The
SCOTCH
CLERGIES
Protestation
&
Appeal
,
Given
in
at
ABERDEIN
.
In
1694.
Under
Fo●m
of
Instrument
to
the
COMMITTEE
of
the
late
Gen●ral-Assembly
,
by
the
Ministers
Delegate
for
that
End
,
from
the
Diocesses
of
Aberdein
,
for
themselves
and
in
Name
of
all
their
Adherents
.
Licensed
according
to
Order
.
WE
the
Ministers
of
the
Diocess
of
Aberdein
,
Murray
,
Ross
,
Kanthnes
,
Orkney
,
and
the
Shire
of
Angus
and
Mernes
do
hereby
declare
,
that
we
cannot
own
the
Assemblies
of
our
Presbyterian
Brethren
,
since
the
last
Establishment
to
have
been
the
full
and
sound
Representatives
of
this
National
Church
;
And
consequently
that
no
Person
or
Persons
whatsoever
,
by
virtue
of
any
Delegation
from
them
,
can
justly
claim
a
power
to
be
Judges
of
our
Lives
and
Doctrines
,
according
to
what
we
have
exprest
in
the
Queries
given
in
to
the
Commissioner
,
the
Tenor
whereof
is
as
follows
.
-
I.
WHereas
according
to
the
Principles
of
Presbyterian
Government
,
there
ought
to
be
no
higher
degree
of
Pastors
in
the
Church
than
Presbyters
,
and
all
Presbyters
are
equal
in
Power
and
Authority
:
We
desire
to
know
by
what
Divine
or
Ecclesiastical
Right
these
50
or
60
Surveying
Ministers
,
not
being
in
actual
Charge
within
this
Kingdom
,
did
take
upon
them
the
sole
Exercise
of
the
Ecclesiastical
Power
of
this
National
Church
;
And
have
exerted
a
more
absolute
Authority
and
Jurisdiction
over
their
Brethren
,
900
or
1000
Ministers
,
who
were
in
Office
when
Episcopacy
was
laid
aside
,
than
ever
the
Bishops
pretended
to
,
who
never
claimed
a
Power
to
make
Acts
concerning
the
Church
,
without
consent
of
its
Ministers
.
-
II
.
SInce
according
to
their
own
Principles
,
the
power
of
Preaching
the
Gospel
,
and
administring
the
Sacraments
,
and
the
power
of
Discipline
and
Government
are
inseparable
in
the
Office
of
a
Pastor
:
Queritur
,
If
that
Constitution
of
Church
Government
be
lawful
,
which
extends
to
the
greatest
part
of
the
Pastors
of
the
Church
from
having
any
share
in
the
Government
thereof
.
-
III
.
SEeing
no
Assembly
of
Church-Officers
can
justly
claim
any
Authority
or
Jurisdiction
over
a
Church
,
wherein
that
Church
is
not
duly
represented
,
and
a
Church
cannot
be
represented
in
one
Assembly
in
which
their
Delegates
are
not
allow'd
to
sit
;
and
that
by
the
Constitution
of
this
Church
,
General
Assemblies
do
consist
of
Commissioners
from
all
Presbyteries
within
the
Kingdom
.
Queritur
,
How
the
late
Presbyterian
Assemblies
can
be
owned
for
a
lawful
General-Assembly
of
this
Church
,
seeing
they
consisted
intirely
of
the
Presbyterian
Party
;
And
the
Presbyters
of
the
Diocess
and
Shires
anent
,
had
no
Commissioners
present
at
these
Assemblies
,
nor
had
they
a
call
to
send
any
.
-
IV
.
