ABSTRACT
The Scottish version of Calvinism, called Presbyterianism, entailed a new form of Church government. Lay elders, selected by their congregations, combined with ministers as delegates to presbyteries, which were groupings of parishes. The potency of the Scottish Kirk was grounded not only in its militant Calvinist theology, but in the self-confidence of its educated clergy who were also well paid in comparison with their English counterparts. The religious assurance of these men and their congregations was distilled in the words of the Confession of Faith: the church of Scotland through the abundant grace of our god is one of the most pure churches under heaven this day, both in respect of truth and doctrine. The political significance of the covenant was that it embraced the whole people, whereas before only the leaders of society had been involved in the political process. The insistence on contractual obligation, derived directly from Calvinist federal theology, made resistance to monarchical authority possible.
