The Second Scotch Confession, or the National Covenant

A.D.1580.

[This Confession is a strong anti-papal appendix to the former, and was subscribed by the King, the Council and Court, at Holyrood House, 1580, by persons of all ranks in 1581, again in 1590 and 1638. The text, with the quaint old spelling, is likewise taken from Dunlop's Collection of Scotch Confessions, Vol. II. pp.103 sqq. and 811 sqq. The Latin version is said to have been made by John Craig, who wrote the Scotch, and is superior to the one in the Syntagma Confess. (pp.126 sqq.), which Niemeyer (pp.357 sqq.) has reproduced.]

The Confession of Faith of the Confessio Fidei Ecclesiæ Kirk of Scotland; Scoticanæ;
OR
THE NATIONAL COVENANT. LATINE REDDITA.
We all, and every ane of us underwritten, protest, That after lang and dew examination of our awne consciences in matters of trew and false religion, we ar now throughlie resovit in the trewth be the Word and spreit of God: and theirfoir we believe with our heartis, confesse with our mouthis, subscrive with our handis, and constantlie affirme before God and the haill warld, That this only is the trew Christian Faith and Religion, pleasing God, and bringing salvation to man, quhilk is now, be the mercie of God, revealed to the warld be the preaching of the blessed Evangell; and is received, believed, and defendit by mony and sundrie notabil kirkis and realmes, but chiefly be the Kirke of Scotland, the Kings Majestie and three Estatis of this Realme, as Godis eternall trewth, and only ground of our salvation; us mair particularlie is expressed in Nos universi et singuli subscribentes profitemur, postquam de religionis controversiis diu multumque apud nos deliberatum esset, cunctis ad lydium veritatis divinæ lapidem accuratius examinatis, in veritatis certa persuasione, per Dei Verbum et Spiritum Sanctum, animos nostros acquiescere: ideoque corde credimus, ore profitemur, consignatis chirographis testamur et constanter asserimus, Deo teste invocato, et universo genere humano in conscientiam appellato, hanc unicam esse fidem et religionem Christianam Deo acceptam, hominique salutarem, quæ nunc ex immensa Dei misericordia per evangelii prædicationem mundo patefacta, a multis ecclesiis gentibusque clarissimis, præsertim ab ecclesia Scoticana, rege nostro serenissimo tribusque regni hujus ordinibus, id æterna Dei veritas et unicum salutis nostræ fundamentum recepta, credita

the Confession of our Faith, stablished, and publickly confirmed by sundrie Actis of Parliaments, and now of a lang tyme hath been openlie professed by the Kings Majesty, and haill body of this Realme both in brugh and land. To the quhilk Confession and forme of Religion we willingly agree in our consciences in all pointis, as unto Godis undouted trewth and veritie, groundit only upon his written word. et propugnata est; explicata etiam uberius, in Fidei confessione, plurimis comitiorum publicorum actis confirmata, regisque serenissimi et universorum hujus regni civium publica multorum jam annorum professione approbata. Cui nos Confessioni cultusque divini formulæ, ut veritati divinæ certissima sacrarum autoritate subnixæ, lubentissimis animis in singulis assentimur.
And theirfoir we abhorre and detest all contrare Religion and Doctrine; but chiefly all kynde of Papistrie in generall and particular headis, even as they ar now damned and confuted by the word of God and kirk of Scotland. But in special, we detest and refuse the usurped authoritie of that Romane Antichrist upon the scriptures of God, upon the Kirk, the civill Magistrate, and consciences of men: All his tyranous lawes made upon indifferent thingis againis our Christian libertie: His erroneous doctrine againis the sufficiencie of the written word, the perfection of the law, the office of Christ, and his blessed Evangell: His corrupted doctrine concerning originall sinne, our natural inhabilitie and rebellion to Godis Law, our justification by faith onlie, our imperfect sanctification Omniaque ideo contraria de religione dogmata aversamur; præsertim vero papismum universum et singula ejus capita, quemadmodum hodie Dei verbo confutata et ab ecclesia Scoticana damnata sunt. Nominatim detestamur antichristi istius Romani in sacras scripturas, in ecclesias, in magistratum politicum, et in hominum conscientias sacrilege vendicatam autoritatem, nefarias omnes de rebus adiaphoris leges, libertati Christianæ derogantes: impium de sacrarum literarum, de legis, de officii Christi, de beati evangelii imperfectione dogma: perversam de peccato originis, de naturæ nostræ impotentia et in legem divinam contumacia, de justificatione per solam fidem: de imperfecta nostra sanctitate et obedientia legi præstanda; de natura, numero et usu

