He achieved notoriety for his presbyterian principles which brought him into conflict with James VI who wished to impose an episcopalian system.
During this time he produced several educational works, including Rudimenta Pietatis ("First Principles of Piety"), a catechism which was widely used in Scottish grammar schools until the eighteenth century.
[3] The Church of Scotland was established by Act of Parliament, 24 August 1560, and the first Protestant Assembly was held in the Magdalen Chapel, Edinburgh, on the 20 December 1560.
The bishops retained their seats in Parliament, and Queen Mary, in 1561, had Mass said in Holyrood, and, but for the opposition of Knox, would have had Catholicism restored.
Regent Morton, after a convention of ministers at Leith in 1574, restored the old titles of bishops and abbots, to such as would have them, with a small portion of the income, while the lion's share of the benefice was to be the property of the aristocracy.
Then came the adoption of the National Covenant in 1581, the Raid of Ruthven in 1582, the passing of the legislation which is known by the nickname of The Black Acts, in 1584, which declared the king to be supreme in all causes and over all persons, and ordered all ministers to acknowledge the bishops as their ecclesiastical superiors.
The bishops in 1610 were appointed to be constant moderators in all Church Courts, and three of them, with the view of introducing the apostolic succession into Scotland, repaired to London, and received consecration as the founders of the Scottish hierarchy.
[5] The bishops being now established, his King James' next object was to procure something like an acknowledgment of them by the Church, to effect which it was necessary to destroy every vestige of freedom in the constitution of her Assemblies.
[6] The first attempt of this kind had been made in 1599, when the king dismissed the Assembly, and summoned another to meet at Montrose in 1600, solely by virtue of his royal prerogative.
In the midst of a tempestuous winter, which kept many from coming up, a few men having convened at Aberdeen, determined at least to constitute the Assembly, and appoint another meeting.
The king having heard that it was to be held at Aberdeen, sent instructions to Stratton of Laurieston, as commissioner, empowering him to dissolve the meeting, just because it had not been called by his majesty.
The brethren present resolved to constitute before reading the communication; and John Forbes, minister of Alford, was chosen moderator.
The Earl of Dunbar had been sent down for the express purpose of securing the condemnation of the ministers; the jury were packed, and a verdict was at last obtained at midnight, finding, by a majority of three, the prisoners guilty of high treason.
"Pity yourselves," he said, in his protest, "for the Lord's sake; lose not your own souls, I beseech you, for Esau's pottage; remember Balaam, who was cast away by the deceit of the wages of unrighteousness: forget not how miserable Judas was, who lost himself for a trifle of money, which never did him good.
Better be pined to death by hunger than for a little pittance of the earth perish for ever, and never be recovered so long as the days of heaven shall last and the years of eternity shall endure.