5. Maintaining the Whole Truth

Rev. K. D. Macleod

AFTER four months of imprisonment in Blackness Castle, Welsh and his five fellow prisoners were released, but only to allow them to appear for trial before the Privy Council in Edinburgh, as were others imprisoned in various parts of the country for the same reasons. They were denied the services of a lawyer, but Forbes, who as moderator in

Aberdeen took the lead in all these proceedings, read a supplication on behalf of them all. Its petition was that their case be remitted to the General Assembly “because it is of verity that, by warrant of the Word of God, discipline of the Kirk of Scotland, acts of Parliament made in favour of the same, and practice since the reformation of religion, all spiritual matters anent doctrine and discipline have been, and ought to be, cognosced and judged by the Kirk only as competent judges thereof”.

Shortly afterwards Robert Youngson, minister of Clatt in Aberdeenshire, who at an earlier meeting of the Privy Council had given way sufficiently to secure his release, appeared before them to declare that he had been summoned by the great God and his own conscience to withdraw his concessions; only by doing so, he now realised, could he find rest for his troubled soul. With Youngson now added to their number, and their supplication rejected, the 14 prisoners presented a further document by which they declined the authority of the Privy Council in a case which was purely spiritual. The Council proceeded to declare that the meeting of the Assembly in Aberdeen was unlawful and remanded the ministers to their various prisons until the King would make his mind known. Some attempts were made in private over the next two days to persuade the ministers to make concessions. These were unsuccessful, but the fact that these attempts were made at all reflected the weight of public opinion against the authorities. Some of the leading men in Scotland — including the Earl of Morton, the Earl of Argyle and Sir William Livingstone — actually made public their opposition to Government policy.

The King’s mind was made known in due course: the six prisoners in Blackness must be put on trial charged with high treason — which carried the death penalty — for they had refused to acknowledge the authority of the Privy Council in matters ecclesiastical. The Council did not appreciate this new move, “in regard”, as they put it, “the things already done by us had given great discontentment to all men”.

In the two-month interval before the trial began, although he had stood up to all the phenomenal efforts of his ministry, Welsh’s health broke down and he was never afterwards completely well. His fellow-prisoners too suffered in their health. They were forced to petition the Council to transfer them to another prison, or at least to arrange to have their food provided by someone who would be less exorbitant in his charges than the Constable of the Castle. The Constable was indeed requested to be more reasonable in his charges, or to allow the prisoners to make their own arrangements. At the same time he was directed not to relax the

severity of their imprisonment in any way, but to keep them in separate rooms, not to allow them to meet, and not to allow them any visitors. This was, to use the prisoners’ own words, “more rigorous than customarily hath been enjoined to most heinous malefactors”. Common criminals, it seems, were generally fed at public expense.

But the Town Council of Ayr held a public meeting to ask Welsh’s parishioners to make voluntary contributions for his support, just as they had done while he was still assistant to John Porterfield. Welsh recorded years later, “The love of our flocks and private saints and particular friends had been so exceeding towards us, that had it not been for their abundant love, it had not been possible for us to have endured the charges of the one half of the time of our imprisonment, neither could we have gotten ourselves set at liberty from our prisons”.

The King sent the Earl of Dunbar, one of his court favourites, to Scotland to see to the arrangements for the trial. He entered Edinburgh with great pomp, a guard of more than 600 cavalry accompanied him and seven silver trumpets were blown before him, but he had scarcely arrived when he found that he had undertaken a task far more difficult than he at first realised. He therefore wrote the King pointing out the danger to His “Majesty’s design in the erecting of bishops” and asking him to “supersede that business and to renew his first commandment”, which was to send the ministers into banishment without a trial. The trial, however, was appointed for January 10 in Linlithgow.

Dunbar sent James Melville, the eminent minister of Kilrenny in Fife, to Welsh to see if he was prepared to make some admission of blame. Dunbar promised Melville that if Welsh and the others cooperated he would do all in his power to pacify the King, claiming that he would willingly “give a thousand pounds sterling to have the King satisfied in that matter, without hurt to the Kirk and danger to the honest men that were in prison”. Melville undertook the mission, “glad to have the occasion to talk with his brethren and see how God wrought with them”.

First though, they met their lawyers, who also were sent on the same mission as Melville. The lawyers were able to go so far as to promise that if the ministers would, without any confession of wrongdoing, only submit to the King on account of the offence taken (not the offence given) and pass from their document which declined the authority of the Council in things ecclesiastical, they would be restored to their charges and all their expenses would be reimbursed.

