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The Generall Assemblie, holden at Edinburgh the 25th Junii 1564, holdin and begune in the Neither Tobuith att foure houres Afternoone; Exhortatioun and prayer made be Mr Johne Knox, Minister of Edinburgh: In the quhilk were convenit the Superintendants, Ministers, and Commissioners of Provinces of Kirks.

Sess. 2d, Junii 1564.

The Assemblie continowed Mr Willock Moderator of this Assemblie.

The Assemblie requestit Mr Robert Montgomerie, Minister at Couper, to support every uther Sunday the Kirk of Largo, quhill farther provisioun be made; and ordainit the Superintendent of Fyfe to labour with the Towne of Coupar for License to the said Mr Robert for the purpose foresaid; and to take ordour with the Schoolmaster of Couper to reid and exhort in the Kirk.

Sess. 4, 28th Junii 1564.

The haill Assemblie made, constitute, and ordainit their Commissioners under-written; for Fyfe, the Laird of Lundie and Thomas Scott of Abbotishall; for Lowthiane, the Lairds of Spott and Elphingstone; for the Westland, the Lairds of Carnall, Carse, and Kelwod; for the South, the Lairds of Wodderburne, and Andro Kar of Faudansyde; for Galloway, the Laird of Garlies, Zonger, and Mothine, with Mr George Gordoune; for Angus, the Provost of Dundee; and for the Northland, the Laird of Craig: They sall altogether repaire towards the Lords of Secreit Counsell, and thene present the Articles underwritten, pertinand to Reformatioun of Maners, punishment of certain Crymes, maintaining of Justice, and others concerning the universall Kirk of this Realme; and to reason thereupon with the said Lords, and report the Answers thereintill to this present Assemblie.

TENOUR OF THE ARTICLES.

First, that it is thoght good, and alsweill conforme to the Act of Parliament, immediately before the Queen’s Majestie’s arrival, promittit as her Heiness owin Ordinance, with consent of her Nobilitie, decreit and appointit after her Grace’s arrivall, Chryst’s Religion be de novo established, ratified, and approved throughout the whole Realme, and that all Idolatrie, especially the Masse, be abolished over all; so that no other Face of Religion be permittit or thoilit to be erectit.

And for this effect, that the Ministers be provydit decentlie with an assurit appointment, where they sall receive their livings asweill bygane as to come, and not to live as Beggers, as presentlie they doe; and in lyk maner to desyre, and with all humilitie to requyre, that the Transgressours againis the Ordinances, asweill from tymes past as from this tyme foorth, might be punisched according to the saids Lawes and Ordinances, and especially againis them that contemnes and committis Inobedience againis the saidis Lawes, in Aberdein, in the Carse of Gowrie, in Seafield, and in sundrie uther places, as salbe specifiet.

After the forsaids Articles war notified and declared to my Lords the Erles of Murray, Argyle, Glencarne, and to my Lord Secritar, being present, and send be the Quein’s Hieness to the Assemblie, to know quhat things were proponit therein; thoght the saids Articles, as they were conceivit, not so convenient to be proponit as appertained, and therefor thoght it meitt to collect twa Heids thereof, quhilk they themselves wald propone to the Quein’s Majestie; quhilk Heids follow:

And first, they wold declare to her the good mynds and obedience of them then assemblit.

And as tuiching the Estate of Religioun, seeing it tuitchit the said Lords most especiallye, being members of the said Kirk, they wold labour at her Grace’s hands, that the same might be observit according to the ordour establishit at her Heiness arryvall, and doubtit not to obtaine sick gentle answer and agreement of her Majestie in that behalf as might satisfie the said Assemblie.

The uther Heid, tuiching the sustentatioun of the Ministers, the saids Lords in lyke maner promised to labour at her Hienes’ hands that they might have appointment of the saids Stipends, and hoped to dresse her Hienes so that they sauld be ressonablie satisfiet of their desyre in that point.

Thereafter the saids Lords declarit, be the mouth of my Lord Secretaire, how they had proponit the saids Heids to the Quein’s Majestie, and how they were not only accepted be her Heiness in good part, but also gentlie answerit, and acceedit to the performance thereof; and therefore the saids Lords promised, in her Majestie’s name, to the haill Assemblie, the accomplishment of the saids desyres, of the quhilk they need not in any wayes to doubt; for if they had been surely persuadit in their owin hearts that her Hienes had meant utherwayes nor they had declared, her Grace sauld have found uther Messengers then they to have shawin the same in her Hienes’ name. Quhilk being be them declared, the haill number present first thanked God and her Majestie, that their reassonable desyres were so generallie answerit; and for recognoscing of their owin dutie, desyrit the saids Lordis reciprocallie to promise to her Majestie, in their behalf, all duetifull obedience, love, and submission, quhilk can be lookit for be any Christian Prince of most faithfull, humble, and loving subjects; promiseing therewithall, if any of their number sould happen to forget the duetie of a good Subject, or offendes her Majestie’s Lawes, that they all afaldlie wold concurre to the punition of the offendour, according to the qualitie of that trespass, as they sould be commandit.

