The sixteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord 1638, was appointed
for the renewal at Irvine of the Solemn League and Covenant. On the
night before, my five elder brothers, who were learning trades at
Glasgow and Kilmarnock, came home that they might go up with their
father to the house of God, in order to set down their names together;
me and my four sisters, the rest of his ten children, were still biding
with our mother and him at the mailing.
From my grandfather's time there had been a by-common respect among the
neighbours for our family on his account; and that morning my brother
Jacob, who happened to be the first that went, at break of day, to the
door, was surprised to see many of the cotters and neighbouring farmer
lads already assembled on the lone, waiting to walk with us to the town,
as a token of their reverence for the principles and the memory of that
departed worthy; and they were all belted and armed with swords like men
ready for battle.
Seeing such a concourse of the neighbours, instead of making exercise in
the house, my father, as the morning was bright and lown, bade me carry
the Bible and a stool to the dykeside, that our friends might have room
to join us in worship,--which I did accordingly, placing the stool under
the ash-tree, at the corner of the stack-yard, and by all those who were
present on that occasion the spot was ever afterwards regarded as a
hallowed place. Truly there was a scene and a sight there not likely to
be soon forgotten; for the awful cause that had brought together that
meeting was a thing which no man who had a part therein could ever in
all his days forget.
My father chose the seventy-sixth psalm, and when it was sung, he opened
the Scriptures in Second Kings, and read aloud, with a strong voice, the
twenty-third chapter, and every one likened Josiah to the old King, and
Jehoahaz to his son Charles, by whose disregard of the Covenant the
spirit of the land was then in such tribulation; and at the conclusion,
instead of kneeling to pray, as he was wont, my father stood up, and, as
if all temporal things were then of no account, he only supplicated that
the work they had in hand for that day might be approved and sanctified.
The worship being over, the family returned into the house, and having
partaken of a repast of bread and milk, my father put on his father's
sword, and my brothers, who had brought weapons of their own home with
them, also belted themselves for the road. I was owre young to be yet
trysted for war, so my father led me out by the hand, and walking
forward, followed by my brothers, the neighbours, two and two, fell into
the rear, and the women, in their plaids, came mournful and in tears at
some short distance behind.
As we were thus proceeding towards the main road, we heard the sound of
a drum and fife, and saw over the hedge of the lane that leads to the
clachan, a white banner waving aloft with the words, "SOLEMN LEAGUE AND
COVENANT" painted thereon; at the sight of which my father was much
disturbed, saying,--"This is some silly device of Nahum Chapelrig, that,
if we allow to proceed, may bring scoff and scorn upon the cause as we
enter the town;" and with that, dropping my hand, he ran forward and
stopped their vain bravery; for it was, as he had supposed, the work of
Nahum, who was marching, like a man of war, at the head of his band.
However, on my father's remonstrance, he consented to send away his
sounding instruments and idle banner, and to walk composedly along with
us.
As we reached the town-end port, we fell in with a vast number of other
persons, from different parts of the country, going to sign the
Covenant, and, on a cart, worthy Ebenezer Muir and three other aged men
like himself, who, being all of our parish, it was agreed that they
should alight and walk to the kirk at the head of those who had come
with my father. While this was putting in order, other men and lads
belonging to the parish came and joined us, so that, to the number of
more than a hundred, we went up the town together.
When we arrived at the Tolbooth, we were obligated, with others, to halt
for some time, by reason of the great crowd at the Kirkgatefoot waiting
to see if the magistrates, who were then sitting in council, would come
forth and go to the kirk; and the different crafts and burgesses, with
their deacons, were standing at the Cross in order to follow them, if
they determined, in their public capacity, to sign the Covenant,
according to the pious example which had been set to all in authority by
the magistrates and town-council of Edinburgh three days before. We had
not, however, occasion to be long detained; for it was resolved, with a
unanimous heart, that the provost should sign in the name of the town,
and that the bailies and councillors should, in their own names, sign
each for himself; so they came out, with the town-officers bearing their
battle-axes before them, and the crafts, according to their privilege,
followed them to the kirk.
The men of our parish went next; but on reaching the kirk-yard yett, it
was manifest that, large as the ancient fabric was, it would not be able
to receive a moite of the persons assembled. Godly Mr David Dickson, the
minister, had, however, provided for this; and on one of the old tombs,
on the south side of the kirk, he had ordered a table and chair to be
placed, where that effectual preacher, Mr Livingstone, delivered a great
sermon,--around him the multitude from the country parishes were
congregated; but my father being well acquainted with Deacon Auld of the
wrights, was invited by him to come into his seat in the kirk, where he
carried me in with him, and we heard Mr Dickson himself.
Of the strain and substance of his discourse I remember nothing, save
only the earnestness of his manner; but well do I remember the awful
sough and silence that was in the kirk when, at the conclusion of the
sermon, he prepared to read the words of the Covenant.
"Now," said he, when he had come to the end, and was rolling it up, "as
no man knoweth how long, after this day, he may be allowed to partake of
the sacrament of the Supper, the elders will bring forward the elements;
and it is hoped that sisters in Christ will not come to communion till
the brethren are served, who, as they take their seats at the Lord's
table, are invited to sign their names to this solemn charter of the
religious rights and liberties of God's people in Scotland."
He then came down from the pulpit with the parchment in his hand, and
going to the head of the sacramental table, he opened it again, and laid
it down over the elements of the bread and wine which the elders had
just placed there; and a minister, whose name I do not well recollect,
sitting at his right hand, holding an inkstand, presented him with a
pen, which, when he had taken, he prayed in silence for the space of a
minute, and then, bending forward, he signed his name; having done so,
he raised himself erect and said, with a loud voice, holding up his
right hand, "Before God and these witnesses, in truth and holiness, I
have sworn to keep this Covenant." At that moment a solemn sound rose
from all the congregation, and every one stood up to see the men, as
they sat at the table, put down their names.