they govern Providing that they alter no rules made by the Provinciall or generall Assemblies And that they make the Provinciall Assemblies foresaid privie to the rules that they shall make and to abolish Constitutions tending to the hurt of the same It hath power to excommunicate the obstinate for mall processe being led and due intervall of times observed Anent particular Kirkes if they bee lawfully ruled by sufficient Ministers and Session they have power and Jurisdiction in their owne Congregation in matters Ecclesiasticall And decrees and declares the Assemblies Presbyteries and Sessions Jurisdiction and Discipline foresaid to bee in all times comming most just good and godly in the selfe Notwithstanding of whatsoever Statutes Acts Canons Civill or Municipall lawes made to the contrary To the which and every one of them their presents shall make expresse derogation And because there are divers Acts of Parliament made in favour of the Papisticall Kirk tending to the prejudice of the liberty of the true Kirk of God presently professed within this Realme Jurisdiction and Discipline thereof which stand yet in the bookes of the Acts of Parliament not abrogated nor annulled Therefore his Highnesse and Estates foresaid hath abrogated cassed and annulled and by the Tenour hereof abrogates casses and annulles all Acts of Parliament made by any of his Highnesse Predecessours for maintenance of superstition and idolatry withall and whatsoever Acts Lawes and Statutes made at any time before the day and date hereof against the liberty of the true Kirk Jurisdiction and Discipline thereof as the same is used and exercised within this Realme And in speciall that part of the Act of Parliament holden at Sterling the fourth day of November the yeare of God 1443. yeares commanding obedience to be given to Eugenius the Pope for the time The Act made by King Iames the third in his Parliament holden at Edinburgh the 24. of February the yeare of God 1480. yeares And all other Acts whereby the Popes authority is established The Act of King Iames the third in his Parliament holden at Edinburgh the 20. of November the yeare of God 1469. yeares anent the Saturday and other vigils to be holy dayes from Evensong to Evensong Item that part of the Act made by the Queene Regent in the Parliament holden at Edinburgh the first day of February the yeare of God 1551. yeares giving speciall licence for holding of Pasche and Zuill Item the Kings Majesty and Estates foresaid declares that the 129. Act of the Parliament holden at Edinburgh the two and twentieth of May the yeare of God 1584. yeares shall no wayes be prejudiciall nor derogate any thing from the priviledge that God hath given to the spirituall Office-bearers in the Kirk concerning heads of Religion matters of Heresie excommunication collation or deprivation of Ministers or any such like essentiall censures specially grounded and having warrant of the word of God Item our Soveraigne Lord and Estates of Parliament fore-said abrogates casses and annihilates the Acts of the same Parliament holden at Edinburgh the said yeare 1584. yeares granting commission to Bishops and other Judges constitute in Ecclesiasticall causes to receive his Highnesse presentation to Benefices to give collation thereupon and to put order to all causes Ecclesiasticall which his Majesty and Estates afore-said declares to bee expired in the selfe and to bee null in time comming of none availe force or effect And therefore ordaines all Presentations to Benefices to be direct to the particular Presbyteries in all time comming with full power to give collation thereupon and to put order to all matters and causes Ecclesiasticall within their bounds according to the Discipline of the Kirk providing the fore-said Presbyteries be bound and astricted to receive and admit whatsoever qualified Minister presented by his Majesty or laicke Patrons THE FIRST BOOKE OF DISCIPLINE To the great Councell of Scotland now admitted to the Regiment by the providence of God and by the Common consent of the Estates thereof Your Honours humble Servitours and Ministers of Christ Jesus within the same wish grace mercy and peace from God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with the perpetuall increase of the holy Spirit FRom your Honours weereceived a charge dased at Edinburgh the 29. of April in the yeare of our Lord 1560. requiring and commanding us in the name of the eternall God as wee will answer in his presence to commit to writing and in abooke deliver to your wisedomes our judgements touching the reformation of Religion which heretofore in this Realme as in others hath beene utterly corrupted upon the receit whereof so many of us as were in this Towne did conveene and in unity of minde doe offer unto your wisedomes these subsequents for common order and uniformity to bee observed in this Realme concerning doctrine administration of Sacraments election of Ministers provision for their sustentation Ecclesiasticall discipline and policy of the Church Most humbly requiring your Honours that as you looke for participation with Christ Jesus that neither ye admit any thing which Gods plaine word shall