Return to Scotland - National Covenant
Livingstone resumed his preaching in Ireland, albeit in a furtive manner, for some months after the aborted sailing to New England. However, he was warned that he was to be apprehended and taken to Dublin. Both he and his friend fled to Scotland in February 1637. He was given shelter and protection in Irvine. Blair remained there while Livingstone went on to Lanark to stay with his father for awhile. They had been met by a Mr David Dickson who urged them to remain in Irvine and resume their preachings. Mr Dickson, had been approached earlier not to welcome them but this advice he chose to ignore.
He returned to Irvine the following month where he was joined by his wife and baby son, John. Janet had been visiting her friend, Lady Ards when she met up with some parishioners who were going over to Irvine to take part in a communion. She decided to accompany them on the journey. "With the child sucking her breast, and a servant woman to wait on him, she came with a purpose to have gone back presently; but I keeped her still, and brought her with child to my father`s to Lanark, and sent to Ireland for some of our goods, and stayed in Lanark till I went to Stranrawer." There they would stay before he took up his first parish in Scotland, Stranraer.
Janet was later to return to Malone, Ireland to visit her mother who was dying this being 1637. She was accompanied by Samuel Livingstone, her brother-in-law. They returned in September after the burial. On 7th January, 1638, their second son William was born.
This same year, 1637, Livingstone records, "The true rise of that blessed reformation in Scotland began with two petitions against the Service Book, the one from the West, and the other from Fyfe; which mett together at the councill door in Edinburgh, the one not knowing the other."
This was the prelude to a multitude of petitions against the Service Book streaming in from all parts of the country.
All the while at this time, Archbisop Laud was determined to have his liturgy foisted on the populace. On 23rd July, 1637 he decreed that the new Service Book be invoked. This resulted in a huge cry of protest from the people, none more so than in St Giles Church, Edinburgh.
Earlier the old minister, with tears in his eyes preached his own Presbyterian retiral service to the large congregation. Then the Dean of Edinburgh entered and took his place in the pulpit. He began to preach from the new Service Book before the hostile crowd. None were more vehement in their shouts of disapproval than the lady whose name has been perpetuated in Scottish history to this day, Jenny Geddes, an elderly vegetable stallholder in the High Street.
Unable to control her wrath, she jumped up and threw her stool at the wretched Dean with a shout, "Out, thou false thief! Dost thou say mass at my lugs!`
Her words acted like a lit match to a fused powder keg. Immediately a riot erupted and the miserable bishop was almost torn to pieces. Jenny`s deed reached far outside the church in its symbolism, for the whole Presbyterian movement was stimulated throughout the country.
The King continued to ignore these pleas with a result that ever more were presented with the demands increasing, which included freedom from Episcopacy; the Five Articles of Perth and the High Commission Court; a free Parliament and General Assembly. When all these things were further denied, the pace of the objections quickened. "the number had so encreased, that in some sort they were the whole body of the land."
This and all other grievances against the King resulted in the renewal of the National Covenant. Considering that the Lord was with them, it was felt time to renew the Covenant that had formally been authorised by the King and parliament and which was now being breeched by them.
Episcopacy had at first been revived by James Vl and further aggravation was aroused by the introduction of An Article of Faith by his son Charles who treated Bishops with veneration. Their influence in Council and Parliament, as a result of their advancement, aroused much jealously.
The National Covenant expressed loyalty to the Crown but requested a return to Ecclesiastical and Constitutional practice which had prevailed before Charles l`s changes.
This was signed by the noblemen and senior churchmen in Greyfriars Churchyard on 28th February, 1638.
Copies of this were despatched all over the land. John Livingstone was commanded to carry several copies to London to distribute among sympathisers at the Court in Greenwich.
London
A journey by horseback to London could last up to ten days, breaking off each evening to rest up in friends` houses or Inn Houses. So this what was faced Livingstone as he set off accompanied by a guide.
Cloaked in "ane grey coat and ane grey montero cap, to avoid discovery", he had the unfortunate experience of falling off his horse while riding late one night. He fell to the ground where he "lay about ane quarter of an hour as dead".
The first thing he discerned when he came to was to find his companion by his side weeping, but it pleased the Lord he recovered. On reaching London, he took rooms where he was visited by Mr Eleazar Borthwick. On account of the state of one of his eyes and part of his cheek being "blood-shott", Mr Borthwick delivered the letters for him.
He was visited by certain of the English nobility who wished to be informed on all matters. A few days later Mr Borthwick returned with news from the Marquis of Hamilton. The Marquis had overheard the King discussing Livingstone`s arrival and purpose in London. The King had issued orders for his detainment and for him to be fettered about the feet. Alerted to this, Livingston made haste his retreat.
"Fearing to be waylaid on the post-way, I bought ane horse, and came home by St Albans and the Westerway".
He had returned to Lanark when the congregation of the parish received the Covenant, and he later recalled: ".....a thousand persons all at once lifting up their hands and the tears falling down from their eyes, so that through the whole land, except for the papists and some few, who for base ends had adhered to the prelates, the people universally entered into the Covenant of God for reformation of religion against prelacie and ceremonies".`
Excepting at the Kirk o` Shotts, he had never witnessed such motions fropm the spirit of God.
Offers of Parishes
At the end of May,1638, Livingstone received letters from Earl of Cassilis inviting him to visit him at his home with a view to taking up the position of minister in a parish in which he had some interest. On arriving there he was met by representatives from two parishes each desiring him to administer them. These were Stranraer in Galloway, and Straiton in Carrick.
He was inclined to favour the latter mainly because he thought it a remote place and the people being of rural habits were more likely to benefit from his gospel. He sought some advice from several friends and his father, and they were of one thought that he should go for Stranraer.
They reasoned that it was only four miles from Portpatrick and so nearer Ireland where his people there could travel to meet him more easily. He agreed with them and as a result, was received by the Presbytery on 5th July, 1638.
He sent for his family to join him and so they remained there for ten years until the harvest of 1648, when he was transferred to Ancrum, Roxburghshire.
It is worth recording that he and his family made their way to Stranraer from Irvine by ship, the way by road being too far. As well as themselves and their furniture, they had stored on board `ane tolerable quantity of meat and drink." The wind being fairand the likeliehood of them making port in a short time, caused the crew to eat most of their provisions.
As Livingstone complained,"so that by ane calme and ane little contrary wind, being three dayes at sea, we were ane whole day we had neither meat nor drink, nor could reach no coast, and my wife had then a child sucking at her breast."
Both was his zeal and eloquence that many of his former parishioners in Ireland would twice yearly visit Stranraer to take part in communion. No fewer than 500 persons often undertook this journey.
At one time he baptised twenty eight children brought over for just such purpose. He recorded that some of his friends actually moved from Ireland just to become parishioners of his again. Often his private family devotions would be disturbed by many wishing to hear him. Eventually these personal services would be held in church.
Bartholomew his third son was born this year, 1638 on the 3rd September. His birth was something of a consolation for, on the 8th January the same year, John the eldest son died aged two and a half years.
