who hast not only commanded us to pray, and promised to hear us,
but also dost will us to magnify Thy mercies, and to glorify Thy
name when Thou showest Thyself pitiful and favourable unto us,
especially when Thou deliverest us from desperate dangers, ... we
ought not to forget, nor can we, in what miserable estate stood this
poor country, and we the just inhabitants thereof, not many days
past.... Out of these miseries, O Lord, neither our wit, policy, nor
strength could deliver us; yea, they did show unto us how vain is
the help of man, where Thy blessing gives not victory. In these our
anguishes, O Lord, we made suit unto Thee, we cried for Thy help,
and we proclaimed Thy name, as Thy troubled flock persecuted for Thy
truth's sake. Mercifully hast Thou heard us.... And Thou hast looked
upon us as pitifully as if we had given unto Thee most perfect
obedience, for Thou hast disappointed the counsels of the crafty,
Thou hast bridled the rage of the cruel, and Thou hast of Thy mercy
set this our perishing realm at reasonable liberty. Oh, give us
hearts--Thou Lord, that only givest all good gifts--with reverence
and fear, to meditate upon Thy wondrous works lately wrought before
our eyes....
"We beseech Thee, therefore, O Father of mercies, that, as of Thy
undeserved grace Thou hast partly removed our darkness, suppressed
idolatry, and taken from above our heads the devouring sword of
merciless strangers, it would so please Thee to proceed with us
in this Thy grace begun. Albeit that in us there is nothing that
may move Thy Majesty to show us Thy favour, O yet for the sake
of Christ Jesus, Thy only well-beloved Son, whose name we bear,
and whose doctrine we profess, we beseech Thee never to suffer us
to forsake or deny this Thy truth which now we profess.... And
seeing that nothing is more odious in Thy presence, O Lord, than
is ingratitude and violation of an oath and covenant made in Thy
name; and seeing that Thou hast made our confederates of England the
instruments by whom we are now set at liberty, and that to them we,
in Thy name, have promised mutual faith again, let us never fall
to that unkindness, O Lord, that either we shall declare ourselves
unthankful unto them, or profaners of Thy holy name. Confound the
counsels of them that go about to break that most godly league
contracted in Thy name, and retain Thou us so firmly together by the
power of Thy Holy Spirit, that Satan shall never have power to set
us again at variance or discord. Give us Thy grace to live in that
Christian charity which Thy Son, our Lord Jesus, has so earnestly
commanded to all members of His body; that other nations, provoked
by our example, may set aside all ungodly war, contention, and
strife, and study to live in tranquillity and peace, as it becomes
the sheep of Thy pasture, and the people that daily look for final
deliverance by the coming again of our Lord Jesus; to whom with
Thee, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour, glory, and praise, now and
ever. Amen."
[Sidenote: Preachers and Superintendents are appointed.]
After this, the Commissioners of Burghs, with some of the nobility
and barons, were appointed to see to the equal distribution of
ministers, and to change and transpose as the majority should think
expedient. Thus John Knox was appointed to Edinburgh; Christopher
Goodman, who during the most part of the troubles had remained
in Ayr, was appointed to St. Andrews; Adam Heriot to Aberdeen;
Master John Row to Perth; Paul Methven, of whom no infamy was then
known, to Jedburgh; William Christison to Dundee; David Ferguson to
Dunfermline; and Master David Lindsay to Leith. There were nominated
as superintendents Master John Spottiswood for Lothian; Master John
Winram for Fife; Master John Willock for Glasgow; the Laird of Dun
for Angus and Mearns; and Master John Carswell for Argyll and the
Isles. It was agreed that these should be elected upon certain days
fixed, unless the districts to which they were to be appointed could
in the meantime find out men more able and sufficient, or else show
such causes as might inable[166] them for that dignity.
[166] Disqualify.
[Sidenote: The first Protestant Parliament.]
The Parliament approaching, due notification was made by the Council
to all such as by law and ancient custom had or might claim to have
vote therein. The assembly was great, notwithstanding that certain
of those that are called spiritual Lords, as well as some temporal
Lords, did contemptuously absent themselves. The chief pillars of
the papistical kirk gave their presence, such as the Bishops of St.
