lives to
maintain, set forward and establish the most blessed Word of God." At
Perth, in 1559, they entered into covenant "to put away all things that
dishonour His name, that God may be truly and purely worshipped." At
Edinburgh, in 1560, they entered into covenant "to procure, by all means
possible, that the truth of God's Word may have free passage within this
realm." And these covenants were soon followed by the Confession of
Faith prepared by Knox and five other Reformers, and acknowledged by the
three Estates as "wholesome and sound doctrine grounded upon the
infallible truth of God;" by an Act abolishing the "jurisdiction of the
bishop of Rome within this realme," and forbidding "title or right by
the said bishop of Rome or his sect to anything within this realme," and
by the first General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. Seven years
thereafter, 1569, the Parliament recognised, by specific Act, the
reformed Church of Scotland as "the only true and holy kirk of Jesus
Christ within this realm." The young Church of Scotland was based on the
Word of God, anti-papal, free, reformed, and covenanting, and in that
character acknowledged by the State. "At this time," writes D'Aubigne,
"the reformed church was recognised and established by the State--a
triumph similar to that of Christianity when under Constantine the
religion of the Crucified One ascended the throne of the Caesars." In
spite of the vacillating policy of the King and Parliament, and their
repeated attempts to impose the order of bishops on the Church, the
reformation proceeded steadily, and a great advance was reached by the
National Covenant of 1580.

This National Covenant, or Second Confession of Faith, was prepared by
John Craig, minister of Holyrood House. Its original title was "Ane
Short and Generall Confession of the True Christiane Faith and
Religione, according to God's verde and Actis of our Perlamentis,
subscryved by the Kingis Majestie and his Household, with sindrie
otheris, to the glorie of God and good example of all men, att
Edinburghe, the 28 day of Januare, 1580, and 14 yeare of his Majestie's
reigne." The immediate occasion of this memorable transaction was the
discovery of a secret dispensation from the Pope consenting to the
profession of the reformed religion by Roman Catholics, but instructing
them to use all their influence in promotion of the "ancient faith."
Though the King was still in sympathy to some degree with the policy