1. That thei should keap the Castell of Sanctandrois, ay and whill
that the Governour, and the authoritie of Scotland, should gett
unto thame ane sufficient absolutioun from the Pape, (Antichrist of
Rome,) for the slawchtter of the Cardinall foirsaid.
2. That thei should deliver pledges for deliverie of that House,
how sone the foirsaid absolutioun was delivered unto thame.
3. That thei, thare freindis, familiaris, servandes, and otheris to
thame pertenyng, should never be persewed in the law, nor by the
law,[465] be the authoritie, for the slauchter foirsaid. But that
thei should bruik[466] commodities spirituall or temporall,
whatsoever thei possessed befoir the said slauchter, evin as yf it
had never bein committed.
4. That thei of the Castell should keape the Erle of Errane,[467]
so long as thare pledges war keape.--And such lyik Articles,
liberall yneuch; for thei never mynded to keape word of thame, as
the ischew did declaire.
The Appointment maid, all the godly war glaid; for some esperance[468]
thei had, that thairby Goddis woord should somewhat bud, as in deid so
it did. For Johnne Rowgh,[469] (who sone after the Cardinalles slawghter
entered within the Castell, and had continewed with thame the hole
seige,) begane to preach in Sanctandrois; and albeit he was nott the
most learned, yit was his doctrin without corruptioun, and tharefoir
weall lyiked of the people.
At the Pasche[470] after, [SN: ANNO 1547.] came to the Castell of
Sanctandrois JOHNNE KNOX, who, weareid of removing from place to place,
be reassone of the persecutioun that came upoun him by this Bischope of
Sanctandros, was determinat to have left Scotland, and to have vesitid
the schooles of Germany, (of England then he had no pleasur, be reassone
that the Paipes name being suppressed, his lawes and corruptionis
remaned in full vigour.) But becaus he had the cair of some gentilmenes
childrene, whome certane yearis he had nurished in godlynes, thare
fatheris solisted him to go to Sanctandrois, that himself mycht have the
benefite of the Castell, and thare childrene the benefite of his
doctrine; and so, (we say,) came he the tyme foirsaid to the said place,
and, having in his cumpanye Franciss Dowglass of Langnudrye, George his
brother,[471] and Alexander Cockburne, eldast sone then to the Lard of
Ormestoun,[472] begane to exercise thame after his accustomed maner.
Besydis thare grammare, and other humane authoris, he redd unto thame a
catechisme, a compt whairof he caused thame geve publictlie in the
parishe Kirk of Sanctandrois. He redd moreover unto thame the Evangell
of Johnne, proceading whare he left at his departing from Langnudrye,
whare befoir his residence was; and that lecture he redd in the chapell,
within the Castell, at a certane hour. Thei of the place, but
especiallie Maister Henry Balnaves and Johne Rowght, preachear,
perceaving the manor of his doctrin, begane earnestlie to travaill with
him, that he wold tack the preaching place upoun him. But he utterlie
refuissed, alledgeing "That he wold nott ryne whare God had nott called
him;" meanyng, that he wold do nothing without a lauchfull vocatioun.
[SN: THE FIRST VOCATIOUN BY NAME OF JOHNE KNOX TO PREACHE.]
Whareupone thei prively amonges thame selfis advising, having with thame
in counsall[473] Schir David Lyndesay of the Mont, thei concluded, that
thei wold geve a charge to the said Johnne, and that publictlie by the
mouth of thare preachear. And so upoun a certane day, a sermone had of
the electioun of ministeris, What power the congregatioun (how small
that ever it was, passing the nomber of two or three) had above any man,
in whome thei supposed and espyed the giftes of God to be, and how
dangerous it was to refuise, and not to hear the voce of such as desyre
to be instructed. These and other headis, (we say,) declaired, the said
Johnne Rowght,[474] prcachear, directed his wordis to the said Johne
Knox, saying, "Brother, ye shall nott be offended, albeit that I speak
unto yow that which I have in charge, evin from all those that ar hear
present, which is this: In the name of God, and of his Sone Jesus
Christ, and in the name of these that presentlie calles yow by my mouth,
I charge yow, that ye refuise not this holy vocatioun, but that as ye
tender the glorie of God, the encrease of Christ his kingdome, the
edificatioun of your brethrene, and the conforte of me, whome ye
understand weill yneuch to be oppressed by the multitude of laubouris,
that ye tack upoun yow the publict office and charge of preaching, evin
as ye looke to avoid Goddis heavye displeasur, and desyre that he shall
multiplye his graces with yow." And in the end, he said to those that
war present, "Was not this your charge to me? And do ye not approve this
vocatioun?" Thei answered, "It was; and we approve it." Whairat the said
Johnne[475] abashed, byrst furth in moist abundand tearis, and withdrew
him self to his chalmer. His conteanance and behaveour, fra that day
till the day that he was compelled to present him self to the publict
place of preaching, did sufficiently declair the greaf and truble of his
hearte; for no man saw any sign of myrth of him, neyther yitt had he
pleasur to accumpany any man, many dayis togetther.
