Catechism just praise as a fine piece of composition, full of a spirit of charity and gentleness,' contrasts it, as a piece of controversial workmanship, with the Tridentine Catechism, and declares that 'throughout its whole tone and tendency one would pronounce the Scottish Catechism as the much more skilfully adjusted, both for baffling and appeasing the common enemy'.' The desire to turn men's minds away from disputes, and to make them content to 'put away that vaine curiositie, and beleif as the haly catholyc kirk of God beleifis,' is evident, and, under the circumstances, only what we should expect (p. 279, cf. 204); but the reserve, the omissions, the peculiarities of language, which distinguish this Catechism, cannot adequately be explained as mere controversial artifices to cover difficulties or disarm opposition. On the contrary, the origin of the book, its historical antecedents, as well as the provisions made for keeping it in the hands of trusted Catholics only, go rather to show that it was a bona fide attempt to give elementary instruction to the faithful, without any special regard to their opponents. Hence it is far more probable that the theological characteristics in question indicate the genuine mind of the authors. Professor Mitchell has brought forward some reasons of weight in support of his own opinion, that the movement then going on in Germany in favour of a compromise or via media between the two extreme parties extended to the Scottish Church, and that the Catechism bears traces of its influence. There was certainly a disposition in some quarters, among the clergy, to show favour to the Reformed doctrines. The liberal opinions of Major, the oracle of the Scottish Church, and the preceptor of Knox and Buchanan, may have prepared the way for it. To drink at St. Leonard's well' had passed into a proverb for the influence exerted in the same direction. by St. Leonard's College, at St. Andrews; and it would not be surprising if this influence had acted upon the divines responsible for the Catechism. Professor Mitchell has pointed

Hist. of Scotland, vol. iii. pp. 333, 334, edit. 1873.

out, that some of the catechetical manuals of the German moderate school were in the hands of prominent members of the Council of 1549. The name, for instance, of the theologian Alexander Anderson appears on the title-page of a copy of the Catechismus Catholicus,' published by Bishop Nausea, Suffragan of Mainz. The signature of Greyson, Provincial of the Dominicans, who afterwards joined the Reformers, is found on a copy of the Institutes of Michael von Helding, Nausea's successor. The 'Enchiridion Christianae Institutionis,' drawn up by the theologian Gropper, famous for his attempts at a reconciliation between the contending parties, at the instance of Hermann von Wied1, the Elector-archbishop of Cologne, and appended by him to the Decrees of the Provincial Council over which he presided in 1536, was undoubtedly made much use of in the preparation of the Scottish Catechism, as the parallel passages adduced by Professor Mitchell show2.

The Enchiridion, which was placed on the Index of Prohibited Books donec corrigatur, is the more elaborate and learned work, but the two books have many features in common. Remarkable too, as an indication of their sympathies or of their liberality, is the fact that the compilers of the Catechism did not scruple to borrow the language of Henry the Eighth's 'Necessary Doctrine' in their definition of Penance, or that of the Edwardian Homily on Faith, or to incorporate a passage, though not of any theological importance, from Luther's Larger Catechism, unless, in this case, both paragraphs were derived from a common source3. Further, if there is any truth in the tradition which assigns

1 Hermann afterwards abandoned the more moderate position of Gropper, and was finally (1546) deprived for heresy by the pope.

2 Compare Catechism, p. 148, on Mary and Eve, with Enchiridion, fol. 148; p. 169, on the names of the Holy Ghost, with fol. 19; pp. 172, 173, on remission of sins by baptism and penance, with fol. 30; and p. 204, on the matter of the eucharist, with fol. 52.

3 Compare the passage beginning The sacrament of penance,' p. 217 of the Catechism, with the corresponding one in the Necessary Doctrine' (Lloyd's Formularies, p. 257); and 'It is to be notit,' etc., p. 126 of Hamilton, with 'It is to be diligently notit,' etc. of the Homily; also I grant to the he is my makar,' etc. with 'Das meine und glaube ich,' etc. of Luther. See also below, p. xxxvii.

the composition of the book, or of its original draft, to Wynram, the choice of such a man for the work would imply a very conciliatory disposition on the part of those responsible for it. The Synod of 1559, and the two archbishops especially, marked their appreciation of the high character of Wynram, by placing him on the Commission referred to above, but nevertheless, long before this, he had been suspected, and probably with justice, of leanings towards the Reformation. But the tradition in question, which is based upon a statement of Bale, that Wynram composed 'a Catechism in the vulgar tongue,' is very uncertain. There is, indeed, an old list of books at St. Andrews, in which is entered a Catechism of Wynram, but it is placed immediately before that of Hamilton; and as no trace has been found of any such separate publication of Wynram, it is suggested by Professor Mitchell that the entry may refer to an original draft of the Catechism in MS., or possibly to a printed copy corrected in accordance with it. But whoever may have been employed in drawing up the groundwork, he can hardly, to any material degree, have coloured with his own private opinions a book composed under the direction and supervision of the Primate and the Synodal divines.

