[BBC List] GIVE ME SCOTLAND OR I DIE!" - JOHN Knox
Mike Abendroth
GIVE ME SCOTLAND OR I DIE!" - JOHN KNOX
Three contemporary Scottish preachers assess John Knox.
THE TRUMPET'S BLAST
Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson is senior minister of St. George's-Tron Church in Glasgow, Scotland. His most recent book is Let's Study Mark" (Banner of Truth)
At the end of the second millennium, it can be difficult for a visitor to Scotland to believe that the nation was a backwater five hundred years ago. In fact, however, one sixteenth century writer could, without fear of contradiction, describe it as "a corner of the world separate from the society of men...almost beyond the limits of the human race."
However, Scotland in the early 1500s had one thing in common with the rest of Europe: a deeply corrupt and spiritually impoverished church, with spiritually and morally moribund leadership. To cite one notorious example, David Beaton, cardinal and archbishop, legitimated at least 14 children as his own. So much for celibacy. In addition, such was the spiritual ignorance that George Buchanan could claim that some priests thought the New Testament was a book recently published by Martin Luther!
Such spiritual penury was not confined to the lower orders. During the course of the trial of Thomas Forret in 1539, his prosecutor pulled a book out of Forret's glove and shouted, "Behold, he has the book of heresy in his sleeve, which makes all the confusion in the kirk." This prime exhibit for the prosecution was, in fact, Forret's copy of the New Testament! When one discovers that the presiding bishop at the trial confessed, "I thank God that I never knew what the Old and New Testament was," it comes as no surprise to learn that the brave Forret was burned at the stake.
Enter John Knox, and reformation was under way.
But Scotland was by no means transformed overnight. Nor was Knox the first Scottish reformer. He had been preceded by a roll call of heroes of the faith, men such as Forret, some of whom had given their lives for the recovery of biblical truth and the reformation of the church. Patrick Hamilton had been burned in 1528, and George Wishart (for whom Knox had been a bodyguard) was executed in 1546. So Knox came to reap what others had sown. His calling was to secure this embryonic work of God's Spirit.
Born in Haddington, East Lothian, sometime between 1513 and 1515, Knox received his schooling locally and then, according to Buchanan's testimony, at the University of St. Andrews. He became a priest and returned to his home parts as a notary and tutor. We know as little about his conversion as we do about Calvin's, except that on his deathbed he asked his wife to read him the passage of Scripture where he "cast his first anchor" (presumably in faith); she read John 17.
His life can be divided basically into four segments:
1. Following Wishart's martyrdom, Knox came to St. Andrews with some of his young students and, in 1547, joined the group of reformers living in the castle there following Cardinal Beaton's murder. When he was appointed to preach, he refused, but he was virtually manhandled into accepting a call from the castle congregation to become their minister. Within a matter of months, however, the castle was under siege from French ships in St. Andrews Bay. Knox and others were captured, and he became a galley slave for 18 months.
2. In 1549, Knox was released and made his way to England. He pastored a congregation at Berwick, but soon moved to Newcastle. He then became a royal chaplain during the days of the young King Edward VI. Moving further south, his influence grew, not least in his insistence on what came to be known as the "Puritan" principle regulating public worship: only what is commanded in Scripture is mandated in the life of the church. Paradoxically, it was the Presbyterian Knox who was influential in having the so-called Black Rubric included in the Book of Common Prayer, stating that kneeling to receive Communion was not a sign of devotion but merely a convenient form of administration. The death of Edward in 1553 was a body blow to the reforming party in England, leading as it did to the enthronement of Mary Tudor ("that idolatrous Jezebel" were Knox's carefully chosen words to describe her). Knox sought refuge on the Continent.
3.
Between 1553 and 1559,
Knox lived a somewhat nomadic existence. He spent some time with Calvin in
Geneva ("the most perfect school of Christ ... since the days of the
apostles," he called it). Thereafter he accepted a call to pastor the
English-speaking congregation at Frankfort - sur-Main. But trouble arose there
over his vision for a church that would conform absolutely to the New Testament
pattern. In 1555, after a further period in Geneva, Knox returned to Scotland
to strengthen the work of reformation. He particularly sought to encourage
members of the Scottish nobility whom he feared were in danger of easy compromise
with Rome.
Knox married Marjory Howes and, in 1556, returned to Geneva, where he pastored
a congregation of some 200 refugees. The following year he received an urgent
invitation to return to Scotland - 1558 was the scheduled time for the marriage
of the young Mary, Queen of Scots, to the dauphin of France, an event that
seemed to destine Scotland for permanent Roman Catholic rule.
