| Trial and Banishment In the summer of 1660, two years after the death of Cromwell, Charles assumed the throne of England, and Livingston foresaw there would be an overturning of all that had been achieved. This proved correct. The first Scottish Parliament to sit after the Restoration was quick to prove its loyalty to the King by placing in his hands the supreme power in all matters civil and ecclesiastical. The Act of Rescissory, by which all precedings for reformation between 1638 and 1650 were declared rebellious and treasonable, was an anthema to the now despised Covenanters. A proclamation was announced that all ministers who had come in since 1649 who had not kept the Holy Day of 29th May ( date of Charles`s crowning at Scone) must acknowledge prelacy or get out. Livingston, like many of his kind, was in despair at this directive and soon spoke out against it. His outspokeness was soon to bring its expected repercussions. On 20 November, 1662 he received letters informing him that on the 18th the Privvy Council had ordered sixteen ministers to be brought before it in Edinburgh. He was on the list. Although he had not received the citation, he went to Edinburgh but kept himself closeted until he could determine what the Council had in mind for him. If it was banishment, as in the case of two the previous year, then he would appear. On the other hand, as he put it, "....if I had found they were on such ane design as against Mr Guthrie, that my life were in hazard, , I was minded to lurk and not appear, seeing I was not cited nor apprehended". He was to appear on 11th December having received the summons. The main reason for coming before the Council was to take the Oath of Allegiance.wherein the King was to be acknowledged supreme governor over all persons, both civil and ecclesiastical. As Livingston thought, this was contrived in so general , ambiguous, and comprehensive terms that it might import receding from the covenant for reformation, and the bringing in of Bishops. He would later assert that the oath was one of supremacy rather than allegiance. Asked if he required time to make up his mind on taking it, he refused believing that this would give the impression that he was unsure of himself, and also it might have left himself open to temptation. Before giving his answer he testified as follows, " My Lord, I doe believe indeed, and confess that Jesus Christ is the only Head of His Church, and that He only hath power to appoint a government and discipline for removing offences in His own house, which is not dependant upon civill powers". This assertion of Christ`s supreme headship was not intelligible to the politicians before whom he stood. The Lord Advocate said it amounted to a claim for a `power to the Presbyteric co-ordinate with that of the King`. The Council then committed Livingston to banishment. Within forty eight hours he was to depart from Edinburgh and take himself to north of the Tay and then within a further two months `depart out of all the King`s dominions`. An appeal to go home to his family before his departure was denied. On 9th April, 1663, he boarded the ship of `old John Allan` in Leith and within eight days arrived in Rotterdam. He was not alone on his journey to exile for he recorded he had the company of many friends in similar plight. |
| Scottish Church of Rotterdam The exile of Livingston and his likes was to rid the Establishment of a thorn in its side. This would be the price of their non-conformity, but the resultant deportation would be a freedom to espouse their religious views without fear of contradiction. The knowledge that they were to be denied the opportunity of influencing events at home, as well as leaving many dear relatives and friends behind, had to be endured. In Livingston`s case, he had the opportunity of pronouncing his stoutly held beliefs, and being prepared for the worse, the banishment would allow him to pursue his writings and studies. His wife, Janet and their two youngest children, Robert and Elizabeth would join him in exile within a few months. But what awaited him there? Early in the 17th Century many Scots traders and merchants settled in Rotterdam and conducted their businesses from there. As well as their business expertise, they brought with them their deep rooted attachment to religious ordinances that manifested itself into a desire for some form of public worship. Until 1640 this was frequently met with the services of chaplains in the army or ministers from other towns. The state government was sympathetic to this desire, and on 19th July, 1642 agreed to appoint a minister with an annual salary of 550 guilders. The city officials agreed to furnish a place of worship, and in a show of magnanimity, granted a further annual stipend of 1,200 guilders. The first minister appointed was Mr Alexander Petrie from Rhynd in Perthshire. The church became soon established and by the time of Livingston`s arrival had a thriving population of ministers and lay people alike. With the presence of so many likeminded ministers of religion about him, Livingston was not short of intellectual and spiritual stimulation. The arrival of his wife and two children in December 1663 made his banishment tolerable. Their five surviving children remained behind in Scotland. These, among others, would often visit him in Holland, and they would fetch and carry his correspondence back and forth. He kept in constant touch with his former parishioners in Ancrum by letter. In fact his letters were his sermons to them `in abstentia`. |