Her first steps were taken with her usual prudence.
A provincial council of the clergy was summoned to meet on March 1st for
the express purpose of dealing with the religious difficulty. It was the
last provincial council of the ancient Church that was to meet in
Scotland; and, if the expression of its good intentions could have
availed, the Church might yet have been saved. All that its worst
enemies had said of its shortcomings was frankly admitted, and admirable
decrees were passed with a view to a speedy and effective reform. But
the hour had passed when the mere reform of life and doctrine would have
sufficed to meet the desires of the new spiritual teachers. As was
speedily to be seen, it was revolution and not reform on which these new
teachers were now bent with an ever-growing confidence that their
triumph was not far off. A double order issued by the Regent toward the
end of March brought her face to face with the consequences of her
changed policy. Unauthorized persons were forbidden to preach, and the
lieges were commanded to observe the festival of Easter after the manner
ordained by the Church. The preachers disregarded both edicts and were
summoned to answer for their disobedience.
It was now seen that the Regent was no longer in the mood for
temporizing; and the Congregation despatched two of their number, the
Earl of Glencairn and Sir Hew Campbell, sheriff of Ayr, to deprecate her
wrath.
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