pite of Acts requiring uniformity,
however, there were still within the Church those who sought to
introduce changes, some of these desiring the introduction of an
imposed ritual, others regarding absolute congregational liberty in
matters of worship as desirable. As a result of divergent views and
practices there was passed by the Assembly of 1697 the Barrier Act, for
the purpose of

"Preventing any sudden alteration or innovation or other prejudice to
the Church in either doctrine or worship or discipline or government
thereof, now happily established."

This was the formal and particular enactment of the principle laid down
two generations earlier, when in 1639 the Church, disturbed by the
Brownists, had ordained that "no novation in worship should be suddenly
enacted."

One other Act of Assembly in this period must be quoted as showing the
feeling in Scotland at this time with regard to ritual in the Church.
It resulted from a determined effort on the part of some Episcopalians
to introduce, wherever possible, the English Book of Common Prayer into
the services of the Church in Scotland. The Assembly accordingly
enacted that:

"The purity of religion and particularly of Divine Worship ... is a
signal blessing to the Church of God-- ... and that any attempts made
for the introduction of innovations in the worship of God therein have
been of fatal and dangerous consequence ... that such innovations are
dangerous to this Church and manifestly contrary to our known principle
(which is, that nothing is to be admitted in the worship of God but
what is prescribed in the Holy Scripture) and against the good and
laudable laws made since the late happy Revolution for establishing and
securing the same in her doctrine, worship, discipline and government."
Therefore the Church required "all the ministers of this Church ... to
represent to their people the evil thereof and seriously to exhort them
to beware of them, and to deal with all such as do or practise the same
in order to their recovery and reformation."

The above enactment leaves no room for doubt as to the opinion
prevailing in the Church of Scotland at the beginning of the eighteenth
century respecting ritual in the public worship of God. At the same
time it is very evident that a desire prevailed in the Church for a
seemly and uniform order of service in public worship and an Act of the
Assembly of 1705

"Seriously recommends to all ministers an