Part 48 (2/2)
JAMES HEPBURN Earl of Bothwel was a wicked vicious man from his very infancy. At first he inclined as seemed to the protestant side, but becoming the queen's princ.i.p.al minion, he apostatized to popery, because it was her religion. He vigorously opposed the work of reformation, attempted to murder the good Earl of Murray, but was prevented. After the slaughter of Rizio, he succeeded in his place, and became a partaker of the king's bed. After which he murdered him, and married the queen (although he had three wives living at that time). He designed to have murdered James VI. then a child, but was prevented by the lords who rose in defence of religion and their liberties. The queen was by them made to abandon him, which made him flee to Shetland, where he became a pirate: but being obliged to escape from thence to Denmark, where after near ten years confinement, he became distracted and died mad.
JAMES DOUGLAS Earl of Morton was a man of no small natural endowments, but a man of a covetous and lecherous disposition. While chancellor, he got the Fulcan bishop.r.i.c.ks erected[272], that the bishops might have the t.i.tle and honour; but the n.o.bility got the profit or church revenues. After he became regent, though things came to a more settled state, yet for his own political ends, he oppressed the people, but especially the clergy by promises to a.s.sign them stipends in parishes.
He extorted from them the rights to the thirds of the benefice, and oftimes caused one minister to serve four or five parishes, while himself took all the stipends but one, (so that by the end of the century some ministers had but 11 l. and some but the half and miserably paid). He was the first that introduced prelacy into Scotland. Says a historian, ”He threatened some of the ministers, misliked general a.s.semblies, could not endure the free and open rebuke of sin in the pulpit, maintained the bishops and pressed his own injunctions and conformity with England; and had without question stayed the work of G.o.d, had not G.o.d stirred up a faction of the n.o.bility against him.” For first, the king took upon him the regency: then he was accused of the late king's murder. He had ama.s.sed great sums of money together; but it was partly embezzled by his friends, and partly conveyed away in barrels and hid; So that when brought to Edinburgh, he had to borrow twenty s.h.i.+llings for the poor. Thus having lost both his friends and his money, which might have procured him friends, he was condemned and executed at Edinburgh, June 2d, 1581. And so, for advancing the king's authority and supremacy over the church and introducing bishops into it, he was by him and them but poorly rewarded.--_Calderwood and Fulfilling of the Scriptures._
JAMES STUART, son to the lord Ochiltree, was from a single centinel advanced to a captain in king James's minority; but, becoming still greater at court, he a.s.sumed unto himself the t.i.tle of earl of Arran. He became the king's only favourite, and was by him advanced unto the helm of affairs; and then he set himself to ruin the church of G.o.d: for first, he got the king's supremacy in all causes civil and ecclesiastick, a.s.serted by parliament; and then he got a set of wicked and profane bishops, like himself, again reinstated in the church. In a word, this ambitious, covetous, b.l.o.o.d.y, seditious Cataline, and scorner of religion and enemy to the commonwealth was the author of all the broils and disorders in church and state from 1680 to 1685; and would have done more (being now made chancellor and captain of the castle of Edinburgh) had not the Lord, by his own immediate hand of providence, interposed in behalf of his church; for, first, being disgraced at court, while on the pinnacle of dignity, he was tumbled down unto his first original: then taking a tour through Kyle, came near Douglas, and was at last set upon by James Douglas (afterward lord Fotherald) in the valley of Catslaks, in revenge for his accusation of his friend the earl of Morton, and thrown from his horse, and killed with a spear, and his body left lying exposed to be devoured of dogs upon the king's high way.--_Calderwood, Spotiswood, and Melvil's memoirs._
MARY STUART daughter to James V. first married the dauphin of France, and after his death returned home, and took on her the regal government of Scotland. Tho' some historians represent her for a woman of a quick judgment and good natural abilities, yet it is evident she was of a revengeful temper and lecherous disposition; and being misled up in popery from her infancy, her opposition to the protestant reformed religion seems all of a piece. It would fill a volume to recite the wickedness, mischiefs and tragical disasters, that, through her instigation, by her command or example, were committed during her reign.
