The Booke of the Universall Kirk of Scotland / Wherein the Headis and Conclusionis Devysit Be the Ministers and Commissionaris of the Particular Kirks Thereof, Are Specially Expressed and Contained.

by Unknown

Right Honorable and weel-beloved brethren, after our hearty commendationes in the Lord Jesus Christ: This present is to advertise you that we have received your Letter; and, at the requisitione of our minister and Provest, haveing commissione thereto, hes sighted, seen, and considered your writting and Act of the Generall Assembly, in the whilk is contained the great labours taken be Satane and his members making impediment to the proceedings of the Evangell and furthsetting of the glory of God, sustentation of the ministrie, the poor and needy, and the contraire now to be provided be the Assembly Generall of the Christian Kirk of this realme now to be conveined, the 20th of July instant, craving of us our concurrence to the effect forsaid, together with our personal presence. It shall please your Wisdomes; understand, and most assuredly believe us professors of the Evangell of the Kirk, within the Burgh of Aberdeen, to be of ane minde, and, be the grace of God, to continue to the maintenance of the furthsetting of the Glory of God, teaching of the true Evangell and sustentation of the ministers, with help unto the poore, and unto the tyme your Wisdomes, with the nobilitie, find ane order universall for the ministrie, we shall, for our own part, God willing, sustaine our minister, so that of reason he shall have no cause to plaint, and to the poore after our power doe semblablie, as uther burroughs shall take order; and, as to our personall presence to conveen at this tyme, hes given and sent our minister, Adam Herriot, to concurr and assist in our name to the effect forsaid, and to declare unto your Wisdomes the impediment of our personall presence at this tyme; praying your Wisdomes, notwithstanding our absence, to credite us faithfullie to abide at your decree to be sett out be you and the Assembly, to the effect foresaid, and to maintain the samen with our bodies and goods as tyme shall reqyre. And, farther, having no occasione at this present to wryte, committs you to the protectione of the Highest. Written at Aberdeene, the 12th of this instant, and subscribed with our Provest’s hand, at our command, at Aberdeene, be them that are your assured,

Thomas Menzies.

Sess. 3d, Julii 23, 1567.

Certain brethren were appointed to conveen to sie and advyse upon the Assignatione of the Stipends of the Ministrie lately assigned be the Queen’s Majestie, the good payment, who fand in effect as follows:—

We have seen the assignationes within the shreffdomes of Kincardine, Forfar, Perth, and Fyfe, and finds that all the haill contained therein, at least for the most part, hes been thankfully payed, and that the collector hes given his charges for payment thereof duly, and rests nothing but to put them to the horne, that there be letters direct, and commission given in the said letters, with consent of the thesaurer, to collect and uptake the haill fruits of the benefices of so many as past to the horne for the 1566 year, and sicklyke for the 1567 year instant, so long as they remane, and to make compt of the thrid to the ministrie, and so meikle of the two part as they intromett with to the thesawrer as escheat; and as to the victuall within the forsaids shyres, we finde that long before any letters raised upon this assignation, and before the baptisme of the prince, they were sold to the comptroller, and therefore he must be charged in his compts to rander sa meike of the prices heirof againe to the ministers, as is contained in his assignation. Touching the thirds of the ministers’ assignation beyond Die, except Orkney, findes be the collector that the 1566 yeares cropt is not used to be payed whill Lambes in the 1567 year after; and for execution given to him within bounds shall pass with the possible diligence, and charge that haill bounds according to the letters, of the whilks he supposes good payment, as hes been of before, except the bishoprick of Caithness, whilk the collector alleadges the bishop payes to his ministers of his own kirk, conforme to the book and compts made of before. Item, Deare, Dunnett, and Pilorthe, are given free to the Earle Marschell, and the friars of Aberdeen, to Captain Lauder; but it is understood that all the gifts are revoked, and therefore the collector is to charge them. Item, The victuall within the same bounds are sold ut supra, and therefore the comptroller in his compts shall render conforme to the first article. Item, Besouth Forthe nothing gotten in; but the collector alleadges that Duncan Livingstoune hes taken up 11 sh. of xxxvij lb. 11 sh. ijd., as he hes granted be the particular receipt, and therefore he must be charged to delyver the same to the said collector. Item, Of the thrids contained within his collectorie, that it is alleadged discharged of the Abbay of Cambuskenneth, to 323 lb. 6 sh. 8d. 3 chalders beir, and 3 chalders meall. The thrids of Drybrugh, 304 lb. and 62 part boll qwhyte, 8 chalders, 2 bolls, two part boll beir, 7 chalders, 10 bolls, two part boll meill.

