1 - Corporate Conversion Ceremonies: The Presentation and Reception of The National Covenant
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 October 2020
Summary
On 18 March 1638 Archibald Johnston of Wariston participated in the swearing of the National Covenant at Currie parish church. This ritual was part of an extensive campaign by the Covenanters to gather support by having all communicants in every parish swear the oath. Wariston reported that before the swearing ceremony the congregation at Currie remained unmoved by the exhortations of their minister, John Chartres. However, when they followed Chartres’ instruction to stand up and lift their hands to swear the Covenant, their expressions dramatically changed. Wariston observed that:
in the tuinkling of ane eye their fell sutch ane extraordinarie influence of Gods Sprit upon the whol congregation, melting thair frozen hearts, waltering thair dry cheeks, chainging thair very countenances, as it was a wonder to seie so visible, sensible, momentaneal a chainge upon al, man and woman, lasse and ladde, pastor and people. That Mr. Jhon (Chartres), being suffocat almost with his auin tears, and astonisched at the motion of the whol people, sat doune in the pulpit in ane amazement, bot presently rose againe quhen he sau al the people falling doune on thair knees to mourne and pray, and he and thay for ane quarter of ane houre prayed verry sensibly with many sobs, tears, promises and voues to be thankful and fruitful in the tym-coming.
A few weeks later Wariston took part in another swearing ceremony at Trinity College church, Edinburgh, on 1 April 1638. As at Currie, when members of the congregation held up their hands to swear the Covenant at the behest of their minister, Henry Rollock, there was a charged emotional outpouring. Raising their hands,
thair rayse sik a yelloch, sik aboundance of tears, sik a heavenly harmony of sighs and sobbes, universally through al the corners of the churche, as the lyk was never seien nor heard of. The Sprit of the Lord so filled the sanctuary, warmed the affections, melted the hearts, dissolved the eyes of al the people, men and women, poore and noble; as for ane long tyme they stood stil up with thair hands up unto the Lord, til Mr. Hery (Rollock) after he recovered himselth, scairse aible to speak, after ane schort exhortation to thankfulnes and fruitfulnes, closed al up in ane heavenly prayer and prayse, and gart sing the 74 Psalm fra 18 v.
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- Information
- The National Covenant in Scotland, 1638–1689 , pp. 21 - 38Publisher: Boydell & BrewerPrint publication year: 2020