ted to this country, for the maintaining of his kirk and miniftration of justice amongst us; we proteft and promife with our hearts, under the fame oath, handwrit, and pains, that we fhall defend his perfon and au. thority with our goods, bodies and lives, in the defence of Chrift his evangel, liberties of our country, ministration of justice, and punishment of iniquity, against all enemies within this realm or without, as we delire our God to be a ftrong and merciful defender to us in the day of our death, and coming of our Lord Jefus Chrift: to whom, with the Father and the holy Spirit, be all honour and glory eternally.

IKE as many acts of parliament, not only in gene

Lral do abrogate, ampul and refcind all laws, fta

A

tutes, acts, conflitutions, canons civil or municipal, with all other ordinances, and practique penalties whatfoever, made in prejudice of the true religion and profeffors thereof; or of the true kirk difcipline, jurifdiction, and freedom thereof; or, in favours of idolatry a and fuperftition; or, of the papiftical kirk; as, Act 3. Act 31 Parl. 1. A 23. Parl. 11. Act 114§. Part 12 of king James VI. that papiftry and fuperftition may be utterly fuppreffed, according to the intention of the acts of parliament, repeated in the 5 Act Parl. 20. King James VI. And to that end they ordain all papifts and priests to be punished by manifold civil and ecclefiaftical pains, as adverfaries to God's true religion, preached, and by law established within this realm, Act 24. Parl. 11. King J. VI. as common enemies to all chriftian government, Act 18. Parl. 16. king Ja VI. as rebellers and gainftanders of our fovereign Lord's authority, Act 47. Parl. 3. King Ja. VI. and as idolaters, Act 104. Parl. 7. King Ja. VI. But alfo in particular, by and attour the Confeffion of Faith, do

In the act of parliament, it Practics penal.

116. The acts of parliament are quoted according to Sir John Skern's edition, in which the acts are in fome places wrong numbered as they are likewife in Glendock's folio edition: the numbers on the foot-margin, are according to Glendock's edition in 12mo.

Profeffed,

do abolish and condemn the pope's authority and jurifdiction 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. K. Ja. VI. do condemn the pope's erroneous doctrine, or any other er roneous 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 fpreaders and makers of books or libels, or letters or writs of that nature, to be punished, Act 46. Parl. 3. A&t 06. Parl. 7. Act 24. Parl. 11. K. James VI. dofcondemn all baptifm conform to the pope's kirk, and the idolatry of the mafs; and ordains all fayers, wilful hearers, and concealers of the mafs, the maintainers and refetters of the priests, Jefuits, traffiquing papists, to be punished without any exception or reftriction," A&5. Parl. 1. Act 120 †. Parl. 12, Act 164 ||. Parl. 13. Act 193*, Parl. 14. Act. Parl. 19. Act 5. Parl. 20. K. James VI. do condemn all erroneous books and writs, containing erroneous doctrine against the religion prefently profeffed, or containing fuperftitious rites and ceremonies papiftical, whereby the people are greatly abufed; and ordains the home bringers of them to be punished, Act 2 25. Parl. 11. K. James VI. do condemn the monuments and dregs of by gone idolatry, as going to croffes, obferving the festival days of faints, and fuch other fuperftitious and papiftical rites, to the difhonour of God, contempt of true religion, and fostering of great error among the people; and ordains the ufers of them to be punished for the fecond fault, as idolaters, Act 104. Parl. 7. K. Ja. VI.

Like as many acts of parliament are conceived for maintenance of God's true and chriftian 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, prefbyteries, feffions, policy, difcipline and jurifdiction thereof: as that purity of religion and liberty of the church was ufed, profeffed, exerciled, preached, and confeffed ac cording

ording to the reformation of religion in this realm. As for instance, the 99 Act Parl. 7. Act 23. Parl. 11. A& 114 °, Parl. 12. A&t 160. Parl. 13. of K. Jam. VI. ra. tified by the 4. Act of K. Charles. So that the 6. A&, Parl. 1. and 68 Act, Par. 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 hereaf ter fhould arife, 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 fa craments (as in the reformed kirks of this realm they were prefently administrate) according to the Confeffion of Faith; to be the true and holy kirk of Chrift Jelus 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 confeflion of Faith, proteffed in parliament in the year of God 560, fpecified alfo in the first parliament of K Jam. VI. and ratified in this prefent parliament, more particularly do exprefs; or that refufes the adminiftration of the holy facraments, as they were then mini◄ ftrated: to be no members of the faid kirk within this realm, and true religion prefently profeffed, fo long as they keep themselves fo divided from the fociety of Chrift's body. And the fubfequent Act 69 Par.6. of K. Jam. VI. declares, That there is no other face of kirk, nor other face of religion, than was prefently at that time, by the favour of God, eftablished within this realm: which therefore is ever ftyled God's true religion, Chrift'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 profefs, to fubfcribe the articles thereof, the Confeffion of Faith, to recant all doctrines and errors repugnant to any of the faid articles, Act 4. and 9. Parl. 1. Acts 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. Jam. VI. And all magiftrates, Sheriffs, &c. on the

one part, are ordained to fearch, apprehend, and pu nish all contraveeners: for inftance, Act 5. Parl. 1. Act 104 Parl, 7. A&t 25. Parl. 11. K. Ja. VI. and that notwithstanding of the king's majefty's licences on the contrary, which are difcharged, and declared to be of no force, in fo far as they tend, in any ways, 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. Jam. VI. On the other part, in the 47. Act Parl. 3. K. Ja. VI, it is declared and ordained, feeing the cause of God's true religion, and his highness authority are so joined, as the burt of the one is common to both, that none fhall be reputed as loyal and faithful fubjects to our fovereign Lord or his author ty, 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 confeflion of their faith of new, they fhall pro mile to continue therein in time coming, to maintain our fovereign lord's authority; and at the uttermost 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, against all fuch of what oever nation, eftate or degree they be of, that have joined and bound themfelves, 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 Feb. 1572, approved by parliament the lalt of April 1573, ratified in parliament 1587, and related Act 123, Parl. 12. of K. Jam. VI. with this addition, That they are bound to refilt all treafonable uproars and hoftilities raifed againit the true religion, the king's majesty, and the true profeffors.'

Likeas all lieges are bound to maintain the king's

Some copies have true religion others have evangel.

ma

H 1259

majesty's royal perfon 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. Jam. VI. and the fubjects liberties, who ought only to live and be governed by the king's laws, the common laws of this realni allenarly, Act 48. Parl. 3. K. Jam. I. Act 79. Parl. 6. K. Jam. IV. repeated in the Act 131. Parl 8 K Jam. VI. Which, if they be innovated or prejudged, the commiffion anent the union of the two kingdoms of Scotland and Eng. land, which is the fole act of the 17. Parl. of K. Ja. VI. declares, fuch confufion would enfue, as this realm could be no more a free monarchy: because by the foundamental laws, ancient privileges, offices and liberties of this kingdom, not only the princely. authority of his majelty's royal defcent hath been thefe many ages maintained; but also the peoples fecurity of their lands, livings, rights, offices, liberties and dignities preserved. And therefore, for the prefervation 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 14 Act, Parl. 12. of K. Jam. 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 by their folemn oath in the 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 moft holy word, contained in the Old and New Teftaments. And, according to the fame word, fhall maintain the true religion at Chrift 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 gainftand all falfe religion contrary to the fame, and fhall rule the people committed to their charge, according to the will and command of God.

116.

revealed