4. This new subscription, instead of performing our vows, would be a reall testimony and confession before the World, That we have been transgressours, in making rash vows, that we repent our selves of former zeal and forwardnesse against the particulars exprest first in our Supplications, Complaints, and Protestations, and next abjured in our Covenant, that we in our judgement prefer the generall Confession unto this, which necessarily was now made more speciall; and that we are now under the faire pretext and honest cover of a new oath, recanting & undoing that, which upon so mature deliberation we have been doing before. This beside all other evils, were to make way and open a door to the re-entry of the particulars abjured, and to repent our selves of our chiefest consolations, and to lie both against God and our owne soules. 5. It hath been often objected, that our Confession of Faith, & Covenant was unlawfull, because it wanted the warrants of publick authority, and it hath been answered by us, that we were not destitute of the warrant civill and ecclesiasticall which authorized the former Covenant. And although we could have wished that his Maᵗʸ had added both his subscription & authority unto it, yet the lesse constraint from authority and the more liberty, the lesse hypocrisie, and more sincerity hath appeared: But by this new subscription urged by authority we both condemn our former subscription as unlawfull, because alleadged to be done without authority, and precondemn also the like laudable course in the like necessity to be taken by the posterity.