76. Gif all kynd of images and similitudes be hail Gif ze vnderstand be the secund præcept, as ze distinct thame, na image nor similitude of ony thing to be maid absolutlie, quhy permitt ze but repreif the nobilis and gentlemen of zour congregatioun to haif images or1 5 figuris of beistis and siklyke in thair armis?? And quhy beir ze zour selfis gold and siluer in zour purssis,3 quhareupon ar images and figures? And gif ze allege siklyze to be lesum, bot nocht to be put vp in the temple of God, quhow wnderstand ze that part of the Scriptuir 10 quhar Salomon is gretumlie commendit for the biging of the temple of Ierusalem, quharein he gart mak sindry images and similitudis, as of the angelis, cherubin, of lyonis, oxin, and wthiris thingis? Will ze haif the Kirk of God of les auctorite than wes Salomon him 15 allane, quha bayth set vp images in the temple 5 of God without the expres writtin 6 Word of God? Gif ze anssuer heirin tweching the abuissis, quhilkis we wald glaidlie war put away, be exemple of the brasin serpent cassin doun be Ezechias, quhow can zour anssuer be of strenthe or to purpose? Or quhow can ze be ressoun condemne of idolatrie all our elderis for the vpsetting of images of Christ crucifiit, of his martyris and of the rest, mair than Salomon, sen nothir of bayth intendit ony abuse eftir to cum thairof? And gif ze abolise all 25 thing that is abusit, quhat thing sal ze leue nocht abolissit? Nocht the haly Scripturis self, quhilk heretikis hes euir abusit, thrawing the samin in defence of thair fals opinionis, as did the deuil and the Iowis, contrare Christe. 20 1 MS. and. 2 MS. armis; M.C.E. 3 O.E. pursss. 4 MS. tempill of Hieru- 5 MS. Kirk. 6 MS. page 68. 7 O.E. abuisss; MS. 8 MS. condam. 9 MS. abolischit Orig. in Iob li. 2. Chrys, ad populum Antiochic. Homel. 66. et in x Tes. I. Hieron. in Epitap. Paul. August. de cognitione veræ vitæ, cap. 39. Basilius in 40. mart. * Mar. 12. Luc. 20. Awa with ye! Com munioun of Sanctis ! Meane thai nother ws frome heuin be angel, nor sainct: 77. Gif we may incall the sanctis to pray for ws Ze confessing with ws, as we ar informit, that all the membris of Christis mystical body, quhilk is his haly Kirk, are desyrous and glaid also of the helthe and prosperite of wtheris, and prayis to our heuinly Father for the samin to the indigent thairof, als weill the angelis 5 and sanctis in heuin for ws on erd in this battell, as the godly on1 lyue for wtheris; bot ze deny that we may incall the angelis and sanctis in heuin to that effect but the cryme of idolatrie, and 2 pronunceis vs manifest idolatouris gif we sua do: quhy condemne ze nocht of idol- 10 atrie siklyke Origene, Chrysostome, Hierome, Augus 4 tine, Basil, with mony wthiris, quhome ze knaw to hef 78. Gif ony temporall pane® remanis to a penitent resauit to mercy, and of prayer for thame departit. Mairouer, quhat Scriptuir half ze for zow to affirm sa bauldlie that quhow sone as a sinnar is resauit in the fauour of God to mercy, that all temporall pane is also demittit to him-for the quhilk caus the saulis of the 25 Christianis, say ze, that ar departit in grace neidis nane 1 MS. in. 2 O.E. ane; MS. and. and godlie faderis. 4 MS. page 69. 5 MS. departit. be wit of ou nor in erd, forefatheris: departit be hef helpit. nor the ws, wil thai 13, 15. of our prayaris or wthir support? For othir thai depart in grace, and sua immediatlie to the heuin; or ellis in the wrayth of God, and sua (as we grant with zow in that case) passis to the hell. But quow wnderstand 5 ze it that is writtin Num. 14: I haif forgeuin thame according to thi word, says God to Moyses prayand for the peple? Nochttheles it follouis of the grete punisment temporall, that nane of the peple that passit furth of Ægipt abone xx zeris auld suld entir in the land of Io promissioun, except Iosue and Caleb. Quhow wnderstand ze the grete tribulatioun and scurge that come to Dauid and his houss for his sinnis1 eftir he wes ressauit to mercy? Quhat meanis the sorrouful punisment of the houss of Manasses to the fourt generatioun for his 15 offences, eftir he wes resauit to mercy? Nocht only in tyme of his wickit ofspring, bot also in the days of the maist godly king Iosias his oy, it is writtin, that the Lord wes nocht turnit fra His wrayth and indignatioun Note. contrar Iuda for the sinnis of Manasses. Ze grantand 20 also that in baptim all sinnis ar forgeuin, confes ze nocht that the miserie and the dethe siklyke that followis eftir to the infant, afoir2 ony actual sin, is the temporal punisment for sin, sen St. Paull techis that the reuard of sin is dethe? Gif we heirfor assuirit be Godis Word that 25 he chastissis all sone quhome he ressauis, limitatis and3 determinatis nocht the wisdum of God be our phantasie—quhen, quhare, or quhoumekle, heir, or eftir this, as it plessis his godly fatherheid iustlie to puneis ws temporalie; bot with Hierome, Ambrose, and Augus30 tine, with the rest of Godis Kirk, prays, and delis almusdeid for the saulis of the faythfull departit-quhy cal ze ws heirfor Papistis, specialie sen it is writtin that it is a haly and helthful thing to pray for thame departeit, that thai be saifit fra thair sinnis ? 