that the student is duly qualified in these several particulars, they shall record this opinion in their minutes, and order their clerk to write letters to the several presbyteries within the bounds of the provincial synod, two kalendar months at least before the meeting of the same, informing them of the presbytery's intention to take the student upon public trials; and bearing, that the certificate or certificates, in his favour, which are required by this act, have been regularly laid before them. But it is provided, that within the bounds of such synods as meet only once a-year, a student may be entitled to have these circular letters written half-a-year sooner than would be otherwise competent. 7. Enacted also and declared, that at the request of the student, it shall be competent to any presbytery to transfer the receiving of the public trials, or any parts thereof, certifying to the presbytery to which the transference is to be made, that the various preliminary steps have been taken according to the directions of this act; and that such parts of the public and private trials as have been already gone through, have been received with approbation. 8. If a student have studied, either in whole or in part, in protestant universities which are not within the bounds of this church, he shall, when he is proposed to any presbytery for trials, be required to produce satisfying testimonials from the professors of divinity in said universities; and the time which these professors shall certify to have been employed by him in studying divinity under their tuition, shall be computed in the same manner as if he had prosecuted his studies in any of the universities within the bounds of this church. But it is provided, that no student in such circumstances shall be admitted even to those private trials, which are appointed to be taken before the writing of the circular letters, sooner than six kalendar months after his arrival in Scotland. 9. Ordained, that if a presbytery propose to take a student upon public trials, and have, with that view, written the circular letters, as is herein required, public intimation thereof shall be made at some diet of the next meeting of the provincial synod, which shall not be the last diet thereof: And the pres

bytery clerk is hereby required to transmit to the synod clerk an extract of the certificate or certificates laid before the presbytery in favour of the student, in order that the same may be produced at this diet of the synod. Likewise ordained, that at some subsequent diet of the synod particular inquiry be made whether any of the members of the court has any objection to offer against the student being entered upon public trials: And that the synod then taking into consideration the extract produced, and the whole of the case, shall judge of the expediency of allowing the presbytery to admit the student on trials: Or, if in any case the presbytery clerk fail to transmit the extract of the certificates above mentioned, the student may produce to the synod, by himself, or by any member of the court, the extract of the same, which by this act he is entitled to obtain. 10. If the synod allow the student to be taken upon public trials, the presbytery shall proceed thereupon with all convenient speed: And it is appointed that the following trials be taken of the student, and in the order therein mentioned:-Catechetic trials on divinity, chronology, and church history:-A trial on the Hebrew and Greek languages :-An exegesis in Latin on some controverted head in divinity :-A homily in English-An exercise and addition:-A lecture on some large portion of scripture :-A popular sermon; it being understood, that if the presbytery see cause, they may examine the student upon the subject of these several discourses. 11. The student having gone through the several trials which are mentioned in the foregoing section of this act, the presbytery are ordained to proceed in the following order: 1. They shall deliberately and seriously take a conjunct view of the whole trials; and, if they shall be of opinion that the student is not properly qualified to perform the duties incumbent upon a preacher of the gospel, they shall by no means grant him a license in his present circumstances. 2. If, upon this review of the trials, the presbytery are fully satisfied therewith, they shall record this opinion in their minutes. 3. The presbytery shall then propose to the student the questions that are appointed to be put to all who pass trials, by Act 10,

Ass. 1711, and require him to subscribe the formula which is prescribed by that act. And all presbyteries are strictly prohibited from licensing any student to preach the gospel, who shall not give explicit answers to these questions, and subscribe that formula. 4. The presbytery shall order Act 8, Ass. 1759, against simonaical practices, to be read to the student in their presence. Lastly, the presbytery shall appoint their moderator to license the student to preach the gospel, and ordain their clerk to furnish him with an extract of their license. 12. Ordained, that this act be printed among the other printed acts: That it be printed by itself in some convenient form: That a copy of the separate edition be transmitted to each professor of divinity in the universities of Scotland; and that they shall read the same in their respective halls once at least during every session, and at such times as they have reason to expect the attendance of the greatest number of students for that session; and that a copy of the same edition be likewise transmitted to the clerks of each synod and presbytery within the bounds of this church, and that the said clerks keep the same along with their minutes, and bring it up to each meeting of their respective courts for the use of the members.-Act 8.

