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ers of them to be punished, Act 2 5. Parl. 11. K. Ja. VI. do condemn the monuments and dregs of bygone idolatry, as going to croffes, observing the festival days of faints, and such other fuperftitious and papistical rites, to the dishonour of God, contempt of true religion, and foftering of great error among the people; and ordains the users of them to be punished for the fecond fault, as idolaters, Act 104. Parl. 7. K. Ja. VI.

Likeas many Acts of parliament are conceived for maintenance of God's true and Christian religion, and the purity thereof, in doctrine and facraments of the true church of God, the liberty and freedom thereof, in her national, fynodal affemblies, presbyteries, feffions, policy, difcipline and jurifdiction thereof; as that purity of religion, and liberty of the church was used, profeffed, exercised, preached, and confeffed according to the reformation of religion in this realm. As for inftance, the 99. Act, Parl. 7. A&t 25. Parl. 1 1. Act 114. Parl. 12. Act 160. Parl. 13. of K. Ja. VI. ratified by the 4. A&t of K. Cha. So that the 6. Act, Parl. 1. and 68. Act, Parl. 6. of K. Ja. VI. in the year of God 1579, declares the minifters of the bleffed evangel, whom God of his mercy had raised up, or hereafter should raise, agreeing with them that then lived, in doctrine and administration of the facraments; and the people that profeffed Christ, as he was then offered in the evangel, and doth communicate with the holy facraments (as in the reformed kirks of this realm they were prefently adminiftrate) according to the Confeffion of Faith; to be the true and holy kirk of Chrift Jefus within this realm. And decerns and declares all and fundry, who either gainfays the word of the evangel received and approved, as the heads of the Confeffion of Faith, profeffed in Parliament, in the year of God 1560, fpecified alfo in the firft Parliament K. Ja. VI. and ratified in this prefent Parliament, more particularly do exprefs; or that refufes the administration of the holy facraments, as they were then miniftrated: to be no members of the faid kirk within this realm, and true religion presently

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profeffed, fo long as they keep themselves fo divided from the fociety of Chrift's body. And the subsequent Act 69. Parl. 6. of K. Ja. VI. declares, that there is no other face of kirk, nor other face of religion, than was presently at that time, by the favour of God, eftablished within this realm: "Which "therefore is ever ftiled God's true religion; Christ's true "religion, the true and Chriftian religion, and a perfect reli"" gion; which, by manifold Acts of Parliament, all within this "realm are bound to" profefs, to fubfcribe the articles thereof, the Confeffion of Faith, to recant all doctrine and errors repugnant to any of the said articles, A& 4. and 9. Parl. I. A&t 45, 46, 47. Parl. 3. A& 71. Parl. 6. Act 106. Parl. 7. A& 24. Parl. 11. Act 123. Parl. 1 2. Act 194. and 197. Parl. 197.Parl. 14. of K. Ja. VI. And all magiftrates, fheriffs, &c. on the one part, are ordained to fearch, apprehend, and punish all contraveeners: for inftance, Act, 5. Parl. 1. Act 104. Parl. 7. Act 25. Parl. 11. K, Ja. VI. and that notwithstanding of the king's majesty's licences on the contrary, which are discharged, and declared to be of no force, in fo far as they tend in any wife to the prejudice and hinder of the execution of the Acts of Parliament against papifts and adverfaries of true religion, Act 106. Parl. 7. K. Ja. VI. On the other part, in the 47. A&t Parl. 3. K. Ja. VI. it is declared and ordained, Seeing the caufe of God's true religion, and his highness's authority are fo joined, as the hurt of the one is common to both; that none fhall be reputed as loyal and faithful fubjects to our sovereign lord, or his authority, but be punishable as rebellers and gainftanders of the fame, who shall not give their confeffion, and make their profeffion of the faid true religion: and that they who after defection fhall give the confeffion of their faith of new, they shall promife to continue therein in time coming, to maintain our fovereign lord's authority, and at the uttermoft of their power to fortify, affift and maintain the true preachers and profeffors of Chrift's religion, against whatsoever enemies and gainftanders of the fame; and namely, a

gainst all fuch, of whatsoever nation, eftate or degree they be of, that have joined and bound themselves, or have affifted, or affifts to fet forward and execute the cruel decrees of the council of Trent, contrary to the true preachers and profeffors of the word of God. Which is repeated, word by word, in the articles of pacification at Perth, the 23d of February 1572, approved by Parliament the last of April 1573, ratified in Parliament 1587, and related Act 123. Parl. 12. of K. Ja. VI. with this addition, "That they are bound to resist "all treasonable uproars and hoftilities raised against the true "religion, the king's majesty, and the true profeffors."

