General Assembly Act 1592

Oure Souerane Lord and estaittis of this present parliament following the lovable and gude example of thair predicessouris Hes ratifiet and apprevit and be the tennour of this present act ratifies and apprevis all liberties priuileges Immvnities and fredomes quhatsumeuir gevin and grantit be his hienes his regentis in his Name or ony of his predicessouris to the trew and hally kirk presentlie establishit within this realme and declairit in the first act of his hienes parliament the tuentie day of october The yeir of god JmVc lxxix yeiris . . . F1 AND SICLYK Ratifies and apprevis the generall Assembleis appoyntit be the said kirk And declairis that it salbe lauchfull to the kirk and ministrie euerilk yeir at the leist and ofter pro re nata as occasioun and necessitie sall require To hald and keip generall assemblies Providing that the kingis Maiestie or his commissioner with thame to be appoyntit be his hienes be present at ilk generall assemblie befoir the dissoluing thairof Nominat and appoint tyme and place quhen and quhair the nixt generall assemblie salbe haldin And in caise nather his Maiestie nor his said commissioner beis present for the tyme in that toun quhair the said generall assemblie beis haldin Than and in that caise IT salbe lesum to the said generall assemblie be thame selffis To nominat and appoynt tyme and place quhair the nixt generall assemblie of the kirk salbe keipit and haldin as they haif bene in vse to do thir tymes bypast AND ALS ratifies and apprevis the sinodall and provinciall assemblies To be haldin be the said kirk and ministrie twyise ilk yeir as thay haif bene and ar presentlie in vse to do within euery province of this realme AND RATIFEIS and apprevis the presbiteries and particulare sessionis appointit be the said kirk with the haill iurisdictioun and discipline of the same kirk aggreit vpoun be his Maiestie in conference had be his hiones with certane of the ministrie convenit to that effect Off the quhilkis articles the tennour followis MATERIS TO BE INTREATIT IN PROVINCIALL ASSEMBLEIS THIR assemblies ar constitute for wechtie materis necessar to be intreatit be mutuall consent and assistance of brethrene within the province as neid requyris THIS assemblie hes power to handle ordour and redress all thingis omittit or done amiss in the particulare assemblies IT HES power to depose the office beraris of that province for gude and iust causes deserving deprivatioun And generalie thir assemblies hes the haill power of the particulare elderschippis quhairof thay ar collectit MATERIS TO BE INTREATIT IN THE PRESBITERIES THE POWER of the presbiteries is to give diligent laubouris in the boundis committit to thair chairge That the kirkis be kepit in gude ordour To enquyre diligentlie of nauchtie and vngodly personis and to travell to bring thame in the way agane be admonitioun or threatning of goddis Jugementis or be correctioun IT APPERTENIS to the elderschip to tak heid that the word of god be puirlie preachit within thair boundis the sacramentis richtlie ministrat the discipline intertenyit and the ecclesiasticall guidis vncorruptlie distributit IT belangis to this kynd of assembleis To caus the ordinances maid be the assembleis provinciallis Nationallis and generallis to be kepit and put in executioun TO MAK constitutionis quhilkis concernis To II repon in the kirk for decent ordour in the particulare kirk quhair they governe Provyding that thay alter na rewlis maid be the provinciall or generall assembleis And that thay mak the provinciall assembleis foirsaidis privie of the rewlis that thay sall mak and to abolishe constitutionis Tending to the hurte of the same IT HES power to excommunicat the obstinat formale proces being led and dew intervall of tymes obseruit ANENT PARTICULARE KIRKIS Gif they be lauchfullie rewlit be sufficient ministeris and sessioun Thay haif power and iurisdictioun in thair awin congregatioun in matteris ecclesisticall And decernis and declairis the saidis assembleis presbiteries and sessiounes Jurisdictioun and discipline thairof foirsaid to be in all tymes cuming maist iust gude and godlie in the selff Notwithstanding of quhatsumeuir statutes actis cannon ciuile or mvnicipale lawes maid in the contrair To the quhilkis and euery ane of thame thir presentis sall mak expres dirogatioun . . . F1 ITEM the kingis Maiestie and estaittis foirsaidis declairis that the secund act of the parliament haldin at edinburgh the xxij day of Maij The yeir of god JmVc lxxxiiij yeiris sall na wayes be preiudicall nor dirogat any thing to the priuilege that god hes gevin to the spirituall office beraris in the kirk concerning headis of religioun materis of heresie excommunicatioun collatioun or depriuatioun of ministeris or ony sic essentiall censouris speciall groundit and havand warrand of the word of god . . . F1