Albeit that the word of God trewlie preached, [and] the Sacramentis
rychtlie ministred, and discipline executed according to the word of
God, be the certane and infallible signes of the trew Kirk; yit do we
nott so meane, that everie[259] particulare persone joyned with sick
ane cumpany, be ane elect member of Christ Jesus. For we acknawledge
and confesse, that darnell, cokle, and chaff, may be sawin, grow, and
in great abundance lye in the myddis of the wheat; that is, the
reprobat may be joyned in the societie of the elect, and may
externallie use with thame the benefites of the word and sacramentis;
but sic being butt temporall professouris in mouth, but not in heart,
do fall back and continew not to the end: and thairfoir haif thei no
fruit of Christis death, resurrectioun, nor assentioun. But sick as
with heart unfeanedlie beleve, and with mouth boldlie confesse the
Lord Jesus, (as befoir we have said,) shall most assuredly resave
these giftis; first, In this lyfe, remissoun of synnes, and that by
faith onlie in Christis blude, insamekle, that albeit syne remane and
continuallie abyd in these our mortall bodyes, yit it is not imputed
unto us, but is remitted and covered with Christis justice. Secondlie,
In the generall judgement thair shalbe gevin to everie man and woman
resurrectioun of the flesche; for the sea shall geve hir dead, the
earth those that thairin be inclosed; yea, the Eternall, our God,
shall stretche out his hand upoun the dust, and the dead shall aryse
incorruptible, and that in the substance of the [self] same flesche
that everie man now bearis, to resave, according to thair warkis,
glorie or punishment: for sik as now delyte in vanitie, creueltye,
filthynes, superstitioun, or idolatrie, shalbe adjudged to the fyre
inextinguishable, in the whiche thei shalbe tormented for ever,
alsweall in thair awin bodyes, as in thair saullis, whiche now thei
give to serve the devill in all abominatioun. Butt sik as continew in
weall doing to the end, boldlie professing the Lord Jesus, [we
constantly beleve, that they sall receive glorie, honour, and
immortalitie, to reigne for ever in life everlasting with Christ
Jesus,][260] to whose glorifeid body all his Elect shalbe [made] lyke,
when he shall appeir agane to judgement, and shall render up the
kingdome to God his Father, who then shalbe, and ever shall remane all
in all thingis, God blessed for evir: To whome, with the Sone, and
with the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glorie, now and ever. AMEN.
[259] In the old printed copies, "the trew Kirk; we meane not that
every."
[260] This clause, omitted by Knox's amanuensis, is not contained in
Vautr. edit., or in the later MSS.
_Aryse, O Lord, and lett thy ennemyes be confounded: Lett thame flye
frome thy presence that hait thy godlie name: Give thy Servandis
strenth to speak thy word in boldnes; and lett all Nationis atteane
to[261] thy trew knowledge._
[261] In the old printed copies of the Confession, "cleif," "cleve,"
or "cleave to."
THIE ACTIS AND ARTICLES WAR RED[262] IN FACE OF PARLIAMENT,
AND RATIFIED BE THE THRE ESTAITIS OF THIS REALME, AT
EDINBURGH, THE SEVINTENE DAY OF AUGUST,[263] THE YEAR OF GOD
J^M. V^C. AND THRESCOIR YEARIS.
[262] In the Acts 1560 and 1567, "ar red."
[263] In the MSS. of Knox, and in Vautrollier's edition, the erroneous
date, 17th July, is given instead of the 17th August, as the day when
the Confession of Faith was ratified by Parliament. The same mistake
occurs in the rare edition of the Confession, printed at Edinburgh by
John Scott, 1561, 4to.--See Herbert's Typographical Antiquities, vol.
iii. p. 1817.
