by Rev. John Colquhoun, Glendale, Skye
We have seen John Knox as the leader of the Protestants in the First Reformation, and now we come to consider Alexander Henderson as occupying the same high station in the Second Reformation. What Knox did in establishing the First Reformation from Popery in 1560 Henderson did in 1638 in connection with the Second, in overthrowing Episcopacy. Whatever power and influence may be used in putting down the Cause of Christ, the Lord is never at a loss to raise up instruments for its protection and advancement, and often they are the most unlikely ones. He who turned a persecuting Saul of Tarsus so that he preached the faith which once he destroyed, raised up, in the person of John Knox, a priest of the Church of Rome to bring down Popery in Scotland, and Alexander Henderson, an ardent Episcopalian, to cast down Episcopacy and set up Presbyterianism at the Second Reformation.
Alexander Henderson was born in the Parish of Creich, in the north corner of Fifeshire, in the year 1583, of respectable parents. Being a young lad of great aptitude for learning he was sent, at the age of sixteen years to St. Salvator’s College, St. Andrews, where he took his degree of M.A. in 1603. Shortly afterwards he was appointed a regent or teacher of philosophy, and being very much under the influence of George Gledstanes, afterwards Archbishop of St. Andrews, he was brought up in the Episcopalian persuasion, evidently having nothing before his mind but worldly preferment. He was licensed in 1611 and probably settled in Leuchars in 1612. His settlement was, by no means, welcomed by the people, for on arrival on the day of his induction, he, and his fellow-clergymen, found the church doors so effectively barred that they had to break a window in order to get in to the church. Thus he was inducted to the parish without a single member of the congregation present, as was the case, at a later time, with many a minister in the dark days of Moderatism. Some years passed of which we have no record as to his work or his relations with his parishioners until, on a memorable Sabbath, probably before 1615, Robert Bruce of Kinnaird, persecuted by King James VI, preached in the parish church of Forgan, a neighbouring parish to Leuchars. Henderson, having heard much of Bruce, and, probably out of curiosity, decided to be one of his hearers that day. Probably with the same reason that caused Nicodemus to come to Jesus by night, Henderson elected to sit in the darkest corner of the church. Bruce announced his text:—”He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.” Under the text and the sermon which followed the arrow of conviction entered the soul of Henderson, and he became a new man in Christ Jesus, with the result, among many, that he became a Presbyterian. His soul was brought out of prison and the righteous now compassed him about. At the Perth Assembly of 1618 he was a member, and, with others, opposed the Five Articles of that Assembly, which had as their aim the bringing in of Episcopacy. These Articles very soon caused trouble and Henderson, with others, were summoned before the Court of High Commission at St. Andrews on the charge of writing a book against the Perth Articles. The case fell through as none of these men had any hand in writing the book complained of. Following this he was left in quietness for a considerable time, and we may well conclude that he spent a great deal of that time in studying the question between Episcopacy and Presbyterianism. During this time also he was approached on several occasions with a view to his being translated to several places considered of more importance than the country parish in which he laboured. He, however, could not be persuaded to leave his own congregation for any of these.
In 1625 King James VI went the way of all the earth and was succeeded by his son, King Charles I. He was carefully instructed by his father in that doctrine, which proved to be the ruin of the Stewart dynasty, the divine right of kings, and when he succeeded to the throne he, under the evil influence of Archbishop Laud, pursued the insane policy of his father to subject the Scottish Church to Episcopacy. Although the king pursued this policy for some years, yet it was known that a fire was smouldering which at any time might burst into a flame. The English Service Book was introduced in 1637 and raised such a tumult in Edinburgh, the like of which was never seen before in Scotland. The authorities were mistaken in thinking that they had only to deal with a riotous mob in Edinburgh, and they soon realised it. Letters of horning were raised against Alexander Henderson and two other ministers for not obeying the command to use the Service Book, and the result was that these three ministers presented a Petition in proper legal phraseology asking for a Bill of Suspension to suspend the charge. In this way Henderson, who was the leading petitioner, stepped on to the public stage, openly challenging the king’s action. He thus took the first step in a legal process brought before the Privy Council, not as the king’s executive in Scotland, but in its separate capacity as a judicial body, exercising the functions of a court of law.
Their Petition manifested a calm and clear utterance of principle, showing that the Church is governed by her General Assembly, and that any changes made in her worship ought to be done by that Court, and sanctioned by Parliament; that changes cannot be made by the king at his pleasure. The Privy Council took fright. Although their order clearly showed that it was meant that the ministers not only buy the Service Book but use it, yet, after two days deliberation their solemn deliverance was that the Council “declares that the said Act of Council and letters raised thereupon does only comprehend the buying of the said Service Book by the ministers, and that they had and have no purpose nor intention to extend the same to the practice thereof.” This decision divided the Council so that they became more feeble to execute the king’s decrees.
