The Covenanted Church must revive the society spirit and exercises, if she would recover her vitality; she must resume these spiritual athletics if she would feel the glow of healthy vigor.  These roots have suffered decay; therefore the trees are easily upturned.  When Social worship of God characterizes the Church, the people will take on strength and be able to stand amidst the spiritual landslides and general defection that characterizes the times in which we live.

* * * * *

Points for the class.

1.  How did the Covenanted Societies survive the general defection?

2.  How did they succeed when they had no ministers?

3.  What separated them from others in worship?

4.  What caused them the greatest grief?

5.  How did they entreat the ministers to come to them?

6.  On what terms would they have received the minister?

7.  How were the societies unified?

8.  How did the General Meeting provide a ministry?

9.  Give a description of an old-time prayer-meeting.

10.  Why should these exercises be revived?

XLI.

The daughters of the covenant.

The persecution of the Covenanters brought into display the rarest virtues and highest qualities of womanhood.  Many women chose to give up their happy homes, and wander in solitudes, dwell in caves, suffer in prisons, hear the death sentence, and go to the gallows, rather than violate their Covenant with God.  They cheerfully accepted their full share of service and sacrifice in Scotland’s struggle for civil and religious liberty.  They faced the terrors of that conflict with a noble spirit; they were man’s worthy helpers in those trying times.  Thousands of incidents of feminine heroism might be cited; we have room for merely a few.

The Covenanter’s marriage, in those days, was both serious and romantic.  The bride always loves to open her eyes upon rosy prospects, but persecution in that generation shattered the beautiful dream.  Her future was then like a landscape, over which storm followed storm, with only alternate blinks of sunlight.  Husband and wife were in jeopardy every hour; to-morrow the wedding gown might be the winding sheet.  When John Knox found the woman of his choice, he said, “My bird, are you willing to marry me?” She replied, “Yes, Sir.”  Then tenderly and firmly he added, “My bird, if you marry me, you must take your venture of God’s providence, as I do.  I go through the country on foot, with a wallet on my arm, and in it a Bible, a shirt, and a clean band; you also may put some things in for yourself; and you must go where I go, and lodge where I lodge.”  “I’ll do all this,” she blithely answered.  They lived long, and were happy in the bonds of that blessed wedlock.  Once as they journeyed across the county she took the hand-baggage, and hastening ahead sat on the hilltop awaiting his coming.  As he came up she humorously said, “Am not I as good as my word?”