5

St. Paull pronunceit vpone the zoung wedowis, quha eftir thair wow wald only hef mariit 1? Sen ye speciall pray, that mony of thame huntis for, is an huir (as we zit vnderstand) cloikit be the name of a wyfe. Ze misknaw nocht the monastik lyfe to hef stand specialie in the renunceing of the warld and plesouris of the body, nocht only fra vnlesum huirdum, bot fra mariage sumtyme to thame lesum-to the entent that thai mycht thairby mair esalie waik on prayar and godly study, nocht refusing honest corporal exercise, be exemple of 10 Sancts Paul, to sustentatioun of thair bodyis. Zit nochtwithstanding in our days the samin wes abusit amang mony in idilnes and welthy lyfe, and cloikit with glistering ceremoneis of germountis and siklyke, mair than in trew religioun, quhy hef ze schorne away in this 15 mater the quheit togidder with the fitcheis? Quhy hef ze wappit doun the monasteriis, and principal policie of this realme, and counselis the rentis thairof iniustlie to be appropriat to wtheris? Of the quhilkis monasteriis euery ane be a godly reformatioun, besydes a 20 cumpanie to waik on prayar, micht haif bene a college of godly leirning to the support of puir studentis, and that to the grete and necessar commoditie of this realme, quhare now apperis schortlie to cum extreme ignorance, and thairby, be reiding of erroneous Inglis 25 buikis but ferther knawlege, confusioun of all errouris. Gif ze allege the saidis monasteriis to hef bene pollutit with idolatrie, and thairfor suld haif bene destroyit, quhy hef ze nocht destroyt also to the ground (as ze hef done in a part) all paroche kirkis and bischopes 30 saitis, in the quhilkis the samin thingis wes vseit, haldin be zou idolatrie? And quhat pouer haif ze to dispence mair in the ane nor in the wthir? 8

1 MS. mariet.

2 MS. eselie.

3 MS. Sanct Paule be.

4 MS. galstreinge .

Garmontis.

5 MS. sawin.

6 MS. policeis.

7 MS. page 74.

8 MS. omits last sen-
tence.

81. Of prayar at præscrivit tymes in the Kirk

Luc. 18.
Thes. 5.

Matt. 26.

I Pet. 4.

and 118.

Eftir that we ar be our Saluiour and his Apostolis maist ernestlie commandit to walk continualie but intermissioun in prayar and thankisgeuing, and be exemple of our grete Lord forsaid, techit nocht only afoir and 5 eftir mete to thanksgeuing, but to the feruencie of prayar, knawing Him to hef prayt thryse the samin prayar the nycht He wes betrasit; and be Daniel also captiue in Dan. 6. Babilone, turnand him to Ierusalem and adurnand the leueand God thre tymes euery day; and techit siklyke 10 be the haly prophet Dauid nocht only euery day, bot at Psal. 144 mid nycht to ryse, and euery day seuin tymes to loue the samin Lord our God. Siklyke in the Apostolis days we reid that certane houris wes appointit, as quhen Petir and Iohne ascendit to the temple at the nynte Act. 3. 15 hour of prayar; we reid siklyke of the magnifik ordour and multitude of sindry ministeris in the temple of God appointit be Dauid. Heirfor, albeit euery man suld 1 Par. 24. pray willinglie, think ze nocht that the Kirk of God institutit godly, that prayaris and louing suld be soung 20 or red dayly seuin tymes, be able ministeris elect thairto? quhilk thing, as we vnderstand, ze can nocht be ressoun deny. Quharfor hef ze prætending bettir ordour in the Kirk than wes afoir, destroyt the formair ordour, and prays only be ane persoun, in zour best reformit 25 Kirkis, anis only euery day; and in mony places thryse in ye oulk, and in fer may nocht anis in the moneth? —we mein of the Kirkis pertening to the reformaris. Gif ze allege in the formair ordour abuse or superstitioun throw ignorance to hef aboundit (quhilk thing we 30 excuis nocht), quhy trampit ze nocht thai abuseis vnder

fuit, and set vp that godly ordour to the awin syncere puritie, bot hes brocht that mater, as fasting and monastik lyfe, to the mair licentious libertie than afoir?

1 MS. omits this question and paragraph.

I

Aug. De spirit. et lit.

сар. 33.

Nemo habet

82. Of fre-wil.

Qvhy hald ze the catholik doctrine of fre-wil of man,

a papisticall inuentioun ? Sen all the auld aunciant

in potestate writtaris, bayth Greik and Latin, affirmis the samin to be

quid ei

veniat in

mentem: sed con

sentire, vel dissentire, propria voluntatis

est.

Et ca. 4. Sine libero arbitrio nec

bene nec male viuitur.

Matth. 23.

Act. 7.

