Page:The Laws and Acts of Parliament of Scotland.djvu/197

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TEM, Our Soveraine Lord, with adviſe of his deareft Regent, and three Eſtates of this preſent Parliament, ratifyis and apprevis the Acte under-written, made in the Parliament haldin at Edinburgh, the 24. day of Auguſt, the eir of God, ane thouſand, five hundreth, threeſcore eires. And of new in this prefent Parliament ftatutis and ordainis the ſaid Act, to be as a perpetuall Law to all our Soveraine Lordis liegis in all times cumming. Of the quhilk the tenour followis. THE quhilk day, For-ſamcikle as there hes beene divers and ſindrie Acts of Parliament, made in King JAMES the Firſt, Second, Thrid, Fourth and Fifth's times, Kinges of SCOTLAND for the time, and als in our Soveraine Ladies tyme, not aggreing with Gods haly word, and be them divers perſones tuke occaſion to maintaine Idolatrie and ſuperſtition within the Kirk of GOD, and repreſſing of ſik perſones, as were profeſſours of the ſaid word, quhairthrow divers innocents did ſuffer. And for eſchewing of ſik inconvenientes in time cumming, the three Eſtaites of Parliament, hes annulled, and declared all ſik Acts made in times bypaſt, not agreing with God his word, and now contrary to the Confeſſion of Faith, according to the ſaid word, publiſhed in this Parliament, to be of nane availe, force nor effect. And decernis the ſaid Acts, and every ane of them, to have na effect nor ſtrength in time to cum, bot the famin to be aboliſhed and extinguiſhed for ever, in ſa far as any of the foirſaidis Acts are repugnant, and contrarie to the Confeſſioun of Faith, and word of GOD foirſaid, ratifyed and approved be the Eſtaites in this preſent Parliament. And therefore decernis and ordainis, the contraveners of the ſamin Act, in ony time hereafter, to be puniſched, according to the Lawes. Of the quhilk Confeſſion of the Faith, the tenour followes.

WE confeſſe and acknawledge ane onely GOD, to whom onelie we muſt cleave, whome onelie we muſt ſerve, whom onelie we muſt worſhip, and in whom onelie we muſt put our truſt. Who is Eternall, Infinit, Unmeaſurable, Incomprehenſible, Omnipotent, Inviſible, ane in ſubſtance, and yet diſtinct in three perſonnis, the Father, the Sonne, and the Holie Ghoft. Be whom we confeſſe and beleeve all thingis in heaven and earth, aſwell Viſible as Inviſible, to have bene created, to be reteined in their being, and to be ruled and guyded be his inſcrutable Providence, to ſik end, as his Eternal Wiſdome, Goodnes, and Juſtice hes appoynted them, to the manifeſtatioun of his awin glorie.

E confeſſe and acknawledge, this our GOD to have created man, to wit, our firſt Father Adam, to his awin Image and ſimilitude, to whome he gave wiſdome, Lordſhip, Juſtice, Free-will, & cleir knowledge of himſelfe, ſa that in the haill nature of man, there culd be noted no imperfectioun. Fra quhilk honour and perfectioun, man and woman did both fall: the woman being deceived be the Serpent, and man obeying the voyce of the woman, both conſpyring againſt the Soveraine Majeſtie of GOD, who in expreſſed words had before threatned death, gif they preſumed to eat of the forbidden tree.

E Quhilk tranſgreſſioun, commounlie called Originall ſinne, wes the Image of God utterlie defaced in man, and he and his poſteritie, of nature, become Enimies to GOD, llaves to Sathan, and ſervandis unto