now presentlie professit within this realme: Thairfoir it is statute and ordainit be our Souerane Lord, my Lord Regent, and thre Estatis of this present Parliament, that all Kingis, and Princes, or Magistratis quhatsumeuir, halding thair place, quhilkis heirefter in ony tyme sall happen to regne, and beir reule ouer this realme, at the tyme of thair coronatioun, and ressait of thair princely authoritie, mak thair faithfull promise, be aith, in presence of the Eternall God, That induring the haill cours of their lyfe, thay sall serue the samin Eternall God, to the vttermaist of thair power, according as he hes requyrit in his maist haly word, reuelit, and contenit in the New and Auld Testamentis; and according to the samin word sall mantene the trew religioun of Jesus Christ, the preicheing of his haly word, and dew and rycht ministratioun of the sacramentis now ressaifit and preichit within this realme. And sall abolische and gainstand all fals religioun contrare to the samin: And sall reule the pepill committit to thair charge, according to the will and command of God, reuelit in his foirsaid word, and according to the louabill lawis and constitutionis ressaifit in this realme, nawyse repugnant to the said word of the Eternall God. And sall procure to the vttermaist of thair power, to the kirk of God, and haill Cristiane pepil, trew and perfyte peice in all tyme cuming. The rychtis and rentis, with all the iust priuilegeis, of the Crowne of Scotland to preserue and keip inuiolatit, nouther sall thay transfer nor alienat the samin. Thay sall forbid and repres in all estatis and degreis, reif oppressioun, and all kynde of wrang. In all jugementis, they sall command and procure that justice and equitie be keipit in all creatures, without exceptioun, as the Lord and Father of all mercyis be mercifull to thame. And out of their landis and empyre they salbe cairfull to ruite out all heretykis and enemeis to the trew worschip of God, that salbe conuict be the trew kirk of God of the foirsaidis crymis, And that thay sall faithfullie affirme the thingis abouę writtin be their solempnit aith."*

Acts, vol. iii. p. 23,

In the Parliament holden from 28th August to 7th Sept. 1571, there was a "Ratification of the freedome and libertie of the trew Kirk of God" passed, of the following tenor :

"ITEM, Our Souerane Lord, with auiss and consent of his said Regent, thre Estaittis, and haill body of this present Parliament, hes ratifiit, and be this present act ratifiis and appreves all and qubatsumeuir actes and statutes maid of befoir be our Soueraine Lord and his predecessouris anent the fredome and libertie of the trew kirk of God, now publictlie professit within this realme."*

And again in 1578, in another Parliament of King James VI. (25th July,) we have a reiteration of these statutory sanctions, viz.

"The Ratificatioun of the libertie of the trew Kirk of God and Religioun.

"Oure Souerane Lord, with aduisse of his thrie Estatis of this present Parliament, hes ratifiit and apprevit, and be the tennour heirof' ratefeis and apprevis all and quhatsumeuir actis of Parliament, statutis, and constitutionis past and maid of befoir agreable to Goddis word, for mantenance of the libertie of the trew Kirk of God and religioun, now presentlie professit within this realme and puritie thairof. And decernis and declaris the samyn to haue effect in all pointis efter the forme and tennour thairof."+

We have next on 20th Oct. 1579, (c. 6.) an Act "Anent the trew and haly Kirk, and thame declarit not to be of the same;" and another, "Anent the Jurisdiction of the Kirk." The former of these is as follows:

"Our Souerane Lord, with auise and consent of the thrie Estaites and haill body of this ........ liament, ratifeis and appreuis all and quhatsumeuir actis and sta

Acts, vol. iii. p. 58. + Ibid, p. 95.

tutis maid of befoir be his Hienes, with auiss..

Regentis, in his awin regnne or his predicessouris anent the freidome and libertie of the trew Kirk of Gode ande religioun, now presentlie professit within this realme And specialie ratifeis and apprevis the sext act of his Hienes Perliament, haldin in the first yeir of his Hienes regnne, intitulat, Anent the trew ande haly Kirk, and of thame that ar declarit not to be of the samyne. Ordaning the same to be heir insert of new, (becaus of sum defectioun and informalitie of wordes in default of the Prentair,) in this forme. Oure Souerane Lord, with auise of his thrie Estaites ande haill body of this present Perliament, hes declarit and declaris the ministeris of the blis sede Euangel of Jesus Chryst, quhome God of his mercie hes now raisit vp amanges ws, or heirefter sall raiss, aggreing with thame that now levis in doctrine and administratioun of the sacramentis. And the people of this realme that professis Jesus Christ as he is now offerit in his Evangell, and do communicat with the haly sacramentis, as in the reformit kirkis of this realme ar publictlie administrat, according to the Confessioun of the Faythe, to be the only trew and haly kirk of Jesus Christ within this realme. And decernis and declaris that all and sundrie quha vther gaynesayis the word of the Evangell ressauit and apprevit; As the heidis of the Confessioune of the Faythe professit in Perliament of befoir in the yeir 1560: as alsua specifiit and registrat in the actis of Perliament maid ́in the first yeir of his Hienes regnne, mair perticularlie dois expres, ratifeit alsua and appreuit in this present Parliament or that refusses the participatioune of the haly sacramentes as they ar now ministrat to be na membris of the saide kirk, within this realme, ande trew religioune sa lang as they keep thame selffes sa deuydit from the societie of Christes body."*

