bowing to the very pavement, let him say thus, either by himself, if he be able to read it, or else after the minister :

“0

"O my soul, bless the Lord; blessed be the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation; blessed be the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, the Saviour of the world; blessed be the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Ghost; blessed be the Holy Trinity, one God everlasting; blessed be the holy Catholic Church, and all you the servants of the Lord Jesus Christ; the name of God be blessed evermore for the assembly of his saints, and for the divine ordinances of his most holy word and sacraments, and of his heavenly power committed to his holy priests in his Church for the reconciliation of sinners unto himself, and the absolving them from all their iniquity. Lo! here I, upon the bended knees of my body and soul, most humbly beg the assistance of all your Christian prayers, and the benefit of that his holy ordinance; and I humbly beseech you, sir, as my ghostly father, a priest of God, and the Church's deputy, to receive me into that grace and into the bosom of the Church; and by loosing me from the bands of my grievous sins, to make me partake of that inestimable benefit, and so to reconcile me unto the mystical body of Christ Jesus my Lord and Saviour."

Then let the priest come forth to him, and stand over him, and, laying his hand on his head, say as is prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer, thus :—

"Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has left power to his Church to absolve all sinners which truly repent and believe in him, of his great mercy forgive thee thine offences; and by his authority, committed to me, I absolve thee from this heinous crime of renunciation, and from all other thy sins, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

Then let the priest, turning himself eastward, kneel down in the same place, the penitent kneeling behind him, and say the collect which stands after the Absolution in the Visitation of the Sick, but changing the latter part of it thus :—

of

"O most merciful God, who according to the multitude of thy mercies doth so put away the sins of those which truly repent that thou rememberest them no more, open thine eye mercy upon this thy servant, who most earnestly desires pardon and forgiveness; renew in him, most loving Father, whatsoever

Rushworth's Hist. Collect. pt. 2. p. 865. A.D. 1638.

has been decayed by the fraud and malice of the devil, or by
his own carnal will and frailness; preserve and continue him
in the unity of the Church; consider his contrition, and accept
his humiliation: and forasmuch as he puts his full trust only
in thy mercy, impute not unto him his former abnegation
of thee, but receive him into thy favour, through the merits of
thy beloved Son Christ Jesus our Saviour. Amen."
After that let the minister take him up, and take
white sheet and wand, and, taking him by the hand, say unto
him :-

away

his

"Dear brother, for so we all now acknowledge you to be, let me here advise you, with what care and diligence, every day of your life, you ought to consider how much you are bound to the infinite goodness of God, who has called you out of that woeful condition, whereinto you had cast yourself; and how much it concerns you ever hereafter to walk worthy of so great a mercy, being so much more careful to approve yourself in all holy obedience to God, by how much more you have dishonoured him by this your shameful revolt from him, which the same God, the Father of mercies, vouchsafe to enable you unto, for the sake of the dear Son of his love, Jesus Christ the Righteous. Amen."

After this let him be openly promised, that, upon any communion-day following, he shall be admitted to the holy sacrament, for which let him be directed to prepare himself; and when he receives, let him make a solemn oblation, according to his ability, after the order set down in the Service-book.

CXIII.

The Sentence of Deposition, &c., pronounced against Mr. John
Guthry, Bishop of Murray; Mr. John Graham, Bishop of
Orkney; Mr. James Ferley, Bishop of Lismore; Mr. Neile
Campbell, Bishop of the Isles, by the pretended Assembly at
Glasgow.

The General Assembly having heard the libels and complaints given in against the foresaid pretended bishops to the presbytery of Edinburgh and sundry presbyteries within their diocese, and by the said presbyteries referred to this assembly to be tried, the said pretended bishops, being lawfully cited, oftentimes called, and not compeering, proceeded to the cogni

