lxiv APPENDIX TO THE LIFE OF MR JOHN FORBES. procure my scheme [shame], praying to God to bless zour Hienes, and prosper zour throne, and continew zour posteritie theron to the end, and to confound all zour Majestie's enemyis and evill willers, and in tym expedient to mak knawin to zour Majestie who ar faithfull and who not. The sure mercies of David be with your Majestie for evir! Your Majestie's most humble and obedient servand, most unjustlie oppressed and undeservedlie traduced. (Sic Subscribitur,) MR JOHNE FORBES. No. VI.-LETTER FROM MR JOHN FORBES "TO MY REVEREND BRETHEREN THE PASTORS AND ELDERS OF THE ENGLISH CHURCH AT AMSTERDAM." REVEREND AND BELOVED IN THE LORD,— As I did send you the copie of the Acts concludit at our last Synod, so I would have satisfied your desyr in the other things, now as befoir requyred by you, if they had bein in my possession; but the truth is, that they ar in the hands of Mr Wing, † who did not send them unto me with the Acts, but hes retained them, as I think, till he have first registrat them in his owen book; therfoir, if you please to wryt unto him, I think he will satisfie [you] in that poynt. The Lord grant your desyr in making us of one mind in the truth, so shall his name be moir glorified and his Church more edified, and brotherly love moir regarded! To his grace and blessing I commend you. Your loving brother in the Lord, Delph, 16th Decemb. 1623. Jo. FORBES. * From the Original, among Papers of the English Reformed Church, Amsterdam. Obligingly communicated by the Rev. Dr Steven, Edinburgh. The ministers of this church, at that time, were Mr John Paget and Mr Thomas Potts. Steven's History of the Scottish Church, Rotterdam, &c., p. 279. † Mr John Wing was at first minister at Sandwich in England, and then chaplain to the Merchant Adventurers at Hamburg. In the year 1620 he was settled at Flushing, whence he was translated to the Hague, and was admitted pastor of the English Presbyterian Congregation there, May 11. 1627, by Forbes, who was then minister at Delft. Ibid. pp. 302, 306, 308. APOLOGETICAL NARRATION OF THE STATE OF [MARGINAL NOTES IN THE WODROW MANUSCRIPT. *] 1558. Of the Book of Order of Geneva; The Book prefixed before the Psalms; The number of Ordinary Church Officers; Cartwright; Of Funeral Sermons, OF SUPERINTENDENTS, AND THE FIRST BOOK OF DISCIPLINE, 1560. The First Confession of Faith ratified; Observations of the Superintendents, Exhorters and Readers, for an Interim; 3 ib. ib. . 5 * The MS. of Scot's Apologetical Narration among the Wodrow Collection of MSS., besides the Marginal Notes of the Author, contains various others written by Wodrow himself. These, from their utility in reference, have here been collected into the Table of Contents. e 1560. Page. The difference between the Superintendents and our pre- 6 Other Observations out of the Book of Discipline; Fasting Four sorts of Assemblies in our Kirk; Presbyteries not at Superintendents may be removed by the General Assemblies; General Assemblies twice a-year; Superintendents tryed by them; Superintendents delated; Book of Discipline is the rule for admission and removal of Ministers; Synods twice a-year; Appellations; No appeal from the General Assembly; Ministers judges of the complaint of a Superin- Superintendents must associate Ministers; The Superintendent Of the three Popish Bishops converted; But have no power 1563. The three Bishops visit their own bounds as Commissioners; Complaints on the old Bishops; Question anent civil offices; 15 Orkney marries the Queen and Bothwell; Appointment anent Galloway; Mr Row visits Galloway; Orkney restored; Commissioner of Isles rebuked; Galloway inhi- Of the order and necessity of General Assemblies; Moderators freely chosen, and not always Superintendents; The old Bishops never chosen; Who had vote in Assemblies; Their The power of Synods increased; Matters referred by the As- sembly to Synods; Matters sometimes referred to Superin- tendents now referred to Synods, 1566. The purity of God's worship preserved; The Helvetian Confession approven; Holy days excepted; a Letter to England; Consultation craved for separating the Jurisdic- tions; Anent the marches betwixt Ecclesiastic and Civil 1571. August. The Court seeketh Bishops to be erected; Mr John Douglas presented to the Bishoprick of St Andrews; In- hibit by the Superintendent of Fife to vote in Parliament; Collectors of the Thirds discharged; Superintendent of Angus complains of it, and of collation of benefices and erection of Bishops; He complains again to the Regent ; The Regent's answer; The inhibition discharged; Superin- tendent of Angus writes to the rest for a meeting to consult 1572. January 12. The Conclusions at Leith for Bishops, Deans, 22 24 These Articles approven by the Regent, Feb. 1; The Nobles 1572, Andrews; Scot took instruments of his dissent; Mr Knox's Mr Knox's malecontent; Conclusions of Leith to be revised March. An Assembly; Some appointed to revise the Articles; Knox buried; Morton Regent; an Assembly at the Regent's desire; Superintendents continued where Bishops are; Sundry things laid to the charge of the new Bishops; March, 1573. Douglas complained upon; Douglas delated again; His death; Paton, Bishop of Dunkeld, delated, suspended; Bishop of Murray delated; Boyd, Bishop of Glasgow, negligent; Gordon of Galloway discharged; His crimes; Appointed to be excommunicat if he satisfy not; Satisfieth; Is restored to preach, but not to jurisdiction, March. Acts for curbing Bishops and Superintendents; The The General Assembly not moderated by Bishops, 1575. March. Commissioners to treat of Jurisdiction and Policy; Page. 25 26 ib. 27 28 88888 30 32 Durie's Protestation anent the Office of Bishops; Question, If ib. 32 |