To the Kirkis[400] quhair no ministeris can be haid presentlie, must
be appointed the most apt men, that distinctlie can read the Commoune
Prayeris[401] and the Scripturis, to exercise boyth thame selfis and
the kirk, till thai growe to greattar perfectioun; and in process of
tyme he that is but ane Readar may atteane to the further gree,[402]
and by consent of the kirk and discreit ministeris, may be permittit
to minister the sacramentis; but not befoir that he be able somequhat
to persuade by holsome doctrine, besydis his reading, and be admitted
to the ministerie, as before is said. Some we knaw that of long tyme
have professed Christ Jesus, quhose honest conversatioun deserved
praise of all godlie men, and quhose knawledge also mycht greatlie
help the simple, and yit thai onlie content thame selfis with reading.
These must be animated, and by gentle admonitioun incuraged, by some
exhortatioun to conforte thair brethrein, and so thai may be admitted
to administratioun of the sacramentis. But suche Readeris as neather
have haid exercise, nor continuance in Christis trew religioun, must
abstene from ministratioun of the sacramentis, till thai geve
declaratioun and witnessing of thair honestie and farther knawlege.
[400] In edition 1621, "Kirk" and "kirkis," are uniformly "Church" and
"churches," throughout a considerable portion of this book; but see
note 2, page 201.
[401] That is, the Prayers that were usually printed with the Book of
Common Order, and the Psalms in metre.
[402] In edit. 1621, "to a farther degree;" Vautr. edit. is the same
as the text.
[Sidenote: * ADDITIO.]
* For The Lordis thinkis, That nane be admitted to preche,[403] but
thai that ar qualifiet thairfoir, but rather be reteaned readaris; and
sick as ar prechearis alreaddy, not fundin qualifiet thairfoir be the
Superintendent, be placed to be readaris.
[403] The edit. 1621, takes no notice of this sentence having been
added; and thus connects it with the preceding words, "honestie and
further knowledge, that none be admitted to preach," &c. Vautr. edit.
is nearly the same with the text.
THE FYFT HEID, CONCERNYING THE PROVISIOUN FOR THE
MINISTERIS, AND FOR THE DISTRIBUTIOUN OF THE RENTIS AND
POSSESSIONIS JUSTLIE APPERTENYNG TO THE KIRK.[404]
[404] In edit. 1722, Chap. V.
Seing that of our Maister Christ Jesus and his Apostle Paule, we have,
"That the warkman is worthy of his reward," and that, "The mouth of
the lawboring oxe aucht nott to be muzilled," of necessitie it is,
that honest provisioun be maid for the Ministeris, quhilk we requyre
to be suche, that thai haif neather occasioun of sollicitude, neather
yit of insolencie and wantoness. And this provisioun must be maid not
onlie for thair awin sustentatioun, during thair lyiffes, but also for
thair wiffis and childrene efter thame. For we juge it a thing most
contrariouse to reassone, godlines, and equitie, that the wedow and
childrene of him, quho in[405] his lyiff did faithfullie serve[406]
the Kirk of God, and for that caus did not cairfullie mak provisioun
for his familie, suld, efter his deith, be left confortles of all
provisioun.
[405] Vautrollier's suppressed edition breaks off at the foot of page
560, with these words, "the widow and the children of him who in." See
vol. i. pp. xxxii. xxxix.-xlii.
[406] In edit. 1621, "serve in."
[Sidenote: * ADDITIO.]
* Provisioun for the Wyffis of Ministeris efter thair deceise, to be
remittit to the discretioun of the Kirk.[407]
[407] This addition is in the margin of the MS. It is taken into the
text in edit. 1621, without notice, and reads as follows: "be left
comfortles of all provision; which provision for the wives," &c., "is
to be," &c.
Difficill it is to appoint a severall stipend to everie Minister, be
reassoun that the chargis and necessitie of all will not be licke; for
some wilbe contenewaris in one place, some wilbe compellit to travell,
and oft to change dwelling place, (gif thai sall have charge of
diverse kirkis.) Amangis these, some wilbe burdened with wyiff and
childrein, and one with mo then ane other; and some perchance wilbe
single men: Gif equall stipendis suld be appointed to all those that
in charge ar so inequall, eather suld the one suffer penurie, or ellis
suld the uther have superfluitie and too muche.