For, not to mention her intrigues with Rizio and Chattelet the French dancer, whom she caused at last to be hanged; the court rung with all manner of wickedness, impiety and profanity. About 1566, she entered into a league with Charles IX. of France to extirpate the reformed religion. She and her favourites robbed the church of their patrimony to maintain the luxury of the court: So that they could all have scarce 2000l. yearly. Nor upon all their pet.i.tions, though in a starving condition, could they get any redress from her. She married Darnly, then fell in adultery with Bothwel, then they concerted his murder: and after she married the Regicide, lifted arms against the professors of the true religion, by whom she was obliged to flee to England. In a word, every dreary year of her unfortunate reign was blackened with some remarkable disaster, and by such acts of impudence and injustice, as corrupt nature and popish cruelty could suggest. After her elopement to England, the popish faction, of which she was the head, kept the nations in continual intestine broils, till a scheme was by them laid to marry the duke of Norfolk a papist, get rid of her son James and Queen Elizabeth, and grasp both kingdoms into the hands; but this proving abortive, she next endeavoured to have herself declared Second in England, whereupon Queen Elizabeth signed a warrant somewhat precipitantly for her execution; and so she was beheaded in Fotheringay castle, Feb. 18. 1586, or according to some 1587. She died with some fort.i.tude, but would have nothing to do with the protestant clergy at the place of execution, saying, she would die in the catholick religion wherein she was bred and born, willing only to have her confessor: at last she lifted the crucifix and kissed it. And so she ended her days, as she lived, and with her ended bare-faced popery for a time in Scotland.--_Knox_, _Melvil_, _Spotiswood_, &c.
MR. PATRICK ADAMSON, first minister of Paisley, was a preacher of much repute in the church; but ambition and private interest had more sway with him than the interest of Christ. And having wrought himself into the king's favour by undermining the government and discipline of the church, he was declared bishop by Morton about 1578. But got the bishop.r.i.c.k of St. Andrews 1584, after which he not only spoke and wrote in favours of prelacy, but became a persecutor of his faithful brethren.
In the height of his grandeur, he used to boast that three things could not fail him, his learning, the king's favour, and his riches: for the first, in the just judgment of G.o.d, he could not speak a word of sense before or after his meat. For the second, he lost the king's favour and had his bishop.r.i.c.k taken from him, and was heard say, he was sure the king cared more for his dogs than for him. And for his riches, he was so reduced that he had to get charity from those ministers whom before he harra.s.sed. Before, for his pride, contumacy and other enormities he was excommunicated by the church, but being now in extreme poverty and sickness, he made a recantation and confession, supplicating the church he might be absolved from the censure; which at last was by them granted. Whether this repentance proceeded from constraint to get a little outward sustenance, as was suspected, I cannot say; but in this situation he died, in great want and extreme misery, about the year 1591--_Fulfilling of the Scriptures_, &c.
MR. JAMES NICHOLSON, a creature of the same make; one eminent for parts and learning in these times, and at first a great opposer of prelacy.
But being still gaping for riches, honour and preferment, s.h.i.+fted from one benefice to another, till he got the bishopric of Dunkeld: yea, so forward was he to establish prelacy, that he behoved to be one of those who a.s.sisted the king at Hampton court against eight of his brethren who were more faithful than himself in 1606. But his honour continued not long, for being stricken with sickness of body and seized with melancholy of mind and horror of conscience, he could have no rest.
Physicians being brought, he told them his trouble was of another kind, for which they could give him no cure; for, said he, ”The digesting of a bishop.r.i.c.k hath racked my conscience. I have against much light and over the belly of it, opposed the truth and yielded up the liberties of Christ to please an earthly king, &c.” And so in great horror of conscience he made his exit, August 1609.--_Calderwood_, &c.
GEORGE HUME, Earl of Dumbar, one of king James's creatures, and the only instrument (I may say) used by him at that time to overturn the Presbyterian form of church-government and discipline, and introduce prelacy into Scotland: for which purpose he was by him sent as commissioner to both the general a.s.semblies 1608 and 1610. He brought some English doctors to persuade, a strong guard to intimidate the faithful, and money to bribe those of a contrary disposition; which he distributed to these mercenary creatures for their votes. He so far succeeded, as to get a new set of bishops erected, and then returned to England, where, with the wages of iniquity, he built a sumptuous palace at Berwick. When he intended to keep St. George's day, and solemnize his daughter's marriage with Lord Walden, the Lord pulled him down from the height of all his honours by a sudden and surprizing death. _That day his thoughts perish_, and with the builder of Jericho, for all his acquisitions in Scotland and England, in a short time there was not a foot breadth of land left of it to his posterity.--_Calderwood_, _Fulfilling of the Scriptures_, &c.
