Series 1 > Diary of Sir Archibald Johnston of Wariston 1632-1639

xliv
DIARY OF LORD WARISTON
publik letter to be sent to presbyteries, and reasons for ruling
elders, and against constant moderators ’; and on the following
day Wariston distributed these papers among the ministers
for every presbytery.1 Everything was carefully thought out
and arranged for the immediate election after 20th September
of such persons as members of Assembly as could be trusted
to support the cause.
Hamilton’s return with authority to make what the king
and his advisers must have considered generous concessions on
the king’s part gave the Covenanters some uneasiness lest the
people should thereby be gained over. Wariston writes that
when the details were communicated to him he was ‘ dasched
thairwith, thinking that they had never light on so aparant
ane mean to devyde and ruyne us.’ But he comforted himself
with the thought that the Lord was ‘pouerful to confound
them in thair auin wayes.’2 The king had practically granted
all that had been asked.3 He unreservedly withdrew the Book
of Canons and the Service Book ; he dispensed with the practice
of the Five Articles of Perth; he abolished the Court of High
Commission; and he gave assurances that, if any of the
bishops should act illegally in the execution of their offices,
they should be duly tried and censured. But he gave instruc¬
tions for renewal of the Confession of Faith of 1580 with the
‘ Band ’ annexed to it which was sworn by King James and
people in 1589, in order that his subjects might be fully
satisfied as to his intention to maintain the religion estab¬
lished in Scotland. The Covenanters considered this pro¬
posal or command to subscribe the King’s Covenant ‘a
very deep and dangerous plot, one of the most dangei’ous
divisive motions that had been used,’ plainly intended as a
virtual supersession of their own National Covenant which the
vast majority of the nation had recently sworn.4 Wariston
1 Pp- 377-378. 5 P. 39i-
3 See ‘Articles for the present Peace of the Kirk and Kingdome of Scotland,’
drawn by Henderson.—Rothes, Relation, p. 100.
4 Protestation. See Large Declaration, p. 163.