CALDER\VOOD, DAVID, a celebrated divine of the church of Scotland, was horn, as appears from Baillie's Letters, in 1575. He was, from his earliest years, des tined for the ministry : and accordingly his attention was peculiarly directed to the study of divinity, in which, while yet a very young man, he had made the most re spectable attainments. He wisely devoted a large por tion of his time to the investigation of sacred scripture in the original languages, and in this investigation, he did not despise the aid which was afforded by critics and commentators. He also read the works of the Fathers, and the best books which could be found on the ancient and modern history of the Christian church. The learn ing which he had acquired procured for him very gene ral respect; and his zealous attachment to the church of Scotland, which at that time was of the Presbyterian form, rendered him extremely acceptable to most of its faithful ministers. About the year 1604, he was settled at Crailing, in the neighbourhood of Jedburgh ; where, by his private Nirtues and public fidelity, he recommend ed himself to the love of his people, and to the reverence of all who knew him. It was while in this situation that he gave the first decisive proof of his dislike to Episco pacy, and of his determination to adhere stedfastly to to the ecclesiastical system which he had embraced. James I. of Great Britain, with his characteristic bigotry and imprudence, endeavoured to bring the church of Scotland into a conformity with that of England : and with that view, he sent the Earl of Dunbar, then lord high treasurer, accompanied by three divines, to recon cile the ministers and laity to the projected change. These tyrannical and insidious attempts of the monarch, experienced the most vehement opposition ; and none was more eager and resolute in opposing them than Mr Calderwood ; for when the Bishop of Orkney came (1608) to Nish the Presbyteries in Merse and Tiviotdale, he, along with Mr Johnston of Ancrum, solemnly declined his jurisdiction under form of instrument. The per severance of the king, aided by the corrupt influence and zubtile policy of his agents, was at length successful.
Mr Calderwood however, continued to bear his open tes timony, and employ his best endeavours against those despotic and illegal measures which were successively adopted to accomplish the royal scheme. And as he was not tempted by those preferments which a man of his talents and influence might reasonably have expect ed under the new ecclesiastical regime, so neither was he induced by the threatenings and persecutions to which he was soon after subjected, to abandon the principles and the conduct which be had hitherto maintained. Of the Assembly held at Glasgow in June 1610, and of that held at Aberdeen in August 1616, he explicitly declar ed his disapprobation, because they acted under undue influence, and were guilty of unconstitutional proceed ings. When the king held a parliament at Edinburgh in May 1617, there was also a meeting of clergy assem bled at the same time, to hear and consult with the bishops, evidently by way of imitating the convocation in England. Mr Calderwood went to try what the mi nisters there convened were consulting upon ;" and, in allusion to what was passing, boldly stated, that he could not look on that meeting either as a General Assembly. or as bearing any resemblance to the English House of Convocation, reminded them of their hostility to the church, and of their violation of promises made in its favour ; and when interrupted by two members, he left them with these words, referringto their proposals about augmentation of stipends, It is absurd to see men sitting in silks and satins, and to cry poverty in the kirk when puri ty is departing." The parliament having assumed the prerogative of regulating the ecclesiastical as well as the civil affairs of the kingdom, a considerable number of the ministers resolved to give in a protestation against this encroach ment on their peculiar rights. Mr Archibald Simpson was appointed to draw it up, and to sign it on behalf of the ministers who had proposed or acquiesced in the measure; he received as his warrant and justification, a separate roll which contained their individual subscrip tions, amounting to no fewer than fifty-five. This pro test was presented by Mr Simpson to the clerk register, hut he refused to read it before the states in parliament. A copy of it is given in Mr Calderwood's printed His tory of the Church of Scotland : and though it is suffi ciently respectful in its form and language, yet it breathes such a spirit of dissatisfaction with the con duct of parliament, so plainly accuses the king of hav ing acted contrary to his engagements, and so calmly and resolutely refuses to yield obedience whatever the consequences might be, that it could not fail to offend and irritate a prince so fond as James was of arbitrary power both in church and state. Accordingly Mr Simp son was summoned before the High Commission Court, and requested to produce the list of names with which he had been entrusted, that steps might be taken for punishing the most refractory of the protestors. The
