In this book, Professor Donaldson provides a truly historical account of
the origins and progress of the Scottish Reformation based on research
in the documents of the period. He begins with an outline of church life
and the need for reform at the end of the Middle Ages, and then traces
the fortunes of the reforming movement. He gives particular attention to
Church government - the parish ministry, the problem of episcopacy, the
General Assembly and relations with England. Later chapters describe the
rise of Presbyterianism in the 1570s and the search for a 'settled
polity'. The whole book shows how a new Church system arose in Scotland
and what its nature was.