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Scotland to be fortunate, wherein our King is a diuine, and whose heart is replenished with the knowledge of the heauenly philosophy, for the comfort not onely of his good subiects and friends in other countreys, but of them that professeth the gospell euery where, he beyng a King of great wisedome, and, by his birthright, borne to great possessions, but much more his Highnesse, vertue, godlinesse, and learnyng, and daily increase of all heauenly sciences, doth promise and assure him of the mighty protection of God, and fauour of all them that fear his holy

name.

IN the second acte his Maiesties royal authority ouer all estates, both spirituall and temporall, is confirmed: Which acte, some of malice, and other some of ignorance, doth traduce, as if his Maiestie pretended to be called the Head of the Church; a name which his Maiestie acknowledgeth to be proper and peculiar to the Sonne of God, the Sauiour of the World, who is the head, and bestoweth life spiritual vpon the members of his misticall body; and he, hauyng receiued the Holy Spirite in all aboundance, maketh every one of the faithfull pertakers thereof, according to the measure of faith bestowed vpon them. Of the which number of the faithfull vnder the head Christ, his Maiestie acknowledgeth himselfe to be a member, baptised in his name, pertaker of the mysterie of the crosse and holy communion, and attending with the faithfull for the comming of the Lord, and the finall restitution of Gods elect. And notwithstanding his Maiestie surely vnderstandeth by the scriptures, that he is the chief and principall member appointed by the lawe of God, to see God glorified, vice punished, and vertue maintained within his realme, and the soueraigne iudgement for a godly quietnesse and order in the commonwealth, to appertaine to his Highnesse care and solicitude. Which power and authoritie of his Highnesse, certaine ministers being called before his Maiestie for their seditious and factious sermons in stirring up of the people to rebellion against their natiue King (by the instigation of sundry vnquiet spirites) would in no wyse acknowledge but disclaime his Maiesties authoritie as an incompetent judge; and specially one called M. Andrew Meluile, an ambitious man, of a salt and fiery humour, vsurping the pulpit of Sandroyes, without any lawfull callyng, and priuie at that tyme to certaine conspiracies attempted against his Maiestie and crowne, went about, in a sermon vpon a Sunday, to inflame the hearts of the people, by odious comparisons of his Maiesties progenitours and counsaile, albeit the duetie of a faithfull preacher of the gospell be rather to exhort the people to the obedience of their natiue King, and not by popular sermons (which hath been the euersion and decay of great cities and commonwealths, and hath greatly, in times past, bred disquietnesse to the state thereby) to trouble and perturbe the countrey. The sayd M. Andrew, beyng called before his Highnesse, presumptuously answered, that he would not be judged by the King and counsaile, because he had spoken the same in pulpit, which pulpit, in effect, he alleged to be exempted from the judgement and correction of Princes, as if that holy place sanctified to the word of God, and to the breaking of the bread of life, might be any colour to any sedition in worde or deede, against the lawfull authoritie,

without punishment. Alwaies his Maiestie, beyng of himselfe a most gratious prince, was not willing to haue vsed any rigour against the saide Maister Andrew, if he had humbly submitted himselfe, acknowledged his offence, and craued pardon; who, notwithstanding, afraid of his owne guiltines, beyng priuie to diuers conspiracies before, fled out of the realme, whose naughty and presumptuous refusing of his Highnesse iudgement was the occasion of the making of this seconde acte, videlicet, That none should decline from his Highnesse authoritie, in respect that the common prouerbe beareth, Ex malis moribus bonæ leges natæ sunt ; that is, of euill maners good lawes proceede, And in verie deede it wanteth not any right intollerable arrogancy, in any subiect called before his Prince, professing and aucthorising the same truth, to disclaime his authoritie, neither doe the prophets, apostles, nor others, conducted by the Spirite of God, minister the like example; for it is a great errour to affirme, as many doe, that princes and magistrates haue onely power to take order in ciuill affaires, and that ecclesiasticall matters doth onely belong to the ministerie. By which meanes the Pope of Rome hath exempt himselfe and all his clergie, from all iudgements of Princes, and hath made himself to be iudge of iudges, and to be iudged of no man; whereas, by the contrarie, not onely by the examples of the godly gouernors, judges, and kings of the Old Testament, but also by the New Testament, and the whole history of the primitiue church, in the which the emperors, beyng iudges ouer the Bishop of Rome, deposed them from their seates, appointed iudges to decide and determine in causes ecclesiasticall, and chalenge innocent men, as Athanasius, from the determi nation of the councell holden at Tyrus, and, by infinite good reasons, which shall be set downe, by the grace of God, in another seuerail worke, shall be sufficiently prooued and verified. But this appeareth, at this present, to be an vntimely and vnprofitable question, which hath no ground upon their part, but of the preposterous imitation of the pretended iurisdiction of the Pope of Rome, For, if there were any question in this land of heresie, whereby the profound mysteries of the scriptures behooued to be searched foorth, his Maiestie would vse the same remedy, as most expedient, which the most godly emperours hath vsed: And his Maiestie, following their example, would alow the coun cell of learned pastours, that, by conference of scriptures, the veritie might be opened, and heresie repressed. But, God be thanked, we haue no such controuersies in this land, neither hath any heresie taken any deepe roote in the countrey, but that certaine of the ministerie, ioyning themselues to rebels, hath traucled to disquiet the state with such questions, that the people might embrace any sinister opinion of his Maiesties vpright proceedings, and factions might be nourished and entertained in the countrey. Neither is it his Maiesties meaning nor intention, in any sort, to take away the lawfull and ordinarie iudgement in the church, whereby discipline and good order might decay, but rather to preserue, maintaine, and increase the same. And as there is in the realme, iustices, constables, shirifes, provosts, baylifes, and other judges in temporall matters; so his Maiestie aloweth, that all things might be done in order, and a godly quietnes may be preserued in the whole estate, the sinodall assemblies by the bishops, or commissioners,