Andrews, Dunblane, and Dunkeld, with others of the inferior sort.
There were, besides, those that had renounced papistry, and openly
professed Jesus Christ with us; such as the Bishop of Galloway, the
Abbots of Lindores, Culross, Inchcolm, Newbattle, and Holyroodhouse;
the Prior of St. Andrews, Coldingham, and St. Mary's Isle; the
Sub-prior of St. Andrews, and divers others whom we observed not.
[Sidenote: John Knox preaches, and Reformation is agreed upon.]
At the time of Parliament, John Knox taught publicly from the
Prophet Haggai. The doctrine was proper for the time; and the
preacher was so special and so vehement in its application, that
some who had greater respect to the world than to God's glory,
feeling themselves pricked, said in mockage, "We must now forget
ourselves, and bear the barrow to build the houses of God." God be
merciful to the speaker; for we fear that he shall have experience
that the building of his own house, the house of God being despised,
shall not be so prosperous, and of such firmness, as we desire it
were. Albeit some mocked, others were godly moved, and assembled
themselves together to consult as to what things were to be proponed
to that present Parliament. After deliberation, the following
Supplication was offered by the barons, gentlemen, burgesses, and
other true subjects of the realm, professing the Lord Jesus Christ,
to the Nobility and Estates of Parliament.
[Sidenote: The Protestants petition Parliament.]
"May it please your Honours to bring to remembrance that, at divers
and sundry times, we (with some of yourselves) most humbly made suit
at the feet of the late Queen Regent for freedom and liberty of
conscience, with godly reformation of abuses which, by the malice
of Satan and the negligence of men, have crept into the religion of
God, and are maintained by such as take upon themselves the name of
clergy. Our godly and most reasonable suit was then disdainfully
rejected, no small troubles ensuing, as your Honours well know. But
now, seeing that the necessity that then moved us doth yet remain,
and moreover, that God in His mercy hath now put it into your hands
so to regulate affairs that He may be glorified, this commonwealth
quieted, and the policy thereof established, we cannot cease to
crave at your hands the redress of such enormities as manifestly
are, and of long time have been committed by the place-holders of
the ministry and others of the clergy within this realm....
"We therefore, in the bowels of Jesus Christ, crave of your Honours
that either they be compelled to answer to our former accusations
and to such others as we justly have to lay to their charge, or
else that, all affection laid aside, ye, by the censement[167] of
this Parliament, pronounce them to be as by us they are most justly
accused, and cause them to be reputed so; especially, that they
be decerned unworthy of honour, authority, charge, or cure within
the Kirk of God, and so from henceforth never entitled to vote in
Parliament. If ye do not so, then, in the fear of God and by the
assurance of His Word, we forewarn you that, as ye have laid a
grievous yoke and an intolerable burden upon the Kirk of God within
this realm, so shall they be thorns in your eyes, and pricks in
your sides, whom afterwards, when ye would, ye shall have no power
to remove. God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ give you upright
hearts seeking His glory, and true understanding of what this day He
who delivered you from bondage, both spiritual and temporal, craves
of you by His servants. And your Honours' answer we most humbly
require."
[167] Judgment.
[Sidenote: Parliament calls for the Confession of Faith.]
This our Supplication being read in audience of the whole assembly,
divers men were of divers judgments. As there were some that
uprightly favoured the cause of God, so were there many that, for
worldly respects, abhorred a perfect Reformation--for how many
within Scotland that have the name of Nobility are not unjust
possessors of the patrimony of the Kirk? Yet, the barons and
ministers were called, and commandment was given unto them to frame
in plain and distinct heads the sum of that doctrine which they
would maintain, and would desire that Parliament to establish,
as wholesome, true, and alone necessary to be believed and to be
received within that realm. This commission they willingly accepted,
and within four days they presented their Confession of Faith.[168]
[168] Knox embodies the full text of the Confession at this point in
his History. In the present edition it will be found, in full, in
the Appendix, _infra_.
[Sidenote: The Confession of Faith is considered by Parliament, and
solemnly ratified.]
