ami < tains the following important statements: "But
if his majesty, or any having or pretending power and commission from him. shall invade this kingdom upon pretext of establishing him in the exercise of his royal power — as it will be a high provocation against God to be accessory or assisting thereto, so it w ill be a neces- sary duty to resist and oppose the same. We know- that many are so forgetful of the oath of Cod. ami ig- norant and careless of the interest ol 'Jesns Christ and the Gospel, and do so little tender that which concerns
his kingdom and the privileges thereof, and do -o much iloal upon absolute and arbitrary government for gain- ing their own ends, and so much malign I he iu-l rumen is
of the work of reformation, that they would admit his
majesty to tbe e\erci-e of his royal power upon any
terms whatsoever, though with never so much prejudice
to religion and the liberties of these kingdom-, and would think it quarrel enough to make war upon all those w ho for conscience' sake cannot condescend there- to. But we desire all those who fear the Lord, and
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES 525 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES
mind to keep their Covenant, impartially to consider these things which follow :
"1. That as magistrates and their power is ordained of God, so are they in the exercise thereof not to walk ac- cording to their own will, but according to the law of equity and righteousness, as being the ministers of God for the safety of his people ; therefore a boundless and un- limited power is to be acknowledged in no king or mag- istrate; neither is our king to be admitted to the exercise of his power as long as he refuses to walk in the admin- istration of the same according to this rule and the es- tablished laws of the kingdom, that his subjects may live under him a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
"'2. There is one mutual obligation and stipulation be- twixt the king and his people; as both of them are tied to God, so each of them is tied one to another for the performance of mutual and reciprocal duties. According to this, it is statute and ordained in the eighth act of first Parliament of James VI, 'That all kings, princes, or mag- istrates whatsoever, holding their place, which hereafter shall happen in any time to reign and bear rule over this realm, at the time of their coronation and receipt of their princely authority, make their faithful promise by oath, in the presence of the Eternal God, that during the whole course of their lives they shall serve the same Eter- nal God to the utmost of their power, according as he hath required in his most holy Word, contained in the Old and New Testaments; and, according to the same Word, shall maintain the true religion of Christ Jesus, the preaching of his most hoiy Word, and due and right ministration of his sacraments now received and preached within this realm ; and shall abolish all false religion con- trary to the same; and shall rule the people committed to their charge according to the will and the command of God revealed in his Word, and according to the laudable laws and constitutions received within this realm; and shall procure to the utmost of their power to the Kirk of God, and the whole Christian people, true and perfect peace in all time coming, and thus. justice and equity be kept to all creatures without exception ;' which oath was sworn first by king James VI, and afterwards by king Charles at his coronation, and is inserted in our National Covenant, which was approved by the king who lately reigned. As long, therefore, as his majesty who now reigns refuses to hearken to the just and necessary de- sires of State and Kirk propounded to his majesty for the security of icligion and safety of his people, and to en- gage and to oblige himself for "the performance of his duty to his people, it is consonant to Scripture and reason, and the laws of the kingdom, that they should refuse to admit him to the exercise of his government until he give satis- faction in these things.
"3. In the League and Covenant which hath been so solemnly sworn and renewed by tiii- kingdom, the duty of defending and preserving the kii.g's majesty, person, and authority, is joined with, aud subordinate unto, the duty of preserving and defending the true religion and liberties! (1f t lie kingdoms; and therefore his majesty, standing in opposition to the just and necessary public desires concerning religion and the liberties of the king- doms, it were a manifest breach of Covenant, and prefer- ring of the king's interest to the interest of Jesus Christ, to bring him to the exercise of his royal powers, which he. walking in a contrary way, and being compassed about with malignant counsels, cannot but employ to the preju- dice and ruin of both."
The stipulation was made known to Charles while he was still in Holland, where he had been for some time residing, but he refused to accede to it. The fol- lowing year (1650) he set sail for Scotland, and before landing on its shores he consented to subscribe the Cov- enant, and the test was accordingly administered to him with all due solemnity. On the following August he repeated an engagement to support the Covenant. Yet the unprincipled monarch was all the while devising schemes for the subversion not only of Presbyterian- ism, but even of Protestantism in Scotland. Again, when crowned at Scone on Jan. 1, 1651, Charles not only took oath to support and defend the Presbyterian Church of Scotland, but, the National Covenant and the Solemn League and Covenant having been pro- duced and read, the king solemnly swore them. The imposing ceremonial, however, was only designed, on the part of the profligate Charles, to deceive his Scot- tish subjects. Nor did the calamities in which he was subsequently involved — his dethronement and exile for several years in France — produce any favorable change upon his character. No sooner was he restored to his throne in 1660, than he forthwith proceeded to overturn the whole work of reformation, both civil and ecclesi-