nd passion against the whole design of the work,
which is too shrewd an evidence of a malignant spirit.

Whereas, some have taken occasion to pass injurious reflections upon the
minister, because he made confession and acknowledgment of his own
personal miscarriage; as though he did it with design to please the
people, and to excite them to make confession of the things whereof they
had no due sense, and that he should have proposed himself, as an
example to the people; therefore, to discover the falsehood of such
reports, we must declare plain matter of fact upon this head. The
minister did indeed acknowledge his own iniquities in general, with
others, and also particularly at the entry of the work; but without any
design to please party or person; but only for the glory of God as
himself declared, which if any shall say was but hypocritical
self-seeking, we must remit them to the apostle's interrogation, to
prepare an answer, _Who art thou, O man, that judgest?_ Neither did he
say that he did it to be an example to others, though, even in that
case, he had not been to be blamed, seeing the best of God's saints, in
public employment in church and state, have done the like in public
assemblies, as Josiah, Ezra, Nehemiah, in sacred record, and in our
church history, the Rev. John Davidson, who, at the renewing of the
covenant, March 30th, 1596, not only exhorted the brethren of the
ministry to a serious confession of their sins, but did also make
confession of his own, and excited the rest by his example, as is
related by Mr. Calderwood in his history of the church of Scotland, page
317. Wherefore, seeing he has the command of God, and the most eminent
of his saints for his warrant and precedent, he may be perfectly
unconcerned, what are the constructions that such persons as are
indifferent either about national sins or judgments do put upon this
action,

The Acknowledgment of Sins being read, the minister prayed, confessing
therein the sins which had been publicly confessed in the said
Acknowledgment, and begging assistance to know and do the duties engaged
unto, then the Engagement to Duties was likewise read in the audience of
the congregation; where he showed that the design of these engagements
was to accommodate the covenants to our case and circumstances. And
advised the mixed multitude to beware of entering into the covenant,
unless they were duly resolved concerning the performing of the same,
according as ou