THE CONFESSION OF FAITH OF THE KIRK OF SCOTLAND; WITH THE BOND OR Covenant subscribed unto by the Whole kingdom.  
LONDON, Printed by Thomas pain, 1641.   

THE CONFESSION OF FAITH OF THE KIRK OF SCOTLAND; WITH THE BOND or Covenant subscribed unto by the whole kingdom.  
THe Confession of Faith, subscribed at first by the Kings 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 general Bond for maintenance of the true religion, and the Kings person: And now subscibed in the year 1638 by us, Nobleman, Barons, Gentlemen, Burgesses, Ministers, and Commons under subscribing together with our resolution and promises for the causes afore specified, to maintain the said true religion, and the Kings majesty, according to the Confession aforesaid, and Acts of Parliament: the tenor whereof here followeth.  
WEE 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, are now thoroughly resolved of the truth by the word and Spirit of God; and therfore we believe with our hearts, confess with our mouths, subcribe with our hands, and constantly affirm before God, and the whole world: that this onely is the true Christian Faith, and Religion, pleasing God, and bringing salvation to Man, which now is by the mercy of God revealed to the world, by the preaching of the blessed evangel: and received, believed, and defended by many and sundry notable Kirks and Realms; but chiefly by the Kirk of Scotland, the Kings majesty, and our Estates of this realm, as Gods eternal truth, and only ground of our salvation; as more particularly is expressed in the Confession of our Faith, established and confirmed by many Acts of Parliaments, and now of a long time hath been openly professed by the Kings 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 consciences, in all points as unto Gods undoubted truth and verity, grounded onely upon his written word: and therefore wee 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 especial, we detest and refuse the usurped authority of that Roman Antichrist, upon the Scriptures of God, upon the Kirk, the civill Magistrate, and consciences of men, all his tyrannous laws made upon indifferent things against our Christian liberty; his erroneous doctrine against the sufficiency of the witten word, and the perfection of the Law, the office of Christ and his blessed Evangel. His corrupted doctrine concerning original sin, our natural inability and rebellion to Gods law, our justification by faith onely, our imperfect sanctification and obedience to the Law, the nature, number, and use of the holy Sacraments. His five bastard Sacraments, with all his rites, ceremonies,& false doctrine added to the ministration of the true Sacraments, without the word of God. His curell judgement against Infants departing without the Sacrament, his absolute necessity of baptism, his blasphemous opinion of Transubstantiation, or real presence of Christs body in the Elements, and receiving of the same by the wicked, or bodies of men; his dispensations with solemn oaths, perjuries,& degrees of marriage forbidden in the word, his cruelty against the innocent divorced, his devellish mass his blasphemous priesthood, his profane Sacrifices for the sins of the dead and the quick, his Canonization of men calling upon Angels or Saints departed, worshipping of imagery relics, and crosses, dedicating of Kirkes, Altars, dayes, vows to creatures, his purgatory, prayers for the dead, praying, or speaking in a strange language, with his processions, and blasphemous Lettany●, and multitude of advocates, or mediators, his manifold orders, auricular confession, his desperate and uncertain repentance, his general, and doubtsome faith, his satisfaction of men for their sins, his justifications by works, opus operatum, works of supererogation, merits, pardons, peregrinations and stations, his holy water, baptizing of bells, conjuring of spirits, crossings, faning, anointing, conjuring, hallowing of Gods good creatures, with the superstitious opinion, joined there with his worldly-Monarchy, and wicked Hierarchy, his three solemn vows, with all his shavelings of sundry sorts, his erroneous and bloody decrees made at Trent, with all the subscribers, and appovers of that cruel and bloody band conjured against the Kirk of God: and finally we detest all his vain allegories, rites, signs, and traditions, brought in the kirk, without or against the word of God,& doctrine of this true reformed Kirk; to the which we join ourselves willingly in doctrine, faith, religion, discipline and use of the Holy Sacraments, as lively members of the same in Christ our Head, promising and swearing by the great name of God our Lord, That wee shall continue in the obedience of the doctrine and discipline of this Kirk, and shall defend the same according to our vocation, and power, all the dayes of our lives, under the pains contained in the law, and danger both of body and soul in the day of Gods fearful Judgements. And seeing that many are stirred up by satan& that Roman Antichrist, to promise, swear, subscribe, and for a time use the holy Sacraments in the Kirk, deceitfully against their own consciences, minding thereby, first under the external cloak of religion, to corrupt and subvert secretly Gods true Religion, within the Kirk; and afterwards when time may serve to become open enemies and persecutors of the same, under vain hope of the Popes despensation, devised against the word of God to his greater confusion and their double condemnation in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.  
Wee therefore willing to take away all suspicion of hypocrisy, and of such double dealing with God and his Kirk, protest, and call the searcher of all hearts for witness, that our mindes and hearts do fully agree with this our Confession, Promise, Oath, and Subscription; so that we are not moved for any worldly respect; but are persuaded only in our consciences through the knowledge and love of Gods true Religion printed in our hearts by the holy Spirit, as wee shall answer to him, in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed: and because wee perceive that the quietness and stability of our Religion and Kirk, doth depend upon the safety and good behaviour of the Kings majesty, as upon a comfortable instrument of Gods mercy granted to this country, for the maintaining of his Kirk, and ministration of justice amongst us; we protest and promise with our hearts under the same oath, handwrit, and pains, that wee shall defend his royal person and authority, with our goods, bodies, and lives, in the defence of Christ his Evangel, Liberties of our country, ministration of justice, and punishment of iniquity, against all enemies within this realm or without, as we desire our God to be a strong and merciful defender to us in the day of our death, and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with the father and the holy Spirit be all honour and glory eternally.  
