*CHAPTER II.*
*A NATION'S TESTIMONY.*
Chill and grey broke the morning of that memorable day over the city ofEdinburgh. The inmates of Edward Kilgour's household were early astir,and the elder folk partook of breakfast by candlelight.
"I suppose your place of business will be closed to-day?" said theminister enquiringly to his brother-in-law.
"Yes; there will be little business done to-day, I fancy, except by thetaverns and other places of like resort, which must be open to supplyrefreshments to the many strangers," replied Edward Kilgour. "There willbe a goodly number of Inverburn folks in this morning?"
"Yes, Adam Hepburn of Rowallan, and a party with him, were to start onthe evening of the day on which we left," replied the minister. "Theywould arrive a few hours' later than us--their animals being swifter offoot than our 'Roger.'"
"What is the Laird of Inverburn saying to the Covenant, Andrew?" askedMistress Kilgour, replenishing her brother's cup with milk, which, withsome wheaten cakes, composed his frugal meal.
A slight shade of sadness stole over the minister's fine face.
"Truly, Jean, Sir Thomas Hamilton proves himself a loyal subject and afaithful servant of the king. They tell me he uses the Liturgy in hishousehold devotions, and he has never been in his pew in my church sincethe proclamation concerning the new book of service. I am told too, ongood authority, that my neighbour minister, John Methven of Lochlee,uses it in the services of his church, in accordance with the expressdesire of the laird who worships there every Sabbath Day."
"John Methven was ever a time-server and a worshipper of rank," saidEdward Kilgour, with curling lip. "He would sell conscience and libertyfor the smile of a patron so high in station as the Laird of Inverburn."
"Let us not so hardly judge the man, Edward," said the minister, gently."His motives and his conscience are known only to himself and his God.Yet I fear that when the times of trouble grow hotter in the land, theChurch will not find a supporter in the minister of Lochlee."
"What I fear, Andrew," said Mistress Kilgour, with a sigh, "is lest theLaird of Inverburn, not finding you conforming to his desires, may doyou injury in the parish, may even turn the people against you."
The minister smiled.
"I am in the Lord's hands, Jean. Except He will, Sir Thomas Hamiltoncannot touch a hair of my head, nor even damage my interests in theparish. And my people, thanks be to God, are faithful and honest, and Ithink have some little love for their minister in their hearts."
"As well they may," said the merchant, fervently.
"The name of Gray has long been honoured in Inverburn, certainly," saidthe mistress, musingly. "Our forbears have been so many generations inthe manse that I think the people would be sad to see a stranger underits roof-tree, or ministering to them in the kirk on the Sabbath Day."
"We will not trouble ourselves with such things to-day, Jean, therebeing graver issues at stake than the interests of Inverburn, which,though very dear to us, is but a small corner of the Lord's vineyard,"said the minister, rising. "While you dress the bairns, Edward and Imight walk a little way into the town, and see what is doing. I see theshadows of the night are wearing away from the castle heights, and daybreaking in the east!"
Accordingly the twain left the house together, and wended their waythrough the streets. Even thus early there were many people abroad,some standing in little groups, earnestly discussing the one topic ofabsorbing interest occupying the minds of citizens and strangers alike.Arm in arm the minister and the merchant walked together in the shadowof the grey turrets of the castle, until they came to the shores of theNorth Loch, which was tossing uneasily under the grey and wintry sky. Akeen east wind was sweeping up from the Frith, and it had a wailing inits tone as if in warning of a coming storm.
The two pedestrians, alone at that hour by the solitudes of the loch,talked low and earnestly together on the crisis to which affairs inScotland had now reached. The merchant was a keen Churchman, and adevoted, pious Christian, with a heart ready to suffer and endure forthe cause of religion, and a brave, indomitable courage to fight for hisprinciples if required. Needless to say, the friendship between hisbrother-in-law and himself was warm and sincere, because they had somuch in common. Engrossed in conversation, the time passed unheeded,until the solemn strokes of the Tolbooth bell proclaimed the hour ofnine.
Then they turned their steps towards the Grassmarket once more, whichwas now considerably busier than it had been an hour ago. Yet there wasno disorder or sign of tumult, nor was the aspect of the people wild orexcited. There was an expression of calm yet fixed resolution,especially upon the faces of the older among them, which indicated thatno giddy froth of passion, no excitement of a moment moved them. AndrewGray remarked upon that to the merchant, and expressed his satisfactionat the visible earnestness and quietness of spirit which seemed to beabroad.
When they returned to the house they found the children up and dressedand partaking of their morning meal, good Aunt Jean talking to them allthe while.
"Are you going forth to witness for the Covenant with us to-day, Jean?"enquired the minister.
The mistress shook her head.
"I cannot well leave my house and my bairn, Andrew, but the Lord knowsthat I can make my vow at home and keep it as faithfully as I would keepa public testimony," she answered, with a smile and a tear. "But areyou going to take both these young things with you to the vast assemblygathered in and about the Greyfriars?"
