[February 37, 1638. Rushworth, ii.
734. See Hist. of Engl viii. 329.]
The confession of faith of the Kirk of
Scotland, subscribed at first by the King’s Majesty and his household in
the year of God 1580; thereafter by persons of all ranks in the year
1581, by ordinance of the lords of the secret council, and acts of the
general assembly; subscribed again by all sorts of persons in the year
1590, by a new ordinance of council, at the desire of the general
assembly; with a general band for the maintenance of the true religion,
and the King’s person, and now subscribed in the year 1638, by us
noblemen, barons, gentlemen, burgesses, ministers, and commons under
subscribing; together with our resolution and promises for the causes
after specified, to maintain the said true religion, and the King’s
Majesty, according to the confession aforesaid, and Acts of Parliament;
the tenure whereof here followeth. We all, and every one of us
underwritten, do protest, that after long and due examination of our own
consciences in matters of true and false religion, we are now thoroughly
resolved of the truth, by the word and spirit of God; and therefore we
believe with our hearts, confess with our mouths, subscribe with our
hands, and constantly affirm before God and the whole world, that this
only is the true Christian faith and religion, pleasing God, and
bringing salvation to man, which now is by the mercy of God revealed to
the world by the preaching of the blessed evangel, and received,
believed, and defended by many and sundry notable kirks and realms, but
chiefly by the Kirk of Scotland, the King’s Majesty, and three estates
of this realm, as God’s eternal truth and only ground of our salvation;
as more particularly is expressed in the confession of our faith,
established and publicly confirmed by sundry Acts of Parliament; and now
of a long time hath been openly professed by the King’s Majesty, and
whole body of this realm, both in burgh and land. To the which
confession and form of religion we willingly agree in our consciences in
all points, as unto God’s undoubted truth and verity, grounded only upon
His written Word; and therefore we abhor and detest all contrary
religion and doctrine, but chiefly all kind of papistry in general and
particular heads, even as they are now damned and confuted by the Word
of God and Kirk of Scotland. But in special we detest and refuse the
usurped authority of that Roman Antichrist upon the Scriptures of God,
upon the Kirk, the civil magistrate, and consciences of men; all his
tyrannous laws made upon indifferent things against our Christian
liberty; his erroneous doctrine against the sufficiency of the written
Word, the perfection of the law, the office of Christ and His blessed
evangel; his corrupted doctrine concerning original sin, our natural
inability and rebellion to God’s law, our justification by faith only,
our imperfect sanctification and obedience to the law, the nature,
number, and use of the holy sacraments; his five bastard sacraments,
with all his rites, ceremonies, and false doctrine, added to the
ministration of the true sacraments, without the Word of God; his cruel
judgments against infants departing without the sacrament; his absolute
necessity of baptism; his blasphemous opinion of transubstantiation or
real presence of Christ’s body in the elements, and receiving of the
same by the wicked, or bodies of men; his dispensations, with solemn
oaths, perjuries, and degrees of marriage, forbidden in the Word; his
cruelty against the innocent divorced; his devilish mass; his
blasphemous priesthood; his profane sacrifice for the sins of the dead
and the quick; his canonization of men, calling upon angels or saints
departed, worshipping of imagery, relics, and crosses; dedicating of
kirks, altars, days, vows to creatures; his purgatory, prayers for the
dead, praying or speaking in a strange language; with his processions
and blasphemous litany, and multitude of advocates or mediators; his
manifold orders, auricular confession; his desperate and uncertain
repentance; his general and doubtsome faith; his satisfactions of men
for their sins; his justification by works, opus operatum, works of
supererogation, merits, pardons, peregrinations and stations; his holy
water, baptizing of bells, conjuring of spirits, crossing, saning,
anointing, conjuring, hallowing of God’s good creatures, with the
superstitious opinion joined therewith; his worldly monarchy and wicked
hierarchy; his three solemn vows, with all his shavelings of sundry
sorts; his erroneous and bloody decrees made at Trent, with all the
subscribers and approvers of that cruel and bloody band conjured against
the Kirk of God. And finally, we detest all his vain allegories, rites,
signs, and traditions, brought in the Kirk without or against the Word
of God, and doctrine of this true reformed Kirk. To which we join
ourselves willingly, in doctrine, religion, faith, discipline, and life
of the holy sacraments, as lively members of the same, in Christ our
head, promising and swearing, by the great name of the Lord our God,
that we shall continue in the obedience of the doctrine and discipline
of this Kirk, and shall defend the same according to our vocation and
power all the days of our lives, under the pains contained in the law,
and danger both of body and soul in the day of God’s fearful judgment.
