the fals 2 Thess. 2. fals precheour sittand in the temple of God, schawand The idoll of him self (as St. Paule speikis of his maister the Antichrist) prechours. as he war God; that is, exaltit in the consait and conscience1 of man, and estemit to haue that perfectioun 5 that he can nocht nor may nocht lie. Thir three idolis, be the mycht of thy Maiestie and bauld assistence of thy nobilis and trew pastores, being with the speciall grace of God anis in this thi realme suppressit; we dout not bot al idolatrie, quhilk is now in controuersie Io in religion be men of mein learning, amang al peaceble men, salbe pacifiit be small labouris to ane godly concorde. We speikand frelie in the cause of our God to His glore, and in feruent zele, efter our small iugement, to the weilfair of thy Maiestie, nixt efter God to vs thy 15 trew subditis maist deirbelouit in erth, suspectis na godly persoun to be offendit with vs. For geue we had kepit langer silence, we ferit baith the offence of our God and our conscience to be smotit with the cryme of Lese Maiestie, for not assisting to the veritie in this 20 daingerus tumult. Farder, sen all man hes this word reformatioun in mothe, wissing to reforme vtheris,— that al man haue iuste occasioun also to reforme ane, that is him self-we maist humelie and ernestlie beseikis thy Maiestie, maist gratious Souerane, for the supporte 25 of vtheris, and euery ane within this realme quha vnfenzetlie lufis God, and ane godly reformatioun, to luke in the mirrour underwryttin, set vp be the finger of God and the mouth of his haly Prophet Ezechiel,-quhairin euery stait may see his smot, and haue iust occasioun 30 to reforme hym self first, and thairefter be mair able to help his nychtbour or inferiour. The spirit of Iesus Christe our only Saluiour and Mediatour mot conuoye the hert of thy Maiestie and al Christiane princes with zour subditis in euery degre, to behald attentlie euery 35 day the samyn mirrour, and to purge and wesche all smotis expressit be it. Amen. 1 O.E. consience. To all The gredy prechouris. The wikit preistis. Ane cleir Mirrour for the Reformatioun of all THE HE Worde of the Lorde come vnto me,1 saying, Thow sone of man, the house of Israell is turnit into drosse, or roust. Al thay that suld be tin, irne, and led, ar in the fyre becum drosse, &c. And a lytle efter, Thow art ane vnclene land, quhilk is not raynit vpon 5 in the day of the creuell wraith. The prophetis that ar in it ar lyke ane lyone roryng and takand the pray: thay haue deuorit the saulis; thay haif resauit ryches and glore, and multipliit the wedowis in the middis of it. The preistis of it hes contemnit my lawe, hes defylit 10 my sanctuarie; betuix the haly and the vnhaly thay haue had na difference, and fra my haly dayis thay haue turnit away thair ein, and I wes vnhallowit in the 2 The princes. middis of thaim. The reularis in the middis of it ar lyke woulfis rauisching thair pray, to sched blud, to de- 15 stroy saulis, and gredelie to searce 3 lucre. Bot the prophetis of it, spargeonit thaim with vntemperit morter, seing vaniteis, and propheciing leis vnto thaim, sayand, The Lord hes said this,-quhen the Lord hes not spokin. The peple of the land vsit wikit extorsioun and rubberie. 20 Thay vexit the pure and nedy, and oppressit the strainger aganis rycht. I socht of thaim ane man that wald mak vp the haige, and set hym self in the slope before me in the landis behaif, that I suld not vterlie The 2 fals prechores. The peple. ment. The punis- destroy it; bot I could fynd naine. Thairfore I haue 25 pourit oute my creuell displesour vpon thaim, in the fyre of my wraith haif I consumit thaim. Thair awin wayis haif I recompencit vpon thair heidis, sayis the Lord God. Delyuerit to the Quenes Grace, the 15. 1 O.E. mee. 3 O. E. fearce. 1561. 2 O.E. thee. 4 O.E. wrraith. THE SECVND TRACTATE. S A Geue Jobne knox be lauchfull Minister. Heb. 5. Quhate is wordis is menit be thir efter de clarit. EN we reid that nane suld tak the honour of ministratioun of Godis Word and Sacramentis Rom. 1o. on him, except he be lauchfullie callit thairto, other be God immediatlie, or be man haifand power to 5 promot hym to that office; and sen we reid nane callit be God onlie, except sick as schew thair power geuin to thaim be Him,* be power of the Spirit, or in signis and wounderis: theirfor giue zow, Iohne Knox we say, be callit immediatly be God, quhair ar zour meruellis IO wrocht be the Haly Spirit? For the meruellis of woltring of realmes to vngodlie seditioun and discorde, we adnumber nocht to be of His gyftis. Bot giue ze be callit be man, ze moist schaw thaim to haue had lauchful power thairto; as the Apostolis ordinatit St. Paule and Act. 13. 