with by many.  Yes, some have superstitiously made use of the Scriptures as a fortune book, looking to that which first cast up to them, or to impressions borne in upon their minds from such and such places of Scripture as Divine responses, without a due search of them as the Lord hath commanded.  And many wavering and unstable souls have been seduced unto damnable and pernicious heresies, as Quakers, and delirious delusions, as those that followed John Gib.  All which have been breaches of Covenant, as well as of Divine commands.  Yea, even to this very day, the same superstitions are observed and practised, as abstaining from labouring upon the foresaid festivities, and observing presages of good or tad fortune (as it is called,) upon them and other times; as likewise, many practisers of enchantments and users of charms—­yea, such as are in actual compact with the devil, are not carefully sought out, nor accurately tried, in order to be brought to punishment, but overlooked and protected.

There has been also since the revolution, as well as before, a great deluge of errors through these covenanted lands, which, to this day, continue and increase:  that might be sufficient to convince us that there have not been proper measures taken to suppress them, as this article obliges us to do;—­nay, instead thereof, they are tolerated, maintained, and protected by authority, as appears both from the late Act of Parliament, and from the liberty allowed to that pestilent generation of Quakers, who keep their general meetings yearly in Edinburgh, being guarded by a company of the town guards.  And as the state do not prosecute the promoters and abettors of these heresies with civil pains, as is the duty of such as call themselves God’s vicegerents, and own themselves to be intrusted with keeping of both tables of the law; so the church is nothing speedier or more active in drawing out their ecclesiastical sword to cut off these luxurant branches, and to take the little foxes which spoil the wines.  Many whose duty, by virtue of their office, is to give warning from Zion’s walls, as watchmen entrusted with the city of God, neglect to discover, and from the scriptures to confute these errors, or to show their flocks by doctrine or writing the danger of being tainted with them.  And as suitable endeavours have been wanting effectually to extirpate heresy and error, so schism, its inseparable companion, and necessary consequent, has exceedingly grown and increased, to the great damage of the church of Christ in these kingdoms, and utter subversion of that most pleasant fabric of uniformity in religion, which the League and Covenant binds us to endeavour.  The word of God makes schism a very great sin, as is evident from Rom. xvi. 17; 1 Cor. xi. 18, xii. 25; Heb. x. 25; Jude 19.