And seeing that many are stirred up by Satan and that Roman Antichrist,
to promise, swear, subscribe, and for a time use the holy sacraments in
the Kirk, deceitfully against their own consciences, minding thereby,
first under the external cloak of religion, to corrupt and subvert
secretly God’s true religion within the Kirk; and afterwards, when time
may serve, to become open enemies and persecutors of the same, under
vain hope of the Pope’s dispensation, devised against the Word of God,
to his great confusion, and their double condemnation in the day of the
Lord Jesus.
We therefore, willing to take away all
suspicion of hypocrisy, and of such double dealing with God and His
Kirk, protest and call the Searcher of all hearts for witness, that our
minds and hearts do fully agree with this our confession, promise, oath,
and subscription: so that we are not moved for any worldly respect, but
are persuaded only in our consciences, through the knowledge and love of
God’s true religion printed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, as we
shall answer to Him in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall be
disclosed. And because we perceive that the quietness and stability of
our religion and Kirk doth depend upon the safety and good behaviour of
the King’s Majesty, as upon a comfortable instrument of God’s mercy
granted to this country for the maintenance of His Kirk, and
ministration of justice among us, we protest and promise with our hearts
under the same oath, hand-writ, and pains, that we shall defend his
person and authority with our goods, bodies, and lives, in the defence
of Christ His evangel, liberties of our country, ministration of
justice, and punishment of iniquity, against all enemies within this
realm or without, as we desire our God to be a strong and merciful
defender to us in the day of our death, and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ; to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and
glory eternally.
Like as many Acts of Parliament not
only in general do abrogate, annul, and rescind all laws, statutes,
acts, constitutions, canons civil or municipal, with all other
ordinances and practick penalties whatsoever, made in prejudice of the
true religion, and professors thereof, or of the true Kirk discipline,
jurisdiction, and freedom thereof; or in favours of idolatry and
superstition; or of the papistical kirk (as Act 3. Act 31. Parl. I. Act
23. Parl. 11. Act 114. Parl. 12, of K. James VI), that papistry and
superstition may be utterly suppressed, according to the intention of
the Acts of Parliament reported in Act 5. Parl. 20. K. James VI. And to
that end they ordained all papists and priests to be punished by
manifold civil and ecclesiastical pains, as adversaries to God’s true
religion preached, and by law established within this realm (Act. 24.
Parl. 11. K. James VI) as common enemies to all Christian government
(Act 18. Parl. 16. K. James VI), as rebellers and gainstanders of our
Sovereign Lord’s authority (Act 47. Parl. 3. K. James VI), and as
idolaters (Act 104. Parl. 7. K. James VI), but also in particular (by
and attour the confession of faith) do abolish and condemn the Pope’s
authority and jurisdiction out of this land, and ordains the maintainers
thereof to be punished (Act 2. Parl. 1. Act. 51. Parl. 3. Act 106. Parl.
7. Act 114. Parl. 12. of K. James VI); do condemn the Pope’s erroneous
doctrine, or any other erroneous doctrine repugnant to any of the
Articles of the true and Christian religion publicly preached, and by
law established in this realm; and ordains the spreaders or makers of
books or libels, or letters or writs of that nature, to be punished (Act
46. Parl. 3. Act 106. Parl. 7. Act 24. Parl. 11. K.James VI); do condemn
all baptism conform to the Pope’s kirk, and the idolatry of the Mass;