Anent the satisfeing of the Complaint of pure Labourers of the ground anent the unmercifull exaction of their Teynds, Johne Maxwell of Terriglis, Knycht, frielie promiseit that quhat time the Superintendent of the West sould resort towart the Pairts quher he hes any Teynds, he sauld choose unto himself sax, seven, or aucht of the most wise and discreit Persones within the saids Bounds quher he has the saids Teynds; and quhatsoever the said Superintendent and honest Persones sould advyse him to doe, alsweill tuiching the Intromissioun as prices of Teynds, he promises to fulfil the same, so that the pure labourers sould feile at his hands ease and support within his Rowmes.

In lyk maner my Lord of Murray was content, and for his teynds within Fyfe, namit the Laird of Lundie, that sall modifie either money or victuall.

Aleso Alexander Bischop of Galloway promised to doe [the lyke] how soone the tack of his teynds comes in his awin hand, and beis run out.

The Erle of Monteith, my Lords of Lindesay and Ochiltrie, my Lord Secretarie, the Superintendent of Fyfe, the Gentlemen in the West, and amang them the Laird of Kars, and the Goodman of Leathem, all of their awin frie will, promised to doe according as the said Maister of Maxwell had promeised.

Tuiching the act of Parliament anent the gleibs and manses, the haill Assemblie requeist Mr James Macgill, Clerk Register, to extract the samein and subscryve it, to the effect it may be produceit before the Lords of the Secret Counsell the morne, or how soone guidlie he may doe the samen, that ordour may be tane thereanent for the ludging of the ministers.

Sess. Fifth, 30th Junii 1564.

Anent the causes of the whole kirk and jurisdiction thereof, the Assemblie appointit thir persons under-written, to wit, the Laird of Dun, Superintendent of Angus and Mernes, Mr Johne Wynrhame, Superintendent of Fyfe, Mr Johne Spottiswood, Superintendent of Lowthiane, and Mr Johne Willock, Superintendent of the West, with the assistance of Mr John Row, George Hay, Robert Pont, Christopher Gudman, Thomas Drummond, Johne Knox, John Craig, Johne Rutherford, George Buchanan, Robert Hamiltoun, Clement Littil, the Lairds of Lundie, Elphingstoun, Carnell, Kers, and Thomas Scott of Abbotishall, and ordained thir foirnamed persones to convene the morne after sermoun, and to reason and conferre anent the saids causis and jurisdictioun pertaining to the Kirk, and to report their opinions again the nixt convention.

Anent the questioun moved, whether a minister anes lawfullie placed at a kirk, may leave his ministrie at the said kirk, and pass to another at his awn pleasure. It was concludit be the haill Assemblie, that he may na wayes leave the congregation, being anes placed, without knowledge of the flocke, his Superintendent, or haill kirk, and that the cause why he wold leave that kirk be considerit be the Superintendent or haill kirk, whether it be lawfull or not.

The haill Assemblie in ane voyce chose James Makartney to be solicitor for the Kirk.

Becaus Mr Alex. Jardin, minister of Inchture, Kilspindie, and Rait, was in the last Assemblie suspendit from all function of office within the kirk, for causes containit in the Second Session of the last Assemblie to this conventioun, quher he sould receive answer, whether he sould returne to his office or not; the haill Kirk, in consideratioun of his marriage and publick satisfactioun of the Kirk quher the offence was committit, ordainit to make humble requeist to my Lord of Murray, to be content that the said Mr Alexander sould be received againe to his ministrie in respect of the premisses; and thereafter, that the Superintendent of Fyfe sould restore him againe to his ministrie as of befor.

Anent the requeist of Mr Patrick Couston, minister of Syres, desyreing the licence to pass to France and other countreyis, for augmenting of his knowledge for a tyme; the haill Assemblie in ane voyce dissentit therefra, and ordainit that he sould not passe out of this countrey, nor yet leave his congregatioun quher he travels without speciale licence of the haill Kirk, if they sall heirafter think it expedient or necessarie.

Forasmeikle as it was complainit be the Commissioner of Murray, upon William Sutherland, parson and exhorter at the Kirk of Moy, that he had not only disobeyit his charge, commanding him to marie the woman with quhom he befor had committit fornicatioun, but also had in despyte of the said Commissioner, ryveing his letters of charge thereto, and had not obeyit his summonds chargeing him to compeir to this General Assemblie; In consideratioun of this despytefull ryveing of the Commissioner’s letters, and also not compeiring to this Assemblie, the Kirk depryves him fra all Ecclesiastical functioun, and also ordaines the censure of the Kirk to proceed aganes him for his contempt.