The Works of John Knox Volume II Part 29

Not onlie may the life and maneris of the Ministeris c.u.m under censure and judgement of the Churche, bot also of thair wiffes, children, and familie; judgement must be tackin, that he neather live riotuslie, neathir yit avaritiuslie; yea, respect must be had how thay spend the stipend appointed to thair leving. Yf ane reasonabill stypend be appointed, and thay leve avariciuslie, thai must be admonisched to live so as thay resave; for as excesse and superfluitie is nocht tollerabill in ane minister, so is avarice and the cairfull sollicitude of money and geir[526] utterlie to be d.a.m.ned in Christis servandis, and especialie in those that are fed upoun the charge of the Church. We judge it unseamlie and not tollerabill that ministeris shall be burdeit in commoun aill-housses or tavernis.

[526] In ed. 1621, the words "and geir," omitted.

Neathir yit must ane Minister be permitted to frequent and commonlie hant the Court, onless it be for a time, when he is eathir send be the Churche, eathir yit called for by the Authoritie for his counsall and judgement. Neathir yit must he be one of the counsall in Civill effaires, be he never judgeit so apt for that purpose; but eathir must he cease frome the ministerie (whiche at his awin plesour he may not do,) or ellis from bearing charge in Civill effaires, onles it be to a.s.sist the Parliament yf he be[527] called.

[527] In MS. 1566, "if thay be."

The office of the Deaconis, as is before declared, is to receave the rentis, and gadder the almous of the Churche, to keip and distribute the same, as by the ministerie of the Kirk shall be appointed. Thay may also a.s.sist in judgement with the Ministeris and Elderis, and may be admitted to read in the a.s.semblie yf thei be required, and be fund abill thairto.

The Elderis and Deaconis, with thair wiffeis and houshaldis must be under the same censure that is prescribit for the Ministeris: for thay must be cairfull over thair office; and seing that thay ar judgeis to the maneris of uthiris, thair awin conversatioun aught to be irreprehensible: Thay must be sober, humill, luifaris and interteinaris of concord and peace; and, finalie, thay aught to be the exempill of G.o.dlines till otheris. And yf the contrarie thairof appeare, thay must be admonisched by the Minister, or by some of thair brethren of the ministerie, yf the falt be secreit; and gif it be oppin and knawin, it must be rebucked before the ministerie, and the same ordour keipit against the Seniour or Deacon, that before is describit aganis the Minister.

We think it nott necessarie that ony publict stypend shall be appointed, eathir to the Elderis, or yit to the Deaconis, becaus thair travell contineuis bot for ane yeare; and alsua becaus that thay are not so occupyed with the effares of the Churche, but that reasonabillie thay may attend upoun thair domesticall besynes.

THE NNYT HEADE, CONCERNYNG THE POLECIE OF THE CHURCHE.[528]

[528] In edit. 1722, Chap. XI.

POLECIE we call ane exercise of the Churche[529] in suche thingis as may bring the rude and ignorant to knawledge, or ellis inflambe the learned to greater fervencie, or to reteane the Churche in gude ordour. And thairof thair be two sortis: the one utterlie necessarie; as that the word be treulie preched, the sacramentis richtlie ministrat, common prayeris publictlie maid; that the children and rude personis be instructed in the cheaf pointis of religioun, and that offences be corrected and punisched; these thingis, we say, be so necessarie, that without the same thair is no face of ane visible Kirk. The other is proffitable, bot not of mere necessitie; as, that Psalmes suld be sung; that certane placis of the Scripturis suld be red whan thair is no sermon; that this day or that day, few or many in the weeke, the churche suld a.s.semble. Off these and suche utheris we can not se how ane certane ordour can be establisched. For in some churcheis the Psalmes may be convenientlie sung; in utheris, perchance, thay can not. Some churcheis may convene everie day; some thryise or twise in the weeke; some perchance bot onis. In these and such like must everie particular Churche, by thair awin consent, appoint thair awin Polecie.

[529] In edit. 1621, "Policie wee call an exercise of the Kirk."

In greit Tounis we think expedient that everie day thair be eathir Sermon, or ellis Common Prayeris, with some exercise of reiding the Scripturis. What day the publict Sermon is, we can neathir require or gretlie approve that the Commoun Prayeris be publictlie used, least that we shall eathir fostar the peple in superst.i.tioun, wha come to the Prayeris as thay come to the Messe; or ellis give thame occasioun to think that those be no prayeris whiche ar maid before and efter Sermon.