and ordains all sayers, wilful hearers, and concealers of the Mass, the
maintainers and resetters of the Priests, Jesuits, trafficking Papists,
to be punished without exception or restriction (Act 5. Parl. I. Act
120. Parl. 12. Act 164. Parl. 13. Act 193. Parl. 14. Act. I. Parl. 19.
Act 5. Parl. 20 K. James VI); do condemn all erroneous books and writs
containing erroneous doctrine against the religion presently professed,
or containing superstitious rights and ceremonies papistical, whereby
the people are greatly abused; and ordains the home-bringers of them to
be punished (Act 25. Parl. 11. K. James VI); do condemn the monuments
and dregs of bygone idolatry, as going to crosses, observing the
festival days of saints, and such other superstitious and papistical
rites, to the dishonour of God, contempt of true religion, and fostering
of great errors among the people, and ordains the users of them to be
punished for the second fault as idolaters (Act 104. Parl. 7. K. James
VI).
Like as many Acts of Parliament are
conceived for maintenance of God’s true and Christian religion, and the
purity thereof in doctrine and sacraments of the true Church of God, the
liberty and freedom thereof in her national synodal assemblies,
presbyteries, sessions, policy, discipline, and jurisdiction thereof, as
that purity of religion and liberty of the Church was used, professed,
exercised, preached, and confessed according to the reformation of
religion in this realm. (As for instance: Act 99. Parl. 7. Act 23. Parl
11. Act 114. Parl. 12. Act 160. Parl. 13. K. James VI, ratified by Act
4. K. Charles.) So that Act 6. Parl. I. and Act 68. Parl. 6. of K. James
VI, in the year of God 1579, declares the ministers of the blessed
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
sacraments, and the people that professed Christ as He was then offered
in the evangel, and doth communicate with the holy sacraments (as in the
reformed Kirks of this realm they were presently administered) according
to the confession of faith to be the true and holy Kirk of Christ Jesus
within this realm, and discerns and declares all and sundry, who either
gainsays the word of the evangel, received and approved as the heads of
the confession of faith, professed in Parliament in the year of God
1560, specified also in the first Parliament of K. James VI, and
ratified in this present Parliament, more particularly do specify; or
that refuses the administration of the holy sacraments as they were then
ministrated, to be no members of the said Kirk within this realm and
true religion presently professed, so long as they keep themselves so
divided from the society of Christ’s body. And the subsequent Act 69.
Parl. 6. K. James 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 established within this realm, which therefore is ever styled God’s
true religion, Christ’s true religion, the true and Christian religion,
and a perfect religion, which by manifold Acts of Parliament all within
this realm are bound to profess to subscribe the Articles thereof, the
confession of faith, to recant all doctrine and errors repugnant to any
of the said Articles (Act 4 and 9. Parl. 1. Act 45. 46. 47. Parl. 3. Act
71. Parl. 6. Act 106. Parl. 7. Act 24. Parl. 11. Act 123. Parl. 12. Act
194 and 197. Parl. 14 of K. James VI). And all magistrates, sheriffs,
&c., on the one part, are ordained to search, apprehend, and punish all
contraveners (for instance, Act 5. Parl. I. Act 104. Parl. 7. Act 2 5.
Parl. 11. K. James 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 so far as they tend in any ways to the prejudice and
hindrance of the execution of the Acts of Parliament against Papists and
adversaries of the true religion (Act 106. Parl. 7. K. James VI). On the
other part, in Act 47. Parl. 3. K. James VI, it is declared and
ordained, seeing the cause of God’s true religion and His Highness’s
authority are so joined as the hurt of the one is common to both; and
that none shall be reputed as loyal and faithful subjects to our
Sovereign Lord or his authority, but be punishable as rebellers and
gainstanders of the same, who shall not give their confession and make
profession of the said true religion; and that they, who after defection
shall give the confession of their faith of new, they shall promise to
continue therein in time coming, to maintain our Sovereign Lord’s
authority, and at the uttermost of their power to fortify, assist, and
maintain the true preachers and professors of Christ’s religion, against
whatsoever enemies and gainstanders of the same; and namely, against all
such of whatsoever nation, estate, or degree they be of, that have
joined or bound themselves, or have assisted or assists to set forward
and execute the cruel decrees of Trent, contrary to the preachers and
true professors of the Word of God, which is repeated word by word in
the Articles of Pacification at Perth, the 23rd of Feb., 1572, approved
by Parliament the last of April 1573, ratified in Parliament 1578, and
related Act 123. Parl. 12. of K. James VI, with this addition, that they
are bound to resist all treasonable uproars and hostilities raised
against the true religion, the King’s Majesty and the true professors.