not approve neither yet that ye shall reject such ordinances as equity justice and Gods word doe specifie For as wee will not bind your wisedomes to our judgements further then wee are able to prove by Gods plaine Scriptures so must we most humbly crave of you even as ye will answer in Gods presence before whom both ye and wee must appeare to render accounts of all our facts that ye repudiate nothing for pleasure and affection of men which ye bee not able to improve by Gods written and revealed word The first head of Doctrine SEing that Christ Jesus is he whom God the Father hath commanded onely to bee heard and followed of his sheepe wee judge it necessary that his Gospell bee truely and openly preached in every Church and Assembly of this Realme and that all doctrine repugnant to the same be utterly repressed as damnable to mans salvation The explication of the first head LEst that upon this generality ungodly men take occasion to cavill this wee adde for explication By preaching of the Gospell wee understand not onely the Scriptures of the new Testament but also of the old to wit the Law Prophets and Histories in which Christ Jesus is no lesse contained in figure then wee have him now expressed in verity And therefore with the Apostle we affirme that all Scripture inspired of God is profitable to in struct to reprove and to exhort In which bookes of old and new Testaments we affirme that all thing necessary for the instruction of the Church and to make the man of God perfect is contained and sufficiently expressed By the contrary doctrine wee understand whatsoever men by lawes counsells or constitutions have imposed upon the conseiences of men without the expressed commandement of Gods word such as bee the vowes of chastity for swearing of marriage binding of men and women to severall and disguised apparells to the superstitious
needlesse For your incouragement against such and others of the like disposition it hath pleased the Lord to set on worke our pens and in his owne time if presumption bee obstinate hee will inspire them with greater love of his truth to whom he hath given knowledge in measure above them who hath put to their hand and increase their knowledge in whose hearts he hath wrought some love howsoever their knowledge be far inferiour to many of theirs who stand for the truth It is to be remembred that the true friends of discipline are the Ministers of the blessed Evangel of Jesus Christ agreeing in doctrine and administration of the Sacraments and the people of this Realme that professe Christ as he is now offered in his Evangel and doe communicate with the holy Sacraments as in the reformed Kirke of this Realme they are publickly administred according to the confession of Faith and that such as were clothed with the Kirkrents or greedily gaped after the same as Abbots Priors Prioresses Bishops Commendatairs and other sacrilegious usurpers of Kirk-livings as they had place in policie and credit in Court or Councell either professedly or craftily have resisted the course of the Gospel and the discipline thereof as may be seen in these conflicts whereby the Kirke hath ever striven for deliverance from their usurpation till now the zeale of benefices having devoured the zeale of discipline old opposites are thought to be her most loving familiars and her old friends her greatest enemies A strange Case and yet very casuall for the Kirk by seeking worldly preferment to lose spirituall servants as one said Never a Minister got a great Benefice but hee spilt it or it spilt him Item that under the name of discipline is to be understood not onely the particulars expressed in these two bookes but also the Acts Constitutions and practises agreed upon and recorded in the Registers of the Generall and Provinciall Assemblies Presbyteries and Kirk Sessions Thirdly to consider the different conditions of the Kirk in her infancie in her growing and in her ripe age and accordingly to accommodate the discipline to practise as the condition of the time permitted or required and wisely to distinguish betwixt the Kirks purpose and intention in every particular and their possibility to performe and practise as circumstances concurred or were contrary As for example they intended resident Ministers one or moe as Kirks were of largenesse with Elders and Deacons Item Doctors of Divinitie for Schools Assemblies generall provinciall weekely meetings for the interpretation of the Scripture which afterward at Edinburgh the 7. day of July 1579. were judged to be a Presbyterie And they abhorred Anarchie Oligarchie and Hierarchie but with great paines and frequent meetings was abuses condemned and order established so that for lack of ordinary Ministers planted in that respect lack of lawfull Assemblies they were forced occasionally to use Super-intendents and Visiters of Countries who afterward in the generall Assemblie holden at Edinburgh the 4. of August 1590. when Presbyters were well and orderly constitute were declared neither to be necessary nor expedient Fourthly the first and second booke of Discipline penned by the Mininisters of the reformed Kirke and the first booke at the charge and commandement