Urged on by Calvin, Knox made a difficult and dangerous journey through war
zones to Dieppe, only to receive word that some of the nobility no longer felt
the urgency of the situation (some of them were actually in Paris at that time
making preparations for the much-feared marriage of Mary). Knox's response was
to urge upon these "Lords of the Congregation" the taking of a common
band (bond or covenant), thus setting a precedent of covenant-making in
Scottish piety.
A taste of Knox's vigor can be savored in a letter he wrote that same year to
the people of Scotland, urging them not to compromise the Gospel. He reminded them
that they must answer for their actions before the judgment seat of God. They
could not then say:
"We were but simple subjects, we would not redress the faults and crimes
of our rulers, bishops, and clergy; we called for reformation, and wished for the
same, but Lords' brethren were bishops, their sons were abbots, and the friends
of great men had the possession of the church, and so we were compelled to give
obedience to all that they demanded.' These vain excuses, I say, will nothing
avail you in the presence of Cod."
4.
In 1558, England's
"Bloody" Mary dicd and was succeeded by Elisabeth I.
Knox sought a safe passage home through England. By this time, however, he was
known as the author of the infamous "First Blast of the Trumpet Against
the Monstrous Regiment [i.e. unnatural rule or reign) of Women", which had
been published anonymously at first in Geneva (and had gone on sale without
Calvin's knowledge). The safe passage was refused, and so it was by boat to
Leith, the harbor for Edinburgh, that Knox finally returned home to begin his
most important phase of public ministry.
Despite his lengthy absences from his native land, several things equipped Knox
to lead the reformation there. His name was associated with the heroes of the
recent past; his sufferings authenticated his commitment; his broad experience
had prepared him for leadership; and his sense of call made him "fear the
face of no man."
Knox gives a vivid account of these days in his "History of the
Reformation in Scotland" (Banner of Truth). His famous interviews with
Mary, Queen of Scots, often misrepresented, indicate his total commitment to
the principles of Scripture. It was probably that total commitment that led to
a dwindling of support among those from whom he had hoped so much. In earlier
days, his radical vision had provided an opportunity for the nobility to lead
Scotland into the future, but many were to prove too little concerned for the
radical transformation of the spiritual life of the church and nation. As one
modern scholar put it, "the language of the covenant had been replaced by
a more seductive image - the common weal [i.e well-being]."
This change in Knox's influence was illustrated at the coronation of the young
James VI, where Knox preached the sermon but the ex-Roman Catholic bishop of
Orkney performed the anointing of the king in accordance with the ancient
rites. The return of bishops to the kirk already had appeared over the horizon.
By the summer of 1572, Knox was a shadow of his former self Weakened by a
stroke, it was beyond his powers to preach in the Church of St Giles, although
he managed to do so occasionally at the nearby Tolbooth. By November, it was
clear he was not long for this world. On the morning of November 24, he asked
his wife to read 1 Corinthians 15 to him, and around 5 o'clock came his final
request "Reid whair I cast my first ancre," meaning from John 17. By
the end of the evening, he was gone.
Knox himself wrote with deep gratitude to God of the work that he had seen
accomplished:
"As touching the doctrine taught by our ministers and. . . the
administration of sacraments used in our Churches, we are bold to affirm that
there is no realm this day upon the face of the earth that hath them in greater
purity; yea (we must speak the truth, whomsoever we offend), there is none...
that hath them in the like purity."
Many explanations have been forthcoming for Knox's influence and that of the
Scottish Reformation. No doubt there were many factors at work in the
providence of God that brought about such spiritual renewal. But Knox's own
conviction was this: "God gave His Holy Spirit to simple men in great
abundance."
Therein lies the greatest lesson of his life.
CARVING OUT A LEGACY
Eric Alexander is the former minister of St. George's-Tron Church in Glasgow.
In August 1963, the appearance of a nude model on the stage of the Edinburgh International Festival caused outrage in Scotland's capital. Queen Elizabeth's cousin, the Earl of Harewood, was at that time the festival's artistic director, and he complained sourly to the press in these words: "The fact is, my greatest enemy is still that old Presbyterian John Knox."
Doubtless, this was not the kind of tribute Knox had in mind when he prophesied before his death that, although his own unthankful age would not recognize what he had been to his country, ages to come would bear witness to the truth. Yet it is a remarkable fact that having troubled the consciences of monarchs in the sixteenth century (Queen Mary said she feared Knox's sermons and prayers more than the English army), here at the end of the twentieth century he is still cited as a major influence on Scottish culture and opinion.
Williston Walker, the Titus Street professor of ecclesiastical history at Yale, sums up his assessment of Knox's significance in this way: "He influenced not merely the religion, but the character of the nation more than any other man in Scottish history." And Thomas Carlyle, the social historian, gives an even broader opinion of Knox's legacy when he writes, "He was the chief priest and founder of the faith that became Scotland's, New England's, and Oliver Cromwell's: that is, of Puritanism."
