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The general assembly, considering the great happiness which may flow from a full and perfect union of this kirk and kingdom by joining of all in one and the same covenant with God, with the king's majesty and amongst ourselves, having by our great oath declared the uprightness and loyalty of our intentions in all our proceedings and having moreover supplicated [John Stewart, earl of Traquair], his majesty's high commissioner, and the lords of his majesty's honourable privy council to enjoin by act of council all the lieges in time coming to subscribe the Confession of Faith and covenant, which, as a testimony of our fidelity to God and loyalty to our king, we have subscribed, and seeing his majesty's high commissioner and the lords of his majesty's honourable privy council have granted the desire of our supplication, ordaining by civil authority all his majesty's lieges in time coming to subscribe the foresaid covenant that our union may be the more full and perfect, we by our act and constitution ecclesiastical do approve the foresaid covenant in all the heads and clauses thereof; and ordain of new, under all ecclesiastical censure, that all the masters of universities, colleges and schools, all scholars at the passing of their degrees, all persons suspected of papistry or any other error, and finally all the members of this kirk and kingdom subscribe the same, with these words prefixed to their subscription: the article of this covenant which was at the first subscription referred to the determination of the general assembly, being determined, and thereby the five articles of Perth, the government of the kirk by bishops and the civil place and power of kirkmen, upon the reasons and grounds contained in the acts of the general assembly, are declared to be unlawful within this kirk, we subscribe according to the determination foresaid; and ordain the covenant, with this declaration, to be inserted in the registers of the assemblies of this kirk, general, provincial and presbyterial, for perpetual memory, and in all humility supplicate his majesty's high commissioner and the honourable estates of parliament by their authority to ratify and enjoin the same under all civil pains, which will tend to the glory of God, preservation of religion, the king's majesty's honour and perfect peace of this kirk and kingdom.
The Confession of Faith subscribed at first by the king's 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 person 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 king's person, and subscribed in the year 1638 by us noblemen, barons, gentlemen, burgesses, ministers and commons then under-subscribing, together with our resolution and promises for the causes after-specified to maintain the said true religion and the king's majesty according to the confession foresaid and acts of parliament, and now, upon the supplication of the general assembly to [John Stewart, earl of Traquair], his majesty's high commissioner, and the lords of his majesty's honourable privy council, subscribed again in the year 1639 by ordinance of council and act of the general assembly.
We, 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, we are now thoroughly resolved of the truth by the word and spirit of God, and therefore we believe with our hearts, confess with our mouths and subscribe with our hands and constantly affirm before God and the whole world that this only 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 king's majesty and the three estates of the realm as God's eternal truth and only ground of our salvation, as more particularly is expressed in the confession of our faith established and publicly confirmed by sundry acts of parliaments, and now of a long time has been openly professed by the king's 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 to God's undoubted truth and verity, grounded only upon his written word. And therefore we 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 special we detest and refuse the usurped authority of that Roman anti-Christ upon the scriptures of God, upon the kirk, the civil 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 written word, 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 God's law, our justification by faith only, our imperfect sanctification and obedience to the law, the nature, number and use of the holy sacraments, his five bastard sacraments, with all his rights, ceremonies and false doctrine added to the ministration of the true sacraments without the word of God, his cruel judgment against infants departing without the sacrament, his absolute necessity of baptism, his blasphemous opinion of transubstantiation or real presence of Christ's body in the elements and receiving the same by the wicked or bodies of men, his dispensations with solemn oaths, perjuries and degrees of marriage forbidden in the word, his cruelty against the innocent divorced, his devilish mass, his blasphemous priesthood, his profane sacrifices for the sins of the dead and quick, his canonization of men, calling upon angels or saints departed, worshipping of imagery, relics and crosses, dedicating of kirks, alters, days, vows to creatures, his purgatory, prayers for the dead, praying or speaking in a strange language, with his processions, blasphemous litany and multitude of advocates or mediators, his manifold orders, auricular confession, his desperate and uncertain repentance, his general and doubtful faith, his satisfactions of men for their sins, his justification by works, works performed, works of supererogation, merits, pardons, peregrinations and stations, his holy water, baptising of bells, conjuring of spirits, crossing, blessing, anointing, conjuring, hallowing of God's good creatures with the superstitious opinion joined therewith, 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 approvers of that cruel and bloody bond 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 and doctrine of this 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 the Lord our God that we shall continue in the obedience of the doctrine and discipline of this church and shall defend the same according to our vocation and power all the days of our lives, under the pains contained in the law and danger both of body and soul in the day of God's fearful judgment. And seeing that many are stirred up by Satan and the Roman anti-Christ to promise, swear, subscribe and for a time use the holy sacraments in the church deceitfully against their own consciences, minding thereby first under the external cloak of religion to corrupt and subvert secretly God's true religion within the kirk, and afterward, when time may serve, to become open enemies and persecutors of the same under vain hope of the pope's dispensation, devised against the word of God, to his greater confusion and their double condemnation in the day of the Lord Jesus, we 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 hearts for witness that our minds 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 God's true religion printed in our hearts by the Holy Spirit as we shall answer to him in the day when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed; and because we perceive that the quietness and stability of our religion and kirk does depend upon the safety and good behaviour of the king's majesty, as upon a comfortable instrument of God's mercy granted to this country for the maintaining of his kirk and administration of justice amongst us, we protest and promise with our hearts under the same oath, hand written, and pains that we shall defend his person and authority with our goods, bodies and lives in the defence of Christ, his evangel, liberties of our country, administration 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 Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory eternally.