This our Confession was publicly read, first in audience of
the Lords of Articles, and afterwards in audience of the whole
Parliament. There were present a great number of the adversaries of
our religion, such as the forenamed Bishops, and some others of the
Temporal Estate, and these were commanded, in Gods name, to state
any objection to that doctrine if they could. Some of our ministers
were present, standing upon their feet ready to have answered,
in case any would have defended the Papistry, and impugned our
affirmations. No objection was made, but there was a day appointed
for voting on that and other matters. Again, our Confession was read
over, every article by itself, in the order in which these were
written, and the vote of every man was required. Of the Temporal
Estate there only voted to the contrary the Earl of Atholl and the
Lords Somerville and Borthwick; and yet for their dissent they
produced no better reason than, "We will believe as our fathers
believed." The Bishops (papistical, we mean) spake nothing. The rest
of the whole three Estates, by their public votes, affirmed the
doctrine.
Many voted in the affirmative rather than in the negative, because
the Bishops would or durst say nothing to the contrary. For
instance, this was the vote of the Earl Marischall,--"It is long
since I have had some favour unto the truth, and since I have had
a suspicion of the papistical religion; but, I praise my God, this
day has fully resolved me in the one and the other. For, seeing
that my Lord Bishops, who for their learning can, and for the zeal
that they should bear to the truth, would, as I suppose, gainsay
anything that directly repugns to the verity of God; seeing, I say,
my Lord Bishops here present speak nothing contrary to the doctrine
proponed, I cannot but hold it to be the very truth of God, and the
contrary to be deceivable doctrine. And therefore, so far as in me
lieth, I approve the one and damn the other. I do further ask of
God that not only I but also all my posterity may enjoy the comfort
of the doctrine that this day our ears have heard. Yet more, I
must vote, as it were by way of protestation, that, if any persons
ecclesiastical shall after this oppose themselves to this our
Confession, they shall have no place or credit; considering that,
they having long notice and full knowledge of this our Confession,
none are now found in lawful, free, and quiet Parliament to oppose
themselves to that which we profess. And therefore, if any of this
generation pretend to do it after this, I protest that he be repute
one that loveth his own commodity and the glory of the world,
rather than the truth of God and the salvation of men's souls."
[Sidenote: The Mass is prohibited.]
After the ratification of our Confession by the whole body of
Parliament, there were also pronounced two Acts, the one against
the Mass and the abuse of the Sacraments, and the other against the
supremacy of the Pope....
[Sidenote: Queen Mary and the King of France do not ratify the Acts
of Parliament.]
These and other things done in lawful and free Parliament, we
dispatched Sir James Sandilands, Lord St. John, to France, to our
Sovereigns, with the Acts of the Parliament, that by them they
might be ratified, according to the promise of their Highness's
Commissioners made to us by the Contract of Peace. How the said Lord
St. John was treated, we list not to rehearse; but, in any case,
no ratification was brought by him to us. That we little regarded,
or yet do regard; for all that we did was to show our dutiful
obedience, rather than to beg of them any strength to our religion.
That has full power from God, and needeth not the suffrage of man,
except in so far as man hath need to believe it, if ever he shall
have participation in the life everlasting.
We must make answer, however, to such as since have whispered that
it was but a pretended Parliament and a privy convention, and no
lawful Parliament. Their reasons are that the King and Queen were
in France; that there was neither sceptre, sword, nor crown borne,
and so on, and that some principal Lords were absent. We answer that
the Queen's person was absent, and that to no small grief of our
hearts. But were not the Estates of her realm assembled in her name?
Yea, had they not her full power and commission, yea, the commission
and commandment of her head, the King of France, to convocate
that Parliament, and to do all things that may be done in lawful
Parliament, even as if our Sovereigns had been there in proper
person? That Parliament, we are bold to affirm, was more lawful, and
more free than any Parliament that they are able to produce for a
hundred years before it, or any that hath since ensued; for in it
the votes of men were free, and given of conscience; in others, they
were bought, or given at the devotion of the prince.
[Sidenote: The Book of Discipline.]
Parliament dissolved, consultation was had as to how the Kirk, which
had been altogether defaced by the Papists, might be established in
a good and godly policy. Commission and charge were given to Mr.