When Henderson and his friends appeared before the Council they did not appear alone. Letters were sent to the Council from various parts of the country requiring them to stay the execution of their Order, and some noblemen were present in the town on the day of the Council meeting and added their voices to the testimony of the letters. When the Council reported to the king what they did, he took it very badly. Under the evil advice of Archbishop Laud, he caused three proclamations to be made at the cross of Edinburgh:—(1) Commanding those who came to support the Church’s petitions to leave Edinburgh within twenty-four hours under pain of outlawry; (2) That the Privy Council and Court of Session should remove to Linlithgow, and then to Dundee; (3) That all copies of the book on The English Popish Ceremonies obtruded upon the Kirk of Scotland by George Gillespie should be seized and publicly burned. This caused what is known as the formation of The Tables, by which all the separate classes were combined to support the Petitioners. The conference which The Tables had in Edinburgh in November 1637 yielded very important results. Warriston, in his Diary, records as follows:—”On Wednesday the 15th, the convention of the nobility, gentry, burghs, ministry, in effect the whole Estates held in Edinburgh in fair, calm, peaceable, orderly manner, and did capitulate with the Councillors anent choosing of commissioners for shires and presbyteries, anent the diet of the king’s answer, anent the pardoning of the tumult of Edinburgh, the staying of all further episcopal proceedings, and restoring of desposed ministers.” Scotland had awakened, and could not now be lulled to sleep by either force or false promises. In February the king rejected all the supplications of the people, and this led to the great movement which took place shortly after in the signing of the National Covenant.
The two men who were responsible for the framing of the National Covenant were Archibald Johnston of Warriston, an able young lawyer, and Alexander Henderson, who is described as “not inferior to Warriston in courage and devotion, but he was calm and dispassionate in judgment, statesmanlike in grasp, moderate and conciliatory in the expression of his views, and endowed with the happy gift of winning the esteem of men who disliked his opinions.” On 28th February, 1938, the signing of the Covenant began in Greyfriars Church, and, though he lived in a quiet country manse at Leuchars, his public position in connection with the National Covenant made him the first man in Scotland. King Charles consulted the most able lawyers in Scotland as to the legality of the Covenant, but found that legal opinion was against him and proceedings against the Covenant had to be dropped. The only possible course was to negotiate with the Covenanters. Henderson, with the aid of Warriston, prepared two documents in order to inform the king as to the real situation. The first was entitled, The least that can be asked to settle this church and kingdom is a solid and durable Peace; the second bore the title, Articles for the present peace of the Kirk and kingdom of Scotland.
After a great deal of negotiation a General Assembly was convened at Glasgow on 21st November 1638. The place of meeting was the High Church, the old Cathedral of Glasgow. At this Assembly, which was the first for twenty years, Alexander Henderson was appointed Moderator, and Johnston of Warriston was appointed Clerk. On the 29th November, the Marquis of Hamilton, the king’s Commissioner rose and quitted the Assembly, declaring that nothing done there should be of any force to bind and subject, an discharging the Court from proceeding further on pain of treason. Henderson refused to dissolve the Assembly, and it was a supremely testing moment for him when he confronted the representative of royal power, but to all beholders he appeared “dignified, courteous, and courageous.” The Assembly sat till 20th December, and, in its Acts and decisions, overturned everything that savoured of Episcopacy, and established Presbyterian church government and worship. Henderson’s concluding words were, “We have cast down the walls of Jericho, let him that rebuildeth them beware of the curse of Hiel the Bethelite.” It was at this Assembly that Henderson was translated from Leuchars to be one of the ministers of St. Giles Church, Edinburgh.
When King Charles heard of the outcome of the Assembly of 1638 he made preparations for entering Scotland at the head of an army, but the Scots also raised an army to defend their native land. Rather than risk a battle in which there was every possibility that he would be defeated, the king consented to carry out negotiations with the Scots army. It was during these discussions that the king and Henderson met personally. Much could be written concerning these negotiations but space forbids, but, this can be said, that owing to the perfidy of the king, Henderson got heartily sick of them. We must also pass over his work in the Westminster Assembly of Divines as a Commissioner from the Church of Scotland. Tired in mind and body he came home to Edinburgh to die, and death was by no means unwelcome to him. Shortly before the end, when he appeared more than unusually cheerful, he said to a friend, “Well, I am near the end of my race, hasting home, and there was never a schoolboy more desirous to have the play than I am to take leave of this world. In a few days I will sicken and, at such a time, die. In my sickness I will be much out of ease to speak anything, but I desire you may be with me as much as you can, and you shall see all will end well.” It happened as he said. While this friend and another were watching at the foot of the bed, he opened his eyes, glanced upwards, and passed away.
He was buried in the Greyfriars Churchyard, where his nephew erected a monument to his memory. In 1662, after the Restoration of Charles II and the setting up of Episcopacy, the inscription was obliterated by a platoon of soldiers, but was restored after the Revolution of 1688, and can be seen to this day.