of the great Councell of Scotland subscribed by the greatest part thereof and afterward by many more as may be seene in the Acts of the Kirk the second booke standing insert in publick Register of the Kirk ordained to be subscribed by divers Acts of the Assemblie and confirmed by practise are both for one end To wit to direct reformation in Doctrine Sacraments and exercise of Discipline and to resist Idolatrie and corruptions The first hath more particular purposes The second sets down more fully and particularly the jurisdiction of the Kirk as it agrees or is distinguished from the Civill Policie the Office-bearers of the Kirk with their dutie the Assemblies of the Kirk and distinctions thereof the Patrimony of the Kirk and distribution thereof the Office of a Christian Magistrate in the Kirk certaine heads of reformation with the utility of the said bookes c. Item either of the said bookes confirme the other and neither of them abolish or innovate the other ACTS OF THE GENERALL ASSEMBLY FOR CLEERING AND CONFIRMING THE SAID BOOKES OF DISCIPLINE AND AGAINST THE ADVERSARIES THEREOF For the First Booke BEcause the lives of Ministers ought to bee such Edinburgh Iul. 30. 1562. as thereby others may be provoked to godlinesse It becomes them first to be tried after the triall of the Superintendents if any man have whereof to accuse them in life doctrine or execution of their office After the Ministers must the Elders of every Kirk be tried c. In that whole ordinance anent triall and in the Constitution following anent the subjection of all sorts of Ministers to the Discipline of the Kirk there is no mention of Bishops or any sorts of Prelates as not acknowledged to have any place in the Ministry of the Reformed Kirke Mr. Alexander Gordone called Bishop of Galloway Ibidem making petition for the Superintendencie of Galloway was refused because hee had not observed the order of calling Superintendents and in the meane time was required to subscribe the booke of Discipline Where it is evident that by his Episcopacy he might exercise no Ministeriall dutie and although he was presented by the Lords yet they would not admit him to be Super-intendent except hee subscribed the booke of Discipline And let this be remembred for the subscription of others of whom there may be seene a great number at the end of the said booke It is concluded by the whole Ministers assembled Ibidem That all Ministers shall be subject to their Super-intendents in all lawfull Admonitions as is prescribed as well in the booke of Discipline as in the election of Super-intendents Here observe two things First that Super-intendents might not doe what pleased them Secondly that obedience to bee performed to them was injoyned by the Kirk and set downe in the booke of Discipline and in the election of Super-intendents A Minister lawfully admitted Ibidem shall not bee removed but according to the order of the booke of Discipline so that the said booke is both the warrant of orderly admission and orderly removing According to the fourth head of the booke of Discipline concerning the lawfull election of Ministers Edinburgh Decem. 25. 1562. the Assemblie ordaines That Inhibition shall be made to all and sundry persons now serving in the Ministery who have not entred into their charges by the order in this same head appointed And this Act to have strength as well against them that are called Bishops as others pretending any Ministery within the Kirk It was thought needfull Edinburgh Decem. 25. 1563. for further confirmation of the booke of Discipline that the Earle Marshal Lord Ruthwen Lord Secretar the Commendator of Kilwinning the Bishop of
the end the discretion of some may correct the levity of others Not only must the life maners of Ministers come under censure judgement of the Kirk but also of their wives children and familie judgement must be taken that he neither live riotously neither yet avaritiously yea respect must be had how they spend the stipend appointed to their living If a reasonable stipend be appointed and they live avaritiously they must be admonished to live as they receive for as excesse superfluitie is not tolerable in a Minister so is avarice the carefull sollicitude of money utterly to be damned in Christs servants especially in them that are fed upon the charge of the Kirk We judge it unseemly and untolerable that Ministers shall be buirded in common Ale-houses or in Tavernes neither yet must a Minister be permitted to frequent commonly haunt the Court unlesse it be for a time when he is either sent by the Kirk either yet called for by the authoritie for his counsell judgement in civill affaires neither yet must he be one of the Councell be he judged never so apt for the purpose But either must he cease from the ministery which at his own pleasure he may not doe or else from bearing charge in civill affaires unlesse it be to assist the Parliament if they be called The office of Deacons as before is said is to receive the rents gather the almes of the Kirk to keep and distribute the same as by the Ministers and Kirk shall be appointed they may also assist in judgement with the Minister and Elders and may be