ls
of St Leonard's College.[238] This place was no doubt chosen in part at
least for the convenience of the aged reformer, whose counsel in that
time of trouble was specially needed. It was the last Assembly at which
he was able to be present, and probably the first witnessed by Davidson
and Melville. "Thair," the latter narrates, "was motioned the making of
bischopes, to the quhilk Mr Knox opponit himselff directlie and
zealuslie";[239] and thus probably were implanted in the youthful
student's mind the germs of those presbyterian principles which were
nurtured by intercourse with his uncle Andrew Melville, and were
retained by him to the last with heroic tenacity.
[Sidenote: Three Kinds of Bishops.]
Two months before this a convention at Leith had given its sanction to
a sort of mongrel episcopacy, nominally to secure the tithes more
completely to the church, but really to secure the bulk of them by a
more regular title to certain covetous noblemen who sought in this way
to reimburse themselves for their services in the cause of the
Reformation.[240] Chief among these noblemen was the Earl of Morton,
then one of the chief supporters of the young prince, and soon after
regent of the kingdom. Having secured a presentation to the
Archbishopric of St Andrews for Mr John Douglas before mentioned, he
came over to the city, had him elected by the chapter in terms of the
convention, and on the 10th of February inaugurated into his office.
This function was performed by Wynram, Superintendent of Fife, according
to the Order followed in the admission of Superintendents, save that the
Bishop of Caithness, the Superintendent of Lothian, and Mr David
Lindsay, who sat beside Douglas, laid their hands on his head. Knox had
preached that day as usual; but, as Bannatyne is careful to tell us, had
"refuised to inaugurat the said bischope";[241] and as others add had
"denounced anathema to the giver, anathema to the receaver,"[242] who
as rector and principal had already far more to do than such an aged man
could hope to overtake.[243] It was in reference to the same appointment
that Adamson, as yet uncorrupted by Court influences, had a few days
before in a sermon from the same pulpit given utterance to his famous
distinction of three kinds of bishops, my lord bishop, my lord's bishop,
and the Lord's bishop, the first of whom had been in time of popery, the
second was now brought in merely to enable my lord to draw the kirk
rents,
|