Likewise many acts of parliament, not only in general, do abrogate, annul and rescind all laws, statutes, acts, constitutions, canons civil or municipal, with all other ordinances and practised penalties whatsoever made in prejudice of the true religion and professors thereof, or of the true kirk, discipline, jurisdiction and freedom thereof, or in favour of idolatry and superstition, or of the papistical kirk, as act 3 and act 31 of the 1st parliament, act 23 of the 11th parliament and act 114 of the 12th parliament of King James VI; that papistry and superstition may be utterly suppressed according to the intention of the acts of parliament, repeated in the 5th act of the 20th parliament of King James VI; and to that end they ordain all papists and priests to be punished by manifold civil and ecclesiastical pains as adversaries to God's true religion preached and by law established within this realm, act 24 of the 11th parliament of King James VI; as common enemies to all Christian government, act 18 of the 16th parliament of King James VI; as rebels and opponents of our sovereign lord's authority, act 47 of the 3rd parliament of King James VI; and as idolaters, act 104 of the 7th parliament of King James VI. But also in particular (in addition to the Confession of Faith) do abolish and condemn the pope's authority and jurisdiction out of this land and ordain the maintainers thereof to be punished, act 2 of the 1st parliament, act 51 of the 3rd parliament, act 106 of the 7th parliament and act 114 of the 12th parliament of King James VI; do condemn the pope's erroneous doctrine or any other erroneous doctrine repugnant to any of the articles of the true and Christian religion publicly preached and by law established in this realm, and ordain the spreaders and makers of books or libels or letters or writs of that nature to be punished, act 46 of the 3rd parliament, act 106 of the 7th parliament and act 24 of the 11th parliament of King James VI; do condemn all baptism according to the pope's kirk and the idolatry of the mass, and ordain all sayers, wilful hearers and concealers of the mass, the maintainers and resetters of the priests, Jesuits, trafficking papists to be punished without any exception or restriction, act 5 of the 1st parliament, act 120 of the 12th parliament, act 164 of the 13th parliament, act 193 of the 14th parliament, act 1 of the 19th parliament and act 5 of the 20th parliament of King James VI; do condemn all erroneous books and writings containing erroneous doctrine against the religion presently professed or containing superstitious rites and ceremonies papistical, whereby the people are greatly abused, and ordain the importers of them to be punished, act 25 of the 11th parliament of King James VI; do condemn the monuments and dregs of bygone idolatry, as going to the crosses, observing the festival days of saints and such other superstitious and papistical rites, to the dishonour of God, contempt of true religion and fostering of great error among the people, and ordain the users of them to be punished for the second fault as idolaters, act 104 of the 7th parliament of King James VI.