But Knox's influence certainly has been very much wider than the boundaries of his native Scotland. After his release from the French galleys, Knox settled in England, first in Berwick and Newcastle. From there, the Duke of Northumberland brought him to London, and he became a royal chaplain to Edward VI and one of the most powerful preachers in London.
It was at this time that the Articles of the Church of England, which Archbishop Cranmer had prepared, were submitted to six theologians, of whom Knox was one. The king signed the authorization of the 42 articles just before his death. The evidence of the strength of Knox's influence is clear, and the Protestant emphasis in the subsequent Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England owe not a little to him.
He also played a crucial part in
having the "Declaration on Kneeling" inserted into the 1552 Prayer
Book of the Church of England. Cranmer already had sent the text of the Prayer
Book to the printer. But Knox, meantime, was called to preach before the king
and used the opportunity to condemn kneeling in receiving the Lord's Supper,
which the Prayer Book decreed. After his powerful sermon, Knox was instrumental
in having the so-called Black Rubric inserted in the Prayer Book, ruling out
both Roman and Lutheran interpretations of the meaning of kneeling. Although it
was dropped for a time, it was restored in the 1662 Prayer Book that still is
used by many Church of England congregations. John Duke calls it "Knox's
best gift to the Church of England."
However, Knox's most significant legacy lies in the three foundation documents
of the Reformed Church, which replaced the Church of Rome in Scotland. They
were the Scots Confession of 1560, the First Book of Discipline of the same
year, and the Book of Common Order of 1562. They defined, respectively, the
creed, government, and worship of the Reformed Church. Knox was crucially
involved with them all, and it is important for us to consider each of them
briefly.
1. The Scots Confession of 1560
Neither Knox nor his five colleagues who were responsible for this statement of the Reformed faith had the weight of scholarship or the length of time necessary to produce an exhaustive theological treatise. But the twenty-five chapters have been assessed by Scottish church historian J.D. Douglas in this way: "Expressed in places less like a theological document than like a robust manifesto that reflected the contemporary climate, the Confession remained the basis of Church of Scotland teaching until the Westminster Confession of 1647. Even then, the earlier document was often regarded as the purest expression of the kirk's mind and heart."
2. The First Book of Discipline
Composed in less than three weeks in May 1560, although later revised, the book deals with the government of the Reformed Church. However, it embraces the whole order of society, and submits all manner of ecclesiastical and social practices to the final authority of Holy Scripture. Hume Brown, the historian, considers it "the most important document in Scottish history." Here indeed is the seedbed not just for Presbyterian church order and government, but for the principle of a well-educated ministry and the universal opportunity of education to the university level.
Douglas points out that in relation to the preaching ministry, the Book of Discipline insisted "Scripture was to be expounded consecutively, so that people might know the complete teaching. The impact was to be assessed in weekly meetings for catechetical purposes. There were to be weekly exercises for ministers within reasonable distance, for the discussion of Scripture doctrine.
3. The Book of Common Order of 1562
Sometimes mistakenly called "Knox's Liturgy" (for Knox was no liturgist) or more acceptably "The Order of Geneva" (for it was used by Knox in Geneva), the book was designed to be a simple directory for worship in the Reformed Church. To this day, there is a "Reformed Book of Common Order" in wide use in the Church of Scotland, based entirely on the 1562 book. It is a simple form of worship, reflecting the desire that the Word of God would have a dominant place both as the regulator of the church's worship and as the substance of its teaching. With a number of exceptions, the Reformed Church congregations in Scotland still worship today in all essentials as they did in Knox's time.
Together these three documents were like foundation stones for the Presbyterian and Reformed churches as they developed under the guidance of people such as Andrew Melville and his successors.
Over the centuries, of course, there has been an infinite variety of opinion as to Knox's character, but there surely must be complete unanimity about his importance. Love him or hate him, revere him or deride him, this was a man raised up by God not only for his own nation and time, but for generations yet unborn throughout the world. Martyn Lloyd-Jones even argues that Knox was the father of the American Revolution!
In Scotland itself, he has been both loved and hated, honored by some as one of the greatest men and greatest preachers Scotland ever has known, and spurned by others as a bigot and an embarrassment.
However, those who disparage Knox would do well to remember that in denouncing him, they denounce also the qualities that have enabled the children of a small, poor nation to set their mark upon the history of the world.
THE OLD THUNDERER
Ian Hamilton is minister of Cambridge Presbyterian Church.
John Knox is best known as Scotland's greatest Reformation hero. Make mention of Knox and people immediately think of an uncompromisingly zealous advocate for the Reformed faith and the reformation of worship in the light of sola Scriptura. While there may well have been a Scottish Reformation without him, it is doubtful the Reformation would have been as biblically faithful and Christ-centered without him.
