Lord’s Day, Vol. 10 No. 43
Scotland Transformed (1)
It is customary to hold that the man who, above all others, brought the Reformation into Scotland was the intrepid John Knox. Certainly, Knox is England’s reformer. But two others at least deserve mention even in such a brief history as this. Indeed the account must go back earlier than the 16thcentury, for Scotland was not without its Lollard martyrs, notably Paul Craw, a native of Bohemia, who was burned at the stake at St. Andrews, Fifeshire in 1433, with a ball of brass in his mouth to prevent him from exhorting the onlookers.
Scotland’s first reformation martyr was Patrick Hamilton whose mother was in the direct line of descent from King James II of the House of Stuart. For a short time, he studied at Wittenburg, the city of Martin Luther, and on his return to Scotland, he boldly preached Protestant doctrine. As a result, in 1528, James Beaton’s hands, for the King, James V, was a mere youth of sixteen, and the Archbishop was as powerful in the State as in the Church. Hamilton was arrested, confined in a dungeon at St. Andrews Castle by the sea, and then brought to trial. He was charged with numerous heresies, and a Dominican friar named Alexander Campbell disputed against him. At the stake, the fire was slow in burning and his agonies were prolonged. To Campbell, he said, “Brother, you do not in your heart believe that I am a heretic.” Foxe’s Book of Martyrs records that he cited the friar to appear before the high God as Judge of all men, to answer on or before a certain day of the next month whether his accusation was just or not, and adds that “the said friar died immediately before the said day came.”
Patrick Hamilton’s influence in Scotland was great. It is said that “his reek infected all it blew one”; in other words, many were drawn to the Reformation by his testimony, What is termed “Patrick’s Pleas” (or places) – his points of Reformation doctrine – “became a cornerstone of Protestant theology in Scotland and England”.
But Archbishop Beaton had not learned his lesson. He continued to burn Protestants. Ten years after Hamilton
suffered, five were burned on Castle Hill at Edinburgh, that the people of Scotland’s capital city and for miles around might see the blazing pile and take warning. But God raised up fresh witnesses to His truth, the best known of them in the 1540’s being George Wishart, at one time a schoolmaster in Montrose. Persecuted in Scotland for his faith he found refuge in the Bristol area of England where for a short while his courage failed him and he “burned his faggot”, a ceremony devised to show that the participant confessed that he deserved the stake. Soon, however, he found his way to Germany and Switzerland where his faith was strengthened, and after a time he returned to his native land and resolved to preach the Gospel to his countrymen. Crowds flocked to hear him and he began to address them in the open air, convinced, as he declared, that Scotland would be illuminated with the light of Christ’s gospel “as clearly as ever was any realm since the days of the apostles”. But another Beaton was now in power – Cardinal David Beaton, nephew of James Beaton – and he brought Wishart to trial in St. Andrews. The reformer urged that all teaching must be tested by Scripture. For example, during his trial, the subject of purgatory was debated. Turning to his accusers, Wishart said, “If you have any testimony of the Scriptures by which you may prove any such place, show it before this auditory”. But, says Foxe, “this accuser had not a word to say for himself; he was as dumb as a beetle in that matter”.
As in the case of Hamilton, the stake was erected outside St. Andrews Castle, the tower immediately opposite being fitted with tapestry and cushions so that the higher clergy might witness the burning at their ease. Wishart died nobly. Before the flames did their work he announced to the people, “He who from yonder place holds me with such pride shall within a few days lie in the same as ignominiously as he is now seen proudly to rest himself.” About three months later the Cardinal met his death. A band of enemies, overcoming all resistance burst into his apartments, and killed him out of hand. The murder was a breach of God’s law. “Avenge not yourselves,” says the Scriptures: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord.” Yet with the words of a Scottish historian we may well agree: “Viewed as an event in providence we may recognize in it a just judgment from God on a cruel persecutor; while, at the same time, considered as the deed of man, we condemn the instruments whose passions were overruled for accomplishing it”.
As the Cardinal, I grant
He was a man we well could want,
And we’ll forget him soon;
And yet I think, the sooth to say,
Although the loon is well away,
The deed was foully done.
