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present distraction of this Kirk, and for establishing a perfect peace,
against such divisions and disordres as have been sore displeasing to his
Majestie, and grievous to all his good Subjects. And now his Majesties
Commissioner _John_ Earle of _Traquair_, intrusted and authorized with a
full Commission, being present, and sitting in this Assembly, now fully
conveened and orderly constitute in all the members thereof, according to
the order of this Kirk, having at large declared His Majesties zeal to the
reformed Religion, and His Royal care and tender affection to this Kirk,
where His Majestie had both His Birth and Baptisme, His great displeasure
at the manifold distractions and divisions of this Kirk and Kingdome, and
His desires to have all our wounds perfectly cured with a fair and
fatherly hand: And although in the way approven by this Kirk, tryal hath
been taken in former Assemblies before from the Kirk registers, to our
full satisfaction, yet the Commissioners Grace making particular enquiry
from the members of the Assembly, now solemnly conveened, concerning the
real and true causes of so many & great evils as this time past had so
sore troubled the peace of this Kirk and Kingdome, It was represented to
his Majesties Commissioner by this Assembly, That beside many other, the
maine and most material causes were, First, The pressing of this Kirk, by
the Prelates with a Service Book, or Book of Common Prayer, without
warrand or direction from the Kirk, and containing beside the Popish frame
thereof, diverse Popish errors and ceremonies, & the seeds of manifold
grosse Superstitions and Idolatry, with a Book of Canons, without warrand
or direction from the general Assembly, establishing tyrannicall power
over the Kirk in the person of Bishops, and overthrowing the whole
discipline & government of the Kirk by Assemblies, with a Book of
Consecration and Ordination, without warrand of Authoritie, Civill or
Ecclesiasticall, appointing offices in the house of God, which are not
warranted by the word of God, and repugnant to the discipline and Acts of
our Kirk, and with the high Commission, erected without the consent of the
Kirk, subverting the jurisdiction and ordinary Judicatories of this Kirk,
and giving to persons meerely Ecclesiasticall, the power of both swords,
and to persons meerly Civill, the power of the Keys and Kirk-sensures. A
second cause was the Articles of _Perth_, _viz._ the observation of
Festivall da