where the place was vsed, to be conuenient, twise in the yeere, to haue the ordinary trial of matters belonging to the ministery and their estate; alwaies reseruing to his Highnesse, that, if thei, or any of them, doe amisse, neglect their duétie, disquiet the estate, or offend in any such maner and sort, that they in no wayes pretend that immunitie, priuiledge, and exemption, which onely was inuented by the Popes of Rome, to tread vnder foote the scepters of princes, and to establish an ecclesiasticall tyranny within this countrey, vnder pretence of new inuented presbyters, which neither should answer to the King, nor Bishop vnder his Maiestie, but should haue such infinite iurisdiction, as neither the lawe of God nor man can tollerate. Which is onely his Maiestics intention to represse, and not to take away any godly or due order in the church, as hereafter shall appeare.

THE third acte of his Maiesties foresaide parliament dischargeth all judgements ecclesiasticall, and all assemblies which are not allowed by his Maiestie in parliament; which acte especially concerneth the re mouing and discharging of that forme inuented in this land, called Presbyterie; wherin a number of ministers of certeine precinct and boundes, accounting themselues to be equal, without any difference, and gathering vnto them certeine gentlemen, and others of his Maiesties subjects, vsurpe all the whole ecclesiasticall iurisdiction, and altereth the lawes at their owne pleasure, without the knowledge and approbation of the King or the estate: A forme of doing without example of any nation, subiect to a Christian Prince: The peril whereof did so increase, that, in case it had not beene repressed in due season, and forbidden by his Maiesties lawes, the same had troubled the whole countrey. And, beyng tried, by his Highnesse, to be the ouerthrow of his Maiesties estate, the decay of his crowne, and a ready introduction to anababtistrie, and popular confusion, in all estates, his Maiestie hath giuen commaundement against the same. And, that the reader may vnderstand the daunger thereof, by many inconueniences which, thereby, ensueth in this lande, I will onely set downe one, whereby they may vnderstand what peril was in the rest. The embassadour of Fraunce, returning home vnto his owne countrey, commaunded the prouost, bayliffes, and counsaile of Edenbrough, to make him a banquet, that he might be receiued honourably, according to the amitie of auncient times betweene the two nations. This commaund was giuen on the Saturday by his Highnesse, and the banquet appointed to be on the Monday. A number of the foresaide pretended presbyterie, vnderstanding thereof, assembled themselues on Sonday in the morning, and presumptuously determined and agreed, that the ministers of Edenbrough should proclaime a fasting vppon the same Monday, where three seuerall ministers, one after another, made three seuerall sermons, inuectiues against the prouost, bayliffes, and counsaile for the time, and the noble men in the countrey, who repaired to the banquet at his Maiesties commaund. The foresaide presbyterie called and perswaded them, and scarsly, by his Maiesties authoritie, could be witholden from excommunicating the saide magistrates and noble men, for obeying onely his Highnes lawfull commaund, which the law of all countreys, called Lus Gentium, requires towards

