he church of Scotland knew no officers vested with pre-eminence above
their brethren, nor had any thing to do with the Roman pontiff, until
the year 450. Bede says, that "Palladius was sent unto the Scots who
believed in Christ, as their first bishop.[25]" Boetius likewise says,
"that Palladius was the first of all who did bear holy magistracy among
the Scots, being made bishop by the Great Pope." Fordun in his
chronicle, tells us, that "before the coming of Palladius, the Scots had
for teachers of the faith, and ministers of the sacraments, Presbyters
only, or Monks, following the customs of the primitive church[26]."

But we are not even to fix the aera of diocesan Bishops so early as this,
for there were no such office-bearers in the church of Scotland, until
the reign of Malcolm II. in the eleventh century. During the first 1000
years after Christ, there were no divided dioceses, nor superiorities
over others, but they governed in the church in common with Presbyters;
so that they were no more than nominally bishops, possessing little or
nothing of that lordly dignity, which they now, and for a long time past
have enjoyed. Spotiswood (history page 29.) himself testifies, that the
Scottish bishops before the eleventh century, exercised their functions
indifferently in every place to which they came. Palladius may be said
to have rather laid the foundation of the after degeneracy of the church
of Scotland, than to have built that superstructure of corruption and
idolatry which afterwards prevailed, because she continued for near two
hundred years in a state comparatively pure and unspotted, when we cast
our eyes on the following times.

About the end of the sixth and beginning of the seventh century, a
number of pious and wise men flourished in the country, among whom was
Kentigern, commonly called Mungo, some of these persons were employed by
Oswald a Northumbrian king, to instruct his people; they are
represented by Bede, as eminent for their love to God and knowledge of
the holy scriptures: the light of the gospel by their means broke into
other parts of the Saxon dominions, which long maintained an opposition
to the growing usurpation of the church of Rome, which after the middle
of this century was strenuously supported by Austin's disciples.

Beside these men, the church of Scotland at this time sent many other
worthy and successful missionaries into foreign parts, particularly
France, and Germany. Thus was Sco