and obedience to the law; the nature, number, and use of the holy sacraments: His fyve bastard sacraments; with all his ritis, ceremonies, and false doctrine, added to the ministration of the trew sacraments without the Word of God: His cruell judgement againis infants departing without the sacrament: His absolute necessitie of baptisme: His blasphemous opinion of transubstantiation, or reall presence of Christis body in the elements, and receiving of the same by the wicked, or bodies of men: His dispensations with solemnit aithis, perjuries, and degrees of marriage forbidden in the Word: His crueltie againis the innocent divorcit: His divilish messe: His blasphemous priesthead: His prophane sacrifice for the sinnis of the deade and the quicke: His canonization of men, calling upon angelis or sanctis depairted; worshipping of imagerie, reliques, and crocis; dedicating of kirkis, altares, dayes; vowes to creatures: His purgatory, prayers for the dead; praying or speaking in a strange language: His processions and blasphemous letany: His multitude of advocatis or mediatours with his manifold orders, and auricular confessions: His despered and uncertain Repentance: His sacramentorum doctrinam: quinque adulterina sacramenta; omnesque ritus, ceremonias falsasque traditiones genuinorum sacramentorum administrationi, citra autoritatem verbi divini, accumulatas: crudelem de infantibus ante baptismum morte præreptis sententiam: districtam et absolutam baptismi necessitatem: blasphemam de transsubstantiatione, et corporali præsentia Christi in coenæ dominicæ elementis, cujus etiam impii fiant participes, atque orali ejusdem manducatione doctrinam: juramentorum perjuriorumque gratiam faciendi arrogatam potestatem: matrimonii in Verbo Dei interdictis permissionem: crudelitatem erga innocentes matrimonii nexu solutos: diabolicam missam: sacrilegum sacerdotium: abominandum pro vivorum mortuorumque peccatis sacrificium: hominum indigetationem seu canonizationem, angelorum mortuorumque invocationem; crucis, imaginum reliquiarumque venerationem; in creaturarum honorem dicata fana et altaria, dies sacratos, vota nuncupata: purgatorium; pro defunctis deprecationem: ignotæ linguæ in precibus sacrisque usum, sacrilegas supplicationum pompas, blasphemam litaniam: mediatorum turbam, ordinum ecclesiasticorum multiplicem

general and doutsum Faith: His Satisfactionis of men for their sinnis: His justification by warkis, opus operatum, warkis of supererogation, merites, pardons, peregrinations, and stations: His holie water, baptising of bellis, conjuring of spreits, crocing, saining, anointing, conjuring, hallouing of Godis gude creatures, with the superstitious opinion joyned therewith: His warldlie monarchie and wicked hierarchie: His three solemnet vowes, with all his shavellings of sundrie sortis: His erroneous and bloodie Decreets made at Trente, with all the Subscryvars and approvers of that cruell and bloodie Band conjured againis the Kirk of God. And finallie, We detest all his vain allegories, ritis, signes, and traditions brought in the Kirk, without or againis the Word of God and doctrine of this trew reformed Kirk; to the quhilk we joyn our selves willinglie in Doctrine, Faith, Religion, Discipline, and use of the holy sacraments, as livelie members of the same, in Christ our head: Promising and swearing be the Great Name of the LORD our God, That we sall contenow in the obedience of the Doctrine and Discipline of this Kirk, [800] and sall defend varietatem, auricularem confessionem: incertam et desperationis plenam poenitentiam, generalem et ancipitem fidem: peccatorum per satisfactiones humanas expiatonem, justificationem ex operibus, opus operatum, operum supererogationem, merita, indulgentias, peregrinationes et stationes, aquam lustralem: campanarum baptizationem, exorcismos; bonas Dei creaturas cruce obsignandi, lustrandi, ungendi, conjurandi et consecrandi superstitionem: politicam ipsius monarchiam, impiam hierarchiam: tria vota solennia, variasque rasuræ sectas: impia et sanguinaria concilii Tridentini decreta, omnesque atrocissimæ istius in Christi ecclesiam conjurationis populares et fautores: denique inanes omnes adversamur allegorias, omnesque ritus et signa, traditiones omnes, præter aut contra autoritatem Verbi Dei ecclesiæ obtrusas, et doctrinæ hujus ecclesiæ veræ reformatæ repugnantes. Cur nos ecclesiæ reformatæ, in doctrinæ capitibus, fide, religione, disciplina, et usu sacramentorum, ut vita illius sub Christo capite membra, libentes nos aggregamus: sancte promittentes magnumque et termendum DOMINI DEI NOSTRI NOMEN