After many struggles and difficulties, the Presbyterian form of church government was finally established on the 5th of June 1592, by the following

Vol. iii. p. 137.

"Act for abolisheing of the Actis contrair the trew Religioun.

"Oure Souerane Lord and Estaittis of this present Parliament, following the lovable and gude example of thair predicessouris, hes ratifeit and apprevit, and be the tennour of this present act ratifies and apprevis all liberties, priuileges, immvnities and fredomes quhatsumeuir gevin and grantit be his Hienes, his regentis in his name, or ony of his predicessouris to the trew and hally kirk presentlie establishit within this realme, and declairit in the first act of his Hienes Parliament the twentie day of October, the yeir of God Im ve lxxix zeris, and all and quhatsumeuir actis of Parliament and statutes maid of befoir be his Hienes and his regentis anent the libertie and fredome of the said kirk. And specialie the first act of [the] Parliament haldin at Edinburgh the xxiiij day of October, the yeir of God Im ve fourscoir ane yeris, with the haill particular actis thairin mentionat, quhilk salbe alss sufficient as gif the samyn wer heirin exprest, and all vthir actis of Parliament maid sensyne in favouris of the trew kirk. And siclyk ratifies and apprevis the Generall Assemblies appoyntit be the said kirk. And declairis that it salbe lauchfull to the kirk and ministrie euerilk yeir at the leist, and ofter pro re nata as occasioun and necessitie sall require, to hald and keip General Assemblies, providing that the Kingis Maiestie or his Commissioner with thame to be appoyntit be his Hienes, be present at ilk Generall Assemblie be foir the dissoluing thairof, nominat and appoint tyme and place, quhen and quhair the next Generall Assem→ blie salbe haldin. And in caiss nather his Maiestie nor his said Commissioner beis present for the tyme in that toun quhair the said Generall Assemblie beis haldin, than and in that caiss it salbe lesum to the said Generall Assemblie be thame selffis to nominat and appoynt tyme and place quhair the next Generall Assemblie of the kirk salbe keepit and haldin as they haif bene in vse to do thir tymes bipast. And als ratifies and apprevis the sinodall and provinciall assemblies to be haldin be the

said kirk and ministrie twiss ilk yeir as they haif bene ande ar presentlie in vse to do within euery province of this realme. And ratifeis and apprevis the Presbiteries and particulare sessionis appointit be the said kirk with the haill iurisdictioun and discipline of the same kirk aggreit vpoun be his Maiestie in conference had be his Hienes with certane of the ministrie convenit to that effect. Off the quhilkis articles the tennour followis, MATERIS TO BE INTREATIT IN PROVINCIALL ASSEMBLIES. Thir Assemblies ar consitute for wechtie materis necessar to be intreatit be mutuall consent and assistance of brethrene within the province as neid requyris. This Assemblie hes power to handle, ordour and redress all thingis omittit or done amiss in the particulare Assemblies. It hes power to depose the office beraris of that province for gude and iust caussis deserving deprivatioun. And generalie thir Assemblies hes the haill power of the particulare elderschippis quhairof thay ar collectit. MATERIS TO BE INTREATTIT IN THE PRESBITERIES. The power of the Presbiteries is to give diligent laubouris in the boundis committit to thair chairge. That the kirkis be kepit in gude ordour. To enquyre diligentlie of nauchtie and vngodly personis, and to travell to bring thame in the way agane be admonitioun, or threatning of Goddis jugementis, or be correctioun. It appertenis to the elderschip to tak heide that the word of God be puirlie preachit within thair boundis, the sacramentis richtlie ministrat, the discipline intertenyit, and the ecclesiasticall guidis vncorruptlie distributit. It belangis to this kynd of Assembleis to caus the ordinancis maid be the Assembleis provinciallis, nationallis and generallis to be kepit and put in executioun. To mak constitutionis quhilkis concernis To IlgETOV in the kirk for decent ordour in the particulare kirk quhair they governe, provyding that thay alter na rewlis maid be the provinciall or Generall Assemblies. And that thay mak the Provinciall Assembleis foirsaidis privie of the rewlis that they sall mak, and to abolishe constitutiones tending to the hurte of the same. It hes power to excommunicat the obstinat, formale proces being led