Samuel Rutherford, 1600-1661

Samuel Rutherford was another Scotsman, perhaps the most important Scottish Calvinist of the era. His early career was pastoral in rural Scotland where he gained a reputation as a great preacher despite a lack of good speaking skills. Scotland sent him to the Assembly, where he exerted a tremendous influence, especially on the Shorter Catechism. His best-known work was called Lex Rex, or The Law, the King, an argument for limited government that criticized contemporary notions of the divine right of kings. This work later had a monumental impact on the formation of American government.

Tomorrow: John Lightfoot.