Io. 10. uerba hæc. Et posuerunt omnes, qui audierant, in corde Niniane VVinzet at the desyre of his Geue ony wryttingis be put furthe ony wayis contrare that to me. For I testifie to zow that I wes neuir participant of sic wryttingis to this hour. Idem Ninianus. Swa it is wryttin on the bak as on the vtheris. Rarae eruditionis facundiaeque uiro Ioanni Knox. The Copie of the V Vrytting delyuerit to Iohne Knox, the tent day of Marche, 1561. CHIR, it mot pleis zow be rememberit, that we SC 10 declarit zow in our last wrytting at zour desyre, quhat we meanit to be immediatlye callit of God, to be ane lauchfull pastour,-quhilk is ony man to haue the special command of Godis Word at the lest, chargeand 15 him to that vocation; or ellis to haue the samyn command with power to wyrk signis and wounderis, and schew that St. Iohne Baptist (be quhois exemple ze apperit to intend to preue zour lauchfull vocation) had the auctoritie of Godis Worde, and that signis also war 20 schawin be God, that he wes send be Him. Bot quhair ze denyit that St. Iohne wrocht ony signe, ze affirm that with the Iowis,-quhilk albeit be trew of that exteriour signe requirit be infidelis, zit in that samyn place, ze maye collect, that he wrocht that signe sufficient to ane faithfull,-quhilk wes, that al thing quhilk he spak in the spirit of prophecie of Christe wes trew. Quhair ze 5 intendit to preue zour lauchfull vocatioun be exemple of the Prophet Amos, that profetis1 zow na thing. For quhat Christiane man may dout but infidelitie (as all men may dout of zour doctryne but al perrell) bot the prophecie of Amos is the Worde of God? For the 10 Scripture testifiis that Amos wes send be God, and that Amos. 7 visible signis wes schawin to him be God. And ane sufficient signe to the peple wes, that al thing quhilk he forespak come to pass. And suppose Amos, as the rest of the Prophetis, war send, namelie, to schaw sum 15 speciall thing off Goddis wyll conforme to the tyme: and 8. zit he vsurpit not the auctoritie of the Hie Bischope in Hierusalem, as ze do at this present, of the Primat of Scotlande in Edinburgh. Quharefor chearitie moueis ws to aduertis zou of thre thingis. The first is of the 20 terrible punisement of Core, Dathan, and Abiron, being Numi. 16. of that tribe appoyntit onely of God to be preistis, and allegeand the Scriptur also for thaim, sayand, Sufficiat Exod. 19. vobis quòd omnis multitudo sancta est, & in ipsis est dominus,—as ze do this place off the Scripture for zow, 25 Fecit nos (Christus) reges et sacerdotes Deo et Patri, with Apoca. 1. siclyke. Be the quhilk auctoritie giue ze be ane lauchfull preist or bischope in Edinburgh, ze ar be the samyn auctoritie also lauchfull king of Scottis. The secund is to remember zow, Quòd sapientia quæ est desursum, a Iaco. 3. 17. 30 patre luminum, pudica est pacifica, modesta, tractabilis, 24, 25. &c., & nihil simulans: Et quòd domini servum non oportet litigare, sed placidum esse ad omnes, propensum ad 2 Tim. 2. docendum, patientem, cum modestia corripientem eos, etiam, qui resistunt veritati. And sen we allegeit na thing in 35 our last byll, bot sinceirlie the expres Word of God, but 1 O.E. proffetis. wrysting, wrying, gloissing, or cloking as ze culd not Niniane VVynzet at the desyre of his brether. 15 I Tim. 4. Io. 20. SCH Ane vtber, delyuerit the xii. of Marche, &c. CHIR, it mot pleis zour prudence to haue in mynd that we send zow ane wrytting this last Twisday, exhortyng zow to testifie tyll ws mair planelie zour ordinatioun to be lauchfull, of the quhilk ze spak na thing in zoure nixt sermon. Heirfor, sen ze by our first desyre 20 and counsell hes spokin sa braid thairof in the pulpet, and as zit not assurit not only not vs, bot nocht zour awin best learnit scoleris of the samyn, we pray zou and exhortis zou, and als be al power geuin to mony of vs be the auctoritie of preisthed, commandis and chargeis 25 zou in the name of our Lord Iesus, and in the power of his maist mychtie Spirit, that ze other mak demonstration to the people and vs of zour lauchfull ministerie geuin be God immediatlie, as had the Apostolis; or be man in that cause haifand the power of God, as St. Paule 30 1 O.E. thee. I Tim. 4. 2 Tim. I 13. 4. Numi. 16. ordinatit Timothie and Tite; or be baith, as the said St. Paule wes first callit be God, and syne ordinatit be men : or vtherwayis that ze aluterlie desiste fra the vsurpyng Act. 9 and of ane vther mannis office, quhill ze be lauchfullie callit 5 thairto; and heir zit the Apostill sayand, Nec quisquam vsurpat sibi honorem, nisi qui vocatur a Deo. The seueir Hebre. 5. punisment of Core, Dathan, and Abiron, and the feirfull plaige that come on thay people, quha fuleschlie assentit to thair prydefull arrogance (as we sumpart schew in our 10 laste wrytting), thunderis swa throw al our sensis, and peirsis with feir oure heartis, that we dar nocht bott in compatience brotherlie aduerteis zow and zour scoleris to be (as we think) in the perrell of the samyn punischement. We beseik zow also to remember of the plaige 15 of the king Ozias, quha in his presumptioun ingerit 2 Paral. 26. him self to offer the brynt sacrifice at the alter of God, to quhilk office he wes not callit. And zit his falt wes a smal thing in respect of zouris, giue ze want Godis auctoritie as he did,-sen he intendit to offer the signe onelie, 20 and ze, to treit the veritie self of the sacrifice off the Kirk, at zour Communioun conforme to our Saluiouris institutioun, togidder with all the vtheris sacramentis and mysteriis. For we can persaue be zour awin allegeance na power that euir ze had, except it, quhilk wes geuin 25 to zow in the sacrament of ordinatioun be auctoritie of preisthed. Quhilk auctoritie geue ze esteme as nochtis, be reasoun it wes geuin to zow (as ze speik) be ane papiste bischope, and thairfor renunceis it, and seikis ane vther ordinatioun of secularis,—it followis consequentlie 30 that ze (quhilk God forbid) sulde renunce zour baptism also, geuin to zow be ane papist preist, as ze allege, on lyke manner. For as St. Augustine maist cunninglie and godlie wryttis, As ane man throw schisme and heresie amittis1 nocht the sacrament of baptim, siclyke, sayis 1 Tim. 4. Aug. li. i, ca. cont. Donat. 1. de bapt. and li. 2 ca. 13. contra epist. Per 35 he, for the samyn faltis, he amittis nocht the sacra- menie. 1 O.E. amitis. ment to geue baptime, quhilk is the sacrament of ordinatioun, conferring the perpetuitie of the ane sacrament anis ressauit with the vther. Mairouer, that ze1 may be persuadit that we speik vnfenzetlie and sinceirlie of conscience, we pray the Omnipotent to be mercyfull tyll vs all, and to dit and close the mouthis of zow or ws, quha speakis iniquitie in dowble mind. Vale, & in Dei sapientia vince, aut resipisce. 12 Mart. 1561. Be zouris in all godlines, Niniane VVinzet at the desyre of his brether. 1 O.E. zee. 5 |