By Rev. D. M. MACDONALD, Portree, Scotland.
(Continued from page 465.)
STEPS were taken by the Government to secure St. Andrew’s Castle with its bold occupants, but they all failed. Several Reformers had taken refuge in it, amongst them being John Knox, whose life was sought by Archbishop Hamilton, Beaton’s successor. It was here in the year 1546 that the great Reformer was called upon to preach and his first sermon was preached in the Church of the Trinity in St. Andrew’s. Some said, “Others hewed at the branches of Papistry, but he striketh at the root.” From this time on he was to show himself, “a king of men.”
After a somewhat long siege the castle was taken by the besiegers through the voluntary surrender of the defenders on condition that their lives would be spared and that they would live in any country that they preferred except Scotland. Some of those taken prisoners were sent to French prisons and some to the galleys. Among the latter was Knox. The galleys were long vessels rowed by forty or fifty oars apiece and manned by convicts and the scum of France. Five or six rowers were chained to each oar and the labour was terrible. They worked stripped to the loins and even in the coldest weather the sweat poured forth from their bodies. The lash of the overseer was applied mercilessly to the bare backs of the rowers who did not keep time with the rest. In the hold below there was a space called a hospital from which there was a horrible stench and rather than enter it a sick slave would tug at his oar until he died. In one of these floating hells John Knox lived for nineteen months and were it not for the preserving hand of God he would have succumbed to his privations; but his work was not done and he was yet to do exploits for his God and Saviour in his beloved Scotland.
During the absence of Knox the Reformation was slowly progressing. Once more the priests were to enjoy the spectacle of a so-called “heretic” burning at the stake. An old man, Walter Mill, over eighty years of age, and formerly a priest, was charged with heresy and appeared in much weakness before a conclave of Romish dignitaries in the Church of St. Andrews, but no sooner had he begun to speak than he seemed to get his strength renewed and spoke with great courage against the errors of Popery. When threatened he said: “I will not recant the truth, for I am corn and not chaff. I will not be blown away by the wind nor burst by the flail but will abide both.”
The death of this faithful man at the stake made a painful impression on the people of St. Andrews. The shop-keepers refused to supply ropes to bind him and when permission was refused him to speak the young men of the town in opposition to the priests bade him say what he pleased. He spoke to the people of Christ and His mercy while they wept around him. His last words were, “Lord, have mercy on me. Pray, people, while there is time.” On the spot where he was burned a cairn of stones was raised and when removed by the ecclesiastical powers it was erected again by the people. In 1550 Adam Wallace was burnt to death on the Castle Hill, Edinburgh.
Several men were now preaching the gospel, William Harlaw and John Willock in Edinburgh; John Douglas in Leith and Paul Methven in Dundee. While many influential persons signed a covenant to “apply their whole powers, substance and lives to forward and establish the most blessed Word of God, and to maintain and defend the whole congregation of Christ and every member thereof.”
The Lords of the Congregation, as the leaders of the Protestant party called themselves, had their work before them and had so arranged matters that they could call up at any time a body of armed men, but what was still better they sent for John Knox to Geneva, and in the month of May, 1559, he stepped on shore at Leith. He remained in Edinburgh only two nights and passed north to Perth where there was great excitement owing to certain preachers being summoned to appear before the Queen Regent—mother of the future Mary Queen of Scots.
Here Knox gave one of his trumpet blasts against idolatry and immediately after he finished, a priest greatly daring began to say mass in an open “tabernacle” near the high altar. A boy denounced his idolatry and the angry priest struck him. The boy flung a stone, smashing an image and in a short time stones were being hurled at the trappings of idolatry. The mob, roused to fury, tore down the images and all the ornaments of the church. They then proceeded to the monasteries and despite the efforts of the magistrates and preachers to stop them, ceased not till they had these buildings stripped and gutted to the bare walls. The Queen Regent was greatly enraged on hearing this and threatened to destroy all the inhabitants of the town. Soon afterwards Knox’s powerful voice was heard in St. Andrews with the same result. Provost, bailies and people resolved to clear the town of all idolatrous rubbish, burning the stuff at Walter Mill’s eairn.