admitted to read in assembly if they be required and be able thereto The Elders and Deacons with their wives and houshold should be under the same censure that is prescribed for the Ministers For they must be carefull over their office and seeing they are judges over others manners their own conversation ought to be irreprehensible They must be sober lovers and maintainers of concord and peace and finally they ought to be examples of godlines to others And if the contrary thereof appeare they must be admonished thereof by the Ministers or some of their brethren of the Ministerie if the fault be secret and if the fault be open and known they must be rebuked before the Ministerie and the same order kept against the Senior and Deacon that before is described against the Minister We think it not necessary that any publick stipend shall be appointed either to the Elders or yet to the Deacons because their travell continues but for a yeare and also because that they are not so occupied with the affaires of the Kirk but that reasonably they may attend upon their domesticall businesse The ninth head concerning the policie of the Kirk POlicie wee call an exercise of the Kirk in such things as may bring the rude and ignorant to knowledge or else inflame the learned to greater fervencie or to reteine the Kirk in good order And thereof there bee two sorts the one utterly necessary as that the word be truly preached the sacraments rightly ministred common prayers publickly made that the children rude persōs be instructed in the chief points of religion that offences be corrected punished These things be so necessary that without the same there is no face of a visible Kirk The other is profitable but not meerly necessary That Psalms should be sung that certain places of the Scripture be read when there is no sermon that this day or that few or many in the week the Kirk should assemble Of these and such others we cannot see how a certaine order can be established For in some kirkes the Psalms may conveniently be sung in others perchance they cannot Some kirkes convene every day some twice some thrice in the week some perchance but once In this and such like must every particular kirk by their consent appoint their owne policie In great Townes we thinke expedient that every day there be either Sermon or common prayers with some exercise of reading of Scriptures What day the publick Sermon is we can neither require nor greatly approve that the common prayers be publickly used lest that wee shall either foster the people in superstition who come to the prayers as they come to the Masse or else give them occasion that they think them no prayers but which be made before and after Sermons In every notable town we require that one day beside the Sunday be appointed to the Sermon and prayers which during the time of Sermon must be kept free from all exercise of labour as well of the Master as of the Servant In smaller townes as wee have said the common consent of the kirk must put order but the Sunday must straitly be kept both before after noone in all townes Before noone must the word be preached and Sacraments minstred as also marriage solemnized if occasion offer after noone must the yong children be publickly examined in their Catechisme in the audience of the people whereof the Minister must take great diligence as well to cause the people understand the questions proponed as answers and that doctrine that may be collected thereof The order how much is appointed for every Sunday is already distinguished in the book of our common order which Catechism is the most perfect that ever yet was used in the kirk and after noone may Baptisme be ministred when occasion is offered of great travell before noone It is also to be observed that prayers be after noone upon Sunday where there is neither preaching nor catechisme It appertaines to the policie of the kirk to appoint the times when the Sacraments shall be ministred Baptisme may be ministred whensoever the word is preached But we think it more expedient that it be ministred upon Sunday or upon the day of prayers only after the Sermon Partly to remove this grosse errour by the which many are deceived thinking that children be damned if they die without Baptism and partly to make the people have greater reverence to the administration of the Sacraments then they have for we see the people begin already to wax weary by reason of the frequent repetition of those promises Foure times in the yeare we think sufficient to the administration of the Lords Table which we desire to be distincted that the superstition of times may be avoided so farre as may be For your Honours are not ignorant how superstitiously the people runne to that action at Pasche even as if the time gave vertue to the Sacrament and how the rest of the whole year they are carelesse and negligent as if it appertained not unto them but at that time onely We think therefore most expedient that the first Sunday of March be appointed for one time the first Sunday of June for another the first Sunday of September for the third the first Sunday of December for the fourth We doe not deny but any severall kirk