the same according to our vocation and power, all the dayes of our lyves; under the pains conteined in the law, and danger baith of bodie and saul in the day of Godis fearfull Judgment. jurantes, nos in ecclesiæ hujus doctrina et disciplina constanter perseveraturos, et pro cujusque vocatione ac viribus ad extremum spiritum defensuros; sub poena omnium in lege maledictionum, æternique cum animæ tum corporis exitii periculo in tremendo illo Dei judicio.
And seing that monie ar stirred up be Sathan, and that Roman Antichrist, to promise, sweare, subscryve, and for a tyme use the holie sacraments in the Kirk deceitfullie, againis their awne conscience, minding heirby, first under the external cloke of Religion, to corrupt and subvert secretlie Godis trew Religion within the Kirk; and afterward, when tyme may serve, to become open enemies and persecuters of the same, under vain houpe of the Papis dispensation, devysed againis the Word of God, to his greater confusion, and their double condemnation in the day of the Lord Jesus: We theirfoir, willing to take away all suspicion of hypocrisie, and of sic double dealing with God and his Kirk, protest, and call the Searcher of all heartis for witness, that our mindis and heartis do fullilie agree with this our Confession, promeis, aith, and subscription: sa that we ar not movit with ony warldlie respect, but ar perswadit onlie in our conscience, Quumque sciamus non paucos, a Satana et antichristo Romano subornatos, promissionibus, subscriptionibus et juramentis se obstringere, et in usu sacramentorum cum ecclesia orthodoxa ad tempus subdole contra conscientiam communicare; versute constituentes, obtento interim religionis velo, in ecclesia verum Dei cultum adulterare et clanculum ac per cuniculos labefactare; tandem per occasionem apertis inimicitiis oppugnare, vana spe proposita veniæ dandæ a pontifice Romano, cujus rei potestatem contra veritatem divinam sibi arrogat, ipsi perniciosam, ejusque asseclis multo magis exitiosam: Nos igitur ut simulationis erga Deum ejusque ecclesiam et insinceri animi suspicionem omnem amoliamur, CORDIUM OMNIUM INSPECTOREM testamur, huic nostræ confessioni, promissioni, juramento et subscriptioni animos nostros usquequaque respondere: nulloque rerum terrestrium momento, sed indubia et certa notitia.

through the knawledge and love of Godis trew Religion prented in our heartis be the Holie Spreit, as we sal answer to him in the day when the secreits of heartis sal be disclosed. ex amore veritatis divinæ per Spiritum Sanctum in cordibus nostris inscriptæ, ad eam nos inductos esse; ita DEUM propitium habeamus eo die quo cordium omnium arcana palam fient.
And because we perceave that the quyetness and stabilitie of our Religion and Kirk doth depend upon the safety and good behaviour of the Kingis Majestie, as upon ane comfortable instrument, of Godis mercie granted to this countrey, for the meinteining of his Kirk and ministration of justice amongs us; We protest and promeis solemnetlie with our heartis, under the same aith, hand-wreit, and paines, that we sall defend his personne and authoritie with our geare, bodies, and lyves, in the defence of Christis Evangell, libertie of our countrey, ministration of justice, and punishment of iniquitie, againis all enemies, within this realme or without, as we desire Our God to be a strong and mercifull defendar to us in the day of our death, and coming of Our Lord JESUS CHRIST; To whom, with the Father and the Holie Spreit, be all honour and glorie eternallie. Amen. Cum vero nobis constet, per eximiam Dei gratiam huic regno præfectum esse regem nostrum serenissimum, ad ecclesiam in eo conservandam et justitiam nobis administrandam; cujus incolumitate et bono exemplo, secundum Deum, religionis et ecclesiæ tranquillitas et securitas nitatur: sancte, ex animo, eodem adacti sacramento, eademque poena proposita pollicemur, et consignatis chirographis promittimus, sacratissimi, regis nostri incolumitatem et autoritatem in beato Christi evangelio defendendo, in libertate patriæ asserenda, in justitia administranda, in improbis puniendis, adversus hostes quoscunque internos sive externos, quovis etiam bonorum et vitæ discrimine, nos constanter propugnaturos. Ita DEUM NOSTRUM OPTIMUM MAXIMUM potentem et propitium conservatorem habeamus in mortis articulo, et adventu DOMINI NOSTRI JESU CHRISTI, cui cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto, sit omnis honos et gloria in æternum. Amen.

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Footnotes:

[800] The Confession, which was subscribed at Halyrudhouse the 25 of February, 1587-8, by the King, Lennox, Huntlye, the Chancelour, and about 95 other Persons, hath here added, Agreeing to the word. Sir John Maxwel of Pollock hath the original Parchement.