it a capital crime to own their obligation, and by bringing in and substituting in their room, conscience-ensnaring anti covenants, oaths, bonds, and engagements renouncing the former, and obliging to courses contradictory thereunto: But that it may be considered, how many ways ministers and professors, in this time of tentation and tribulation, have been guilty of breach of these holy covenants; particularly by consenting unto, subscribing, swearing, and taking any of the new multiplied, mischievously contrived, capriciously conceived, and tyrannically imposed oaths, tests, or bonds, in matters of religion, since the overturning of the covenanted reformation and establishment of prelacy; and by persuading people to take them, and forbearing a necessary warning of the danger of them, and leaving people in the dark to determine themselves, in the midst of these snares. All which we plead and protest against, as sinful and scandalous:

1. Because all of them did infer, import, and imply a sinful unitive conjunction, incorporation, association and confederacy with the people of these abominations, that were promoting a course of apostacy from God.

2. Because all of them were incapable of qualifications required in sacred engagements, to be taken in truth, righteousness and judgment.