18th of the Assembly 1705, that the agent for the kirk in all time coming, after every Assembly, so soon as the acts thereof shall be printed, transmit as many copies of the same to every presbytery as there be parishes therein; and both presbyteries and sessions are ordained, at their first meeting after receiving the said acts, to cause read so many of them as are of public concern, in order to their observing thereof. And all this to be upon the charges of the several presbyteries and sessions.

9. By the 4th article of the 5th chapter of the French Church Discipline, it shall not be permitted to establish other council for any church business whatsoever, and if in any other church, there shall any other council be established, different from the consistory, it shall forthwith be suppressed; nevertheless, the consistory may sometimes call to its aid such of the church as shall be thought convenient, and that the ecclesiastical matters be treated of only in the place where the consistory doth assemble. They have lately erected in England societies for refor mation of manners, not without some seeming success against vice and immorality, which is commendable and requisite there, until the discipline and government of their church be more pure, and better reformed. But for the church of Scotland, as now established, to imitate that example, beside that it might become an introduction to innovations, it would resemble a vain youth's bringing wide sleeved coats in fashion, because some persons of quality, who had a distemper in their arms, were necessitated to cause make them wide for their own ease. The author of the Stage Condemned, p. 45, proves stage plays. to be condemned in Scripture by this argument, that which God hath appointed sufficient means to accomplish, it is unlawful for men to appoint other means to accomplish it. But God hath appointed sufficient means for recommending virtue and discountenancing vice without the stage: Ergo, it is unlawful for men to appoint the stage for recommending virtue, and discountenancing vice. And the same argument, mutatis mutandis, militates against these new lay societies for reformation of manners in the church.

TITLE XII.

Of Presbyteries.

1. This judicature consists of all the pastors within the bounds, and one ruling elder from each parish therein, who receives a commission from the eldership to be a member of the presbytery, and represent them there till the next synod be over: thus twice a year there are new elections of the ruling elders. The number of parishes associated in presbyteries for their mutual help, is determined by authority of the national synod, December 17, 18, 1638, article 8. as the adjacency of the congrega tions, and the easiness of travelling doth best allow. Where there are collegiate ministers, that session may send as many ruling elders. The directory for government saith, that to perform any classical act of government or ordination, there shall be present, at least a major part of the ministers of the whole classis. Presbyteries should meet every third week, and oftener if business require it: But of this see § 3. of this title.

2. Every meeting of a presbytery is to begin with a sermon by one of the brethren appointed formerly for that effect, upon a text assigned him by them, except when probationers or intrants supply the pulpit in their public trials. The half of the time allowed for this pres byterial exercise is to be taken up in the explicatory and analytic part of the text, and in answering textual and critical questions and difficulties; this part of the work is called making, and requires more especially the gift of the doctor. The other half of the time allowed is to be taken up in raising of doctrines and observations from the text, and applying them in their several uses; which last part is called adding, and it requires more especially the gift, and necessarily the authority of the pastor. Af ter the exercise is over, and the presbytery constitute, the censure of the exercise they have heard useth always to be their first work, which may be done before them who had the exercise. Beside this, the brethren of the pres

bytery, by the act of Assembly December 17, 18, 1638, are to have some common head of doctrine publicly disputed in the presbytery among the brethren, every first presbytery of the month, according to the act of Assembly holden at Dundee 1598, sess. 12.

3. By the foresaid act 1638, presbyterial meetings are to be weekly, except in places far distant, who, between the 1st of October and 1st of April, are dispensed with for meeting once in the fourteen days. See § 1. tit. 12. Likewise that act appoints all absents to be censured, especially those that should exercise and add, according to the act of Assembly, April 24. 1582.