PROCESS.

1694. Appointed, That all processes or other papers be delivered to the clerk in the intervals betwixt the diets of the Assembly's meeting; and declared, that such as shall be otherwise delivered shall be laid aside for that diet.-Act 7.

1704. A committee is appointed to concert and prepare a form of process, for regulating the procedure of church judicatories for the future, and to report to the commission, and they to transmit the same to the several presbyteries for their opinion, to be reported to the next Assembly: And it is recommended to the commission to cause again revise the printed overtures for discipline, with the amendments, and cause reprint and transmit the same to the

several presbyteries, for their opinions, to be also reported to the next Assembly.-Act 25.

1707. The foresaid form of process in the judicatures of this church, with relation to scandals and censures, is ratified and approven, and ordained to be observed, as fixed binding rules and directions in the whole matters therein contained, except the 7th, 8th, and 9th paragraphs of chap. 4, and what concerns the pressing of the oath of purgation. As to which, it is only recommended to church judicatories to regulate themselves according to the advice therein insinuated, as they shall find most for edification.-Act 11.

PROFANENESS.

1641. Ministers and people are exhorted to the religious exercises of public and private worship, and to the duties of mutual edification, and charged to endeavour the suppressing of all impiety, and the mocking of religious exercises, and to eschew all meetings which are apt to breed error, scandal, schism, neglect of duties, and particular callings, and such evils; and the execution of this act is remitted to synods and presbyteries. See at large Act Sess. 10, Aug. 4.

1694. All ministers, and all who fear God, are exhorted and required to have on their hearts a deep, humbling, and soul-affecting sense of the gross and abominable sins and vices that abound in this nation, and be much in prayer and supplication before God on this account; and that all the ministers of this church preach plainly and faithfully against these vices, and denounce the threatened judgments of God, against such evil-doers, and deal earnestly and much with their consciences, to bring them to a conviction and sense of their sin and danger; and church judicatories are appointed faithfully to exercise church discipline against all such scandalous offenders, with that gravity, prudence, and meekness of wisdom, as, by the blessing of God, may prove an effectual mean of reforming and recovering the guilty, and of

preventing the like sins in others. And it is required, That care be taken in the receiving of servants, and that they have testimonials of their honest and christian behaviour, and that the same be required of all others who flit and remove from one parish to another. And it is appointed, That the ministers and elders in each congregation take care that the worship of God be performed in the several families thereof; and if any family be found which neglecteth this necessary duty, the head of that, family is to be gravely, seriously, and earnestly admonished until he amend his fault: And it is recommended to ministers and kirk-sessions, That none be ruling elders who make not conscience of this necessary and unquestionable duty, and no grossly ignorant and scandalous person be admitted to the Lord's table. And it is recommended to ministers and kirk-sessions, That they carefully apply to the several magistrates of their bounds, that the acts of parliament against profaneness may be put in execution, and particularly the act of parliament 1693, 40. And this act is ordained to be publicly read and intimated in all churches.-Act 13.

1697. In the first place, all the people of this church and nation are, in the awe and dread of the great God who will not hold them guiltless that break any of his commands, beseeched, warned, and obtested to break off their sins by repentance, and seriously, in the fear of the Lord, to apply themselves to a sober, conscientious, christian, and circumspect walk in all manner of conversation, as becomes the professors of the glorious gospel of the blessed God, and of that religion which is pure and undefiled, as they would not incur the heavy displeasure and just indignation of the Holy One, in being excluded for ever from seeing his face in peace, and pull down his temporal judgments upon themselves, and upon the land. And next, all the ministers of this church are required freely and faithfully to preach against the enormous sins of profane and idle swearing, cursing, Sabbathbreaking, profane withdrawing from, and contempt of gospel ordinances; yea opposing the dispensing of them, by hindering the planting of churches, and discouraging