THE NEW SCHAFF-HERZOG
rity by all ranks and classes. The shires subscribed by their commissioners, and so did the towns, save Aberdeen, St. Andrews, and Crail. Henderson preached at St. Andrews, and won it over, not a burgess refusing to sign. Henderson, Dickson, and Cant were sent to the north, and preached to great crowds at Aberdeen, securing several hundreds of subscriptions; but with the doctors of divinity they had only a fruitless controversy. The king had to call a general assembly and parliament to consider the national grievances. Henderson was unanimously chosen moderator of the former, which met on Nov 21, 1638, in the High Church or Cathedral of Glasgow. Though the royal commissioner dissolved it in the king's name, it continued its sittings, condemned the six spurious assemblies from 1606 to 161 S, as well as the service-book, the book of canons, the book of ordination, and the court of high commission. It also excommunicated eight of the bishops, deposed the other six, and prohibited episcopacy and the articles of Perth. Though anxious to remain in Leuchars, Henderson was translated by this assembly to Edinburgh, and was inducted into the Greyfriars' Church on Jan. 10, 1639.
A Remonstrance of the Nobility, etc., which Henderson drafted (1639), strongly impressed the English with the justice of the cove- Negotia- nanted cause. He accompanied the tions with Scotch army to Dunse Law, and took the Eng- part in arranging the articles of peace lish. The at the Birks, near Berwick-on-Tweed, West- in June, 1639. Next year he was minster appointed rector of Edinburgh Univer- Assembly. sity. He gave it an immense stimulus, and is now regarded as the ablest educator and the man of clearest insight who had had to do with the university since its foundation. On the king refusing to carry out the stipulations of the pacification, denouncing the Covenanters as rebels, and preparing again to invade the country, the Scotch army entered England in Aug., 1640, and the king was fain to treat a second time. For this treaty Henderson, who had accompanied the army, was appointed a commissioner. While in London he wrote several pamphlets, held service according to the Scottish form, preached in St. Antholine's Church to crowded audiences, and heartily concurred with William Castell's petition to the English Parliament for propagating the Gospel in America as " most pious, Christian, and charitable." Toward the end of July, 1641, he returned to Edinburgh, and was chosen moderator of the assembly then sitting. The king having come to Scotland to preside in Parliament, Henderson was appointed royal chaplain and dean of the chapel royal, and Parliament unanimously declared that, in the matter of the recent treaty, he had proved a loyal subject to the king and a true patriot to his country. By his exertions the revenues of the bishopric at Edinburgh were secured for the university of that city, and probably he helped to secure for the University of St. Andrews the grant of the rents of the archbishopric and priory of St. Andrews, under certain reservations. In 1641, and again in 1644, Parliament appointed him as one of
the commissioners to visit St. Andrews University and he manifested his practical interest in that ancient seat of learning by giving a thousand pounds Scots for perfecting the building for its library. In Jan., 1642, he was translated to the East Kirk As he was anxious to reconcile the king and the English Parliament, he was sent with the Scotch commissioners to Oxford. There he perceived that there was no hope of accommodation consistent with the liberties of England. On his return he had a conference with Montrose, and, seeing that he was determined to support the king, cautioned his friends against him. He was moderator of the general assembly in 1643, when commissioners were present from the English Parliament; and he drafted the Solemn League and Covenant (see Covenanters, § 4), which was cordially adopted by the Assembly and Convention of Estates . The assembly renewed the commission's appointment of members to assist at the Westminster Assembly. Henderson accordingly sailed from Leith for London on Aug 30. He addressed the English House of Commons and the Westminster Assembly, when met in St. Margaret's Church to swear the Solemn League and Covenant on Sept. 25. He was of great service in the Westminster Assembly, and often took a leading part in its debates. Early in 1645 he was appointed to assist the commissioners of both parliaments in their treaty with the king at Uxbridge. On this treaty being broken off without success, he returned to his duties at Westminster, though his health was now failing.
In the spring of 1646 the king threw himself into the Scottish army, who retired with him to Newcastle. The Independents were now Discussion supreme in the English army, which with had crushed the royal forces; and the
Charles I. king's only hope lay in speedily coming to terms with the Presbyterians. He sent for Henderson as the fittest man to remove the difficulties of his mind. Though unfit for the journey, he complied, and reached Newcastle in May. But he soon found that there was little hope of Charles agreeing to abolish prelacy in England. It was arranged that the conscientious scruples of Charles should be discussed in a series of papers between him and Henderson. Of these there are eight, five being by the king. Henderson prepared four; but, perhaps to let the king have the last word, only three were published. The object of Charles seems to have been to gain time; and, as the discussion lasted fully six weeks, he was not altogether unsuccessful. As Henderson's health had grown much worse, he returned to Scotland, arriving in Edinburgh on Aug. 11, sick and exhausted. Eight days after his arrival he entered into his rest. He was undoubtedly, after Knox, the greatest of Scottish ecclesiastics, and has been held in universal honor for his tact, statesmanship, and patriotism, as well as for his attachment to the faith and polity of the Reformed Church.
Most of the principal public papers of the Presbyterians from 1637 to 1646 were drafted or polished by Henderson. In 1641 he published The Order and Government of the Church of Scotland. The Platform of the Presbyterian Government , published by