Stirling, Linlithgow and Edinburgh were cleared of idols and the Reformation was proceeding well. The Queen Regent sought help from France and succeeded in getting possession of Leith, where she awaited the arrival of more French troops. Skirmishes took place between them and the troops of the Congregation until at last by the help of an English army Leith was taken and the French shipped off to their own country. The Queen Regent was laid low by a deadly disease and soon passed away, death thus removing a determined enemy of the Protestant religion.
In 1560 the first General Assembly of the Church of Scotland met, according to tradition, in the Magdalene Chapel, Edinburgh. It was composed of about six ministers and thirty-four elders. This gathering truly made history for it started the “Magna Charta” of spiritual and religious freedom in Scotland. The authority of Christ in His Word was their only warrant for meeting. Christ, as the Head of the Church, had given them the right to meet and deal with the affairs of His house. On this ground the Church of Scotland, unlike that of England, took its stand from the outset. Knox by his swift intuition saw into the heart of the matter at once. “No free assembly,” he said, “no free gospel.” In the next one hundred and twenty-nine years much blood was to be shed over this principle. Arrangements were made to have the gospel preached as soon as possible in every parish and also for schools to be built for the education of Scottish children. Thus preparation was made for the reading of the Bible and it was in due course to mould Scotland as the nation of the “Book.”
Under the rule of the Earl of Moray—the Good Regent—the church was firmly established in the land. The gospel was preached without hindrance and John Knox now again rejoiced to see the great battle against Popery won. Miserable Queen Mary was a prisoner in England because she refused to take his advice and rule wisely. After her execution her son, James, became King, and when he attained his majority began to show a liking for Episcopacy. At last he resolved to set up this form of church government in Scotland and a Remonstrance was presented to him by that notable minister of Christ, Andrew Melville, and other members of the Assembly. When this document was read to the King, the Earl of Arran, looking sternly around, exclaimed, “who dares subscribe these treasonable articles?” “We dare,” replied the intrepid Melville, and advancing to the table subscribed, the next doing likewise. The deputation were asked to depart in peace. James ascended the English throne, but very soon showed that he was determined to do away with Presbyterianism in the northern part of his kingdom. He believed in the Divine Right of Kings and therefore assumed he could do as he pleased.
When the Assembly met in Aberdeen the King charged them to dismiss on pain of being regarded as rebels. They did so, to meet again and the sequel was that fourteen of those present were sent to prison. Eight of them were banished to the remotest parts of the Kingdom and the other six after being fourteen months and more in Blackness prison were banished to France.
Brave Andrew Melville was invited with seven others to London by the King to deal with Scottish Church affairs and was treacherously confined to the Tower as a prisoner. After being four years there he was banished to France and there died.
King Charles was of the same mind as his father in religious matters and had at his right hand that evil genius to encourage him, the infamous Archbishop Laud. They were both determined to force the “Laud Ritual” on the Church of Scotland. The reply to this was the “National Covenant,” signed by the most influential and pious people in the land and the sweeping away of the bishop’s rule in the Church by the General Assembly that met in Glasgow, 1638. The King marched to Scotland with an army to compel submission but peace was made without a shot being fired.
After the lapse of a year the Scots were threatened again and on this occasion they marched into England, meeting with slight opposition only and through their presence there the English benefited by the King granting them permission to call the Long Parliament. King Charles had now his own Parliament and Scotland against him. His folly cost him his life. On the 30th January, 1649, he was executed and thus ceased from troubling his sorely oppressed subjects. The year 1660 was fated to see the return of Charles the Second from exile and very soon steps were taken to over-awe the people of Scotland and to compel submission to the King in all causes.
It would appear that the aims of King Charles the Second and his brother, James, was really to bring Britain back to Popery under the guise of Episcopacy. In almost every nation individuals may be found who for the sake of worldly gain are prepared to trample on every right principle and in Covenanting times there were some such in Scotland. On the plea that they were upholding law and order they mercilessly persecuted their conscientious fellow countrymen and women while they battened on their victims and grew rich through robbing them of their possessions by means of unrighteous and oppressive laws.
The first victim of the murderous and unscrupulous gang who now ruled Scotland in the name of the King was the Marquis of Argyll. He went to London to pay his respects to the King and Charles ordered him to be sent to the Tower. The charge against him when taken before the judges in Scotland was that he had complied with Cromwell’s government. His condemnation was a foregone conclusion and he was ordered to be beheaded. His end was in keeping with his fine character and his death was that of a Christian hero and a martyr.
(To be continued.)