QVHILL we ar aluterlie irkit, ho­norable and deirbelouit, we haif kep it silence, almaist aganis our cōscience, sen the twelft of Mar­che, awaityng on Iohne Knox answeir in writt, of his lauchfull vocatioun, accordinge to his promis maid in the pulpet to our last writtyng, delyuerit to him yat day thairupon. Quhilk promis sen he nother fulfyllis (nother anētis this, nor our vther que­stionis) nor ȝit he nor his brether desistis fra v­surpinge sa hie ane office, to the quhilk thay can nocht schaw thaim lauchfullie callit conforme to godis ordinance, nor ȝit mak ony answeir thair­in w^tout thair schame (as we are ꝑuadit▪) except thay godlie schaw thair repentāce: We may not bot pray and beseik ȝour prudence for the health [Page] and saifing of ȝour awin saulis, that ȝe reid, cō ­sider and iuge sinceirlye withoute all affectioun our questionis & answeris maid to Iohne Knox declaratioun thairupon. And exhortis ȝow al­swa gyf ȝe may collect furth of the Euangell ony defece be precept or exemple, to assure vs of ȝour precheouris lauchfull vocatioun: that ȝe assiste to thaim thairwith, and mak the samyn patent tyll vs: Quhair by that ȝe and we sum tyme bre­ther of ane kirk, may be to gidder, ȝit obedient brether but schisme and discorde, to the Prphe­tis and ministeris of god (of ȝoure precheouris we meine) fra thay be knawin vndouttitlie to be send be him. Bot failȝeing thairof (as we hope ȝe sall) we exhorte ȝow in the bowelis of IESVS Christe oure onelie Saluiour & Mediator that ȝe set asyde all blynd affectioun, and auert ȝoure earis fra the sweit venum of deuyllish eloquen­ce of wordis, and begin to feir and trimbe at the feirfull exemplis of deid in Core ād his cumpa­nie,Num. 16. and of ye proude king Osias quha temerus­lie in his arrogance ingerit him self,2. Par. 26. to make sa­crifice at the altare of God, w^toute all lauchfull vocatioun thairto. For of thir dais now prensent aduertissis ȝow,Iude. 1. nocht we, bot the Apostle Iude. Woo be to thaim (sayis he) quha in the rebelli­oun ād tressoun of Core hes perissit. And giue ȝe think thir exemplis nocht sufficiēt to persuade ȝow, quhilkꝭ we haif writtin to Iohne Knox in o­theris tractatis: remēber alsua maist effectuous­lie we ȝou pray,1. Kng. 13. y^t for vsurpyng Samuelis office, as for ane falt in special, king Saule wes repel­lit [Page] fra his kingdome. The mercy of god staye, y^t we and ȝe for defending of sic misordour, be nott repellit fra our natiue possessionis heir, ād efter fra our kingdome eternale. Quhat? sulde nocht the arrogance & murmuring of Maria the sister of Moyses, with Aaron, & y^e foule lippre quhair­with schowes plagit thairfor, stryk ȝow w^t feit? Quha murmuring aganis Moyses, & ascriuing auctoritie to hir self, w^tout all lauchfull vocati­oun thairto,Num. 12. (as ȝour precheouris dois presētlie) said this: hes god spokin be Moyses onlie? hes he not spokīsiclik to vs? Euī as ȝour ꝓphetꝭ sais now▪ Haue we not science knaulege, & vndstādīg y^e gyft of god? Quhy ar we not thairthrow, but farder auctoritie orordinatiō,3. Reg. 14▪ lauchfull pastores Bischopis ād prelatis?Ibid. 12. & 11. Reid and cōsider siclyke to quhat miserable end Hieroboam wes brocht for his wickit consaitis and doingis▪ causing ye Isralites nocht to passe to Hiersualem, to make sacrifice to god, quhair the Arcke, Tabernakle, and prestis (as in the town quhilk god peculiar­lie had elect) wes appoyntit than to remane: and nocht chesing the preistis of the tribe of Leui ac­cording to godis speciall command, bot passing with the peple to Bethel and Dan, and thair of­ferit sacrifice to strainge goddis, electing be his auctoritie aganis the ordinace of god, ane con­fusioun of wickit prestis of quhat sumeuer Tri­be thairto. Mark and obserue with al diligence we exhort ȝour prudence in the name of our lord Iesꝰ, gif ȝe haif folowit Hieroboā ī lyke maner or [Page] nocht: drawing ye peple and ȝour selfis, fra our trew Hierusalem godis haly kirk vniuersal (out of y^e quhilk yair is na sacrifice of prayer,Cant. 6. louing, or rychteousnes plesand to god) to Bethel & dan to the priuat conuenticules of Schismatikis ād heretikis: ād giue ȝe haue thair maid sacrifice to fals godis: y^t is alsua (as