History of the Scotch Church from the Accession of James II. to the Revolution Settlement and the Emigration to America (3)

From Scotch and Irish Seeds in American Soil by Rev. J. G. Craighead

previous page | contents | start of chapter | next page

CHAPTER V. … continued

During all this stormy period of persecution the exertions of the bishops and the mandates and violence of despotic power had failed to make any real progress in bringing over the people of Scotland to the episcopal Church. For nearly thirty years prelacy had had almost unlimited sway, with its hard task lightened by governmental aid. It had been armed with influence and dignity, the offices of trust and honor in the kingdom had been largely filled by prelates, and the civil and military power of the nation had been employed to do its bidding. With this power and prestige, is it not a remarkable fact that during all this period it never ventured to attempt to introduce the ceremonies of the English Church? It instinctively knew that this would have been a perilous undertaking. As a matter of fact, the form of worship differed little from the Presbyterian. There was no liturgy, no ceremonies, no surplice, no altars, no crossing in baptism.

Even the Perth articles were very generally ignored. Nor was there any new confession of faith introduced, nor any new standard of doctrine or discipline, except the will of the bishops, themselves the creatures of the will of the king. It was truly, as some one has said, a “nondescript” Church—as much so as is possible to be conceived; for it was neither popery, prelacy nor presbytery, but a strange jumble of all three, with the king for pope, his council for cardinals, the bishops for moderators, and the dragoons of Dalziel, Turner and Claverhouse (as Makenzie called them) for “ruling elders.” Not less absurd were some of the statutes enacted by this great politico-ecclesiastical authority. During its supreme reign a law was passed forbidding ministers lecturing, in which method of instruction it was discovered Presbyterian divines excelled. A preacher might speak all day or all night, provided he selected but a single verse of Scripture for a text; but if he chose two or more verses, he exposed himself to the penalties of treason.

Prelacy in Scotland showed itself to the very last to be a slavish, intolerant, irreligious and persecuting system as well as a foe to civil and religious freedom. When the fortunes of the prince of Orange were for a brief time obscured by disaster, the Scottish prelates, with the exception of two, hastened to send the tyrant James a letter containing the most extravagant eulogiums of him and his government; avowing their steadfast allegiance to him, they concluded by wishing him “the hearts of his subjects and the necks of his enemies.” When we remember that this letter was addressed to a sovereign who had clearly shown his intention to subvert the freedom and the religion of the kingdom, and was designed to defeat a prince who had inscribed upon his banners, “The Protestant religion and the liberties of England,” and who had come to put an end to the system of tyranny which had deluged the country with blood, it is difficult to conceive anything more base and servile. It was followed, too, by resistance to the rightful authority of William, by maintaining a secret correspondence with the exiled tyrant, and by furnishing him information and supplies of men and money. It was only the inflexible adherence to right principles on the part of Presbyterians, their fortitude in enduring every extremity of suffering under long and relentless persecution, and their united and earnest support of a Protestant prince, that prevented Scotland from being reduced to a state of abject slavery.

Looking, then, upon prelacy as the enemy of civil and religious freedom, as they were forced to do, it would have been strange indeed if Presbyterians had not refused to fellowship the prelates when restored to their former rights and privileges. It was to be expected also that when they had the power they would embrace the opportunity to expel the prelatic curates from the positions into which they had intruded, and deprive them of the parish property which they had unlawfully seized. Some of these merciless persecutors, they turned out of their usurped residences, and, taking them to the boundaries of their parishes, sent them away, without offering them further violence. The wonder is that many of these wretched men had not to atone with their lives for the system of espionage which they had employed, and the cruelties they had been instrumental in having inflicted upon their defenceless Protestant brethren. The clemency of the Presbyterians toward their enemies, in this the hour of their triumph, is one of the strongest evidences that can be adduced of their humane disposition and that they possessed the true spirit of the gospel—a gospel of peace and brotherly kindness.

The English people united with those of Scotland, in declaring that James had violated the fundamental laws of the kingdom and had forfeited his right to the government, and in placing the prince of Orange on the vacant throne. William lost no time in calling together the leading Scottish noblemen and gentlemen who were in London, to counsel with them as to the best method to secure the civil and religious liberties of the country. They advised that a representative convention should be held in Edinburgh, and that in the selection of members all Protestants should have the right of ballot and of serving as members. The convention met on the 14th of March, 1689, when it ratified the acts of the English legislature and adopted measures for settling the government. In the Claim of Right, which forms the basis of the settlement to which they gave their assent, it is asserted “that prelacy and the superiority of any office in the Church above presbyters is and hath been a great and insupportable grievance and trouble to this nation, and contrary to the inclinations of the generality of the people ever since the Reformation, they having been reformed from popery by presbyters, and therefore ought to be abolished.” And when the convention assumed the status of a Parliament by permission of the king, they passed an act “abolishing prelacy and all superiority of any office in the Church above presbyters,” and rescinded all acts of previous Parliaments by which prelacy had been established. Through the desire of the king, who favored, for State reasons, a union of the prelatic clergy and the Presbyterian ministers in one and the same Church, the complete settlement of the question of church government was deferred until the next Parliament.

This met in April, 1690, and was chiefly occupied with ecclesiastical matters. The act of supremacy, the fruitful source of persecution in previous reigns, and against which the Presbyterian Church steadily and uniformly protested, was formally repealed. The ejected Presbyterian ministers who yet survived were restored to their churches, and the prelatic incumbents were ordered to be removed from the usurped parishes. Sixty of those who had been compelled to give up their parishes in 1661 were still living, and were by this act allowed to enter upon their duties and receive their salaries. The fines and forfeitures of the persecuted were removed, and the laws against conventicles and nonconformity, as well as all the tests and oaths, with their fearful penalties, were repealed. On the 7th of June, 1690, the memorable act was passed “ratifying the Confession of Faith and settling Presbyterian church government.” The Presbyterian government is characterized in this act as “the government of Christ’s Church within this nation agreeable to the word of God, and most conducive to the advancement of true piety and godliness;” and taking the statute of 1592 as the model, the different courts, sessions, presbyteries, synods and General Assemblies were restored. The members of these courts were declared to be the Presbyterian ministers who had been ejected and who were now restored to their livings, and such ministers and elders as they have or may hereafter admit.

previous page | contents | start of chapter | next page