Covenant always seemed to give the Church about ten years of
extraordinary prosperity. The Holy Spirit descended in power,
multiplying the ministry and membership exceedingly. New congregations
sprang up in the towns and in the country, and were shepherded by
faithful ministers. True religion, bringing peace, comfort, and
gladness, entered the homes of the people and lodged with them. The
melody of joy and health was heard in their dwellings. The family altar
made the humblest house the Holy of Holies where God was enthroned on
His Mercy Seat, and the lowliest family was a royal priesthood
ministering unto God in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Yet all this time the Church suffered violence. She had become a bright
target upon which Satan concentrated the fire of his heaviest artillery.
One onslaught followed another with vengeful malice. The gates of hell
opened wide and the floods dashed fiercely against her; but she was
built upon a Rock, and that Rock was Christ. She was in alliance with
the Lord. Her people were steadfast in their Covenant; they were united,
full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; therefore the distresses resulted
only in her growth.
When the king heard that the General Assembly was in session contrary to
his will and acting directly in violation of his decree, he was filled
with wrath. Having sent Hamilton to use policy and craftiness, and
thereby gain time, he mustered an army of nearly 50,000 men, with which
to punish the Covenanters. He also sent a fleet to co-operate with the
land forces. Absolute subjugation was determined. These people must be
despoiled of conscience, liberty, divine worship, religious rights--all
that is most sacred to the human heart. The army is coming. Men, women,
and children must feel the weight of the horses' hoofs and the
warriors' boots, just because they have joined themselves to the Lord in
a Covenant, and are living the life of faith on the Son of God.
The Covenanters were not dismayed, yet they hesitated to accept war.
Would it be right to take up arms against the government? Ought they to
go forth against their king in battle? Should they use the weapons that
are carnal, and engage in the shedding of blood? Such questions lay
heavy upon their hearts. They pondered, prayed, and fasted, that they
might reach a decision in the fear of God. Finally they resolved to make
their defence by force of arms. Their cause was just. Momentous issues
were involved; their Covenant with God, the supremacy of Jesus Christ,
the independence of the Church, the liberty of conscience, the purity of
Divine worship, the rights of citizenship, the heritage of future
generations, the progress of Christian civilization--all this appealed
to the Covenanters for defence. The trumpet of war sounded, and the
sturdy sons of the Covenant quickly responded.
General Alexander Leslie was at the head of the Covenanted army. He led
his forces with rapid marches to meet the king. Friendly troops
converged upon him on the way from all parts of Scotland till his
command numbered 24,000 men. They presented a formidable array. These
soldiers of the Covenant were marching to victory or to death. Courage
in the countenance and firmness in the step told of an unconquerable
purpose. Onward moved the resolute columns. Every day brought them
nearer the royal hosts that would test their strength. The sight was
thrilling; solid ranks of infantry, sword-girded cavalry, stalwart
cannoneers, and floating banners. The Psalms reverberated among the
hills in worship morning and evening. Well might King Charles pause ere
he strike against this host of God.
[Illustration: MEMORIAL STONE OF CAPTAIN PATON.
Captain Paton was a brave defender of the Covenanters. His exploits in
different battles are noted as extraordinary. Finally he was captured
and, on May 9, 1684, executed in Edinburgh. In his last words he
exhorted the people, saying, "Let your way be the good old path, the
Word of God." His joy on the scaffold was triumphant. This memorial
stone is at Fenwick.]
One day the Covenanters from an eminence beheld their enemy at a
distance of six miles. General Leslie halted, arranging his troops on
sloping grounds, facing the foe. There he prepared for action. Forty
pieces of cannon bristled along the oval summit; the musketry and
swordmen were placed on the hillside and outstretching plain. The
encampment presented an appearance unusual in warfare. At the tent-door
of each captain the ensign of the Covenant was unfurled. On the banner
was inscribed in letters of gold the soul-stirring motto:
FOR CHRIST'S CROWN AND COVENANT.
As the flag rose and fell on the soft summer winds, the men were
reminded of the sacred cause which they loved more than their lives. A
chaplain of highest character was assigned to each regiment. Every
morning and evening the men were summoned by the beat of drum for the
worship of their God. Such were the Covenanters as they waited in the
presence of their foes for a sanguinary struggle. How often they sang
the 3rd Psalm, the 27th, and the 72nd, we know not. The Psalms were the
lion's marrow upon which these lion-hearted heroes fed.
The Covenanters did not want to give battle; they were merely on the
defensive. They loved peace and longed for it. They shuddered at the
horror of civil war and would avoid it if at all within their power.
They sent an embassy asking for a conference. The king, knowing the
spirit and power of the men with whom he had to deal, consented. During
the negotiations for peace, the king hesitated to grant the Covenanters
their demand. They would have nothing less than a free General Assembly
and a Parliament. The king would not consent. Gen. Leslie replied by
announcing his intention to advance his army within gunshot of the
king's camp. This persuaded the king to come to terms, and a treaty of
peace was ratified, by which the Covenanters received, on paper, all
they asked. The Covenanters returned to their homes rejoicing in their
Covenant Lord, who had given them the victory without the cost of blood,
and in their homes profound gratitude arose to God in their morning and
evening service of worship.
The people continued steadfast in their Covenant, enjoying the rights
and privileges of the children of God for a time. The Lord showered His
blessings upon them. Their increase in power and numbers was marvelous.
The king again became alarmed. He resolved on war once more, and within
a year was at the head of another army, determined to reduce the
Covenanters and bring them into subjection to his arbitrary will.
The Covenanted fathers would surrender nothing in which the honor of the
Church and the glory of Christ were involved. They were very jealous
concerning all moral obligations and religious truth. They had
convictions, conscience, intelligence, and the fear of God, and dared to
fight for the right. They distinguished pillars of granite from columns
of brick, and were not confused. They knew that gold dust was gold, and
saved the dust as well as the ingots; they would sacrifice nothing. Can
not we get a lesson here that will make the heart throb and the cheeks
burn, as we view the faithfulness and heroism of these Covenanted
ancestors?
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. What two great events in the Church transpired in 1638?
2. What growth did the Church experience in the next ten years?
3. What new danger loomed up?
4. How did the Covenanters meet the king's army?
5. Describe the army of the Covenanters.
6. How was this struggle ended?
7. How did the king keep his promise?
8. What lessons may we derive from the fathers?
XVI.
THE SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT.--A.D. 1643.
The Solemn League and Covenant touches a tender chord in the heart of
every true Covenanter. It is a solitaire of statesmanship; a precious
jewel of international law, unique and alone; there is nothing like it
in the world. The historical setting of this lustrous stone is intensely
interesting. Out of what mine did the priceless diamond come? By whose
skill was it so admirably cut and polished? By whose hand was it set in
its own historic foil? Such questions are worthy of serious and earnest
thought.
King Charles' war flurry against the Covenanters, in 1639, brought him
no honor. Out-matched on the field, outdone in diplomacy, and utterly
defeated in his purpose, he returned to London greatly humiliated. The
journey was long and dreary, even though he rode in his stately carriage
and behind swiftest horses, for he was chafing over his failure to
reduce the Covenanters. In his palace also he found no comfort, his
magnificent apartments brought him no restfulness. He brooded over his
ill-fortune till his blood was tinctured with acid and his heart
soured; a malignant spirit spread its dark wings over him. He had failed
in his military operations; the Covenanters were stronger and more
independent than hitherto; his Prelatic friends were aggrieved with his
treaty of peace; his power to tyrannize over the public conscience was
waning. Such thoughts racked his brain and wrecked his peace of mind. He
grew sullen, miserable, desperate. It was this passionate and despotic
temperament that carried him into the second war with these Covenanters
whom he so thoroughly hated.
The Covenanters were yet truly loyal to their king. Their loyalty was
high-principled and self-sacrificing, yet at the same time
discriminating. They bound themselves by their Covenant to be true to
their king and their country. The Covenant recognized the king and the
people to be equally under the law of God, subjects of the moral
government of Jesus Christ. While he occupied his rightful place and
exercised legitimate power, they would stand by him till their blood and
treasures were alike exhausted. Such was their oath of loyalty, and it
was kept with sacred care. But they resisted his authority at the point
where he attempted to crush conscience, rule the Church, and usurp the
royal prerogatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is KING OF KINGS. There
they drew the line, and drew it so clear, that all the world might see
it, and the blindest king might pause, consider, and not pass beyond.
There they uttered their solemn protest with the Bible in one hand and
the sword in the other. Such encroachments on their rights and
liberties, and upon the honor and supremacy of Jesus Christ, they met on
the battlefield, when peaceful measures had failed. While these
interests were at stake they counted not their lives dear.
[Illustration: THE MARTYRS' MONUMENT, EDINBURGH.
This monument honors the memory of the martyrs who were executed at the
Grass Market. It stands in Greyfriars' churchyard at the head of a small
plot of ground, where about 100 bodies were at sundry times heaped
together. Here lies the dust of Argyle, Guthrie, Warriston, Cargill,
Renwick, and others of equal fame and faithfulness in the Covenant.]
The king on this second occasion collected an army of 21,000 men--all he
could then muster--and hastened to punish the Covenanters. He was not
able at this time to rally the hosts of England; that kingdom was not in
sympathy with his enterprise. His haughty will and arbitrary measures
had alienated the strength of England from his support. The English
Parliament was like a trembling volcano, ready to break out and involve
his throne in ruins. A revolution from monarchy to democracy was sending
its advance swell over the land like a tidal wave.
The Covenanters, ever loving peace and hating war, had exhausted all
honorable measures to avoid a conflict with their king on the
battlefield. Their efforts however having failed, again the call to arms
resounded through their peaceful glens and over their granite hills. The
shepherd again left his flock, the workman closed his shop, the plowman
released his team, and the minister took leave of his people to follow
the fiery war-cloud. Again the banner was unfurled for CHRIST'S CROWN
AND COVENANT; the silken folds rose and fell on the breeze; the golden
letters and sacred motto flashed upon the eyes of the men who were
willing to follow where it led. Gen. Leslie was again in command. He
boldly crossed the Tweed and hastened to give the king battle on English
soil. The armies having come within range of each other, the usual lull
before the battle ensued. The Covenanted columns, standing under their
colors and gleaming with arms and armor in the bright August sun, struck
terror once more to the king's heart. He dreaded to meet this sea of
living, fiery valor, rolling its waves into his very camp. He saw, as on
the first occasion, that a treaty was the better part of valor and
offered peace. The terms being concluded, the Covenanters returned to
their homes, not knowing how long the peace would last.
England, too, was at this time greatly agitated. She was making a
desperate effort to throw off the galling despotism of King Charles. The
spirit of progress, enlightenment, and liberty was deeply stirring the
people; they were eagerly reaching after a higher and nobler life. The
grand possibilities of improvement and happiness filled them with
visions of better things, and they grew desperate in their purpose to
obtain freedom. Continued subjection to the heartless autocrat became
intolerable.
There was public indignation likewise against Prelacy, for by it the
king was inspired and upheld. In the State the revolt was from monarchy
to democracy: in the Church, from Episcopacy to Presbyterianism. The
king, as the head of the Episcopal Church, not only exercised
jurisdiction over her, but used her as an instrument to enforce his
arbitrary will over the people. The king mounted his war horse once
more. This time it was English against English. Strong armies were
mustered on each side. For four long years a civil war swept the unhappy
kingdom, victory perching alternately on the opposing banners. This was
a war of the Parliament against the king, British rule against brutish
rule, humanity against despotism. Scotland watched the struggle of her
sister kingdom with deepest interest. On the one side she was attached
to her king, notwithstanding his incorrigibleness; on the other, she was
devoted to the principles involved, including the independence of the
Church.
While the war-cloud was thickening, the English Parliament sent a
delegation to Scotland to consult with the Covenanters in expectation of
receiving aid. The question was entrusted to a Joint Commission. The
deliberations were deep and far-reaching; the men in council were among
the wisest and best in the two kingdoms. They weighed the momentous
interests involved in the pending war, that eventually convulsed England
and watered her soil with fraternal blood. The liberty of both
kingdoms, the progress of the Gospel, the purity of religion, the
independence of the Church, the inheritance of the Covenants, the onward
movement of Christianity--yea, their own homes, possessions, liberties,
and lives--all were at stake in the crisis that darkened the land. These
men turned to God in prayer to meet the task that burdened their hearts
and taxed their wisdom.
