The Kings Majestie having graciously declared, That it is His Royal will and pleasure, that all questions about Religion, and matters Ecclesiastical be determined by Assemblies of the Kirk, having also by publike Proclamation indicted this free national Assembly, for setling the present distraction of this Kirk, and for establishing a perfect peace, against such divisions and disordres as have been sore displeasing to his Majestie, and grievous to all his good Subjects. And now his Majesties Commissioner _John_ Earle of _Traquair_, intrusted and authorized with a full Commission, being present, and sitting in this Assembly, now fully conveened and orderly constitute in all the members thereof, according to the order of this Kirk, having at large declared His Majesties zeal to the reformed Religion, and His Royal care and tender affection to this Kirk, where His Majestie had both His Birth and Baptisme, His great displeasure at the manifold distractions and divisions of this Kirk and Kingdome, and His desires to have all our wounds perfectly cured with a fair and fatherly hand: And although in the way approven by this Kirk, tryal hath been taken in former Assemblies before from the Kirk registers, to our full satisfaction, yet the Commissioners Grace making particular enquiry from the members of the Assembly, now solemnly conveened, concerning the real and true causes of so many & great evils as this time past had so sore troubled the peace of this Kirk and Kingdome, It was represented to his Majesties Commissioner by this Assembly, That beside many other, the maine and most material causes were, First, The pressing of this Kirk, by the Prelates with a Service Book, or Book of Common Prayer, without warrand or direction from the Kirk, and containing beside the Popish frame thereof, diverse Popish errors and ceremonies, & the seeds of manifold grosse Superstitions and Idolatry, with a Book of Canons, without warrand or direction from the general Assembly, establishing tyrannicall power over the Kirk in the person of Bishops, and overthrowing the whole discipline & government of the Kirk by Assemblies, with a Book of Consecration and Ordination, without warrand of Authoritie, Civill or Ecclesiasticall, appointing offices in the house of God, which are not warranted by the word of God, and repugnant to the discipline and Acts of our Kirk, and with the high Commission, erected without the consent of the Kirk, subverting the jurisdiction and ordinary Judicatories of this Kirk, and giving to persons meerely Ecclesiasticall, the power of both swords, and to persons meerly Civill, the power of the Keys and Kirk-sensures. A second cause was the Articles of _Perth_, _viz._ the observation of Festivall dayes, kneeling at the Communion, Confirmation, Administration of the Sacraments in private places, which are brought in by a null Assembly and are contrary to the Confession of Faith, as it was meant and