The First and Second Books of Discipline were amongst the constitutional foundation documents of the Scottish Reformation, and for four and a half centuries have been relied on to guide the polity of Presbyterian churches around the world. Their scholarly editing and publication a generation ago helped to revive serious study in the Church's constitutional law; and this reprint makes very important material available in a time of immense organisational change in the Church. Rev Dr Marjory A MacLean Deputy Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland

Excerpt from The Early Scottish Church: The Ecclesiastical History of Scotland From the First to the Twelfth Century This volume is the result of an effort to fill up a blank in the Ecclesiastical History of Scotland. Monograms exist on periods and persons introduced throughout it; and also brief sketches of the period, in works on Scottish Church History, preparatory to the history of more recent and more prominent events, but no work exists whose sole object is to present the reader with a consecutive and connected view of the period embraced. This was to be regretted, considering the importance of the events recorded, and their influence upon the future state of the Church in Scotland. Inferences, not borne out by historical facts, were drawn from assumptions regarding the early Church, by parties of various, and even of contending views, and antiquity was cited in support of conclusions which in reality derived no aid from its testimony. The author has endeavoured to collect his facts from the most trustworthy sources, linking them in a continuous narrative. Although these sources are few, yet, when the straggling rays are gathered together, it is wonderful how much light they afford. Impartiality has been earnestly studied throughout, the writer having but one object in view, the discovery of truth in questions of national interest. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

In this comprehensive historical study, Thomas Maclauchlan traces the origins and development of the early Scottish church, from its earliest days through to the 12th century. Drawing on a wealth of primary sources, Maclauchlan paints a vivid picture of a dynamic and often turbulent period, shedding new light on the people, events, and institutions that shaped Scotland in the Middle Ages. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.