WHIT- ship, and commending the same in prayers to Almighty GIFT, Abp. Cant. God, we humbly take our leave. 648. The Church upon the Calvinian scheme, either in doctrine. Latimer's "From Cambridge, "March the 8th, 1595." By this complaining letter, the reader may perceive the of England university began to make a stand upon the predestinarian not reformed novelties, to throw off the impositions of Calvinism, and recover the old doctrine of the Reformation. I say the old doctrine, for that the Church reformed upon different notions discipline or of free-will, perseverance, &c. may be collected from what has been already observed in the reigns of king Henry VIII. and king Edward VI. And here, besides the "Institution and Erudition of a Christian Man," drawn up by the bishops, we have the single authorities of Latimer and Hooper. To which may be addded the Homilies set forth in the reign of Command- king Edward VI.; some of which are very full to this purpose. I might subjoin more testimonies from the homilies and other divines in the reign of king Edward: but what has been said may serve to satisfy the reader, that as Calvin's Church government found no entertainment with our first reformers, so neither did his doctrine pass their Second Part test, or settle into any public establishment. Lincoln. the Ten ments. A Sermon thing it is edit. 1687. p. 78. of the Sermon of Falling from God, id. p. 83. March 5, 1595. To proceed: Richard Fletcher, bishop of London, drew up some regulations for his diocese, and reforming his spiritual courts. How far they were executed is uncertain; for they run in a form of recommendation, rather than command. However, since they mention the complaints against the ecclesiastical courts, point to the remedy, set forth the See Records, discipline, and open the methods of proceeding, I shall tran mention of a At this meet ELIZA- And now this year may conclude with the general assembly at Montrose in June last. ing the king's commissioners insisted upon the following assembly at articles: First. That whosoever engaged in any treasonable practice against the king's person and government, should, after legal conviction, be excommunicated; that by this means there might be a constant harmony between the Church and State. Secondly. That no excommunication should be pronounced at the discretion of particular persons, but that a sufficient number of the Church should be first convened, and the censure agreed by public consent. Thirdly. That none should be excommunicated for civil causes, for petty instances of misbehaviour, or particular injuries to ministers, lest by such mismanagement this solemn exercise of the keys should fall under contempt. Fourthly. That for the future none should be summarily excommunicated, but that the legal and customary summons of the parties should be premised. The assembly agreed to the first proposition, with the limitation of "legitima cognitione Ecclesiastica præeunte;" or that "the cause should be first examined by the Church." The second article was passed without reserve; but they demurred to the third and fourth; these, they said, were points of great weight, and required time for deliberation. And thus the settling those two articles was postponed to the next assembly. However, to offer something towards satisfaction in the mean time, they forbid any summary excommunication, "nisi salus Ecclesiæ periclitetur," i. e. "unless the Church was in danger:" and when that case came up, they intended, no doubt, to be judges themselves. This clause was interpreted by the king as a reserve for liberty, and a colour for arbitrary proceedings. A general Montrose in Spotswood. at Edin The next year affords little Church history in England, An assembly but in Scotland a great deal. The assembly met at Edinburgh, burgh, to consult upon the danger with which the kingdom seemed to be threatened: for now a Spanish invasion was A. D. 1596. WHIT the general discourse, and here the inquiry turned upon two Abp. Cant. points. First, what might be the causes of so black a pros GIFT, They appoint a public fast. pect and, secondly, they deliberated upon the means to resist the common enemy. As to the causes, they concluded them the sins of the nation, and more especially of the ministry and, to give the better direction to a remedy, they ordered a committee to draw up the failings of the Churchmen under several heads, both with respect to their office and private life. Thus within a day or two several articles of the ministers' misbehaviour were laid before the assembly. And, to discharge their commission more effectually, they brought in a lay-list of the disorders in the king's family; the mal-administration in the courts of justice, and the failings common to all degrees, together with the proper remedies. This performance being well received, and the assembly acknowledging that part of the charge which concerned themselves, appointed a day of humiliation for making a new covenant, as they called it, to awaken their consciences to a better discharge of their duty. This is the covenant which the parity-men object was broken at the settling episcopacy: but this, as archbishop Spotswood observes, is a great mistake: for this humiliation covenant has not so much as a syllable sounding to this sense: nothing that relates either to the confirming the Presbyterian government, or renouncing the ancient hierarchy: they only obliged themselves, in general, to continue in "the profession