[Sidenote: THE ERLE MERSCHELLIS VOTE IN PARLIAMENT]
THIS oure CONFESSIOUN was publictlie red, first in audience of the
Lordis of Articles, and after in audience of the haill Parliament;
whair war present, not onlie suche as professed Christ Jesus, but also
a great number of the adversaries of our religioun, suche as the
foirnamed Bishoppis, and some others of the Temporall Estate, who war
commanded in Goddis name to object, yf thei could, any thing against
that doctrine. Some of our Ministeris war present, standing upoun
thair feit, reddye to have ansuered, in caise any wald haif defended
the Papistrie, and impugned oure affirmatives: but whill that no
objectioun was maid, thair was a day appointed to voting in that and
other headis. Oure Confessioun was redd, everie article by itself,
over agane, as thei war wryttin in ordour, and the vottis of everie
man war requyred accordinglie. Of the Temporall Estate onlie voted in
the contrair, the Erle of Atholl,[264] the Lordis Somervaill[265] and
Borthwik;[266] and yit for thair disassenting thei produced no bettir
reassone, but, "We will beleve as oure fatheris beleved." The
Bischoppis, (Papisticall, we meane,) spack nothing. The rest of the
haill thre Estaittis, by thair publict votes, affirmed the doctrine;
and many, the rather, becaus that the Bischoppis wold nor durst say
nothing in the contrair; for this was the vote of the Erle
Merschell,[267]--"It is long since I have had some favour unto the
trewth, and since that I have had a suspitioun of the Papisticall
religioun; but, I praise my God, this day hes fully resolved me in the
one and the other. For seing that my Lordis Bischoppis, who for thair
learing can, and for the zeall that thei should bear to the veritie,
wold, as I suppose, ganesay any thing that directlie repugnes to the
veritie of God; seing, I say, my Lordis Bischoppis heir present
speakis nothing in the contrair of the doctrine proponed, I can nott
but hold it to be the verie trewth of God, and the contrarie to be
deceavable doctrine. And thairfoir, so far as in me lyeth, I approve
the one and dampne the other: And do farther ask of God, that not
onlie I, but also all my posteritie, may enjoy the comforte of the
doctrin that this day our earis have hearde. And yitt more, I man
vote, as it war by way of protestatioun, that yf any persones
ecclesiasticall shall after this oppone thame selfis to this our
Confessioun, that thei have no place nor credite, considdering that
thei having long advisement, and full knawledge of this oure
Confessioun, none is now found in lauchfull, free, and quyete
Parliament to oppone thame selfis to that whiche we professe: And
thairfoir, yf any of this gencratioun pretend to do it after this, I
protest he be repute rather one that loveth his awin commoditie and
the glorie of the world, than the trewth of God, and the salvatioun of
menis saullis."
[264] John Stewart, fourth Earl of Atholl. He succeeded his father in
1542. He enjoyed the favour of Queen Mary, and promoted her marriage
with Darnley. He afterwards joined in the Association, and signed the
warrant for the Queen's custody in Loch-Leven. In 1577, he became Lord
Chancellor of Scotland, and died 24th April 1579.
[265] James sixth Lord Somerville, succeeded to the title in 1550.
From Sadler's Correspondence it appears he was in England in 1543, as
a hostage for his father, who had been taken prisoner at Solway.
(State Papers, vol. i. pp. 182, 348.) His name occurs as signing the
Bond in April 1560: (see page 63.) It may be questioned, therefore,
whether Knox is quite correct in the names of the persons whom he
mentions as having openly opposed the Confession in Parliament. See in
the Appendix an extract from Randolph the English envoy's letter to
Sir William Cecil, on the 19th of August, in which he says, "of the
Temporal Lords, the Earl of Cassillis, and the Earl of Caithness, said
Noe; the rest of the Lords, with common consent, allowed the same."
(Tytler's Hist. of Scotland, vol. vi. p. 184, note.) Lord Sommerville,
who continued his adherence to the Queen's party, at the battle of
Langsyde, in May 1568, was severely wounded; and he died in the month
of December following.
[266] John fifth Lord Borthwick, in 1543, was served heir of his
father, William fourth Lord Borthwick, (his elder brother, the Master
of Borthwick, having died without issue.) He assisted the Queen Regent
in her contests with the Lords of the Congregation, and died in 1565.
[267] William Keith, fourth Earl Marischall, who succeeded his
grandfather in 1530. In 1541 he was appointed Extraordinary Lord of
Session. See vol. i. p. 251. note 2. He died 7th October 1581, having
spent many of his latter years in retirement, in his Castle of
Dunnottar.
After the voting and ratificatioun of this oure Confessioun, by the
haill body of the Parliament, thair war also pronunced two Actis, the
one against the Masse and the abuse of the Sacramentis, and the other
against the Supreamacye of the Pape;[268] the tenouris whairof
followis:--
[268] The Acts referred to were renewed in the Parliament, held by the
Regent Earl of Murray, in December 1567. There was likewise another
Act annulling all former Acts made for the maintenance of Idolatry, or
"contrary to the Confession of Fayth, published in this Parliament."
It was only by such ratifications that any proceedings of the
Parliament in 1560 were recorded. The Acts alluded to were republished
in a separate form, along with some of a subsequent date, connected
with Religion.--1st, in an edition "Imprintit at Edinburgh, be Johne
Ros, Anno Do. 1580," 4to; and 2dly, at "Edinburgh, prentit be Robert
Waldegrave," 1593, 4to.