ancient fatheris god­lie exponis it) hes embraceit fals and erroneus doctryne,vincent. for the treuth: hes worschippit, and adornit erroures,Lirìnen, hereseis and leis for the eternall veritie of godis word: & that ȝe mycht haif ȝoure awin consaitis wicketlie fulfyllit, consider giue ȝe prurientes auribus hes not electit preistis and pre­cheoures,2. Timo. 4. & heipit vp masteris to ȝour selfis: not discending of the tribe of Leui:Io. 20. That is not succeding to the Apostles and thair successouris efter y^e or­dinace appoyntit be the word of god.Act. 2.6.13, 14. And gyf al thir terrouris may nocht mollifie ȝour hartis to knaw oure iust motiones:1. Timo. 5. Tit. 1. and that ordinare au­ctoritie ād obedience thairto quhilk Christe hes left ī his kirk be his Apostlis & yair successours: Aduert we praye ȝow and mark the office of ane bischope to be sa hie & sa excellent, that our Saluiour self tuke not that office vpon him without the lauchfull vocatioun of his heuinlie fader, as S. Paule writtis,Hebre. 5. Euin sa Christ alsua glorifeit not him self to be maid the hie preist: Psalm. 2. & 109. Bot he that said vnto him: Thou art my sonne this day haue I begottin the: glorfeit him. As he sais in ane vther place. Thou art ane preist for euer efter the ordour of Melchisedech. And sen ȝe reding the haill new Testamēt sen Christ, & y^e historiis of al cun­treis, sensyne, findis na bischope, preist, nor dea­cone [Page] institute, & ordanit be y^e laic peple in ye haly catholike kirk bot be the Apostlis and thair suc­cessouris bischopis alanerlie: Insamekle that y^e few in Diacones electit be the peple to be steuar­tis specialie to y^e pure in godis kirk,Act. 6. wes presen­tit afore the Apostlis ād tuke thair ordinatioun and power of thaim: Ar ȝe not affrait to auante samekle that ȝe haue godis worde for ȝow, & not we: and contrare the worde of god sa expresse ād salargelie put afore ȝour eine to manteine ād de­fend sic misprdoure? Wyll ȝe not schaw ane au­ctoritie of godis word for ȝour miīsters vocatiō? Quhair find ȝe euer ony of the Apostlis writ­ting to the Romanis, Corinthianis, or ony vther multitude cōmanding thaim to constitute & or­dinat bischope or vther minister, as ȝe may reide yat he geuis expresse cōmād to ye bischopis,1. Timo. 3. & 4. Ti­mothe and Tite, to vse that power euery ane off thaim seueralie.Tit 1. Quhair reid ȝe euer in the apo­stolis dais amang sa mony thousande Christi­anis turnit to the faith, or ȝit sensyne ony multi­tude of laic people allane to haue ordinatit ane bischope, preist, or diacone? Bot that we appeir nocht to depriue ony part of the kirk, mēbris off Christ of ony dignitie appoyntit to thaim in the scripture. We confesse (and to that glaidlye we assent) that the laic peple sumtyme hes electit sic persones,Act. 6. as the sewin Diaconis afore namit: & in the presence of the peple the bischopis to haue bene ordinatit: quha afore had bene cōmonlie in the law of grace, electit ād presentit to the Com­prouinciall Bischops be thaim, geuing to thaim [Page] testimonie of thair godlie conuersatiō, & ꝯsent of thair fauour to thaim: as to sic ꝑsonis quhō eft thay suld reuerēce, baith for thair office ād haly leuing.Num. 20. Sa institute Moyses the Bischope Eleaȝarus on the hyech montane Hor before the haill multitude: as before thaim quhay sulde testifie alvvayis of his haly lyfe. Sa vves Mathi­as ordinatit in the place of Iudas in the middis of the discipu­lis: Act. 1. quhome afore w^t Ioseph thai hed electit▪ On the quhilk place the haly martyr Cypriane writ­tis this:Cyp. li. 1. epist. 4. Quòd vtique idcirco tam diligenter & cautè, con­uocata plebe tota gerebatur, ne quis ad altaris ministerium, vel ad sacerdotalem locum indignus obreperet. That is, quhilk thing verilie yairfore wes done sa diligētlie and warlie the haill peple being callit to gid­der, yat na vnworthy ꝑsoun mycht quietlie creip to the ministerie off the altare:Ioh. Knox quhataltar is this? ād quhat pre­ist? or to the preistis roum. And in the samyn place contendis he: yat be ye auctoritie of godis word it suld be obseruit, that the preist or bischope be admittit, in y^e p̄sence of all the peple, that he be haldin be the iugemēt and witnessing of all to be worthie ād apt to yat office:Electioun, ād ordina­cion ar not ane as it is patēt abbe Se y^e peple (sais he) hes special power to elect the worthie preistis, & to refuse the vnwor­thie. Heirfore sen the princes in our dayis takis on thaim the haill power of electioun vote & suf­frage of the peple, presenting quhat ꝑsoun thay pleis, wald god yat thair presentation war void of all symonie,Act. [...]