Euseb.

Eccl. hist. lib. 6, cap. 34.

Luc. 2. Mar. 15. Ioan. 9.

a in Ps. 98.

b 1 Cor. 10.

Ambros. de Spir.Sancto, li. 3, ca. 12.

Ro. 10.
Heb. 5.
As Moyses

and the
apostolis.

Luce. 1.
Ioan. I.

that thai be daylie mony to communicat with the preist
sacramentalie, gif thai may be had, and that vndir bayth
the kyndes, gif it sall pleis the vniuersall Kirk to keip
that vniformitie: sua ze condemne1 nocht of supersti-
tioun or idolatrie a Christiane man, minister, or wthir, 5
quhen he may haif na communicantis with him to
ressaue2 the samin Sacrament him allane, be exemple
of Serapion in the tyme of the Martyris and the haill
Kirk in our days, quhat haif ze for zow to hald the
mess idolatrie, or 3 thairin ony superstitioun ? Gif ze 10
deny Christis humanitie be ressoun of the inseparable
coniunctioun thairof with his diuinitie to be adurnit,
ze ar alrady confundit be the exemple of the thre kingis,
quha adurnit him in the crib, and be exemple of wthiris
also in the Euangel. Gif ze deny the real præsence of 15
Christis body maist blissit in the Sacrament, ze dissent 1
fra the Scripturis and 5 haly Kirk vniuersall, and als
fra the segregatioun of all heretikis afoir zow and zour
maisteris-to wit, Oecolampadius, Zuinglius, and Caluin
-except Berengarius and his, as ze knaw præsentlie the 20
Lutheranis in that part to be zour manifest 6 aduersaris.
Gif ze deny Christe to be adurnit in the Sacrament
(sen we adurne na visible nor sensible signe thairof),
quhy condemne ze nocht a St. Augustine for an heretik,
and Chrysostome siklyke, with wthiris of thair aige, 25
quha ernestlie accuissis9 ws of sin, gif we adurn nocht
Christis maist haly body in the Sacrament?

b

33. Gif Iohne Knox be lauchful minister.

Sen we reid, that nane suld tak the honour of ministratioun of Godis Word and Sacramentis on him, except

he be lauchfullie callit thairto, othir be God immediatlie, 30 or be man haifand pouer to promote him thairto; and

1 MS. condampe.

2 MS. it him alane.

3 MS. omits this clause.

4 MS. differ.

5 MS. page 40.

6 MS. plane.

7 MS. adornit.

8 MS. inserts monye. 9 O.E. accuisss.

sen we reid nane callit be God only, except sik as schew thair pouer geuin1 thame be Him, be pouer* of the spirit, or in signis and wonderis.

Heirfor gif zow,2

Esa. 40. place weil

* At this

obscuir (as 2 God bade) Iohne Knox

maid a fel farde, to his gloir ze

wate. Act. 13.

2 Tim. 1.

Iohne Knox we say, be callit immediatlie be God, 5 quhare ar3 zour merwelis wrocht be the Haly Spirit 4? for the merwelis of woltering 5 of realmes to vngodly seditioun and discord, we adnumbre nocht to be of His giftis. Bot gif ze be callit be man, ze most schaw thame to haif lauchfull pouer thairto, as the Apostolis 10 ordinat St. Paull and Barnabas, albeit chosin be God 1 Tim. 4. afoir, and tha siklyke wthiris in the fourtein7 of the Actis; and as St. Paull ordinat Timothe and Tite, geueand9 thame pouer and command to ordour wthiris, quharein 10 apperis the lauchful ordinatioun of ministeris. 15 Zour lauchful ordinatioun be ane of thir twa wayis, we desyre zou to schaw; sen ze renunce * and eftemis that ordinatioun null, or erar wickit, be the quhilk sumtyme ze war callit Schir Iohne.

34. Gif Iohne Knox be nocht lauchful bischope, quhow can thai be lauchful ordinatit be him?

* And that to zour grete

schame,

brother!

Gif he can nocht schaw him self a lauchful ordinat Tit. 1. 20 bischope (nocht only a preist or inferiour minister), quhow can ze 11 superintendentis, or wthir inferiour precheouris, electit and ordinat be him, nocht haifand pouer thairto, iuge zour selfis to be lauchful ministeris in the Kirk of God?

35. Quhy ar nocht the lordis and wtheris, lauchful
ministeris, as Iohne Knox and his complices?

5

Gif Iohne Knox and ze affirmis zour selfis lauchful be ressoun of zour science, and that ze ar permittit always, gif ze be nocht admittit be thais Kirkis, quhome ze serue, quhy hef ze prechit manifestlie a gret errour and schisme in zour congregatioun, contending, with twith and nail (as is the prouerb), sum lordis and gentilmen to hef gretumlie failzeit,1 ministrand zour communioun in tymes bypast to thair awin houshald seruandis and tenentis: sen the lordis and gentilmen being 2 men of fast tedderit science, be thair awin iugement, in that case 3 wes per- 10 mittit be thair saidis seruandis to that office, quha affirmis thame selfis to be a Kirk of God?

