The Order of Excommunication and Public Repentance, Form of elections
THE forme and ordour of the election of the Superintendent which may serue in electioun of all vther Ministers. At Edinburgh. the 9. of Marche. ANNO. 1560. Iohne Knox being Minister.
FIRST was maid â Sermon in ye which thi heads, wer intreated. First the necessitie of Ministers, & Superintendents. 2. The crymes & vices yt myght vnable theme of the ministerie. 3 The verteous required in theme. 4. And last whethir such as by publict cōfent of the Church wer called to such office myght refuis the same.
The Sermon finished. It wes declared be the same Minister maker thereof. That the Lords of Secrete Coūsall had geuen charge & power to the Churchis of Lowthyane to cheis M. Iohne Spottiswod, Superintendent and that sufficient warning wes maid be publict edict to the Churchis of Edinburgh, Lynlithgu, Striueling, Trenent, Hadingtoun, and Dunbar, as also to Erles, Lords, Baronis, Gentilmen, and vthers haueand or that might clame to hauehave vote in electiō to be present that day at that same houre.
And therefor inquisition wes maid who wer present & who wer absent, after wes called the said M. Iohn who answering, the Minister demāded geue any man knew any cryme or offēce to the said M. Iohn, that myght vnable him to be called to that office. And that he demanded thryse. Secundarlie question wes moued to the hole multitude giuegive ther wes any vther whom they wald put in election with the said M. Iohne ye peopel wer asked if they wald hauehave the said M. Iohne superintendent? If they wald honore and obey him as Christs Minister and confort & assist him in euerie thing pertening to his charge?
They answered.
We wil & we do promeise vntounto him such obedience as becūeth ye Scheip to geue vntounto there Pastour so long as he remaneth faithful in his office
The answers of peopele and there consent receaued. These questionis wer proponed to him that wes to be elected. Questioun.
Seing that ye here the thrust and desyir of this people, do ye not think youre self bound in cōscience before God to supporte theme that so earnestlie call for youre confort & for the fruict of youre labours.
answer.
If any thing wer in me able to satifie there desyir I acknowledge my self bound to obey God calling by theme. Questioun.
Do ye seke to be promoted to this office and charge for ony respect of worldlie cōmoditie reches or glorie. Answer.
God knoweth the contrair,
Questioun.
Beleue ye not that the doctrine of the Prophetes & Apostils contened in the books of the new and old Testaments is the onelie trew and moste absolute fundatiō of the vniuersal church of Christ Iesus. Insomuche that in the same Scriptures ar conteaned all thingis necessare to be beleued for the saluation of mankynd.
Answer.
I veralie beleue the same, and do abhor and vtterlie refuse all doctrine alledged necessare to saluation that is not expressedlie cōtened in the same. Questioun.
Is not christ Iesus, man of man according to the flesh To wit, the Sone of Dauid, the seid of Abraham cōceauid of the holy GHOST, borne of the Virgine his Mother, the onlie head and mediator of his Church. Answer.
He is, and without him there is nether saluation to man nor lyfe to Angell.
Questioun.
Is not the same Lorde Iesus the onlie trew God the Eternal Sone of the Eternal father, in whom all that shall be saued wer elected before the fundatioun of the Worlde was layd. I acknowledge and confes him in the vnitie of his Godhead to be God abuife all hings blessed for euir. Questioun.
Shall not they whome God in his Eternall cōsale hath elected, be called to the knowledge o… his Sone oure Lord Iesus, & shall not they who of purpose ar called in this lyfe be Iustified and where Iustificatioun and fre remissioun of sinnes is obtened in this lyfe be fre grace. Shall not the glorie of the Sonnes of God follow in the generall Resurrectioun when the Sone of God shall appeare in his glorious Maiestie.
Answer
This I acknowledge to be the doctrine of the Apostle and the most singular cōforte of God dis children.
Questioun.
Will ye not then conteane your selfe in all doctrine within the bounds of this fundatioun? Will ye not study to promoue the same alswell be your lyfe as be your doctrine? Will ye not according to the graces and vtterance that God shall grant vntounto yow profes, instruct, and manteane the puritie of the doctrine conteaned in the Sacred word of God and to the vttermost of your power? Will ye not ganstand & conuince the gainsayars and the teacharis of mennis inuentions.
Answer.
That do I promise in the presence of God and of his congregatioun here assembled.
Questioun.
Know ye not that the excellēcie of this office to the which God hath called yow requireth that your cōuersation and behauour be such, as that ye may be Irreprehensible, yea euen in the Eyis of the vngodlie.
Answer.
I vnfeanedlie acknowledge and humblie desire ye Church of God to pray with me that my lyfe be not slanderous, to the glorious Euangell, of Christ Iesus.
Questioun
Because ye ar â man cōpassed with infirmities, will ye not cheritablie & with lowlynes of spirit receaue admonitioun of youre bretheren? And giuegive ye shall happin to flyide or offende in any poynt? Wil ye not be subiect to the discipline of the Church as the rest of your bretheren?
The answer of the Superintendent or
Minister to be elected.
I acknowledge my self â man subiected to infirmitie and one that hath nead of correctioun and admonition and therefore I most willing he subiect my self to the holsom discipline of ye church yea to the discipline of the same Church by the which I am now called to this office and charge and heir, in God dis presence and yours do promis obedience to all Admonitions secreatlie or publicte geuin, vntounto the which If I be found inobedient I Cōfes my self most Worthie to be eiectted. Not onelie frome this Honore, bot also frome the societie of the faithfull in case of my stubburnes. For the vocatioun of God to hear charge within his Church maketh not men tyrants nor lordes, bot appoineth them seruandis, watchmen, and pastors to the flock.
