case is very considerable; they ought to have more forbearance.

Remedies Ecclesiastic against Profaneness.-1. That ignorant and scandalous persons be put off, and kept off kirk-sessions. 2. That every elder have a certain bounds assigned to him, that he may visit the same every month at least, and report to the session what scandals and abuses are therein. 3. That all scandalous persons be suspended from the Lord's supper. 4. That the minister deal in private with those who are professing public repentance before the elder of the bounds, thus to try the evidence of their repentance. 5. That those who have fallen in fornication make public profession of their repentance three several Sabbaths; who are guilty of relapse in fornication, six Sabbaths; who are guilty of trilapse in fornication, or have once fallen in adultery, twenty-six Sabbaths; and these sins to be confessed both in one habit, viz. sackcloth: Quadrilapse in fornication, and relapse in adultery, three quarters of a year; incest or murder, a year or fifty-two Sabbaths, in case the magistrate do not his duty in punishing such crimes capitally: They that fall in fornication, or relapse therein, are first to confess their sin before the session, and thereafter before the congregation. They that are guilty of greater degrees of that sin, and of the other sins mentioned in this article, are to confess their sin both before the session and presbytery, there to show some signs of repentance before they be brought to the congregation. 6. Some are to be rebuked at the time of catechising, who deserve more than a private reproof, and yet need not to be brought to public repentance. 7. It will be a good remedy against Sabbath-breaking by carriers and travellers, that the ministers where they dwell cause them to bring testimonials from the place where they rested on these Lord's days wherein they were from home. 8. That all persons who flit from one parish to another have sufficient testimonials: This is to be extended to all gentlemen and persons of quality, and their followers, who come to reside in Edinburgh or elsewhere; and that the minister from whom they flit advertise the minister to whom they flit,

if, to his knowledge, they be lying under any scandal. 9. That ministers be free with persons of quality, for amendm ment of their faults; and (if need shall be) that they take help thereto of some of the presbytery. 10. That presbyteries take special notice of ministers who converse frequently and familiarly with malignants, and with scandalous and profane persons; especially such as belong to other parishes. 11. That privy censures of presbyteries and synods be performed with more accuracy, diligence, and zeal. 12. For the better keeping of the Sabbath, That every elder take notice of such as are within his bounds, how they keep the kirk; and how the time is spent before, betwixt, and after public worship. 13. That no minister resort to any excommunicated person, without licence from the presbytery, nisi in extremis; and that ministers take special notice of such persons as haunt with excommunicants, and process them. 14. Frequent correspondence betwixt presbyteries is a good remedy. 15. That at the visitation of each congre gation, the session-book be well visited; and, for that effect, that it be delivered to two or three brethren, seven or eight days before the visitation, that their report of it may be in readiness against the day of visitation.-Act Sess. 38, Aug. 10.

REPRESENTATIVES IN ASSEMBLIES.

1638. Recommended to particular presbyteries, and especially to the ruling elders thereof, that they may take such course, whereby, according to reason and former Acts of Assemblies, the commissioners' expenses to subsequent Assemblies may be borne by the particular parishes of every presbytery, who send them in their name, and in their behalf, and to that effect, that all sorts of persons able in land or monies may bear a proportional part of the burden, as they reap the benefit of their pains. -Act Sess. 23, 24, Dec. 17, 18, Art. 10.

1639. An overture that the act for furnishing expenses to commissioners sent by presbyteries to the General As

semblies, and sent in commission by General Assemblies, may be explained; and that it be declared, That the expenses of all such commissioners whatsoever may be furnished by the kirks of the presbytery, according to the order set down in the last Assembly, since the errand is common, and the benefit concerneth all; and that order may be taken, how that an expedient voluntary course, thought fit by the Assembly, shall, by advice of parliament, have the force of a law, for compelling those to pay who are stented, both for the last and for that and subsequent Assemblies; is allowed and referred to the parliament. -Act Sess. 22, Aug. 29, Art. 3.

1647. That every commissioner from presbyteries and universities, who shall be absent from the Assembly, without a reasonable excuse notified to the Assembly, or who, being present, shall go from the Assembly before the dissolving thereof, without licence, shall be suspended by the Assembly, until the provincial synod next thereafter following.-Act Sess. 27, Aug. ult.

