Who is King of the Church?

When we examine candidates for the gospel ministry in presbytery often the first question we ask is, "Who is head of the church?" Many simply answer, "Jesus". In reality, I would argue that one needs to be more specific and say, "Jesus alone." The fact is that many of our Scottish Covenanter ancestors were martyred over that very issue in the 17th century.

One of the great antagonists against the covenanting church in Scotland in those days was a cruel, barbaric man named Claverhouse. His desire was to remove every Covenanter from this scene of time. He is well known as the murderer of John Brown. Alexander Peden says of his friend John Brown, "Brown was a clear shining light, the greatest Christian I ever conversed with." Claverhouse attempted to have John Brown take the Oath of Abjuration, but Brown refused to take it, "declaring as every true Covenanter did that they knew no king but Jesus Christ" (Horne, Torchbearers of the Truth, p. 90). Claverhouse then said to Brown, "Go to your prayers, for you are going to die." Brown's prayer was so moving that Claverhouse's soldiers refused to lift a hand against Brown; Claverhouse killed him himself.

Claverhouse, after the dreadful deed was done, turned to Isabel Brown, and said, "What thinkest of thy husband now, woman?" She replied, "I thought much good of him and now more than ever."

And, so, when we ask the question at presbytery of our ministerial candidates, "Who is the head of the church?", we hope and pray that they answer, "Jesus alone." That would have been the answer of our forebearers such as John Brown and other Covenanters like him!