forfake and renounce the congregation of Sathan, with all the fuperftitious abomination and idolatry thereof; and moreover, thall declare our felves manifeftly enemies thereto, by this our faithful promife before God, teftifie I to his Congregation, by our fubfcription at these prefents. At Edinburgh, the 3d day of December 1557 years. God called to witnefs. Earl of Argyle; Glencarne; Mortoun; Archibald Lord of Lorne; John Erskine of Dun," &c.

A.

THE Occafions of the preceding Covenant were, The Danger of Perfecution to which the preachers were expofed, from the bigotry of the Queen Regent: And the unsteadinefs of the Reformers. Add to thefe, the importance of the Reformation itself: "Their country was in a miferable state of oppreffion; the bodies and fouls of the people being holden in bondage."" In the caufe which they had embraced (the Reformers rightly judged), they ought to be fervent and ftrenuous. Almighty, fpeaking to their confciences, called upon them to hazard their lives for the deliverance of the nation, Were they to prefer their worldly reft to the glory of God? Or the friendship of the wicked to the falvation of their brethren? And, while they were to receive honour and homage on earth, they expected eternal comfort and joy in heaven *."

The

* Dr STUART'S Hiftory of the Reformation, p. 88.

THE

THE next Foederal Tranfaction runs thus:

"AT Perth, the laft day of May, the year of God 1559 years, the Congregations of the Weft Country, with the Congregations of Fyfe, Perth, Dundee, Angus, Mearns, and Montrofe, being conveened in the town of Perth, in the name of Jefus Chrift, for forth fetting of his glory, understanding nothing more neceffary for the fame than to keep a conftant amity, unity, and fellowship together, according as they are commaunded by God, are confederat, and become bounden and oblift, in the prefence of God, to concur and affift together, in doing all things required of God in his Scripture that may be to his glory; and, at their whole powers, to destroy and away put all things that doth difhonour to his name; fo that God may be trewly and purely worshipped. And, in cafe that any trouble be intended against the faid Congregations, or any part or member thereof, the whole Congregation fball concur, affift, and conveen together, to the defence of the fame congregation or perfon troubled; and fhall not fpare labours, goods, fubftance, bodies, and lives, in maintaining the liberty of the whole Congregation, and every member thereof, against whatfoever power that fhall intend the faid trouble, for caufe of religion, or any other caufe depending thereupon, or lay to their charge, under pretence thereof, although it happen to be coloured with any other outward

ward caufe. In witneffing and teftimony of the which, the whole Congregations aforefaid have ordained and appointed the noblemen, and perfons underwritten, to fubfcribe thir prefents. Arch. Argyle; James Stewart; Glencarne; R. Lord Boid; Wchiltree; Matthew Campbell of Tarmgannar."

THE alarms of the Congregation, with refpect to Perfecution from the Popish party and the Queen Regent, were but too well founded. The Archbishop of St Andrew's having, in vain, tried the force of addrefs on fome of the heads of the Reformation, refolved on feverity; but he was equally unfuccefsful. It was determined to pour out a flood of perfecution on the chief of the Reformers, while the Church fhould exhaust all her thunder: But WALTER MILL, a prieft, was the only victim which he dared to facrifice at this time. His Christian heroifm on the one hand, and the barbarity of his execution on the other, ftruck the Reformed with unfpeakable horror: "By yielding to the light of their confcience, they faw themselves expofed to a cruel death. By conforming to the established faith, they hazarded their falvation *." mutual defence were taken. establish the new form of from the few to the many.

* STUART.

Subfcriptions for

The covenant to religion extended When the lead

ers

ers understood their frength among the people, from the great numbers of fubfcriptions, they refolved to fupplicate the Regent; and, with their fupplication, they prefented a fchedule, containing the preliminary articles of the Reformation which they craved. They alfo addreffed the Council of the Clergy, and the Parliament. The Regent amufed them with ambiguous-anfwers till fhe procured advice from France. She refolved on measures of blood, and led an army against them. But, dreading the unanimity of the Congregation, and their zeal for religion, fhe had recourfe to a negociation. As they had addreffed her for peace, and not for war, a treaty was foon concluded. The treaty was not executed, however, without great fufpicion of her artifice. She ftill harboured defigns of blood in her heart. To prepare against future attacks, the Congregation judged it expedient, juft after the treaty was finished, to form the foregoing Covenant.

A THIRD Covenant is to be found in the fol lowing terms:

"WE, forefecing the craft and fleight of our adverfaries, tending all manner of ways to circumvent us, and, by privey means, intendeth to affayle every one of us, particularly by fair heghts and promifes, therethrough to feparate one of us from another, to our utter ruin and deftruction:

deftruction: For remedy thereof, we faithfully and truly bind us, in the presence of God, and as we tender the maintenance of trew religion, that none of us fhall, in time coming, pafs to the Queen's Grace Dowager, or talk or commune with her, for any letter or meffage fent by her unto us, or yet to be fent, without confent of the reft, and common confultation thereupon: And how foon that either mcffage or writing should come from her unto us, with utter diligence we fhall notifie the fame one to another; fo that nothing fhall proceed therein without common confent of us all. Stirling, the first day of August 1559.”

Att

TREATIES were cheap in the estimation of the Queen Regent; fhe could easily make them, and was ftronger than Sampfon in breaking them. By a treachery abfolutely fyftematic and incurable, fhe violated the treaty made with the Congregation, affembled at Perth, as rapidly as poffible. The Congregation again betake themselves to arms. Negociation and. fkirmishing fucceeded each other till, on the 24th of July 1559, a treaty was concluded, allowing the Congregation the free exercise of their religion. Immediately after the publication of this accommodation, the Congregation affembled at Stirling, and entered into the above Covenant.