IN obedience to the Commandement of God, conform to the practise of the godly in former times, and according to the laudable example of our worthy and religious Progenitors, and of many yet living amongst us, which was warranted also by Act of council, commanding a general Bond to be made and subscribed, by his Majesties Subjects of all ranks, for two causes; one was for defending the true religion as it was then reformed, and is expressed in the confession of faith above written, and a former large confession established by sundry Acts of lawful general Assemblies, and of Parliaments, unto which it hath relation, set down in public Chatechismes, and which had been for many yeares, with a blessing from heaven, preached and professed in this Kirk& Kingdome, as Gods undoubted truth, grounded onely upon this written word: the other cause was, for maintaining the Kings Majesties person and Estate; the true worship of God, and the Kings authority being so straightly joined, as that they had the same friends and common enemies, and did stand, and fall together: and finally being convinced in our mindes, and confessing with our mouths, that the present and succeeding generations in this land, are bound to keep the aforesaid national Oath and subscription inviolable. We Noblemen, Barons, Gentlemen, Burgesses, Ministers,& Commons under subscribing, considering divers times before,& especial at this time the danger of the true reformed religion, of the Kings honour,& of the public peace of the Kingdom by the manifold innovations& evils generally contained and particularly mentioned in our late supplications, complaints, and protestations, do hereby profess, and before God, his Angels, and the world, solemnly declare, that with our whole hearts we agree and resolve, all the dayes of our life constantly to adhere unto, and to defend the aforesaid true religion,& forbearing the practise of all novations, already introduced in the matters of the worship of God, or approbation of the corruptions of the public government of the Kirk, or civill places and power of herdmen, till they be tried and allowed in free assemblies, and in Parliaments, to labour by all means lawful to recover the purity and liberty of the Gospel, as it was established and professed before the aforesaid novations: and because after due examination wee plainly perceive, and undoubtedly believe that the innovations and evils contained in our supplications, complaints, and protestations have no warrant of the word of God, are contrary to the Articles of the aforesaid Confessions, to the intention and meaning of the blessed reformers of religion in this land, to the above written Acts of Parliament, and do sensibly tend to the re-establishing of the Popish religion and tyranny, and to the subsersion and ruin of the true reformed religion, and of our liberties, laws, and estates. Wee also declare that the aforesaid Confessions are to bee interpnted, and ought to bee understood of the aforesaid novations and evils, no less than if every one of them had been expressed in the aforesaid Confessions, and that wee are obliged to detest and abhor them. amongst other particular heads of Papistry abjured therein; and therefore from the knowledge and conscience of our duty to God, to our King and country, without any worldly respect or inducement, so far as human infirmity will suffer, wishing a further measure of the grace of God for this effect; We promise and swear by the great name of the Lord our God, to continue in the profession and obedience of the aforesaid religion: that we shall defend the same, and resist all these contrary errors and corruptions, according to our vocation, and the uttermost of that power that God hath put in our life: and in like manner with the same heart wee declare before God and men, that we have no intention nor desire to attempt any thing, that may turn to the dishonour of God, or to the diminution of the Kings greatness and authority: but on the Contrary, wee promise and swear that wee shall to the uttermost our power, with our means and lives, stand to the defence of our dread sovereign, the Kings Majesties person and authority, in the defence and preservation of the aforesaid true Religion, liberties and laws of the kingdom: as also to the mutual defence and assistance every one of us of another, in the same cause of maintaining the true Religion, and his Majesties authority with our best counsel, our bodies, means, and whole power against all sorts of persons whatsoever; so that whatsoever shall bee done to the least of us for that cause shall be taken as done to us all in general, and to every one of us in particular: and that we shall neither directly nor indirectly suffer ourselves to bee divided or withdrawn, by whatsoever suggestion or allurement, or terror from this blessed and loyal conjunction, nor shall cast in any let or impediment, that may stay or hinder any such resolution, as by common consent shall bee found to conduce for so good ends: but on the contrary, shall by all lawful means labour to further and promote the same; and if any such dangerous and divisive motion be made to us by word, or writ; we and every one of us shall either suppress it, or if need be, shall incontinent make the same known, that it may be timously obviated: neither do wee sear the foul aspersions of rebellion, combination, or what else, our adversaries from their craft and malice would put upon us, seeing what we do is so well warranted, and ariseth from an unfeigned desire to maintain the true worship of God, the Majesty of our King, and peace of the kingdom, for the common happiness of ourselves,& the posterity. And because wee cannot look for a blessing from God upon our proceedings, except with our professions, and subscription we join such a life and conversation, as beseemeth Christians, who have renewed their Covenant with God; we therefore faithfully promise for ourselves, or followers, and all others under us, both in public in our particular families, and personal carriage to endeavour to keep ourselves within the bounds of Christian liberty, and to be good examples to others of all godliness, soberness,& righteousness,& of every duty we owe to God& man. And that this our union and conjunction may be observed without violation, wee call the living God the searcher of our hearts to witness, who knoweth this to be our sincere desire and unfeigned resolution, as wee shall answer to Jesus Christ in the great day, and under the pain of Gods everlasting wrath, and of infamy and loss of all honour and respect in this world, most humby beseeching the Lord to strengthen us by his holy Spirit for this end, and to bless our desires and proceeding with a happy success, that religion and righteousness may flourish in the Land, to the glory of God, and honour of the King, and the peace and comfort of us all, in witness whereof wee have subscribed with our hands all the premises, &c.  
FINIS.