John Winram, Sub-prior of St. Andrews, Master John Spottiswood,
John Willock, Mr. John Douglas, Rector of St. Andrews, Master John
Row, and John Knox, to prepare a volume containing the policy and
discipline of the Kirk, much as in the Confession of Faith they
had done in the matter of doctrine. This they did, and the book
was presented to the Nobility, who perused it for many days. Some
approved it, and were willing that it should have been set forth by
a law. Others, perceiving their carnal liberty and worldly commodity
somewhat to be impaired by its provisions, grudged, insomuch that
the name of the Book of Discipline became odious unto them.... There
were none within the realm more unmerciful to the poor ministers
than were they which had greatest rents of the churches. But in that
we have perceived the old proverb to be true, "Nothing can suffice
a wretch;" and again, "The belly has no ears." Yet the Book of
Discipline was subscribed by a great part of the Nobility.[169]...
[169] See Appendix.
Shortly after the Parliament, the Earls Morton and Glencairn,
together with William Maitland of Lethington, younger, were sent to
England as ambassadors from the Council. The chief point of their
commission was to crave earnestly the constant assistance of the
Queen's Majesty of England against all foreign invasion, and to
propose the Earl of Arran (who was then in no small estimation with
us) to the Queen of England in marriage....
[Sidenote: The House of Guise and the Papists design further
trouble.]
The Papists were proud, for they looked for a new army from France
in the next spring, and there was no small appearance of this,
if God had not otherwise provided. For France utterly refused to
confirm the peace contracted at Leith, would ratify no Act of our
Parliament, dismissed the Lord St. John without any resolute answer,
and began to gather new bands of throat-cutters, and to make great
preparation for ships. They further sent before them certain
practisers to rouse up new troubles within this realm....
The certain knowledge of all these things came to our ears, and
many were effrayed; for divers suspected that England would not be
so forward in times to come, considering that their former expenses
were so great. The principal comfort remained with the preachers.
They assured us, in God's name, that God would in our hands
perform that work in all perfection. He had mightily maintained
its beginning, because it was not ours but His own. They therefore
exhorted us that we should with constancy proceed to reform all
abuses and to plant the ministry of the Church, as by God's Word
we might justify it, and should then commit the success of all to
our God, in whose power the disposition of kingdoms stands. This
we began to do, for threatening troubles made us give ear to the
admonitions of God's servants.
[Side note: Death of the King of France: 5th December 1560.]
We had scarcely begun again to implore the help of our God, and to
show some signs of our obedience unto His messengers and Holy Word,
when, lo! the potent hand of God from above sent unto us a wonderful
and most joyful deliverance. For unhappy Francis, husband to our
sovereign, suddenly perished of a rotten ear.... And we, who by our
foolishness had made ourselves slaves to strangers, were restored
again to freedom and the liberty of a free realm. Oh! that we had
hearts deeply to consider what are Thy wondrous works, O Lord, that
we might praise Thee in the midst of this most obstinate and wicked
generation, and leave the memorial of the same to our posterity,
who, alas! we fear, may forget Thy inestimable benefits.... The
death of this King made great alteration in France, England, and
Scotland. France was relieved and in some hope....
[Sidenote: Queen Elizabeth declines the hand of the Earl of Arran.]
The Queen of England and the Council sent back our Ambassadors with
answer that she would not marry hastily, and therefore desired the
Council of Scotland, and the Earl of Arran, not to depend upon
any hope thereof. What motives she had, we omit. The pride of the
Papists of Scotland began to be abated, and some that had ever
shown themselves enemies to us began to think, and plainly to admit
in words, that they perceived God to fight for us. The Earl of
Arran himself did more patiently abide the repulse of the Queen of
England, because he was not altogether without hope that the Queen
of Scotland bare some favour unto him. And so he wrote to her, and
for credit sent a ring which the said Queen our Sovereign knew well
enough. The letter and ring were both presented to the Queen and
received by her. Answer was returned to the Earl, and after that
he made no further pursuit in the matter: not the less, he bare it
heavily in heart, and more heavily than many would have wissed.[170]
[170] Imagined.
The certainty of the death of King Francis was notified unto us both
by sea and land. When the news was divulged and noised abroad, a
general Convention of the whole nobility was appointed to be holden
at Edinburgh on the fifteenth day of January following. The Book
of Discipline was thereat perused over again, for some pretended
ignorance, because they had not heard it.
