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We, the general assembly, considering with all humble and thankful acknowledgment the many recent favours bestowed upon us by his majesty and that there rests nothing for crowning of his majesty's incomparable goodness towards us but that all the members of this kirk and kingdom be joined in one and the same confession and covenant with God, with the king's majesty and among ourselves, and conceiving the main let and impediment to this so good a work and so much wished by all to have been the informations made to his majesty of our intentions to shake off all civil and dutiful obedience due to sovereignty and to diminish the king's greatness and authority, and being most willing and desirous to remove this and all such impediments which may hinder and impede so full and perfect a union, and for clearing of our loyalty, we, in our own names and in name of all the rest of the subjects and congregations whom we represent, do now in all humility represent to your grace, his majesty's commissioner, and the lords of his majesty's most honourable privy council, and declare before God and the world that we never had nor have any thought of withdrawing ourselves from that humble and dutiful obedience to his majesty and to his government, which by the descent and under the reign of 107 kings is most cheerfully acknowledged by us and our predecessors, and that we never had nor have any intention nor desire to attempt anything that may tend to the dishonour of God or the diminishing of the king's greatness and authority, but, on the contrary, acknowledging our quietness, stability and happiness to depend upon the safety of the king's majesty's person and maintenance of his greatness and royal authority, who is God's vicegerent set over us for the maintenance of religion and administration of justice, we have solemnly sworn and do swear not only our mutual concurrence and assistance for the cause of religion, and to the utmost of our power with our means and lives to stand to the defence of our dread sovereign, his person and authority in the preservation and defence of the true religion, liberties and laws of this kirk and kingdom, but also in every cause which may concern his majesty's honour shall, according to the laws of this kingdom and the duties of good subjects, concur with our friends and followers in quiet manner or in arms, as we shall be required by his majesty, his council or any having his authority. And therefore, being most desirous to clear ourselves of all imputation of this kind and following the laudable example of our predecessors in 1589, do most humbly supplicate your grace, his majesty's commissioner, and the lords of his majesty's most honourable privy council to enjoin by act of council that this confession and covenant, which, as a testimony of our fidelity to God and loyalty to our king, we have subscribed, be subscribed by all his majesty's subjects of whatever rank and quality.