oaths and bonds restraining the takers from all endeavours to preserve it, as those that renounced the privilege of defensive arms; some of them abjuring the covenants expressly, and condemning the prosecution of the ends of them as rebellion, viz., the declaration and test; the most part did, Issachar like, crouch beneath all the burthens of maintaining and defending an arbitrary power and absolute tyranny, wholly employed and applied for the destruction of reformation, and paid such subsidies and supplies as were declaredly imposed for upholding the tyrant’s usurpations, and suppressing all endeavours to preserve the reformation.”

And after the Lord was pleased in mercy to break the rod of oppression, and burst the bands of that horrid tyranny from off his people’s necks, and to allow us a time of peace and ease; yet have we not made conscience of keeping this our oath; but instead of all lawful means to preserve the discipline and government of this church, there have been frequent invasions made thereupon by the civil powers, exercising an Erastian supremacy over her assemblies, by indicting, prorogueing, and dissolving them at their pleasure, and in their name and authority; whereby Christ’s supremacy and kingly dignity was highly injured.  And as the state for their part have, contrary to this article, made these usurpations upon the government of the church, so have backslidden ministers in their stations shamefully succumbed to, been silent at, and pleaded in defence of these usurpations, and have not zealously and faithfully asserted their Master’s prerogatives, and the privileges of his church, sacrilegiously encroached upon by the magistrate.  And people likewise have, in their stations, been unconcerned about these wrongs and injuries done to Christ, and have not used all lawful endeavour with their superiors (which they own as such,) whether of church or state, in order to reformation thereof, nor made faithful protestations against them, when they could not obtain redress—­and as the government of the church has not been duly preserved; so there has been a want of constant endeavours to preserve pure the doctrine of this reformed church; and that ever since that fatal distraction of public resolution principles began to creep into the church, which corrupted people in that doctrine of abstaining from association with malignants and enemies to truth and godliness, and so far prevailed that the avowed enemies of religion were brought into places of greatest trust and authority.  And these associations have not been made only with the haters of religion at home, but are also entered into with the enemies to the Protestant religion abroad; and many backsliding ministers in the late times of tyranny were very faulty in this point of not labouring to preserve the purity of doctrine, either by express condemning of some important truths then persecuted, or at least in being silent and not asserting them, nor applying their doctrine to the time’s corruptions;