The Covenants And The Covenanters: Covenants, Sermons, and Documents of the Covenanted Reformation
Religion
The Covenants And The Covenanters: Covenants, Sermons, and Documents of the Covenanted Reformation
Covenanters -- Scotland -- History -- Sources; Presbyterian Church -- Scotland -- History -- Sources
4. We are bound to discover, and to bring unto condign punishment, all
such as have been, or shall be, incendiaries, malignants, or evil
instruments, in hindering the reformation of religion; dividing the king
from the people, or one of the kingdoms from another, or making any
faction, or parties amongst the people. Hereby the king is bound to have
an eye upon such, and neither allow of them nor comply with them; but to
concur according to his power, to have them censured and punished, as is
expressed in the fourth article.
I shall sum up all in this, that a king, in entering into covenant with
God, should do as kings did of old, when they entered in covenant; they
and their people went on in the work of reformation, as appeareth here.
"And all the people of the land went into the house of Baal, and brake
it down," &c. And godly Josiah, when he entered in covenant, made a
thorough reformation. There is a fourfold reformation in scripture, and
contained in the league and covenant. 1. A personal reformation. 2. A
family reformation. 3. A reformation of judicatories. 4. A reformation
of the whole land. Kings have had their hand in all the four; and
therefore I recommend them to our king.
1. A personal reformation. A king should reform his own life, that he
may be a pattern of godliness to others; and to this he is tied by the
covenant. The godly reformers of Judah were pious and religious men. A
king should not follow Machiavelli's counsel, who requireth not that a
prince should be truly religious, but saith, "that a shadow of it, and
external simulation, are sufficient." A devilish counsel; and it is just
with God to bring a king to the shadow of a kingdom, who hath but the
shadow of religion. We know that dissembling kings have been punished of
God; and let our king know that no king but a religious king, can please
God. David is highly commended for godliness; Hezekiah a man eminent
for piety; Josiah, a young king, commended for the tenderness of his
heart, when he heard the law of the Lord read; he was much troubled
before the Lord, when he heard the judgments threatened against his
father's house, and his people. It is earnestly wished that our king's
heart may be tender and truly humbled before the Lord, for the sins of
his father's house, and of the land; and for the many evils that are
upon that family, and upon the kingdom.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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