e kingdom. God was pleased to
grant a time of religious revival. The power of vital godliness aroused
the land, shining in its strength, like living fire. At Stewarton, at
Shotts, and in many others quarters, great numbers were converted, and the
faith of still greater numbers was increased. A time of refreshing from
the presence of God had evidently come; and it soon became equally
evident, that the enemies of spiritual freedom were under the blinding
influence of infatuation.

The younger bishops, inflated with vanity, acted towards the Scottish
nobility in a manner so insolent, as to rouse the pride of these stern and
haughty barons. But the prelates had learned from Laud, what measures
would be agreeable to Charles I., who, to all his father's despotic ideas
of royal prerogative, and love of Prelacy, and to at least equal
dissimulation, added the formidable elements of a temper dark and
relentless, and a proud and inflexible will. The consequences soon
appeared. Charles resolved, that the Church of Scotland should not only be
episcopalian in its form of government, but also in all its discipline,
and in its form of worship. In order to accomplish this long wished for
purpose, it was resolved that a Book of Canons, and a Liturgy, should be
prepared by the Scottish bishops, and transmitted to those of England, for
their revision and approval. The book of Canons appeared in 1635, and was
regarded by the nation with the utmost abhorrence, both on its own
account, and as intended to introduce innovations still more detested.
What was dreaded soon took place. The Liturgy was prepared, sent to
England, and revised, several of the corrections being written by Laud
himself, all tending to give it a decidedly popish character. Some copies
of this production appeared early in the year 1637, and were immediately
subjected to the examination of acute and powerful minds, well able to
detect and expose their errors, and to resist this tyrannical attempt to
do violence to the conscience of a free and religious people.

The crisis came. A letter from his Majesty was procured, requiring the
Liturgy to be used in all the churches of Edinburgh, and an act of the
Privy Council was passed, to enforce obedience to the royal mandate.
Archbishop Spotswood summoned the ministers together, announced to them
the King's pleasure, and commanded them to give intimation from their
pulpits, that on the following Sabbath the public use of the Liturg