Quhat materis ar proponit in this tractat.

7

nobilis and wtheris of zour Congregatioun to consider
attentlie, and treulie iuge, our former caussis to proceid
of na hatrent,1 nor intent to moue diabolical seditioun
(quhilk we speik vnfenzetlie in Godis præsence), 2 bot
only of the trew 3 fontane of syncere luue, that God 5
and his æternal 5 veritie mot be treulie acknaulegeit ;
and we, and al professing the name of our Saluiour
Christe, bot specialie our nobilis 6 and wtheris our
countreymen (to quhome, besydis the professioun of
Christe, we ar in mony greis of luue naturalie coniunit),8 10
mot be in vniforme ordour of religioun, of9 ane spirit, of
ane mynd, and ane in all godlines in the samin Christe
Iesus our only Saluiour and Mediatour. To the end-
heirfor that we may sa 10 be, we exhort zour modestie,
gif ony thing in this tractat be obiectit to zow, of the 15
quhilk ze sall peraduenture pleis to schaw zour selfis in-
nocent, that ze purge zou thairof, without 11 cauillatioun 12
in ane word, and impute that to the imbecillitie of our
iugement, nocht throuchlie vnderstanding zour doctrine,—
or (gif ze pleis), to our ignorance. For we had leuir 13 be 20
callit be zou our countreymen ignorantis, nor with zou
to be estemit be al faythful nationes,14 in grete schame
of our natioun, wilfull and erroneous; certefeing zou of
our conscience, and also geuing 15 be thir præsentis to
zou our iuramentum calumniæ (as thai cal it), that we 25
oppone na thing to zou heir, except 16 only that apperis
till ws manifest errour, or ellis curious, new, indistinct,
and confusit doctrine, of the quhilk manifest errour
and præsumptioun vpryssis; 17 or quhare misordour and
maneris ar vngodlie be zou approuin, eftir our iugement. 30
Or that, quhilk ze calumniuslie (as we think) in dissimu-
latioun ascriuis to the name of Papistrie, nochtwithstand-

1 MS. hatterent.

2 MS. presens.

3 MS. omits trew.
4 MS. lufe.

5 MS. eternall.

6 MS. now billis.

7 MS. contraymen.

8 O.E. coniuuit.
9 MS. omits of.
10 MS. swa.
11 MS. but.

12 MS. page 8.
13 MS. rather.

14 MS. nationis.
15 MS. gyffand.
16 MS. it onelye quhilk.
17 MS. transposes this
clause to end of sen-
tence.

1

4

ing the samin be in deid (as we dout nocht zour selfis the samin thing nocht to misknaw), othir the euident consent in doctrine of the primitiue Kirk, expressit till ws be the writtingis of the Doctouris within four hun5 dreth zeris till Christe,—or determinationis estabilissit be General Counselis, according to the haly Scriptuiris.2 We suspect na thing of zour prudence, to putt in dout quhat part of euery quæstioun, is obiectit to zou as erroneous, and quhat part siklyke thairof is beleuit and Io appreuit be ws as the treuth. Forsamekle as it may chanse 5 that sum of our quæstiouns may appere to zour iugement mair prolixt, than becumis eftir the common consuetude to sik materis, beleue heirfor ws to hef tane willinglie the mair labouris 7 on ws at this præsent, 15 corroboring our iugement with sufficient defensis, and sumtyme ansuering 8 to zour maist strang obiectionis, to the intent that eftir this mair esalie without stryfe we mot 10 togidder 11 embrase the knauin veritie. Ferther, 12 the Spirit of Christe promittit and geuin to the Apostolis 20 to teche and persuade thame all veritie, mot conuoy and confirm zou and ws in the perfyte beleue 13 and syncere knaulege of Godis will, and continual 14 obedience to the samin.

Amen.

1 MS. counsallis.

2 MS. Scriptouris.

3 MS. wys.

4 MS. inserts subsequent.
5 MS. chance.

6 MS. page 9.

7 MS. lawbouris.

8 MS. answering.
9 MS. but.

10 MS. may.

11 MS. omits togidder.

12 MS. ferder.

13 MS. beleiffe.

14 MS. continewalie.

1 Tim. 3. Io. 16. Because

nane sectare can ansuer

¶ THE FIRST QUÆSTIOUN OR

ARTICLE.

1. Of the trew understanding of the Kirk, and be
quhome specialie expressit.

S

EN the haly Catholik Kirk is without controuersie, to all professing1 the Scripturis of God, the pillar and firmament (or estabilising) of veritie, indoutitlie2 haifand the trew vnderstanding of the syncere Word of God, be the3 inspiration of the Haly 5 Gaist, conforme to our Saluiouris promitt,-quhidder beleue ze the iugement of this said haly Kirk, mair treulie set furth and expressit till ws, tueching the trew vnderstandLirinensis, ing forsaid, and specialie in materis of controuersie

heir without manifest confusioun

of his errour: you Christiane reid Vincentius

neulie putt

in Scottis:
quha Godly
and cun-
ninglie dis.
cussis this
questioun
about a
xjC. zeris
passit.