Like as all lieges are bound to
maintain the King’s Majesty’s royal person and authority, the authority
of Parliaments, without which neither any laws or lawful judicatories
can be established (Act 130. Act 131. Parl. 8. K. James VI), and the
subjects’ liberties, who ought only to live and be governed by the
King’s laws, the common laws of this realm allanerly (Act 48. Parl. 3.
K. James I, Act 79. Parl. 6. K. James VI, repeated in Act 131. Parl. 8.
K. James VI), which if they be innovated or prejudged the commission
anent the union of the two kingdoms of Scotland and England, which is
the sole Act of 17 Parl. James VI, declares such confusion would ensue
as this realm could be no more a free monarchy; because by the
fundamental laws, ancient privileges, offices, and liberties of this
kingdom, not only the princely authority of His Majesty’s royal descent
hath been these many ages maintained, also the people’s security of
their lands, livings, rights, offices, liberties and dignities
preserved. And therefore for the preservation of the said true religion,
laws and liberties of this kingdom, it is statute by Act 8. Parl. 1.
repeated in Act 99. Parl. 7. ratified in Act 23. Parl, 11 and 14. Act of
K. James VI and 4 Act of K. Charles, that all Kings and Princes at their
coronation and reception of their princely authority, shall make their
faithful promise by their solemn oath in the presence of the Eternal
God, that daring the whole time of their lives they shall serve the same
Eternal God to the utmost of their power, according as He hath required
in His most Holy Word, contained in the Old and New Testaments, and
according to the same Word shall maintain the true religion of Christ
Jesus, the preaching of His Holy Word, the due and right ministration of
the sacraments now received and preached within this realm (according to
the confession of faith immediately preceding); and shall abolish and
gainstand all false religion contrary to the same; and shall rule the
people committed to their charge according to the will and commandment
of God revealed in His foresaid Word, and according to the lowable laws
and constitutions received in this realm, no ways repugnant to the said
will of the Eternal God; and shall procure to the utmost of their power,
to the Kirk of God, and whole Christian people, true and perfect peace
in all time coining; and that they shall be careful to root out of their
Empire all heretics and enemies to the true worship of God, who shall be
convicted by the true Kirk of God of the aforesaid crimes. Which was
also observed by His Majesty at his Coronation in Edinburgh, 1633, as
may be seen in the Order of the Coronation. In obedience to the commands
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 also
by act of council, commanding a general band to be made and subscribed
by His Majesty’s subjects of all ranks for two causes: one was, for
defending the true religion, as it was then reformed, and is expressed
in the confession of faith above written, and a former large confession
established by sundry acts of lawful general assemblies and of
Parliament, unto which it hath relation, set down in public catechisms,
and which had been for many years with a blessing from heaven preached
and professed in this Kirk and kingdom, as God’s undoubted truth
grounded only upon His written Word. The other cause was for maintaining
the King’s Majesty, his person and estate; the true worship of God and
the King’s authority being so straitly joined, as that they had the same
friends and common enemies, and did stand and fall together. And
finally, being convinced in our minds, and confessing with our mouths,
that the present and succeeding generations in this land are bound to
keep the aforesaid national oath and subscription inviolable:
We noblemen, barons, gentlemen,
burgesses, ministers, and commons under subscribing, considering divers
times before, and especially at this time, the danger of the true
reformed religion, of the King’s honour, and of the public peace of the
kingdom, by the manifold innovations and evils generally contained and
particularly mentioned in our late supplications, complaints, and
protestations, do hereby profess, and before God, His angels and the
world, solemnly declare, that with our whole hearts we agree and resolve
all the days of our life constantly to adhere unto and to defend the
aforesaid 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 public government of the Kirk, or civil places
and power of kirkmen, till they be tried and allowed in free assemblies
and in Parliaments, to labour by all means lawful to rec ver the purity
and liberty of the Gospel as it was established and professed before the
aforesaid novations; and because, after due examination, we plainly
perceive and undoubtedly believe that the innovations and evils