Welsh describes all the lawyers’ arguments as temptations, and adds, “It pleased our God to strengthen us to overcome them … and convict

the consciences that, without iniquity and betraying the Lord’s truth and crown, we might not only not do the least evil for the appearance of ever so great a good, but not the appearance of evil, which might offend the saints of God or cause our adversaries to think or say that we had fainted from so high a point of the Lord’s glory as that which was called in question…. Which was not, as they and others took it, a thing indifferent, but an essential point of the sovereignty of Christ’s royal crown and kingdom, and that both in authority of convening His own servants when, where, and after what manner it pleaseth Him to do His affairs, unto the which He had promised His presence, and in the authority of judgement of all matters belonging to His kingdom, both essential and accidental, from the which we might not depart in any jot, under the pain of high treason against the Lord Jesus…. Necessity was laid on us to defend His truth although our blood should go for it, and we had no warrant to look for any blessing either to ourselves or others by the omission of any part of our duty.”

The next day they had a further discussion with one of the lawyers, Thomas Hope, whom they convinced of the rightness of their case, and he left them promising to appear for their defence the day following if indeed the trial went ahead, for they had not, even at this late stage, had any intimation from the authorities. Later that same day they were visited by five of their brother ministers, doubtless a welcome change from the ban that had been so long in force against visitors. And in the evening James Melville arrived with two other Fife ministers, “with whose fellowship”, says Welsh, “we were greatly comforted”.

Welsh goes on to describe the negotiations with Melville: “After calling on the name of the Lord we went to consultation what was to be done, and how far, for the avoiding of inconveniences, we might condescend. Sundry propositions were made, and left for further advisement till after supper, at which time we thought that in nothing could we in conscience make, even in appearance, any concession…. Therefore we thought that it was our duty to give a full testimony to the whole truth with all boldness if the Lord would strengthen us, and to endure the utmost which men could do to us, yea, even to the sealing of it with our blood if the Lord would call us and strengthen us to the same, calling to mind that all compromises which have ever been made in the cause of God have always strengthened the enemy, done injury to the truth, enfeebled the weak, and were never to this day joined with a blessing in the end…. These our resolutions being perceived by our brother Mr James, it did greatly comfort him, he affirming that what made him so sparing at this time in

encouraging and exhorting others to the cross was the infirmity he had seen in the whole ministry. Better it were never to resolve than afterwards to fall back. But seeing the Lord had given us the full determination to bear whatever was required for the defence of the truth, according to the measure of grace and strength which the Lord should minister, therefore was he comforted. And so he greatly confirmed us in bearing witness to the truth, and assured us that the cross alone would give it the victory.” The visit, we are told, ended with “most comfortable exercise of the Word and prayer”.

Between five and six the following morning the ministers were wakened by the sound of the trumpet and the clank of horses’ hooves outside. It was a party of the King’s guard which had come with a warrant to bring the ministers to Linlithgow for their trial, which was to begin before daybreak. As soon as Welsh heard the trumpet he got up and cried, “Courage now, brethren, let us sing the eleventh Psalm”. It was doubtless the sincere exercise of their hearts for such men to sing, “I in the Lord do put my trust …”, and to go out in that spirit after prayer, but without time even for breakfast. We have every right to believe that they went to their trial with God’s blessing, for, in the words of the same Psalm, “the Lord loveth righteousness; His countenance doth behold the upright”. After their four-mile walk to Linlithgow, they had the pleasure of meeting about 40 of their brethren who had gathered to support them. Among them were Andrew Melville, then Principal of St Mary’s College in St Andrews, and John Ker, Mrs Welsh’s half-brother and now minister of Prestonpans. It is interesting to note how, some years earlier, on his return from visiting Paris, Ker met John Davidson who was then still minister of Prestonpans. Ker was wearing the overly-fashionable clothes of the students of the Paris of that time, and Davidson pointed out the foolishness of wearing such clothes. The remark was blessed to the younger John; it was the turning point in his life.

The start of the trial was, however, delayed till well on in the day to allow further private negotiations with the prisoners to take place, in the hope of winning concessions. When others had failed, the Lord Advocate told them that if the matter went to trial they would certainly be condemned, reminding them that the penalty for high treason was death. He advised them to discuss the matter with their brethren before they would run such a risk. Welsh and his friends were willing enough to do this, although they had already made up their minds to face the worst. Their ministerial brethren concentrated on investigating any possibility of a way out which would not involve withdrawing their declination. In the end

it was decided to ask the Privy Council to delay further proceedings to allow them to meet their presbyteries and synods, which they had represented at the Aberdeen Assembly, for it was to them alone, technically speaking, that they were responsible for what they had done. A deputation including James Melville went before the Council with this suggestion, but it was firmly rejected.

