Series 3 > Register of the consultations of the ministers of Edinburgh and some other brethren of the ministry > Volume 1

80 THE REGISTER OF CONSULTATIONS
Church att any time, but they have freely told the
Magistrat that such courses would not be for his honour
from the Lord God, as the preists said to Uzziah, Chron:
26. 18, 19. 2, By this means it is in the power of those
who are intrusted to judge of scandalls and scandalous
persons, which are matters only competent to Ecclesi¬
astical! cognition in prima instancia. And so all or any
Minister, yea, and Church judicatories in the land, are
exposed to the hazard of censure and punishm*, if it were
but for opposeing a Sect master in his drawing desciples
after him, or for setting themselves against the miscariage
of others who pretend to piety, if those who are intrusted,
account that to be an opposition to piety or be informed
that such and such men are enemies to it.
XI. By those fore mentioned greevances and what
further may be observed in this order, it is apparent that
as the League and Coven* is not so much as mentioned in
it more than if it had never beine or were buried, when
yet it medles with matters secured by the oath of the
Covenant, so that there is in it a manifest violation of
those articles of the coven* which relate to Religion, for
the doctrine is exposed to hazard in several respects ;
worship cannot be preserved pure, if the doctrine be cor¬
rupted ; the descipline and Govemm* are made void
and overturned ; our uniformity amongst ourselves is
turned into a difformity, and no hope of promoveing it
according to the Covenant; and a doore is opend to
popery, prelacy, and all the other evills covenanted
against.
Greevances concerning the affairs of the Kirk of
Scotland with the Remedies thereof
{This paper given to the General)
1. It is a greef to us that the liberties of the Kirk of Scotland
in the judicatories thereof, being grounded upon the Word
of God, settled and established by many acts of Generali
Assemblies, conformed and ratified by the Law of the
land in so many acts of Parliam*, solemnly sworne to by all