contained in our supplications, complaints, and protestations have no
warrant of the Word of God, are contrary to the articles of the
aforesaid confessions, to the intention and meaning of the blessed
reformers of religion in this land, to the above-written Acts of
Parliament, and do sensibly tend to the re-establishing of the popish
religion and tyranny, and to the subversion and ruin of the true
reformed religion, and of our liberties, laws and estates; we also
declare that the aforesaid confessions are to be interpreted, and ought
to be understood of the aforesaid novations and evils, no less than if
every one of them had been expressed in the aforesaid confessions; and
that we are obliged to detest and abhor them, amongst other particular
heads of papistry abjured therein; and therefore from the knowledge and
conscience of our duty to God, to our King and country, without any
worldly respect or inducement so far as human infirmity will suffer,
wishing a further measure of the grace of God for this effect, we
promise and swear by the great name of the Lord our God. to continue in
the profession and obedience of the aforesaid religion; that we shall
defend the same, and resist all these contrary errors and corruptions
according to our vocation, and to the utmost of that power that God hath
put into our hands, all the days of our life. And in like manner, with
the same heart we declare before God and men, that we have no intention
or desire to attempt anything that may turn to the dishonour of God or
the diminution of the King’s greatness and authority; but on the
contrary we promise and swear that we shall to the utmost of our power,
with our means and lives, stand to the defence of our dread Sovereign
the King’s Majesty, his person and authority, in the defence and
preservation of the aforesaid true religion, liberties and laws of the
kingdom; as also to the mutual defence and assistance every one of us of
another, in the same cause of maintaining the true religion and His
Majesty’s authority, with our best counsels, our bodies, means and whole
power, against all sorts of persons whatsoever; go that whatsoever shall
be done to the least of us for that cause shall be taken as done to us
all in general, and to every one of us in particular; and that we shall
neither directly or indirectly suffer ourselves to be divided or
withdrawn by whatsoever suggestion, combination, allurement or terror
from this blessed and oyal conjunction; nor shall cast in any let
or impediment that may stay or hinder any such resolution as by common
consent shall be found to conduce for so good ends; but on the contrary
shall by all lawful means labour to further and promote the same; and if
any such dangerous and divisive motion be made to us by word or writ, we
and every one of us shall either suppress it or (if need be) shall
incontinently make the same known, that it may be timously obviated.
Neither do we fear the foul aspersions of rebellion, combination or what
else our adversaries from their craft and malice would put upon us,
seeing what we do is so well warranted, and ariseth from an unfeigned
desire to maintain the true worship of God, the majesty of our King, and
the peace of the kingdom, for the common happiness of ourselves and
posterity. And because we cannot look for a blessing from God upon our
proceedings, except with our profession and subscription, we join such a
life and conversation as beseemeth Christians who have renewed their
covenant with God; we therefore faithfully promise, for ourselves, our
followers, and all other under us, both in public, in our particular
families and personal carriage, to endeavour to keep ourselves within
the bounds of Christian liberty, and to be good examples to others of
all godliness, soberness and righteousness, and of every duty we owe to
God and man; and that this our union and conjunction may be observed
without violation we call the living God, the searcher of our hearts to
witness, who knoweth this to be our sincere desire and unfeigned
resolution, as we shall answer to Jesus Christ in the great day, and
under the pain of God’s everlasting wrath, and of infamy, and of loss of
all honour and respect in this world; most humbly beseeching the Lord to
strengthen us by His Holy Spirit for this end, and to bless our desires
and proceedings with a happy success, that religion and righteousness
may flourish in the land, to the glory of God, the honour of our King,
and peace and comfort of us all.
In witness whereof we have subscribed
with our hands all the premises, &c.
The
national covenant, and solemn league & covenant
with the acknowledgement of sins and engagement to duties : as they were
renewed at Auchensaugh, near Douglas, 24th July 1712, with accommodation
to the present times by Thomas Henderson (1820) (pdf)
The
National Covenant
1763 (pdf)