MR. GEORGE GLADSTONE, at first, was such a zealous Presbyterian, that he vowed he should never be bishop of St. Andrews, because they were hated and came all to untimely ends. But his motives not being good, he returned from court 1605, with a presentation to the very same bishop.r.i.c.k. Again, when called up to court next year, to a.s.sist the king against the faithful Scottish ministers, he was adjured by his brethren of the ministry in the presbytery of St. Andrews, that as he should be answerable to G.o.d, he should do nothing to the prejudice of the church of G.o.d; he took G.o.d to witness, it should be so. But they soon found the contrary to their sad experience; for he not only became a cruel enemy to his brethren who continued faithful, but also a lazy time-serving hireling, oftimes loitering upon his bed in the very time of sermon.--Instance, being one time on his bed in time of the afternoon sermon, both he and the congregation were alarmed with the cry of _Murder_, his sister's son in the house having killed his cook with a dagger, as he was making ready his supper.--At this rate he continued till 1615, that he was seized with a fearful and strange disease, (which historians forbear to name) and what was worse, with obstinate and senseless stupidity, approving of his former courses, and in that situation he died, May 2, 1615.--_Calderwood and others._
MR. ALEX^R. FORBES, a bird of the same feather, was first made bishop of Caithness, then of Aberdeen. He was not only an enemy to the faithful servants of Christ, but even of such a poor, low disposition, and such a table friend and flattering spunger, that he was nicknamed Collie; because so impudent and shameless that he would follow the lords of session, advocates, &c. when they went to dinner, and cringe about, and sometimes follow them uncalled, and sit down in their houses at table.--At last he was seized with sickness at Leith, and fell under sore remorse of conscience for his past life: he sent for bishop Spotiswood, and would gladly have communicated his mind to him; but it seems he would not leave his playing at cards (albeit it was on the Sabbath day), and so he in this condition died.--_Calderwood._
MR. ANDREW FORRESTER, sometime minister at Dunfermline, when sent to the General a.s.sembly 1610, was by his brethren adjured, that, as he should answer to Jesus Christ, he should consent to no alteration in the government of the church: yet, having received 50 merks from Dumbar, (a small equivalent to the cause of Christ) he voted for prelacy. After which, he was convicted of taking silver out of the poor's box with false keys, and then fell into a fearful distemper, insomuch that, from some words of the chancellor apprehending he should be hanged, he run out of the pulpit one day when going to preach, in a fit of distraction, confessing he had sold Christ at that a.s.sembly. He was also seized with sickness. Mr. Row made him a visit, and found him in a lamentable condition. He asked, if he was persuaded that G.o.d had called him to the ministry. He answered, ”Nay, I ever sought the world, and so is seen on me.” He next asked, what he got at the a.s.sembly for selling the liberties of the church? He answered, 50 merks, at which his horror recurred, apprehending that he was instantly to be executed. Mr. Row desired him to pray; he said he could not. Mr. Row prayed, in time of which the b.u.t.tons burst off his breast, and the blood gushed terribly both from mouth and nose. After prayer, he asked, if he was prepared for death? He answered, no, woes me. Next day he made him another visit, and found him senseless and stupid, and so left him. After which he died in great infamy, poverty and misery. Nor was Mr. Paton, another of the same stamp, much better.--This and more was declared anent them by Mr. Row before the a.s.sembly at Glasgow, 1638.--_Stevenson_.
MR. WILLIAM COOPER, sometime minister at Perth, witnessed no small zeal against prelacy, both doctrinally and from the press, and yet through covetousness and court preferment, he was made bishop of Galloway: after which none was more forward for the corruption of the times.--He left his diocese, says the historian, and took up his residence in the Cannongate of Edinburgh, and committed his ministerial affairs to others, by whom was extorted the enormous sum of 100,000l. In his visits once in two years he behaved most impiously, thrust in ignorant persons to cures, and admitted his servant unto the ministry at his bed-side, desired the presbytery of Kirkudbright to dispense with one who kept a woman with him in fornication, and above all, was a fervent presser of the king's injunctions for keeping Christma.s.s, &c. and sent up his advice 1619, for punis.h.i.+ng those who did not comply. Some time before his death, he took a hypochondriack distemper, apprehending his head was all gla.s.s, which much affrighted him.--Some brought his former discourses to him to reconcile, which disquieted him more. Being at his pastime at Leith, he apprehended he saw armed men coming upon him; the company shewing him the contrary, he fell a-trembling, went home and took bed; and being in great anguish and trouble of spirit, he would often point with his finger to the earth, and cry, ”A fallen star, a fallen star.” And so he ended his life in great horror and anguish of mind.[273] On his court-advancement Mr. Simson of Stirling made the following line,
_Aureus, heu! fragilem confregit malleus urnam._
MR. PATRICK GALLOWAY was another of this fraternity; for when minister of Perth, he was not only a strenuous opposer of prelacy in the church; but also for his faithful and free rebukes to Arran and Lenox, who carried on the court affairs then, he was persecuted and obliged to abscond some time, about 1584. But afterwards being carried down with the current of the times, he was transported to Edinburgh, where he became a mighty stickler for prelacy, especially, the five articles of Perth; insomuch that by the year 1620, he pressed kneeling at the sacrament with much impudence and indecency; and though he would not preach on Sabbath, yet he behoved to preach on Christma.s.s.--At his Christma.s.s sacrament 1621, he commanded the communicants to kneel, and he himself bowed with the one knee and sat with the other. Thus he continued to the dotage of old age, and at last died upon the stool, easing himself; and (as worthy Mr. Welch had before foretold) without the least sense or signs of true repentance.
