Scottish Covenant

from the Scotch Rebellion to the King's Murther. 19 way to prosecute the same before the ordinary competent Judges, Civil 1639 or Ecclesiastical, without any offense offered by us, or taken by you Lordships. Secondly, We protest that the said Archbishops and Bishops, our parties complained upon, cannot be reputed or esteemed lawful Jusges to fit in any Judicatory in this Kingdom, Civil or Ecclesiastical, upon any of the supplicants, until after lawful Tryal judicially they purge themselves of such Crimes as we have already laid to their charge, offering to Audience. Thirdly, We Protest that no Act nor Proclamation to follow thereupon, past or to be past in Council or out of Council, in presence of the Archbishops and Bishops, whom we have already declined to be our Judges, shall any ways be prejudicial to us the supplicants, our persons, estates, lawful meetings, preceedings or pursuits. Fourthly, We protest that neither we nor any whose heart the Lord moveth to joyn with us in these our supplications against the forsaid Innovations shall incur any danger in Life, Lands, or and Political or Ecclesiastical pains, for not observing such Acts, Books, Canons, Rites, Judiciatories, Proclamations, introduced without or against the Acts of Genreral Assemblies, or Acts of Parliament, the Statues of this Kingdome; But that it shall be lawful to us or them to use our selves in matters of Religion of the external Worship of God and Policy of the Church, according to the Word of God, and laudable Constitutions of this Church and Kingdom, conform to His Majesties Declaration the ninth of December last. Fifthly, Seeing by the legal and submiss way of our former supplications, all who takes these Innovations to heart have been kept calm and carried themselves in a quiet manner in hope of redress; We protest that if any inconvenience shall happen to fall our (which we pray the Lord to prevent) upon the pressing of any of the foresaid Innovations or Evils, specially or generally contained in our former supplications and complains, and upon your Lordships refusal to take order thereanent, the same be not imputed to us, who most humbly seeks all things to be reformed by an Order. Sixthly, We protest that these our requests proceeding from conscience and a due respect to His Majesties Honour, do tend to no other end, but to the preseration of the true reformed Religion, the Laws and Liberties of this His Majesties msot ancient Kingdom and satisfaction of our most humble desires contained in our supplication and complaint, according to his Majesties accustomed goodness and justice, from which we do certainly expect that His Sacred Majesty will provide and grant such remedy to our just Petitions and complains, as may be expected from so gracious a King toward most Loyal and Dutiful Subjects, calling for redress of so pressing grievances, and praying to God that His Majesty may long and prosperously Reign over us.

From which the Protestation may be observed, First, The injustice of their demands to have some of the Bishops removed from the Secret Council, alledging this Declinator against them made them Parties, and so they ought not to be Judges, upon which them promise to prove great Crimes against them, in effect desiring they may be first Condemned and Tryed afterward, Protesting agaisnt all Acts of Council while they sate there, when by the fame reason the Bishiops and other Declinator against their Assembly, who made themselves both Parties and Judges, would by no means be allowed by themselves Secondly,

These Petitions were sent to His Majesty, who resolved to delay His Answer till the Authors of the Tumult might be found out and justly punished: and in the Interim put out a Proclamation signifying his detestation of Popery and Superstition, with the contrary suggestions whereof the Heads of the Faction had abused both His Majesty and Subjects.

Apud Linlithgow, Decem. 7. 1637.

FOrasmuch as the King's Majesty, having seen the Petition presented to the Lords of His Majesties Privy Council, and by them sent up to His Majesty concerning the Service-Book, determined to have taken the same into His Royal consideration, and to have gien his gracious Answer therenaent with all conveniency: Like as His Majestty by His Letters to His Council of the date of the ninth October last, did signifie His gracious resolution to the