Chap. VI. 7be HISTORY of the PuRITANs; 615 " ful eye over thofe, who by difcourfe or preaching endeavour to alienate King ffi n· f 1 f t " p Charles!i. " the a eu1ons o our peop e ram us or our governmen - ur66 fuant to thefe directions, the lords of the council ordered the heralds to ~ make public proclamation at the market crrfs in Edinburgh Sept. 6, of this his majefl:y's roy a 1 will and pleafure. In the month of December, a Ib. p. , 33 , commiffion was iilued out to the biihops of London and Worc1fer, to or- '34· dain and confecrate according to the rites and ceremonies of the church of England, Mr.James Sharp archbi!hop of St. Andrews, Mr. Andrew Fairfoul archbiihop of Glafkow, Mr. Robert Leightmz biihop of Dunblain, and Mr. James Hamilton biihop of Galloway. A very bad choice, fays bi!hop Burnet; Sharp was one of the falfefl: and vileft dilfemblcrs in the world. Fairfiul was next akin to a natural. Leigh- Burnet. p. ton was an excellent prelate; but Hamilton's life was fcarce free from '39• I4°· fcandal: He had [worn to the covenant, and when one objected to him, that it went againft his confcience, he {aid, }itch medicines as could not be chewed mufl be Jwa!foqved whole. The englijh biihops iniill:ed upon their renouncing their prefbyterian orders, which they confented to, and were· in one and the fame day ordained firll: deacons, then priell:s, and !aft o£ all bifhops, according to the rites of the church of E ngland. Bifhop Burnet fays, that though the king had a natural hatred to pref~ Againjl th~ bytery, he went very coldly into this defign; nay that he had a vifible king's mind. _ reluctance againft it, becau(e of the temper of the .Jcots nation, and his H.Ct. P· 13°> unwillingnefs to involve his government in new troubles; but the earl of ;(e~net. p. Clarendon puihed it forward with great zeal; and the duke of Ormond 557· faid, that epifcopacy could not be ell:ablifhed in Irel.-znd, if prefbytery continued in Scotland. The earls of Lauderdale and Crawford indeed oppofed it, but the council of Scotland not proteil:ing, it was determined; but it was a large ftrain of the prerogative, for a king by a royal. proclamation, to alter the government of a church efl:abliOJed by law, without confent of parliament, convocation, or fynod of any kind whatfoever; for it was not till May the next year, that this aff<tir was decided. In parliament. Some of the Scots rninill:ers preached boldly againil: this change of Mr.Guthrie government; and among others, Mr. ."fames Guthrie minill:er of Sterlin, executed. for which, and fome other things, he was convicted of {edition and H1!l. Stua~ts.. treafon. Biihop Burnet, who faw him fuffer, fays, that he expreifed a P· 1 4 4 • contempt of death; that he fpoke an hour upon the ladder with the compofure of a man who was delivering a fermon rather than his Jail: words ; that he juftified all he had done, exhortiag all people to adhere to the covenant, which he magnified highly. He was executed June 14K Cl 1661, ;md concluded his dying Speech with thefe words, "1 take God p. " 459 .'roa. " to record upon my foul,_ that I would not exchange this fcaffold Burn. p. ... with u6,_x.zz~-
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