of the truth," and live answerably but as to any regulations of ceremony, or ecclesiastical polity, there is no mention of that in the records. As to the expedients for opposing the common enemy, they addressed the court, that all those who had abetted the insurrection of the popish lords, should surrender themselves, and be confined till they had given security not to hold any correspondence with those noblemen, in case they returned into the country: and that the revenues of the banished lords' estates should be seized for raising and paying troops for the defence of the kingdom, with some other suggestions of this kind, not necessary to Spotswood, be mentioned. p. 416. This address was by no means acceptable to the king; BETH. he considered the queen of England was far advanced in ELIZAyears; for this reason, besides others, he desired to live easy at home, and give general satisfaction to his subjects: for that otherwise his right to the English crown might probably be disturbed. To this purpose, some time before this meeting of the Kirk, he sent for Mr. Robert Bruce, a leading man in the assembly, opened the design of recalling the Roman Catholic lords, with the good effect it might have upon the public repose. Bruce excepts only against the earl of Huntley, whom the king seemed to favour above the rest. The king condescended to argue the point, and offered several reasons to justify the motion. To this Bruce Bruce's replied, with a surprising assurance, I see, sir," says he, the king. "that your resolution is to take Huntley into favour; which answer to if you do, I will oppose, and you shall choose whether you will lose Huntley or me; for us both you cannot keep." Id. p. 417. By the way, notwithstanding this size of confidence, this 649. minister was reputed one of the most modest unbigoted men of the whole party. missioners what was the conven There were two conventions of the estates this summer, one at Falkland, and the other at Dunfermline; in both of which, the return of the Roman Catholic lords, who had been banished for holding a correspondence with the Spaniards, was agreed. Now, notwithstanding the conditions required of these noblemen were a sufficient guard to the Scotch Reformation, the commissioners for the Kirk were The commuch disturbed at this permission. To alarm their party, of the Kirk and fill the country with jealousies and fears, they ordered a take check at public humiliation should be kept on the first Sunday of agreed by December: that, upon that day, the ministers should enlarge tion of the upon the danger religion was in by the return of the excommunicated lords: that the presbyteries should convent those who entertained or kept any correspondence with these exiles, and proceed summarily upon one citation with the censures of the Church, "quia periclitatur salus ecclesiæ et reipublicæ;" and, lastly, it was resolved that a selected number of commissioners, picked out of the country, should come up to town, sit with the presbytery of Edinburgh, and conclude upon measures proper for the juncture. This new body, called "The Council of the Church," sat estates. GIFT, Abp. Cant. WHIT every day, and gave out such orders as they thought proper upon every emergency. By the direction of this board, the lord Alexander Seaton, president of the session, was called before the synod of Lothian for holding intelligence with the earl of Huntley. This synod referred him back to the council, where, after having solemnly purged himself from the imputation, and engaged against any such correspondence for the future, he had the favour of being dismissed. between some the ministers, but without effect. The king, being apprehensive of further disturbances, and willing to keep fair with the Kirk, ordered his council to enter upon a conference with some of the most moderate ministers, and endeavour giving them satisfaction touching the return of the banished lords. To this purpose, David Lindsay, Patrick Galaway, James Nicholson, and James Melvil, were sent for to court, and desired to answer this question: "Whether the banished lords, after having given A conference the Church proper satisfaction,-for without this condition, of the privy the king intended them no favour,-might not be pardoned, council and and restored to their estates?" To this the ministers replied, "they came only to hear proposals, but could give no answer to a business of that importance till they had made a report to their brethren." Upon this the conference was postponed till the afternoon, when they promised to return with the opinion of their principals. They kept their time, and reported, "that the brethren were glad of the respect his majesty had shown the Church; but in their judgment, the popish lords having deserved death by the law of God, and forfeited their estates by the sentence of the highest court in the kingdom, they could not be lawfully pardoned or restored. And if the king and council would undertake so far in their favour, they must answer it to God and the country; but as for themselves, they could give no concurrence, but must solemnly protest against such proceedings." After this answer, made up of passion and ignorance, they were asked, in the next place, "Whether, in case the Roman Catholic lords moved to be reconciled to the Reformation, they could reasonably be rejected? it being a received maxim, that the arms of the Church are always open to recollection and repentance." To this the ministers |