The thirds of Melros, Haddingtoune, and Northberrwick, the third of Kelso and Coldinghame; as to Dumfries, Annandale, and Kirkcudbright, and Wigtoune, the Bishope of Gallaway hes deput certain collectors for satisfactione of the ministers within the samen.

Item, Within Kyle, Carrick, and Cunninghame, executiones past, and believes to have payment at the nixt ganging in the countrie. Item, Corsraguel is given frie, and the minister of Fairfurd is evill payd that the act be reised, made be the Queen’s Grace and Secret Councill, dischargeing the gifts and tacks of all the thirds, and that nane be given hereafter, without advyse of the Secret Counsell, to the effect the collector may charge, notwithstanding any sic gifts. Remember that ilk collector execute within his bounds, that letters be direct, with consent of the thesaurer, according to the first article.

The Noblemen, Barrones, and uthers undersubscryvand in this present Assembly of the Kirk of God, hes condescended and agreed to the articles following, at Edinburgh, Julii 20, 1567:—

In the first: Forswameikle as there was ane Parliament holden in this realme, before the Queen’s Majestie’s arrivall in the same, be the estates conveened for the tyme, authorized with her Heines own power and commissione; in the whilk Parliament it was concluded, that the religione of Jesus Christ be universallie receaved within this realme, should be universally established and approved within the same, and all Papistrie, with the Papists usurped jurisdictione, all Idolatrie, and especially the blasphemous Masse, be abolished and put away; as the acts made thereupon proports: Quhilk acts, together with the Queen’s Majestie’s power to hold the same Parliament, the Noblemen, Barrons, and uthers undersubscrivand, wills to be extract and putt in full executione as ane publick law, and that the transgressors thereof be punished according to the same throughout the haill realme, without exceptione: Whilk Parliament in all things concerning the Religion, they shall defend and maintaine at their uttermost, in the first Parliament whilk shall be holden at all uther tymes and occasiones convenient: Item, That the act allready made towards the thirds of the benefices within this realme, principally for sustaining of the ministrie, may be dewly put to executione, according to the order of the Book of the appointment of ministers’ stipends, allsweel of them that are to be appointed, as for them already placed; and that the ministers be first duely answered and sufficiently sustained of the same, to the relief of their present necessitie, ay and whill ane perfect order may be taken and established toward the full distributione of the patrimonie of the kirk, according to God’s word; and that also the ordinance made be the Queen’s Majestie and her Councill towards the small benefices, now extending to the soume of three hundred merks, be dewly put to executione, alsweell toward the benefices whilks hes vaiked since the date of the said ordinance, as concerning them that shall happen hereafter to vake, and sicklike the act made towards the anuales, abies and altarages of burrowes.

Item, How soon ane lawful Parliament may be had, or that the occasione may utherwayes justly serve, the nobles, barrones, and uthers of the Kirk undersubscryvand, shall labour and prease at their uttermost, that the faithfull Kirk of Jesus Christ profest within this realme, shall be put in full liberty of the patrimony of the Kirk, according to the Booke of God and the order and practise of the primitive Kirk, and that nothing shall passe in Parliament unto the tyme the matters of the Kirk forsaid be first considered, approved, and established; and in the meantyme the professors undersubscryvand consents and offers to reforme themselves according to the Book of God, whilk they shall put in practise, and the refusers to be secluded from the bosome of the Kirk.