It is impossible to maintain that all the characteristic ideas and concessions of the moderate school found acceptance in the Church of Scotland. So far from this, Hamilton and his colleagues, as we have seen, were strenuously opposed to the use of the vernacular for any public service of the Church. The demand, too, for the restitution of the eucharistic chalice to the laity was a shibboleth of the minimizing party on the Continent, and a point of discipline which Rome was ready to concede under certain limitations. Yet there is no trace of any such movement in Scotland, and the common practice of administering Communion under one kind is explained and defended in the Catechism without hesitation. Moreover, so far from restricting Catholic teaching within its narrowest limits, the catechist goes out of his way, on a question regarding the privileges of Mary, to explicitly

affirm a doctrine left open by the Council of Trent. Yet it is equally clear that the Catechism manifests tendencies of an independent and liberal character, and on one point, concerning faith, falls little, if at all, short of actual heresy.

Very remarkable is the absence of all reference to the prerogatives of the See of Rome. Much is said on the need of unity and on the evil of schism, but not one word on the Vicar of Christ, the visible headship of the Church, or even on the Primacy of Peter. The teaching office of the Church is ascribed to General Councils, 'gaderit togidder and concludit be the inspiratioun of the haly spirit,' who is 'ledar, techar, and direckar of the same kirk in all matteris concerning our catholike faith and gud maneris of the christin peple.' In the chapter on Order, the powers and jurisdiction of the bishops in general, 'specially and principally as successouris of the Apostils,' are explained, and their claim to 'curse or excommunicate is justified; but the section concludes: As for uthir ordouris and digniteis of the kirk we think thame nocht necessarie to be exponit to yow, because the knawlege of thame makis not mekil to your edificatioun.' In the Cologne Enchiridion the Papal Supremacy is put forward briefly and mildly, but still it is there. The same may be said of the Institutio Christiana of Helding (fol. ccxxxiii). The complete silence of the Scottish Catechism on this cardinal point of the Roman Catholic faith is without a parallel, and is not easily explained.

It is however true that the doctrine defined at Florence was not everywhere received as of faith, and, as late as 1563, the Cardinal of Lorraine at Trent, on behalf of the French Church, repudiated that definition as emanating from a Council which was, in their opinion, neither œcumenical nor legitimate1. Hamilton would very probably have imbibed similar views from his Parisian schooling.

If we can rely upon the testimony of William Barclay, the Scottish people were far from being antagonistic to the Papal claims. This eminent Catholic jurist (writing circ. 1600), 1 See Hefele, Conciliengeschichte (second edition), vol. i. p. 65.

C

complains of what he considered the exaggerated devotion which his countrymen showed in former times to the Pope1. Barclay was, however, but a boy of thirteen at the period to which he refers, and he is speaking rather of the populace than of prelates and theologians. But there are certainly not wanting indications of a tendency among Scottish divines to minimize the Papal prerogatives. John Major contended for the superiority of Councils to the Pope. The Synod of 1559, in its article De Traditionibus Ecclesiae, marks its rejection of Papal infallibility, at least, in following closely (as Professor Mitchell points out) the Declaratio of the Louvain doctors on this point, but significantly omitting the words in italics :

LOUVAIN DECLARATION, 1554.

Certa fide tenendum est non solum quod expresse nobis atque aperte per scripturam traditur, verum etiam quod nobis ab ecclesia catholica et sancta credendum proponitur, traditurque. Neque minus credendum est, quicquid definitur, determinatur, et concluditur per cathedram Petri atque generalia concilia legitime congregata.

SCOTTISH COUNCIL, 1559.

Certa fide tenendum est, non solum quod expresse nobis atque aperte per Scripturas traditur, verum etiam quidquid Sancta Ecclesia Catholica, aut Universale Concilium legitime congregatum, credendum tradidit, definit et concludit.

It may also be observed that Quintin Kennedy, in his 'Tractive,' professedly treating of the divinely appointed judge of controversies, maintains a silence upon the primacy and magisterium of the Pope, almost as marked as that of the Catechism.

The absence of any distinct section upon the sacrifice of the Mass, such as is found in the Enchiridion, or the Necessary Doctrine, has been pointed out as another instance of reserve on a controverted point. We are barely told that the Eucha

1 'Vidi ego ante quinquaginta annos in Scotia cum staret adhuc regnum fide et religione integrum Papae Romani nomen (ita enim Scotice loquuntur the Pape of Rome) tanta in veneratione apud multitudinem fuisse ut quicquid ab eo dictum factum se esse narrabatur, oraculi instar et facti divini loco, ab omnibus haberetur.' De Potestate Papae. 1609. Cap. 40.