the third regent who had governed the kingdom in the name of James, and in despite of Mary; and on the 24th of November expired John Knox, by far the most distinguished and intrepid of the Scottish reformers. We will not enter upon his character farther than to say, that as a religionist he was firm but intolerant, as a subject he too often measured his obedience by his own notions of expediency, and on some occasions he shuddered not at open rebellion; but as a private individual there is every reason to believe that he was affectionate, dutiful, and pious. Like the men of his age, he was ferocious and unbending in his manners; but there are no proofs that he was covetous, ambitious, or deceitful.

The regency of the Earl of Morton now commenced, which for a time shed comfort and security on the people and on the Church; his avarice, however, becoming the guide of his public measures, alienated from him not only the affections of his' majesty's subjects at large, but also the confidence and support of the clergy, whose interests he had originally affected to promote. In this moment of dissatisfaction the celebrated Andrew Melvil arrived in Scotland, to whose exertions and machinations is to be ascribed, in a great degree, the establishment of Presbytery as the form of Church-government in that kingdom. Almost immediately upon his arrival he instigated a minister, called Duric, to start some doubts in the Assembly as to the lawfulness of episcopacy in the abstract, when he, as if he had been ignorant that such a subject was to be discussed, urged the necessity of farther enquiry into the merits of the question; and in this first attempt he succeeded so well as to have a committee appointed to weigh the arguments on both sides, and to report to the House. No decisive step was taken in consequence of this report; but the tendency of it was to limit considerably the power of the bishops and superintendents, to bring them nearer to an equality with their brethren, and to render the concurrence or advice of the inferior clergy essential to the legality of their public deeds. During the few years that intervened between this event and the resignation of Morton, the Presbyterians continued to make encroachments on the Church-polity, which had been ratified by the agreement at Leith; and when James assumed the government in person, about the beginning of 1578, he found the question of an ecclesiastical establishment as hotly agitated as it had been at any former period.

The great object of Melvil and his party, in the Assemblies which were permitted by James, at the suggestion of his divided council, was to procure the revival of the book of discipline, originally drawn up by Knox, with such alterations as the cir cumstances of the Church seemed to require. The system of po

lity thus prepared was submitted to his majesty, and a fast was ordained to be observed for a week "on account of the corruptions which prevailed among all classes of men the bloody conclusions of that Roman beast, tending to the extermination of true religion,—and that God would put it into the heart of the king's highness and his government to establish such a polity and discipline in the Church as is craved in the word of God, and is conceived and penned already, to be presented to his highness and council." Their zeal, however, could not be restrained so as to await the tedious progress of legislative enactments; for in utter defiance of an existing law, and with a total disregard to the intentious of the civil power, the ministers took upon them to forbid all chapters to proceed in the election of bishops for a limited period, and, soon after, they extended this act to all time coming; while the bishops who were already recognized were ordered, under pain of excommunication, to submit themselves entirely to the General Assembly. They abolished the title of bishop in their records, and then summoned the Archbishop of Glasgow, whom they styled the commissioner of Kyle and Carrick, to appear before the Assembly and to suffer the corruptions of the episcopal character to be reformed in his person. This marked and insulting degradation roused his spirit, and he declined submission to their arbitrary and illegal jurisdiction in the following judicious and temperate speech: "I understand the name, office, and reverence given to a bishop to be lawful and allowable, and being elected by the Church and king to be Bishop of Glasgow, I esteem my office and calling lawful, and shall endeavour, with all my power, to perform the duties required, submitting myself to the judgment of the Church, if I shall be found to offend against what the Apostle has prescribed. As to the rent, living, and privileges granted to me and my successors, I think I may lawfully and with a good conscience enjoy the same, and for assisting the king with my best service in council and parliament, as my subjection ties me thereto; so I esteem it no hurt but a benefit to the Church that some of our number should be always present at the making of laws and statutes, wherein for myself, I neither intend nor by the grace of God shall ever do any thing but that which I believe may stand with the purity of the word of God and the good of the church and country."

Melvil being named in a commission which was appointed to receive the answers of the two archbishops relative to their submission, ceased not to importune the venerable prelate abovementioned, threatening, if he did not comply, to inflict the severest censures of the Church. "In one of those moments of weakness," says Dr. Cook, "produced by the operation of a mortal

disease,

disease, the archbishop affixed his signature. The recollection of this disturbed the serenity of his mind, but the representations of one of his clergy at length soothed his anguish, and with tranquillity he met dissolution. The ingratitude of Melvil powerfully affected him. He had been his friend and his patron; he had placed him in the University of Glasgow, and bestowed on him many favours; but although Melvil treated him in private with the utmost reverence, he in public reviled him; and he invaded his retirement when a feeling mind would have regarded that retirement as sacred."

Knox has no stain on his character similar to this, which blots the memory of Andrew Melvil. The former was violent, but he was honest; the latter joined to the desolating ferocity of his nature, an insidious and crafty disposition, a total want of feeling, and the blackest ingratitude. He even anticipated in plans of destruction the profligate and rebellious mob that seconded so many of his projects; for when he had suggested the demolition of the magnificent cathedral of Glasgow, and even obtained the consent of the magistrates to employ workmen for that purpose, the inhabitants ran to arms, and swore that whoever pulled down a stone should be buried under it. There were in Knox many qualities which every man will respect, in Melvil scarcely any thing that every man would not condemn.

