In 1605, just two years after the Union of Crowns, it became clear that King James was starting to interfere in the Church of Scotland. A General Assembly in Aberdeen had been appointed by him in July, but he sent out a circular notice cancelling it indefinitely. Nineteen ministers ignored this and turned up to constitute the church assembly. A messenger from the king appeared, ordering the assembly to be dissolved, otherwise the ministers would be considered as rebels against his majesty. They requested that the representative of the king would fix a new date for the assembly, but this was refused. The ministers arranged for the church assembly date in September, but the king viewed this as sedition and promptly arrested and imprisoned sixteen of them, with a further six being banished for treason. Andrew Melville, who had not been at the Assembly, voiced his approval of the ministers, and was arrested too, being imprisoned in the Tower of London for three years. Clearly the king was out to control the Church of Scotland.
Despite a petition of 42 ministers the next year, the king pressed on with his policy, appointing his bishops as moderators of all of the presbyteries in 1607. Two years later courts were set up in St Andrews and Glasgow to enable the bishops to enforce the king’s policy. By doing so, the king was acting as a tyrant, forcing his will upon the people, and ignoring both the Scottish Parliament and Church. When a General Assembly was called in Glasgow in 1610, the king made sure that it was filled with his supporters who were bribed with gold coins. In this way the ‘Assembly’ accepted the king’s right to call and dissolve church assemblies, and for his bishops to be in charge. In 1612 Parliament declared that the king was the only legal and supreme ruler in Scotland over both church and state. When King James visited Edinburgh in 1617, 56 church ministers submitted another petition to him, pleading that their constitutional right of a General Assembly be upheld: again, he ignored it.
The General Assembly of Perth was called by the king in 1618, but it was controlled by his bishops. They, along with the nobles and gentry, took all of the seats, leaving the church ministers to stand at the back. When voting took place about the ‘Five Articles of Perth’, it was made clear that everyone was expected to vote in favour, otherwise their names would be duly noted and sent to the king. These five articles were not heretical, but simply expressions of the Church of England enforced by the king on Scotland. From now on, communion had to be received in a kneeling position to conform with the episcopal tradition; private communion could be taken in case of sickness; private baptism could be given out of necessity; young people must be catechised (taught) under the blessing of bishops; and the holy days of Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, Ascension and Pentecost must be observed. The Articles were ratified by Parliament in 1621 and enforced, with civil penalties being meted out to anybody who disagreed. Thus, in effect, the Presbyterian Church of Scotland was compelled to become Episcopalian, with dissenters being punished. The rope was tightening on the necks of the people of God, which would lead to dark times ahead, as the right to uphold their own conscience and church constitution would be trampled underfoot.
‘And Jesus answered and said to them, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s”’ (Mark 12:17, NKJV).