Those which do in a more special Way relate

unto the DANGERS of these Times,

а

Together with

The Act of the Commission of the General Assembly 1648, and Act of

Parliament 1649, for Renewing the league and Covenant.

Printed in the Year M.DCCLV.

THI

The ACT of the Commision of the General Affembly, for renewing the Solemn League and Covenant.

Edinburgh, O&ober 6, 1648. HE commission of the general affembly considering, that a great

part of this land have involved themselves in many and gross breaches of the folemn league and covenant ; and that the hands of many are grown Nack in following and pursuing the duties contained therein ; and that many, who not being come to sufficient age when it was first fwora and subscribed, bave not hitherto been received into the same : Do, u. pon there, and other grave and importaot considerations, appoint and or. dain the solemn league and covenant, to be renewed throughout all the congregations of this kingdom. And, because it is a duty of great weight and contequence, minifters, after the fight hereof, would be careful to take pains, in their doctrine and otherwise, that their people may be made sensible of these things wherein they have broken the covenant, and be prepared for the renewing thereof with suitable affections and difpositions : and, that these things may be the better performed, we have thought it necessary to condescend upon a solemn acknowledgment of publick fins and breaches of the covenant, and a folemn engagement to all the duties contained therein, namely, those which do in a more spe.. cial way relate unto the dangers of these times ; and this folemn acknow. Jedgment and engagement, fent herewith, fhall be made use of, and the league and covenant shall be renewed in such a manner as follows. First, There shall be intimation of a folemn publick humiliation and fast the fe. cond sabbath of December, to be kept upon the next Thursday, and the Lord's day thereafter ; at which intimation, the league and covenant, and the publick acknowledgment of sins, and engagement unto duties, are to he publickly read by the minister, in the audience of all the people, and they are to be exhorted to get copies thereof, that they may be made ac. quainted therewith; and the humiliation and fast is to be kept the next Thursday thereafter, in reference to the breaches of the covenant, contained in the solemn publick acknowledgment, as the causes thereof; and the next Lord's day thereafter which is also to be spent in publick humiJiation and falling, immediately after the sermon, which is to be applied to the business of that day, the publick acknowledgments and engagement js again to be publickly read; and thereafter prayer is to be made, containing the confeffion of the breaches mentioned therein, and begging mercy for these fins, and strength of God for renewing the covenant in sincerity and truth; after which prayer, the solemn league and covenant is to be sead' by the minister, and then to be sworn by him and all the people, who are to engage themselves for performance of all the duties contained therein ; namely, these which are mentioned in the public acknowledge mept and engagement, and are opposite unto the fins therein confessed: and the action is to be closed with prayer to God, that his people may be enabled, in the power of his Arengib, to do their duty, according to their oath, now renewed in fo folemn a way. It is also hereby provided, That all those who renew the league and covenant, shall again subscribe the fame; and that pone be admitted to the renewing or fubscribing thereof, who are excluded by the other act and direction fent herewith.

A. KER.

The A&t of the Committee of Estates of Parliament, for re

newing the Solemn League and Covenant.

Edinburgh, October 14, 1648. THE Committee of Estates, being very sensible of the grievous

Backslidings of this Land, in the manifold Breaches of the Solemn League and Covenant, made and sworn to the most high God; do therefore unanimously and heartily approve the seasonable and pious Resolution of the Commission of the General Assembly, for a solemn Acknowledgment of Publick Sins and Provocations, especially the Breaches of the Covenant, and a Solemn Engagement to a more conscionable Performance of the Duties therein contained, and for renewing the Solemn League and Covenant ; and do require and ordain, That the directions of the said Commission of Assembly, in their act of the South of this Month, for a publick Acknowledgment of Sins and Engagement to Duties, be carefully followed; that the Fast and Humiliation, appointed by them, be religiously observed; and that the Solemn League and Covenant be sincerely and cordially renewed and subscribed, in the manner they have prescribed in their faid adi, Extractum,

Mr. Tho. HENDERSON,

A Solemn ACKNOWLEDGMENT of

Public Sins, and Breaches of the
COVENANT.

