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2. Nor fo onely, but also pretend by Repeal to abrogate fuch Act or Acts. For, fince Ejufdem est poteftatis deftruere cujus est conftituere, it will not fink with us, that a leffer Power can have a juft Right to cancell and annull the A&t of a greater.

3. Efpecially the whole Power of ordering all Matters Ecclefiaftical being by the Laws, (m) in exprefs Words, for ever annexed to the Imperiall Crown of this Realm. And upon what Head that Crown ought to ftand, none can be ignorant.

II. As to the particular Ordinances: thofe that concern the Discipline, first. 1. If under that Title be comprehended the Government allo: we cannot fubmit thereunto, without confenting to the Eradication of a Government of reverent Antiquity in the Church. Which (notwithstanding the feverall Changes of Religion within this Realm) hath yet from Time to Time been continued and confirmed by the Publique Laws and Great Charters of the Kingdom: than which there cannot be a more ample Teftimony that it was ever held agreeable to the Civill Government and the Subjects Liberty. Which alfo the fucceffive Kings of this Realm at their several Coronations have folemnly fworn to preferve. And the Continuance whereof for fundry Reasons before (upon the second Article of the Covenant) fpecified, we heartily wifh and defire.

2. But if the Word Difcipline be taken (as it is in the firft Article of the Covenant) as contra-diftinguished unto the Government: there is fomething even in that alfo, wherein we are not fully fatisfied, viz. the leaving of fo much Power in fo many Perfons, and thofe, many of them of mean Quality, for the keeping back of Thousands of well-meaning Chriftians from the Benefit and Comfort of the bleffed Sacrament. An Aufterity, for which there appeareth not to us any probable Warrant from the Word of God: But which feemeth rather repugnant, as to the generall Principles of Christian Prudence and Charity, fo to the Directions and Practice of St. Paul in particular, 1 Cor. 5. 1, &c. who in a Church abounding with fundry Errors and Corruptions both in Faith and Manners, (having first given Order for the Excommunicating of one onely Perfon, that by fhameless Continuance in a notorious Sin had brought a foul Scandall upon the Gofpell) fufficing himself then with a general Propofal of the great Danger of unworthy Communicating, remitteth every other particular Perfon to a Self-Examination; without any Order either to Minifters or Lay-Elders to exclude any from the Holy Communion upon their Examination. 1 Cor.

11. 28, &c.

III. As to the Ordinance concerning the Directory in particular: we cannot without regret of Confcience, (during our prefent Judgement, and the Continuance of the prefent Laws) confent to the taking away of the Book of Common Prayer.

1. Which by our Subfcriptions most of us have approved; with a folemn Promife therewithall, in the publique Service to use the Form prescribed therein, and no other.

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2. Which, according to our faid Subfcription and Promife, and our bounden Duty according to the Statute (n) in that Cafe provided, we have hitherto used in our Churches, Chappels, and other Oratories, to the great Benefit and Comfort of our Souls.

3. Which we verily believe not to contain any Thing which (with fuch favourable Conftruction as of right ought to be allowed to all Manner of Writings) is not juftly defenfible; which hath not been by learned and godly Men fufficiently maintained, against fuch Exceptions as have been heretofore taken thereat; and which we are not confident (by the Affistance of Almighty God) we shall be able to justifie (as Occafion fhall be offered) against all Papists, and other Oppugners or Depravers thereof whatsoever. 4. Which is established by an Act of Parliament, made (in peaceable Times) by as good and full Authority as any under Heaven can have over us. Which doth fo weigh with us, that as it freeth us from the Neceffity of giving in any particular Exceptions against the Directory, or any Thing therein contained: fo it layeth an inevitable Neceffity upon us of continuing the Form of Prayer therein enjoyned, and of not admitting any Directory or other Form to the Prejudice thereof, till the faid Act fhall by the like good and full Authority be repealed.

In which Statute there is not onely an exprefs Command given to all Minifters for the ufing of the fame; but there are alfo Sanctions of fevere Punishments to be inflicted upon fuch of them as fhall refuse so to do; or fhall preach, declare, or fpeak any thing to the Derogation or Depraving the Book of Common Prayer, or of any Thing therein contained, or any Part thereof, with Punishments alfo to be inflicted upon every other Perfon whatfoever (the Lords of the Parliament not excepted) that shall in like Manner declare or fpeak against the faid Book; or fhall by Deed or Threatening compel, or otherwife procure or maintain any Minifter to fay open Prayer, or to minifter any Sacrament, in any other Manner or Form than is mentioned in the faid Book; or fhall interrupt or hinder. any Minifter in the Ufe of the faid Formes, as by the Words of the faid Statute more at large may appear.

