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THE NATIONAL COVENANT, OR 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 Band for the maintenance of the true religion, and the King’s person:  And subscribed in the year 1638, by the Noblemen, Barons, Gentlemen, Burgesses, Ministers and Commons, then under-subscribing; together with their resolution and promises for the causes after specified, to maintain the True Religion, and the King’s Majesty, according to the Confession aforesaid and Acts of Parliament; And upon the supplication of the General Assembly to his Majesty’s High Commissioner, and the Lords of his Majesty’s honorable Privy Council.  Subscribed again in the year 1639, by Ordinance of Council, and Acts of General Assembly, &c., &c.  The Tenor whereof here followeth.

We all, and every one of us underwritten, protest, that after long and due examination of our own consciences in matters of true and false religion, we are now thoroughly resolved in 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, revealed to the world by the preaching of the blessed evangel; and is received, believed, and defended by many and sundry notable kirks and realms, but chiefly by the Kirk of Scotland, and sometimes by the King’s Majesty, and the 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 publickly confirmed by sundry Acts of Parliaments, and now of a long time have 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 own 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 tyrranous 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 offices of Christ, and his blessed evangel:  His