CHAPTER XIX.

Presbyterian Church of Scotland. First General Assembly. Es tablished by law. Suppressed by Charles I. Re-established and prosperous during the Protectorate. Solemn League and Covenant. Gains a free toleration in the Revolution. Seceders, Burghers, and Anti-Burghers. Glassites. Presbytery of relief, Scotch character. Presbyterian Discipline.

English Presbyterians and Independents. Early distinguished Divines, Baxter, Owen, Flavel, Bates, Howe. Number and state of the Dissenters after the Revolution. Henry, Watts, Doddridge. Spread of Arianism, and decline of the Presbyterians. Increase and flourishing state of the Independents.

The Presbyterian Church of Scotland began to assume a regular form about the year 1560. The reformation in that country was vastly greater than in England; both as there was an entire change of religious sentiment and feeling, and also of church government. In England, the whole exterior of the Roman church remained. In Scotland, it was all abolished. "Abbies, cathedrals, churches, libraries, records and even the sepulchres of the dead, perished in one common ruin.”

The great reformer, John Knox, had been at Geneva, the residence of Calvin, and had acquired an attachment to the presbyterian government, and an hatred of every thing pertain ing to episcopacy and popery. The Scottish nobility were willing to see the dignified clergy pulled down, for they hated their persons and coveted their wealth, and the common people clap ped their hands to see the reformers levelling to the dust that tremendous hierarchy which had been so oppressive.

Mary, the queen, made great efforts to re-establish the papal dominion, but her subjects had the boldness to tell her that they abhorred her religion; and even rendered it difficult for her to worship according to the education she had received, and what she declared to be the dictates of her own conscience.*

*The following anecdote shows the boldness of John Knox towards the Queen. "After Mary had been dancing at a ball till after midnight, Knox took for his text Psalm I," Be wise therefore, O ye kings," and inveighed heavily against the vanity and wickedness of princes. The queen complained of it to him, when Knox told her that, as the wicked will not come where they may be instructed and convinced of their faults, the providence of God had so ordered it that they should hear of their sins and reproofs by scandalous reports;-that no doubt Herod was told that Christ called him a fox, but he was not told of the sin which he committed in cutting off John Baptist's head, to recompense the dancing of a harlot's daughter. When the ladies of the Court appeared in afl

The number of protestant clergy was for a time very small, and they were widely scattered. Knox convened them in General Assembly, Dec. 20, 1560; but it was a feeble and irregular body which effected but little. He also composed a book of discipline which should give efficiency to their government, and he labored to get possession of the old ecclesiastical revenues; but these the nobility, having once seized, would not relinquish. He met with no difficulty however, in obtaining for his government and all its acts the sanction of public authority, and the entire abolition of popery.

Those who had seized the estates of the popish bishops, contrived to uphold the name and semblance of the office. This occasioned violent contention. At length an act was passed in the general assembly in 1581, declaring the office of bishop to have neither foundation nor warrant in the church of God. And in 1592, the presbyterian government was established by law.

James V. revived the office of bishop, though he had been educated in the kirk of Scotland, which he pronounced the purest church on earth; but he attached to it no ecclesiastical jurisdiction or pre-eminence, only a little revenue and a seat in parliament. But when he ascended the English throne in 1603 and witnessed the splendour of the English church and its devotedness to him, he became the warm friend of episcopacy and resolved to make Scotland conform. Three Scotch bishops were consecrated at London. The Scotch clergy were commanded to receive orders from them, and the churches were compelled to submit to the episcopal ceremonies. The old presbyterians bowed the neck with the greatest abhorrence, until Charles I. pressed them beyond what they would bear. A new liturgy was appointed to be read in all the churches, July 23, 1637. At the great church in Edinburgh were assembled archbishops and bishops, and the lords of the session, and magistrates of the city. But when the dean began to read, the populace clapped their hands and cried, "a pope, a pope, down with antichrist," and greatly endangered the lives of the bishops. Other riots ensued; the flames of civil war were kindled throughout Great Britain; monarchy and episcopacy

the elegance of dress, which Mary brought with her from France, Knox told them it was all very pleasant, if it would always last and they could go to hea ven in all that gear. But fie on that knave death, said he, which will come whether we will or not, and when he hath laid an arrest, then foul worms will be busy with that flesh, be it never so fair and tender; and the silly soul, í fear, will be so feeble that it can neither carry away with it gold, garnishing, fur bishing, pearls, nor precious stones."

were overthrown and presbyterianism was re-established with new vigor, 1648.

During their struggle the Scotch renewed iu 1638, their subscription to their confession of faith or national covenant, made soon after the formation of the General Assembly, in which they condemned all episcopal government and forms, and solemnly bound themselves to resist all innovations in religion. And in 1643 they formed with the puritans of England and Ireland, THE SOLEMn league and cOVENANT, in which they abjured popery and combined for mutual defence.

The Scotch presbyterians never loved Cromwell, for he favored the independents; and for some attempts to restore the king felt his vengeance; yet they flourished much during the protectorate.

At the restoration episcopacy was re-established. Sharpe, an apostate from presbytery, was made archbishop of St. Andrews. An act was passed, obliging all the ministers of Scotland "to receive a presentation to their livings from their lay patrons, and institution from the bishops.' Two hundred

At

churches were shut up in one day. The exiled ministers preached in conventicles and fields to great multitudes; but the king's troops were sent against them and their adherents, and the greatest severities were used to force them into the episcopal church. Awful were the scenes that were transacted. length, by royal indulgence, the ejected ministers were allowed to fill some of the pulpits; but this was not accepted by numbers, who, under Richard Cameron, and from him called Cameronians, fought in defence of their principles.