Dangers, too, were thickening around Scotland as well as England, like
storm-clouds concentrating for a destructive outburst. The king was
planning to restore the Scottish Prelacy to power; he still hoped to
fight his way victoriously into Edinburgh; he had hired an army of
10,000 men to invade Scotland; he had watched with apparent complacency,
we will not say his sanction, the slaughter of 200,000 Protestants in
Ireland by the Papists. Such were the conditions in both kingdoms, which
these counselors had to face. Dark were the days when this Joint
Commission was in session. Scotland was harassed by internal foes,
England was convulsed in a dreadful strife, and poor Ireland lay
bleeding from a thousand wounds. But here was a band of men whose hearts
reached up to God for counsel, and they were made equal to the occasion.
They knew how to take hold upon Omnipotence and secure the help of
heaven. They had access to the Eternal Throne, and were able to call
into service God's chariots and angels, and fill the mountains with
armies which, though invisible to mortal eyes, were invincible in the
presence of all the hosts of the king, and all the legions of Satan.
Listen to the cry that goes up from that Council Chamber--"The
Covenants! The Covenants!"
Scotland had a beaten path up the mountain of God, leading to the
ever-available Covenant. Again she climbs the heights, and this time
leads her two trembling sisters, England and Ireland, by the hand. And
there, on the top of the mountain where the glory of the Lord shines
like the sun in his strength, the three kingdoms, Scotland, England, and
Ireland, enter into THE SOLEMN LEAGUE AND COVENANT.
We would appreciate our Covenanted privileges more highly, if we
considered more carefully the difficulties our ancestors overcame in
reaching the Covenant heights. Let us take heed lest, like a foolish
heir squandering his father's wealth, we waste our inheritance, which is
more precious than gold, more priceless than life.
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. How did the Covenanters meet the king's second appeal to arms?
2. How was England disturbed at this time?
3. What Joint Commission was then created?
4. What was its purpose?
5. What did it accomplish?
6. What was the intention of the Solemn League and Covenant?
7. Why should we appreciate our Covenanted inheritance?
XVII.
HIGH IDEALS BY THE COVENANTED FATHERS.--A.D. 1643.
The Solemn League and Covenant of Scotland, England, and Ireland is the
high-water mark in the moral progress of nations. But the flood of
Divine glory, which then covered these three kingdoms, quickly subsided
and has remained ever since far below that conspicuous mark. God honored
these nations with the greatest privilege accorded to Civil society, and
brought them into the most blessed relation to himself. But they lightly
esteemed the favor and revolted from the Covenant. He therefore hid His
countenance, withdrawing the assistance and protection which they so
gratefully accepted in distress, but deceitfully rejected when
prosperity returned. The relapse threw them suddenly into direful
conditions of misrule, oppression, and profuse bloodshed, which
continued nearly half a century.
The Covenant of the three kingdoms, though short-lived in its beneficent
effect, was of immense value to the world. Like the morning star, it
heralded the coming of a bright day to all nations. The star may be
hidden by thickening clouds, but the sun will not fail to rise. This
Covenant stands as a pledge of the ultimate condition of all nations,
points the way into the shining heights of God's favor, and warns
against the aggravated sin of breaking relation with the Lord. It was
the first blast of the trumpet that will one day announce the submission
of the kingdoms of the world to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scottish fathers evidently regarded Covenanted union as the normal
relation existing between God and man, God and the Church, God and all
the nations. Any thing less than this was, in their estimation,
sub-normal, imperfect, unworthy, dangerous, disastrous to man, and
offensive to God. They loved their Covenant, flew to it in times of
danger as doves to the clefts of the rock, and reproached themselves for
lightly esteeming the inestimable privilege.
These Covenanters took their position at the throne of the Lord Jesus,
and contemplated with rapturous delight His many crowns and the
magnificence of His kingdom. Their vast horizon took in heaven and
earth, time and eternity, God and man. In their eyes the affairs of the
world fell into subordinate relations, while the interests of the Church
loomed up in over-awing proportions.
The high ideal for nations entertained by the Covenanters of Scotland
will hardly be excelled while the world lasts. The Lord gave them a
vision of what their country should be: enlightened with the Gospel,
governed in righteousness, protected by Omnipotence, adorned with
churches, a school in every parish, and a college in every city. The
land in that vision was married to the Lord--Beulah was her name. All
destroying vices had fled, all public evils were rooted out. The heavens
were beneficent, the soil yielded its increase, business was prosperous,
the armies were victorious, the rulers were God's ministers, the homes
were filled with peace and plenty, and resounded with the melody of
praise. Such was their conception of the blessed nation whose God is the
Lord.
[Illustration: RUTHERFORD IN PRISON.
Samuel Rutherford was a devoted minister and faithful Covenanter. He had
charge of a congregation at Anwoth, from whence he was driven by
persecution. For a time he was compelled to abide in Aberdeen. Here he
wrote the famous "Letters" that sparkle like rubies, with precious
thoughts. Out of his heart flowed "rivers of living water." Such
spirituality is seldom seen in mortals. His enemies sought his life, yet
God permitted him to die on a peaceful deathbed. A vision of heaven
seemed to break upon his soul in his last moments, and he died,
exclaiming, "Glory, Glory in Immanuel's land."]
All this was embodied in the Solemn League and Covenant. By analyzing
that international bond we find that it expresses or implies the
following:
Nations originate with God, are dependent on His will, subject to His
authority, and accountable at His throne.
They are placed under Jesus Christ to be employed by Him to the glory of
God the Father.
The chief end of Civil Government is to suppress wickedness and promote
righteousness, and thus prepare the way for the coming of the kingdom of
our Lord.
Civil rulers are God's ministers, and as such, should serve the Lord
Jesus Christ by conserving true religion.
Civil rulers should be interested in the union of the Churches, in
Doctrine, Worship, Discipline, and Government, according to the
Scriptures.
Civil Government should suppress in Church and State all features of
society that are openly criminal or publicly injurious.
The people should enter into a solemn Covenant with their rulers and
with God, to place themselves and their possessions in readiness to
sustain the government in its legitimate work.
The nation that keeps Covenant with God shall dwell in safety, grow in
power, and enjoy enduring prosperity.
Such was the Solemn League and Covenant.
Have the principles of Civil government ever had an enunciation so
candid and heroic, so sublime and comprehensive, so ennobling to man and
honoring to God? These principles were not flashes of a high-wrought
imagination; they were practical. The Covenanted fathers reduced them to
practice. These nations embodied them. The time was short, yet long
enough for a demonstration.
What dignity rests on the State that is federally and loyally connected
with the empire of the Lord Jesus Christ! How great the security and
excellence of the government that abides under the banner of Christ! How
powerful and happy the people who are exalted into favor with heaven by
a Covenant that binds God and man! Such was the ideal entertained by
the Scottish fathers; and by heroic self-sacrificing effort, they
exalted the three kingdoms into the untrodden heights. These nations
caught glimpses of the glory, basked for a season in the brilliancy,
tasted the sweetness of the banquet, breathed the exhilarating air, then
fell back. By the perfidy of man the vision was shattered and the
idealization wrecked.
We shudder at the loss incurred by these kingdoms in their decline from
their Covenant. What would have been their eminence among nations had
the terms of the Covenant been fulfilled? What would have been their
power and prestige had they, by keeping their Covenant, been sheltered
for the last two and a half centuries from the ravages of rum and Rome,
misrule and tyranny, the violence of unscrupulous men and the wrath of
the offended Lord? What numerous posterity! what fruitful fields! what
prodigious wealth! what industrial prosperity! what educational
institutions! what unparalleled progress! what inexhaustible resources
for development at home and achievements abroad! Enjoying the glorious
millennium two hundred and fifty years ahead of the rest of the
world--what such a start would have done for the British Isles is past
finding out.
Priest-ridden Ireland failed because at that time her best blood was
soaking the roots of her green meadows; the massacre of her Protestants
by the Romanists had left her low. Half-hearted England failed because
treachery was lurking in her ranks from the beginning. But Scotland! Oh,
Scotland, wherefore didst thou doubt? Wherefore turned ye back, ye sons
of the mighty, lacking neither bows nor other arms? Heroes of the
Covenant, why fainted ye in the day of battle? Shame on Scotland. The
high places of the field, where once the banner for Christ's Crown and
Covenant triumphantly waved, testify against thy treason.
But the Standard unfurled by the Covenanters of Scotland has not been
altogether forsaken. A devoted band of Christ's soldiers still remain
underneath its waving folds. Few, yet fearless, they hold the ground.
There they sustain, day and night, the attacks of the world, the flesh,
and the devil. Their position is ridiculed as impractical; they are
galled by the fire of deserters; they are assailed by the arguments of
statesmen; they are reproached by their own brethren; they are shelled
by Satan's heaviest guns. A thousand voices are shouting, "Abandon your
impracticable position. Come down; ye men of the Covenant, come down."
But the reply is returned in unfaltering tones, "We will not; we cannot.
These heights of righteousness have once been reached by three kingdoms;
they will yet return to the Lord and renew their Covenant, leading other
nations in triumphal procession. They are coming; they are coming. 'All
the kings of the earth shall praise thee O Lord, when they hear the
words of thy mouth; yea, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for
great is the glory of the Lord.'"
Alexander Henderson, who wrote the Solemn League and Covenant, displayed
therein statesmanship of the highest order. Great men are scarce who can
be compared with Henderson to advantage. Wellington, Nelson, Howard,
Gladstone, and Livingstone; these form a brilliant constellation; but
Henderson is bright as a morning star. He set the pace for the future
statesmen, who will yet lead the nations to God in Covenant and place
the crown of national homage on the head of Jesus Christ.
The Covenanter who abides by his Covenant is the truest patriot. The
greatest service that can be rendered to the country is the presentation
of God's ideal for nations.
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. How long did the Solemn League and Covenant remain in force?
2. What is its permanent use to the nations?
3. What was the Covenanters' ideal for nations?
4. Give the substance of the Solemn League and Covenant.
5. What caused these nations to abandon the Covenant?
6. Is the Covenant position still held by any?
7. How is truest patriotism best displayed?
XVIII.
THE WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY.--A.D. 1643.
The Covenanted Church is much indebted to the Westminster Assembly, for
its magnificent contributions to the Reformed religion. Presbyterian
Churches of every name have reaped rich harvests from the seed sown by
this Assembly.
Nothing has done more, if the Covenants be excepted, to give the
Covenanted Church decision, stability, permanence, spiritedness, and
undecaying strength, than the superlative formulas of truth produced by
this illustrious Assembly. Our inheritance received from their hands
should awaken our admiration for the men and our interest in their work.
ORIGIN.
This Assembly came into existence in peculiar times and for a remarkable
purpose. England was goaded to desperation by the despotism of King
Charles. As king of that nation and head of the Episcopal Church, he
attempted to stifle liberty and conquer conscience. He clashed with his
parliament in London. A great awakening had suddenly spread over all
England. New ideas of life electrified the people, and they arose in the
majesty of their inalienable rights to realize their ideals. The action
and reaction became terrible. The king and the parliament called out
their armies each against the other. England was plunged into a horrible
civil war. The parliament, perceiving that Episcopacy was the bulwark of
the king's tyranny and hostile to the interests of the people, attempted
to abolish that system of Church government. But this destructive act
necessitated a constructive work. Accordingly parliament, by an
ordinance, created an Assembly for "settling the Government and Liturgy
of the Church of England."
CHARACTER OF THE MEMBERS.
The ordinance provided for an Assembly of "learned, Godly, and judicious
divines." Milton, while not in sympathy with their work, called this
"The Select Assembly." Baxter, another disapproving contemporary, said,
"that in his judgment the world, since the days of the apostles, had
never a Synod of more excellent divines than this and the Synod of
Dort." Abundant evidence certifies that in Westminster Hall, in those
days was seen a rare combination of native talent, classic learning,
sanctified conscience, spiritual illumination, and devotion to the truth
as revealed in the Word of God.
ENROLLMENT.