Thus ended questioun must be asked agane of the multitude.
Questioun.
Require ye any farther of this your Superintendent?
Answer.
If no man answer let the Minister proced:
Will ye not acknowledge this your Brother for the minister of Christ Iesus? Will ye not reuerence the worde of God that proceadeth fra his mowth? Will ye not receaue of him the Sermon of exhortation with patience? Not refusing the holesom medicine of your Saules? Although it be bittir and vnplesing to the flesh? Will ye not finallie manteane and confort him in his ministerie aganst all suche as wickedlie wald rebell against God and his holie ordinance.
The people answereth.
We will: as we will answer to the Lorde Iesus who hath commanded his Ministers to be had in reuerence, as his Embassadors and as mē that curfullie watche for the Saluatiō of our Sawles.
Let the Nobilitie be vrged with this.
YE hauehave hard the dewitie and profession of this oure Brother by youre consentis appointed to this charge as also the dewitie and obedience, which God requireth of vsus towardes him here in his Ministerie: But because that neather of bothe ar able to perform any thing without the especiall grace of oure God in Christ Iesus who hathe promessed to be with vsus present, euin to the consummatioun of the worlde with vnfeatred hartis, let vsus craue of him his benedictioun and assistance in this work begun to his glorie & for the confort of his Church.
¶ THE PRAYER
O LORDE to whom all power is geuin in Heauin and in Earth. Thow that art the Eternall Sone of the Eternall Father, who hast not onlie so loued thy Church, that for the redemptionu & purgatioun of the same, thow ha… humbled thy self to the death of the Croce, an… thereupone hast sched thy most innocent blod… to prepare to thy self â spous without spot, bot also to reteane this thy most excellent benefit in recent memorie, hath appointed in thy Church Teachers, Pastors & Apostels, to instruct, cōfo… & admonish the same: look vpone vsus mercyfully ô Lord thow that onelie art King, Teacher, and hie Preast, to thy awin flock: and send vntounto this oure Brother, whom in thy name we hauehave charged, with the cheif cair of thy Church within ye boundis of L. such portion of thy holie spirit, as thereby he may rightlie deuyid thy word … the instructioun of thy flock, and to the cōfutatioun of penitious errouris, & damnable superstiouns. Geue vntounto him good Lorde, â mowth & wisedom whereby the ennimes of thy trueth may be confounded, the Wolffes expelled, and dreuin from thy Fald, thy Scheip may be fed in the holsome Pastures of thy most holie word, the blynd & ignorant may be illuminated with thy trew knowledge, finallie that the dregges of superstitioun, and Idolatrie which yet resteth within this Realme being purged and remoued we may all not onelie hauehave occasiont to glorifie … oure onlie LORDE and Saluiour, bot also …ylie to grow in Godlines & obedience of thy …ost holy will, to the destruction of the bodie … sinne & to the restitution of that Image to the which we wer ones created & to the which after oure fall & defection wear renewed by participation of thy holie spirit, which by trew faith in the we do profes as the blessed of thy Father, of whome the perpetuall encrease of thy graces we craue, as by the oure Lorde, Kinge and onlie Bischop we ar taught to pray. Our Father. &c.
The prayer ended the rest of the Ministers if any be, and Eldars of that Church present, in signe of there consent shall tak the eliected be the hand.
The cheif minister shall giuegive the benedictioun as followeth.
God the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, who hath cōmanded his Euangell to be preached to the confort of his elect, and hath called the to the office of â Watcheman owir his people, multiplie his graces with the, illuminat the with his holie spirit, conforte and strenthen the in all vertew, gouerne & guyde thy ministerie to the prayse of his holy name, to the propagation of Christs Kingdome: to the cōfort of his Church & finallie to the plaine discharge and assuran… of thy owin conscience in the day of the Lorde Iesus, to whome with the Father and with th… Holie Ghost be all honour prayse & glorie no… and euir. So Beit.
¶ The last exhortatioun, to the elected.
TAK head to thy self and vntounto the flock cōmitted to thy charge, fead the same cairfullie no… as it wer be cōpulsion bot of verray lufe which thow bearest to the Lorde Iesus, Walke in simplicitie and purenes of lyfe as it becumeth the trew seruand and the Ambassadour of the Lorde Iesus, vsurpe not dominion nor tyrannical authoritie owir thy bretheren, be not discoraged in aduertsitie, bot lay before thy self the example of the Prophets, Apostles, & of the Lorde Iesus, who in there Ministerie sustened contradiction, contempt, persecution, and death, feare not to rebuke the worlde of sin, Iustice, and Iudgment. If any thing succeid prosperuslie in thy vocatiō be not puft vp with pryde, nether yet flatter thy self as that the good succes proceaded from thy vertew industrie or cair. Bot let euir that sentēce of the Apostle remain in thy hart: What hast yu which thow hast not receaued? If thow hauehave reteaued why glories thow? Confort the afflicted support the poore and exhort vtheris to support them. Be not solist for things of this lyfe, bot be feruent in prayer to God for the encrase of his holie Spirit. And finallie behaue thy self in this holy vocation with such sobrietie, as God may be glorified in thy Ministerie. And so shall thow schortlie obrein the victorie, & shall receaue the Croune promissed when the Lorde Iesus shall appeare in His Glorie, whose omnipotent Spirit assist the and vsus to the end.
SING 23.
FINIS.