I - The Confession of Faith of 1581

WEE All, and every one of Us underwritten; Protest; that, after long and due Examination of our owne Consciences, in matters of true & false Religion, are now throughly resolved of the Trueth, by the Word and Spirit of GOD, and therefore we believe with our hearts, confesse with our mouths, subscribe with our hands, and constantly affirme before God, and the whole World: that this onely is the true Christian Faith and Religion, pleasing God, and bringing Salvation to man, which now is by the mercie of God revealed to the world, by the preaching of the blessed Evangell. And received, believed, and defended, by many and sundry notable Kirkes and Realmes, but chieflie by the Kirk of Scotland, the Kings Majestie, and three estates of this Realme, as Gods eternall Trueth, and onely ground of our Salvation: as more particularlie is expressed in the Confession of our Faith, stablished, and publicklie confirmed by sundry Acts of Parliaments, and now of a long time hath beene openlie professed by the Kings Majestie, and whole body of this Realme, both in Burgh and Land. To the which Confession and forme of Religion, wee willinglie agree in our consciences in all points, as unto Gods undoubted Trueth and Veritie, grounded onely upon his written Word. And therefore, wee abhorre and detest all contrarie Religion, and Doctrine: But chieflie, all kinde of Papisterie, in generall and particular heads, even as they are now damned and confuted by the Word of God, and Kirk of Scotland: but in speciall wee detest and refuse the usurped authoritie of that Roman Antichrist upon the Scriptures of God, upon the Kirk, the civill Magistrate, and consciences of men. All his tyranous lawes made upon indifferent things against our Christian libertie. His erroneous Doctrine, against 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 naturall inabillitie & rebellion to Gods Law, our Iustification by Faith onely, our imperfect Sanctification and obedience to the Law, the nature, number and use of the Holy Sacraments. His five bastard Sacraments, with all his Rites, Ceremonies, and false Doctrine, added to the ministration of the true Sacraments without the Word of God. His cruell judgement against Infants, departing without the Sacrament: his absolute necessitie of Baptisme: his blasphemous opinion of Transubstantiation, or reall presence of Christs body in the Elements, and receiving of the same by the wicked, or bodies of men. His dispensations with solemne Oathes, Perjuries, and degrees of Marriage forbidden in the Word: his crueltie against the innocent divorced: his divellish Masse: his blasphemous Priesthood: his profane Sacrifice for the sinnes of the dead & the quicke: his Canonization of men, calling upon Angels or Saints departed, worshipping of Imagerie, Relicts, & Crosses, dedicating of Kirks, Altars, Dayes, Vowes to creatures; his Purgatorie, Prayers for the dead, praying, or speaking in a strange language, with his Processions and blasphemous Letanie, and multitude of Advocates or Mediators: his manifold Orders, Auricular Confession: his desperate and uncertaine Repentance; his generall and doubtsome Faith; his satisfactions of men for their sinnes: his Iustification by works, opus operatum, works of Supererogation, Merits, Pardons, Peregrinations, and Stations: his holy Water, baptising of Bells, conjuring of Spirits, crossing, saning, anointing, conjuring, hallowing of Gods good creatures, with the superstitious opinion, joyned therewith: his worldlie Monarchie, and wicked Hierarchie: his three solemne vowes, with all his shavellings of sundrie sorts, his erroneous and bloudie decrees made at Trent, with all the subscribers and approvers of that cruell and bloudie Band, conjured against the Kirk of God: and finallie, wee detest all his vaine Allegories, Rites, Signes, and Traditions, brought in the Kirk, without, or against the Word of God, and Doctrine of this true reformed Kirk; to the which wee joyne our selves willinglie, in Doctrine, Faith, Religion, Discipline, and use of the Holy Sacraments, as lively members of the same, in Christ our Head: promising, and swearing by the Great Name of the Lord our GOD, that wee shall continue in the obedience of the Doctrine and Discipline of this Kirk, and shall defend the same according to our Vocation and Power, all the dayes of our lives, under the paines contained in the Law, and danger both of Body and Soule, in the day of Gods fearefull Iudgement:

And seeing that many are stirred up by Sathan, and that Roman Antichrist, to promise, sweare, subscribe, and for a time use the holy Sacraments in the Kirk, deceitfullie, against their owne consciences, minding thereby, first, under the externall cloake of Religion, to corrupt and subvert secretlie Gods true Religion within the Kirk, and afterward, when time may serve, to become open enemies and persecutors of the same, under vaine hope of the Popes dispensation, devised against the Word of God, to his greater confusion, and their double condemnation in the day of the LORD IESVS. Wee, therefore, willing to take away all suspition of hypocrisie, and of such double dealing with God and his Kirk, Protest, and call The Searcher of all hearts for witnesse, that Our mindes and hearts, doe fully agree with this our Confession, Promise, Oath and Subscription, so that Wee are not moved for any worldlie respect, but are perswaded onely in our Consciences, through the knowledge and love of Gods true Religion, printed in Our hearts, by the holy Spirit, as Wee shall answeer to him in the day, when the secrets of all hearts shall bee disclosed.

And because wee perceave, that the quietnes and stabilitie of our Religion and Kirk, doth depend upon the safetie and good behaviour of the Kings Majestie, as upon a comfortable instrument of Gods mercie, graunted to this Countrey, for the maintaining of his Kirk, and ministration of Iustice amongst us, Wee protest and promise with our hearts under the same Oath, Hand-writ, and paines, that wee shall defend his Person and Authoritie, with our goods, bodies, and lives, in the defence of Christ his Evangell, Liberties of our Countrie, ministration of Iustice, and punishment of iniquitie, against all enemies within this Realme, or without, as wee desire our God to bee a strong and mercifull Defender to us in the day of our death, and comming of our Lord Jesus Christ: To whom, with the Father, and the holy Spirit, bee all Honour and Glorie Eternallie.