4.64 7he.131 ST-O-RY of the PURITANS. Chap. L K.gJamesl. " name of our prefbyteries, from which we received our commiffion, '° and in our own names, as paftors and office-bearers within the fame for the difcharging of our neceffary duty, and for the difburdening of " our confciences, we except and proteft againft the ereétion confirma " tion or ratification of the Paid 6i Iopricks and bifops by this prefent par- " liament, and humbly pray that this our proteftation may be admitted " and regií Bred among the records." Ib. p. 49 In the convention at Linglithgow, December nth, confiding of noble- men, ftatefmen, and force court minifters, it was agreed, that the bi- fhops fhould be perpetual moderators of the kirk affemblies, under certain cautions, and with a declaration that they had no purpofe to fubvert the difcipline of the kirk, or to exercife any tyrannous or unlawful jurifdiflion over their brethren ; but the body of the minifters being uneafy at this, another convention was held at Linglithgow, ;6o8. and a committee ap- pointed o compromife the difference the committee confided of two earls, and two lords, as his majefty's commiffioners; five new bithops; two univerfity men, three minifters on one part, and ten for the other; they met at Falkland, May4, 1609. and debated, (t.) Whether the mode- rators of kirk affemblies fhouldbe conftant or circular; and (2.) whether the caveats fhould be obferved. But coming to noagreement they adjourned to Striveling, where the bithops with great difficulty carried their point. And to encreafe their power, his majefty Was pleafed next year [in the month of Feb. i 6 ro.] contrary to law, to put the high common into their hands, Epifeopa®y Still they wanted thefant ion ofa general aJjembly, and afpiritual cha. rc,/Iared in railer ; to obtain the former an affembly was held at Glafgow, yune 8th. Ibid. d. 161o.] means having been ufed by the courtiers to model it to their mind. P S3 In that coflly áffembly (fays my author) the bithops weredeclared modera- tors in every diocefan afiembly, and they or their deputies moderators in their weekly exercifes ; ordination and deprivation ofhiinifters, vifitation of kirks, excommunication and abfolution, with prefentations to benefices, were pinned to the lawn fleeves; and it was farther voted, (r.)That every ininifter at his entry (hall fwear obedience to his ordinary. (2.) That no minitler (ball preachor fpeak againft the alts of this afiembly, (3.) That the queflion of the parity or imparity of paftors (hall not be mentioned in the pulpit under pain of deprivation. This was a vaft advance upon the conftitution of the kirk. Ordinarionaf To obtain a fpiritual cbarahler fuperior to the order of prefyters, it their Whops. was neceffary that the bithops eleát fhould be confecrated by force of the fame order ; for this purpofe the king fent for three of them into England (viz. Mr. Spat/wood archbifhop of Glafgow, Mr. Lamb bithopof Brechen, and Mr, Hamilton bifhop of Galloway) and iffued a commiffion under the great
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