The complete number of members was 174, of which 142 were ministers, and
32, elders. Of this number, four ministers and two elders were
commissioners from Scotland. The Scottish delegation of divines were men
mighty in the Scriptures and powerful in debate. Their influence in
making Scripture truths lucid, and thereby directing the Assembly to
right conclusions, was deeply felt and cordially acknowledged. They
declined to sit as regular members of the Assembly, content with the
humbler position of consultative members. They would not by
incorporation become responsible, personally or representatively, for
the deliverances of an Assembly selected and erected by parliament.
These Scotch ministers form a brilliant constellation; let their names
be written in capitals:
ALEXANDER HENDERSON ROBERT BAILLIE
SAMUEL RUTHERFORD GEORGE GILLESPIE
"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament,
and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and
ever." The Scottish elders were John Maitland and Archibald Johnston.
Maitland in after years renounced the Covenant and became a powerful foe
of the Covenanters.
[Illustration: WESTMINSTER ASSEMBLY.
The Westminster Assembly met in London in 1643. The roll of members
contained 174 names, of which 142 were divines and 32 selected from
parliament. The Covenanters of Scotland were represented by 6
commissioners, of whom 4 were ministers. This Assembly produced the
Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the Directory
for Public Worship, and the Form of Church Government. These excellent
formulas of Divine truth are carefully compiled and finely polished,
and, being true to the Bible, they will scarcely ever be surpassed.]
ORGANIZATION.
The Assembly met according to the call, July 1, 1643, in the Church of
Westminster. Dr. William Twisse, President, preached the opening sermon
from Christ's precious promise, "I will not leave you comfortless."
These word's were as apples of gold in pictures of silver, in those
days of woeful distraction. One week later they met again, when the oath
was administered to every member present, in the following words:
"I,--------, do seriously and solemnly protest, in the presence of
Almighty God, that in this Assembly, whereof I am a member, I will not
maintain anything in matters of doctrine, but what I think in my
conscience to be truth; or in point of discipline, but what I shall
conceive to conduce most to the glory of God, and the good and peace of
His Church."
This oath was read every Monday morning to refresh memory and revive
conscience. These men were working for the Kingdom of Christ, in the
presence of the great white Throne; its brightness was flashing
constantly upon their eyes.
THE WORK.
The work, to which the Assembly gave its attention, as specified by
parliament, was "(1) A Confession of Faith, (2) A Catechism, (3) A
Platform of Government, (4) A Directory for all Parts of Public
Worship."
The Confession of Faith: The first attempt was to revise the old creed
of the Church of England. This was abandoned at the Fifteenth Article. A
New Confession was then prepared having Thirty-three Articles, all of
which are pillars of truth, every one ponderous, polished, and precious,
revealing the quarry out of which they were hewn, and the skill of the
workmen by whom they were chiselled. Henderson has been credited with
the honor of preparing the first draft.
The Catechisms: The Shorter Catechism was prepared as a summary of
Biblical instruction, appealing even by its literary construction and
elegance to the heart and memory for lodgment. This golden chain is an
ornament of grace that should be worn by every son and daughter of the
Covenant. Rutherford seems to have been the original writer. The Larger
Catechism is an expansion of the Shorter.
The Form of Church Government: The Divine right of Presbyterianism
occasioned much discussion. The adoption of this principle was a deadly
blow struck at the theory of Episcopacy--official ranks, tier above
tier, in pyramidal form with the people beneath the pyramid. Equal
authority of ministers in the administration of the Gospel of Christ,
and equal authority of ministers and elders in administering government
in the House of God--these were the great truths announced by the
Assembly with clearness and solemnity, as the voice of God speaking in
the holy Scriptures.
The Directory for Public Worship: This Directory superseded the Liturgy.
The Liturgy had been condemned for "giving encouragement to an idle and
unedifying ministry, who had chosen rather to confine themselves to
forms, made to their hands, than to exert themselves in the gift of
prayer, which our Saviour furnishes all those He calls to that office."
A warm discussion arose concerning the mode of receiving the Lord's
Supper. "The communicants orderly and gravely sitting round the table,"
was the expression adopted. Successive tables received sanction from
this expression.
PSALMODY.
Sir Francis Rouse, a member of the English Parliament, had recently
produced his Metrical Version of the Psalms. It was fresh and fragrant
and greatly admired. The Assembly after a careful revision adopted it.
Five years later, having passed through the purifying furnace of
revision at the hands of the General Assembly of Scotland, it was
authorized as "The only paraphrase of the Psalms of David to be sung in
the Kirk of Scotland." The New Version superseded the Old and took its
place in Divine worship on May 1, 1650, the day appointed for its
introduction by the Assembly.
The Westminster Assembly convened July 1, 1643, and adjourned February
22, 1649, covering 5 years, 6 months, and 22 days, having held 1,163
sessions. They met at nine o'clock in the morning and sat till three in
the afternoon. Each member received four shillings a day, and were fined
one shilling for absence. They kept a solemn fast monthly, at which
occasionally a single prayer lasted two hours. These men knew how to
pray. They became absorbed in prayer and talked with God while He
strengthened them to stand in His presence and receive His answer.
Such was the famous Assembly of Westminster divines. The magnitude of
their work can never be measured. Their building is imperishable.
Familiarity with these manuals of doctrine will deepen, broaden,
strengthen, and exalt the human mind. Herein the truth of Christ appears
in the symmetry, significance, magnitude, and omnipotence of a complete
system. One truth may take us to heaven, but the system of truth
treasured up in the heart, will bring heaven to us. Let us study the
system.
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. What event called the Westminster Assembly into being?
2. What was the character of the members?
3. How many were enrolled?
4. Who were the Scottish commissioners?
5. What was the oath of membership?
6. What was the work assigned to the Assembly?
7. How long did the Assembly sit?
8. What benefit derived from the study of these manuals?
XIX.
DIVISION IN THE COVENANTED RANKS.--A.D. 1648.
The 1638 Covenant produced gratifying results in the Presbyterian Church
of Scotland. She was revived, enlarged, strengthened, consolidated, and
fortified beyond precedent. Ten years of marvelous prosperity followed,
and yet she had no easy road to travel. She was still beset by dangers;
enemies were plotting her overthrow; wars were convulsing the country;
the external conditions were extremely adverse; yet she grew, waxed
mighty, and became irresistible in the work of the Gospel. The Church
honored the Lord in His holy Covenant, and He honored her with growth,
success, and victory in the presence of her foes. He was a wall of fire
round about her, and the glory in the midst thereof. These were years of
phenomenal power and splendor unto the Covenanted Church.
Then followed the gloaming. The evening of that prosperous day grew very
dark; the darkness increased for forty years; ten thousand midnights
seemed to have condensed their horrid blackness upon Scotland and her
prostrated Church. At length the storm of fire and blood exhausted
itself, but not till a whole generation had wasted away in the anguish
of that protracted persecution. The steps that led to the Church's
prostration and decimation, we may trace with profit; but as it is
crimsoned with the blood of the brave, and marked with many a martyr's
grave, the eye will oft be moist and the heart sick.
While the Church stood to her Covenant, she was like an impregnable
fortress, or an invincible army. While she held the truth tenaciously in
her General Assembly, presbyteries, and sessions, and applied it
effectively, she spread forth her roots like Lebanon. But when doubt and
fear, plans and policy, compromise and temporizing entered into her
councils, her gold became dim and her sword pewter. The Lord went not
with her armies into the battle, and they fainted and fell on the field.
A brief review is necessary to understand the situation.
The Solemn League and Covenant, in 1643, gave the Covenanted Church of
Scotland a mighty impetus in the right direction, but its effect for
good was brief. The League united the kingdoms of Scotland, England, and
Ireland; and the Covenant placed them under obligations to one another
and to God. These kingdoms were thereby exalted beyond measure in
privilege. The sacred bond had been prepared by the Joint Commission
that represented England and Scotland, the initial step having been
taken by the English Parliament. The king and the parliament were then
at strife. The dominating spirit of Charles, which harassed Scotland had
provoked hostility in England; the strength of that kingdom was nearly
equally divided between the two parties. The people of England, who
aspired after liberty and felt the throb of nobler manhood in their
pulse, had asked Scotland to combine forces against the oppressor. The
outcome was the Solemn League and Covenant which united their armies for
the conflict.
This sacred bond was adopted by the General Assembly of Scotland, the
English Parliament, and the Westminster Assembly of divines. Afterward
it received a prodigious number of signatures by the people in public
and private life, and became quite popular. These kingdoms were thereby
placed under solemn obligation conjointly to conserve the Reformed
religion in Scotland, to reform the religion of England and Ireland, and
to root out all systems of evil in Church and State.
Scotland was far in advance of the other two kingdoms in enlightenment
and liberty. The Covenanted Church had exalted the Lord Jesus as her
Head, and He had exalted her as the light, life, and glory of Scotland.
The vine had spread its branches from sea to sea. The two sisters were
far behind. She undertook to lift them up; the burden was too heavy;
they dragged her down. She was unequally yoked, and the yoke pushed her
astray. Doubtless there were reasons that justified the course she had
taken, but that course led her into a "waste and howling wilderness."
Scotland sent her army to help the English Reformers in their fight for
liberty. The soldiers coming from Covenanted homes, marched, as was
their custom, under the banner emblazoned with the inspiring-words:
FOR CHRIST'S CROWN AND COVENANT.
They were led by General Leslie. Victory followed victory until King
Charles, overwhelmed with defeat, rode into Leslie's camp in disguise
and surrendered as his prisoner.
What now shall be done with the royal captive? This was the question
which called for the wisdom of both nations. The Covenanters urged him
to subscribe the Covenant and return to his throne. He refused. They
pleaded, promising that their flag would lead the forces of Scotland in
his support. He yet refused. They prayed and entreated him with tears to
accept the Covenant and continue his reign. He would not. What could
they then do, but deliver him up to the English army, whose battles they
were fighting?
General Leslie led his command back to Scotland. It was disbanded, for
the land again had rest. The suspense, however, concerning the king was
painful. The Scottish heart yet loved Charles. Though he was false,
cruel, treacherous, and tyrannical, the Covenanters were still devoted
to him as their own king. They prayed, took counsel, sent delegates, did
everything in their power to have him restored. All they asked was his
adherence to the Covenant, their national Constitution of government.
Let him subscribe to this, and Scotland's bravest sons will rally around
him; the Blue Banner will wave over him in bold defiance of every foe.
But he would not yield.
[Illustration: KING CHARLES I.
King Charles I. came to the throne in 1625, and reigned over Scotland,
England, and Ireland, 24 years. His despotic will carried him into great
excesses of cruelty, and brought upon him mountains of trouble. In
Scotland the Covenanters firmly resisted his encroachment upon their
rights and liberties. He was beheaded by the English Parliament in
1649.]
The king was now a prisoner in England. While he lay at Carisbrooke
Castle, the Earl of Lauderdale, a Covenanter of some eminence,
accompanied by the Earl of Lanark, was stealthily admitted into his
presence. These men succeeded in making a compromise. Lauderdale and
Lanark agreed to raise an army to bring the king back. The king in turn
agreed to confirm Presbyterianism for three years; the permanent form of
Church Government to be then determined by an assembly of divines,
assisted by twenty commissioners to be appointed by the king. This
private treaty is known in history as "The Engagement." It contained the
elements of a base and disastrous surrender of principle.
Presbyterianism on probation! Built upon the rock of truth, it lasts
while the rock endures. Presbyterianism to be succeeded by an
uncertainty? How could the Church entrust the government of God's house
to the king's commissioners?
When "The Engagement" became public, the Covenanted Church was plunged
into a debate that wrought havoc. The peaceful sea was struck with a
storm; the angry waves lashed every shore. The compromise failed, but
the Church was infected, weakened, rent, in twain, and for forty years
was unable to stand in the presence of her enemies. Henceforward there
were two parties: those who held to the Covenant, in its clearness,
fulness, pungent energy, and logical deductions; and those who trimmed,
modified, and compromised divine truth, for the sake of numerical
strength and temporal advantage. One party was governed by principle;
the other by expediency. The entering wedge was followed by other
wedges, until the glorious Church of Scotland was chopped and split, and
thrown about into endless disorder,
"As wood which men do cut and cleave
Lies scattered on the ground."
The Church of Jesus Christ may never traffic in the truth. The least
compromise of Gospel principle is treason against the King of heaven.
