144 MINUTE BOOK OF THE WIRKSWORTH CLASSIS. 



his vocation to the ministry, and (e) especially concerning " his 

 faire and direct calling to that place to which he is designed." 



Then follow the Rules for Examination, which may be 

 summarised as follows : — 



i. The candidate to be examined in a brotherly way, and with 

 "mildness of spirit." 



2. To be examined in his skill of the original tongues " by 

 reading the Hebrew and Greeke Testaments, and rendering some 

 portions of them into Latine." Inquiry also in " Logick, Phi- 

 losophy, and other learning." * 



3. To be asked what authors in Divinity he hath read, what 

 knowledge he has of ecclesiastical history, and what skill in the 

 chronology of the Scriptures. 



4. Trial to be made of his (a) ability to defend orthodox 

 doctrine against error, of his (b) skill in exposition of the 

 Scriptures, and of his (c) "judgment in cases of Conscience." 



5. To preach before the Presbytery on a given text (provided 

 he is not already a proved preacher.) 



6. To frame a Thesis in Latin on some controversial topic of 

 theology fixed upon by the Presbytery, and to be prepared to 

 maintain a dispute upon it. 



7. " The proportion of his gifts in relation to the place unto 

 which he is called shall be considered." 



If the candidate successfully passed this somewhat severe 

 ordeal, the next step was to send him to the place to which he was 

 "called," there to preach three several days, and to converse with 

 the people. 



On the last of those days, after his future flock had had fit 

 opportunity for testing his "gifts in preaching," etc., the Presbytery 

 sent a public instrument in writing,t to be read before the people 



* According to an entry in the Manchester Classis Book (Cheetham 

 Library), candidates were to be examined in "logic, philosophy, ethics, 

 physics, metaphysics, Greek or Latin." "The call of the people and the 

 consent of the patron (where there is one) " were also held by that Classis to 

 be necessary to ordination. 



+ This written instrument corresponded to the " Si quis " of our Church, 

 indeed we believe it began with those words. The affixing this document to 

 the Church door is now termed in Scotland " Serving the Edict." 