The proceedings of the General Assembly were so directly opposed to all law and civil authority that the attention of government was forcibly drawn to them. At their next meeting, accordingly, a letter was addressed to this body by the king, requesting that a stop might be put to their innovations, aud that they would maintain for some time the ecclesiastical estabJishment which still enjoyed the protection of the state. His majesty earnestly entreated that, during his minority, and at a period of so much difficulty, the Assembly would direct its efforts to preserve peace in the fear of the Lord, and that they would yield due subjection to the crown. This recommenda tion, at once so equitable and expedient, was very little attended to; and the neglect of it manifested by the ministers in their public proceedings, failed not to alienate the mind of the king from the Presbyterian cause. Amidst all this turbulence and defiance of law, however, the Assembly directed their attention to propagate religious knowledge, and to improve the morals of the people. A new translation of the bible, begun some time before, was now completed, and an ordinance was issued for the sanctifying of the Sabbath, and for the discontinuing, on that day, of all marketing and amusements.

At a meeting of the Assembly, in 1580, the ministers proeeeded a step further than they had at any time advanced, sub

quent

sequent to the agreement at Leith, which has been repeatedly mentioned. They passed, says our author, the singular and de cisive act which is now to be recorded. "Forasmuch as the office of a bishop, as it is now used and is commonly taken within this realm, has no sure warrant, authority, or good ground out of the Scriptures of God, but is brought in by the folly aud corruption of man's invention, to the great overthrow of the Church of God, the whole Assembly of the Church, in one voice, after liberty given to all men to reason on this matter, none defending this pretended office, finds and declares the same pretended office used and termed as above-said, unlawful in itself, as having neither foundation, ground, nor warrant within the word of God; and ordains that all such persons as hold, or shall hold hereafter, the said office, shall be charged simpliciter to demit the same, as an office whereunto they are not called by God, and to desist and cease from all preaching, administration of the sacraments, or using any way the office of pastors, until they shall receive admission anew from the General Assembly, under the pain of excommunication, to be used against them if they be found disobedient, or contravene this act in any point." In pursuance of this measure they appointed certain days wherein the usurped bishops, as they chose to denominate those prelates who were the legal governors of the Church, should appear and give obedience to the said act of Assembly; thus taking, as Dr. Cook justly observes, the authority of the state into their own hands, setting parliament at defiance, and in fact dictating to the sovereign the line of conduet which he must follow. The archbishops of St. Andrews and Glasgow, however, either from sharing the apprehensions which at this time prevailed relative to the introduction of popery, or from not conceiving it expedient to resist so powerful a body, entered into a negociation with the Presbyterians, and made concessions so nearly approaching to the views of the ministers, that the other bishops were enjoined by the next Assembly to imitate the example of the primates.

In the following year an event occurred which clearly pointed out to his majesty how far the bold spirit of the Presbyterians would carry them in opposition to his wishes and to the law of the land. Montgomery, one of the ministers of Stirling, was raised to the see of Glasgow; but the Assembly affecting to be suspicious that the temporalities of the Church were sacrificed to the avarice of Lennox, now in favour with the king, would not permit the prelate elect either to leave his charge at Stirling, or to be consecrated archbishop. Montgomery was summoned to appear before the Synod of Lothian, to hear the sentence of suspension pronounced against him; and when the king pro

3

hibited.

hibited the Synod from interfering, and commanded the members to present themselves before his council, they solemnly protested that although they had appeared to testify their obedience to his majesty, they did not acknowledge him or his council as judges in a matter purely ecclesiastical. They boldly declared that they would excommunicate Montgomery; and when James said he would not permit them, they replied in the true style of enthusiasm and popish arrogance-we must obey God rather than men-one of them praying in the royal presence that the king might be delivered from the evil company with whom he was surrounded. The case was accordingly referred by the clergy to a General Assembly, and notwithstanding letters from the sovereign commanding them, under the pain of being held guilty of rebellion, not to proceed, they ordained that Montgomery should be deposed and excommunicated!

The Presbyterians acquired no small accession to their strength from the successful plot, concerted by some of the nobles, to seize and detain the person of the king. The danger of the Church was one of the ostensible motives upon which the insurgent lords vindicated their conduct, and while they were supported by the ministers they lent to them in return all the weight of their influence. Under the pretence of reforming the court, the same men who, on the occasion now alluded to, had treated their king as a prisoner and as a child, afterwards thrust themselves into his council; and in marked opposition to his views on the subject of Church-government, they encouraged Melvil in his audacity, and furthered, by all the means in their power, the cause of the popular leaders. The triumph which the ministers gained, on this memorable event, led them to a display of their influence upon popular feeling, very little calculated to secure the affections of the sovereign, or to conciliate his agitated mind to their insulting policy. When La Motte, one of the ambassadors whom the French king had sent to remonstrate against the distraint of James's person, was about to return to his native country, the magistrates of Edinburgh were ordered, by royal authority, to invite him to a public entertainment. The ministers condemned the injunction, and admonished the magistrates not to obey it. Finding, however, that the entertainment was to take place, they appointed the day which had been fixed for it, as a day of humiliation, called the people to attend divine worship, and in their sermons insisted on the sinfulness of banquetting the ambassador. Banquetting, said one of them, is a sign of love; if therefore they be sincere, they seal up by this feast their fellowship and true love with the murderers of God's people (alluding to the mas

sacre