The terms offered to the world, while in rebellion against Christ,
should be those embodied in General Grant's famous demand--"Unconditional
Surrender." Anything less than this is treachery. The truth of the Lord
Jesus, which cost His blood in its purchase and the blood of martyrs
in its defence, should be maintained to the very last shred, with the
tenacity of unconquerable faith. Unfaithfulness in the least degree
may result in greatest disaster. Once a ship was cast upon the rocks,
and the lives of the passengers were jeopardized simply because the
compass varied, it was said, a millionth part of an inch. It requires
"hair-splitting" to measure a millionth part of an inch, and in certain
cases it is worth while.
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. What reaction followed the ten prosperous years after the Covenant of
1638?
2. Trace the cause of the great distress that befell the Church
3. Why did Scotland aid England with her army?
4. What were the results of the war?
5. How did the Covenanters treat their captive king?
6. What was the agreement known as "The Engagement?"
7. How did it divide the Covenanted Church?
8. What dangers arise from the surrender of truth?
XX.
CROWNING THE PRINCE.--A.D. 1651.
The reign of Charles I. came to an unkingly end. The war between him and
the English Parliament resulted in his utter defeat. He delivered
himself up as a prisoner, and "because he mercy minded not but
persecuted still," mercy refused to spread her white wings over his
guilty soul. He was tried for treason by the British Parliament and
sentenced to death. The trial continued one week, during which the
recital of his misrule and cruel deeds must have intensely harrowed his
soul. He yielded up his life by laying his head upon the block to
receive the executioner's axe. One stroke did the fatal work.
The death of the king was not with the consent of the Covenanters; to
them it was a poignant grief. With all his faults they loved him still
as their king. Had he accepted the Solemn League and Covenant when a
prisoner in their hands, they would have been at his service to restore
his power and kingdom. They still hoped for his reformation, entreated
him to take the Covenant, and pointed him to a triumphal entry into
Edinburgh. They pleaded with the English Parliament to spare his life,
and sent commissioners to prevent his execution. Through his obstinacy
they failed. But that obstinacy he accounted kingly dignity and
inviolable honor. The Covenanters upon hearing of his tragic death
hastened to proclaim his eldest son king in his stead, granting him
the throne on condition of accepting the Solemn League and Covenant,
and ruling the kingdom according to its terms. He was a young man of
nineteen years; "a prince of a comely presence; of a sweet, but
melancholy aspect. His face was regular, handsome, and well-complexioned;
his body strong, healthy, and justly proportioned; and, being of a middle
stature, he was capable of enduring the greatest fatigue."
Charles II. while emerging from his teens faced a golden future. The
providence of God spread before him prospects of greatness, honor, and
success, which the most exalted on earth might have envied. His heart in
its highest aspirations had not yet dreamed of the moral grandeur and
kingly possibilities, that were granted him when the Covenanters called
him to rule their kingdom. Even Solomon, accepting a crown at the same
age, was not more highly favored. Scotland at this time was exalted into
close relation with heaven; the National Covenant had lifted the kingdom
into alliance with God; the people had been emancipated from darkness,
Papacy, and Prelacy; the Gospel of Jesus Christ had overspread the land
with light. The Covenanted Church had flourished marvelously during the
last decade, notwithstanding the storms that swept her borders; her
branches veiled the mountains, and her fruit overhung the valleys; every
parish was adorned with a schoolhouse, and the cities with colleges.
What sublime possibilities for a king at the head of such a nation! Oh,
that the young prince might have a dream in the slumbers of the night
and see God! Oh, for a vision, a prayer, and a gift, that will fit him
for the glory-crested heights of privilege and power to which he has
been advanced! Charles II. failed, and fell from these heavens like
Lucifer.
The young king was crowned by the Covenanters January 1, 1651. The Crown
of Scotland, sparkling with precious stones deeply set in purest gold,
was his splendid New Year's gift. But the gift was more than a crown of
gold and precious stones; it was a symbol of the nation's power, wealth,
people, Covenant, honor, and high relation to God, entrusted to his
keeping.
The coronation took place in the dead of winter. The country was gowned
like a bride in white. But the white on this occasion was not the emblem
of purity; rather was it the pallor of icy death. The rigorous storms
seemed to prophesy of trouble; the very winds were rehearsing a dirge to
be plaintively sung over mountains and moors in the coming years.
A large assembly of Covenanters met at Scone for the crowning of the new
king. There was much enthusiasm, yet beneath it all there flowed a deep
undercurrent of doubt and fear. Rev. Robert Douglas preached the
coronation sermon. The king listened to deep, penetrating, practical
words from the Book of God. The Solemn League and Covenant was read. He
gave his assent to it with an overflow of vehemence. Archibald Campbell,
the Marquis of Argyle, a prominent Covenanter and statesman, then took
the crown in both hands, and, lifting it above the prince with great
solemnity, placed it upon his head, accompanying the act with an
appropriate exhortation. While the oath of office was being
administered, the prince kneeled in apparent humility, and lifted up his
right hand in a solemn appeal to God. At this point he uttered the awful
vow in the presence of the people: "By the Eternal and Almighty God, who
liveth and reigneth forever, I shall observe and keep all that is
contained in this oath." He also said: "I will have no enemies, but the
enemies of the Covenant--no friends, but the friends of the Covenant."
Thus King Charles II. became a radical Covenanter by profession and
protestation in the most solemn manner. Time proved his guilty
duplicity.
The English Parliament, after the execution of Charles I., had passed an
act making it treason to proclaim this prince king. The Covenanters,
having thus elevated Charles to the throne, must now settle accounts
with England on the battlefield.
[Illustration: ARCHBISHOP SHARP
James Sharp was a young Covenanted minister in 1661, but withdrew from
the Covenanters and became a persecutor of the most virulent type. The
land could not bear his cruelties. He lost his life at the hands of a
few men, who had been goaded into desperation by his atrocities. He was
slain while driving across Magus moor in 1679.]
Oliver Cromwell invaded Scotland with a strong force, determined to
unseat Charles. The Covenanters rallied in defence of their king.
Alexander Leslie was once more in command. The two armies were soon
facing each other, but hesitated to strike Both armies were made up of
soldiers of the cross; both had fought for the Solemn League and
Covenant; prayer ascended habitually from both camps; the singing of
Psalms aroused the heroic spirit in each. What wonder if they feared the
shock of battle! At length Leslie moved down from his advantageous
position, and Cromwell ordered an attack. The Covenanters were put to
flight with terrible slaughter.
Had the sweet singer of Israel been on the field after the clash of
arms, doubtless he would have repeated his wail: "How are the mighty
fallen, and the weapons of war perished!" The Covenanters defeated! How!
Why! Ah, there was an Achan in the camp. The king was already perfidious
in the Covenant. His perfidy had blighted the nation, and smitten the
army. Hitherto God had led the armies of the Covenanters; they had won
easy victories, and sometimes bloodless triumphs. But now the Lord turns
His back upon the banner unfurled for His Crown and Covenant.
The dread disaster-sent a wail through all Scotland. The grief was great
and the penitential searchings deep. The pious and prayerful inquired of
the Lord to know the cause of His wrath and the way of deliverance. The
eyes of many were opened to see the shadow of greater calamities
approaching. Argyle, Johnston, Rutherford, Gillespie, and others of
kindred spirit, saw in the last battle the stroke of the Lord for the
sins of the nation. The wrath of God, like a bolt of lightning, had
struck that field and thousands lay dead. Greater retributions were
coming; repentance alone could save the country.
The king attempted to rally his shattered forces. He raised his standard
at Stirling. His army was small; he wanted more men. Hitherto the army
had been recruited from the homes of Covenanters; the rank and file were
the resolute sons of the Covenant. The Scottish Parliament in bygone
years had made a law called the "Act of Classes", by which only those
who had taken the Covenant were eligible to office in the government, or
position in the army. The statesmanship of the Scottish fathers was
profound; their military wisdom was from above. Civil government is
God's gift to man. Why entrust it to other than His people? The military
power is to guard this trust. Why commit the guardianship to any but the
loyal servants of the Lord Jesus Christ?
The king had the Act of Classes repealed that he might increase his
army. He multiplied his regiments, but forgot "The sword of the Lord,
and of Gideon." Three hundred may be better than thirty thousand. He
accepted battle once more with Cromwell, suffered a terrible defeat,
escaped from the country and remained an exile nine years. All honor to
Gen. Leslie, and other faithful officers, who refused to serve after the
ranks had been filled with men who feared not God nor regarded His
Covenant!
Can we here find a lesson to lay upon our hearts? Covenanting with God
is, possibly, the highest privilege on earth; Covenant-breaking is,
possibly, the most dangerous sin. What can be worse? The
Covenant-breaker destroys much good; brings wrath upon himself, and
defeat, sorrow, and distress upon those whom he represents.
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. How was the reign of King Charles I. ended?
2. What effort on the part of the Covenanters to secure a successor?
3. What were the prospects of the young prince?
4. What brought ruin upon him?
5. Why were the Covenanters now compelled to meet the English in battle?
6. With what result?
7. What was the "Act of Classes."
8. Why was it repealed?
9. What was the effect?
10. What heinousness lies in Covenant-breaking?
XXI.
A SIFTING TIME--A.D. 1653.
We now enter the most serious period in the history of the Covenanters.
Hitherto we have been on the skirmish line. All we have yet reviewed has
been leading up to the desperate and sanguinary struggle, which lasted
twenty-eight years, costing treasures of blood and indescribable
suffering, yet finally resulting in the wealthy heritage of liberty,
enlightenment, and religion, which we now enjoy.
Oliver Cromwell, having defeated King Charles, ruled Scotland five
years. He was titled "Lord Protector", but in reality was a Dictator.
The government was centered more than ever in one man. Many strange
qualities blended in this austere autocrat, some of which command our
admiration. He was stern and painfully severe, yet much sagacity and
justice characterized his administration. During his sway of power the
Reformed Churches in his own realms and on the Continent were by him
heroically defended. He became, in the hand of the Lord, "the shadow of
a great rock in a weary land." The persecuted found shelter under his
shadow, in the providence of the Lord. He avenged the massacre of the
Protestants in Ireland, halted the persecution of Christians on the
Continent, and gave Rome the alternative, to cease the work of
slaughter, or listen to the thunder of his legions at her gates.
The Church of the Covenanters however had strange experience at the
hands of Cromwell. In a ruthless and despotic manner he dissolved the
General Assembly, put the Supreme Court of God's house out of existence
to appear no more for thirty-five years. The meeting previous to this
act of violence had been held in the mid-summer of 1653. The ministers
and elders had come from all parts of Scotland, to sit in counsel, or
rather in debate, concerning the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ. The
salubrious air and genial sky of Edinburgh united with, the sacred and
exhilarating interests of the Gospel to arouse all that was noble, and
divine in every heart. The Moderator reverently led the Assembly in
prayer and constituted the court most solemnly in the name of Jesus
Christ. Such a prayer should overwhelm the soul with God's presence,
burden the conscience with responsibilities, make the spiritual world
dreadfully visible, and bring God's servants close to His throne of
judgment.
The Assembly had met last year in this prayerful and solemn mariner, but
the business of the Lord Jesus soon degenerated into an acrid, harmful
discussion, that lasted two weeks and ended in confusion. The debate
evidently was now to be renewed with the additional bitterness and
vehemence that had accumulated during the ensuing year. The ministers
and elders having convened, the regular business was under way, when
suddenly the Assembly witnessed what was unexpected--a regiment of
soldiers in the churchyard. Cromwell had sent them. The soldiers, in
bright uniform and bristling with swords and guns, struck amazement into
the hearts of the delegates. The colonel ordered them to leave the
house. They walked out in front of the soldiers and, being escorted
beyond the city limits, were sent home, not to return, under pain of
punishment.
The General Assembly had fallen into a state of bitter strife--the snare
of Satan. There were two parties and these were quite well balanced.
Their power for good was greatly neutralized by one another; their
influence for harm was incalculable; the baneful effect spread like a
withering shadow over the land. The two parties, at the beginning,
chiefly differed in the methods employed to accomplish the same end. The
one was governed by expediency; the other by principle. Expediency drew
the majority; principle held the remainder. The majority discounted the
obligations of the Covenant; the minority held to the spirit and letter
of the sacred bond. The party in power precipitated the direful
conditions. This they did by repeated breaches of the Covenant. The
responsibility for the disgraceful proceedings, and the shameful
termination of the Assembly, must be attached to these who made the
discussion a moral necessity.
