Weft-Kirk, the 13. Day of August, 1650.

THe He Commiffion of the General Affembly, confidering, That there may be juft Ground of stumbling from the King's Majesty's refusing to fubfcribe and emit the Declaration offered unto him by the Committee of Estates, and Commiffioners of the General Affembly, concerning his former Carriage and Refolutions for the Future, in reference to the Caufe of God, and the Enemies and Friends thereof; Doth therefore declare, That this Kirk and Kingdom do not own nor efpoufe any Malignant Party or Quarrel or Intereft, But that they Fight meerly upon their former Grounds and Principles, and in Defence of the Caufe of God and of the Kingdom, as they have done thefe Twelve Years paft: And therefore, as they do difclaim all the Sin and Guilt of the King and of his Houfe, fo they will not own Him, nor his Interest, otherwife than with a Subordination to God, and fo far as he owns and profecutes the Cause of God, and difclaims his and his Father's Oppofition to the Work of God, and to the Covenant, and likewife all the Enemies thereof; And that they will with convenient Speed take in Confideration the Papers lately fent unto them from OLIVER CROMWEL, and vindicate themselves from all the Falfboods contained therein, efpecially in thofe Things, wherein the Quarrel betwixt us and that Party is mif-ftated, as if we owned the late King's Proceedings, and were refolved to Profecute, and Maintain his prefent Majesty's Intereft, before and without Acknowledgment of the Sins of his Houfe and former Ways, and Satisfaction to God's People in Both Kingdoms.

He

13. August, 1650.

A. Ker.

The Committee of Estates having teen and confidered a Declaration of the Commiffion of the General Affembly, anent the ftating of the Quarrel whereon the Army is to Fight, Do approve the fame, and Heartily Concur therein.

F 2

Tho. Henderson.

A

A True and Exact Copy of a Treasonable and Bloody Paper, called, The Fanaticks New Covenant: Which was taken from Donald Cargill at Queensferry, June 3d. 1680. one of their Field-Preachers,a declared Rebel and Traitor.

Together with their Execrable Declaration published at the Cross of Sanquhair, upon the Two and twentieth Day of the faid Month of June; after a folemn Proceffion and finging of Pfalms, by Cameron, the notorious Ringleader of, and Preacher at, their FieldConventicles, accompanied with Twenty of that wretched Crew.

W

felves, and all that join being put to it by God, Do bind our Souls with a

E Under-Subscribers, for our with us, and adhere to us, our Confciences, and Men; folemn and facred Bond, left on the one Hand we should be carried away with the Stream of the Apoftacy and Defection of the Church in this Time; and on the other Hand, left we should (not being fo engaged) evanish in Vanity, and be without a right Rule in good Designs: We have judged it our Duty again to Covenant with God, and one another, and to publish this DECLARATION to the World of our Purposes, that Men may know our most inward Thoughts, the Rules that we walk by, and the outmost Ends that we have before our Eyes for this Intent, that those 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 of us, if they fhall strive against us, and Truth with us, fhall do it without Excufe, and against Conviction; and that

those

those who fhall 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 hath, 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 Duy Man can perform to God,) hoping for His Mercies (who is Witness to the Integrity of our Hearts and Rightness of our Intentions,) that He will inStruct, direct, accept, and profper us, we go forward, declaring,that nothing else but what we here exprefs is our Defign.

I. We Covenant and Swear, That we take the only true and living God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, to be our God, and betakes 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 shall give up our felves to Him, to be renewed, inftructed, and in all Things ruled by His Spirit, according to that Word; and fhall earneftly endeavour by His Grace, to render to Him that Love, Worship, and Obedience, that His Word requires, and His Goodnefs engages us to.

II. That we fhall to the outmost of our Power, advance the Kingdom of Chrift eftablished throughout the Land, (if at any Time hereafter God fhall 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 its Difcipline and Government, and free the Church of God from the Thraldom,

Tyranny,

Tyranny, Incroachment, and Corruption of Prelacy on the one hand, and Eraftianifm on the other. And we fhall 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 exercised upon their Confciences, Civil Rights and Liberties, that Men may ferve Him Holily, without Fear, and poffefs their Civil Rights in Quietnefs, without Disturbance.

III. That we shall endeavour to our utmoft, the Extirpation of the Kingdom of Darkness, and whatfoever is contrair to the Kingdom of Chrift, and efpecially Idolatry and Popery in all the Articles of it, as we are bound in 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 fhall with the fame Sincerity, endeavour (God giving us Affiftance) the Overthrow of that Power that bath established that Prelacy and Eraftianifm over the Church, and exercises fuch a Luftful and Arbitrary Tyranny over the Subjects, feeking again to introduce Idolatry and Superftition in thefe Lands, contrair to our Covenants: And in a Word, that we shall endeavour the Extirpation of all the Works of Darkness, and the Reliques of Idolatry and Superftition, (which are both much enlarged and revived in our Times) and execute righteous Fudgments impartially (according to the Word of God, and Degree of Wickedness) upon the Committers of thefe Things, but efpecially Blafphemy, Idolatry, Atheism, Sorcery, Perjury, Uncleannefs, Prophana tion 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

Slavery,

his Service and Reformation, as a Slavery, as they themselves call it in their publick Papers, (efpecially in thefe laft Letters to the King, and Duke of Lauderdale) difclaiming their Covenant with God, and blafphemously enacting it to be burnt by the Hand of a Hangman, governed contrary to all right Laws Divine and Humane, exercifed fuch Tyranny and Arbitrary Government, oppreft Men in their Confciences and Civil Rights, ufed free Subjects (Chriftian and reasonable Men) with lefs Dif cretion and Justice than their Beafts; and fo not only fruftrate the great End of Government: ( which is, That Men may live Godly, Holly and Peaceably under them, and might be maintained in their Rights and Liberties from Injury and Wrong) but hath alfo walked contrary to it; fo that it can no more be called a Government, but a lustful Rage, exercifed with as little Right, Reason, and with more Cruelty than in Beafts, and they themfelves 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 (inftead of punishing) the Courfe of Law and Justice against Idolaters, Blafphemers, Atheifts, Murderers, Inceftuous and Adulterous, and other Malefactors and instead of rewarding the Good, hath made Butcheries and Murthers on the Lord's People, Sold them as Slaves, Imprifoned, Forfaulted, Banished and Fined them, upon no other Account, but for maintaining the Lords 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 Inftances: Neither can it be thought that there is Hope of their returning from these Courses, having fo often fhewed their Natures and Enmities against God and all Righteousness, and fo often declared and renewed their Purposes and Promises of perfevering in these Courses. And, fuppofe they fhould diffemble a Repentance of these Evils, and profefs to return to better Courses, being put to Straits, or for their own Ends, for upon no other Account can we reasonably expect it ;)

;

and