Ro. 7.

collectit maist euidentlie of the Scriptur; and nocht only thai, bot also zour awin writtaris, as Bullinger and Melanchthon, appreuis the samin. Will ze heirfor a man

Or mak ze God the

5

to be as a stane, hors, or mule?
wirkar1 of all iniquitie, and to hef geuin His haly com-
mandis 2 to the intent that man suld be damnit thairby,
gif ze allege all thingis to cum of necessitie? Gif man 10
preuentit be the grace of God hes nocht that fredome
of will to assent or dissent thairfra, quhow vnderstand
ze thir Scriptuiris, and siklyke: Quhou3 oft wald I hef
gadderit the (says our Saluiour to Ierusalem), and zow
wald nocht? And siklyke that St. Steuin says to the 15
Iowis, Ze haif ay gainstand the Haly Spirit. Gif man
hes na fredome, as said is, to quhat effect gaif God his
commandis to man, geuand him terrouris of panes gif
he transgressit the samin, and sa mony large promissis
for the obseruing of the samin ?5 Was thair euir ony of 201
affirmit with the Pela-

ws quhome ze cal Papistis that
gianis that man eftir the fal of Adam mycht of the
pouer of his fre-wil do ony guid plesand to God, with-
out his special grace and help? Nochttheles man we
nocht grant with Sanct Paull that wil is adiacent till

WS.

83. Of the name Papistis.

Qvhidder call ze ws of the haly catholik Kirk Papistis, be ressoun of the Bischopes of Rome in the primitiue Kirk, of the quhilkis thai war xx and may maist constant martyris of the veritie,-quhilk is Christ; or be ressoun

1 MS. wirker.

2 MS. commandmentis.
3 MS. page 75.

4 MS. Sanct Stephane.
5 MS. omits this sen-

tence.

6 MS. proffitable.

25

30

-

godly vnitie.

of the Bischopes of Rome, quha has bene laitlie? Gif Note for ze cal ws Papistis for caus of ony new doctrine vnknawin to the primitiue Kirk, bot set vp laitlie be the Bischopes of Rome or wtheris, we, to the intent that we may cum 5 to an vnitie in all godlines, will, with Godis help, condescend vnto zow sa fer as we may but manifest errour, and in na point adhere to ony doctrine in religioun or ordour in the Kirk, set furth be papes, bischopes, or kingis1 thir thousand zeris last bypast, except it IO euidentlie aggre with the express Word of God, the trew vnderstanding thairof, vniuersalie set furth afoir thai days, declarit till ws be the vniforme consent of the maist aunciant Doctouris, discussit and determinat be generall Counselis, or vniuersalie obseruit and practisit 15 in Godis Kirk. Nor zit allege Doctour, Greik, nor 2 Latin, quha hes writtin within thir thousand zeris for the defence of ony thing now in controuersie, except in sa fer as thai manifestlie consent wyth the doctrine of the former aige. Gif ze dissent fra the doctrine 20 approuin vniuersalie, and ordour set furth in the said former 3 Kirk, sen the Kirk of God most be perpetuall, and in na aige euir mair syncere in religioun, fulfillit v. 4. Io. 14.] and exornatit in godly leirning and integritie of lyfe, than in thai days-haif we nocht iust cause to imploir

25 the grace of God, and help of all Christiane princis, to be deliuerit fra zour furious tyrannie, maist ethnik, and arrogant impietie?

[MS. Matt.

132

Note and obserue gif thow wald

be a sone of
the haly Kirk
vniuersal.

Matt. 7.
Tit. 3.
1 Cor. 1.
Ephes. 4.

2 Thess. 2.

5

eschew the cumpanie of hæretikis, to fle fra all schisme
and diuision, to walk 5 in vnitie of spirit, in the band
of peace; and to the end that we mot mair 6 esalie sua
do, to keip that vniformitie of doctrine, of præceptis and
traditionis geuin till ws, als weil be word and preching
as be writt, maist faithfullie promittis to zou to consent,
and assist alsua, nocht only to the tramping doun of 10
idolatrie, superstitioun, and abuiss in religioun, in sa fer
thai be til ws cleirly notifiit," bot also to the cutting
away of the apperand occasioun thairof, croipin in
the Kirk onyways, be warldly wickit men, be the spirit
of auarice, ambitioun, or carnal affectioun. Gif ze schuit 15
only at this samin mark, as ze allege zow to do (quhilk
to intend vnfenzetlie we pray the Almychty maist merci-
ful to illuminat zour myndis), we exhort zow in the
bowelis of Iesus Christ, to descend into zour selfis, and
to hef consideratioun that as ze allege zou to be men of 20
leirning and witt, that sua zour fatheris afoir zou hes
bein men haifand indoutitlie the samin giftis; and as ze
iuge the samin our fatheris (we mein specialie of the

1 MS. ane.

2 O.E. premisss.

3 MS. admonissit.

4 MS. straitlye; O.E.
stryitlie.

5 MS. awalk.

6 MS. the mair, page 77.

7 MS. notifiette.

8 MS. our.