The first shadow that darkened the General Assembly was the discussion
of "The Engagement." Two unscrupulous men--one of them a Covenanter--had
made a secret engagement with Charles I. in his captivity. They had
promised to seat him, if possible, again on his throne; he in turn had
engaged to favor Presbyterianism three years. The Engagement aroused
earnest and violent discussion in the Assembly. The element of strife
had now entered the Supreme Court of God's House, and the downward trend
was deplorably rapid.
The next vexation was the abolition of "The Act of Classes." The Act of
Classes guarded all places of trust in the government and army. None but
those who expressed sympathy with the National Covenant were eligible to
places of trust. Here was an unparalleled state of civil affairs; the
world had never seen the like. This was a marvelous stride toward the
Millennium. The fathers are worthy of all praise for this unprecedented
effort to build the national government upon the true foundation of
God's will, and administer it by men in Covenant with Jesus Christ, the
KING OF KINGS. This was the first attempt to erect a Christian
government, in which the fear of God should pervade every department and
characterize every official. The abolition of the Act of Classes
involved a great moral issue which the General Assembly had to meet.
Strangely, the Assembly was divided in the discussion; the debate waxed
vehement and bitterly passionate. The majority favored abolition, thus
opening the flood-gates of moral laxity in official stations. These were
called "Resolutioners", because they offered the resolution to this
effect, and supported it: the minority were called "Protesters", because
they protested against it.
[Illustration: KING CHARLES II.
King Charles II. ascended the throne in 1651, but was soon defeated and
driven from the country by Oliver Cromwell. In 1660 his kingdom and
power were restored and he reigned till 1685. His death was sudden and
mysterious, poisoning by his brother, the Duke of York, having been
suspected. He died at the age of fifty-five. He was called the "Merry
Monarch," though his reign was characterized by atrocious cruelty. Under
him the persecution waxed so violent that some of these years were
called "The Killing Times."]
The discussion continued year after year till all other interests in the
General Assembly were overshadowed. The voice of the Church, once
powerful in guiding public issues, was now despised; the tones were
guttural, sepulchral, alarming, making the blood run in chills. Then
came Cromwell and snuffed the Assembly out like a candle. It was sending
forth ill--odored smoke and but little light. Are we surprised that God
permitted him to quench the noisome spark?
The Protesters stood for all that the Covenant embodied. The Covenant
lay heavy upon their conscience; they trembled at its violation. They
saw in the breach of the Covenant the wrath of God against themselves,
against the Church, and against the nation. They believed that nothing
could compensate for the loss incurred by forsaking the Covenant. They
trusted in God with absolute faith; would not resort to expediency for
any purpose; temporized with no principle, no, not for greatest
advantages. They knew that God could send peace, victory, and prosperity
to their country through the Covenant; and that He would send defeat,
distress, and desolation through the breach of it.
The Resolutioners grew more and more lax. They may have dreaded to be
termed narrow-minded; they may have sought to be reputed broad and
charitable. They weakened in morals and influence, and lost power and
position when tried by the fires of persecution. They finally melted
away and disappeared among the enemies of the Covenant, as snowflakes
falling on the mire.
The Protesters were the Covenanters who continued with the Lord Jesus
Christ in His temptation. When the Covenant called for martyrs, they
were the martyrs. When the cause of Christ demanded witnesses, they were
the witnesses. They gave their testimony with a clear voice, and sealed
it with their blood. These are they whose crimson path we will now
follow, our Lord Jesus permitting, till we come to the last of
Scotland's honored roll--the pleasant, youthful, innocent James Renwick.
God requires His Church to receive, proclaim, and defend the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing but the truth, as it is in the Lord Jesus
Christ. This obligation is weighty, and the duty is difficult, yet no
release is granted. The Church that holds most truth should draw most
people; the Church that abandons any truth for any reason must be
unsatisfying to honest souls. The organization that embodies the largest
measure of God's Word is the largest Church; that which contains the
smallest is the least. "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these
least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least
in the kingdom of heaven." These are the words of Jesus. In His sight a
Church is measured, not by the number enrolled, but by the truth
professed, incarnated, and proclaimed.
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. How long did Oliver Cromwell rule Scotland?
2. How did he deal with the Covenanted Church?
3. How had the General Assembly previously deteriorated?
4. Give the downward steps.
5. What two parties henceforth in the Church?
6. By whom was the truth preserved?
7. What principle governs the true followers of Christ?
8. What distinguishes the largest Church?
XXII.
AN ILLUSTRIOUS MARTYR.--A.D. 1660.
Archibald Campbell, the Marquis of Argyle, was the first martyr to
suffer at the hand of King Charles II. Twenty-two years had this
illustrious nobleman been in special training for the honors of a
martyr. He became identified with the Covenanters at the General
Assembly of 1638. From that time he brought his influence, wealth,
power, and office into the service of his Covenant Lord, and grew mighty
in the cause of God. He ripened early in convictions and hallowed
experiences, which won for him the highest distinction conferred upon
mortals--martyrdom. He was in the prime of his years, at the summit of
his earthly career, when he gave his life for the cause of Christ. He
was a true warrior; every drop of his blood was electrified with
heroism. In meeting death he felt the military spirit throb, but
suppressing it he calmly said, "I could die as a Roman, but choose to
die as a Christian."
This was a cedar of Lebanon, a choice tree of God, distinguished for its
grace, strength, and height, towering above the trees of the forest.
Therefore the first blast struck it with such deadly force. Then
descended the terrific storm upon the lesser trees, and the mountain of
God's house was strewn with them. The next twenty-eight years were
filled with lamentation, and mourning, and woe. Let us look at the
condition of the Covenanted Church, as this age of horror settles down
upon Scotland.
When Cromwell had reduced Scotland, he attempted to convert the
Covenanted Church to Congregationalism. Though he possessed some amiable
qualities, yet this ignoble work was attempted in the spirit of a
Turk--with the Bible in one hand and the sword in the other. A
resolution in favor of Congregationalism was introduced in the General
Assembly of 1652. This was voted down. The military suppression of the
Assembly at its next meeting was Cromwell's bitter revenge. Yet we must
not fail to see the hand of God in the overthrow of the Supreme Court of
His House. As with the Temple at Jerusalem before its destruction, this
Temple was already desolate; the glory had departed ere the storm of
Divine wrath smote it. The resolution of the "Resolutioners," some years
previous, favoring the repeal of the "Act of Classes," was a gross
violation of the Covenant, and the proceedings in the Assembly had
thereby degenerated into bitter debate. The Assembly had lost its power
for good and, therefore, its right to exist; this part of the golden
candlestick had exhausted its oil and God removed the useless part.
The Church did not seem to be seriously affected by the abolition of the
Assembly. The process was more like the removal of a tumor than of a
vital organ. God can do without the most excellent parts of the Church's
organization, when they become diseased and endanger the system with
blood poisoning. During the rule of Cromwell, the subordinate courts
were mostly unmolested. The synods flourished; the presbyteries were
uninterrupted in their work; the congregations enjoyed quietness and
refreshing. The strife that existed in the Church was chiefly among the
shepherds, not among the sheep. There were 14 synods, 68 presbyteries,
and 900 congregations, when the persecution began under King Charles II.
During Cromwell's administration the land had rest; unusual quietness
prevailed among the clans; there was a great calm. The four angels were
holding the four winds of the earth, till the servants of God were
sealed in their foreheads. The people were diligent in waiting upon the
Lord; the Holy Spirit fell upon them with power, they became intensely
interested in the ordinances of grace. They clustered around the family
altar, through the House of God, hallowed the Sabbath, observed the
Sacraments, and tarried much in secret prayer. Thus they were
unwittingly preparing to enter the dreadful cloud. The vine was taking
deep root, anticipating the storm that was in the air.
When Cromwell died the public mind experienced a strange reaction. The
politicians of the two kingdoms, Scotland and England, reverting from
the severe discipline of the "Protector," launched into every excess of
luxuriousness and dissipation. A cry for the return of the profligate
king swept the country from London to Edinburgh. Even the Covenanters
were loud in calling for the banished monarch. They determined not to be
last in bringing back the king. They would, however, renew their
allegiance to him only on condition that he would renew the Covenant
with them. From France, where he had found an asylum, came his
captivating reply, "I am a Covenanted king." He was received with
enthusiastic demonstrations.
King Charles organized his government in Scotland by immediately placing
in power the most virulent enemies of the Covenanters. Within one month
they were ready to execute whomsoever they would. The Earl of Middleton
was the head official. When off his guard by indulging in drink, he
divulged the king's secret instructions, confessing that he had been
commissioned to do three things: (1) Rescind the Covenant; (2) Behead
Argyle; (3) Sheath every man's sword in his brother's breast.
Argyle in those days was one of the great men of Scotland, if not the
greatest. He was recognized in the Council as overshadowing his
associates, in personal excellence, public-spiritedness,
trustworthiness, and executive ability. He was a fine scholar, masterly
statesman, wealthy landlord, brave soldier, and faithful Covenanter. His
magnificent estate lay in Argyleshire, where the mountains are fringed
with lochs in the most picturesque manner. The scenery is charming. One
summer evening as our ship passed along the broken coast, a sunset of
surpassing beauty scattered its blending colors in rich profusion over
clouds, hills, vales, and lochs. The scenery was panoramic and
enchanting. But greater gorgeousness than a thousand sunsets fell upon
the outlook, at the remembrance of the famous Argyle, himself and his
wife and children; his home, hearth, altar, Covenant, and martyrdom What
incomparable grandeur where such hallowed associations throw their
colors!
When Charles had first been placed on the throne, ten years previous,
Argyle had the honor of setting the crown upon his head. The king at
that time feigned great friendship and respect for him. He sought, and
received, counsel from Argyle in apparent meekness and with evident
appreciation. On one occasion he remained nearly all night with him in
prayer, for preparation and fitness to rule the kingdom. He even sought
Argyle's daughter in marriage. Such was the former intimacy of the king
with Argyle. But once again on the throne, he determined to crush the
Covenanters, and Argyle was his first victim.
When Cromwell was conquering Scotland, Argyle fought him till further
resistance was useless. He even then refused to sign the declaration of
submission, but agreed to keep the peace. This agreement with Cromwell
was the main charge preferred against Argyle. He was tried and
convicted. The sentence was passed upon him on Saturday; he was executed
on the following Monday. He eloquently defended himself. It was a scene
highly tragical--this calm, innocent, dignified man, looking into the
face of his accusers and over-awing them with his bold vindication, and
pathetic appeal for justice. Kneeling down he received his sentence,
which was death by decapitation, his head to be placed above one of the
city gates, as a gruesome warning to all Covenanters. Argyle arose from
his knees and, looking upon his judicial murderers, calmly said, "I had
the honor to set the crown on the king's head, and now he hastens me to
a better crown than he owns." The real cause of his death was his
devotion to the Covenant, and the solemn admonitions he had tendered the
king.
His wife, hearing of the decree of death, hastened to his prison. "They
have given me till Monday to be with you," said he. The stricken woman
was overcome. "The Lord will require it; the Lord will require it;" said
she in tumultuous grief. "Forbear, forbear!" replied Argyle, "for I
truly pity them: they know not what they do." He was filled with
inexpressible joy at the thought of honoring Christ with his blood The
fear of death was gone Heaven was so near; glory was ready to break upon
him; the Lord was soon to be seen face to face. He went to his execution
like a prince to his coronation This was the Stephen of that age, and
this the persecution that scattered the Covenanters.
[Illustration: ARGYLE'S DAUGHTER PLEADING
Argyle had two daughters, Anne and Mary. The young king, after having
engaged to marry Anne, forsook her. She became despondent and lapsed
into insanity. Mary, after her father's martyrdom, went to Middleton,
the king's commissioner, and on her knees begged the privilege of taking
her father's head down from the Netherbow Port, a gate of the city, to
bury it with the body. She was refused. Middleton, pointing her to the
door, rudely asked her to leave his presence in haste.]
