Polecie we call ane exercise of the Churche[529] in suche thingis as may bring the rude and ignorant to knawledge, or ellis inflambe the learned to greater fervencie, or to reteane the Churche in gude ordour. And thairof thair be two sortis: the one utterlie necessarie; as that the word be treulie preched, the sacramentis richtlie ministrat, common prayeris publictlie maid; that the children and rude personis be instructed in the cheaf pointis of religioun, and that offences be corrected and punisched; these thingis, we say, be so necessarie, that without the same thair is no face of ane visible Kirk. The other is proffitable, bot not of mere necessitie; as, that Psalmes suld be sung; that certane placis of the Scripturis suld be red whan thair is no sermon; that this day or that day, few or many in the weeke, the churche suld assemble. Off these and suche utheris we can not se how ane certane ordour can be establisched. For in some churcheis the Psalmes may be convenientlie sung; in utheris, perchance, thay can not. Some churcheis may convene everie day; some thryise or twise in the weeke; some perchance bot onis. In these and such like must everie particular Churche, by thair awin consent, appoint thair awin Polecie.
In greit Tounis we think expedient that everie day thair be eathir Sermon, or ellis Common Prayeris, with some exercise of reiding the Scripturis. What day the publict Sermon is, we can neathir require or gretlie approve that the Commoun Prayeris be publictlie used, least that we shall eathir fostar the peple in superstitioun, wha come to the Prayeris as thay come to the Messe; or ellis give thame occasioun to think that those be no prayeris whiche ar maid before and efter Sermon.
In everie notable Toun, we require that one day besydis the Sunday, be appointed to the Sermone and Prayeris; whiche, during the tyme of Sermone, must be keipit fre frome all exercise of laubour, alsweill of the maister as of the servandis. In smaller tounis, as we have said, the commoun consent of the Churche must put ordour. But the Sunday must straitlie be keipit, both before and efter noon, in all tounis. Before noon, must the word be preached and sacramentis ministered, as also Mariage solempnissed, yf occasioun offer: After noon must the young children be publictlie examinated in thair Catechisme in audience of the pepill, in doing whairof the Minister must tak gret deligence, alsweill to cause the Pepill to understand the questionis proponed, as the ansueiris, and the doctrine that may be collected thairof. The ordour[530] and how much is appointed for everie Sunday, is alreaddy distinctit in oure buke of Common Ordour;[531] whiche Catechism is the most perfite that ever yit was used in the Churche. At efter noon also may Baptisme be ministered, whan occasioun is offered of great travell before noon. It is also to be observit, that prayeris be used at after noon upoun the Sunday, whair thair is neathir preching nor catechisme.
It apperteaneth to the Policie of the Churche to appoint the tymes whan the Sacramentis shall be ministered. Baptisme may be ministrat whensoever the word is preached; but we think it more expedient, that it be ministered upoun the Sunday, or upoun the day of prayeris, onlie after the sermon; partlie to remove this gross errour by the which many deceaved, think[532] that children be dampned yf thay die without Baptisme; and partlie to mak the people assist the administratioun of that sacrament with greater reverence than thei do.[533] For we do see the people begyn alreddie to wax weary be reasoun of the frequent repetitioun of those promisses.
Foure tymes in the yeare we think sufficient to the administratioun of the Lordis Tabill, which we desire to be distincted, that the superstitioun of tymes may be avoided so far as may be. Your Honouris ar nocht ignorant how superstitiouslie the people ryn to that actioun at Pasche, evin as [if] the tyme gave virtue to the Sacrament; and how the rest of the hoill yeare thai ar cairles and negligent, as [if] that it apperteaneth not unto thame but at that tyme onlie. We think thairfore most expedient, that the first Sunday of Marche be appointed for one [time]; the first Sunday of Junij for ane uther; the first Sunday of September for the thrid; and the first Sunday of December for the fourt. We do not deny but that any severall churche, for reasonable causses, may change the tyme, and may minister ofter; but we study to suppresse[534] superstitioun. All Ministeris must be admonisched to be more cairfull to instruct the ignorant than readdie to satisfie[535] thair appetiteis, and more scharp in examinatioun then indulgent, in admitting to that great Mysterie[536] such as be ignorant of the use and virtu of the same: and thairfore we think that the administratioun of the Table aught never to be without that examinatioun pass before, especiallie of those whose knawledge is suspect. We think that none ar apt to be admitted to that Mysterie who can not formalie say the Lordis Prayer, the Articles of the Beleif, and declair the soume of the Law.[537]
Farthir, we think it a thing most expedient and necessarie, that everie Churche have a Bibill in Inglische, and that the people be commanded to convene to heir the plane reiding or interpretatioun of the Seripturis, as the Churche shall appoint; that be frequent reiding this gross ignorance, whiche in the cursit Papistrie hath overflowne all, may partlie be removit. We think it most expedient that the Seripturis be red in ordour, that is, that some one buke of the Auld and the New Testament be begun and ordourlie red to the end. And the same we judge of preching, whair the Minister for [the] maist part remaneth in one place: For this skipping and divagatioun frome place to place of the Scripture, be it in reiding, or be it in precheing, we judge not so proffitabill to edifie the Churche, as the continewall following of ane text.
Everie Maister of houshald must be commandit eathir to instruct, or ellis caus [to] be instructed, his children, servandis, and familie, in the principallis of the Christiane religioun; without the knawledge whairof aught none to be admitted to the Tabill of the Lord Jesus: for suche as be so dull and so ignorant, that thei can neathir try thame selfis, neathir yit know the dignitie and misterie of that actioun, can not eat and drink of that Tabill worthelie. And thairfore of necessitie we judge it, that everie yeare at least, publict examinatioun be had by the Ministeris and Elderis of the knawledge of everie persoun within the Churche; to wit, that everie maister and maistres of houshald cum thame selvis and thair familie so many as be cum to maturitie, before the Ministeris and Elderis, to gyf confessioun of thair faith, and to ansueir to such cheaf points of Religioun as the Ministeris shall demand. Such as be ignorant in the Articulis of thair Faith;[538] understand not, nor can not rehearse the Commandimentis of God; knaw not how to pray; neathir whairinto thair richtuousnes consistis, aught not to be admitted to the Lordis Tabill. And gif thay stuburnlie continew,[539] and suffer thair children and servandis to continew in wilfull ignorance, the discipline of the Churche must proceid against them unto excommunicatioun; and than must the mater be referred to the Civill Magistrat. For seing that the just levith be his awin faith, and that Christ Jesus justifieth be knawledge off him self, insufferable we judge it that men shall be permitted to leve and continew in ignorance as memberis of the Churche of God.[540]
Moreover, men, wemen, and children wald be exhorted to exercise thame selvis in the Psalmes, that when the Churche convenith, and dois sing, thai may be the more abill togither with commoun heart and voice to prayse God.
In private housses we think it expedient, that the most grave and discreate persoun use the Commoun Prayeris at morne and at nycht, for the confort and instructioun of uthiris. For seing that we behald and se the hand of God now presentlie striking us with diverse plagues, we think it ane contempt of his judgementis, or ane provocatioun of his anger more to be kendillit against us, yf we be not movit to repentence of oure formar unthankfulnes, and to earnist invocatioun of His name, whois onlie power may, (and great mercy will,) yff we unfeynedlie convert unto him, remove from us these terribill plagues whiche now for our iniquiteis hing oure our headis. "Convert us, O Lord, and we shall be converted."
For Preacheing,[541] and Interpreting off Scripturis, &c.