Take heid to thy self, and unto the Flock comitted to thy chairge;
feid the same cairfully, not as it wer of compulsioun, bot of very
love, quhilk thow bearest to the Lord Jesus. Walk in simplicity and
purenes of lyfe, as it becumethe the trew servand and ambassadour of
the Lord Jesus. Usurpe not dominioun nor tyrranicall impyre over thy
brethrein. Be not discouraged in adversity, bot lay befoir thyself the
example of Propheits, Apostles, and of the Lord Jesus, quho in thair
ministry susteaned contradictioun, contempt, persecutioun and deyth.
Feir not to rebuik the warld of sinne, justice, and jugement. If ony
thing succeid prosperously in thy vocatioun, be not puft upe with
pryde; nether yit flatter thy self as that the gude succes proceided
from thy vertew, industry, or cair: Bot let ever that sentence of the
Apostle remane in thy hairt; "Quhat hes thou, quhilk thou hes not
receavit? If thou hes receivit, quhy gloriest thou?" Comfort the
afflicted, support the puir, and exhort utheris to support thame. Be
not solist for things of this lyfe, bot be fervent in prayer to God
for incress of his Holy Spirit. And finally, behave thyself in this
holy vocatioun, with sick sobriety, as God may be glorified in thy
ministry: And so sall thow schortly obtein the victory, and shall
receave the crown promeised, quhen the Lord Jesus sall appeir in his
glory, quhois Omnipotent Spirit assist thee and us unto the end. AMEN.
Then sing the 23d Psalme.
THE ORDOUR OF THE ELECTIOUN OF ELDERIS AND DEACONIS
IN THE PRIVIE KIRK OF EDINBURGH, IN THE BEGYNNING,
QUHEN AS YET THAIR WAS NO PUBLICT FACE OF A KIRK,
NOR OPEN ASSEMBLIES, BOT SECREIT AND PRIVIE CONVENTIOUNIS
IN HOUSES, OR IN THE FEILDS.[313]
[313] As stated at page 143, the following Order of the Election of
Elders and Deacons is not contained in the MS. 1566, or in
Vautrollier's edition; but, has been supplied from MS. G.
BEFOIR that thare wes ony publict face of a trew Religioun within this
Realme, it pleised God of his grit mercie, to illuminat the hairts of
mony privat persones, so that they did perceave and understand the
abusses that wer in the Papisticall Kirk, and thareupoun withdrew
thameselfis from participatioun of thare idolatrie. And becaus the
Spirit of God will never suffer his awne to be idle and voyde of all
religioun, men began to exercise thameselfis in reading of the
Scriptures secreitly within thair awne houses; and varietie of
persones culd not be keipt in gud obedience and honest fame, without
Oversiers, Elders, and Deacones: And so begane that small flocke to
put thameselfis in sick ordour, as if Christ Jesus had planely
triumphed in the middes of thame by the power of his Evangell. And
thay did elect sum to occupie the supreame place of exhortatioun and
reading, som to be Elderis and helperis unto thame, for the oversight
of the flocke: And some to be Deacones for the collectioun of almes to
be distributed to the poore of thair awne bodie. Of this small
begyning is that Ordour, quhilk now God of his grit mercie hes gevin
unto us publictlie within this Realme. Of the principalls of thame
that wer knowne to be men of gude conversatioun and honest fame in the
privy Kirk, wer chosen Elders and Deacones to reull with the Minister
in the publike Kirk; quhilk burdene thay patiently susteaned a yeir
and mair: And then, becaus they could not (without neglecting of thair
awen private houses) langer wait upoun the publict charge, they
desyred that they micht be releaved, and that uthers micht be
burdeined in thair roume: Quhilk was thocht a petitioun ressonabill of
the haill Kirk. And tharefore it was granted unto thame, that thay
sould nominat and gif up in electioun sick personages as thay in thair
consciences thocht maist apte and abill to serve in that charge;
provyding that they sould nominate double moe personis then war
sufficient to serve in that charge, to the end that the haill
Congregatioun micht have thair free vote in thair Electioun.
And this Ordour hes bene ever observed sen that tyme in the Kirk of
Edinburgh; that is, that the auld Sessioun befor thair departure,
nominat twenty-four in Electioun for Elders, of quhom twelve ar to be
chosen, and thirty-two for Deacounes, of quhome sixteen ar to be
elected; quhilk persones ar publictly proclaimed in the audience of
the haill Kirk, upoun a Sonday befoir none, efter sermone; with
admonitioun to the Kirk, that if ony man knaw ony notorious cryme or
caus that micht unabill ony of these persones to enter in sick
vocatioun, that they sould notifie the same unto the Sessioun the next
Thursday: Or if ony knaw any persones mair abill for that charge, they
sould notifie the same unto the Sessioun, to the end that na man
eyther present or absent (being ane of the Kirk) suld complayne that
he was spoyled of his liberty in electioun.
The Sonday following befoir none, in the end of the Sermone, the hole
Communicants ar commandit to be present efternone, to gif thair votes,
as they will answer befoir God, to sick as they esteme most abill to
beir the charge of the Kirk with the ministers. The votes of all being
receaved, the scroles of all ar delyvered to any of the ministers,
quho keips the same secreit fra the sicht of all men till the next
Thursday; and then in the Sessioun he produces thame, that the voites
may be counted, quhare the moniest voites, without respect of
persones, have the first place in the Eldership, and so proceiding
till the number of twelve be compleit; so that if a puir man exceid
the riche man in votes, he preceids him in place; and it is called the
first, secound, and thrid Elder, even as the votes answereth. And this
same is observed in the electioun of Deaconis.
The Fryday efter the jugement is tane quhat persones ar elected for
Elders and Deacones to serve for that yeir; the minister efter his
sermone, reids the same names publictly, and gives commandment openly,
that sick persones be present the next Sonday at sermone befoir none,
in the place to be appointed for thame, to accept of that charge that
God by plurality of votes had layd upoun thame. Quho being conveined,
the Minister efter sermone reids the names publictly, the absents (if
ony be) ar noted, and these quho ar present ar admonisched to consider
the dignity of that vocatioun, quhareunto God hes called thame; the
dewty that they aucht to the pepill; the danger that lyes upoun thame,
if they be found negligent in thair vocatioun: And finally, the dewty
of the people towards the persons elected. Quhilk being done, this
Prayer is red:--