We are soft and puny for lack of hardships. The difficult places and
dreaded conditions, through which Christians pass, make life strong,
sublime, triumphant, fruitful in good work, resourceful in the Holy
Spirit, and glorifying to God.
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS
1 Who was Marquis Argyle?
2 What service had he formerly rendered the king?
3 Describe the return of the king from banishment.
4 How did the Covenanters receive him?
5 What was the nature of the government he established?
6 What was his attitude toward the Covenanters?
7 Who was his first victim?
8 Describe Argyle's trial and execution.
XXIII.
RESISTING UNTO BLOOD.--A.D. 1661.
King Charles had put Argyle to death. The head of the martyred nobleman
had been placed above the prominent gate, called the Netherbow Port of
Edinburgh. There it remained four years, meeting the public gaze in the
glare of day and in the gloom of night. And yet the sight had its
charms. The broad brow and beneficent countenance still retained the
expression of goodness and greatness. The sun-browned features and the
wind-shaken locks, the motionless face and silent lips, made a touching
appeal to the passers-by as they filed through the gateway. Many hearts
were softened, many eyes were moistened, many serious thoughts were
awakened.
The death of Argyle only fired the ferocious spirit of the king. The
tiger had tasted blood; now he must drink deeply of the crimson flood
and satiate his cruel heart. With vengeful hatred he reached for Samuel
Rutherford, the venerable minister of Anwoth. Neither feeble health nor
grey hairs could elicit, the king's compassion. A rock never pulsates
with kindness. But ere the officer could lay his hand upon this man of
God, his Lord and Master took him home to heaven.
James Guthrie of Stirling, a distinguished minister of Christ, was the
next upon whom the king set his cruel eyes. He was seized and thrust
into prison to await trial for "high treason." High treason! What was
high treason in those days? What had Guthrie done to merit the king's
mortal displeasure? Here is the sum of his crimes:
James Guthrie had preached, spoken, written, voted, and protested
against the "Resolution" and the "Resolutioners," because they had
approved of the suspension of the Moral Test for office.
He had written and published a message to the nation, entitled "The
Causes of God's Wrath", pointing out the many breaches of the Covenant,
and pleading for repentance.
He had declined the king's authority, when cited to be tried for
ministerial services which his enemies accounted treasonable.
He had advocated Christ's supremacy over the Church and over the nation,
and had disputed the king's authority in ecclesiastical matters.
For pursuing this course of action, James Guthrie was charged with "high
treason." But the rudest terms of the world and the basest charges made
by men are often turned into heaven's fairest badges. The iron chains
that manacled Rutherford he called "gold"; he called his prison "The
King's Palace."
How could Guthrie have done otherwise, as a faithful minister of Christ
Jesus, in the high calling of the Gospel? Was he not responsible for the
honor of the Church? Was he not entrusted with the truth and claims and
glory of Christ? Was he not accountable for the souls that waited on his
ministry?
Guthrie had an exalted view of the Gospel ministry. He had the eagle's
eye to take in a wide horizon, and the lion's heart to meet dangers and
difficulties. He took his instructions from the Lord, and stood above
the fear of man. He lived with the open Bible in his hand; his soul
delighted in the deep, broad sublime truths of salvation. The ministers
of the Covenant in those days dwelt in the bosom of Jesus Christ,
breathed His spirit, saw His glory, pulsated with His love, and were
irresistibly carried forward in the discharge of the duties of their
high office. They served as the ambassadors of the King of heaven. Only
by dishonoring their office, vitiating their conscience, shrivelling
their manhood, disowning their Lord, and imperiling their souls, could
Christ's ministers do less than James Guthrie had done. Yet he was
charged with "high treason."
The trial was set for April 11, 1661. Guthrie came before the tribunal,
full of peace and comfort. He answered for himself in a masterly
speech. His pleading was deeply felt; some members of the court arose
and walked out, saying, "We will have nothing to do with the blood of
this righteous man."
He was urged to retract. He was offered a high office in the Episcopal
Church if he would accede to their terms. Such inducements he held in
contempt. Neither threat nor reward could weaken his loyalty to the Lord
Jesus Christ and the Covenant. The closing sentence of his defence was
tender, fearless, and sublime:
"My lords, my conscience I cannot submit; but this old crazy body and
mortal flesh I do submit, to do with it whatever ye will, whether by
death, or banishment, or imprisonment, or anything else; only I beseech
you to ponder well what profit there is in my blood. It is not the
extinguishing of me, or many others, that will extinguish the Covenant
and the work of Reformation. My blood, bondage, or banishment will
contribute more for the propagation of these things, than my life or
liberty could do, though I should live many years."
The death sentence was passed upon him. He was condemned to be hanged,
his head to be placed above the city gate beside Argyle's. He received
the sentence with great composure. The execution was fixed for the first
day of June. To those who sat in judgement on his case, he replied:
"My lords, let this sentence never affect you more than it does me; and
let my blood never be required of the king's family."
In such cases doubtless the wife through sympathy is the greater
sufferer. But Mrs. Guthrie was strong in the Lord, and had courage equal
to her trials. She was her husband's faithful helper in the difficult
places. Once when duty imperiled his life, and he was in danger of
halting, she urged him on, saying, "My heart, what the Lord gives you
light and clearness to do, that do." Noble words! nothing wiser or
greater could come from consecrated lips.
Just before his death Guthrie was permitted to see his son, Willie, at
that time five years old. The father tenderly fondled his child, so soon
to become an orphan, and spoke words adapted to the innocent heart. So
little did the child comprehend the terrible tragedy, that he could
scarcely be restrained from playing on the street while his father was
dying. But the meaning soon dawned upon him with melancholy effect. It
is said that he never played again.
The execution was public and the streets were thronged. Guthrie mounted
the scaffold with a cheerful spirit. He spoke with great deliberation
and earnestness for one hour to the immense throng that crowded close to
hear his last words. He then yielded himself to the executioner, who
placed the death cap over his face. But, as the light of that bright
June day was shut out from his eyes, a vision of entrancing joy seemed
to break upon his soul. In that flash of inspiration he saw Scotland:
The land was covered with the glory of Christ; peace filled all her
borders, and prosperity crowned her industries; churches and schools
adorned her hills and valleys; the mountains and moors were filled with
devout worshipers; the Sabbath poured forth its weekly blessings; the
Psalms arose with solemn music in praise to the Lord Jesus. The
Covenanted Reformation, in that vision, was triumphant. Lifting the cap
from his eyes, he exclaimed with the rapture of a prophet, and with the
shout of a conqueror:
"The Covenants, the Covenants shall yet be Scotland's reviving."
[Illustration: JAMES GUTHRIE.
Guthrie was an eminent minister of Christ, and valiant defender of the
Covenant, in the reign of King Charles II. He was the second victim
sacrificed to the king's rage against the Covenanters. On the day of his
execution he wrote a very touching letter to his wife. One quotation:
"My heart, I commend you to the eternal love of Jesus Christ. Pray for
me while I am here, and praise with me hereafter. God be with you!" He
died on the scaffold June 1, 1661.]
Thus he died in the full assurance of victory. His head was affixed over
the gate, where it remained many years. The sun bronzed the face, the
storms smote it, the rains drenched it, the snows dashed against it, the
winds swirled the white locks, the stars looked down in silence, the
people looked up in sadness, but James Guthrie was heedless of all. The
soul was mingling with the redeemed in heaven and rejoicing in the
presence of God. Guthrie had gone home to be forever with the Lord.
Little Willie often came and sat near the gate, gazing up at the silent
motionless head. He would stay there till night veiled the sombre
features of his father. He seemed to be communing with the spirit that
now lived above the stars.
"Where have you been, Willie?" his mother would say, on his return. "I
have been looking at father's head," he would sadly reply. The intense
strain sapped his vitality and he died in early manhood.
Have we a conscience like that of the Covenanted fathers? a conscience
that cannot submit to a man? a conscience that can take instructions
only from God? The surrender of conscience to man imperils the soul.
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. How did Argyle's death seem to affect the king?
2. Whom did he seize next?
3. What charge was preferred against Guthrie?
4. What was the nature of that "high treason?"
5. How did he defend himself in court?
6. What sentence did he receive?
7. How did he reply?
8. Relate an incident about his wife; his child.
9. What was his death cry?
10. What lesson here regarding a pure conscience?
XXIV.
SOURCE OF THE COVENANTERS' POWER.--A.D. 1661.
The death of Marquis Argyle was the signal for the utter overthrow of
the Covenanted Church in Scotland. He was chief among the nobles who in
those days stood by the Covenant, and James Guthrie was chief among the
ministers. These mighty men quickly followed each other in watering
God's vineyard with their own blood.
The issue now between the king and the Covenanters was clear, direct,
unmistakable, beyond the possibility of evasion. Both parties set
themselves for the desperate struggle; henceforth compromise was out of
the question.
The king was determined to abolish the Covenant, obliterate
Presbyterianism, establish Episcopacy, and assume to himself the place,
power, and prerogatives of the Lord Jesus Christ, as head of the Church.
The Covenanters disputed his right to these pretentious claims at every
point. Especially did they challenge his authority over the Church, and
testify against his blasphemous presumption. They looked with horror
upon his attempt to grasp the crown of Christ, that he himself might
wear it. This they resented and resisted as treason against the KING OF
KINGS. They could not submit to the man who clothed himself with
Christ's supremacy; that robe of royal priesthood must not be worn by
mortal man.
The Covenanters grew very spirited and fearless in defence of the
independence of the Church. When these two leaders, Argyle and Guthrie,
had been sacrificed, their enemies doubtless thought the people would be
as sheep scattered upon the mountains without a shepherd. But the Good
Shepherd was ever with them and gave them faithful ministers, who fed
the flock amidst their wintry desolations. The Covenanted Church had
noble sons to lift up the head of their fainting mother even when
persecution was at its worst.
The Church of Christ was very dear to these Covenanters. They gazed with
rapturous eyes upon her high origin, her mysterious character, her
indescribable glory. She dwelt in the very heart of God; she was the
Bride of the Son of God; she was clothed with the righteousness of God;
she was adorned with all the excellencies of character God could lavish
upon her. The Church was the habitation of the Holy Spirit. The Covenant
was the marriage bond joining her to her Lord and Husband. The love of
the Covenanters for the Church of the Lord Jesus arose in flames of
jealousy when they saw a mere man, a dissolute and sinful man, attempt
to woo her heart and alienate her affections from her Lord and King.
They could not endure it. Her honor and purity were worth more to them
than life itself.
The testimony of the Covenanters against the wrongs done the Church was
both pathetic and vehement, ranging all the way from tender tearful
supplication, to pointed fearless denunciation. At times they spoke with
meekness and hope, as if standing on the Mount of Beatitudes; again with
severity and sadness, as if the voice came from the fiery summit of
Sinai. Their eloquence in the sacred office matched the tenderness of
the dove and the terribleness of thunder; distilled like the dewdrop and
smote like pointed lightning. The sword of burnished steel they wielded
to good purpose in self-defence, and the sword of the Word they used
with telling effect in the spiritual warfare for their Lord and His
Church.
The strength which the Covenanters possessed and employed in battling
for the rights of the Church, and the prerogatives of their Lord, amazes
the contemplative mind. Their power was always sufficient, new every
morning, fresh every hour, inexhaustible under most excessive strains,
and mighty to win moral victories everywhere. Whence the power? What was
its source?
Explain as we may the fortitude, inspiration, enthusiasm, exalted
purpose, indestructible hope, and unconquerable faith of the
Covenanters under the cruel treatment and prolonged persecution they
endured, we must reach the conclusion that their strength lay in their
Covenanted union with the Lord Jesus Christ. Being thus united, the
God's strength was theirs.
Their Covenant they cherished with holy awe; its sacredness lay heavy
upon their hearts. It lifted the conscience up into the presence of God.
His throne of judgment was continually flashing its brightness upon
their eyes. A deep consciousness of God's presence, power, and approval,
grew upon them. The dreadful majesty of God overawed them. The
sacrificial love of Jesus Christ set their hearts on flames. The Bible
to them was teeming with promises, shining with doctrines, and terrible
with fiery warnings. They walked on the border line, being often times
even more in the other world than in this. The glory of the Lord fell
upon them, till some of them were compelled to cry out, "Withhold, Lord;
it is enough." Their trials drove them into the arms of their Father;
and, oh, how sweet it was to lie on His bosom when cold and hungry,
weary and sobbing, amidst the sorrows of this world!