SInce
by
the
Principles
already
mentioned
,
all
Persons
have
one
equal
right
to
share
in
the
Government
of
that
Church
,
whereby
they
are
Members
and
Office-bearers
:
And
since
the
whole
Body
of
the
Pastors
of
this
Church
,
who
were
in
Office
at
the
time
of
the
Establishment
of
Episcopacy
,
cannot
be
charged
with
Ignorance
,
gross
Error
,
Immorality
of
Life
,
or
supine
negligence
in
their
Office
:
We
cannot
understand
how
the
Constitution
of
the
present
Church-Government
and
late
Assemblies
can
be
justified
,
by
the
Presbyterian
Ministers
but
upon
Supposition
,
that
the
whole
Body
of
Pastors
are
either
no
Ministers
of
the
Gospel
,
or
guilty
of
such
Corruptions
upon
the
account
of
their
Principles
and
Practises
,
in
relation
to
Church-Government
,
as
that
they
are
not
worthy
to
be
trusted
with
the
Exercise
of
the
power
which
belongs
to
the
Pastoral
Office
,
which
we
cannot
own
without
either
renouncing
our
Ministery
,
and
declaring
all
the
Acts
of
our
Ministerial
Function
,
void
and
null
,
or
condemning
these
Principles
and
Practises
which
we
judge
to
be
just
and
lawful
.
-
V.
QUeritur
,
Whether
the
Annual
Office
of
Ruling
not
Preaching
Elders
,
chosen
out
amongst
the
People
and
join'd
to
the
Ministers
in
Kirk
Sessions
;
Presbyteries
,
Provincial
and
General
Assemblies
,
and
their
Committees
to
assist
and
concur
with
them
in
the
Exercise
of
Discipline
and
Government
,
can
be
warrantably
affirmed
to
be
of
Divine
Institution
.
And
if
any
Foot-step
of
such
one
Office
doth
appear
in
the
Practise
of
the
ancient
Church
,
or
any
plain
convinceing
Proof
of
its
Institution
,
can
be
produced
out
of
the
Scriptures
;
And
if
this
Office
be
not
of
Divine
Institution
,
whether
a
Judicatory
consisting
in
point
of
such
Officers
,
pretending
to
Divine
Institution
.
And
to
act
by
Warrand
and
Commission
from
Jesus
Christ
be
a
lawful
Judicatory
.
To
Which
Queries
we
having
received
no
satisfactory
Answer
,
and
in
regard
they
have
manifestly
stated
themselves
as
Parties
against
us
,
and
those
of
our
Charactor
and
Persuasion
;
Therefore
for
maintaining
the
Liberties
of
this
National
Church
,
and
for
many
other
Reasons
moving
us
thereto
,
which
we
are
resolved
in
due
time
to
publish
to
the
World
,
we
find
our selves
unanimously
obliged
to
testifie
against
all
Proceedings
,
Acts
and
Sentences
,
in
the
quality
of
an
Ecclesiastick
Judicator
;
and
to
Appeal
to
Their
Majesties
K.
William
and
Q.
Mary
,
as
Supreme
Judge
under
God
within
these
Dominions
,
and
to
the
next
lawfully
constitute
and
orderly
called
General-Assembly
of
this
Church
:
And
we
do
hereby
protest
against
any
Sentence
past
or
to
be
past
,
against
any
of
our
number
,
that
are
cited
or
may
be
cited
before
this
Committee
,
and
do
Appeal
to
Their
Majesties
as
said
is
.
And
this
we
do
not
as
if
we
would
protect
any
that
are
truly
Scandalous
,
(
if
any
such
be
amongst
us
)
nor
as
we
would
not
give
all
due
deference
to
this
present
Committee
in
submitting
to
them
,
if
they
cloathed
themselves
only
with
a
Delegation
from
a
Civil
Power
;
but
that
we
cannot
until
we
be
resolved
in
the
anent
Scruples
,
acknowledge
any
Ecclesiastical
Power
or
Jurisdiction
in
this
Committee
,
or
their
Constituents
to
be
Judges
of
any
of
our
Number
.
And
finally
we
protest
that
this
our
Protestation
and
Appeal
,
together
with
the
Queries
anent
as
they
were
given
in
before
the
entering
of
this
Protestation
be
insert
verbatim
in
the
Records
of
the
Committee
;
Ad
futuram
rei
memoriam
.
Indorsed
.
The
Regular
Clergies
Protestation
and
Appeal
from
the
Committee
of
the
General-Assembly
,
1694.