Knox was a man of 'many parts.' He was a fearless advocate for the Gospel; he was a brilliant controversialist; and he was a leader of national and international significance. What is often forgotten, however, is that at heart Knox was a pastor, a minister of the Gospel of the grace of God. He saw that his main duty in life was "to blow my Master's trumpet."
In the providence of God, Knox exercised his pastoral ministry during the most turbulent of times. Few men have had to contend with the unceasing, life-threatening opposition that dogged Knox throughout the length of his pastoral ministry. More than once he had to flee for his life due to the uncompromisingly biblical nature of his preaching. Not once, however, did Knox contemplate accommodating his preaching to the prevailing political or ecclesiastical consensus. In this, Knox remains an enduring model for ministers of Christ in every age.
Knox's call to the preaching ministry gives us a significant insight into the man he was. Far from pushing himself forward, Knox displayed an initial reluctance to enter the ministry. After receiving the pastoral call from the congregation in St. Andrews Castle in 1547, Knox, in his own words, "abashed, burst forth in most abundant tears." This deep sense of privilege, mingled with an equally deep sense of his own unfitness, was an enduring feature of Knox's pastoral ministry.
As a pastor, Knox recognized from the very beginning that his primary calling was to preach God's Word. From his first sermon, Knox revealed the boldness, even fearlessness, that would characterize the whole course of his pastoral ministry. Taking Daniel 7:24-25 as his text, Knox showed how the lives of the Roman clergy, the doctrines of the church, ecclesiastical enactments, and such "blasphemous" pretensions as papal infallibility all proved that the Roman Church was not Christ's body but the "whore of Babylon" and "the synagogue of Satan," and that the pope was not the "Vicar of Christ" but "Antichrist."
Knox's sermon became the talk of the town. "Others lopped the branches of papistry," it was said, "but he strikes at the root, to destroy the whole." Far from being gratuitously rude, Knox was subjecting corrupt, God-dishonoring, Gospel-denying church to the searching scrutiny of God's Word.
That first sermon, and the debate
that followed, marked out the parameters of Knox's pastoral ministry. As a
result of his uncompromising preaching, "a great number of the town openly
professed" Reformed doctrine.
The boldness that marked Knox's first sermon was an indelible feature of his
subsequent pastoral ministry. Perhaps his most daring sermon during these years
was preached on Christmas Day 1552 in Newcastle. Knox had learned that Mary
Tudor might soon come to the throne, and he warned in his sermon of the dangers
of papist rule - a warning that might easily have cost him his head!
When Mary was crowned in 1553, it
was not long before Knox was persuaded by friends to leave England. Although
exiled, he continued to exercise an effective pastoral ministry by writing
letters of encouragement to his former congregations. In his "A Godly
Letter of Warning or Admonition to the Faithful in London, Newcastle, and
Berwick", written in 1553, Knox called upon his readers to "let it be
known to your posterity that you were Christians and not idolators; that you
learned Christ in time of rest, and boldly professed him in time of
trouble."
From 1560 until his death in 1572, Knox was minister of the most significant
church in Scotland, the High Kirk of St. Giles in Edinburgh. It was said that
one sermon from Knox had more galvanizing impact on the hearts of God's
servants than 500 trumpets sounding in their ears.
It is difficult to separate Knox the pastor from Knox the Reformer. It was his commitment to preaching God's Word faithfully that gave to Knox his deep concern for the whole people of Scotland and that led him to press for a school in every parish, a college in every town, and a university in every city. In particular, Knox's pastoral faithfulness gave him a deep concern for the poor. He wrote, "Fearful and horrible it is that the poor, whom God hath so earnestly commended to our care, are universally so condemned and despised."
As a pastor, Knox exemplified at least three qualities that ever should mark the life and ministry of ministers. First, he believed not only in the infallible authority of God's Word, but also in its absolute sufficiency. His espousal of the "regulative principle" was grounded in this conviction. Second, as a pastor, it was said that he never feared the face of man (or woman!). Like Luther, Knox was always ready, if need be, to "stand alone." Truth before consequences was a non-negotiable conviction in Knox's life. Third, he preached "the whole counsel of God," in season and out of season, to great and small, without fear or favor.
For all Christians, but perhaps especially for pastors, Knox is a model of single-minded, self-denying service to the flock of God.
These three accounts of John Knox are found in "Tabletalk", October 1999.
The Banner of Truth has published the enormously vital book of John Knox's, "Reformation in Scotland."
Thomas Watson, "[Jesus] alone is the Prince of Preachers. He alone is the best of expositors."
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
Group "BBC Pastor Mailing List".
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
bbc-pastor-mailin...@googlegroups.com
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/bbc-pastor-mailing-list?hl=en