No. II.

ON SPOTTISWOOD'S EDITION OF THE FIRST BOOK OF DISCIPLINE.

It is well known that Queen Mary, both in France and after her return to this country, refused to ratify the Proceedings of the Parliament which met at Edinburgh in August 1560; and its Acts, were not included in the authorized collection of the public statutes. In order to obviate this legal want of the royal sanction, it was judged expedient that the Confession of Faith, and some special Acts, should be renewed in the first Parliament of James the Sixth, during the regency of the Earl of Murray, in December 1567. It was proposed to have inserted in this Appendix a list of the Members and some passages relating to the proceedings of that Parliament, along with an account of the early editions of the Confession of Faith, 1560; and some notes respecting the First Book of Discipline. Want of space has rendered it necessary to omit these notices; but another opportunity may be afforded of introducing them in a subsequent volume.

It is also well known that the selfish rapacity of some of the Nobility who had supported the Reformed doctrines, and had obtained possession of Church-lands and property, prevented the Policy of the Kirk from being established according to the plan drawn up by Knox and his brethren. But the First Book of Discipline must always be regarded as an important work to illustrate the form of Church government and discipline submitted for approval by our early Reformers; and it is now presented to the Reader in a much more perfect and authentic form than it has ever appeared.

The following notes, selected from a careful collation of the Book of Discipline, with the copy inserted by Spottiswood in his History of the Church, will prove how very little reliance can be placed on the Archbishop's assertion of his having given it "word by word." As the omissions and emendations referred to might have been inside by the Editor in 1655, (see page 181, note 5,) the new edition, printing for the Spottiswoode Society, (edited by Bishop Russell, and collated with the author's original MS.,) has been employed.

Page 183-184, Spottiswood omits the whole of the Preface, and introduces the Book of Discipline with the short paragraph already quoted at page 181, note 5. There is a slight variation in the new edit. (p. 331,) reading, "I have thought meet, word by word, to insert the same," &c.

187, There are several omissions in this page; for instance, in line 7, the words "devysed by men;" various words in lines 15 to 22; and nearly the whole of lines 24 to 26.

188, lines 21, 22, altered; and lines 24 to 29 abridged.

189, l. 10, omits "cursed" as applied to "Papistrie."

190, l. 12, reads, "in open audience of his flock, he may preach and deliver his knowledge in the Articles," &c.

192, l. 4 to 6, "and so ... of the Kirk," omitted.

193, l. 4 to 19, varied and abridged; and lines 25, 26, read, "The Ministers were publicly admitted."

195, l. 14, altered; and lines 21 to 27, "And gif," &c., omitted. The next head, "For Readeris," is partially abridged.

198, l. 1, the words, "at the discretion of the congregation," omitted.

199, l. 3, the words, "in Goddis presence we witness," omitted; and lines 7 to 15 amended.

200, l. 12 to 14, part of the sentence omitted; and the paragraph that follows, "Restis yit," &c. concerning provision for the poor, and the teachers of youth, contracted to about one-third.

201 to 203, Under the head, "Off the Superintendents," the original which here consists of 38 lines, is contracted by Spottiswood to 6 lines.

204, l. 11, "to leave as your idill Bischopis," changed to "to live idle as the Bishops."

205, The third head, "Of the Election of Superintendentis," appears as if re-written and abridged; l. 18, reads, "we think it sufficient that the Council nominate;" and lines 22 to 25 omitted.

207, l. 6 to 12, "Yff the Ministeris," &c., omitted.

208, l. 16 to 26, "Of one thing, in the end," &c., omitted.

208, 209, "For the Schollis;" the introductory paragraph omitted, and the next 14 lines contracted to 5 lines.

214, l. 24, reads, "New Testament, and shall finish his course the same year. And in," &c.

221, l. 2 to 12, "not doubting," &c., omitted. Under the "Sext Heid," except the first sentence, the whole of the first paragraph, "But befoir we enter," &c., is omitted.

222, l. 4 to 9, "We dar not flatter," &c., omitted.

223, l. 27, &c. "Your Honouris," &c.; the whole of this paragraph omitted.

225, l. 13, The "Additio" is not found in Spottiswood.

226, l. 23, "Yf this Ordour," &c., to the end of the paragraph, omitted.

227, The second paragraph, "But becaus this accursit Papistrie," &c., omitted.

230, l. 21 to 23, Spottiswood reads, "This sentence, as being the most heavy censure which can be inflicted by the Church, ought not to be rashly used but for grave causes, and due process of time kept, but being pronounced, ought with all severity to be maintained, and intimation thereof made through the whole realm, lest any should pretend ignorance of the same."

235, l. 3 to 18, "Yea, the Seniouris," &c. This paragraph is thus altered: "If a Minister be of a loose conversation, negligent in his study, and one that was little bent upon his charge or flock, or one that proponeth not fruitful doctrine to his people, he ought to be admonished by the elders; and if he amend not, the elders may complain to the ministry [of the two next adjacent churches, to whose admonition, if he shall be disobedient, he ought to be discharged of his ministry] till his repentance appear."
The words enclosed within brackets are omitted in the old printed editions of Spottiswood's History, we may suppose by accident, as this appears to be the only variation which Bishop Russell has discovered upon collation with the MSS.

253, A great part of this page is omitted.

255, The last paragraph is somewhat altered, or at least transposed.

255-8, "The Conclusioun" addressed to the Lords, with the "Act of Secret Counsall," and the signatures, are wholly omitted.