4. The presbytery treats of such matters as concern the particular churches within their bounds, as the examination, admission, ordination, and censuring of ministers; the licensing of probationers, rebuking of gross or contumacious sinners; the directing of the censure of excommunication; the cognoscing upon references and appeals from kirk-sessions; the revising and rectifying what hath been ill done or negligently omitted by them, at their approving of the kirk-session books and records; the answering of questions, cases of conscience, and solving of difficulties in doctrine or discipline, with petitions from their own or those in other presbyteries; the exa mining and censuring according to the word of God, any erroneous doctrine, which hath been publicly or more privately vented within their bounds, and the endeavouring the reducing and conversion of any that remain in error and schism; the appointing of visitation of churches by themselves as occasion offers, or the perambulation of parishes in order to their uniting or disjoining; all which are either concluded or continued to further consideration, or referred to the synod.

5. By chap. 6. act 11. of Assembly 1707, there are some processes which natively begin at the kirk-session, but, for the atrocity of the scandal, or difficulty in the affair, or general concern, the session having frequent meetings of the presbytery to have recourse unto, do not determine of themselves, such as scandals of incest, adultery, trilapse in fornication, murder, atheism, idolatry,

witchcraft, charming, heresy, and error, vented and made public by any in the congregation, schism, and separation from the public ordinances, processes in order to the highest censure, and continued contumacy. But processes for all such crimes and scandals, are to be referred to the presbytery, by an extract of their procedure thereAnd when there is no confession of the scandals above mentioned, the session is not so much as to proceed to lead probation by witnesses or presumptions, till they be authorised thereto by the presbytery's answer to

anent.

their reference foresaid.

be

6. When the process is so clear, as in the case of a judicial confession, then the kirk-session may summon the delinquent when before them apud actà, to compear fore the presbytery; but where there is any difficulty, they should first inform the presbytery, and get their allowance before the party be summoned before them.

7. When persons censured for these grosser scandals do apply to the kirk-session for relaxation, they may both be privately conferred with, and likewise their acknowledgments heard before the session; but they ought not to be brought before the congregation, in order to their absolution, nor absolved but by direction and order of the presbytery.

8. Presbyteries in some cases may send commissioners to other presbyteries, either to advise them, or to seek advice from them. By act of Assembly, June 18. 1646, it is recommended, that a correspondence be kept among presbyteries constantly by letters, whereby they may be mutually assisting to each other.

9. In every presbytery, at least twice a year, on days for prayer, as should be done in sessions likewise, before each synod, there ought to be privy censures, whereby each minister is removed by course, and then inquiry is made at the pastors and elders, if there be any known scandal, fault, or negligence in him, that it may be in a brotherly manner censured; after the ministers, the presbytery clerk is to pass these censures likewise. By the 6th article of the 7th chapter of the French Church Discipline, at the end of the colloquies, amicable and bro

therly censures shall be made, as well by the pastors as by the elders, which shall be there present, of all things which shall be thought fit to be represented unto them.

TITLE XIII.

Of Parochial Visitations by the Presbytery.

1. Parishes are visited by presbyteries, either occasionally, pro re nata, according to the weight of the emergent which doth require the visitation, or ordinarily and in course, whereby every congregational church is visited once a year, Assem. 1638. sess. 23, 24, art. 3. At least this ordinary visitation should be going round all the parishes in order till they be visited, before others be revisited in ordinary: For by the 16th act of Assembly 1706, presbyterial visitations of parishes are to be frequent.

2. The presbytery is to cause intimation to be made of their appointed day for the visitation of that parish, by a brother of another congregation, from the pulpit, immediately after the forenoon's sermon, on the Sabbath,. ten days preceding the day for the visitation, requiring the minister of the parish to preach at that time and place on his ordinary text, and summoning the heritors, elders, and whole congregation, to be present that day, to hear sermon; and thereafter, that the minister, heritors, elders, and heads of families, do attend the presbytery, to acquaint them with the state of that kirk and congregation in every point; and if any of them have certain knowledge of any thing amiss in their minister, elders, deacons, precenter, session-clerk, schoolmaster, or beddal, that they do then acquaint the presbytery therewith.

3. The session registers, together with a catalogue of the minister's books, are to be produced to the presbytery, before the visitation, and given to two of the fittest brethren, and best acquainted with that minister and people, to be seen and revised; and they to report at the visitation.