At the revolution, episcopacy was abolished in Scotland, and presbyterianism firmly established. The commissioners from a convention of the states declared to the king, "that prelacy, and the superiority of any office above presbyteries, is and has been a great and insupportable burden to this nation, and contrary to the inclinations of the generality of the people, ever since the reformation; they having reformed popery by presbytery, and that prelacy ought to be abolished." An act was accordingly passed in the Scotch parliament, abolishing episcopacy and the pre-eminence of any orders in the church above that of presbyters.

At the union of Scotland and England, the Scotch demanded the firm establishment of presbyterianism, as the unalterable form of government in the church of Scotland; which was granted by the parliament of England. A clause was also inserted in the articles of union, providing that "no test or sub

scription should ever be imposed within the bounds of the Scotch church, contrary to their presbyterian establishment." By these acts, the episcopalians of England consented that presbyterians should reign in the north, while presbyterians also consented that episcopacy should be established in the south.

But the Scotch were soon chagrined and cast down; for as they enjoyed toleration in England, the English were resolved that the episcopalians should enjoy the same in Scotland, and carried a bill to this purpose through the parliament, forbidding the secular power to touch any but papists and blasphemers.

It had ever been a fundamental principle of presbyterianism, that the parishes had a right, from Scripture, to choose their own pastors; but a bill was passed in parliament in the reign of Queen Anne, entitling a lay patron to nominate the minister; thus introducing to the churches men whose chief recommendation was subserviency to some rich patron, who might be of infidel sentiments, and wounding the consciences of a large portion of the church of Scotland, and producing lasting dissensions.

In 1712 was passed in the British parliament, the abjuration oath; and it was required not only of all who held offices, but of all the clergy. As it included the approbation and support of episcopacy, and prevented their seeking any further reformation, but few ministers would take it, though the refusal exposed them to a fine of five hundred pounds. This was for a long time very harassing and distressing to the Scotch churches.

A great excitement was produced in the Scotch church in 1718, concerning a book entitled "The Marrow of Modern Divinity," which was viewed by many as heretical; and shortly after, by the opinions of Professor Simpson, who was considered an Arian. But greater internal commotions were excited in 1732, by the secession of Ebenezer Erskine and a numerous body of ministers and christians, from the communion of the established church, because of the law of patronage. For preaching boldly against this, Mr. E. and four other ministers were deposed by the general assembly from the ministry. They then formed themselves into a distinct body, called the Associated Presbytery, and being popular men, and having a popular cause, they rapidly increased, and in 1745 formed three presbyteries under one synod, But they fell into a violent contention respecting the burgess oath, in some of the royal boroughs of Scotland, and split into two parties, called burghers and anti-burghers.

About the same time arose the Glassites, or Mr. Robert Glass and his followers, who plead for independency; but who

united with Robert Sandeman, of England, in his peculiar views of faith, and become a very narrow and exclusive sect.

In 1752 arose the presbytery of relief; established to afford relief to parishes which have ministers imposed on them by their patrons against their choice.

The Scotch have been a very intelligent and pious people. They have adhered remarkably to the great doctrines of the reformation. The Sabbath they have rigidly observed. To catechetical instruction they have attended more strictly than any part of the Christian church. Some of their ministers have been pious and eminently faithful men. Others have attained to high rank in the literary world. Among them may be mentioned Robert Fleming, Thomas Halyburton,† Thomas Boston, J. M'Laurin, the Erskines, Dr. Robertson,§ Dr. McKnight, Walker,** Campbell,tt and Dr. Blair, as some of the most distinguished. The age of George 1. is commonly viewed as the period of brightest glory; for the Scotch church then enjoyed great peace and quietness, had many learned men, and a great body of devoted Christians in her bosom. In 1742 a powerful and extensive revival of religion commenced and spread wide in the Scotch churches, It was a season of great solemnity and deep spirituality. The churches walked in the fear of the Lord and the comforts of the Holy Ghost. But the seceders did not favour it, being actuated too much by the spirit of secession.

For the last half century the leading clergy and laity have departed from the simplicity that is in Christ, being spoiled through philosophy and vain deceit. The general assembly has presented a considerable majority approving sentiments and practices in opposition to which the ancient covenanters would have laid down their lives. Ministers selected by patrons have been placed over many of their churches against their consent, driving most of their pious members into the churches of the Seceders. The state of the church has lately been improving.

"That justifying faith is a mere act of the understanding, a merely speculalive belief." Mr. Sandeman removed to America in 1764, and gathered a church on this principle, at Danbury, Ct. Mr. Glass died at Dundee, 1773.

A most able opponent of the Deists. He was a professor of Divinity at St. Andrews.

+ Minister of Etterick, author of "Human Nature in its Fourfold Estate ;" one of the most useful books in the Christian world. Died 1732.

Principal of the University of Edinburgh, and author of History of Scotland and Charles V. Died June, 1793.

Author of the Harmony of the Gospels, and a new translation of the Epistles. **An eminently evangelical minister, in Edinburgh.

Professor of Church History at St. Andrews, and anther of a discourse on miracles. Died, 1757.