In everie notable Toun, we require that one day besydis the Sunday, be appointed to the Sermone and Prayeris; whiche, during the tyme of Sermone, must be keipit fre frome all exercise of laubour, alsweill of the maister as of the servandis. In smaller tounis, as we have said, the commoun consent of the Churche must put ordour. But the Sunday must straitlie be keipit, both before and efter noon, in all tounis.

Before noon, must the word be preached and sacramentis ministered, as also Mariage solempnissed, yf occasioun offer: After noon must the young children be publictlie examinated in thair Catechisme in audience of the pepill, in doing whairof the Minister must tak gret deligence, alsweill to cause the Pepill to understand the questionis proponed, as the ansueiris, and the doctrine that may be collected thairof. The ordour[530] and how much is appointed for everie Sunday, is alreaddy distinct.i.t in oure buke of Common Ordour;[531] whiche Catechism is the most perfite that ever yit was used in the Churche.

At efter noon also may Baptisme be ministered, whan occasioun is offered of great travell before noon. It is also to be observit, that prayeris be used at after noon upoun the Sunday, whair thair is neathir preching nor catechisme.

[530] The Editor in 1722, has given this sentence as follows:--"The Order to be kept in teaching the Catechism, and how much of it is appointed for every Sunday, is already distinguished in the Catechism printed with the Book of our Common Order."

[531] See note 2, page 210.

It apperteaneth to the Policie of the Churche to appoint the tymes whan the Sacramentis shall be ministered. Baptisme may be ministrat whensoever the word is preached; but we think it more expedient, that it be ministered upoun the Sunday, or upoun the day of prayeris, onlie after the sermon; partlie to remove this gross errour by the which many deceaved, think[532] that children be dampned yf thay die without Baptisme; and partlie to mak the people a.s.sist the administratioun of that sacrament with greater reverence than thei do.[533] For we do see the people begyn alreddie to wax weary be reasoun of the frequent repet.i.tioun of those promisses.

[532] In edit. 1621, "many are deceived, thinking."

[533] In edit. 1621, "to make the people have greater reverence to the administration of the Sacraments then they have."

Foure tymes in the yeare we think sufficient to the administratioun of the Lordis Tabill, which we desire to be distincted, that the superst.i.tioun of tymes may be avoided so far as may be. Your Honouris ar nocht ignorant how superst.i.tiouslie the people ryn to that actioun at Pasche, evin as [if] the tyme gave virtue to the Sacrament; and how the rest of the hoill yeare thai ar cairles and negligent, as [if]

that it apperteaneth not unto thame but at that tyme onlie. We think thairfore most expedient, that the first Sunday of Marche be appointed for one [time]; the first Sunday of Junij for ane uther; the first Sunday of September for the thrid; and the first Sunday of December for the fourt. We do not deny but that any severall churche, for reasonable causses, may change the tyme, and may minister ofter; but we study to suppresse[534] superst.i.tioun. All Ministeris must be admonisched to be more cairfull to instruct the ignorant than readdie to satisfie[535] thair appet.i.teis, and more scharp in examinatioun then indulgent, in admitting to that great Mysterie[536] such as be ignorant of the use and virtu of the same: and thairfore we think that the administratioun of the Table aught never to be without that examinatioun pa.s.s before, especiallie of those whose knawledge is suspect. We think that none ar apt to be admitted to that Mysterie who can not formalie say the Lordis Prayer, the Articles of the Beleif, and declair the soume of the Law.[537]

[534] In edit. 1621, "minister oftner, but we studie to represse."

[535] In edit. 1621, "to serve."

[536] In edit. 1621, "thir great mysteries."

[537] The Editor, in 1722, supplies, at the end of this paragraph: "And understandeth not the use and virtue of this holy Sacrament."

Farthir, we think it a thing most expedient and necessarie, that everie Churche have a Bibill in Inglische, and that the people be commanded to convene to heir the plane reiding or interpretatioun of the Seripturis, as the Churche shall appoint; that be frequent reiding this gross ignorance, whiche in the cursit Papistrie hath overflowne all, may partlie be removit. We think it most expedient that the Seripturis be red in ordour, that is, that some one buke of the Auld and the New Testament be begun and ordourlie red to the end. And the same we judge of preching, whair the Minister for [the] maist part remaneth in one place: For this skipping and divagatioun frome place to place of the Scripture, be it in reiding, or be it in precheing, we judge not so proffitabill to edifie the Churche, as the continewall following of ane text.