[Sidenote: * ADDITIO.]
* We juge, thairfor, that everie Minister have sufficient quhairupoun
to keip ane house, and be sustened honestlie in all thingis
necessarie, alsweill for keiping of his house, as claithis, flesche,
fische, buykis, [fewell,] and other thingis necessarie, [furth] of the
rentis and thesaurie[408] of the kirk, [where he serveth,] at the
discretioun of the congregatioun, conforme to the qualitie of the
persone and necessitie of the tyme. Quhairin it is thocht [good] that
everie Minister sall have at leist fourtie bollis meill, and
twenty-six bollis malt, to find his house breid and drink; and mair,
sa mekill[409] as the discretioun of the Kirk findis necessarie;
besydes money for buying of uther provisioun to his house, and other
necessaries, the modificatioun quhairof is referred to the jugement of
the kirk, to be maid everie yeir at the chosing of the eldaris and
deaconis of the kirk. Providing alwayis, that thair be advanced to
everie minister sufficient provisioun for ane quarter of ane yeir
befoir hand of all thingis.
[408] In MS. 1566, "the same;" in edit. 1621, "and treasurie."
[409] In edit. 1621, "and more so much."
To him[410] that travelleth from place to place, quhom we call
Superintendentis, quho remane as it war a moneth or less in one place,
for the establishing of the kirk, and for the same purpoise changeing
to ane uther place, must farther[411] consideratioun be haid. And,
thairfoir, to suche we think sax chalder beir, nyne chalder meill,
thre chalder aittis for his horse, v^c markis[412] money, to be eikkit
and pared at the discretioun of the Prince and Counsall of the Realme;
to be payit to him yeirlie, in maner foirsaid.
[410] In edit. 1621, "But to him."
[411] In edit. 1621, the words "place," and "farther," are omitted.
[412] The edit. 1621, omits the words "for his horse;" and makes it
"six hundreth merkes money."
The children of the Ministeris must have the liberties of the citeis
next adjacent, quhair thair fatheris lawbored, frelie granted. Thai
must[413] have the privileges in sculis, and bursis[414] in collegis;
that is, that thai salbe susteaned at learnyng, gif thai be found apt
therto; and failing thairof that thai be put to some handycraft, or
exercised in some verteouse industrie, quhairby thai may be profitable
membres in a commoun wealth.
[413] In MS. 1566, "must," is usually written "most."
[414] In edit. 1621, "bursissis."
[Sidenote: * ADDITIO]
* And the same we requyre for thair douchteris; to wit, that thai be
verteouslie brocht up, and honestlie doted quhen thai come to
maturitie of yeiris, at the discretioun of the Kirk.
And this in Goddis presence we witness, we requyre nott so muche for
oure selfis, or for any that till us apperteneth, as that we do for
the encrease of vertew and learnyng, and for the proffeit of the
posteritie to come. It is nott to be supposed that all man[415] will
dedicat him self and childrene so to God, and to serve his kirk, that
thai luyke for no warldlie commoditie. But this cankered nature quhilk
we beare, is provokit to follow vertew quhen it seith honour and
profeit annexit to the same;[416] as, contrairlie, then is vertew of
mony despised, quhen verteouse and godlie men leve without honour. And
sorye wuld we be that povertie suld discourage men from studye, and
from following the way of vertew, by the quhilk thai mycht edifie the
kirk and flock of Christ Jesus.
[415] In edit. 1621, "any man."
[416] In edit. 1621, "when it seeth profite and honour thereto
annexed; and."