But was this the happy condition of many, or merely of a few, in those
days of sad adversity? How with the 100,000 Covenanters while suffering
in their homes, or roaming through the mountains, or hiding in the
caves? We have a record of a few only, but we are persuaded that many
others enjoyed an equal portion of the abounding love of Christ. The
promise of God is ever sure: "As thy days, so shall thy strength be."
Terrible days insure extraordinary strength. The Lord had a great
harvest in those times, ministers and people, men and women, parents and
children--a generation of honored worthies.
[Illustration: THE GRASSMARKET.
The Grassmarket was the place where many martyrs were executed. The spot
where the gallows stood is now marked by a circular pavement on the
street. Here Cargill ascended the ladder, saying that he had less
disturbance of mind than when he was ascending the pulpit. From this
grim elevation the martyrs made many a touching address, as they uttered
their last words, and bade farewell to earth and welcome to heaven.]
Samuel Rutherford was one of that mighty host. His life reveals the
secret and source of the Covenanter's strength. He was a small man, not
built to endure hardships. He was of a fair complexion, denoting
gentleness and a tender heart. He was roughly tossed from his earliest
years upon the billows of trouble. An invalid wife claimed his kindliest
attention and received it with utmost care. The children were laid in
short graves, one after another till only a little daughter remained.
The persecutor drove him from home, and Church, and people, to live an
exile in an unfriendly city. At the age of sixty-one, the wrath of King
Charles fell upon him and his life was demanded, but God sheltered him
from the gallows.
Through all these trials the heart of this little fair man, with shrill
voice, rapid step, and quick eye, was ever an overflowing well of joy
and praise. He seemed to live in the very heart of God, walked
hand-in-hand with Jesus Christ, and was continually wrapped in the
flames of holiest love. It is said that he rose at three in the morning
to have five hours of prayer and study of the Word in preparation for
the day's work. He seemed to be always among his flock, yet was he ever
ready for the pulpit.
This minister, like his blessed Master, could be seen, early and late,
"leaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon the hills," in his
eagerness to visit his people who were scattered widely over the
country.
As he walked, his head was erect and his face heavenward; his eyes were
feasting on the glory above the sky. His musings cast him into
transports of joy in Christ. His Covenant with God exalted his soul into
sweetest familiarity with the Lord. The Holy Spirit came upon him in
great power and with superabundance of gifts.
Rutherford, having a high-keyed voice, was a poor speaker; but that did
not prevent him from holding multitudes spell-bound. They came from afar
to hear him tell of the love of Christ. He gazed upon visions of
Christ's loveliness, arose in raptures of joy as he discoursed on
Christ's glory, and seemed at times as if he would fly out of the pulpit
in his animation. He was so full of life, of power, of heaven, of glory,
and of God, that his words and thoughts and teachings were pictures,
revelations, inspirations, apocalypses, scenes in the eternal world,
glimpses of the glory of Immanuel and Immanuel's land.
Here are some of his spiritual chromos as they took color and language
from his soul:
"My one joy, next to the flower of my joys, Christ, was to preach my
sweetest, sweetest Master, and the glory of His kingdom.
"I would beg lodging, for God's sake, in hell's hottest furnace, that I
might rub souls with Christ.
"Were my blackness and Christ's beauty carded through other, His beauty
and holiness would eat up my filthiness.
"Christ's honeycombs drop honey and floods of consolation upon my soul;
my chains are gold."
When Rutherford was on his deathbed, his enemies sent for him to stand
trial for treasonable conduct. His treasonable conduct was his fearless
preaching of the Gospel and heralding the royal glory of Christ, which
included severest denunciation of the king's arrogant claim of authority
over the Church. He replied, "Tell them I have got a summons already
before a Superior Judge, and I behoove to answer my first summons; and
ere your day come, I will be where few kings and great folks come." As
he lay dying, he opened his eyes, and his familiar vision of Christ and
the world of glory breaking upon him with unclouded luster, he
exclaimed: "Glory, glory in Immanuel's land." With this outburst of joy
on his lips, he joined the white-robed throng to take up the heavenly
song.
The same source of strength is yet available. Power comes through holy
familiarity with God, personal relation to Christ, and the indwelling of
the Holy Spirit. Are we full of power in the Lord's service?
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. What event intensified the issue between the king and the
Covenanters?
2. Wherein lay the moral strength of the Covenanters?
3. How did they show their love for the Church of Christ?
4. What aroused their jealousy for the Church?
5. How numerous were the Covenanters at this time?
6. Give the character of Rutherford as a typical Covenanter.
7. Quote some of his sayings.
8. Relate his triumphant death.
9. On what condition may we expect to be strong in the Lord?
XXV.
EXPELLING THE MINISTERS.--A.D. 1662.
"The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church." In the martyrdom
of Argyle and Guthrie blood of the best quality had been shed, and the
most precious seed had been sown. Therefore the harvest will surely be
great, the field will yield an hundredfold.
The fidelity of Argyle and of Guthrie, their devotion to Christ and the
Covenant, reappeared in hundreds of noblemen and in hundreds of
ministers all over Scotland. Overawe and subdue the Covenanters by
sacrificing their prominent leaders? Their foes mistook their spirit and
underestimated their strength, knowing little of the deathless
principles of the Covenant that carried them into the service of the
Lord, not counting their lives dear for Christ's sake. The Covenanters
overawed! Will the sun faint and fail beneath the gale? Will the oak
wither at the loss of a few boughs? Will veterans recoil at the first
fire? Rather, will not the fighting spirit be roused?
At this time the Covenanters numbered about 1,000 ministers, and
100,000 communicants. They had 900 congregations. The ministers were not
all staunch; the leaven of compromise had been working; half the number
had become more or less infected. They had weakened in the Covenant and
yielded to King Charles under his vicious administration. The political
whirlpool in its outside circles was drawing them slowly yet surely
toward its horrible vortex.
The sifting time had come for the Covenanters. God knows how to shake
His sieve to clean the wheat. He seeks not bulk, but value. Numbers are
nothing to Him; character is everything. He would rather have Gideon
with 300 men up to the standard, than thirty regiments below it. He
preferred one-tenth of Israel to the whole number, and sifted the nation
in Nebuchadnezzar's sieve to get the good wheat separated from the
inferior.
The Covenanted Church became loaded down with chaff, weevil, shrunken
grains, and broken kernels--low grades of religious life--and the Lord
shook the bad out of the Church by making it exceedingly painful and
difficult to stay in. The way of faithfulness was filled with hardships.
God made Covenant-keeping dangerous and expensive. The followers of
Christ were compelled to take up the cross and carry it. If true to
their Lord, they must go outside the camp, bearing His reproach. If they
keep conscience pure, they must accept cruel mockings, scourging,
imprisonment, banishment, and death. In this way would God separate unto
himself a "peculiar people, zealous of good works." The others may be of
use in degree, yet to prevent general defection and universal
declension, God winnows the wheat.
But who were thrown out of the Presbyterian Church in the reign of
Charles II.? Were they not the strong, unyielding, uncompromising
Covenanters? Who are these separated from their brethren, and driven
like chaff before the wind over mountains and moors? Are they not the
zealous defenders of the Reformed faith? the true soldiers of Jesus
Christ? To the casual eye the scrupulous, strong-headed, hard-fighting
Covenanters were tossed out, and the rest remained at home to distribute
the prey; the lax party had the organization and held the Church; the
strict party suffered disintegration and were banished. But such a view
is only superficial; yea, it is a visual illusion.
The Church of Christ depends not on external organization. She can live
without assemblies, presbyteries, or sessions. She can enjoy the fullest
measure of the love of Christ without chapels, masses, or glebes. She
can have power and render service in any community, without ministers,
elders, or deacons.
When the Covenanters were driven out by the persecutor, the Covenanted
Church went forth into the wilderness, leaning upon the Lord Jesus
Christ her Beloved. She brought with her all the essentials. She had the
Bible, the Covenant, the faith, the sacraments, the Holy Spirit, the
love of God, and the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. The valleys were
her places of worship; her meeting houses were fitted up with stone
seats, rock pulpits, granite walls, green carpets, and azure ceilings. A
row of stones was her sacramental table, and the purling stream her
baptismal bowl. The mountains round about were filled with angelic
hosts, and the plains were covered with the manna of heaven; the banner
of Christ's love waved over the worshipers, and the glory of God filled
the place. Such was the Church of the Covenanters in the times of
persecution.
The king and his advisers in 1662 required of the Covenanted Church what
no faithful self-respecting Covenanter could render. The demands in
substance were:
That the oath of allegiance, embodying the king's supremacy over Church
and State, shall be taken.
That the ministers in preaching and praying shall not refer to public
sins, whether committed by the king or his parliament.
That the administration of the Church shall be, to some extent,
according to the Prelatic form.
That the edicts of the king and the enactments of parliament shall not
be questioned, even in the light of God's Word.
That the ministers shall comply with these demands, or be banished from
their respective homes, parishes, and presbyteries.
Such was the sieve that did the work. What loyal heart could brook these
terms? What minister of Christ, bent on preserving honor and conscience,
could remain in charge of his church? In comparison with the Covenant,
all earthly inducements were as rotten straw, in the judgment of those
whose eyes took in the world of glory and rested on the Lord.
Two hundred Covenanted ministers quietly accepted the penalty. On the
last Sabbath of October, 1662, they preached their farewell sermons. The
churches were crowded; the grief of the people was indescribable,
heart-groans broke into loud lamentations. "There was never such a sad
day in Scotland as when the poor persecuted ministers took their leave
of their people." Two hundred more stood their ground and fought the
battle a little longer. These were forcibly ejected. Thus that
desolating blast smote four hundred congregations of Covenanters.
The minister with his wife and children departed in deep sorrow from the
pleasant manse and the loving people. Tender ties were sundered and holy
endearments sacrificed; the comforts of life were abandoned, and safety,
shelter, and supplies left behind. The minister could have retained all
had not his conscience been so tender. But the servant of the Lord may
not be bribed. Offer the true minister of Jesus Christ money, comfort,
pleasure, honor, houses, lands--all that the world can give to corrupt
his conscience in his calling, and you will get a laugh of scorn that
will freeze the blood.
[Illustration: JOHN WELCH, EJECTED FROM HIS CHURCH
John Welch, of Irongrey, was a grandson of the famous John Welch, of the
First Reformation. He was one of the 400 Covenanted ministers who were
driven from their pulpits by the kings edict in 1662. His congregation,
overwhelmed with sorrow, followed him till they came to a brook where
they kneeled down and prayed. Mounting his horse he rode away while they
rent the air with their bitter wails.]
The winter storms were descending upon the man of God and his
unprotected family, as they walked across the glebe to return no more.
They went out, not knowing where they were going. Night may fall upon
them in a dreary place; to-morrow may come to them without a roof, or a
table, or a fire. Winter may drive them into a cold cave, where possibly
some good-hearted shepherdess may find them, and share with them her
pail of milk and oaten cakes. Withal no complaints. They have taken
joyfully the spoiling of their goods for the sake of Christ. By them the
reproach of Christ was accounted better than the riches of Egypt.
Alexander Peden was one of the fighting ministers. He preached till
forced to leave his pulpit. On the day of his farewell service the
congregation was convulsed with grief. Peden had to restrain the wails
of the people again and again. Coming down from the pulpit after
service, he shut the pulpit door and struck it three times with his
Bible, saying with great emphasis, "I charge thee, in my Master's name,
that no man ever enter thee, but such as come in by the door as I have
done." The pulpit kept the solemn charge; no one entered there till
after the persecution; it remained empty twenty-six years.
Prelatic ministers were sent to fill the 400 vacant pulpits, but the
people refused to hear them. The time of field-preaching had now come;
the Conventicles in the mountains and moors became the order of the day.
The ministration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ--that river of God which
makes glad the city of the Lord--had now reached the precipitous places
where it was broken upon the rocks; yet it continued to flow, and even
increase in volume and strength. The preaching by these ministers in the
desolate places was powerful, impetuous, majestic, thunder-like amid the
mountains, making the kingdom tremble. Great trials make great men.
