be fubject and obedient to princes (Tit. 3) Paul writ this in the infancy of the church. There were but few Chriftians then, and not many of them rich, or of ability, fo as they were not ripe for fuch a purpose.

" As if* a man should write to fuch Chriftions as are under the Turk, in fubftance poor, in courage feeble, in ftrength unarmed, in number few, and generally fubject to all kind of injuries; would be not write as Paul did? fo as the apoftle did refpect the men he writ unto; and his words are not to be extended to the body or people of a commonwealth, or whole city.

"For imagine (faith † he) that Paul were now alive, where both the king and people do profefs chriftianity, and that there were fuck kings, as would have their becks to ftand for laws; as cared neither for God nor man; as bestowed the church revenue fcurris & bala-, tronibus, upon jefters and rafcals, and fuch as gibed at thofe, that did embrace the more fincere religion; what would be write of fuch to the church? furely except be would diffent from himfelf, he would fay, that he accounted no fuch for magiftrates. He would forbid all men from speaking unto them, and from keeping them company; be would leave them to their fubjects to be pu

Buc. de jute Reg. p. 56.

+ Ibid. p. 56, 57.

nifhed;

Their unwarrantable refift. ance against their lawful government.

Proclamation against private individuals undertaking to aleer the laws.

nished; neither would be blame them, if they accounted no longer fuch for their kings, as by the law of God they could have no fociety

withal."

These new apoftles exercised many arbitrary and tyrannical acts against the government then by law established, and one particular inftance ferves to fhew the degree of ftrength and confidence, to which their felfaffumed power had then arisen. An attempt had been made to disturb the queen and her attendants at divine fervice at Holy-rood Houfe on Sunday 24th August, 1561.

* "For remedy whereof for the time to come, an order was iffued the next day by the lords of the council, and authorized by the queen, in which it was declared, that no manner of perfon fhould privately or openly take in hand to alter or innovate any thing in the ftate of religion, which the queen found publickly and univerfally received at her majesties arrival in that realm, or attempt any thing against the fame upon pain of death. But then it was required withal, that none of the leiges take in hand to trouble or moleft any of her majefties domeftick fervants, or any other perfons, which had ac

Heylin's Aerius Redivivus, 1. iv. 166.

companied

companied her out of France at the time then prefent, for any cause whatsoever, in word, deed, or countenance; and that upon But the pain of death, as the other was. notwithstanding the equality of fo just an order, the earl of Arrane, in the name of the reft of the congregation profeffed openly on the fame day at the cross in Edinborough, that no protection should be given to the queen's domefticks, or to any other perfon, that came out of France, either to violate the laws of the realm, or offend God's majesty, more than was given to any other fubjects. And this he did, as he there affirmed, because God's law had pronounced death to the idolater, and the laws of the realm had appointed punishment for the sayers and hearers of mafs; from which he would have none exempted, till fome law were publickly made in parliament, and fuch as was agreeable to the word of God, to annul the former."

After the queen had declined or refused to comply with all the peremptory and unreasonable demands contained in a very infolent and harsh addrefs from these innovating apoftles from Geneva, which went to the utter fubversion of the whole ecclefiaftical establishment of the kingdom, Knox took «*

• Heylin ubi fupra, p. 170, 171.

Occa

The covenant.

fion in his preachings to the gentry of Kyle and Galloway (to which he was commiffioned by the faid affembly) to forewarn fome of them of the dangers, which would shortly follow; and thereupon earnestly to exhort them to take fuch order, that they might be obedient unto authority, and yet not fuffer the enemies of God's truth to have the upper hand. And they, who understood his meaning at half a word, affembled themselves together on the 4th of September at the town of Air, where they entered into a common bond fubfcribed by the earl of Glencarne, the lords Boyd and Uchiltry, with one hundred and thirty more of note and quality, besides the provost and burgeffes of the town of Air, which made forty more. The tenour of which bond was this

that followeth :

"We whofe names are under written, do promife in the prefence of God, and in the prefence of his fon our Lord Jesus Christ, that we, and every one of us, fhall and will maintain the · preaching of his holy evangel, now of his mercy offered and granted to this realm; and alfo will maintain the minifters of the fame against all perfons, power, and authority, that will oppose themselves to the doctrine propofed, and by us received. And further, with the fame folemnity we proteft and promife, that every one of us shall

affist another, yea, and the whole body of the proteftants within this realm, in all lawful and just occafions against all perfons; so that whosoever shall burt, moleft, or trouble any of our bodies, fhall b reputed enemies to the whole, except that the offender will be content to fubmit himself to the government of the church now established amongst us. And this we do, as we defire to be accepted and favoured of the Lord Jefus, and accepted worthy of credit and honesty in the prefence of the godly.

And in pursuance of this bond, they seize upon some priests, and give notice to others, that they would not trouble themfelves of complaining to the queen or council, but would execute the punishment appointed to idolaters in the law of God, as they faw occafion, whenfoever they fhould be apprehended. At which the queen was much offended; but there was no remedy."

I forbear to enter into the particulars of the murders of David Rizzio, and of the king, and the other confpiracies and rebellions, which were the avowed and even boafted acts of the covenanters, out of refpect to the noble families, to whom I do not attribute the slightest tincture of that fanatical enthusiasm and barbarity, which impelled fome of their deluded ancestors to become actors in these difgrace

ful

The covenanters affume to

themselves the administration

of justice.