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A History of Scotland From the Roman Occupation
A History of Scotland From the Roman Occupation Author:Andrew Lang Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3"ARMINIAN" BISHOPS (1630). 17 who, in some cases, were anti-Calvinistic in doctrine. Latitudin- arianism, "Arminianism," had invaded the Kirk; already, as again in the eighteenth centur... more »y, there were " Moderates," who declined to preach " tidings of damnation." The same men had no dislike of a modest amount of ecclesiastical costume, and of a liturgy which would prevent the grotesque language of " conceived " prayers : not really inspired by "the Spreit" It was later, in 1634, that the devout Mr William Forbes became Bishop of Edinburgh. He lived but a few weeks as bishop there, but his faith, says Row, " was a strange miscellanie, farrago, and hotch-potch of Poperie, Arminianism, Lutheranism, and the rest," in which he was followed by Bishops Maxwell, Sydserf, and Mitchell. "Then it was taught—The Pope is not Antichrist—A Papist living and dying such may be saved— Christ descended locally to Hell,—Christ died for all, intentionally to redeem all,—The Saints may fall from grace, finally and totally— Christ is really present in the Sacrament, textit{Verbum audimus, motum senfimus, modum nescimus" and other heresies.82 To lay minds, it does not seem that the comment on the sacrament necessarily exceeds the sense of the nobly mystic words of Knox's Confession of Faith—a theme not adapted for this place.* "The larger hope," and the tolerance of Forbes's teaching are not, laymen may think, less Christian in spirit than Spottiswoode's cuffing of Father Ogilvie, whom he tortured and hanged, or Row's use of " bellie-gods " as a synonym for bishops, however personally ascetic. While contemning Charles's younger Scottish bishops as politicianstextit{; while detesting the odious policy of crushing the consciences of the people, we cannot but see that, in their doctrine, as often in their lives, these new conformist ...« less