ctory, debated at their leisure the
propositions to be submitted for acceptance to the king, the Scots employed
the interval in attempts to convert him to the Presbyterian creed. For this
purpose, Henderson, the most celebrated of their ministers, repaired from
London to Newcastle. The king, according to his promise, listened to the
arguments of his new instructor; and an interesting controversy respecting
the divine institution of episcopacy and presbyteracy was maintained with
no contemptible display of skill between the two polemics. Whether Charles
composed without the help of a theological monitor the papers, which on
this occasion he produced, may perhaps be doubted; but the author whoever
he were, proved himself a match, if not more than a match, for his veteran
opponent.[2] The Scottish

[Footnote 1: Journals, viii. 309, 329, 360, 374, 475. Baillie, ii. 207,
209. Rush. vi. 280-297. The last who submitted to take down the royal
standard was the marquess of Worcester. He was compelled to travel, at the
age of eighty, from Ragland Castle to London, but died immediately after
his arrival. As his estate was under sequestration, the Lords ordered a sum
to be advanced for the expenses of his funeral.--Journals, viii. 498, 616.
See Note (B) at the end of the volume.]

[Footnote 2: The following was the chief point in dispute. Each had alleged
texts of Scripture in support of his favourite opinion, and each explained
those texts in an opposite meaning. It was certainly as unreasonable that
Charles should submit his judgment to Henderson, as that Henderson should
submit his to that of Charles. The king, therefore, asked who was to be
judge between them. The divine replied, that Scripture could only be
explained by Scripture, which, in the opinion of the monarch, was leaving
the matter undecided. He maintained that antiquity was the judge. The
church government established by the apostles must have been consonant to
the meaning of the Scripture. Now, as far as we can go back in history, we
find episcopacy established: whence it is fair to infer that episcopacy
was the form established by the apostles. Henderson did not allow the
inference. The church of the Jews had fallen into idolatry during the short
absence of Moses on the mount, the church of Christ might have fallen into
error in a short time after the death of the apostles. Here the controversy
ended with the sickness and death of the divine.--See Charles's Works,
7