Nothing have we spokin of the stipend of Readaris, becaus, gif thai
can do nothing but reade, thai neather can be called nor jugit trew
ministeris: And yit regard must be haid to thair lawbouris; but so
that thai may be spurred fordwart to vertew, and nott by a stipend
appointed for thair reading, to be reteaned still in that estait. To a
Readare thairfor that is laitlie enterit, we think fourty markis, or
mair or less, as the Parochenaris and Readaris can agree, sufficient:
providing that he teiche the childrene of the parische, quhilk he must
do, besydis the reading of the Commoun Prayeris,[417] and buykis of
the New and Auld Testamentis. Gif frome Reading he begin to
Exhorte[418] and explane the Scriptures, then aucht his stipend to be
augmented; till finallie he come to the honour of a Minister: But and
gif he be found unable efter two yeiris, then must he be removed from
that office, and dischargit of all stipend, that another may be provin
als lang. For this alwayis is to be avoyded, that none quho is jugit
unabill to come at ony tyme to some reasonable knawlege, quhairby he
may edifie the Kirk, sall perpetuallie be nurisshed[419] upone the
charge of the kirk. Farther, it must be avoided, that no child or
persone within aige, that is, within xxj yeir of aige, be admitted to
the office of a Readare; but Readaris aucht to be endewed with
gravitie, witt, and discretioun, lest be thair lychtness the Prayeris
or Scripturis read be of less price and estimatioun. It is to be
noted, that the Readaris be putt in by the Kirk, and admissioun of the
Superintendent.
[417] See note 1, page 196.
[418] There were persons styled Exhorters, employed in the Church
about this time: see next paragraph.
[419] In edit. 1621, "shall be perpetually sustained."
[Sidenote: _NOTA_]
The other sorte of Readaris, quho have long continewed in godliness,
and have some gift of Exhortatioun, quho are in hope to atteane to the
degree of a minister, and teche the childrene; we think ane hundreth
markis, or mair[420] at the discretioun of the Kirk, may be appointed;
so that difference, as said is, be betwix thame and the ministeris
that openlie preche the Word, and minister the Sacramentis.
[420] In edit. 1621, "or mair or less."
Restis yit other two sortis of peple to be provided for, of that
quhilk is called the patrimonye of the Kirk; to wit, the Poore, and
Teachearis of the youtheid. Every severall Kirk must provide for the
poore within the self; for fearful and horrible it is, that the poore,
quhom nott onlie God the Father in his law, but Christ Jesus in his
evangell, and the Holie Spreit speaking by Sanct Paule, hath so
earnestlie commended to oure cayre, ar universallie so contempned and
dispysed. We ar nott patronis for stubburne and idill beggaris, quho,
rynning from place to place, mak a craft of thair beggyng, quhom the
Civile Magistrat aucht to punyshe;[421] but for the wedow and
fatherless, the aiged, impotent, or laymed, quho neather can nor may
travell for thair sustentatioun, we say, that God commandeth his
pepill to be cairfull; and thairfor, for suche, as also for personis
of honestie fallin in[to] decay and penuritie,[422] audit suche
provisioun[423] be maid, that [of] oure aboundance should thair
indigence be releaved. How this most convenientlie and most easilie
may be done in everie citie, and uthir partis of this Realme, God
shall schaw you wisdome and the meanis, so that youre myndis be godlie
thairto inclyned. All must not be suffered to beg that gladlie so wald
do; neather yit most beggeris remane whare thei chuse;[424] but the
stout and strong beggar must be compelled to wirk, and everie persoun
that may nocht wirk, must be compelled to repair to the place whare he
or scho was born, (unles of long continuance thai have remaned in one
place,) and thair reassonable provisioun must be maid for thair
sustentatioun, as the Churche shall appoint. The ordour nor soumes, in
oure judgementis, can nott be particularlie appointed, unto suche tyme
as the poore of everie citie, toun, or parrishe, be compelled to
repair to the places whaire thei war borne, or of thair residences,
whaire thair names and nomber must be tackin and put in roll; and then
may the wisdome of the Kirk appoint stipendis accordinglye.
[421] The edit. 1722, supplies the words, "ought to [compell to work,
or then] punish."
[422] In edit. 1621, "fallen into decay and poverty."
[423] In this place of the MS. 1566, a blank space occurs, at the
conclusion of one of the re-written quires, with the catchword "_such
provi-_," in connexion with the top of the next quire, which is
written in a kind of official square hand, and was probably a portion
of the copy laid before the Convention, in January 1561. Instead of
"Kirk," it will be observed that the word "Church" is now employed;
and curiously enough, in Calderwood's edition, 1621, this is reversed,
and "Church," which had hitherto been used, gives place to "Kirk."
[424] In edit. 1621, "where they would."