The Covenanters, 2 Volume Set (J. K. Hewison)

Description

The progress and persecution of evangelical Christianity in Scotland from 1560 to 1689 is the subject of these rare volumes. In that history, 'covenants' were oaths of allegiance which bound Christians, their bodies and possessions, to the furtherance of 'all things required of God in his Scripture, that may be to his glory.' Handwritten and circulated from 1557, when martyrdom was still a prospect for the few who pledged themselves, the covenants became a crucial part of an immense struggle to uphold the Bible in the Church and nation. After 'the National Covenant' of 1638, 'Covenanters' became the accepted name, honored by the sufferings of perhaps 18,000, before the Stuart monarchy fell in 'the glorious revolution' of 1689.

After that date, controversy over these men and women was to continue. Some authors pitied them as fanatics, others as heroes whose lives were outstanding examples of devotion. This great work of James King Hewison has three distinctive characteristics. First, he aimed by exact research at 'an absolutely impartial account,' not accepting traditional representations from either side which lacked firm evidence. Second, he took care to show how the covenanting movement was bound up with many political events, leading to the making of a new nation. And third, he believed the covenanting story is one of intrinsic interest, vigour and power. In the view of Alexander Smellie, the result is 'a great book, one for which all true Scotsmen will thank him.'

The Solemn League and Covenant

Cost Scotland blood—cost Scotland tears:

But it sealed Freedom’s sacred cause—

If thou'rt a slave, indulge thy snores.

— Robert Burns

Endorsements

‘We all owe you a deep debt of gratitude for that wonderful book — The Covenanters.’ — LORD GUTHRIE, 1908

‘His history is a triumphant vindication of the place which belongs to the Covenanters in the making of Scotland.’ — THE EXPOSITORY TIMES, 1908

‘Dr Hewison has written a great book, one for which all true Scotsmen will thank him.’ — REV. ALEXANDER SMELLIE, 1908

Table of Contents

VOLUME 1

Preface to Revised and Corrected Edition (1913) ix

Original Preface (1908) xi

1 The Historical Beginnings of the Covenanters, 1545-1561 1

2 Mary Queen of Scots and the Romanist Reaction, 1561-1567 49

3 The Establishment of the Church by Law, 1567-1580 67

4 The King's Confession, 1580-1582 91

5 The Fight for Prerogative,1582-1603 115

6 Clerical Life and Learning after the Reformation, 1560-1625 153

7 The Erastian King, 1603-1625 173

8 The Liturgy Imbroglio, 1625-1637 207

9 The National Covenant, 1637-1638 245

10 The Glasgow Assembly and the Abolition of Episcopacy, 1638 275

11 The First Bishops' War, 1638 309

12 The Second Bishops' War. 1639-1641 323

13 'Lex Rex'--The Rise of Parliamentary Power-- The King in Scotland, 1641 345

14 The Solemn League and Covenant, 1642-1643 361

15 The Westminster Standards, 1643-1650 379

16 The Great Civil War: The Struggle for Liberty of Parliament and Freedom of Conscience, 1644-1645 393

17 The Engagement--The Fall of Charles First and of Montrose, 1641-1650 423

APPENDICES

1 The National Covenant 459

2 A Solemn League and Covenant 471

3 Extant Copies of the Scottish Covenants 475

4 Extant Copies o the British Solemn League and Covenant 491

5 Acts of Parliament Relative to the Covenants 495

6 The Irish Massacre of 1641-1642 497

7 The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Proofs 499

8 Crimes and Sufferings of the Scottish Clergy from 1560 till 1690 501

9 The Samuel Rutherford Scandal 503

VOLUME 2

18 Scotland's Three Rulers--Church, Charles, and Cromwell, 1650-1651 1

19 The Rule of the Ironsides, 1651-1660 39

20 The Restoration, 1660-1661 63

21 Condition of the Country in the Seventeenth Century--The Covenanters: the Gentlemen of the Restoration 97

22 Reconstruction of the Church, 1661 125

23 The Rule of Rothes and the Rising of Rullion Green,1663-1667 165

24 The Schemes of Angelic Leighton and Iron-Handed Lauderdale, 1668-1678 215

25 The Exit of Sharp, 1679 271

26 The Rise of Claverhouse, 1678-1679 287

27 The Remnant, 1679-1682 317

28 The Policy of Rope and Gun, 1682-1683 353

29 The Adventure of Renwick: Claverhouse and the Killing Times, 1683-1685 403

30 The Inlet of Popery, 1685-1688 445

31 The Revolution, 1688-1690 503

APPENDICES

1 Literary Men and Their Works from 1625 till 1690 531

2 Epitaphs on the Monuments of Some of the Most Famous of the Martyrs 543

3 The United Societies 553

4 The Cess 557

5 The Wodrow Manuscripts 559

6 Acts of Parliament Repealed in 1906 561

7 Ordination in the Church of Scotland 569

Product Details

Title: The Covenanters, 2 Volume Set  

Author: J. K. Hewison

Publisher: Banner of Truth

Pages: 1136

Binding: Cloth-bound

Size: 22.3 x 14.6 x 7.8 cm

ISBN: 9781848719279