The Commissioners deput be his Majestie, proponit certain heads and articles to the brethren to be resolvit and concludit in the present Assemblie, qwhereof the tenor follows:
Since the quietness of the Kirk, and the frieing of the same of sclander, qwhilk, upon the contrare, effects wold necessarly follow, as the chieff butt and end qwhereat his Majestie schoots in the conveening and holding of this present Assemblie: Therefore, for eschewing of fascheous and langsome disputatione, qwherupon divers uncomlie controversies and debates might aryse, his Majestie hes thought good to remitt the decisione of ane great number of the pretendit questiones to ane better opportunitie, to be reasonit in the meintyme be such as shall be authorized be commission to that effect, and for the present shall content himself with the decision of thir few articles following, having made change of nane but such as necessitie of tyme could not permitt to be delayed without ane great harme and sclander to follow.
1. That it be not thought uulawfull naither to the prince nor any wther of the pastors any tyme hereafter, to move doubts, reasone or crave reformatione in any poynts of the externall policie and gubernament or discipline of the Kirk, that are not essentially concernyng salvation, or is not answerit affirmative vel negative by any expresse part of the Scripture; provyding that it be done decenter, in right tyme and place, animo edificandi non tentandi.
2. That since the civill and politick government of the country belongs alwayes alanerlie to the King’s office and his Counsellers, and in no wayes pertinent to the spirituall ministrie of the word, that no minister shall hereafter, at any tyme, meddle with the matters of the Estate in the pulpit, or with any of his Majestie’s statutes, lawes, or ordinances. But, if any of the ministrie shall think any of them hurtfull to the religion, or contrair to the word, they shall privatly complaine to the King thereupon, or his Counsell.
3. That it shall not be lawfull to the pastors to name any particular man’s name in the pulpit, or to descryve him as may be equivalent with their nameing, except upon the notorietie of a cryme; qwhilk notorietie man only be defynit be the guiltie persones being fugitive for the tyme, or being fyllit be ane assyse, or excommunicat for the same.
4. That every minister, in his particular applicatione, shall have only respect to the edificatione of his owne flock, and present auditor, without expatiating upon wther discourses, no wayes pertinent for that congregatione.
5. That every particular presbytrie shall be commandit to take diligent accompt of their pastore’s doctrine, and that he keep him within the bounds of the premisses.
6. That summar excommunicatione be all wtterlie abolisched, as inept, and that three lawfull citationes at leist of aucht dayes intervall betwixt every one of them preceed the sentence.
7. That no Session, Presbytrie, nor Synodall, wse their censures upon any but upon them that are resident within the bounds committit to them, wtherwayes their decreets and sentences to be null.
8. That all summonds contain ane speciall cause and cryme, and nane super inquirendo to be summond, quod est mere tyrannicum.