O Lord, to quhome all power is gevin in heavin and in eirthe, thow that art the Eternall Sone of the Eternall Father, quho hes not onely so luifit thy Kirk, that for the redemptioun and purgatioun of the same, thow hes humilled thyself to the deyth of the Croce; and thareupoun hes sched thy most innocent bluid, to prepair to thyself a Spous without spott; bot also, to retein this thy most excellent benefite in memory, hes appointed in thy Kirk, Teichears, Pastores, and Apostles, to instruct, comfort, and admonische the same: Luk upoun us mercifully, O Lord, thow that onely art King, Teicher, and Hie Priest to thy awin flock; and send unto this our Brother, quhome in thy name we have chairged with the cheif cair of thy Kirk, within the boundis of Louthiane, sick portioun of thy Holy Spreit, as thareby he may rychtly devyde thy word to the instructioun of thy flocke, and to the confutatioun of pernitious erroures, and damnable superstitiones. Give unto him, gude Lord, a mouthe and wisdome, quhareby the enemies of thy truthe may be confounded, the wolfis expellit, and driven from thy fauld, thy scheip may be fed in the wholsum pastures of thy most holy word, the blind and ignorant may be illuminated with thy trew knawlege: Finally, That the dregis of superstitioun and idolatry quhilk yit restis within this Realme, being purged and removed, we may all not only have occasioun to glorifie thee our onely Lord and Saviour, but also dayly to grow in godlines and obedience of thy most holy will, to the destructioun of the body of synne, and to the restitutioun of that image to the quhilk we wer anes created, and to the quhilk, efter our fall and defectioun, we ar renewed by participatioun of thy Holy Spirit, quhilk by trew fayth in thee, we do profes as the blissit of thy Father, of quhome the perpetuall incres of thy graces we crave, as by thee our Lord and King, and onely Bischope, we are taucht to pray, saying, "Our Father that art in hevin, &c."
The prayer ended, the rest of the Ministers, if ony be, and Elders of that Kirk present, in signe of thair consents, sall tak the elected by the hand, and then the cheif Minister sall gif the benedictioun, as follows:—
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, quho hes comanded his Evangell to be preiched, to the comfort of his Elect, and hes called thee to the office of a Watchman over his peple, multiply his graces with thee, illuminat thee with his Holy Spirit, comfort and strenthen thee in all vertewe, governe and guyde thy ministry, to the prayse of his holy Name, to the propagatioun of Christis kingdome, to the comforte of his Kirk, and finally, to the plain dischairge and assurance of thy awin conscience in the day of the Lord Jesus; to quhome, with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be all honour, prayse, and glory, now and ever. So be it.
The last Exhortatioun to the Elected.
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]
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.