"For that purpose I brought them on this journey, Jean. As I said toEdward, the proceedings of this day may make an impression on theirminds which will never be effaced, and--who knows?--the memory of it mayeven serve to build them up yet more steadfastly in the faith in days tocome. Well, I think we should be going now. The proceedings, I learn,are to begin early, and I would not that we should be at the outsidelimits of the crowd."
Accordingly Aunt Jean prepared the children for going out of doors,fastening the cloak of the little Agnes very closely about her neck, andadding a scarf of her own to protect the throat against the biting windof March. David wrapped his plaid about his shoulders in true Highlandfashion, put on his bonnet, and, taking in his hand the stout ash stickhe had cut in the woods of Inverburn, bravely announced that he wasready. So, followed by kind Aunt Jean's blessing and prayer, the littleparty left the house and emerged into the busy streets.
Although it was yet early, every thoroughfare was thronged with humanbeings, some moving on towards the place of meeting, others standingabout in little knots discussing the solemn occasion upon which so manywere gathered together. Our friends made their way leisurely up theBow, and were among the earliest to enter the churchyard, and thus wereenabled to take up a good position where everything could be seen andheard. The church doors were standing wide open, and it was evidentlyintended that the chief service should be held within the walls of thesacred edifice itself. The minister of Inverburn, leaving his littleones with their uncle, entered into the church, and met there many ofhis colleagues in the ministry, as well as others with whom he had someacquaintance.
As the stream of humanity surging towards the churchyard widened andbroadened, until it seemed as if there could be no room for even onemore, it was hastily decided that the proceedings should take place outof doors, in order to prevent any undue crowding in the church, and toenable as many as possible to hear and take part in the solemn service,which was to precede the signing of the Covenant.
Accordingly a table was set in the middle of the church, and thereon waslaid the Bible used in the Greyfriars pulpit, and side by side with itthe gigantic sheet prepared to receive the signatures of a nation.Everything being made ready, there gathered about the table thevenerable Earl of Loudon, the Earl of Sutherland, Sir ArchibaldJohnston, the Reverend Alexander Henderson, with many other nobles andministers and prominent personages.
Beyond that circle was gathered a vast throng, compr
ising every rank,age, and calling, upon whose faces, lit by a holy enthusiasm, the chillMarch sunlight played fitfully as it escaped through the refts in thecloudy sky. It was a wondrous sight. There was no noise, no unseemlyclamourings or vain babblings; the great concourse seemed to be hushedinto solemn expectancy, even the hot blood of the more passionate amongthem being held in curb by the strange awe-inspiring nature of thisnational gathering.
After a confession of national sin, an eloquent sermon was preached tothe assembled multitude by one of the most gifted ministers in theChurch.
Then amid a strange, deep silence Sir Archibald Johnston slowly anddistinctly read aloud to the people the contents of the document towhich every loyal Scot was asked to subscribe his name. It wasbeautifully and reverently compiled, and so simple and clear in itsphraseology, that even the youngest and most illiterate person presentcould not fail to comprehend its meaning. It was simply a protestagainst all the corruptions and unholy innovations which the king soughtto introduce into the service of the Church, and in signing the bond thesubscribers pledged themselves solemnly before God to use every lawfulmeans to recover and preserve the early purity and simplicity of worshipin the Church of Scotland, and to resist every effort made by the kingto introduce an Episcopal form of worship into the land.
When the reading of the Covenant was concluded, the Earl of Londonaddressed the multitude in eloquent, heart-stirring tones, exhortingthem to consider well the solemn and binding nature of the oath about tobe taken, and impressing upon them the necessity of standing steadfastby their testimony, for not otherwise could that liberty, civil andreligious, so dear to every Scottish heart, be restored and maintainedin the land. One of the leading and most devoted ministers in theChurch then gave utterance to a prayer, which hushed the very breathingof the assembly, and moved them as if by a mighty wind from Heaven.Amid the solemn silence which ensued, the Earl of Sutherland steppedforward, and uplifting his hand he swore the solemn oath, and thenaffixed the first signature to the Covenant. He was followed by nobles,ministers, citizens, men, women, and children, who subscribed name aftername on the great sheet, until it could hold no more. Some, moreenthusiastic than their fellows, opened veins in their arms, and wrotetheir names in their blood.
"Uplifting his hand, he swore the solemn oath"]
It was a day such as Scotland had never witnessed before, and which shewill never witness again, since, thanks be to God, the need for anational covenanting to protect civil and religious rights is swallowedup in the glorious liberty of these present days.
The impressive proceedings over, the people departed peaceably to theirhomes.
The minister of Inverburn, with his children, abode another night underEdward Kilgour's hospitable roof-tree, and early on the second morningthe little party set out upon their return journey to their home in thepleasant vale of Inverburn.