Scotland/Scots > Life of John Knox ; and, The life of Alexander Henderson

LIFE OP ALEXANDER HENDERSON.
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those who established it proceeded, are requisite in order
to form a proper judgment of the public measures which
were afterwards pursued by the friends of religion and
liberty in the three kingdoms, as well as to vindicate the
subject of this memoir for the part which he acted in
them. But, sensible of the difficulty of conveying an
adequate idea of this subject, within the limits to which
he is confined, the memorialist enters not here upon this
field. Suffice it to say that the Scottish commissioners,
according to instructions from their constituents, gave
in a proposal for “ unity in religion, and uniformity in
church government, as a special means for conserving of
peace between the two kingdoms.” At the same time,
they delivered to the English commissioners a paper
drawn up by Mr. Henderson, which stated very forcibly
the grounds of this proposal, and condescended upon a
mode of carrying it into effect, which paper was trans¬
mitted to the English Parliament. To the above de¬
mand a favourable answer was returned by the king and
Parliament, signifying in general that they approved of
the affection expressed by the Scots in their desire, and
that, “ as the Parliament had taken into consideration
the reformation of church government, so they will pro¬
ceed therein in due time,” which answer was ratified as
one of the articles of the treaty.
During the whole time that he was in London, at¬
tending on the treaty, which was protracted through
nine months, Mr. Henderson was laboriously employed.
Besides taking his turn with his brethren who at¬
tended as chaplains to the Scottish commissioners, in
the church of St. Antholine’s, which was assigned unto
them as a place of public worship, he and they were of¬
ten employed in preaching for the London ministers,
both on Sabbath and on other days. He prepared seve¬
ral tracts for the press, which were published without
his name. The polishing of the most important papers
of the Scottish commissioners was committed to him,
before they were given in to the commissioners and Par-