Some ACTS of the General Affembly of the Church of Scotland, concerning the purging and keeping pure the Worship of God from the Inventions of Men.

Affembly at Glasgow, December 6. 1638. Seff. 14. 1. Act concerning the Service book, Book of Canons, Book of Ordination, and the High Commiffion.

1. TH

HE Affembly having diligently confidered the Book of Common-prayer, lately obtruded upon the reformed Kirk within this Realm, both in refpect of the Manner of the introducing thereof, and in refpect of the Matter which it containeth, findeth, that it hath been devised, and brought in by the pretended Prelates, without Direction from the Kirk, and preffed upon Minifters without Warrant from the Kirk, to be univerfally received, as the only Form of Divine Service, under all highest Pains, both Civil and Ecclefiaftical; and the Book itfelf, befide the Popish Frame and Forms in Divine Worship, to contain many Popish Errors and Ceremonies, and the Seeds of manifold and grofs Superftition and Idolatry. The Affembly therefore, all in one Voice, hath rejected, and condemned, and by these Presents doth reject and condemn the said Book, not only as illegally introduced, but alfo as repugnant to the Doctrine, Difcipline and Order of this reformed Kirk, to the Confeffion of Faith, Conftituti. ons of General Affemblies, and Acts of Parliament eftablishing the true Religion; and doth prohibit the Ufe and Practice thereof: And ordain Prefbyteries to proceed with the Censure of the Kirk, against all fuch as fhall tranfgrefs.

II. The Affembly alfo, taking to their Confideration

the

the Book of Canons, and the Manner how it hath been introduced, findeth, that it hath been devifed by the pretended Prelates, without Warrant or Direction from the General Affembly; and to establish a tyrannical Power in the Perfons of the pretended Bifhops, over the Worship of God, Mens Confciences, Liberties and Goods; and to overthrow the whole Difcipline and Government of the General and Synodical Affemblies, Prefbyteries, and Seffions, formerly established in our Kirk.

Therefore the Affembly, all in one Voice, hath rejected and condemned, and by thefe Prefents doth reject and condemn the faid Book, as contrary to the Confeffion of our Faith, and repugnant to the established Government, the Book of Difcipline, and the Acts and Conftitutions of our Kirk; prohibits the Ufe and Practice of the fame; and ordains Prefbyteries to proceed with the Cenfure of the Kirk, against all fuch as fhall tranfgrefs. III. The Affembly having confidered the Book of Confecration and Ordination, findeth it to have been framed by the Prelates, to have been introduced and practifed without warrant of Authority, either Civil or Ecclefiaftical: And that it establisheth Officers in God's Houfe, which are not warranted by the Word of God, and are repugnant to the Difcipline and Conftitutions our Kirk; that it is an Impediment to the Entry of fit and worthy Men to the Miniftry, and to the Dif charge of their Duty after their Entry, conform to the Discipline of our Kirk. Therefore the Affembly, all in one voice, hath rejected and condemned, and by thefe Prefents do reject and condemn the faid Book; and prohibits the Ufe and Practice of the fame: And ordains Prefbyteries to proceed with the Cenfure of the Kirk, against all fuch as fhall tranfgrefs.

of

IV. The General Affembly, after due Trial, having found, that the Court of High Commiffion hath been erected without the Confent or Procurement of the Kirk, or Confent of the Estates in Parliament; that it fubverteth the Jurifdiction and ordinary Judicatories and Affemblies of the Kirk-feffions, Prefbyteries, Provincial and National Affemblies; that it is not regulate by Laws Q 2

Civil

Civil or Ecclefiaftical, but at the Difcretion and Arbitriment of the Commiffioners; that it giveth to Ecclefiaftical Perfons, the Power of both the Swords; and to Perfons merely Civil, the Power of the Keys and Kirkcenfures: Therefore the Affembly, all in one voice, hath difallowed and condemned, and by thefe Prefents doth difallow and condemn the said Court, as unlawful in itfelf, and prejudicial to the Liberties of Chrift's Kirk and Kingdom, the King's Honour in maintaining the established Laws and Judicatories of the Kirk; and prohibits the Ufe and Practice of the fame; and ordains Prefbyteries to proceed with the Cenfures of the Kirk, against all fuch as fhall tranfgrefs.

Affembly at Glasgow, December 10. 1638. Seff. 17.

Act declaring the Five Articles of Perth to have been abjured, and to be removed.

