That this Proclamation commandeth all his Ma jesties Subjects for maintenance of the Religion already established to subscribe and renew the Confession of Faith subscribed before in the yeare 1580 and afterward. And requireth the Lords of privy Counsell to take such course anent the same, and the generall Band of Maintenance of the true Religion, and the Kings person, that it may be subscribed, and renewed throughout the whole Kingdome with all possible diligence, which cannot now be performed by us. For although of late we would have been glad that our selves and other his Majesties Subjects had been commanded by authority to sweare, and subscribe the generall Confession of Faith against Popish errours, and superstitions: and now would be glad that all others should ioyne with us in our late Covenant & Confession, descending more especially to the novations and errors of the time, and obliging us to the defence of Religion; and of the Kings Maiesties person, and authority, and for these ends to the mutuall defence every one of us of another, Yet can we not now after so necessary, and so solemne a specification returne to the generall for the reasons following.
1. No means have been left unassayed against our late Confession of Faith and Covenant so solemnly sworn and subscribed. For first we were prest with the rendering and rescinding of our Covenant. Next an alteration in some substantiall points was urged. 3. A Declaration was motioned, which tended to the enervation thereof, and now we finde in the same strain, that we are put to a new triall, and the last mean is used more subtile than the former: That by this new subscription our late Covenant, and Confession may be quite absorbed and buried in oblivion, that where it was intended & sworn to be an everlasting Covenant never to be forgotten, it shall be never more remembered, the one shall be cryed up, and the other drowned in the noise thereof, And thus the new subscription now urged (although in a different way) shall prove equivalent to the rendering of the Covenant, or what of that kinde hath before been assayed. Like as the reasons against the rendring of the Covenant, doe militate directly against this new motion.