By REV. D. M. MACDONALD, Edinburgh.
THE Second Book of Discipline, drawn up by the Scottish Reformers under the guidance of that great man, Mr. James Melville, declared that “Christ had appointed a government in his Church, distinct from civil government, which is to be executed in his name by such office-bearers as he has authorised and not by civil magistrates or under their direction.” Parliament notified this back in 1592.
It was from this completed form of Church government that the great struggle arose which caused immense bloodshed on the battlefield and on the scaffolds of the martyrs till near the Revolution of 1688, which placed King William on the throne of Great Britain and secured under the sanction of an oath that the constitution and sovereigns of the realm should in all time coming be Protestant.
Intended to make legal the calling of the Prince and Princess of Orange to the throne and to set forth the fundamental principles of the constitution an instrument known by the name of the Declaration of Right was prepared by a committee and approved by the Commons. The Lords assented to it with some amendments of no great consequence.
The terms of this Declaration are of great interest and importance. It began by recapitulating the crimes and errors which had made a revolution necessary. King James had invaded the province of the legislature; had treated modest petitioning as a crime; had oppressed the Church by means of an illegal tribunal; had without the consent of Parliament levied taxes and maintained a standing army in time of peace; had violated the freedom of election and perverted the course of justice. Proceedings which could lawfully be questioned only in Parliament had been made the subjects of prosecution in the King’s Bench. Partial and corrupt juries had been retained; excessive bail had been required from prisoners; excessive fines had been imposed; barbarous and unusual punishments had been inflicted; the estates of accused persons had been granted away before conviction. He by whose authority these things had been done had abdicated the government. The Prince of Orange, whom God had made the glorious instrument of delivering the nation from superstition and tyranny, had invited the Estates of the Realm to meet and to take counsel together for the securing of religion, of law and of freedom. The Lords and Commons asserted the ancient rights and liberties of England, and having vindicated the principles of the constitution, they in the entire confidence that the deliverer would hold sacred the laws and liberties which he had saved resolved that William and Mary, Prince and Princess of Orange, should be declared King and Queen of England for their joint and separate lives, and that during their joint lives the administration of the government should be in the Prince alone.
When all preparations were finished for sailing to England, William embarked on the frigate “Brill,” his flag having the words embroidered on it, “I will maintain the liberties of England and the Protestant religion.” More than six hundred vessels followed in his train, and with a favourable wind they soon entered the English Channel. The same breeze which helped them prevented the fleet of King James from coming out of the Thames. The pilot of the “Brill” had led the fleet too far to the west, and it was impossible to turn with the wind against them. They might be in danger of being attacked by the ships of King James, but at the last minute the wind changed and a soft breeze sprang up from the south; the fleet turned back and under the light of the moon safely made into the harbour of Torbay. The peasantry of the coast of Devonshire held Popery in detestation, and they crowded down to the seaside with provisions and offers of service. The weather had served the Protestant cause extremely well. A hundred years before some said the Armada, invincible by man, had been scattered by the wrath of God. Civil freedom and divine truth were again in danger; and again the obedient elements had fought for the good cause. It was noticed also that by an extraordinary coincidence the Prince had reached our shores on a day on which the Church of England commemorated by prayer and thanksgiving the wonderful escape of the Royal House and the three estates from the blackest plot ever devised by Papists. It was agreed that public thanks should be offered to God for the protection so conspicuously accorded to the great enterprise. This was done with excellent effect. The troops were inspired with new courage, and the English people formed the most favourable opinion of a general and an army so attentive to the duties of religion.
Meantime King James, many of his friends having deserted him, left London secretly for Rochester, and a smack took him from there to France. He arrived safely at the court of the French King and was assured of his protection.
Prince William and Princess Mary had arrived at St. James’s Palace, London, and received the homage of those who came to their court. On the morning of Wednesday, the 13th of February, 1688, the court of Whitehall and all the neighbouring streets were filled with gazers. The magnificent Banqueting House had been prepared for a great ceremony. A huge number of Peers were assembled on the night and the Commons with their Speaker attended by the mace on the left. The Prince and Princess of Orange entered and took their place under the canopy of State. The Clerk of the House of Lords read in a loud voice the Declaration of Right. When he had concluded Lord Halifax in the name of all the Estates of the Realm requested the Prince and Princess to accept the Crown.
William in his own name and in that of his wife answered, “We thankfully accept what you have offered us.” Then he went on to say that the laws of England would be the rules of his conduct and he would promote the welfare of the kingdom. These words were received with a shout of joy, and the Garter King at Arms, in a loud voice, proclaimed the Prince and Princess of Orange King and Queen of England, charged all Englishmen to bear from that moment true allegiance to the new sovereigns and besought God, who had already wrought so signal a deliverance for our Church and nation, to bless William and Mary with a long and happy reign.
The date of the Coronation had now to be fixed and a Bill passed for settling the Coronation oath. First it was required of every King or Queen that he or she shall declare: “I am a faithful Protestant.”
In the Bill of Rights and Act of Settlement of 1689 the following is set out:—”Whereas it hath been found by experience that it is inconsistent with the safety and welfare of this Protestant Kingdom to be governed by a Papist Prince or by any King or Queen marrying a Papist . . . every person who is or shall be reconciled to or shall have communion with the See or Church of Rome, or shall marry a Papist shall be excluded and be for ever incapable to inherit, possess, or enjoy the Crown or Government of this Realm and Ireland; and in every such case the people of these Realms shall be and are hereby released of their allegiance.”
Since William and Mary came to the Throne every Monarch at his Coronation has taken an oath to maintain the Protestant Reformed Religion.
“Will you to the utmost of your power maintain the laws of God and true profession of the Gospel? Will you to the utmost of your power maintain in the United Kingdom the Protestant Reformed Religion established by law? And will you maintain and preserve inviolably the settlement of the Church of England and the doctrine, worship, discipline and government thereof as by law established in England? And will you preserve unto the Bishops and Clergy of England and to the Churches there committed to their charge all said rights and privileges as by law do or shall appertain to them or any of them?”
The Coronation took place on the 11th of April, 1689, and on the whole the ceremony went off well. The day was in London and many other places a day of general rejoicing. The details of the service which is solemn and religious would be a precedent for future coronations. The Bible as the Word of God has a prominent place in the ceremony.
This practice began in the reign of King Edward the VI when he was only ten years old. He was very religious and it is told of him that at his Coronation when he saw three swords being carried before him, he asked where the fourth sword was. At first they could not understand what he meant, but he explained that they ought also to have brought the “Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God.” They at once hurried to bring him a Bible, and this unusual desire on the part of so young a king made a great impression on the nation, so that ever since the ceremony of presenting the Bible has been an important part of the Coronation service.
After the present Queen is crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury the Bible is presented to her with the splendid words:
“Our gracious Queen, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is wisdom; this is the royal law; these are the lively oracles of God.”
When the Queen is placed on the throne all pay homage and the people shout:
“God save Queen Elizabeth.
Long live Queen Elizabeth.
May the Queen live for ever.”
It has been well said, “While the throne of England continues to be Protestant, Great Britain will stand. When it ceases to be Protestant, Britain will fall.”