15 Barnabas, albeit chosin be God afore; and thay siclyke Act. 9. vtheris in the xiiii. of the Actis. And as St. Paule ordinatit Timothe and Tite, geuand thaim power and command to ordour vtheris, quharin apperis the lauch- 1 Tim. 4. full ordination of ministeris? Zour lauchful ordination 20 be ane of thir twa wayis, we desyre zow to schaw; sen ze renunce and estemis that ordinatioun null, or erar wickit, be the quhilk sumtyme ze ware callit Schir Iohne. 2 Tim. I. Titum. I. Iohne Knoxis ansuer to this Giue Jobne nor be not lauchfull Bischope, qubow can tbay be G IUE he can nocht schaw him self ane lauchfull ordinatit bischope, nocht onlie ane preist or nane super- inferiour minister, quhow can ze Superintendentis or wes, I ordinat intendentis nor minis teris. vther inferiour prechouris ordinatit and electit be him not haifand power thairto, iuge zoure selfis to be lauch- 5 full ministeris in the Kirk of God? His answer heir wes sa schort and obscur that we vnder stude it not. Quby ar not the Lordis and vtberis lauchfull ministeris, as Jobne Knor and bis Complices? The rrrv. Questioun. IUE Iohne Knox and ze affirmis zour selfis lauch GH ful be ressoun of zour science, and that ze ar permittit alwayis, giue ze be not admittit be thay Kirkis quhome ze serue, quhy haue ze techit manifestlie ane 10 gret errour and schisme in zour congregatioun, contending with tuith and naill (as is the prouerb) sum lordis and gentil men to haue gretumlie failzeit, ministrand zour communioun in tymes bypaste to thair awin houshald, seruandis, and tenentis,-sen the saidis lordis and 15 gentilmen being men of science, be thair awin iugement, in that case wes permittit be thair sadis seruandis to the office, quha affirmis thame selfis to be ane Kirk of God? The Copie of ane V Vrytting delyuerit to Iohne Knox, on Tuisday the thrid of Marche, 1561. CHIR, it mote pleis zow, forsamekle as we delyuerit 20 SCHIR, certane articulis to zow tweching zour doctryne, ordour, &c., quhairin specialie we war offendit, and that priuatlie be ane honorabyll persoun of zour awin re 1 ligioun, quha of his cheritie (as he thocht) had oft exhortit sum of vs, tyll ane vnioun with zow and albeit we only desyrit ane answeir thairoff in wryt priuatlye without contentioun as we proponit to zou; nochttheles 5 ze haue oppinnit the samyn in the pulpet, and rehersit sum thingis thairof in oure name, nocht sa sinceirly as we proponit thaim, nor zit in that mynd. Heirfor we exhorte zou zit, as afore, that we maye haue zour answeir in wrytt.1 And giue it sal pleis zou also to ansueir to 10 thaim in the pulpet, we wald that first ze red our wryttings fullelie and sinceirlie, and thairefter answeir thairto, Sicut ex Deo, coram Deo, & in Christo. Quhare ze sperit, Quhat we menit to be send of God immediatlie, be power of the Spirit, or etc. This is our trew mening 15 and mynd, that Almychtie God testifiis thair power 2 Cor. 2. geuin to sick be His worde and expresse Scripture, pronunceit be inspiratioun of the Haly Spirit, that He send thaim as His trew ministeris of His Worde and Sacramentis; as he testifiit of St. Iohne Baptist, be the 20 prophetis Malachias, Esaias, and Zacharie, his father, be Malac. 3. 4. the angell, and the mouthe also of our Saluiour self; or as He testifiit that He send His Apostolis and seuintytwa Discipulis be the samin His word, geuand thaim Matth. II. also power to wyrk wounderis. Ioh. 20. Luc. 9. And Esa. 40. Luc. 1. 25 sa ze sall fynd nane in the lawe of grace, send immediatlie of God, bot be ane of thir twa wayis-of the quhilkis nane (as we vnderstande zit) conuenis to zow. And as twechinge St. Iohne Baptist, we think his lauchfull vocatioun sufficientlye schawin to the people be 30 Gode in signis and wounderis, wrocht afore his conceptioun, and efter his natiuitie in Zacharie his father, and be Elizabeth and him self in hir wamb, that thair nedit na mair signis of his lauchfull office: sen thay wounderis wes knawin and keipit in memorie, as it is wryttin, Luc. 1, In tota montana Iudææ diuulgabantur omnia Luc. 1. 65. 1 O.E. wryit. 35 B |