Which Statute also hath had such an univerfal powerful Influence into the fucceeding Times, that in all fuch (0) Statutes as have been fince made against Popish Recufants, the refufing to be prefent at Common-Prayer, or to receive the Sacrament according to the Forms and Rites mentioned in that Book, is expreffed as the moft proper legall Character, whereby to diftinguish a Popish Recufant from a true Proteftant. In fo much that Use hath been made of that very Character in fundry Acts, fince the Beginning of this present Parliament, for the taxing of double Payments upon Recufants.

Thus have we clearly and freely reprefented our prefent Judgment concerning the faid Covenant, Negative Oath, and Ordinances; which upon better Information in any particular, we fhall be ready to rectifie. Only we

(n) x. Eliz

(•) Stat. 23. Eliz. I. C 29. Eliz. 6. 8 35. Eliz 1.2.& 3 Jac. 4. & 5.

defire it may be confidered, that if any one fingle Scruple, or Reafon in any the Premiffes remain unfatisfied, (though we fhould receive full Satisfaction in all the reft) the Confcience would alfo remain ftill unfatisfied. And in that Cafe, it can neither be reasonable for them that cannot fatisfie us to preffe us, not lawful for us that cannot be fatisfied to fubmit to the faid Covenant, Oath and Ordinances.

Quis damnaverit eum, qui duabus potentiffimis rebus defenditur, Jure & mente? Quintil.

Rom. 14. 22. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that which he alloweth.

A True and Exact Copy of a treasonable and bloody Paper, called the Fanaticks New Covenant: Which was taken from Mr. DONALD CARGILL, at QueensFerry, the Third Day of June, Anno Dom. 1680. one of their Field-Preachers, a declared Rebel and Traytor.

Together with their execrable Declaration, published at the Crofs of Sanquhair, upon the Twenty-two Day of the faid Month of June, after a folemn Proceffion and Singing of Pfalms, by CAMERON, the notorious Ringleader of, and Preacher at, their Field Conventicles, accompanied with Twenty of that wicked Crew.

A True and Exact Copy of a Treasonable Paper, &c.

W

'E Under-Subscribers, for our felves, and all that join with us, and adhere to us, being put to it by God, our Confciences, and Men; Do bind our Souls with a folemn and facred Bond, left on the one Hand we should be carried with the Stream of the Apoftacy and Defection of the Church in this Time, and on the other Hand, left we fhould (not being fo engaged) evanish in Vanity, and be without a right Rule in good Defigns: We judged it our Duty again to covenant with God, and one another, and to publifh this DECLARATION to the World of our Purposes, that Men may know our moft inward Thoughts, the Rules that we walk by, and the outmoft Ends that we have before our Eyes for this Intent, that these who are Lovers of God, zealous of His reigning in Glory, and defirous of Reformation, and the Propagation of his Kingdom, may have Occafion no more to be jealous of our Intentions, and others may have no Ground to load us with odious and foul Afperfions; but that all knowing the

Truth

Truth of us, if they shall strive against us, and Truth with us, fhall do it without Excuse, and against Conviction; and that these who shall join with us, may do it upon folid and undoubted Grounds, and both they and we may expect Grace from Him, faithfully to perfevere, and happily to be fuccessful in fo good Purposes,

It is true, We are not ignorant of the great Unmindfulness, Failing, Counteracting, and Mocking that has been in our former Vows and Covenants with God, and of the great Judgments that have, and are like to follow fuch impious and finful dealing with God in fuch weighty Matters, (for which we both ought and defire to be humbled before Him) which cannot but make us with great Trembling of Heart enter into new ones, knowing both our own Weakness and Readiness to relapfe, and the great Hazard and Danger of fuch Relapfes: Yet, the Defire of recovering and preferving a Remnant, and the Conviction of this, as the most convenient Mean, the Zeal to God's Glory, and Chrift's Reigning, (which is the highest and most acceptable Duty Man can perform to God) hoping for His Mercies, (who is witness to the Integrity of our Hearts, and the Rightness of our Intentions) that he will inftruct, direct, accept, and profper us, we go forward, declaring, that nothing else but what we here exprefs is our Design.

I.