embassadours of forreine countreys. And not onely in this, but innumerable other things, their commaundement was proclaimed directly, vnder the paine of excommunication, to the Kings Maiestie and his lawes: Which forme of proceeding ingendred nothing but disquietness, sedition, and trouble, as may manifestly appeere, in that the speciall authors of the inuenting, promoting, and assisting of the foresaide pretended presbyteries hath ioyned themselues with his Maiesties rebels; and fleing foorth of the realme, in respect of their guiltines, hath discoured what malitious practises was deuised amongst them, if God had not, in time, prouided remedie. The other forme of iudgement, which his Maiestie hath discharged, is the generall assembly of the whole clergie in the realme; vnder pretence whereof, a number of ministers, from sundry presbyteries, did assemble, with some gentlemen of the countrey, wherof some, for that time, malcontents of the estate, sought that color, as fauorers of the ministerie, by the which thei haue practised many enterprises in the realme, where there was no certeine lawe in ecclesiasticall affaires, but all depended vpon the saide generall eonuention, where the lawes of the church were alterable after the number of voices, which, for the most part, succeeded vnto the most vnlearned of the multitude. This generall assembly, amongst other things, did appoint and agree with his Maiesties regentes in his Highnesse minority, that the estate of bishops, which is one of the estates of parliament, should be mainteined and authorised, as it is registred in the bookes of counsell, and subscribed by the commissioners for the time: Which order was obserued many yecres, and bishops, by their consentes, appointed to the diocesse, vntill, within this late time, in assemblies holden at Dundie and Glasgow, respecting the foresaide ministers and assemblies, thei tooke vppon them, contrarie to their owne hand writing, to discharge the estate, and to declare the same to be vnlawfull, in their pretended maner; and there commaunded the bishops of the countrey to demit and leaue their offices and iurisdictions, and that, in no wise, they should passe to the Kings Maicsties counsell, or parliament, with out commission obteined from their assemblie; that they should confirme nothing in parliament and counsell, but according to their acts and iniunctions. And further, they directed their commissioners to the Kings Maiestie, commaunding him and the counsell, vnder paine of the censures of the church (whereby they vnderstoode excommunication) to appoint no bishop in time to come, because they had concluded that estate to be vnlawfull.

And notwithstanding, that which they would haue deiected in the bishops, they purposed to erect in themselues, desiring that such commissioners, as they should send to parliament and counsell, might be authorised in place of the estate, whereby it should haue come to pass, that whereas, now, his Maiestie may select the most godly, learned, wise, and experimented of the ministerie, to be on his Maiesties estate, his Highnesse should have been, by that means, compelled to accept such, as the multitude, by an odde consent of the most vnlearned, should haue appointed; which could not tend but to the ouerthrow of the realme, whereof that estate hath bene a speciall stop. After they had discharged bishops, they agreed to haue superintendents, commis

sioners, and visitours: But, in the end, they discerned that there should be no difference amongst the ministers, and imagined that new forme of presbyterie, whereof we haue spoken before: Neither was there any other appearance that they should haue staid from such daily alterations in the commonwealth, which could not but continually be disquieted, where the lawe of conscience, which they mainteined by the sword of cursing, was subiect to such mutations, at the arbitrement of a number, whereof the most part had not greatly tasted of learning. At our the foresaide assemblie, was accustomed, not only to prescribe the lawe to the King and estate, but also did, at certain times, appoint general fastings throughout the realme, specially, when some factioners in the countrey was to mooue any great enterprise: For, at the fast, all the ministers was commaunded by the assemblie to sing one song, and to cry out vppon the abuses, as they termed it, of the court and estate for the time; whereby, it is most certaine, great alterations to haue ensued in this land, while, at the good pleasure of God, and his blessing towardes his Maiestie, the pretence of the last fast was discouered, and his Highnesse deliuered from such attempts, whereby his Maiestie hath bene justly mooued to discharge such conuentions, which might import so preiudicially to his estate: But specially his Maiestie had no small occasion, whereas the same assemblie, beyng met at Edenbrough, did authorise and auow the fact perpetrate at Ruthuen, in the takyng of his Highnesse most noble person: the which deed, notwithstanding his Maiestie, with the aduise of his estates in parliament, accounted to be treason, the saide assemblie, esteeming their iudgement to be the soueraigne iudgement of the realme, hath not only approoued the same, but ordained all them to be excommunicate that would not subscribe and allow the same. So the actes of this assemblie, and the lawes of the estate, directly weighed in ciuill matter, with the which the assemblie should not haue medled, it behooued his Highnesse, either to discharge himself of the crown, or the ministerie of the forme of assemblie, which, in deede, of it selfe, without the Kings Maiesties licence and approbation, could not be lawfull; like as generall counsells, at no time, could assemble, without the commaundement of the Emperor for the time; and our King hath no lesse power, within his owne realme, then any of them had in the empire: Yea, the Bishop of S. Androis had not, in time of Poperie, power to conuent the bishops and clergie, out of their owne diocesse, without licence giuen before of his Highnesse most noble progenitours of good memorie, and the causes thereof intimated and allowed. Notwithstanding that his Maiesties intention and meaning may fully be vnderstood, it is his Highnesse wil, that the bishop, or commissioners of any diocesse, or prouince, or part thereof, shall, at their visitation appointed in euery parish, accordyng to the greatnesse thereof, haue some honest, vertuous, and discrete men, to aide and assist the minister, and to haue the ouersight and censure of the maners and behauiour of that parish: And, if there be any notable offence worthy of punishment, that the bishop and commissioners be aduertised thereof, who shall haue an officer of armes to be assistant for the punishment of vice, and executions to follow thereupon; that they, who contemneth the godly and lawfull order of the church, may finde, by experience,

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