4 Reg. 21, 23. Hiere. 15. Ro. 6. Heb. 12. Hiero. in 1 prouer. Aug. in libro confess. in Enchirid. in lib. de ciui. dei et de verb. Apost. de fratris, et obit. Valent. Theodos. Exod. 24. 3 Reg. 19. Ion. 3. Matt. 3, 4 Matt. 9. Consider the 79. Of fasting at certane tymes [prescrivit.]1 5 Fasting in all aiges sa gretumlie commendit be God, as it is patent of 2 Moyses, Helias, the Niniuitis, and also be St. Iohne Baptist and his disciplis, practisit also be our Saluiour self (quhois doingis till ws suld be a reull of leuing, sa fer3 as we may follow), be quhome it wes forespokin that His disciplis suld fast in thai days, quhen thair spous, quhilk wes Him self, suld be tane fra thame quhiddir gif the Kirk of God heirfor, obseruing zerlie abstinence fourty days in the lentrene, and oukly on the Fryday quhen He sufferit, and on 10 Wodinsday generalie in the orient Kirk, quhen He wes sauld, as maist commonly on the Saterday5 in the occident, wes gilty of idolatrie or superstitioun thairthrow? Quhiddir gif the primitiue Kirk obseruit the same voluntarie, sen tha war maist feruentlie geuin at that tyme to 15 al godly exercise, or be command of thair bischopis: trewith it is that thai fastit the samin maist strictlie,7 nocht only as it apperis, fra flesche, bot fra wynis and al weill nurissing meitis and drinkis, of the quhilk fasting remanis now only the memorial thairof to abstene fra 20 flesche. Heirfor, gif the peple now being bent and prone to all licentious leuing, contemnis bayth the les and the mair, quhy exhort ze thame to brek that small memorie of abstinence fra flesche the tymes forsaid, and nocht erar spurris thame to the strict abstinence 25 maist godly of the primitiue Kirk, nocht only for cause of the commoun weil, as ze call it, bot for godly exercise, as the Kirk vseit the samin befoir? Siklyke, sen the peple suld obey thair superiour in all lesum thingis, quhy cause ze disobedience to thame in this mater? 30 Sen Iosaphat, King Saul, the King of the Niniuitis, with mony wtheris, commandit siklyke fasting, and nane historie of Spiridion obiectit to ws Catholiks. Trip. Hist. li. i, ca. 10. O warldly wittit! Ion. 3. 1 MS. prescrivit. 2 MS. in. 3 MS. far. 4 MS. page 71. 5 MS. frieday. 6 MS. treuth. 7 MS. ferventlie. 8 MS. metis. 20.] I durst disobey-insamekle that Saul wald hef slane his [MS. 2 Par. maist deirbelouit Sone Ionathas for breking the samin command, nocht1 willinglie nor wittinglie, bot in ignor- 1 Reg. 14. ance-quhy obeyt ze nocht zour selfis the last lentrene Note. 5 tyme zour magistratis commandand, at zour deuise and counsel, abstinence fra flesche certane days? Gif ze allege in this mater, contrare the fasting of the Kirk, the sayngis of St. Paull, All thingis ar clene to the clene; and quhare he propheciis of the hæretikis, that Tit. 1. Io suld forbid mariage and eiting of certane meteis, we think that absurditie neidis na confutatioun, bot the Nicholaite. exemplis abone specifiit, sen thai hæretikis ar alrady Tatiani. cummin2 in the primitiue Kirk. 80. Of the monastik lyfe. 3 Na man of mein 3 reiding doutand the monastik lyfe 15 in the primitiue Kirk to hef bene in grete existimatioun, as sindry werkis of Hierome, Augustine, Chrysostome, Basill, and wtheris, in commendatioun thairof, may be sufficient witnessing, quhy reiect ze and dispyssis the samin indifferentlie as superstitious or idolatrical, sen it 20 hes the grund and deip ruitis in the Scriptuir, be exem 1 Tim. 4. Manichæi. Matth. 3. Act. 4, 5. apostatis. Note ze ple of Helias, Helisæus, St. Iohne the Baptist, and thair 3 Reg. & 4. disciplis, be exemple also of mony disciplis of Christ, quha sauld thair geris and landis at his counsel, that thai mot be perfyte and follow him, and kaist the prices1 25 thairof at the Disciplis feit? For the defrauding of the quhilkis, Ananias and Saphira wes strukin be ane word of Petir 5 to the deth. Feir ze nocht siklyke punisment heir or hyne to cum on tha religious persones quha now gredelie embrassis the warld agane, be libertie of 30 zour doctrine, quhilk afoir be Christis counsel thai had refusit? And that damnatioun also to cum on thame (quhilk God auert throw his Spirit to repentance) quhilk 1 MS. page 72. 3 MS. meyne=mind. 4 MS. kest the pryce. 5 MS. page 73. Matth. 19. I Timot. 5. |