By Rev. D. M. MACDONALD, Portree.
This series of articles are a reprint from The Sentinel* (Toronto) and have been sent to us by Mr. Macdonald.—Editor.
I.
THE earliest known missionary in Scotland was Ninian (397 A.D.). About the middle of the sixth century there came over from Ireland in 563 to the Island of Iona a currach or boat made of hides containing Columba and twelve companions. They built themselves huts and a church, a building of posts and reeds plastered with clay.
They supported themselves by cultivating the ground. From their settlement they took long and dangerous journeys to the mainland to preach the gospel and although opposed by Druid priests, great success was given them. Iona was the headquarters to which the missionaries came and went. Here they trained young men to preach the gospel and also gave them a useful knowledge of some mechanical arts. Thus they taught the wild tribes useful arts as well as made known to them the way of salvation.
Columba passed away at a good old age but the work begun by him was carried on faithfully by his followers.
Iona continued for ages to be the light of the north and became famous as the centre from which religion and civilization spread. For a long time the church remained comparatively pure, but at last the primitive church became tainted by the errors and superstitions of Popery and became corrupt and dead. The Celtic church came to an end about the eighth century.
Just as the dawn ushers in the day, so the first glimmer of spiritual light and freedom in Scotland from the long night of false religion appeared in about 1407 A.D. The first of the long roll of God’s martyrs in the land was one John Resby who came from England. He had been a priest there and received the knowledge of the truth from John Wycliffe—”the Morning Star of the Reformation.” He began to declare his opinions openly and when the truth began to make an impression on the people, the jealousy of the Roman Church was aroused.
Resby was seized and condemned by a council of the clergy to be burned at Perth. His books and papers were burned in the same fire. The persecutors thought, no doubt, that this was the end of the matter, but from that time the truth never lost its influence in Scotland. Secretly those who had received the gospel met for meditation and prayer and kept alive the light of truth. There appeared in 1431 A.D., Paul Cravar, a native of Bohemia sent by the people of Prague to encourage believers in Scotland. His labours were much blessed. Owing to the vigilance of the priests, he was arrested and brought before Prior Lawrence of Lindores, the ecclesiastic who had condemned Resby. Crawar, who was a physician, was active in spreading gospel truths and although he defended himself ably and eloquently he was shown no mercy and when he refused to recant was sent to the stake. A ball of brass was put in his mouth to prevent him from influencing the people by his eloquence.
During the reign of James IV. there were some in Ayrshire called Lollards who refused to support the Church of Rome and when brought before the King and his Council were encouraged to speak freely and defend themselves. The King enjoyed the readiness with which they discomfited the Archbishop of Glasgow, their accuser, for he loved justice, and dismissed them.
Just before the Reformation started in Scotland the corruptions of Popery had reached their height in the land. The church had acquired vast wealth and power. One-half of the property in the nation belonged to it. The clergy, free from the civil law, and thoroughly corrupt, lived, with few exceptions, scandalously wicked lives. Monasteries were numerous and full of idle, dissipated monks. It was a common practice for the churches to give sanctuary and protection to the most notorious criminals, and justice could not, therefore, be obtained. Fables were substituted for God’s Word. Saints and idols for Christ; man’s merit for the righteousness of Jesus, and superstitious mummeries for the worship of God.
During the minority of King James V., the doctrine taught by Luther began to be known in Scotland. Merchants imported Protestant books and efforts were made to stop them. It is quite possible that it is one of these books that led to the conversion of a noble youth named Patrick Hamilton. He went to Germany and made the acquaintance of Luther, who brought him into touch with a scholarly man willing to instruct him in the truths of God’s Word.
Burning with zeal to make the gospel known to his fellow-men he returned to Scotland and was so successful that the priests became alarmed and had him arrested. He was condemned to be burnt alive before the old college of St. Andrews. Exemplifying the spirit of his Master he prayed when bound to the stake for his persecutors and asked for strength to endure his pains. Friars crowded round the martyr crying: “Convert heretic, call upon our Lady; say, ‘Hail, Queen of Heaven.'” “You are late with your advice,” he calmly said; “if I had chosen to recant I need not have been here.” The last words of the gentle martyr were, “How long, Lord, shall darkness overwhelm this kingdom? How long wilt thou suffer this tyranny of men? Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
When the iron girdle that bound him to the stake had almost burnt him through one of the crowd asked him to give a sign of his adherence to the doctrines for which he was condemned and he held up three fingers of his partly consumed hand until he died. The awe-struck people dispersed, but very soon indignation was aroused against the persecutors and curiosity was aroused as to the nature of the new doctrines. A gentleman who knew the Archbishop of St. Andrews well, said to him: “My Lord, if ye will burn any more, let them be burned in cellars, for the smoke of Patrick Hamilton has infected as many as it blew upon.”
