5 - The Five Articles of Perth, the Scottish Prayer Book and Church Discipline

Summary

The Five Articles of Perth (1618) and the Scottish Prayer Book (1637) loom large in the history of the Church of Scotland as two miscalculated, liturgical ‘innovations’ that galvanized presbyterian opposition to the Scottish episcopate. Historiography tends to draw a clear connection between these two sets of controversial reforms, arguing that opposition to the former presaged opposition to the latter. Following the Union of the Crowns, it is commonly argued, James VI and I and, later, his son, Charles I, were intent on reforming worship in the Scottish Church to ensure it more closely resembled that of the Church of England. In 1618, a General Assembly at Perth enacted the so-called ‘Five Articles of Perth’, enjoining private baptism, private communion for the infirm, episcopal confirmation of youth, observance of Holy Days and kneeling to receive communion. Whereas these reforms were enacted through a General Assembly and parliament, Charles I introduced the Prayer Book by his prerogative alone, issuing a proclamation through the Scottish Privy Council commanding its usage in December 1636. In 1637, after consultation with members of the Scottish episcopate, a version of the Anglican Book of Common Prayer was introduced for use in Scottish services.

Historiographical orthodoxy purports that the introduction of these reforms exacerbated latent tensions concerning the Church's polity, thereby undermining the efficacy of its episcopate. Divergent reactions to the Perth Articles and the Prayer Book have, similarly, been explained in terms of changes in Scottish politics. Opposition to the former set of reforms lacked any significant political backing, thus denuding protests of disruptive power. Combined with the reluctance of the Scottish Privy Council and other local authorities to enforce conformity to the Perth Articles, peaceful relations were maintained in Scotland. By contrast, in 1637, the politically weak ‘Anti-Articles’ movement was reinforced as a result of unconstitutional encroachments on traditional landholding and judicial rights. The 1636 Book of Canons, moreover, strengthened royal and episcopal control over the Kirk, essentially obliging civil authorities to enforce conformity.