We covenant and fwear, that we take the only true and living God, Fa ther, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be our God, and betake our felves to the Merits and Righteousness of his Son, as the alone Righteousness that can justifie us before God; and that we take his Scriptures and Word to be the Object of our Faith, and Rule of our Converfation in all Things; and that we fhall give up our felves to Him to be Renewed, Instructed, and in all Things ruled by His Spirit, according to that Word; and fhall earnestly endeavour, by His Grace, to render to Him that Love, Worship and Obedience, that His Word requires, and His Goodness engages us to.

II.

That we shall to the outmost of our Power, advance the Kingdom of our Christ establish'd throughout the Land, (if at any Time hereafter God shall give us this Opportunity) Righteousness, and the true reformed Religion, in the Truth of its Doctrine, in the Purity and Power of its Worship and Ordinances, and in its Difcipline and Government, and free the Church of God from the Thraldom, Tyranny, Incroachment, and Corruption of Prelacy on the one Hand, and Eraftianifm on the other. And that we shall to our Power, relieve the Church and Subjects of this Kingdom, (we being called thereto, by His giving of us Power, Power being God's Call to do Good,) of that Oppreffion that hath been exercifed upon their Consciences, Civil Rights and Liberties, that Men may serve Him holily, without Fear, and poffefs their Civil Rights in Quietnefs, without Disturbance.

III. .

That we shall endeavour to our outmoft, the Extirpation of the Kingdom of Darkness, and whatfoever is contrair to the Kingdom of Christ, and especially Idolatry, and Popery in all the Articles of it, as we are bound in

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our national Covenant; and Superftition, Will-worship, and Prelacy, with its Hierarchy, as we are bound in our Solemn League and Covenant; and that we shall with the fame Sincerity, endeavour (God giving us Affiftance) the Overthrow of that Power that hath established that Prelacy and Eraftianifm over the Church, and exercises fuch a luftful and arbitrary Tyranny over the Subjects, seeking again to introduce Idolatry and Superftition in these Lands, contrair to our Covenants: And in a Word, that we fhall endeavour the Extirpation of all the Works of Darkness, and the Relicts of Idolatry and Superftition, (which are both much enlarged and revived in our Times,) and execute righteous Judgment impartially (according to the Word of God, and Degree of Wickedness) upon the Committers of thefe Things, but efpecially, Blafphemy, Idolatry, Atheism, Sorcery, Perjury, Uncleanness, Profanation of the Lord's-Day, Oppreffion and Malignancy; that being thus zealous for God, he may delight to dwell among us.

IV.

Seriously confidering, that the Hand of our Kings has been against the Throne of the Lord, and that now for a long Time, the Succeffion of our Kings, and the most Part of our Rulers with him, hath been against the Purity and Power of Religion and Godliness, and Freedom of the Church of God, and hath degenerate from the Vertue and good Government of their Predeceffors into Tyranny, and hath of late fo manifeftly rejected God, his Service and Reformation, as a Slavery, as they themselves call it in their publick Papers, (efpecially, in these laft Letters to the King, and Duke of Lauderdale) difclaiming their Covenant with God, and blafphemously inacting it to be burnt by the Hand of a Hangman, governed contrary to all right Laws, Divine and Humane, exercised fuch Tyranny, and Arbitrary Government, oppreft Men in their Confciences and Civil Rights, ufed free Subjects (Chriftian and Reasonable Men) with lefs Difcretion and Juftice than their Beafts; and fo not only fruftrate the great End of Government, (which is, that Men may live godly, holily, and peaceably under them, and might be maintained in their Rights and Liberties from Injury and Wrong) but hath also walked contrary to it; fo that it can no more be called a Govern. ment, but a lustful Rage, exercised with as little right Reason, and with more Cruelty than in Beafts, and they themselves can be no more called Governours, but publick Graffators, and publick Judgments, which all Men ought as earnestly to labour to be free of, as of Sword, Famine, or Peftilence raging amongst us; and befides, hath stopped (instead of punishing) the Course of Law and Juftice against Idolaters, Blafphemers, Atheists, Murtherers, Incestuous and Adulterous, and other Malefactors; and instead of rewarding the Good, hath made Butcheries and Murthers on the Lord's People, fold them as Slaves, imprisoned, forfaulted, banished and fined them, upon no other Account, but for Maintaining the Lord's Right to rule Confciences, against the Ufurpations of Men, for fulfilling their Vows, and repelling unjuft Violence, which innocent Nature allows to all; of all which, and more Particulars, we can give (we fpeak as before God) innumerable and fure Instances: Neither can it be thought, that there is Hope of their

returning

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