. ambition, & inordinat affection: And w^t it wer adiunit alsua, ye testimonie & ꝯsēt of y^e peple in euery Diocesie & parrochin, accor­ding to the auctoriteis aboue rehersit. Sa we think, that thair suld nocht be sa mony Blynd cru­ [...]it, [Page] & seik, Leuit. 21. & 22. smottit, mutilat, markit, deformit, scabbit, Mo­ebites, Amonites, and sclanderous, Mamȝeres, contrare the lavv of god presentit, Malach. 1. offerit, and maid preistis ād prelatis in the kirk, Deut. 23. Giue ony of ȝow wyl obiect that the pre­stis bischopis ād ye clergie in oure dais hes bene blekkit w^t the saidis deformiteis and sa ignorāt or vitious, or baith, ād alsua scladerous. y^t thay ar vnworthie ye name of Pastores. Allace we ar rycht sorte that this is treu for the maist part, ād mair. Bot wald ȝe consider the cause thairof to be our iniquitie, vngodlines & abominable lyfis for the quhilk god is at wraith with vs, and for the quhilkis in reuenge of our sinnis, according to his iustice,Iob. 34. he sufferis, Hypocrites to haif cure ouir vs, Esa. 3. as he causis, Sum tyme vitious, or tyrane princes, sū ­tyme effeminat personis, Eccle. 10. or babis, impotēt to defēde vs throu iustice in quietnes ād rest, Hierem. 38. sumtyme Infidelis to haue domi­nioun aboue vs. As the ba­bilonianis had vpō pe Iowis and the Turke now vpon mony chri­stianis. ✚ Antitheton. We wald seik ane vther remeid thā to heip vp sin vpon sin in ye defending of sa vn­godlie misordour agains y^e ordinance ād reuelit wyl of god ī his scripture sa expresse & salargely set furth. Quhat remede speir ȝe? But dout to turne vnfenȝeitlie of al our hart fra our idolitri­call and insaciable auarice, proude feirles pressi­ptiō, fra maist auaricioꝰ Hiere. 2. prdigalitie (we me­ine specially of ye glorious bordouring of ȝoure garmentis with the blude of pure) fra the deuo­ting of the patrimonie of the kirk,Act. 2. ye tressour of iudigent, fra fleschelie libertie ād brutale irreli­giositie, fra vaine babling of godis worde but feir and reuerence thairoff in contentioun and [Page] curiositie, fra proude ignorāce, fra y^e abominatiō of wychecraft & schameles mantening thairof in contempt of god and his law, fra fals fenȝeit hypocrisie of halines, fra ingratitude and vtheris deuyllische monstres of vice regnād at this ty­me: to our maist mercyfull god and trew seruing of him in haly feir and brothelie lufe and in reiosing in him be humill dredour and reuerence.Psalme. 2. Bot of the twa proude princes dame Heresie and hir sister we wyll not talk, knawing that our ma­stres faithfull simplicitie, ād lufe and lawrie, w^t thair seruandis, be thaim wyl nocht be hard, bot repellit & schot to the dure as sillie thing is wan­tand craft to circumuene, flatter, & lie. For now quha seis it nocht cum to passe, quhilk god com­plenis be his Prophete?Zechi. 33. quhilk is, That mony heris and knauis his vvorde (in ane part) and dois not thairefter, bot turnis it in ane sang of yair mouth, yair hartis beīg geuin tyl auarice, ☞ & ye vvord of god is to thaim, as ane ballat of mē ­stralie, quhilk hes ane sueit tone, & plesand to sing. Lat ws turne I say and pray,Luc. 10. that the Lorde of the vvine ȝarde send vs lauchfull treu vvorkmen thairto bairb to schute oute the vnclene baris, Psalme. 79 quha be filthie leuing ād sueinge­ing in thair stinkande styis, infectis the tender burgeounis of the ȝong wynis and to schut out or cut of alsua, the wyld sangleris, y^t is ye proude Schismatikis and obstinat heretikis na wayts sociale to y^e cōpanie of christāe catholiks.Of doctri­ne & ordor we meaiue maist speci­alie. Quha in hie arrogance of thair maister Lucifer trum­pis down the heuinlie incres and all decent poli­cie of the samyn winȝarde, drest and deckit, be ye former workmē vnfenȝeit policiaris of ye samin, [...]