If the Bischope, be his hand-wreit or personall appearance in the Assembly, will in God’s presence deny, that ever he either publickly professed, or meined in any sort to acclaime a supremacie, or to be judge to uther pastors or ministers, or ever allowit the same to have any ground in God’s word—and, if he had so done, it had been ane error, and against his conscience and knawledge: 2. If he will deny that, in the last Synodall Assemblie, he acclaimit to be judge thereto, and if he did that, in that he errit, and in his superiours behaviour and contempt of the said Synodall, and his brethren present, and craved oversicht thereof, and promisand good behaviour in tyme to come: 3. If he will promise to clame no farther nor he may justly be God’s word, and according to the late conferrence, and indevore himselfe in all behalfes to schaw himselfe in all tyme to come, ane moderat pastor, and, in so far as may be able, ane Bischop prescryvit be Paul, and to submit his life and doctrine to the judgement and censure of the Generall Assembly, without any reclamatione, provocatione, or appellatione therefrom in any tyme comeing: For his Majestie’s satisfactione, and to giue testimonie with qwhat good will we wold obey his Heines, so far as we might and ought, or in our conscience we may, and for the good hope we have of his Majestie’s favourable concurrence in building of the house of God, and for quyetness to continow in the Kirk within this realme: And because the proces of excommunicatione was led, and sentence pronouncit dureing the tyme of the Conferrence, Qwhereupon his Majestie hes taken occasione of offence, qwhilk for many good causes war convenient for to be removeit, we will forbear to examine the said proces, or to decyde qwhatsoever provocation or appellatione, or to call in doubt the legalitie of the said proces, or condemn the said Synodall; yet, for the respects forsaids, and upon good and weightie considerationes, we hold the said proces and sentence as unled, undecydit or pronuncit, and repone the said Bischop in all respects so as may concerne the said proces and sentence of excommunicatione, in the former estate he was in immediately before the same, lykeas no proces or sentence had been led nor deducit against him; provyding alwayes he observe qwhat hes been promised be him in the premisses, and behave himself dewtifully in his vocatione in all tyme comeing.
Articles ordaynit be the Assemblie to be proponit and cravit of his Majestie.
It will please your Majestie to take some substantive order how the countrie may, without delay, be purgit of the pestiferous sect of Jesuites, speciallie of such as for the friendschip in the North is hichlie authorized; who, although they have been summoned to underly the law, and assiste summond to that effect, yet their non-compeirance dispensed with, they friely ganging through the countrie, meining nothing less then to depart, and Jesuites furth of the South and furth of France repairing of new to them.
Item, That seing papistry abounds in the North, be reason of the state of qualified ministers therein, for lake of sufficient provisione and stipends, that therefore assignationes be made unto them conformable unto the ministrie of the South, and that the thrids there be not assignit to the Kirks of the South, qwhill their owne Kirks be provydit sufficiently, and such as wtherwayes hes been disponit may be dischargit.
Item, That judges may be appoyntit in all schyres for executione of the acts of Parliament, made against the breakers of the Sabbath, adulterers, and such open transgressors of God’s law.
Item, That in chiefe borrows-townes, there be teaching ordinare four tymes in the week, besyde the discipline, visitatione of the seik, ordinare to pastors and wthers charges; that two ministers be appoyntit to such townes.
5. That order be taken how the Colledge Kirks may be servit.
6. That order may be taken for Manses and Gleibs to ministers makand residence at Abbay Kirks, as also such as hes or shall have manses and gleibs, may have their necessars thereto,—such as fewall and pastorage, with feall and deviot, such as was wont to be of old.
7. That all gifts of benefices having the cure of sawles annexit to them, disponit be his Heines pleno jure, and not qualified persones presentit to them with ordinar tryall and collatione following thereupone, may be declared, according to the king’s lawes alreadie made, null; and that his Heines will giue new presentationes thereupon to qualified persones, and the nullitie of the former gift to be discussit alsweill be way of exceptione as actione.
8. That all presentationes or gifts of benefices of cure less nor prelacies, disponit alsweill be his Majestie as a lawit patrone wtherwayes then to qualified ministers, or in any extrordinary forme not allowable to the commone law of the municipall lawes of this realme, and forme observit in the Reformit Kirk of the same, since his Majestie’s coronatione, may be annullit, and new presentations grantit to qualified ministers—admitting the nullitie to be discussed, alsweill be the way of exceptione as actione.