“But through the peace and union of the kingdoms (while duly subordinate to the interest of religion) was a great blessing of God unto both, and a bond which we are bound to preserve inviolated, and to endeavor that justice may be done upon the wilful opposers thereof; yet some in this land, who have come under the bond of the Covenant, have made it their great study how to dissolve this union, and few or no endeavors have been used by any of us for punishing of such;” yea, very little, or none at all, have the most of us been concerned about this Article; whether there be peace with, or holiness and truth in, the other kingdoms; or what sort of peace, or on what foundation it be settled:  both kingdoms are mutually guilty of dissolving this Covenant Union, in invading each other, at several times, contrary to the Covenant, the English nation in subjecting us to their conquest, and forcing us to a submission to their Sectarian usurpations on church and state; and this nation, in giving such provocations to them, by the unlawful engagement in the year 1648, by treating with, setting up and entertaining, the head of the malignant party, their enemy and ours both, as our King in the year 1650, and invading them upon his quarrel, at the Worcester expedition, Anno 1651; since which time, after that kingdom and this both united in that unhappy course of restoring the King, without respect to the Covenant, and re-establishing the Prelacy, which broke our Covenanted Union and Conjunction, that nation hath sometimes sent aid to our persecutors, for suppressing our attempts to recover our religion and liberties; and this nation hath sent forces to help their destroyers, and to suppress their endeavors for the recovery of their privileges.  And in the mean time, we have been very little solicitous for correspondence to settle union with such of them as owned the Covenant, or for giving to, or receiving from them, mutual informations of our respective cases and conditions, under all our calamities and calumnies cast upon us:  nor have we studied to keep sympathy or communion of saints, or mutual bearing of one another’s burdens, as became covenanted brethren.

On the other hand instead of union in truth and duty according to the bond of the Covenant, a confederacy hath been studied in defection from the Covenant, and an union and peace which wanted the foundation laid down in the foregoing Articles of the Covenant, viz., “uniformity in doctrine, worship, discipline and government, against Popery, Prelacy, Schism, Sectarianism, for our religion, laws and liberties, and discovering, suppressing and punishing the enemies of these interests.”  Such an Union has not been studied nor sought, but on the contrary an Union against the Reformation and Uniformity, for Prelacy and Sectarianism multiformity, by maintaining tyranny and strengthening malignancy.  Yea, by the means of this incorporating Union now of late established, Prelacy is not only strengthened and confirmed, but