Solemn League and Covenant (1643)

While the National Covenant of 1638 was a Scottish document focused on defending the Scottish Kirk, the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643 was an international treaty with massive political implications for the entire British Isles.

1. The Purpose: An Alliance for Survival

In 1643, the English Civil War was raging between King Charles I and the English Parliament. The Parliamentarians were losing ground and turned to the Scottish Covenanters for military aid.

The Scots agreed to help, but they demanded more than money, they wanted a religious union. The result was the Solemn League and Covenant: a "holy alliance" between the Scottish Covenanters and the English Parliamentarians.

2. The Three Main Goals

The document focused on three primary objectives across Scotland, England, and Ireland:

• Religious Uniformity: To preserve the Reformed religion in Scotland and to "reform" religion in England and Ireland. The ultimate goal was to make the entire British Isles Presbyterian.

• Extirpation of Hierarchy: To completely abolish "Popery" and "Prelacy" (the system of government by Bishops/Episcopacy).

• Defense of Liberties: To protect the rights of Parliaments and the person of the King, provided he supported the "true religion."

3. Key Differences: 1638 vs. 1643

It is helpful to see how these two documents differ in scope and intent. While both documents were foundational to the Covenanter movement, they differed significantly in their geographic scope and political objectives. The National Covenant of 1638 was primarily a Scottish domestic manifesto. It was a defensive response to King Charles I’s attempt to impose the English Book of Common Prayer on Scotland. Its main goal was to preserve the purity and independence of the Scottish Kirk and to protect it from "popish" innovations and royal interference. It asserted that the King’s authority was limited by the laws of God and the Scottish Parliament, focusing on the rights of a single nation to maintain its established religious identity.

In contrast, the Solemn League and Covenant of 1643 was an international treaty born out of the desperation of the English Civil War. Unlike the 1638 document, which sought to protect Scotland from England’s influence, the 1643 Covenant sought to unite Scotland, England, and Ireland under a single, unified religious system. By signing this agreement, the Scots moved from a defensive posture to an offensive one, aiming to "extirpate" (completely remove) the system of Bishops across all three kingdoms and establish Presbyterianism as the uniform faith of the British Isles.

Ultimately, the 1638 Covenant was about national preservation, whereas the 1643 Covenant was about ecclesiastical expansion and political alliance. The former was a protest against the King’s religious overreach in Scotland, while the latter was a formal military and spiritual partnership with the English Parliament to reshape the entire British religious landscape. This shift from local defense to international reform is what eventually led to the creation of the Westminster Standards, which remain the hallmark of Presbyterian theology today. 

4. The Result: The Westminster Assembly

One of the most lasting impacts of the Solemn League and Covenant was the calling of the Westminster Assembly. Because the treaty promised to unify the religion of the three kingdoms, theologians gathered in London to write the:

• Westminster Confession of Faith

• Larger and Shorter Catechisms

• Directory for Public Worship

These documents remain the gold standard for Presbyterian doctrine worldwide to this day.

5. Historical Failure and Spiritual Legacy

Politically, the treaty eventually collapsed. After the Parliamentarians won the war, Oliver Cromwell rose to power. He favored "Independency" rather than the strict Presbyterianism the Scots demanded, and the alliance soured.

However, for Covenanters, the 1643 document represents a high-water mark: a time when nations formally vowed to serve the Kingship of Christ and align their laws with the Bible.

6. Specific individuals who were instrumental in drafting both of these documents.

While many people signed these documents, the theological and legal weight of the Covenants rested on the shoulders of a few brilliant and dedicated men. These individuals provided the intellectual "teeth" required to challenge a king.

Alexander Henderson (1583–1646)

Often considered the "second founder" of the Reformed Church of Scotland (after John Knox), Henderson was the primary author of the National Covenant of 1638.

• His Role: He was a master of diplomacy and theology. He served as the Moderator of the landmark General Assembly in 1638 that defied the King and abolished Episcopacy.

• The Solemn League: He was also a lead commissioner at the Westminster Assembly, where he worked tirelessly to ensure the Scottish vision of Presbyterianism was shared with the English.

Archibald Johnston, Lord Wariston (1611–1663)

If Henderson was the theological architect, Wariston was the legal one. He co-authored the National Covenant, specifically handling the complex legal citations that proved the King was violating Scottish law.

• His Character: Known for his intense (some would say extreme) piety and his meticulous journals, he was the Clerk of the General Assembly.

• His End: He was so deeply committed to the Covenants that he was eventually executed as a martyr in 1663 after the Restoration of Charles II.

Samuel Rutherford (1600–1661)

Rutherford was perhaps the most influential writer of the movement. His work provided the political theory that justified the Covenanters' resistance to the King.

• Lex, Rex: He wrote the famous book Lex, Rex ("The Law and the Prince"), which argued that the Law is above the King, not the other way around. This was so controversial that the government later ordered the book to be burned by the common hangman.

• Legacy: His letters, written while he was in exile for his faith, remain a classic of Christian devotional literature.

George Gillespie (1613–1648)

Gillespie was the youngest of the Scottish commissioners sent to the Westminster Assembly in London, but he was arguably the sharpest debater.

• Defending the Church: He is famous for standing up to the most learned English scholars to argue that the Church should be independent of the State (a view known as anti-Erastianism).

• The Shorter Catechism: Tradition holds that his prayers and insights were instrumental in drafting the definitions found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

The ideas of these men (specifically the idea that the "Law is King") eventually influenced the American Declaration of Independence.