Account of the families of Birnie and Hamilton of Broomhill

PREFATORY REMARKS. ix
lyable to the kirk censure, which they mynde to prosecute to the outmost
if you persist in soe wicked a purpose ; thairfore, Sir, the presbyterie of
Hamiltoune, as faithfull pastours, being tender of your reputatione, the
good of your familie, and the peace of the countrey, advyses you to for-
bear to doe any thing that may be of evill example, and give offence to
the people of God, amongst whom you now live, otherwayes, much against
therinclinatione, they will be necessitat to make use of that power ther Lord
and Master hes invested them with, to bring you to a true sence of your
great guilt, in presuming to violat ane ordinance of his kirk, appoynted
for decencie by these in whom the power resides. To determine in such
matters, this Chrystian admonitione comeing from me, as the mynde of
the presbyterie, I hope will prevaill soe farre that you will not break the
act of the assemblie, thereby to incurre the kirk censure, which, that you
may not, shall be the earnest prayer, Sir, of your servant only in the
Lord. Sic subscribitur,
"Ja. Nasmyth."
" This letter being civill enough, considering the temper of the man,
I shall make noe commentar upon it, nether shall I offer to dispute the
poynt nor power of the generall assemblie in makeing such ane act, it
being now rescinded, but certainly it's the opinione of the ablest casuists
in Europe, (as it is the constant practice of all Christians, both Protestant
and Popish, to bury in kirks,) that if any thing be of civill right to a man,
it is his buriall-place, that is and ought to be held his proppertie for a
religious use ; and what more religious then the burying the dead in a
consecrated place, such as kirks are or ought to be, I would aske the
presbyteareans, that to this day holds the acts of the late generall assem-
blie, (lyke to the lawes of the Medes and Persians, unalterable,) wither
b