Likewise many acts of parliament are conceived for maintenance of God's true religion and the purity thereof in doctrine and sacraments of the true church of God, the liberty and freedom thereof in her national and synodal assemblies, presbyteries, sessions, policy, discipline and jurisdiction thereof, as that purity of religion and liberty of the church was used, professed, exercised, preached and confessed according to the reformation of religion in this realm, as for instance the 99th act of the 7th parliament, act 23 of the 11th parliament, act 114 of the 12th parliament and act 160 of the 13th parliament of King James VI, ratified by the 4th act of King Charles, so that the 6th act of the 1st parliament and 68th act of the 6th parliament of King James VI in the year of God 1579 declare the ministers of the blessed evangel, whom God of his mercy had raised up or hereafter should raise, agreeing with them that then lived in doctrine and administration of the sacraments and the people that professed Christ as he was then offered in the evangel and does communicate with the holy sacraments (as in the reformed kirks of this realm they were publicly administered) according to the Confession of Faith to the true and holy kirk of Christ Jesus within this realm, and discern and declare all and sundry who either gainsay the word of the evangel, received and approved as the heads of the Confession of Faith professed in parliament in the year of God 1560, specified also in the first parliament of King James VI and ratified in this present parliament, more particularly do specify, or that refuses the administration of the holy sacraments as they were then administered, to be no members of the said kirk within this realm and the true religion presently professed, so long as they keep themselves so divided from the society of Christ's body. And the subsequent act 69 of the 6th parliament of King James VI declares that there is no other face of kirk nor other face of religion than was presently at that time by the favour of God established within this realm, which therefore is ever styled God's true religion, Christ's true religion, the true and Christian religion and a perfect religion, which by manifold acts of parliament all within this realm are bound to profess to subscribe the articles thereof, the Confession of Faith, to recant all doctrine and errors repugnant to any of the said articles, acts 4 and 9 of the 1st parliament, acts 45, 46 and 47 of the 3rd parliament, act 71 of the 6th parliament, act 106 of the 7th parliament, act 24 of the 11th parliament, act 123 of the 12th parliament and acts 194 and 197 of the 14th parliament of King James VI. And all magistrates, sheriffs etc. on the one part are ordained to search, apprehend and punish all contraveners, for instance, act 5 of the 1st parliament, act 104 of the 7th parliament and act 25 of the 11th parliament of King James VI, and that notwithstanding of the king's majesty's licences on the contrary, which are discharged and declared to be of no force in so far as they tend in any way to the prejudice and hinderance of the execution of the acts of parliament against papists and adversaries of true religion, act 106 of the 7th parliament of King James VI. On the other part, in the 47th act of the 3rd parliament of King James VI, it is declared and ordained, seeing the cause of God's true religion and his highness's authority are so joined as the hurt of the one is common to both, and that none shall be reputed as loyal and faithful subjects to our sovereign lord or his authority but be punishable as rebels and opponents of the same who shall not give their confession and make their profession of the said true religion, and that they who after defection shall give the confession of their faith of new, they shall promise to continue therein in time coming to maintain our sovereign lord's authority and at the utmost of their power to fortify, assist and maintain the true preachers and professors of Christ's evangel against whatsoever enemies and opponents of the same, and namely against all such (of whatsoever nation, estate or quality they be of) that have joined and bound themselves or have assisted or assist to set forward and execute the cruel decrees of the Council of Trent, contrary to the true preachers and professors of the word of God, which is repeated word by word in the article of pacification at Perth, 23 February 1572, approved by parliament on 30 April 1573, ratified in parliament in 1587 and related act 123 of the 12th parliament of King James VI, with this addition: that they are bound to resist all treasonable uproars and hostilities raised against the true religion, the king's majesty and the true professors. Likewise all lieges are bound to maintain the king's majesty's royal person and authority, the authority of parliaments, without the which neither any laws nor lawful judicatories can be established, acts 130 and 131 of the 8th parliament of King James VI, and the subjects' liberties who ought only to live and be governed by the king's laws, the common laws of this realm only, act 48 of the 3rd parliament of King James I, act 79 of the 6th parliament of King James IV, repeated in act 131 of the 8th parliament of King James VI, which if they be innovated or prejudiced, the commission regarding the union of the two kingdoms of Scotland and England, which is the sole act of the 17th parliament of King James VI, declares such confusion would ensue as this realm could be no more a free monarchy because by the fundamental laws, ancient privileges, offices and liberties of this kingdom not only the princely authority of his majesty's royal descent has been these many ages maintained but also the people's security of their lands, livings, rights, offices, liberties and dignities preserved. And therefore, for the preservation of the said true religion, laws and liberties of this kingdom, it is statute by the 8th act of the 1st parliament, repeated in the 99th act of the 7th parliament, ratified in the 23rd act of the 11th parliament and the 114th act of the 12th parliament of King James VI, and 4th act of King Charles, that all kings and princes at their coronation and reception of their princely authority shall make their faithful promise by their solemn oath in the presence of eternal God, that during the whole time of their lives they shall serve the same eternal God to the utmost of their power, accordingly as he has required in his most holy word contained in the old and new testament, and according to the same word shall maintain the true religion of Jesus Christ, the preaching of his holy word, the due and right administration of the sacraments now received and preached within this realm, according to the Confession of Faith immediately preceding, and shall abolish and withstand all false religion contrary to the same, and shall rule the people committed to their charge according to the will and command of God revealed in his foresaid word and according to the laudable laws and constitutions received in this realm in no way repugnant to the said will of the eternal God, and shall procure to the utmost of their power to the kirk of God and whole Christian people true and perfect peace in all time coming, and that they shall be careful to root out of their empire all heretics and enemies to the true worship of God who shall be convicted by the true kirk of God of the foresaid crimes, which was also observed by his majesty at his coronation at Edinburgh 1633, as may be seen in the order of the coronation.