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Likeas, all lieges are bound to maintain the king's majesty's royal person and authority, the authority of Parliaments, without the which, neither any laws or lawful judicatories can be established, Act 130, and 131. Parl. 8. K. Ja. VI. and the fubjects liberties, who ought only to live and be govern-, ed by the king's laws, the common laws of this realm allenarly, Act 4 8. Parl. 3. K. Ja. I. Act 19. Parl. 6. K. Ja. IV. repeated in the Act 131. Parl. 8. K. Ja. VI. Which if they be enovated and prejudged, "the commiffion anent the union of "the two kingdoms of Scotland and England, which is the "fole act of the 17. Parl. of K. Ja. VI. declares," Such confufion would enfue, as this realm could be no more a free monarchy: becaufe, by the fundamental laws, antient privileges, offices and liberties of this kingdom, not only the princely authority of his majesty's royal defcent hath been these many ages manintained; but alfo the peoples fecurity of their lands, livings, rights, offices, liberties and dignities, preferved. And therefore, for the preservation of the faid true religion, laws and liberties of this kingdom, it is ftatute by the 8. Act, Parl. 1. repeated in the 99. Act, Parl. 7. ratified in the 23. Act, Parl. 11. and 11 4. A&t, Parl. 12. of K. Ja. VI, and 4. Act, Parl. 1. of K. Char. I. That all kings and princes at their coronation, and reception of their princely authority, fhall make their faithful promife of their folemn oath, in the

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prefence of the eternal God, that, enduring the whole time of their lives, they fhall ferve the fame eternal God, to the uttermost of their power, according as he hath required in his most holy word, contained in the Old and new Teftaments. And, according to the fame word, shall maintain the true religion of Christ Jefus, the preaching of his holy word, the due and right miniftration of the facraments, now received and preached within this realm (according to the Confeffion of Faith immediately preceeding) and fhall abolish, and gainstand all false religion contrary to the fame; and fhall rule the people committed to their charge, according to the will and command of God revealed in his forefaid word, and according to the laudable laws and conftitutions received in this realm, nowife repugnant to the faid will of the eternal God; and fhall procure, to the uttermost of their power, to the kirk of God, and whole Chriftian people, true and perfect peace in all time coming: and that they fhall be careful to root out of their empire, all hereticks and enemies to the true worship of God, who shall be convicted by the true kirk of God of the forefaid crimes. Which was alfo obferved by his majesty, at his coronation in Edinburgh 1633, as may be feen in the order of the coronation.

In obedience to the commandment of God, conform to the practice of the godly in former times, and according to the laudable example of our worthy and religious progenitors, and of many yet living amongst us, which was warranted alfo by act of council, commanding a general band to be made and fubfcribed by his majesty's fubjects of all ranks; for two caufes: one was, For defending the true religion as it was then reformed, and is expreffed in the Confeffion of Faith abovewritten, and a former large Confeffion established by fundry Acts of lawful General Affemblies and of Parliaments, unto which it hath relation, fet down in publick Catechifms; aud which had been for many years, with a bleffing from heaven, preached and profeffed in this kirk and kingdom, as God's

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undoubted truth, grounded only upon his written word. The other caufe was, for maintaining the king's majesty, his perfon and estate; the true worship of God and the king's authority being so straitly joined as that they had the fame friends. and common enemies, and did stand and fall together. And finally, being convinced in our minds, and confeffing with our mouths, that the present and fucceeding generations in this land are bound to keep the forefaid national oath and fubfcription inviolable;

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We noblemen, barons, gentlemen, burgeffes, ministers, and commons under-fubfcribing, confidering divers times before, and especially at this time, the danger of the true reformed religion, of the king's honour, and of the publick peace of the kingdom, by the manifold innovations and evils generally contained, and particularly mentioned in our late fupplicati ons, complaints and proteftations; do hereby profess, and before God, his angels, and the world, folemnly declare, That with our whole heart we agree, and refolve all the days of our life conftantly to adhere unto and to defend the forefaid true religion. And forbearing the practice of all novations already introduced in the matters of the worship of God, or approbation of the corruptions of the publick government of the kirk, or civil places and power of kirkmen, till they be tried and allowed in free Affemblies and in Parliaments; to labour by all means lawful, to recover the purity and liberty of the gofpel, as it was established and profeffed before the forefaid novations. And because, after due examination, we plainly perceive, and undoubtedly believe, that the innovations. and evils contained in our fupplications, complaints and proteftations, have no warrant of the word of God, are contrary to the articles of the forefaid confeffion, to the intention and meaning of the bleffed reformers of religion in this land, to the above-written Acts of Parliament; and do fenfibly tend to the re-establishing of the popish religion and tyranny, and to the fubverfion and ruin of the true reformed religion, and of Hh 3

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