of God whilk we pray for to come upon us, if we do
intend anything against authority.

_Objection._ We have oblished ourselves by our subscription already;
what then needs us to obleish ourselves over again by our oath? _Ans._
It's true, I grant, many of you has subscribed it already, and so ye are
bound; but now ye are to swear also, that so through abundance of bands
to God ye may know yourselves to be the more bound to Him. David says, I
have purposed, I have promised, I have sworn, and I sall perform Thy
righteous statutes. There be also here sundry Acts of Parliament, that
are all of them made within this same kingdom for the maintainance of
the true religion; and for thir, they speak for themselves. And I would
have these who say we do anything against law and against our superiors,
to see and try if there be anything against them, and not all directly
for them.

Beloved, I hope that it will not be necessar for us to spend mickle time
with you in removing of scruples. Good things I know has over many
objections against them from the devil, the world, and our own ill
hearts. And I know some of them who are accounted the learnedst in the
land, have assayed their wits and used their pens to object against
this. But truly these who are judicious, they have confessed that they
have been greatly confirmed by that whilk they have objected; and the
reason of it was, because they who were the most learned assayed
themselves to see what they could say, and yet when all was done, they
had nothing to say that was worth the hearing.

For the first part of this Confession of faith, there is not a word
changed in it; and if so be that men had keeped that part of it free of
sinistrous glosses, and had applied it according to the meaning of those
who were the penners thereof, there needed not to have such a thing ado
as there is now; but because they have put sinistrous glosses upon it
now and misapplied it, therefore it behoved to be explained and applied
to the present time.

The first thing that ye swear to is, That with your whole hearts ye
agree and resolve, all the days of your life, constantly to adhere unto
and defend the true religion. There is no scruple here. 2. That ye
suspend and forbear 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 and power of kirkmen,
till they be tried and allowed i