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†Oure soverane lord and estaittis of this present parliament, following the lovable and gude example of thair predicessouris, hes ratifiet and apprevit and, be the tennour of this present act, ratifies and apprevis all liberties, privileges, immunities and fredomes quhatsumevir gevin and grantit be his hienes, his regentis in his name, or ony of his predicessouris, to the trew and hally kirk presentlie establishit within this realme, and declairit in the first act of his hienes parliament the tuentie day of October, the yeir of God jM vC lxxix yeris, and all and quhatsumevir actis of parliament and statutes maid of befoir be his hienes and his regentis anent the libertie and fredome of the said kirk, and specialie the first act of parliament haldin at Edinburgh, the xxiiij day of October, the yeir of God jM vC fourscoir ane yeris, with the haill particulare actis thairin mentionat, quhilk salbe als sufficient as gif the samyn wer heirin exprest, and all uther actis of pliament maid sensyne in favouris of the trew kirk; and siclyk ratifies and apprevis the generall assemblies appoyntit be the said kirk and declairis that it salbe lauchfull to the kirk and ministrie everilk yeir at the leist and after pro re nata, as occasioun and necessitie sall require, to hald and keip generall assemblies, providing that the kingis majestie or his commissioner with thame to be appoyntit be his hienes be present at ilk generall assemblie befoir the dissolving thairof nominat and appoint tyme and place quhen and quhair the nixt generall assemblie salbe haldin; and in cais nather his majestie nor his said commissioner beis present for the tyme in that town quhair the said generall assemblie beis haldin, than and in that cais it salbe lesum to the said generall assemblie be thame selffis to nominat and appoynt tyme and place quhair the nixt generall assemblie of the kirk salbe keipit and haldin as they haif bene in use to do thir tymes bypast; and als ratifies and apprevis the sinodall and provinciall assemblies to be haldin be the said kirk and ministrie twyis ilk yeir as thay haif bene and ar presentlie in use to do within every province of this realme; and ratifies and apprevis the presbiteries and particulare sessionis appointit be the said kirk, with the haill jurisdictioun and discipline of the same kirk aggreit upoun be his majestie in conference had be his hienes with certane of the ministrie convenit to that effect, off the quhilke articles the tennour followis:
Materis to be intreatit in provinciall assembleis
Thir assemblies ar constitute for wechtie materis necessar to be intreatit be mutuall content and assistance of brethrene within the province as neid requyris. This assemblie hes power to handle, ordour and redres all thingis omittit or done amis in the particulare assemblies. It hes power to depose the office beraris of that province for gude and just caus deserving deprivatioun. And generalie thir assemblies hes the haill power of the particulare elderschippis quhairof thay ar collectit.
Materis to be intreatit in the presbiteries
The power of the presbiteries is to give diligent laubouris in the boundis comittit to thair chairge, that the kirkis be kepit in gude ordour, to enquyre diligentlie of nauchtie and ungodly personis, and to travell to bring thame in the way agane be admonitioun or threatning of Goddis jugementis or be correctioun. It appertenis to the elderschip to tak heid that the word of God be puirlie preachit within thair boundis, the sacramentis richtlie ministrat, the discipline intertenyit and the ecclesiasticall guidis uncorruptlie distributit. It belangis to this kynd of assembleis to caus the ordinances maid be the assembleis, provinciallis, nationallis and generallis to be kepit and put in executioun, to mak constitutionis quhilkis concernis τό πρέπωυ in the kirk for decent ordour in the particulare kirk quhair they governe, provyding that thay alter na rewlis maid be the provinciall or generall assemblies, and that thay mak the provinciall assembleis foirsaidis privie of the rewlis that thay sall mak, and to abolishe constitutionis tending to the hurte of the sam. It hes power to excommunicat the obstinat, formale proces being led and dew intervall of tymes observit anent particulare kirkis, gif they be lauchfullie rewlit be sufficient ministeris and sessioun. Thay haif power and jurisdictioun in thair awin congregatioun in matteris ecclesiasticall and decernis and declairis the saidis assembleis, presbiteries and sessiounes, jurisdictioun and discipline thairof foirsaid to be in all tymes coming maist just, gude and godlie in the selff, notwithstanding of quhatsumevir statutes, actis, cannon, civile or municipale lawes maid in the contrair, to the quhilkis and every ane of thame thir presentis sall mak expres dirogatioun. And becaus thair ar divers actis of parliament maid in favouris of the papisticall kirk tending to the prejudice of the libertie of the trew kirk of God presentlie professit within this realme, jurisdictioun and discipline thairof, quhilk standis yit in the buikis of the actis of parliament, not abrogat nor annullit, thairfoir his hienes and estaittis foirsaidis hes abrogat, cassit and annullit and, be the tennour heirof, abrogatis, casis and annullis all actis of parliament maid be ony of his hienes predecessouris for mantenance of superstitioun and idolatrie with all and quhatsumevir actis, lawes and statutes maid at ony tyme befoir the day and dait heirof aganis the libertie of the trew kirk, jurisdictioun and discipline thairof, as the samyn is usit and exerceisit within this realm, and in speciall that pairt of the sevint act of parliament haldin at Edinburgh, the tuentie day of Merche jM iiijC xxxvij†yeiris, commanding obedience to be gevin to Eugin, the pape for the tyme; the jC and xj act maid be King James the Thrid in his parliament haldin at Edinburgh, the xxiiij day of Februar jM iiijC lxxxiij yeris, and all utheris actis quhairby the paipis auctoritie is establishit; the xlvij act of King James the Thrid in his parliament haldin at Edinburgh, the xij day of October jM iiijC lxvij† yeiris, anent the Satterday and uther vigillis to be hally dayes from evin sang to evin sang. Item, that pairt of the xxxj act maid be the quene regent in the parliament haldin at Edinburgh, the first day of Februar jM vC lj yeris, geving speciall licence for haldin of Pashe and Yule. Item, the kingis majestie and estaittis foirsaidis declairis that the secund act of the parliament haldin at Edinburgh, the xxij day of Maii, the yeir of God jM vC lxxxiiij yeris, sall na wayes be prejudicall nor dirogat any thing to the privilege that God hes gevin to the spirituall office beraris in the kirk concerning headis of religioun, materis of heresie, excomcatioun, collatioun or deprivatioun of ministeris or ony sic essentiall censouris speciall groundit and havand warrand of the word of God. Item, oure said soverane lord and estaittis of parliament foirsaidis abrogatis, casis and annullis the xx act of the same parliament haldin at Edinburgh, the said yeir jM vC lxxxiiij yeiris, granting commissioun to bishoppis and utheris juges constitute in ecclesiastical causis to ressave his hienes presentatioun to benefices, to gif collatioun thairupoun, and to put ordour in all causis ecclesiasticall, quhilk his majestie and estaittis foirsaidis declairis to be expyrit in the self, and to be null in tyme cuming, and of nane availl, force nor effect and, thairfoir, ordanis all presentationis to benefices to be direct to the particular presbiteries in all tyme cuming, with full power to thame to giff collationis thairupoun and to put ordour to all materis and causis ecclesiasticall within thair boundis according to the discipline of the kirk, providing the foirsaidis presbiteries be bund and astrictit to ressave and admitt quhatsumevir qualifiet minister presentit be his majestie or uther lait patrounes.