AND

A Solemn ENGAGEMENT to all the DUTIES contained

therein, namely those which do in a more special Way Relate unto the DANGERS of these Times,

WE

2

E noblemen, barons, gentlemen, burgesses, ministers of the

gospel, and commons of all forts within this kingdom, by the good hand of God upon us, taking into serious consideration the many lad afflictions and deep distresses wherewith we have been exercised for a long time past; and that the land, after it hath been fore waited with the fword and the pestilence, and threatned with famioe; and that shame and contempt hath been poured out from the Lord against many thousands of our nation, who did in a sinful way make wat upon the kingdom of England, contrary to the testimony of his servants, and delires of his people ; and ţhat the remnants of that army, re. turning to this laod, having spoiled and oppressed many of our brethren and that the malignant party is still oumerous, and, retaining their former principles, wait for an opportunity to raise a new and dangerous war, not only unto the rending of the bowels of this kingdom, but unto the dividing us from England, and overturning of the work of God in all the three kingdoms: and considering also, that a cloud of calamities doth ftill hang over our heads, and threaten us with fad things to come, we cannot but look upon these things as from the Lord, who is righteous in all his ways, feeding us with the bread of tears, and making us to drink the waters of amictions, until we be taught to know how evil and bitter a thing it is to depart away from him by breaking the oath and covenant which we have made with him; and that we may be humbled before him, by confessing our sin, and forsaking the evil of our way.

Therefore being pressed with so great necessities and straits, and warranted by the word of God, and having the example of God's people of old, who in the time of their troubles, and when they were

to

to seek delivery and a right way for themselves, that the Lord might be with them to prosper them, did humble themselves before him, and make a free and particular confession of the sins of their princes, their rulers, their captains, their priests and their people; and did engage themielves to do no more so, but to reform their ways, and be stedfart in this covenant: and remembering the practice of our predecessors in the year 1596, whereia the general assembly and all the kirk jadicators, with the concurrence of many of the nobility, gentry and burgesses, did, with many tears, acknowledge before God the breach of the national covenant, and engaged themselves to a reformation; even as our predecessors and theirs had before done, in the general allembly and convention of estates, in the year 1567: and perceiving that this duty, when gone about out of conscience and in fincerity, hath always been attended with a reviving out of troubles, and with a blessing and succeis from heaven; We do humbly and sincerely, as in his Gght, who is the searcher of hearts, acknowledge the many sins and great craps gressions of the land; We have done wickedly, our kings, our princes, our nobles, bur judges, our officers, our teachers, and our people. Atbeit the Lord hath long and clearly spoken unto us, we have not hearkened to his voice; albeit he hath followed us with tender 'mercies, we have not been allured to wait upon him, and walk in his way; and though he hath Stricken us, yet we have not grieved: nay, tho' he hath consumed us, we have refused to receive correction : We have not remembered to render upto the Lord according to his goodnels, and according to our own vows and promises, but have gone away backward by a continued course of backsliding, and have broken all the articles of that folema league and covenant, which we fware before God. angels and men.

Albeit there be in the land many of all ranks, who be for a testimony unto the truth, and for a name of joy and praise upto the Lord, by living godly, studying to keep their garments pure, and being stedfalt in the covenant and cause of God; yet we have reason to acknowledge, that most of us have not endeavoured, with that reality, sincerity and constancy that did become us, to preserve the work of reformation in the kirk of Scotland: many have satisfied themselves with the purity of the ordinances, neglecting the power thereof: yea, fome have turned aside to crooked ways, destructive to both.

The profane, loole and infolent carriage of many in our armies, who went to the affistance of our brethren in England, and the tamperings and unstraight dealiog of some of our commissioners, and others of our nation, in London, the Isle of Wight, and other places of that kingdom, have proved great lets to the work of reformation and settling of kirkgovernment there, whereby error and schism in that land have been increased, and sectaries hardened in their way: We have been so far from endeavouring the extirpation of profaneness, and what is contrary to the power of godliness, that profanity hath been much winked