---- HAMILTON, Marquis of Hamilton, for his many good services to king James against the Presbyterian interest, was by him appointed commissioner to the parliament 1621, on design to have the five articles of Perth (_viz._ 1. Kneeling at the communion; 2. Private communion; 3.
Private baptism; 4. Observation of holy days; 5. Confirmation of children) ratified: all the faithful ministers being by him discharged, the city and the parliament guarded, that no protestations might be got offered. Through threats and flattery he got that dismal affair effected; but not without a notable mark of divine displeasure: for, in that moment he arose to touch the act with the sceptre, a terrible flash of fire came in at the window, followed with three fearful claps of thunder, upon which the heavens became dark, and hailstones and a terrible tempest ensued; which astonished every beholder, and made the day afterward be called the black Sat.u.r.day; because it began in the morning with fire from earth, and ended in the evening with fire from heaven.--And on the Monday, when the act was read at the cross of Edinburgh, the fire and thunder again recurred.--However, the Marquis having got the king's design partly accomplished returned to court, and not long after, for such services, it is said, he was poisoned by the king's princ.i.p.al minion the Duke of Buckingham.--_Calderwood_, &c.
JAMES STUART, son to Mary Stuart queen of Scotland, was in his youth educated by the famous Buchanan, and brought up in the true reformed Protestant Presbyterian religion, then established in Scotland, which was by him more than once ratified when he was in his swaddling cloaths, as one well observes, Christ reigned in Scotland in his minority. The church had its various turns according to the dispositions of the regents, the king's favourite flatterers and court-parasites; but whenever he began to think of obtaining the crown of England, he began to introduce Episcopacy into the church of Scotland to gain the English nation. And though he was a habitual gross swearer, and such a master of dissimulation, that what he exalted at one time he set himself to destroy at another, he carried still a face of religion in profession while in Scotland. The church had many struggles, sometimes Israel, and sometimes Amalek prevailed; but as soon as he ascended the throne of England, he wholly a.s.sumed an arbitrary power and absolute supremacy over the church, which before he had long grasped at. And though he had sworn to maintain the Presbyterian form of church-government and discipline, &c. his desire of unlimited authority made him now relish Episcopacy to the highest degree: the bishops were his creatures. By bribery, falsehood and persecution he introduced prelacy into Scotland, created such bishops whom he knew would stick at nothing to serve his purpose. Such as opposed his measures in both kingdoms, especially Scotland, shared deep in his persecuting vengeance, some were imprisoned, others deprived of their offices, while numbers fled to foreign countries where they might serve G.o.d with a safe conscience.
Toward the end of his reign he waxed still worse:--a high commission court was by him erected 1610: a set of wicked profane bishops installed about 1618, by the help of whom and other corrupt clergy, he got the five articles of Perth agreed to by a patched a.s.sembly that year--in 1621. He got them ratified by act of parliament, and then they began to be pressed with rigour. In England matters were but little better: a declaration was emitted for using sports and gaming on the Lord's day after sermon, which profanations continue there to this day. He had before wrote against the pope, threatening a malediction upon any of his posterity that should apostatize to popery; but now he hastened toward Rome; for, upon the match of his son with France, he agreed to the following articles, That all laws formerly made against popery should not be executed: 2. That no new laws should be made against Roman Catholics, but they should have a free toleration in England, Scotland and Ireland.--At the same time, to the arch-bishop of Embrun he acknowledged the pope's authority, and it is said, concluded on a convocation for that purpose at Dover or Boloign, in order to effect a more full toleration for papists. By his management in favours of popery, his son-in-law the Protestant king of Bohemia lost a kingdom.--In Scotland, several were incarcerate and fined for non-conformity. He had commanded Christma.s.s communion to be kept at Edinburgh; but, by the Lord's immediate hand in the plague, he was in that defeated. The next year being 1624, he resolved to have it kept with great solemnity; but before that he was cut off on March 27, by what they call a Quartan ague, in the 59 year of his age[274], but (rather of poison as has been supposed) with such suspicious circ.u.mstances, says a historian, as gave occasion of inquiry into the manner of his death, in the first two parliaments of his son; all which came to nothing by their sudden dissolution--_Welwood's memoirs_, _Calderwood_, _Burnet_, _Bennet's memorial of Britain's deliverances_, &c.