When Welsh and his fellow-prisoners heard this, they declared that they saw that the Lord had called them that day to give a testimony to the liberty of the kingdom of Jesus Christ and to stand to His crown against the usurpation and the pride of men, at which they were not afraid, but exceeding glad and courageous; only they besought the brethren to give them their advice so that they might not injure the cause, for they had no respect to anything that could befall themselves in comparison with that. As one of their ministerial brethren was concluding their conference with prayer, asking especially and fervently for the strengthening of the men who were to go on trial, the lieutenant of the guard entered and peremptorily interrupted him with the demand that the six ministers go with him to the Tolbooth, where the judge and Council were waiting.

(To be continued)

Shunning Idolatry

The following was extracted from “The Ten Commandments” by Thomas Watson, published by the Banner of Truth. He was one of the great Puritan divines who flourished in the 17th Century. C H Spurgeon described the volume containing Watson’s sermons on the Shorter Catechism “one of the most precious of the peerless works of the Puritans”. What is reprinted here is found in his exposition of the Second Commandment. It would appear that Thomas Watson too would disapprove of Christians being present at a requiem mass.)

Take heed of the idolatry of image-worship. Our nature is prone to this sin as dry wood to take fire; and, indeed, what need of so many words in the commandment: “Thou shalt make any graven image, or the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them,” etc.” I say, what need of so many words, but to show how subject we are to this sin of false worship? It concerns us, therefore, to resist this sin. Where the tide is apt to run with greater

force, there we had need to make the banks higher and stronger. The plague of idolatry is very infectious. “They were mingled among the heathen, and served their idols.” It is my advice to you, to avoid all occasions of this sin.

1. Come not into the company of idolatrous Papists. Dare not to live under the same roof with them, or you run into the devil’s mouth. John the divine would not be in the same bath where Cerinthus the heretic was.

2. Go not into their chapels to see their crucifixes, or hear mass. As looking on a harlot draws to adultery, so looking on the popish gilded picture may draw to idolatry. Some go to see their idol-worship. A vagrant who has nothing to lose, cares not to go among thieves; so such have no goodness in them, care not to what idolatrous places they come, or to what temptations they expose themselves; but you who have a treasure of good principles about you, take heed the popish priests do not rob you of them, and defile you with their images.

3. Do not join in marriage with image-worshippers. Though Solomon was a man of wisdom, his idolatrous wives drew his heart away from God. The people of Israel entered into an oath and curse, that they would not give their daughters in marriage to idolaters. Neh. 10;30. For a Protestant and Papist to marry, is to be unequally yoked; and there is more danger that the Papist will corrupt the Protestant, than hope that the Protestant will convert the Papist. Mingle wine and vinegar, the vinegar will sooner sour the wine, than the wine will sweeten the vinegar.

4. Avoid superstition, which is a bridge that leads to Rome. Superstition is bringing any ceremony, fancy, or innovation into God’s worship. He hates all strange fire to be offered in his temple. Lev. 10;1. A ceremony may in time lead to a crucifix. They who contend for the cross in baptism, why not have the oil, salt, and cream as well, the one being as ancient as the other? They who are for altar-worship, and will bow to the east, may in time bow to the Host. Take heed of all occasions of idolatry, for idolatry is devil-worship. Ps. 106; 37. If you search through the whole Bible, there is not one sin that God has more followed with plagues than idolatry. The Jews have a saying, that in every evil that befalls them, there is uncia aurei vituli, an ounce of the golden calf in it. Hell is a place for idolaters. “For without are idolaters.” Rev. 22;15. Senesius calls the devil a rejoicer at idols, because the image-worshippers help fill hell.

That you may be preserved from idolatry and image-worship. 1. Get good principles, that you may be able to oppose the gainsayer. Whence does the popish religion get ground? Not from the goodness of the cause, but from the ignorance of their people. 2. Get love to God. The wife that loves her husband is safe from the adulterer; and the soul that loves Christ is safe from the idolater. 3. Pray that God will keep you. Though it is true, there is nothing in an image to tempt (for if we pray to an image, it cannot hear, and if we pray to God, by an image, he will not hear), yet we know not our own hearts, or how soon we may be drawn to vanity, if God leaves us. Therefore pray that you be not enticed by false worship, or receive the mark of the beast in your right hand or forehead. Pray, “Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.” Lord, let me neither mistake my way for want of light, nor leave the true way for want of courage. 4. Let us bless God, who has given us the knowledge of his truth; that we have tasted the honey of his word, and our eyes are enlightened. Let us bless him that he has shown us the pattern of his house, the right mode of worship; that he has discovered to us the forgery and the blasphemy of the Romish religion. Let us pray that God will preserve pure ordinances and powerful preaching among us. Idolatry came in at first for want of good preaching. The people began to have golden images when they had wooden priests.