me judicatories which should take trial of such and bring
them to punishment, and to whom they should be delated, are wholly, or
mostly composed of such; yea, none may now be reputed malignant unless
he be disaffected to the civil government; so that malignancy is not now
disaffection to the cause and work of God, but disaffection to the
present establishment, and so far are they that are truly disaffected to
Christ and his interest this day advanced and strengthened in their
designs, that they have (so far as in them lies) put a final stop to all
further progress in reformation in these covenanted kingdoms; so that
instead of discovering and bringing to punishment them who make parties
and factions against the League and Covenant, and reformation therein
concerted, the most part of Britain and Ireland are nought else but a
party and faction against it, who have cast it out of doors, and, for
what is apparent, are never minded to receive it again; and, upon the
contrary, such as are labouring to adhere most closely (though in
weakness) to these engagements, and prosecute the ends of these
covenants, are unjustly looked upon as a party and faction, and
prosecuted as offenders by such as, according to the genuine sense of
this Article, ought to be brought to condign punishment. It is likewise
promised in this Article, that such _shall be brought to trial as shall
divide the King from his people, or one of the kingdoms from another_,
which clause hath been broken, by using endeavours to have King and
people and the kingdoms all conjoined in a _union_ and conjunction
contrary to, and eversive of this Solemn League and Covenant; and these
that go under the character of ministers, from whom it might in all
reason be expected that they should interpose for having malignants duly
punished, are so far from doing so, that they make it their endeavour
to please them; and upon the contrary, they spare no pains to incense
the persons in the government against those whose design it is, in the
Lord's strength, to adhere to their covenant engagements, and keep
themselves unspotted from the abominations of the times. We acknowledge
also ourselves guilty of the breach of this Article, in so far as we
have not more frequently and fervently, from a real respect and zeal to
the glory of God, after we saw no means of getting such evil instruments
and opposers of reformation punished and suppressed by human
judicatories, applied by prayer and s