Heir Ioh. Knox be his awin sentence

aganis wtheris, is

in the girn.

Cal. in Instit. de

Sacrament.

Ibidem, De

siast.

36. Gif the ordinatioun of ministeris be a1

sacrament.

Qvhy deny ze the ordinatioun of ministeris to be a sacrament in Christis Kirk, sen zour grete5 Maister ordine eccle- Caluin grantis in zour contrare, with mony wtheris new 15 writtaris in Allemannie? Quhidder hes it the visible signe, videlicet, the impositioun of handes, the promissis of God with the command (quhilkis thre only ze think? necessare to a sacrament) expressit in Scriptuir or nocht?

There is na thing mair plane.

37. Of vnqualifeit ministeris.

Ze allegand zour selfis to reduce the ordour in re- 20 ligioun according to the puritie of the writtins Word, and nocht misknawing also that the grete decay of the syncere religioun is the electioun and admissioun of the vnqualifeit and vnable ministeris, as we confes with zou

4

tour or a

A dum paswicious, is a on the peple: precheour.

sair scurge

as is the fals

that this lang1 tyme the maist part to hef bene admittit mair throw auarice, ambitioun, or 2 wthir carnal affectioun (and that in punisment of the peple that God sa sufferit), nor for godly leirning or wtheris guid pro5 pirteis requirit in a minister: and thairthrow specialie all misordour or 2 abuse that iustlie can be allegeit maist chieflie to hef sprung.5 Quhy admit ze to be zour precheouris and ministeris in sindry places zoung childring of na eruditioun except the reidings of Inglis and IO small entressis in grammar,—of na experience, nor zit haifand præeminence by wtheris of godly leuing, except ze call that godly to couet9 a fair wyfe and ane fatt pensioun, by the lawis of the monastik lyfe, quhilk sindry of thame hes professit? Sen St. Paull techis that men 15 in this vocatioun, by mony wthir godly propirteis, suld nocht be zoung of leirning and godly exercise always, bot potent to exhort and teche in helthful doctrine, and potent to repreue 10 and conuict the gainsayaris of the Tit. 1. samin.

20

4

38. Of 11 a new ordour of eldaris.

1 Tim. 3.

I Tim. 5.

Siklyke sen be the name of eldaris in the New Testa- 1 Pet. 5. ment expreslie is meanit 12 bischoipis and preistis, quhilkis last names the Apostolis vseit nocht (apperantlie to the intent that thai suld nocht be estemit of thai sort of Note. preistis and bischoipis of the auld law) quhois office is 25 expreslie 13 to preche and ministrat the sacramentis,

quhy inuent ze in zour Kirk a new ordour of eldaris, quhome ze discharge to vse ony of the offices forsaidis ? Silklyke quhy committ ze to the saidis eldaris that office, of the quhilk ze haif na pouer-to wit, the office of a 30 ciuill magistrat, quhilk pertenis only to an emperour or

A con

fusioun of

ordour and

auctoritie.

Deut. 17.

Io. vlt.

Matt. 26.

king, or lyke public persones, or to quhome thai cheis conforme to our Saluiour, sayngis, Geue to Cæsar that pertenis to Cæsar; and siklyke saying to Pylat, Yow wald haif na pouer ouer me, except it war geuin thee frome abuif, quho hald his pouer of the empriour? 5 Quhy sua tak ze fra the eldaris, quhilk is thair dewtie and office, and geuis 2 thame quhilk pertenis nocht to thame, nor3 zit ze haif pouer to geue thame?

39. Of the Pape, and gif a superior suld be
amangis the bischopes.

Sen naturalie be Godis prouidence amangis fowlis,
fischeis, and beistis, in euery cumpanie is ane principal, 10
as it war superiour; and siklyke amangis men in euery
realme is nocht only ane King or Quene, to quhome all
obeys; bot also in euery prouince, schyre, citie, and
hous is ane principal or superior, as thair is in euery
craft almaist ane decane,5-quhy suld it nocht be sua in 15
the ecclesiastical State, amangis the bischopes, wtheris
pastouris, and ministeris? Sen in the law of Moyses
God prouidit ane hie bischope, quhois7 sentence in
controuersie of religioun the peple suld follow vnder
the pane of dethe. We can nocht be assuirit of na 20
Scriptuir, that ze allege, bot St. Petir had the samin
pouer geuin singularlie and seueralie to him by the rest,
and aboue the rest of the Apostolis, as we ar at this
præsent persuadit be thir wordis of our Saluiour: Simon
Iona diligis me plus his? &c. Pasce oues meas, &c. 25
And that all the rest of the Apostolis wes numerat amang
the samin ones,10 it apperis 11 till ws in thir wordis: Omnes
vos scandalum patiemini in me in nocte ista: quia scriptum
est, Percutiam pastorem, et dispergentur oues gregis. And
in an wthir place Petirs auctorite aboue thame: Ego 30

1 MS. page 44.

2 MS. giffis.

3 MS. or.

4 MS Paip.

5 MS. dekin.

6 MS. awld.
7 MS. quhais.

8 MS. deithe.

9 MS. that.
10 O.E. oues.
11 MS. apparis