TH

HE Affembly, remembring the Uniformity of Worship which was in this Kirk before the Articles of Perth, the great Rent which entred at that Time, and hath continued fince, with the lamentable Effects that it bath produced, both against Paftors and Profeffors, the Unlawfulness and Nullity of Perth Affembly, already declared by this Affembly; and that in the neceffary renewing of the Confeffion of Faith in February 1638, the Practice of Novations introduced in the Worship of God, was fufpended, till they should be determined in a free General Affembly; and that in the fame Year, at his Majefty's Conimand, fome had fubfcribed the Confeffior of Faith, as it was profeffed when it was firft fubfcribed: For these Causes, the Affembly entred into a diligent Trial of the forefaid Articles, whether they be contrary to the Confeffion of Faith, as it was meaned and profelfed in the Year 1580, 1581, 1590 and 1591. And findeth the firft in general, in the Confeffion of Faith, we profefs, "We willingly agree in our Confcience to the

"Form

"Form of Religion, of a long Time openly profeffed by "the King's Majefty, and whole Body of this Realm, "in all Points, as unto God's undoubted Truth and Ve"rity, grounded only upon his written Word; and "therefore abhor and detest all contrary Religion and "Doctrine, but chiefly all Kinds of Papiftry, in general: "and particular Heads, even as they were then damn"ed and confuted by the Word of God and Kirk of "Scotland, and in special the Roman Antichrift, his five "baftard Sacraments, with all Rites, Ceremonies, and "falfe Doctries, added to the Miniftration of the true Sacraments, without the Word of God: his cruel "Judgments against Infants departing without the Sacraments, his abfolute Neceffity of Baptifm; and fi❝nally, we deteft all bis vain Allegories, Rites, Signs, "and Traditions brought into the Kirk, without or a

gainst the Word of God, and Doctrine of this true re-, "formed Kirk, to the which we join ourselves willingly "in Doctrine, Faith, Religion, Difcipline, and Ufe of the holy Sacraments, as lively Members of the fame in "Chrift our Head, promifing and fwearing, &c." And that these Five Articles are contrary to the Religion then profefled, were confuted by the Word of God, and Kirk of Scotland, or are Rites and Ceremonies added to the Ministration of the true Sacraments, without the Word of God, or nourish the Popifh Judgment againft Infants departing without the Sacrament, or abfolute Neceffity of Baptifm, or Rites, Signs, and Traditions brought in to the Kirk, without or against the Word of God, and Doctrine of this true reformed Kirk,

And next in particular, concerning Festival Days, findeth, That in the Explication of the first Head of the first Book of Difcipline, it was thought good that the Feafts of Christmas, Circumcifion, Epiphany, with the Feafts, of the Apoftles, Martyrs, and Virgin Mary, be utterly abolished, because they are neither commanded nor warranted by Scripture; and that fuch as obferve them, be punished by Civil Magiftrates. Here utter Abolition is craved, and not Reformation of Abuses only: And that because the Obfervation of fuch Feafts, hath no War,

Q3

Warrant from the Word of God. In the General Affeme bly, holden at Edinburgh, Anno 1566, the large Confeffion of Helvetia was approved, but with Special Exception against the fame Five Days, which are now urged upon us. It was not then the Popish Obfervation only, with the Popish Opinions of Worfhip and Merit, which was difallowed; (for fo the reformed Kirk in Helvetia did not obferve them) but fimpliciter all Obfervation. For this End, was read a Letter in Latin, fent, at that Time, by fome of our Divines, to certain Divines in these Parts, to this Purpose. In the Affembly holden 1575, in Auguft, Complaint was made against the Minifters and Readers befide Aberdeen, becaufe they affembled the People to Preaching and Prayers upon certain Festivaldays; fo that Preaching and Prayer upon Festival-days was judged rebukable. It was ordained likewife, that Complaint be made to the Regent, upon the Town of Dumfries, for urging and convoying a Reader to the Kirk, with Tabret and Whistle, to read Prayers all the Holy-days of Chriftmas, upon the Refufal of their own Reader. Among the Articles directed by his Affembly to the Regent, it was craved, that all Holy-days heretofore keeped holy, befide the Lord's Day, fuch as Yule Day,and Saints Days, and fuch others, may be abolished, and a certain Penalty appointed for Banqueting, Playing, Feafting upon thefe Days. In the Affembly holden in April, Anno 1577, it was ordained, That the Vifiters, with the Advice of the Synodal Affembly, fhould admonish Minifters, preaching or miniftrating the Communion at Eafter or Christmas, or other like fuperftitious Times, or Readers reading, to defift, under the Pains of Deprivation, In the Ninth Head of the first Book of Difcipline, the Reafon is fet down against Eafter Communion; Your Honours are not ignorant how fuperfiti onfly the People run to that Action at Pafch-even, as if the Time gave Virtue to the Sacrament, and how the reft of the whole Year, they are careless and negligent, as if it appertained not to them, but at that Time only; and for this Reafon other Times were appointed by that Book, for that holy Action. In the Affembly holden 1596, begun