f parliament are conceived for maintenance of God's
true Christian religion, and the purity thereof in doctrine and
sacraments of the true church of God, the liberty and freedom thereof in
her national synodical assemblies, Presbyteries, sessions, policy,
discipline, and jurisdiction thereof, as that purity of religion and
liberty of the church was used, professed, exercised, preached, and
confessed according to the reformation of religion in this realm. As for
instance, the 99th Act, Parl. 7, Act 23, Parl. 11; Act 114, Parl. 12;
Act 160, Parl. 13, King James VI., ratified by the 4th Act of King
Charles. So that the 6th Act, Parl. 1, and 68th Act, Parl. 6, of King
James VI., in the year of God 1579, declares the ministers of the
blessed evangel, whom God of his mercy had raised up, or hereafter
should raise, agreeing with them that then lived in doctrine and
administration of the sacraments, and the people that professed Christ
as he was then offered in the evangel and doth communicate with the holy
sacraments, (as in the reformed kirks of this realm they were publickly
administrate) according to the Confession of Faith, to be the true and
holy kirk of Christ Jesus within this realm, and decerns and declares
all and sundry who either gainsay the word of the evangel, received and
approved as the heads of the Confession of Faith, professed in
parliament in the year of God 1560, specified also in the first
Parliament of King James VI, and ratified in this present parliament;
more particularly do specify, or that refuse the administration of the
holy sacraments as they were then administered, to be no members of the
said kirk within this realm, and true religion presently professed, so
long as they keep themselves so divided from the society of Christ's
body; and the subsequent Act 69, Parl. 6. of King James VI. declares,
that there is none other face of kirk, nor other face of religion, than
was presently at that time by the favour of God established within this
realm, which therefore is ever styled, _God's true religion--Christ's
true religion--the true and Christian religion--and a perfect religion_;
which, by manifold acts of parliament, all within this realm are bound
to subscribe the articles thereof, the Confession of Faith, to recant
all doctrine and errors repugnant to any of the said articles, Act 4 and
9, Parl. 1; Act 45, 46, 47, Parl. 3; Act 71, Parl. 6; Act 106, Parl. 7;
Act 24, Parl. 11; Act 123, Parl. 12; Act 1