One prominent layman, Sir David Lindsay, a gifted writer, helped on the Reformation at this time by his exposure of the vices of the clergy and gross abuses in the church in his poems and satires. His friendship with the King may have protected him from being persecuted by the church. On the death of James V. the crown fell to his infant daughter known as the ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots. Cardinal David Beaton—profligate, crafty, and cruel, produced a forged will appointing him with some others as joint regents of the kingdom, but the fraud was discovered and the nearest male relative of the infant queen became regent.
He was favourable to the Reformed religion and had two preachers in his household, Thomas Williams and John Rough. For a time there was free preaching of the gospel, free discussion, free writing, and reading of the Scriptures in the native tongue passed from being an academic question into a reality, after an Act was passed by Parliament giving every man and woman liberty to read God’s Word in their own mother tongue. Bibles were brought from England and “The knowledge of God did wonderfully increase and God gave His Spirit to simple men in great abundance.”
Unfortunately for himself the Regent—through the subtle influence of Cardinal Beaton—recanted his Protestant opinions and became a mere pawn in the hands of the unscrupulous churchman.
During 1540 five persons were burned to death and many evicted for accepting Protestant doctrines. In 1542 Robert Lamb, William Anderson, James Finlayson, James Hunter and James Ronaldson were hanged at Perth. Helen Stark, wife of the last named, was condemned to be drowned. Before her husband was executed she exhorted him to the last saying: “Husband, be glad we have lived together many joyful days and this, we should esteem, is the most joyful of all because now we shall have joy forever. Therefore, I will not bid you good night for we shall shortly meet in the Kingdom of Heaven.” She left her children to the care and charity of neighbours and her babe on the breast to a nurse. She was then cast into a loch nearby and drowned. This was the triumphant end of a brave, faithful and noble Christian woman. All these martyrdoms were due to the intolerant bigotry and diabolical cruelty of Cardinal Beaton and his fanatical priests.
It may be here remarked that the comparative bloodlessness of the Scottish Reformation was largely due to the restraining influences and wisely tolerant attitude of its leaders. The people themselves while in the Church of Rome were neither so bigoted nor so fiercely opposed to the new doctrines as many on the Continent. They appear to have been open to conviction and had a keen sense of justice, with the result that they were ready to espouse what appealed to them as a just cause.
In the year 1544 George Wishart, who had been a teacher in Montrose, and for teaching the Greek Testament, was forced to avoid persecution by flight, returned to Scotland. He had preached in Bristol and now resolved to make known to his fellow countrymen the unsearchable riches of Christ. After preaching in Dundee he was ordered by the Regent Arran to cease proclaiming the gospel, and he then proceeded to Ayr where he was gladly heard by many and his labours much blessed. Word was brought to him there that the plague had broken out in Dundee and he returned there to minister to the people in their dire need. Outside the city wall the sick and suspected were gathered and on the inside the healthy to hear the Word of life from the loving and fearless man of God.
One day after preaching he saw a priest standing near with his hand under his gown, and being suspicious, he clapped his hand on the priest’s and took from him a dagger. The assassin was instigated by the Cardinal to kill Wishart.
When the intention of the priest was discovered the sick folk outside the wall burst in the gate and would have slain him at once were it not for the protection of the noble Wishart, who took him in his arms, saying: “Whoever would trouble him shall trouble me.” The last time he preached was at Haddington and when he left he took farewell from his friends as if it were the last time. Knox says he went away with a few friends on foot and that night he lodged in the house of the Laird of Ormiston. Cardinal Beaton was informed, and before midnight the martyr was arrested. A few weeks afterwards in front of the castle of St. Andrews, Wishart was tied to the stake, strangled, and his body burnt, the haughty Cardinal and some prelates looking on, gloating over the death of their victim.
Vengeance soon overtook the bloodthirsty Beaton. Some months afterwards the cry ran through the town that the castle was taken. The people gathered to the castle moat shouting: “Let us see my Lord Cardinal.” They got their wish. A body was hung over the battlements pierced with bloody wounds and one cried to the crowd: “See your god.” It is no wonder that the citizens were terrified by this event.
(To be continued.)
Short Gleanings
ECCLESIASTICAL POWER.
But the proper effect of the ecclesiastical power, or the keys of the kingdom of heaven is wholly spiritual; for the act of binding and loosing, of retaining and remitting sins, doth reach to the soul and conscience itself (which cannot be said of the act of the civil power): and as unjust excommunication is void, so ecclesiastical censure, being inflicted by the ministers of Christ and His stewards according to His will, is ratified in heaven (Matt. xviii. 18), and therefore ought to be esteemed, and acknowledged in like manner as inflicted by Christ Himself.—George Gillespie’s One Hundred and Eleven Propositions (No. 74).
EVIL REPORTS.
The longer I live the more I feel the importance of adhering to the rule which I have laid down for myself in relation to such matters. 1. To hear as little as possible whatever is to the prejudice of others. 2. To believe nothing of the kind till I am absolutely forced to it. 3. Never to drink into the spirit of one who circulates an ill report. 4. Always to moderate, as far as I can, the unkindness which is expressed towards others. 5. Always to believe that, if the other side were heard, a very different account would be given of the matter.—Carus’ Life of Simeon.