1648. Resolved in the meantime, until the matter concerning commissioners from burghs be further thought upon, that, according to the ordinary practice, no commission to the General Assembly be admitted from burghs, but such as shall be consented to, and approven of by the ministry and session thereof; the persons elected being always elders.-Act Sess. 4, July 15.

The Act of the Assembly held at Burntisland 1601, ordaining, that in every Assembly to be convened in all time thereafter, such as should happen to be appointed commissioners from the General Assembly to endure while the Assembly next thereafter, should give an account of their proceedings during the whole time of their commission in the beginning of the Assembly, before any other cause or matter be handled, and their proceedings to be allowed, or disallowed, as the Assembly should think expedient; is revived by Act Sess. 6, July 18.

1694. That the representation of the several presbyteries of this national church, in its General Assemblies, shall hold proportion to the number of parishes in which there are, or ought to be, settled ministers within each

presbytery, as follows, viz. That all presbyteries consisting of twelve parishes, or under that number, shall sendes in two ministers and one ruling elder; and that all presbyteries consisting of eighteen parishes, or under that number, but above twelve, shall send in three ministers and one ruling elder; and that all presbyteries consisting of twenty-four parishes, or under that number, but above eighteen, shall send in four ministers and two ruling elders ; and, lastly, that all presbyteries consisting of above twentyfour parishes shall send five ministers and two ruling elders, commissioners to the General Assembly. And it is declared, that collegiate kirks, where there use to be two or more ministers, are, so far as concerns the design of this act, understood to be as many distinct parishes. And no persons are to be admitted members of Assemblies but such as are either ministers or ruling elders.— Act 5.

1698. Appointed, That presbyteries choose their commissioners for the General Assembly a competent time before the sitting thereof, at least forty days, and that each General Assembly appoint a committee for censures, to cognosce upon the dates of commissions, and the attendance of those commissioned, to the end that such presbyteries as do not make their election in due time, as likewise such commissioners as do not attend duly from the beginning, and through the whole diets of the General Assembly, and the committees which they may be put upon, not having a relevant excuse, may be censured as the General Assembly shall think fit; and it is recommended to presbyteries to choose such ruling elders to be their commissioners as may attend, and seriously to exhort them, when chosen, to make conscience of attending upon General Assemblies; and the punctual observance of Act 4, Ass. 1694, anent giving in commissions, and making up the rolls the night before the Assembly meet, or the next morning, is recommended; for which purpose the clerk is to attend in the Assembly-house at that time.— Act 6.

1709. All presbyteries are strictly enjoined to send their full representation to General Assemblies, and that they

make choice of such as are able to attend, and who, they have reason to believe, will give due attendance; and the clerk of the Assembly is appointed to send the names of such commissioners as wholly absent themselves to their several presbyteries and synods; and they are ordained to be censured for the first fault by their presbytery, and the censure to be recorded in the presbytery books; and for the second fault by the synod, and the censure to be recorded in the synod books; and for the third fault to be suspended by their respective synods or presbyteries, conform to Act Sess. 27, Aug. ult. Ass. 1647. And in case of sickness, or other lawful excuse, the moderator of the presbytery is to be acquainted in due time, who is empowered to call a pro re nata meeting of presbytery, to choose other fit persons in their room; and if the excuse be sustained, what is offered in excuse is also to be recorded in their books, and the clerk of Assembly is ordained to send an account of such as withdraw from the Assembly, before the dissolution thereof, to their presbyteries, that they may admonish them therefor as they see cause.-Act 7.

1712. The Assembly, according to the design of Act 5, Ass. 1694, founding upon a proportion to be observed betwixt the number of ministerial charges in presbyteries, and the number of commissioners, declare and appoint, That each presbytery, whose number doth exceed thirty ministerial charges, shall send to the Assembly six ministers and three ruling elders.-Act 6.

1718. It is resolved and appointed, That in all time thereafter, no commission from any presbytery, burgh, or university, to their representatives in the General Assemblies of this church, shall be sustained, but such as are in the terms of the acts of Assembly made for regulating elections of members of Assembly, particularly Act. 5, Ass. 1694, Act 6, Ass. 1698, and Act 6, Ass. 1704; all which acts are renewed; and presbyteries are appointed, not only to elect their full number of commissioners, but also to be careful to choose such persons as probably can attend; and presbyteries who send not up their full number of commissioners, and persons commissioned who