Everie Maister of houshald must be commandit eathir to instruct, or ellis caus [to] be instructed, his children, servandis, and familie, in the princ.i.p.allis of the Christiane religioun; without the knawledge whairof aught none to be admitted to the Tabill of the Lord Jesus: for suche as be so dull and so ignorant, that thei can neathir try thame selfis, neathir yit know the dignitie and misterie of that actioun, can not eat and drink of that Tabill worthelie. And thairfore of necessitie we judge it, that everie yeare at least, publict examinatioun be had by the Ministeris and Elderis of the knawledge of everie persoun within the Churche; to wit, that everie maister and maistres of houshald c.u.m thame selvis and thair familie so many as be c.u.m to maturitie, before the Ministeris and Elderis, to gyf confessioun of thair faith, and to ansueir to such cheaf points of Religioun as the Ministeris shall demand. Such as be ignorant in the Articulis of thair Faith;[538] understand not, nor can not rehea.r.s.e the Commandimentis of G.o.d; knaw not how to pray; neathir whairinto thair richtuousnes consistis, aught not to be admitted to the Lordis Tabill. And gif thay stuburnlie continew,[539] and suffer thair children and servandis to continew in wilfull ignorance, the discipline of the Churche must proceid against them unto excommunicatioun; and than must the mater be referred to the Civill Magistrat. For seing that the just levith be his awin faith, and that Christ Jesus justifieth be knawledge off him self, insufferable we judge it that men shall be permitted to leve and continew in ignorance as memberis of the Churche of G.o.d.[540]

[538] Nearly two lines in this place are omitted in the editions 1621 and 1722.

[539] In edit. 1621, "stubburnly contemne."

[540] In edit. 1621, "to live as members of the Kirk, and yet to continue in ignorance."

Moreover, men, wemen, and children wald be exhorted to exercise thame selvis in the Psalmes, that when the Churche convenith, and dois sing, thai may be the more abill togither with commoun heart and voice to prayse G.o.d.

In private housses we think it expedient, that the most grave and discreate persoun use the Commoun Prayeris at morne and at nycht, for the confort and instructioun of uthiris. For seing that we behald and se the hand of G.o.d now presentlie striking us with diverse plagues, we think it ane contempt of his judgementis, or ane provocatioun of his anger more to be kendillit against us, yf we be not movit to repentence of oure formar unthankfulnes, and to earnist invocatioun of His name, whois onlie power may, (and great mercy will,) yff we unfeynedlie convert unto him, remove from us these terribill plagues whiche now for our iniquiteis hing oure our headis. "Convert us, O Lord, and we shall be converted."

FOR PREACHEING,[541] AND INTERPRETING OFF SCRIPTURIS, &C.

[541] In edit. 1722, Chap. XII., and the t.i.tle is, as in the edit.

1621, "For Prophecying, or Interpreting of the Scriptures."

[Sidenote: 1 Cor. 14:29]

To the end that the Churche of G.o.d may have a tryell of mennis knawledge, judgementis, gracis, and utterancis; and also, that suche as somewhat have proffited in G.o.ddis worde, may from tyme to tyme grow to more full perfectioun to serve the Churche, as necessitie shall require: it is most expedient that in everie Toune, whaire Schollis and repair of learned Men ar, that thair be one certane day everie weake appointed [to] that Exercise, which Sanct Paull calleth prophecieing; the ordour whairof is expressed by him in these words: "Let two or thre propheitis speik; and lat the rest judge: But yf any thing be reveilled to him that sitteth by, lat the formar keip silence: [For] ye may, one by one, all prophecie, that all may learn, and all may receave consolatioun. And the Spreittis (that is, the judgementis) of the Propheitis, are subject to the propheitis." Off whiche wordis of the Apostle, it is evident that in Corinthus, whan the Churche did a.s.semble[542] for that purpose, sum place of Scripture was red; upoun the whiche, first one gyf his judgement to the instructioun and consolatioun of the auditouris; after whome did one uthir eathir conferme what the formare had said, or did add what he had omitted, or did gentillie correct or explane more properlie whair the hoill veritie was not reveilled to the formar. And in case sum thingis war hid frome the one and frome the uthir, libertie was gevin to the thrid to speik his judgement for edificatioun of the Churche.