But we pass on to the life and work of John Knox who gave the Scottish nation a body of Protestant doctrine and a pattern of worship that endured. He was born in Haddington in the early part of the 16th century, studied at Glasgow University, became a firm Protestant, defended Wishart from his enemies, and was owned as in a very sense the martyr’s successor. As persecution developed he decided to seek refuge on the Continent of Europe, but before he could do so he was captured by the French force which landed at St. Andrews to assist the Scottish king. He and others were taken to France and condemned to work on French war galleys, efforts being made to bring back to the Roman Catholic fold. In his History of the Reformation in Scotland Knox recounts how on one occasion a “glorious painted lady” – an image of Mary – was presented to him to be kissed. “Trouble me not” said he to the bearer; “such an idol is accursed and therefore I will not touch it”. “Thou shalt handle it” said several Frenchmen, at the same time thrusting it violently to his face and putting it between his hands. Knox then took the idol and, spying his opportunity, cast it into the river, at the same time crying, “Let her save herself; she is light enough; let her learn to swim”. After this, says Knox’s History no Scotsman was urged with that idolatry.
Knox’s captivity lasted 19 months. “It was not for nothing”, says a historian, “that the hand which gave Scotland its liberty should itself for nearly the space of two years have worn fetters”. But for a while, on release by the French, Knox thought it wise to take refuge in England which was moving rapidly into Protestantism under Edward VI. He was appointed one of the king’s chaplains, but when Mary came to the throne, he escaped to Germany and Switzerland. In Geneva, where Calvin was chief preacher, he found that which judged to be “the most perfect school of Christ that ever was in the earth since the days of the apostles. In other places I confess Christ to be truly preached, but manners and religion so truly reformed, I have not yet seen in any other place”. He spent four happy years in Geneva. Returning to Scotland in 1559, he found the people perplexed and confused. King James V had died 16 years previously, leaving the crown to his daughter Mary who was born only a week before his father’s death. Mary’s mother, Mary Queen of Scots took over the control of affairs until her daughter came of age and was still at the head of affairs when Knox returned from Geneva. Mary Queen of Scots herself in the previous year had married the Dauphin, the heir to the French throne, who a few months later became King of France as Francis II. Mary was now Queen of France as well as Queen of Scotland, and soon the Courts of France and Spain let it be known that they regarded her as Queen of England also, for they refused to recognize Elizabeth as Mary Tudor’s rightful successor. In Scotland, certain Protestant barons, who became known as the Lords of the Congregation, endeavoured to make to adopted the Protestant faith, although the Scottish government was strongly Roman Catholic.
As soon as Knox arrived in Scotland he contended vigorously against idolatry and urged the people to turn to the plain truth of the gospel. Nor were his efforts in vain; his preaching was very powerful, and many embraced the truth of God’s Word. One of the visible signs that Scotland now experienced reformation was the destruction of many of the buildings belonging to the Roman Church. Knox cared little or nothing of grand buildings, especially so when they were used to propagate idolatry, yet he did not urge the wanton destruction of property. Some of his supporters, however, were prone to demonstrate enthusiasm for the Reformation by the destruction of abbeys and monasteries, Knox commenting on their work, that after all, “the best way to keep the rooks from returning was to pull down their nest.”
It was under the influence of John Knox that the Presbyterian system of church government was introduced into Scotland. In the English system of church government bishops is derived from the Greek word “episcopos”, meaning “overseer” – but the Presbyterian system is based upon the authority entrusted by the church to elders (Greek “presbyteros”). In time to come, as we shall see, the two systems came into conflict. At first, however, they existed peaceably side by side; but historically they developed along separate lines.
Another aspect of Reformation work in Scotland was the encouragement of education. And attempt was made to establish a school in every parish for the instruction of youth in true religion, grammar, and the Latin tongue. In the chief towns colleges were set up for the education of the more gifted and capable students. In the consequence learning made great progress in the land and Scotland became renowned for its standard of education. One very remarkable example of scholarship is recorded by a 16th century annalist. A Mr. Row, minister at Perth, boarded the children of nobility and gentry in his house and instructed them more particularly in languages. At table the conversation was all carried on in French, and the chapter of the Bible at family worship was read by the boys in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and French.
[Extracted and edited from Sketches from Church history by S.M Houghton, p122-127]
Yours lovingly,
Pastor Lek Aik Wee