A Great Grievance. Laurence A.B. Whitley
presbyterian’s armoury: the works of Mr George Gillespie in two volumes. Edinburgh: 1846, 9. [hereinafter cited as Gillespie, “Notes”].
13. See Robert S. Paul, The Assembly of the Lord, (Edinburgh: 1985), 314.
14. Lightfoot, Journal, 230.
15. Ibid., 232
16. Ibid.
17. Ibid., 231.
18. Ibid., 231.
19. Baillie, Letters, ii, 182.
20. Lightfoot, 232.
21. Ibid., 233; “any” appears in Lightfoot’s record of the day’s vote, but it is absent from the minutes.
22. Paul, Assembly of the Lord, 322.
23. See, Minutes of the sessions of the Westminster Assembly of divines, Alexander F. Mitchell, & John Struthers, (eds.) (Edinburgh: 1874).
24. Lightfoot, Journal, 231.
25. Ibid., 250.
26. Ibid., 253.
27. 7 February 1645. Gillespie, Notes, 120.
28. 6 January 1644; Act anent presentation of ministers, APS, 66.
29. Wodrow mss [NLS Wod.Fol.xxviii, 28], “Concerning the people’s interest in calling them pastoris”: notes on calling of ministers addressed to Rev William Tweedie [of Slamanan, Linlithgow presbytery]. Anon. c.1650.
30. Makey, Church of the Covenant, 78.
31. Young, John R., “Scottish covenanting radicalism, the commission of the kirk and the establishment of the parliamentary radical regime of 1648–1649.” RSCHS, xxv, (1995), 355. Young uses attendance figures to show, for example, that “Nine of the 16 nobles (56%), 11 of the 46 gentry (24%), and seven of the 51 burgesses (14%) recorded in the parliamentary rolls of 4 January 1649 were also members of the commission of the kirk established on 11 August 1648. Yet only a small minority of these lay elders were in semi-regular attendance according to the 44 recorded sederunts of the commission of the kirk between 12 August 1648 and 4 January 1649.” Ibid., 353–54.
32. Ibid., 345.
33. MacDonald, The Jacobean Kirk, 65.
34. MacDonald, Jacobean Kirk, 119.
35. Peterkin, Records of the Kirk, 330.
36. The records of the commissions of the general assemblies of the church of Scotland holden in Edinburgh the years 1648 and 1649, A.F. Mitchell, and J. Christie, (eds), Scottish History Society, vol. xxv, II, (1896), 184.
37. Ibid., 205–11.
38. Ibid., 207. The proof-texts cited are, Acts 1, v. 26; Acts 6, vv. 3 & 5; Acts 14, v2; I Timothy 8, v. 22, and Titus 1, v. 5 (Acts 14 and I Timothy 8 are clearly mistaken. In view of their prominence in the ordination debates at the Westminster Assembly, it is very likely that the intended references are Acts 13, v2 and I Timothy 5, v. 22).
39. The text of the Acts in fact reads: 29 December 1562: “[inhibition shall be made to all] that hes not been presented be the people, or ane part thereof, to the Superintendent.” 5 March 1570: “[it pertains to the jurisdiction of the Kirk to have] Electione, examinatione and admissione of them that are admittit to the ministrie.” BUK, 12 and 124.
40. An Act to declare the lawfulness of certain Articles declaratory of the Constitution of the Church of Scotland in matters spiritual prepared with the authority of the General Assembly of the Church. Acts of the British Parliament, 1921, c.29.
41. John R. Young, The Scottish parliament 1639–1661, a political and constitutional analysis, (Edinburgh: 1996). The remaining membership was composed of gentry (46 minimum to 52 maximum) and burgesses (51 min. to 58 max.).
42. 1 March 1649, Act anent the Poore, APS, vi, 389; 8 March 1649, Act in favours of the vassals of Kirk-lands, APS, vi, 408; 29 June 1649, Act anent JPs and their Constables, APS, vi, 470.
43. Sir James Balfour, The historical works of Sir James Balfour of Denmylne and Kinnaird, Kt. and Bt.; Lord Lyon, king of Arms to Charles I and Charles II, ed., J. Haig, (Edinburgh: 1824), iii, 391.
44. Doubtless aware of this, the framers added the qualification: “because it is needful that the just and proper interest of congregations and presbyteries . . . be clearly determined by the General Assembly, and what is to be accounted the congregation having that interest, therefore it is seriously recommended unto the next General Assembly clearly to determine the same, and to condescend upon a certain standing way for being a settled rule therein.” APS , vi, 412.
45. see letter to him from the Assembly Commission, 23 September 1648. Also, his family was awarded a pension by parliament on his death “as an acknowledgement for his faithfulness,” see “The works of Mr George Gillespie, minister of Edinburgh,” ed., W.M. Hetherington, i, xxx, in The presbyterian’s armoury in three volumes. (Edinburgh: 1846).
46. The presbyterian’s armoury, ii, pt.2, George Gillespie, “A treatise of miscellany questions,” ii, “Of the election of pastors with the congregation’s consent,” 11.
47. “Concerning the