[Sidenote: A public Debate concerning the Mass.]
At that assembly, Master Alexander Anderson, sub-principal of
Aberdeen, a man more subtle and crafty than either learned or
godly, was called on but refused to dispute in his faith, abusing
a place of Tertullian to cloak his ignorance. It was answered to
him, that Tertullian should not prejudge the authority of the Holy
Ghost, who, by the mouth of Peter, commands us to give reason for
our faith to every one that requires the same of us. It was further
answered that we required neither him nor any man to dispute in any
point concerning our faith, which was grounded upon God's Word, and
fully expressed within His holy Scriptures; all that we believed
without controversy. But we required of him, as of the rest of the
Papists, that they would suffer their doctrine, constitutions, and
ceremonies to come to trial; and principally, that the Mass, and the
views thereof taught by them to the people, might be laid to the
square rule of God's Word, and unto the right institution of Jesus
Christ....
While the said Mr. Alexander denied that the priest took upon him
Christ's office to offer for sin, as was alleged, a Mass book was
produced, and in the beginning of the Canon were these words read:
_Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, hanc oblationem, quam ego indignus
peccator offero tibi vivo Deo et vero, pro peccatis meis, pro
peccatis totius Ecclesiae vivorum et mortuorum, etc._[171] Now, said
the reasoner, if to offer for the sins of the whole Kirk was not the
office of Christ Jesus, yea, the office that to Him only might, and
may appertain, let the Scripture judge. And if a vile knave, whom ye
call the priest, proudly takes the same upon him, let your own book
witness. The said Master Alexander answered, "Christ Jesus offered
the propitiatory, and that could none do but He; but we offer the
remembrance." It was answered, "We praise God, that ye have denied a
sacrifice propitiatory to be in the Mass; and yet we offer to prove
that, in more than a hundred places of your papistical Doctors, this
proposition is affirmed, 'The Mass is a sacrifice propitiatory.'
But, to the second part; where ye allege that ye offer Christ in
remembrance, we ask, first, unto whom do ye offer Him? and next, by
what authority are ye assured of well doing? With God the Father,
there is no oblivion: and if ye will yet shift and say that ye offer
it not as if God were forgetful, but as willing to apply Christ's
merits to His Church, we demand of you, what power and commandment
ye have so to do? We know that our Master, Christ Jesus, commanded
His apostles to do that which He did in remembrance of Him; but
plain it is, that Christ took bread, gave thanks, brake bread, and
gave it to His disciples, saying, 'Take ye, eat ye; this is my body
which is broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me,' etc. Here
ye find a commandment to take, to eat, to take and to drink; but to
offer Christ's body either for remembrance or application, we find
not: and therefore, we say, to take upon you an office which is not
given unto you, is unjust usurpation, and no lawful power."
[171] "Holy Trinity, accept this oblation, which I, an unworthy
sinner, present to Thee, the living and true God, for my own sins,
and for the sins of the whole Church of the quick and the dead,
etc."--_Laing._
The said Master Alexander, being more than astonished, would have
shifted; but the Lords called on him to answer directly. He answered
that he was better seen in philosophy, than in theology. Master
John Leslie, who then was parson of Une, and now is Lord Abbot of
Lindores, was commanded to answer to the former argument: and he
with great gravity began to answer, "If our Master have nothing to
say to it, I have nothing; for I know nothing but the Canon Law: and
the greatest reason that ever I could find there is _Nolumus_ and
_Volumus_." And yet we understand that now he is the only patron
of the Mass.... The nobility hearing that neither the one nor the
other would answer directly, said, "We have been miserably deceived
heretofore; for if the Mass may not obtain remission of sins to
the quick and to the dead, wherefore were all the abbeys so richly
doted[172] with our temporal lands."
[172] Endowed.
Thus much we have thought good to insert here, because some Papists
are not ashamed nowadays to affirm that they with their reasons
could never be heard; but that all that we did, we did by fine
force; when the whole realm knows that we ever required them to
speak their judgments freely, not only promising them protection and
defence, but also that we should subscribe with them, if they by
God's Scriptures could confute us, and by the same Word establish
their assertions.
[Sidenote: Lord James Stewart is sent to Queen Mary.]