We live in an easy age. Ministers may now have pulpit and salary on easy
terms. They can preserve a good conscience without special self-denial.
No providential issue now to separate the false from the true. But the
ease of conscience in the Church's ministry, and the easy terms of
communion in her membership, may change God's gold and make it dim with
dross, and thus necessitate a furnace. The Lord may suddenly spring an
event upon His Church, that will compel the true to be very true, and
the false to be very false. Where will we stand in case the trial come?
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. What effect had the death of Argyle and Guthrie on the Covenanters?
2. How does God keep His Church pure?
3. Why is the sifting process needed?
4. Can the Church survive the loss of her external organization?
5. Describe the Covenanted Church in the mountains and moors of
Scotland.
6. What did the king require of the ministers?
7. How did the Covenanters receive his restrictions?
8. How many pastors were driven from their churches?
9. What may again occasion a sifting time?
XXVI.
THE FIELD-MEETINGS.--A.D. 1663.
Middleton, the king's commissioner, had dictated to the Covenanted
ministers how they should conduct their ministry. They boldly declined
his authority over their work in the Gospel. He then laid down
conditions upon which their pastoral relation must depend. These
conditions have been stated in the foregoing chapter. They may be summed
up in three brief sentences: Acknowledgement of the king's supremacy
over the Church; Agreement to refrain from all public criticism of the
king; Willingness to conduct public worship as the king directed.
Such were the terms on which the Covenanted ministers might continue
their work. They were given one month to reach a decision. The conflict
of interests that tried the famous 400 ministers none knew but God.
Home, wife, children, salary, comfort, tender ties, future supplies, and
the welfare of the congregation--oh, how much was involved in that
decision! Can the husband, the father, the shepherd, the watchman arise
and forsake all? Can he suspend the high calling, sunder the holy ties,
abandon the field and flock, and go forth, not knowing whither he goeth?
can flesh and blood endure the ordeal?
But look at the other side. Will the servant of the Lord take orders
from man? Will the ambassador of God submit to be muzzled? Will a pastor
of Christ's flock hold his position for what he finds in the flesh-pot?
Will the preacher of righteousness connive at wickedness? Will the
herald of Gospel liberty become a slave to vilest men? Such was the
other outlook. Which way will the man of God take?
The Lord made the way of faithfulness hard to travel. Only they, who,
like Caleb, followed the Lord wholly, could walk therein. To make this
choice, the love of the Lord Jesus Christ had to arise in the heart and
surge through all the veins, above love for wife, or children, or house,
or lands, or brethren, or sisters, or self; and it must consume all
these in the flames of its vehemence.
And the Lord made the wrong way, also, hard to travel; yea, impassable,
except for those whose sin against light made them exceeding sinful.
What more vile, degraded, contemptible, and criminal, than a minister of
Christ, that is leased to an earthly power, purchased with things that
perish, and controlled by designing men? In this manner would God
separate the precious from the vile and put them far apart.
[Illustration: PREACHING IN THE MOUNTAINS.
The Conventicle preachers were men of dauntless courage. Their souls had
firmly grasped the tremendous verities of the Gospel and Kingdom of
Christ, and the Word of God was as fire in their bones. They chose texts
that resounded like artillery. Just before Cargill was offered up, he
preached from the words: "Gird Thy sword on Thy thigh, O Most Mighty,
with Thy glory and Thy majesty!" How that seraphic preacher swayed the
people with that discourse has not been told.]
On November 1, 1662, three-fourths of the Covenanted ministers were
brought to this valley of decision. The king's edict took effect upon
those who had been settled within the past thirteen years; the others,
for the time, were exempted. About 700, therefore, stood at the parting
of the ways. Of this number about sixty per centum chose to suffer with
Christ, that they might reign with him; the rest, being faint-hearted,
abode by the stuff. All honor to the Church that could muster such a
proportion of self-sacrificing, ministers! These men accepted the
challenge and went forth, like soldiers, into the field of action,
saying, "We will continue the conflict till we overcome, or hand it down
in debate to posterity."
Four hundred ministers expelled from their congregations! four hundred
churches left vacant! four hundred families rendered desolate! forty
thousand of God's sheep, and as many lambs, left to wander in the
wilderness without a shepherd! who can estimate the extent of such a
calamity? who can reckon the sorrows, sufferings, and stupendous losses,
public and private, caused by this iniquitous act of the king?
But the four hundred ministers were not silenced. Who can silence
tongues of fire? They were scattered, but not conquered. They took
shelter where it could be found--under friendly roofs, within dismal
caves, under dripping moss-hags, in the open fields, and on mountain
tops. They wandered over desolate moors and on lonely ridges. They
suffered hunger, weariness, sickness, exposure. The rains of summer
drenched them and the snows of winter stiffened them. They were clothed
with plaids, shawls, and threadbare garments. They hastened from place
to place to elude pursuers, and wherever they went they carried their
Bibles. The Bible to them in their desolation was meat, drink, light,
shelter, fellowship,--everything the soul could wish.
These men of God were devoted preachers, they loved to preach, had a
passion for preaching. The Word of God that carried them into such
excess of suffering was in their bones as fire, an unquenchable flame;
and in their hearts as rising waters, an overflowing river. As Christ
their Lord and Master preached in summer and in winter, in the house and
in the field, to as many as came, so preached they to one soul, or to
ten thousand.
The king sent detachments of his army over the country to compel the
people, who had lost their pastors, to attend services under the
ministers of the Episcopal Church. They refused. The new clergymen
preached to empty pews in many of the Covenanted parishes. The
Covenanters instinctively discovered the haunting places of their own
ministers, and thither they repaired for their preaching. They traveled
far that they might hear the precious Gospel, in its richness and
fulness from consecrated lips. They were hungry for the Word of God and
willingly incurred hardships and dangers to get a feast. These meetings
at first were small; in time they developed into the great Conventicles
at which thousands assembled to worship God.
A Conventicle Sabbath was a solemn day. The time and place having been
fixed beforehand, the people were notified in a very private manner. A
kind of wireless telegraphy seemed to have been operated by the
Covenanters. The news spread and thousands came at the call. The place
selected was usually in the depression of a lonely moor, or under the
shelter of a desolate mountain; yet any spot was dangerous. The king had
issued successive proclamations against the Conventicles, and his troops
were constantly scouring the country in search of them.
The services were of necessity sensational. At the appointed time the
people were on the ground. Many came a great distance, some of them
traveling under the shades of night. From every direction they
converged. Fathers and mothers with their sons and daughters were there.
The young and the old were equally full of zeal, and the women were
courageous as the men. On the way they would cannily scan the country
from the hilltop, to see if the dreaded dragoons were in sight.
The hour for the service having arrived, the audience sat down upon the
grass or on the rocks. The minister took his stand on a prominent spot.
Sentinels occupied elevated points, from whence they could detect and
report the approach of troops. The mountain extended its friendly
shelter over the congregation. The sun shed its light upon them like the
smile of their heavenly Father. The sky spread over them as the canopy
of God's high throne. The winds swept through the bushes and over the
heather with regaling freshness. This was God's sanctuary built without
hands; here His people worshiped in spirit and in truth.
The minister from his granite pulpit would catch the inspiration. The
waiting people, the earnest faces, the gleaming eyes, the solemn hour,
the charming scenery, the occasion, the danger, the privilege, the
responsibility, the presence of God, the nearness of heaven--how much
here to awaken all that was noble, courageous, and overpowering in God's
messenger! The fiery, pathetic, powerful eloquence, that echoed among
those rocks and swept through the coves, was beyond the reporter's
skill. Here heaven touched earth; eternity overlapped time; glory
overspread the worshipers. These were days when that which is most
sacred, awful, and sublime burdened men's souls. Here holy oratory
distilled like dew, breathed like zephyrs, crashed like storms, leaped
like devouring flames. The recorded sermons of these ministers are yet
regarded as the very marrow of Christian literature.
Have we the zeal of these fathers for the house of our God? Are we
carried to the place of worship at the appointed hour by our love for
Jesus Christ? One glance at the enthusiasm of the Conventicle
Covenanters would surely make the present generation blush.
* * * * *
POINTS FOR THE CLASS.
1. State the demands Commissioner Middleton made upon the Covenanted
ministers.
2. How would such a demand agitate the mind?
3. How long had they to decide?
4. What proportion remained faithful under the trial?
5. In what way did these continue their ministry?
6. Describe a Conventicle service.
7. How will present zeal for Divine services compare with their zeal?
XXVII.
THE COVENANTERS' COMMUNION.--A.D. 1664.
The Lord Jesus Christ loves His Church with love that arises into
flames. "I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy."
The Church is His Bride, His well-beloved, His only one; He has bestowed
His heart upon her.
The love of Jesus for His Church has ever been excessive in intensity.
His blood was shed for her redemption. Love laid Him on the altar, where
His life was consumed for her sake. It laid all Covenant blessings at
her feet, placed the angelic hosts at her service, made the universe
tributary to her welfare, opened heaven for her admission, prepared her
throne at the right hand of God, and gave the eternal ages to her for
service and enjoyment, in Jesus Christ her Lord. And this love has never
abated; His voice resounds across the centuries, falling upon her ears
in sweetest accents, saying, "I have loved thee with an everlasting
love."
The Lord Jesus asks the Church for reciprocal love. It is His due;
Christ is worthy; nothing less than vehement love will satisfy the
Divine heart. The apostle, in dread of its subsidence, cries out, "Keep
yourselves in the love of God." How readily the Church, in interest and
zeal, becomes cold. Her spiritual pulse sinks till it is scarcely
perceptible; the flames disappear, and the coals lie hidden in their own
grey ashes.
With such conditions the Lord is vexed. He gently chides His inconstant
Bride, saying, "Thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from
whence thou art fallen; repent, and do the first works." Then in
unwaning faithfulness He tenderly soliloquizes: "Behold, I will allure
her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her;
and she shall sing as in the days of her youth." The Covenanted Church
was now in the wilderness; the Lord had brought her hither, that He
might woo her back to Himself, and revive her first love. Here He spake
to her heart the words that rekindled the fires of her earliest and
strongest devotion to the Covenant, that holy contract of her marriage
to the Lord.
The loving fidelity of the 40,000 Covenanters, or more, who had been
deprived of their ministers by King Charles, was severely tested. The
Lord Jesus, in His crucial providence, was to them as a refiner's fire;
their love was sorely tried in the terrible heat.
The first question that appealed to the heart was concerning comfort and
convenience. Their churches were occupied by other ministers. There the
people could have preaching, hear the Word, listen to prayers, sing
Psalms, and receive baptism and the Lord's Supper. True, the services
were spiced and ornamented with details, which the Covenanters disliked,
because they were unscriptural. But could they not find hidden manna on
the sand, and kernels of wheat in the chaff? Could they not get
sufficient food in the new ministrations to sustain their souls? Could
they not reach heaven by the new road as certainly as by the old? Such
were the inquiries that appealed to their love of ease. These sturdy
sons of the Covenant said, "NO." They said it, too, with emphasis like
the lightning that strikes the oak. They said, "Public worship, not in
all parts according to the Book of God, is corrupt; we will not
participate in such services, for the Lord has said, 'Cursed be the
deceiver, that sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing.'"
The second question was concerning the imminent dangers that attended
their own services. Their meetings were held in distant places; in the
lonely mountain, on the homeless moor, in the swampy moss, in the dark
glen, among the rugged rocks, and in the dreary cave--just wherever they
could find a place to worship God in peace. They had no roof for
shelter, no walls to break the storm, no fires for heat. Attending these
meetings involved travel, weariness, hunger, exposure, loss of sleep,
shivering in the cold, every physical strain, besides the risk of life,
liberty, and property, at the hands of the enemy. These heroic sons and
daughters of the Covenant said, "We will go; if we perish, we perish;
though He slay us, yet will we trust in Him." These Covenanters would
not habituate themselves to sinful conditions, nor permit their
conscience to be drugged with the love of ease. They had much of the
spirit of Paul; they counted all things loss for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ. They consulted not with flesh and blood; not even
with their own flesh, which was often wasted with hunger, fatigue, and
pain; nor with their own blood, which was frequently sprinkled on the
heather and mingled with the mountain rill.