The Covenanters, Part 1: Tracing the History of the Scottish Covenants
By Jacob Tanner - Posted at Place for Truth:
The Scottish Covenanters are not nearly as well remembered as they ought to be these days. If it wasn’t for the Scots, and the Covenanters in particular, there is good reason to believe that Western Civilization would look far, far different than it currently does. Their particular brand of Presbyterianism, Puritanism, and nonconformist beliefs made them quite influential on subsequent generations. Their thought and policies became a meaningful model for the formation of the United States of America. They demonstrated what it meant to commit oneself fully unto the Scriptures in such a way that, believing, “To live is Christ and to die is gain,” (Phil. 1:21) they were more than willing to lay down their lives in service to Christ and His Kirk (Church).Before we can understand the individuals who would become remembered as the Covenanters, and before we can meaningfully gleam from their lives, we must consider what they are most well-remembered for: The formation and signing of both the National Covenant of Scotland, and later the Solemn League and Covenant of England, Scotland, and Ireland. But even before we can get into these documents, we must understand the historical conflicts that led them to ultimately embrace two of the most important documents of the Scottish Reformation.
In this article, we will trace the history of the Covenanters and what led to the formation of both documents. Part two will focus on examining the National Covenant, while part three will focus on the Solemn League and Covenant. Following these initial articles will be a series of biographical sketches of various Covenanters.
War Abounding
The Protestant Reformation was, objectively, one of the most important historical events of the 16th century. Though it was begun five centuries ago with a German Monk, a Castle Church door, a hammer and nail, and his Ninety-Five Theses, the reverberations of the Reformation continue to echo throughout all of Western modernity. In many respects, the flames of the Reformation spread swiftly throughout the whole of the West, soon making its way from Germany to places as varied as England, Switzerland, Scotland, and—eventually by way of the Puritans—the Americas.
One must remember, however, that the reclamation of the Five Solas for Christianity was an unprecedented move in medieval Europe that, in the view of the monolithic Roman Catholic Church, had the potential of not only upsetting the proverbial apple cart, but setting the whole thing—cart, apples, horses, people, passersby, etc.—ablaze.
As the Reforming Protestants pressed the Crown rights of Jesus Christ into all spheres of life, insisting that “Scripture alone is our authority,” and “Faith alone is the instrument by which we are justified,” and that “Christ alone is Lord,” the Roman Catholic Church as an institution found its authority slipping. Of course, their power only ever existed in a vacuum like this because when Jesus is not given His proper place as King of kings and Lord of lords, something else will try to take His place. If the family is elevated over Christ, then a “Mafia” is eventually formed. When the state is elevated over Christ, a tyrannical state is formed. And, when the Church itself is elevated over Christ’s authority, the result is Papacy.
Thus, as the true gospel spread through the work of the Reformers, and as the Five Solas helped Christians to break free from the monolithic grip of the Church of Rome, Rome fought back. Wars broke out. Soon, almost the entirety of the West seemed to be engaged in a variety of conflicts, schisms, and excommunications.