[SN: DEAN JOHNE ANNAN.]
The necessitie that caused him to enter in the publict place, besydis
the vocatioun foirsaid, was: Dean[476] Johne Annane,[477] (a rottin
Papist,) had long trubled Johnne Rowght in his preaching: The said
Johnne Knox had fortifeid the doctrine of the Preachear by his pen, and
had beattin the said Dean Johne from all defences, that he was compelled
to fly to his last refuge, that is, to the authoritie of the Church,
"Which authoritie, (said he,) damned all Lutherianes and heretikes; and
tharefoir he nedith no farther disputatioun." Johne Knox answered,
"Befoir we hold our selfis, or that ye can prove us sufficientlie
convict, we must defyne the Church, by the; rycht notes gevin to us in
Goddis Scriptures of the trew Church. We must decerne the immaculat
spous of Jesus Christ, frome the Mother of confusioun, spirituall
Babylon, least that imprudentlie we embrase a harlote instead of the
cheast spous; yea, to speak it in plaine wordes, least that we submitt
our selves to Sathan, thinking that we submitt our selfis to Jesus
Christ. For, as for your Romane Kirk, as it is now corrupted, and the
authoritie thairof, whairin standis the hope of your victorie, I no more
dowbt but that it is the synagog of Sathan, and the head thairof, called
the Pape, to be that man of syne, of whome the Apostle speakis, then
that I doubt that Jesus Christ suffurred by the procurement of the
visible Kirk of Hierusalem. [SN: THE OFFER OF JOHNE KNOX FIRST AND LAST
UNTO THE PAPISTIS.] Yea, I offer my selve, by woord or wryte, to prove
the Romane Church this day farther degenerat from the puritie which was
in the dayis of the Apostles, then was the Church of the Jewes from the
ordinance gevin by Moses, when thei consented to the innocent death of
Jesus Christ." These woordis war spokin in open audience, in the parishe
Kirk of Sanctandrois, after that the said Dean Johne Annane had spokin
what it pleasith him, and had refuissed to dispute. The people hearing
the offer, cryed with one consent, "We can not all read your writtingis,
butt we may all hear your preaching: Tharefore we requyre yow, in the
name of God, that ye will lett us hear the probatioun of that which ye
have affirmed; for yf it be trew, we have bene miserable deceaved."
[SN: THE FIRST PUBLICT SERMON[478] OF JOHNE KNOX MAID IN THE
PARISH KIRK OF SANCTANDROIS.]
And so the nixt Sounday was appointed to the said Johne, to expresse his
mynd in the publict preaching place. Which day approching, the said
Johne took the text writtin in Daniel, the sevint chapter, begynnyng
thus: "And ane other king shall rise after thame, and he shall be unlyik
unto the first, and he shall subdew three kinges, and shall speak wordis
against the Most Heigh, and shall consome the sanctes of the Most Heigh,
and think that he may change tymes and lawes, and thei shalbe gevin into
his handis, untill a tyme, and tymes, and deviding of tymes."
1. In the begynnyng of his sermon, he schew the great luif of God
towardis his Church, whome it pleaseth to foirwarne of dangeris to come
so many yearis befoir thei come to pas. 2. He breavelie[479] entraited
the estait of the Israelitis, who thane war in bondage in Babylon, for
the most parte; and maid a schorte discourse of the foure Impyres, the
Babyloniane, the Persiane, that of the Greakis, and the fourte of the
Romanes; in the destructioun whairof, rase up that last Beast, which he
affirmed to be the Romane Church; for to none other power that ever has
yitt bein, do all the notes that God hes schawin to the Propheit
appertane, except to it allone; and unto it thei do so propirlie
apperteane, that such as ar not more then blynd, may clearlie see thame.
3. But befoir he begane to opin the corruptionis of the Papistrie, he
defyned the trew Kirk, schew the trew notes of it, whairupoun it was
buylded, why it was the pillare of veritie, and why it could nott err,
to witt, "Becaus it heard the voce of the awin pastor, Jesus Christ,
wold not hear a strangere, nether yitt wold be caryed about with everie
kynd of doctrin."