In obedience to the commandment of God, according to the practice 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 majesty's 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 parliament, to which it has relation set down in catechisms and which had been for many years, with a blessing from heaven, preached and professed in this kirk and kingdom as God's undoubted truth grounded only upon his written word, the other cause was for maintaining the king's majesty, his person and estate, the true worship of God and the king's authority being so straitly joined as they that had the same friends and common enemies and did stand and fall together; and finally being convinced in our minds and confessing with our mouths that the present and succeeding generations in this land are bound to keep the foresaid national oath and subscription inviolable, we noblemen, barons, gentlemen, burgesses, ministers and commons under-subscribing, considering diverse times before, and especially at this time, the danger of the true reformed religion, of the king's honour and of the public peace of the kingdom by the manifold innovations and 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 days of our life constantly to adhere to and to defend the foresaid true religion and (forbearing the practice 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 civil places or power of kirkmen until 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 foresaid novations. And because after due examination we 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 foresaid confessions, to the intention and meaning of the blessed reformers of religion in this land, to the acts of parliament above-written, and do sensibly tend to the re-establishing of the popish religion and tyranny, and to the subversion and ruin of the true reformed religion and of our liberties, laws and estates, we also declare that the foresaid confessions are to be interpreted and ought to be understood of the foresaid novations and evils no less than if every one of them had been expressed in the foresaid confessions, and that we are obliged to detest and abhor them amongst other particular heads of papistry abjured therein. And therefore, from the knowledge and consciences 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 foresaid religion, that we shall defend the same and resist all these contrary errors and corruptions according to our vocations and to the utmost of that power that God has put in our hands all the days of our life, and in like manner, with the same heart, we declare before God and men that we have no desire to attempt any thing that may turn to the dishonour of God or to the diminution of the king's greatness and authority, but on the contrary we promise and swear that we shall to the utmost of our power with our means and lives stand to the defence of our dread sovereign, the king's majesty, his person and authority, in the defence and preservation of the foresaid 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 for maintaining the true religion and his majesty's authority with our best council, our bodies, means and whole power against all sorts of persons whatsoever, so that whatsoever shall be 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 be divided or withdrawn by whatsoever suggestion, 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 be 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 immediately make the same known that it may be timeously obviated. Neither do we fear 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 arises 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 and the posterity. And because we cannot look for a blessing from God upon our proceedings, except with our profession and subscription we join such a life and conversation as beseems Christians who have renewed their covenant with God, we therefore faithfully promise, for ourselves, our followers and all other 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 and righteousness and of every duty we owe to God and man, and that this our union and conjunction may be observed without violation, we call the living God, the searcher of our hearts, to witness who knows this to be our sincere desire and unfeigned resolution, as we shall answer to Jesus Christ in the great day and under the pain of God's everlasting wrath and of infamy and loss of all honour and respect in this world, most humbly beseeching the Lord to strengthen us by his Holy Spirit for this end and to bless our desires and proceedings with a happy success, that religion and righteousness may flourish in the land to the glory of God, the honour of our king and peace and comfort of us all. In witness whereof, we have subscribed with our hands all the premises.
The article of this covenant, which was at the first subscription referred to the determination of the general assembly, being determined, and thereby the five articles of Perth, the government of the kirk by bishops, the civil places and power of kirkmen, upon the reasons and grounds contained in the acts of the general assembly, declared to be unlawful within this kirk, we subscribe according to the determination foresaid.