We have receavit your Grace’s maist loving letter, direct to us by your Grace’s Commissioner, Mr Mark Ker, Mr of Requests, and are compellit to burst out most humble thanks to our God, qwho of his mercie hes gine us so godlie ane King, cairfull and weill willing that God be glorified, and his Kirk, within your Majestie’s realme, mentaint, as plainly be the articles be your Grace proponit: Qwhairunto, with all diligence, we begine to make answer, but in such shortness of tyme and great strait whereunto we are brought be certaine letters raisit at the instance of Mr Robert Montgomrie, we are altogether stayit in that and many uther godlie actiones: ffor upon the 27th of this instant, the Assembly being occupied in quyet and modest reasonyng of grave and weighty matters, he causit ane officer of armes irreverently to enter, and, under the paine of hornyng, commandit the haill Kirk from all proceiding against him, for whatsoever cause or enormitie committit in these his wicked attempts; a thing that was never heard nor seen since the world began; whairof we man lament unto your Majestie: And having no uther refuge under God, most humblie cravis, that be thir extraordinary chairges direct against the word of God and lawes of your Grace’s countrie, we be not constraint, either to betray the cause of God be beiring and winking at horrible crymes, manifest to all men in the persone of the said Mr Robert, or else to be reput and accountit disobedient to your Majestie, in whais service we have been, are, and shall be ready to sched our bloods and spend our lyfis; beseikand your Grace we may finde this grace and favour in your Majestie’s sicht, to keep our conscience clean before God, and reserve our saules to him who hes gine us care of the saules of his inheritance. This most reasonable request we doubt not to obtaine of your Majestie, our particular reasons being heard and considerit, qwhilk we mynde, by God’s grace, more largely to expone be certaine brether direct to your Majestie, both to this effect, and with a full answer to the forsaids articles. In the meane seasone, we beseik your Majestie, giue no credite to the sinister report and wrangous informatione of men, that, be such dealing, goes about to draw your Majestie’s heart from your trew and faithfull subjects, and be this unhappie schisme, to overthraw the Kirk of God within your Grace’s countrey, and, for their awne particular gaines, banische Christ and his word, (whilk God of his infinite mercy forbid,) and preserve your Grace, body and saul, for ever.—From St Androis, the 28th of Apryle, 1582.
As to the sentence to be gine against Mr Robert Montgomrie, and the enormities conteint in the acts preceiding, The Assemblie and brethrene present, after voteing in the said matter, depryvit the said Mr Robert from all functione of the ministrie in the Kirk of God, dureing the will of the Assemblie; and farder, decernit the sentence of fearfull excommunicatione to be pronouncit in face of the whole Assembly, be the voyce and mouth of the Moderator present, against him; To the effect that his proud flesche, being cast in the hands of Satane, he may be winne againe, if it be possible, to God; and the said sentence to be intimate be euery particular minister at his awne particular kirk, solemnlie in the first sermone to be made be them after their returning.
The instant pronunciation of the said sentence, beand stayit be the Moderator qwhill Monday at nyne houres, be reasone of the compearance of the said Mr Robert, who renuncit the appellatione interponit be his procurator in his name, and be himself before noone, from the sentence of the Kirk, and desyrit conferrence to be grantit to him of the maist godlie and learnit brether—qwhilk the Kirk grantit whill Monday at nyne houres, upon condition he remayned and wayted upon the doctrine and conferrence of the brether, and made no novatione of new chairges against the Kirk; who promised to attend upon the doctrine and conferrence of the brether the morne all day; and as to novatione or new charge, he should use or purchase nane in the meantyme, if the Kirk usit nane against him: And farder, the Assemblie ordayned prayers to be made the morne in the sermone for him, be them that occupyed the place for the tyme.
Sessio 11.
Anent the conferrence had yesternight with Mr Robert Montgomrie; to the effect that the brethren might understand what fruit had followit thereof:—First, they demanded of him, in presence of God, to tell the simple trewth of the accusationes that was layit to his charge of before, qwho, after prayer to God to be mercifull to him, grantit and confessit as after followes:—ffirst, He confest the command gine him be the Reader of Striviling to desist from his office: 2. Grantit baptizing of bairnes begotten in fornicatione, but tooke cautione of the parents to satisfy the Kirk, but not in presence of the Elders and Sessione: 3. As to the circumcision of women, remembers not that ever he preached it: 4. Grants he made promise to the Presbytrie of Striviling to await on his charge of the ministrie there, qwhilk he hes broken: 5. He confest that, upon the 20th day of Marche, he had mention made of his suspensione be the Presbytrie of Striviling, but he was not certaine thereof, for he could not haue the process of his suspensione: 6. Declareit that howbeit he knew the raising of many of the letters against the breither, yet he keepit the ordinarie dyetts thereof: 7. Grants the usurpatione of Mr David Weymes’ flock, qwhairin he confest that he had heavily offendit: 8. And sicklyke grants he hes heavilie offendit against God and his Kirk, be procureing and raiseing the charges against the Generall Assembly, and in accepting the Bischoprick of Glasgow, without advyce thereof. The said Assemblie, in proceeding be this forme of doing qwhilk he hes used—ffor the qwhilk he submitts himself in the will of the brethrene, willing to abyde their judgement, and to obey and underly such injunctiones as they will ordayne therefore.
And as to his simple meaning concernyng the estate of Bischops, and corruptione thereof; being requyrit openly, in the fear of God and uprightness of conscience, to declare the same, desyrit to conferr with Mrs James Lawsone, John Craige, Robert Pont, David Lyndsay, and the Laird of Culluchie, to the effect he might be farther resolvit, and give his simple meaning therein to the Kirk, qwherunto they agriet.
Anent the protestationes made be the Presbytries of Edinburgh, Dalkeith, and Linlithgow, against the sentence gine be the King and Secret Councill in favor of Mr Robert Montgomrie, findand them Judges to the saids Presbytries and Kirk, as the same beires; The haill Kirk, after the reading of the same sentence and protestatione, in ane voyce, adheirit thereto, lykeas the said Mr Robert, for his part, allowit the same and adherit therunto.
Sessio 12.
In respect of many inconvenients and misorder fallen furth be the ambitioune, covetousness, and indirect dealing of syndrie who gang about to enter in the ministrie, and, being enterit, uses unlawfull meanes to declyne all correctione and punischment for their offences: The whole Assemblie, in ane voyce, hes votit and concludit, conforme to the word of God and most godly acts of antient counsells, That no man pretendand to ecclesiasticall functione, office or benefice, be any absolute gift, collatione or admissione of civill magistrates or patrone, be letters of hornyng and qwhatsoevir uther means then is established be the word of God and acts of the generall Kirk, and hitherto ordinarly used within the reformit Kirk of Scotland; and sicklyke that nane beand receavit to ane ecclesiasticall office or benefice, seek any way be the civill power, to exeme and withdraw themselves from the jurisdictione of the Kirk, nor procure, obtayne, or use any letters or charges, ather be themselves or any uthers in their name, or at their command or instance, to impare, hurt, or stay the said jurisdictione, discipline, correctione of manners, or punischment of their offences and enormities, nor to make any appelatione from the Generall Assemblie, to stope the discipline and order of ecclesiasticall policie and jurisdictione grantit be God’s word to the office-bearers within the said Kirk, under the paine of excommunicatione, summarly and without any proces or admonitiones, to be pronouncit be the judgements of the Elderschip, be Minister or Ministers, to be appoyntit be them thereto, how soon it is knawne that any one of the saids heids is transgressit; and this act to be nowayes prejudiciall to the laic patrones and their presentationes, unto the tyme the laws be reformit according to God’s word.