Every ane of these headis sufficientlie declared, he entered to the
contrar; and upoun the notes gevin in his text, he schew that the Spreit
of God in the New Testament gave to this king other names,[480] to witt,
"the Man of Syn," "the Antichrist," "the Hoore of Babylon." He schew,
that this man of syn, or Antichrist, was not to be restreaned to the
person of any one man onlie, no more then by the fourte beast was to be
understand the persone of any one Emperour. But by sic meanes[481] the
Spreat of God wold forewarne his chosyn of a body and a multitud, having
a wicked head, which should not only be synefull him self, butt that
also should be occasioun of syne to all that should be subject unto him,
(as Christ Jesus is caus of justice to all the membres of his body;) and
is called the Antichrist, that is to say, one contrare to Christ,
becaus that he is contrare to him in lyeff, doctrin, lawes, and
subjectes. And thane begane he to dissipher the lyves of diverse Papes,
and the lyves of all the scheavelynges for the most parte; thare
doctrine and lawes he plainelie proved to repugne directlye to the
doctrin and lawes of God the Father, and of Christ Jesus his Sone. [SN:
_CONTRA DEI SPIRITUM AD GALATOS CA. 2. VERSU 16, ET 3, 11._] This he
proved by conferring the doctrin of justificatioun, expressed in the
Scriptures, which teach that man is "justifyed by faith only;" "that the
blood of Jesus Christ purges us from all our synnes;" and the doctrin of
the Papistes, which attributeth justificatioun to the workis of the law,
yea, to the workis of manis inventioun, as pilgremage, pardonis, and
otheris sic baggage. That the Papisticall lawes repugned to the lawes of
the Evangell, he proved by the lawis maid of observatioun of dayis,
absteanyng from meattis, and frome mariage, which Christ Jesus maid
free; and the forbidding whereof, Sanct Paule called "the doctrin of
devillis." In handilling the notes of that Beast gevin in the text, he
willed men to considder yf these notes, [SN: THE GREAT WOORDIS WHICH THE
ANTICHRIST SPEAKITH.] "Thare shall ane arise unlyk to the other, heaving
a mouth speaking great thinges and blasphemous," could be applyed to any
other, but to the Pape and his kingdome; for "yf these, (said he,) be
not great woordis and blasphemous, 'the Successor of Petir,' 'the Vicare
of Christ,' 'the Head of the Kirk,' 'most holy,' 'most blessed,' 'that
can not err;' that 'may maik rycht of wrong, and wrong of rycht;' that
'of nothing, may mak somewhat;' and that 'hath all veritie in the
schryne of his breast;' yea, 'that hes power of all, and none power of
him:' Nay, 'not to say that he dois wrong, althought he draw ten
thowsand millioun of saules with him self to hell.' Yf these, (said he,)
and many other, able to be schawin in his awin Cannone Law, be not great
and blasphemous woordis, and such as never mortall man spak befoir, lett
the world judge. And yitt, (said he,) is thare one most evident of all,
to wit, Johnne, in his Revelatioun, sayis, 'That the merchandeise of
that Babyloniane harlot, amonges otheris thingis, shalbe the bodyes and
saules of men.' Now, lett the verray Papistes thame selfis judge, yf
ever any befoir thame took upoun thame power to relax the paines of
thame that war in Purgatorie, as thei affirme to the people that daily
thei do, by the merites of thare Messe, and of thare other trifilles."
In the end he said, "Yf any here, (and thare war present Maister Johne
Mayre,[482] the Universitie, the Suppriour,[483] and many Channonis,
with some Freiris of boyth the ordouris,) that will say, That I have
alledgeid Scripture, doctour, or historye, otherwyise then it is
writtin, lett thame come unto me with sufficient witness, and by
conference I shall lett thame see, not onlye the originall whare my
testimonyes ar writtin, but I shall prove, that the wrettaris ment as I
have spokin."
Of this sermon, which was the first that ever Johne Knox maid in
publict, was thare diverse bruyttis. Some said, "Otheris sned[484] the
branches of the Papistrie, but he stryekis at the roote, to destroy the
hole." Otheris said, "Yf the doctouris, and _Magistri nostri_, defend
nott now the Pape and his authoritie, which in thare awin presence is so
manifestlie impugned, the Devill have my parte of him, and of his lawes
boyth." Otheris said, "Maister George Wishart spak never so plainelye,
and yitt he was brunt: evin so will he be." In the end, otheris said,
"The tyranny of the Cardinall maid nott his cause the bettir, nether
yitt the sufferring of Goddis servand maid his cause the worse. And
tharefoir we wold counsall yow and thame, to provide bettir defenses
then fyre and sweard; for it may be that ellis ye wilbe disapointed:
men now have other eyes then thei had than." This answer gave the Lard
of Nydie,[485] a man fervent and uprycht in religioun.
The bastard Bischope, who yit was not execrated, (consecrated[486] thei
call it,) wrait to the Suppriour of Sanctandrois, who (_Sede vacante_)
was Vicare Generall, "That he wondered that he sufferred sic hereticall
and schismaticall doctrin to be tawght, and nott to oppone him self to
the same." Upoun this rebuck, was a conventioun of Gray Freiris and Blak
feindis appointed, with the said Suppriour Dean Johnne Wynrame, in Sanct
Leonardis yardis, whareunto was first called Johne Rowght, and certane
Articles redd unto him; and thairafter was Johnne Knox called for. The
caus of thare conventioun, and why that thei war called, was exponed;
and the Articles war read, which war these:--