Item, The Bischope shall be subject in all things concerning his life, conversation, office, and benefice, to the censure of the Generall Assemblie, and being found culpable, with his Majestie’s advyce and consent, to be depryvit.
Item, That no Bischop be electit but who hes past the age of fourty years compleat, and quha at liest hes been an actuall teaching minister ten years.
Qwhilks haill articles being diverse tymes publickly read in the face of the haill Assemblie conveinit, after voteing, the samen was ratified, approven, and concludit be the haill Assemblie, and ordaynit to be observit in all tyme comeing.
Forsuameikle as in this present Assemblie it is already statute, that the exercises shall be moderat be the Bischopes in the meitings of the ministry, if they be present, or then be any uther qwham they shall appoynt at the tyme of the Synod, and because the next Synod is not to be holden before the month of October nixt to come, therefore it is ordaynit, that in absence of the Bischope, ane constant Moderator shall remaine in their owne places qwhill the next Synod be holden in October.
Item, Because it is uncivill that laws and constitutions, either civill or ecclesiasticall, being ance established, and in force by publick opinion and consent, should be controllit and callit in question be any persone, therefore it is statute by uniforme consent of this haill Assemblie, that none of the ministry, either in pulpit in his preaching, or in the publicke exercise, speake and reasone against the acts of this present Assemblie, nor disobey the same under the paine of deprivatione, being tryit and convict thereof; and specially that the question of equalitie and inequalitie in the kirk, be not treatit in the pulpit under the said paine, and that every ane of the Commissioners present intimat this act in the first meeting of their services.
Extract furth of the Registre of the Acts of the Generall Assemblie be Mr Thomas Nicolsone, Commissar of Aberdeen, Clerke, Keeper and Extractor heirof.[54]
The Generall Assembly of the Kirk of Scotland, halden at Aberdein the 13th of August 1616 years, qwhere was present the Earle of Montrose, Commissioner for his Majestie, together with the Archbischops, Bischops, and Commissioners for Presbytries.
Exhortatione being made be {blank space} Mr John Spotswood, Archbishop of St Androis, was chosen Moderator.