tion of the complaints and libels exhibited against them; and, finding them guilty of the breach of the Cautions agreed upon in the assembly of Montrose, A.D. 1600, for restricting of the minister-votes in parliament from encroaching upon the liberties and jurisdictions of this Kirk, which was set down with certification of deposition, infamy, and excommunication; and especially for receiving consecration to the office of episcopacy, condemned by the "Confession of Faith," and acts of this Kirk, as having no warrant nor fundament in the Word of God, but by virtue of this usurped power, and power of the high commissions, pressing the Kirk with novations in the worship of God; and for their refusal to underlie the trial of the reigning slander, and of sundry other gross transgressions and offences laid to their charge; therefore, the assembly, moved with zeal to the glory of God and purging of this Kirk, ordains the said pretended bishops to be deposed, and by these presents doth depose them, not only of the office of commissionary to vote in parliament, council, or convention, in the name of the Kirk, but also of all functions, whether of pretended episcopal or ministerial calling; and likewise, in case they acknowledge not this assembly, reverence not the constitution thereof, and obey not the sentence, and make not their repentance conform to the order prescribed by this assembly, ordains them to be excommunicated, and declared to be of those whom Christ commandeth to be holden by all and every one of the faithful as ethnicks and publicans, and the sentence of excommuication to be pronounced upon their refusal, in the Kirks appointed by any of these who are particularly named, to have the charge of trying their repentance or impenitency; and that the execution of this sentence be intimate in all the Kirks within this realm, by pastors of every particular congregation, as they will be answerable to their presbyteries or synods, or the next general assembly in case of negligence of the presbyteries or synods.

115.

CXIV.

July 27,

A.D. 1639.

The Earl of Traquair, Lord Commissioner for Scotland, his
Instructions with Reference to the General Assembly at
Glasgow.

C. R.

At the first meeting of the assembly, before it be brought in Rushworth's dispute who shall preside, you shall appoint him who was moderator in the last assembly to preside in this, till a new moderator be chosen.

Hist. Col

lect, pt. 2. p. 949.

We allow that lay-elders shall be admitted members of this assembly, but in case of the election of commissioners for presbyteries, the lay-elders have had voice, you shall declare against the informality thereof; as also against lay-elders having voice in fundamental points of religion.

At the first opening of the assembly, you shall strive to make the assembly sensible of our goodness.And that for great and weighty considerations, we have commanded the archbishops and bishops not to appear at this assembly.

You shall not make use of the assessors in public, unless you find you shall be able to carry their having vote in the assembly.

You shall labour to your utmost, that there be no question made about the last assembly; and in case it come to the worst, whatever shall be done in ratification, or with relation to the former assembly, our will is that you declare the same to be done as an act of this assembly, and that you consent thereto only upon these terms, and no ways as having any relation to the former assembly.

You shall by all means shun the dispute about our power in assemblies; and if it shall be urged, or offered to be disputed, whether we have the negative voice, or the sole power of indicting, and consequently of dissolving, except you see clearly that you can carry the same in our favour, stop the dispute; and rather than it be decided against us, stop the course of the assembly until we be advertised.

For the better facilitating of our other services, &c. we allow you to declare, that notwithstanding our own inclination, or any other considerations, we are contented for our people's full satisfaction to remit episcopacy, and the estate of the bishops,

to the freedom of the assembly; but so as no respect be had to the determination of the point in the last assembly.

But in giving way to the abolishing of episcopacy, be careful that it be done without any warrant from the bishops; and if any offer to appear for them, you are to enquire for their warrant, and carry the dispute so, as the conclusion may seem not to be made in prejudice of episcopacy, as unlawful, but only in satisfaction to the people for settling the present disorders, and such other reasons of state.

The general assembly is not to meddle with any thing that is civil, or which formerly has been estabished by act of parliament, but upon his majesty's special command or warrant.

We will not allow of any commissioner from the assembly, or any such act, as may give ground for the continuing of the Tables or Conventicles.

In case episcopacy be abolished at this assembly, you are to labour, that we may have the power of choosing so many ministers as may represent the fourteen bishops in parliament; or, if that cannot be, that fourteen others whom we shall present, be agreed to, with a power to choose the "Lords of the Articles" for the nobility at this time, till the business be farther considered.

We allow that episcopacy be abolished for the reasons contained in the articles, and the covenant of 1580, for the satisfaction of our people be subscribed; provided it be so conceived that thereby our subjects be not forced to abjure episcopacy as a point of popery, or contrary to God's law, or the Protestant religion; but if they require it to be abjured, as contrary to the constitution of the Church of Scotland, you are to give way to it rather than make a breach.

Some part of the instructions foreign to the argument have been omitted.

The king, at his return to London, wrote the following letter to the archbishop of St. Andrew's.

CXV.

Right trusty and well-beloved Councillor, and Reverend Father

in God, we greet you well.

Your letter, and the rest of the bishops, (sent by the elect of Cathness) to my lord of Canterbury, has by him been com

August 6,
A.D. 1632.
Rushworth's

Hist. Collect. pt. 2.

p. 951.