list had been given to Mr Calderwood, who was there fore ordered to appear before that court, at St Andrew's, to exhibit the roll there, and to answer for his seditious and mutinous conduct. Ile obeyed the summons, and appeared on the clay appointed. The king attended in person, and behaved with his usual arrogance, offi ciousness, and severity. Ile entered into a dispute with Mr Calderwood respecting the merits of the protesta tion, and the part which he had taken in that transaction. He dogmatised about the rights of a General Assembly —illustrated the duty of obedience by the language of the Centurion in the Gospels—pressed Mr Calderwood to conform, by the use both of promises and threatenings —swore by his gudrfaith, that he was a very knave, like the rest of the fillse puritans, who were ever playing with equivocations ;—and linding that the object of this abuse was too lirm to be drawn aside from his integrity and his duty, and a more acute disputant than a royal personage could safely (Ix-minter or patiently brook, he ordered him to be sent prisoner to the tolbooth of St Andrews, from which he was afterwards removed to that of Edinburgh. The privy council then directed hint to banish himself out of the king's dominions before the following Mi chaelmas, and not.to return without licence. Ott giving security farther, lie was allowed to go back to his own parish, but forbidden to preach : And after an applica tion on the part of Lord Cranstoun, who was his security, to have the punishment changed into that of confinement to his own parish, which was unsuccessful, because he would not acknowledge an offence of which he had not been guilty, or make promises which his conscience vould not allow hint to fulfil, he at length retired into Holland, in which country he remained for several years. !laving contrived to get his departure deferred till the month of August, 1619, he took the opportunity afforded him by this delay, of writing a book called Perth Assem bly, which was condemned by the council in the Decem ber following, when happily the author was out of their reach. Thomas Cathkin, printer in Edinburgh, was cited to London on a charge of having printed this work. The following is a part of his examination, on the 13th of June 1619, before the king and some of the bishops. " Has not Mr David Calderwood lived and been enter tained at your house ?" said James. " Ile wold not," answered Cathkin, " resave anie entertainment from me, and did ly verie rarelie with me." King, "Did he not ly at your house since he was banisched ?" Cathkin, "Please your majestic, verie rarelie."—King, " Raid up your hand, and say, as ye shalt answer to God, how short time is it since you did speak with .31r David Calderwood kin, " Your majestic does striat me verie hardlie. I must needsgather my memorie before I cann tell your majestie." " Then," says Cathkin, " the king did swear I was going to equivocate ; but presentlic I did remember myself, and said, I did speak with hint within these fifteen dayes. We have found the —; let us bald us here : forsooth Mr David Calderwood is a good brother and an goodleir father. With this his majestic did rise in a great rage, leaned on a table hard by ; and presentlie did sitt clown again, and said unto me, " Traitor, thief, how durst thou receive may rebel! ?" Cathkin, " Ile was not your majes 'h•s declared rebel!." King, in grit rage, " Did thou not know that I banisched him 2" 1 being so daschcd with his majesties wrath, forgat to tell his majestic that Mr Da A.id had gotten an oversight." During his exile in llolland, he produced in 1623, the .?!tare Danzascenunz. This book is a refutation of Lin wood's Description of the Policy of the Church of Eng land. It treats, however, not only of the particular sub ject brought under discussion by that work, but also of the general questions at issue between Presbyterians and Episcopalians, and endeavours, by the help of much learn ing and of many arguments, to demonstrate, that the sys tem of the former rests upon a foundation to which that of the latter has no just pretensions. It attracted great notice when it appeared ; and while it gave high satis faction to those whose opinions it supported, it gave equal uneasiness and displeasure to those on the oppo site side of the controversy, though all ubited in at know • ledging its erudition and ability. King James himsell read it, and at owe admired it for its lore, and disliked it for its sue«.ss. It is said that a prelate observing him somewhat pensive and surly afi or perusing it, besought his majesty not to trouble himself, 14 it would 1w an swered ; but that the king passionately replied, " the Devil will you answer, man ? There is nothing here than scripture rrason and fathers." It long continued to be a sort of armoury to the non-conformists, and it is often referred to and generally applauded by writers of that class. In the present clay, however, it is not held la such high esteem ; though certainly none can be said to be very deeply versed in the subject which it so ably discusses, to whom its pages are not more or less fami liar.