Church Patronage (Scotland) Act 1718
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1718 c. 29 |
| Year | 1718 |
(5 Geo. 1.) C A P. XXIX. Anno Regni GEORGII Regis Magn Britanni, Franci &Hiberni, quarto.
An Act for making more effectual the Laws appointing the Oaths for Security of the Government to be taken by Ministers and Preachers in Churches and Meeting-houses inScotland.
I. WHEREAS sundry Persons, Expectants of Divinity, have presented themselves to Presbyteries inScotland , in order to obtain Licences to preach in Churches, or being ordained Ministers of the Church of Scotland , without taking any Oath or Declaration whereby their Affection to his Majesty's Person and Government, and to the Settlement of the Crown in the Protestant Line, might be known: And whereas also divers Persons have preached and performed other Parts of Divine Worship in Meeting-houses in Scotland , who do not take the Oaths and Declarations appointed by Law to be taken by Pastors or Ministers of the episcopal Congregations there, nor do pray for his Majesty King George , nor for their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess of Wales and their Issue; by all which Means Men disaffected being licensed or suffered to preach, may and do sow the Seeds of Disaffection amongst the People:' Be it therefore enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authorityof the same, That all and every Person who has obtained Licence, and been admitted to preach by any Presbytery inScotland , and has not taken the Oaths to the Government, or who, on or after the first Day of June one thousand seven hundred and nineteen, shall present himself to be tried as to his Qualifications to be licensed or admitted to preach, or to be ordained a Minister of the Church of Scotland , shall, before the said Day, or his obtaining such Licence to preach, or being admitted or ordained to be Minister, take and subscribe, before and in the Court of the Lords of Session, or the Court of Justiciary, or the Court of Exchequer in Scotland , or before the Justices of the Peace at their Quarter-sessions held for any Shire, Stewartry, City or Borough in Scotland , or before Sheriffs or Stewarts, or their Deputies, in open Court held for their Shire or Stewartry, within which Shire; Stewartry, City or Borough respectively such Person has Residence, or within which the Presbytery to which he shall present himself, in order to enter upon his Trials for obtaining a Licence or being ordained, shall be held, the following Oath:
IA.B. do truly and sincerely acknowledge, profess, testify and declare in my Conscience, before God and the World, That our Sovereign Lord King George is lawful and rightful King of Great Britain , and all other his Majesty's Dominions thereunto belonging; and I do solemnly and sincerely declare, That I do believe in my Conscience, that the Person pretended to be Prince of Wales during the Life of the late King James , and since his Decease pretending to be and taking upon himself the Stile and Title of King of England , by the Name of James the Third, or of Scotland , by the Name of James the Eighth, or the Stile and Title of King of Great Britain , hath nut any Right or Title whatsoever to the Crown of this Realm, or any other the Dominions thereto belonging; and I do renounce, refuse and abjure any Allegiance or Obedience to him; and I do swear, That I will bear faithful and true Allegiance to his Majesty King George , and him will defend to the utmost of my Power against all traiterous Conspiracies and Attempts whatsoever, which shall be made against his Person and Government; and I will do my utmost Endeavour to disclose and make known to his Majesty and his Successors all Treason and traiterous Conspiracies, which I shall know to be against him or any of them; and I do faithfully promise to the utmost of my Power to support, maintain and defend the Succession of the Crown in the Heirs of the Body of the late Princess Sophia , Electoress and Dutchess of Hanover , being Protestants, against him the said James , and all other Persons whatsoever: And all these Things I do plainly and sincerely...
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