Above the whiche nomber of three, (as appereth,) thay pa.s.sed not, for avoiding of confusioun.

[542] In edit. 1621, "that is the Kirk of Corinth, when they did a.s.semble."

These Exercisses, we say, ar thingis most necessarie for the Churche of G.o.d this day in Scotland; for thairby (as said is) shall the Churche have judgement and knawledge of the gracis, giftis, and utterances of everie man within thair awin body; the simple, and suche as have sumwhat proffited, shall be encurageit dalie to study and proceid in knawledge; the Churche shall be edifyed; (for this Exercise must be patent to suche as list to heir and learne,) and everie man shall have libertie to utter and declair his mynd and knawledge to the confort and edificatioun of the Churche.

But least that of a profitable Exercise mycht aryise[543] debate and strife, curiouse, peregryne and unprofitable questionis ar to be avoided. All interpretatioun disaggreing from the princ.i.p.allis of oure faith, repugnyng to cheritie, or that standis in plane contradictioun to ony uthir manifest place of Scripture, is to be rejected. The Interpretour in that exercise, may nocht tack to him self the libertie of ane publict Precheour, yea, althocht he be a Minister appointed; but he must bind him self to his text, that he enter not by disgressioun in explanyng commoun places. He may use no invective in that exercise onles it be with sobrietie in confuting heresyes. In exhortationis or admonitionis he must be schorte, that the tyme may be spent in oppenyng of the mynd of the Holy Ghost in that place; in following the fyle[544] and dependence of the text, and in observing suche notes as may instruct and edifie the auditour. For avoyding of contentioun, neathir may the interpretour, neathir yit any of the a.s.semblie, move any questioun in oppen audience, whairto him self is not content[545] to geve resolutioun without reasoning with any other; but everie man ought to speik his awin judgement to the edificatioun of the Churche.

[543] In edit. 1621, "least of this profitable exercise there arise."

[544] In edit. 1621, "The sequele."

[545] In edit. 1621, "not able."

Yf any be noted with curiositie, or bringyng in any strange doctrine, he must be admonished by the Moderatouris, the Ministeris and Eldaris, immediatlie after that the interpretatioun is ended. The hoill memberis,[546] and nomber of thame that ar of the a.s.semblie, ought to convene togetther, whair examinatioun should be had, how the persones that did interprete did handle and convey the mater; thei thame selffis being removed till every man have gevin his censure; after the whiche, the persones being called, the faultes (yf any notable be found) ar noted, and the persone gentillie admonished. In that last a.s.semblie all questionis and dowtis, (yf any arryise,) should be resolved without contentioun.

[546] In edit. 1621, "The whole Ministeris;" the edition 1722, after these words, adds, "with a number."

The Ministeris of the Paroche churches to Landwarte, adjacent to everie cheaf toune, and the Readaris, gif thai have any gift of interpretatioun, within s.e.x myles must a.s.sist and concur to those that prophecie within the townes; to the end that thei thame selves may eather learne, or ellis utheris may learne be thame. And moreover, men in whome ar supposed any giftis to be, which mycht edifie the Churche yf thei war weall apply ed, must be charged by the Ministeris and Eldaris to joyne thame selfis with that sessioun and c.u.mpany of Interpretouris, to the end that the Churche may judge whether thei be able to serve to G.o.ddis glorie, and to the proffeit of the Churche in the vocatioun of Ministeris or not. And yf any be found disobedient, and not willing to communicat the giftis and spirituall graces[547] of G.o.d with thair brethren, after sufficient admonitioun, discipline must procead against thame; provided that the Civile Magistrate concur with the judgement and electioun of the Churche. For no man may be permitted to leave[548] as best plea.s.seth him within the Churche of G.o.d; but everie man must be constrayned, by fraterall admonitioun and correctioun, to bestow his laubouris, when of the Churche thei ar required, to the edificatioun of otheris.

[547] In edit. 1621, "and speciall graces."

[548] In edit. 1621, "to live."

What day in the week is most convenient for that exercise, and what bookes of the Scripturis salbe most profitable to be red, we refer to the judgment of everie particulare Churche, we meane, to the wisdome of the Ministeris and Eldaris.