6

7

being at this præsent, be the Martyris and wtheris aun- IO
ciant Doctouris of the primitiue Kirk: as Dionysius,
Clement, Martialis, Ignatius, Iustinus, Tertulliane,
Cypriane, Irenæus, and Origene; and efter be Hierome,
his maister Nazianzen, Ambrose, Augustine, Athanasius,
Basil, Hilarius, Chrysostome, and Cyrillus, with mony 15
wthiris in thair days about xjC. zeris passit at the
leist, togiddir with General Counselis 10 writand in ane
consent and vnitie of doctrine, specialie quhare thai
tueche incidentlie ony mater of religioun now contro-
uertit, or be Iohne Caluin and his complices in thir our 20
days? And to quhilk of thair consentis and iugementis
dar ze maist bauldlie assist in zour conscience afoire
God?

1 MS. professand.

2 MS. wndowtily.

3 MS. omits the.

4 MS. for.

5 MS. beand.

6 MS. Clemens.

7 MS. page 10 begins.

8 O.E. aborit.

9 MS. lest.

10 MS. Councillis.

2. Of the calumnious1 allegeing of Papistrie.

be

Gif ze præfer in zour conscience afoir God the iugementis of the saidis aunciant Fatheris and Counselis to Caluin and his forenemmit (quhilk we beleue ze dar nocht planelie deny afoir man, except ze wald be iugeit 5 schameles) quhy depres ze3 in dissimulance and obscuiris in zour doctrine, be the name of Papistrie, as ane terme, to mony maist odious, the saidis Fatheris and Counselis vniforme consent in sindry controuersiis being at this tyme; and follouis in zour techement the priuat 10 opinioun of Caluin, and his complices rather than thame?

Note thair simulatioun and dissimulatioun.

And that in

all the ma

teris heir Reid for

follouing. this quæs

tioun the Optat putt

sext buik of

in Scotis with wtheris

tractatis for

this porpose.

Quha pleiss tullian De præscrip. aduers. here. newlie

to reid Ter

Scotis, quha wrait about xiiij C. zeris

3. That the Catholikis defendis na5 new doctrine. Sen all hæresie that euir hes bene in the Kirk (except sum in few countreis knawin) had7 sum cheif archiheretic inuentour thairof, of quhome that hæresie and the 15 defendaris of the samin maist specialie had the name: as of Marcion, Arius, Manes, and Pelagius; gif ze heir- puttin fors haldis ws Catholikis to be hæretikis,-quhy schau ze nocht quhois hæresie we follow? For we (to the intent we may haif godly vnitie) makis our purgatioun 20 to zou, and also oblising, that we sall nocht adhere to ane iot in religioun, except we schaw the samin expressit in Scriptuir,10 appreuit11 be General Counselis, or be the best leirnit fatheris 12 Greik and Latin,13 writtand in ane consent abone 14 ane thousand zeris passit. Heirfoir 25 gif we sua do (as we do in deid), quhy condemne 15 ze nocht 16 thai Scriptuiris, aunciant Doctouris and Coun

passit, sall Catholik,

knaw quha is now a

and quha is

an hæretik.

*Psal. 15.

Act. 2.
Psal. 48.
Aug. Epist.

57.
Ambr. De

fid. lib. 3. Irinæ. Contra hæres.

lib. 5. Cypria. In. Simb. Basil. in Psal. 48.

Psal. 2.
Quhen thai
cleik fra
ws twa

coupounis

of our crede, tyme is to speik.

selis, quhois1 iugement in ane consent as deducit, or aggreing with the Scriptuir of God we follow, and nocht? [accuse] ws efter the religioun estabilissit sa mony zeris?

4. Of certane articlis of our beleif; and first—
Of that He descendit to the hellis.3

5

Qvhy diminiss ze or1 takis away at the leist the trew and propir sentence fra ws, of this part of our Catholik beleif―to wit, that Christe descendit* to the hellis, and makis in that part ane idoll of Caluin, adherand to hes priuat opinioun, but ony apperand Scriptuiris, or consent of the Kirk afoir zow, bot platt contrare bayth-quhen ze affirm be thai wordis to be signifiit' the dolour and 10 anguis quhilk Christe sufferit? Will ze that our Saluiour sufferit panis eftir that He wes deid and buriit?

5. Of the haly Catholik Kirk.

Qvhy spulze and denude9 ze ws of this part of our Catholik beleif-to wit, the haly Catholik Kirk, the communioun of sanctis? Quhilk ze do quhen ze abstract 15 ws fra 10 the vniforme consent of all Kirkis, in all cuntreis 11 and aiges sen the days 12 of the Apostolis, and bindis and astrictis ws only to the doctrine and ordour laitlie set furth at Geneua ; 13 and litil 14 estemis, or erar despiseis the communioun of doctrine and ordour in religioun, of 20 al the sanctis of God, sen Christis ascensioun.