PATRICK SCOTT, a gentleman in Fife, being a violent enemy to the cause of Christ and religion, after he had wasted his patrimony, had to take himself to several wretched s.h.i.+fts at court; and amongst others set forth a recantation under the name of Mr. David Calderwood then under banishment; in which, it was thought, he was a.s.sisted by the king. But this project failing, he set off for Holland in quest of Mr. David, with a design, as appeared, to have dispatched him. But providentially he was detained at Amsterdam till he heard that Mr. Calderwood was returned home. This made him follow. After which he published a pamphlet full of lies, int.i.tuled, Vox vera, but as true as Lucian's Historia. But after all his unlawful unG.o.dly s.h.i.+fts, he became so poor (and at last died so miserable) that he had nothing to bury him: so that the bishop had to contribute as much as got him laid below ground for the good service he had done the king and bishops.--_Calderwood._
MR. WILLIAM FORBES (perhaps a son of the forementioned Forbes) was first made doctor in Aberdeen 1621 and 1622. When the people of Edinburgh had made choice of faithful Mr. Andrew Cant for their minister, the provost sent and brought this Forbes, as one whom he and the episcopal faction knew would please the king, and in this they succeeded to their desire; for he was not only a violent presser of Perth articles, but he also preached up Arminianism, and essayed to reconcile the papists and the church of Scotland together anent justification. And when complained of by some of the bailies and citizens of Edinburgh, all the redress they got was to be brought before the council and by the king's order handled severely by fining and banishment. When Charles I. came to Edinburgh 1633, he erected a new bishop.r.i.c.k there, to which he nominated this Forbes for bishop as one staunch to his interest. No sooner got he this power than he began to shew his teeth by pressing conformity both by word and writing, and for that purpose sent instructions to all the presbyteries within his jurisdiction. The people of Edinburgh were also threatened by the bishop's thunder; for on the first communion finding them not so obsequious as he would have had them, he threatened that, if life was continued, he should either make the best of them communicate kneeling or quit his gown; and who doubts of his intention to do as he had promised? But he soon found he had reckoned without his host; for before he could accomplish that, G.o.d was pleased to cut him off on the 12th of April following by a fearful vomiting of blood, after he had enjoyed this new dignity about two months. Burnet says, he died suspected of popery.--_Burnet's history, and Stevenson's history, vol.
1._
MR. JOHN SPOTISWOOD was first minister at Calder; but by his undermining practice he got himself wrought into the bishop.r.i.c.k of Glasgow, and a lord of the session, 1609. From thence he jumped into the arch-bishop.r.i.c.k of St. Andrews 1615, and aspired still higher till he was made chancellor of Scotland. He was a tool every way fit for the court measures, as he could be either papist or prelate, provided he got profit and preferment. When in France with the Duke of Lenox, he went to ma.s.s, and in Scotland he had a princ.i.p.al hand in all the encroachments upon the church and cause of Christ from 1596 to 1637. And for practice a blacker character scarcely ever filled the ministerial office. An adulterer, a simoniack, a drunkard tippling in taverns till midnight, a profaner of the Lord's day by playing at cards and jaunting through the country, a falsifier of the acts of a.s.sembly, a reproacher of the national covenant;--for which crimes he was excommunicated by that venerable a.s.sembly at Glasgow 1638; after which, having lost all his places of profit and grandeur, he fled to England (the asylum then of the scandalous Scots bishops) where he died about the year 1639, in extreme poverty and misery; according to Mr. Welch's words, He should be as a stone cast out of a sling by the hand of G.o.d, and a malediction should be on all his posterity;--which all came to pa.s.s; his eldest son a baron came to beg his bread; his second son, president of the session, was executed in Montrose's affair; his daughter who married lord Roslin, was soon rooted out of all estate and honours. _Their fruit shalt thou destroy from earth, and their seed from amongst the children of men_[275].--_Calderwood_, _Stevenson_, &c.
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