Volume I Part 13 (1/2)
Off Striveling, the tent of Marche, Anno 1556.[699] (This is the trew copy of the bill, being subscrived by the names underwrittin,)
_Sic subscribitur_, GLENCARNE.
LORNE, (now ERGYLE.) ERSKYN.
JAMES STEWART.
These letteris war delivered to the said Johne in Geneva, by the handis of James Sym, who now resteth with Christ, and of James Barroun, that yit liveth,[700] in the moneth of Maij immediatlie tharefter. Which receaved, and advised upoun, he took consultatioun alsweall with his awin church as with that notable servand of G.o.d, Johne Calvin, and with other G.o.dlie ministers, who all with one consent, said, ”That he could nott refuise that Vocatioun, onless he wald declair him self rebellious unto his G.o.d, and unmercyfull to his contrie.” And so he returned answer, with promessis to visite thame with ressonable expeditioun, and so sone as he mycht putt ordour to that dear flock that was committed to his charge. And so, in the end of the nixt September after, he departed from Geneva, and came to Deape, whare thare mett him contrare letteris; as by this his answer thareto we may understand.
_The Spreit of wisdom, constancie, and strenth be multiplied with yow, by the favour of G.o.d our Father, and by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ._
According to my promeis, Rycht Honorable, I came to Deape, the xxiiij of October, of full mynd, by the good will of G.o.d, with the first schippes to have visited yow. Bot becaus two letteris, not verray plea.s.sing to the flesche, wer there presented unto me, I was compelled to stay for a tyme. The one was directed to myself from a faithfull brother, which maid mentioun, that new consultatioun was appointed for finall conclusioun of the mater befoir purposed, and willed me tharefoir to abyd in these partes, till the determinatioun of the same. The other letter was direct from a gentilman to a friend, with charge to advertise me, that he had communed with all those that seamed most frack and fervent in the mater, and that into none did he fynd such boldness and constancie, as was requisite for such ane interprise; bot that some did (as he writteth) reapent that ever any such thing was moved; some war partlie eschamed; and otheris war able to deny, that ever thei did consent to any such purpose, yf any triall or questioun should be tackin thareof, &c. Which letteris, when I had considdered, I partlie was confounded, and partlye was persed with anguise and sorrow. Confounded I was, that I had so far travelled in the mater, moving the same to the most G.o.dly and the most learned that this day we know to lyve in Europe, to the effect that I mycht have thare judgements and grave counsalles, for a.s.surance alsweall of your consciences as of myne, in all interprises: And then that nothing should succead so long consultatioun, can not but redound eyther to your schame or myne; for eyther it shall appear; that I was mervelouse vane, being so solist whare no necessitie requyred, or ellis, that such as war my moveris thareto lacked the rypnes of judgement in thare first vocatioun. To some it may appear ane small and lycht mater, that I have cast of, and as it war abandoned, alsweall my particulare care, as my publict office and charge, leaving my house and poore familie dest.i.tut of all head, save G.o.d only, and committing that small (but to Christ deirlie belovit) flock, ower the which I was appointed one of the ministeris, to the charge of ane other. This, I say, to worldly men may appear a small mater, but to me it was, and yit is such, that more worldly sustance then I will expresse, could not have caused me willinglie behold the eies of so many grave men weape at ones for my caus, as that I did, in tackin of my last good nycht frome thame. To whome, yf it please G.o.d that I returne, and questioun be demanded, What was the impediment of my purposed jorney? judge yow what I shall answer. The caus of my dolour and sorrow (G.o.d is witnes) is for nothing pertenyng eyther to my corporall contentment or worldly displeasur; b.u.t.t it is for the grevouse plagues and punishmentis of G.o.d, which a.s.suredly shall apprehend nott only yow, but everie inhabitant of that miserable Realme and Ile, except that the power of G.o.d, by the libertie of his Evangell, deliver yow from bondage.
[SN: THE MATRIMONIALL CROUN WAS GRANTED, AND FRENCHE BANDIS WAR ARRYVED.] I meane not only that perpetuall fyre and torment, prepared for the Devill, and for such as denying Christ Jesus and his knawin veritie, do follow the sones of wickednes to perditioun, (which most is to be feared;) b.u.t.t also that thraldome and miserie shall apprehend your awin bodyes, your childrein, subjectis, and posteritie, whome ye have betrayed, (in conscience, I can except none that bear the name of n.o.bilitie,) and presentlie do feght to betray thame and your Realme to the slavrie of strangeris. The warr begune, (althocht I acknawledge it to be the wark of G.o.d,) shalbe your destructioun, unless that, be tyme, remedy be provided. G.o.d opin your eis, that ye may espy and considder your awin miserable estaite. My wordis shall appeir to some scharpe and undiscreitlie spokin; but as charitie awght to interpreit all thingis to the best, so awght wyse men to understand, that a trew friend can nott be a flatterar, especiallie when the questions of salvatioun, boith of body and saule, ar moved; and that nott of one nor of two, but as it war of a hole realme and natioun. What ar the sobbes, and what is the affectioun[701] of my trubled heart, G.o.d shall one day declare. But this will I add to my formar rigour and severitie, to wit, yf any perswad yow, for feir of dangeris that may follow, to faint in your formar purpose, be he never esteamed so wyse and freindly, lett him be judged of yow boith foolish and your mortall ennemy: foolishe, for becaus he understandeth nothing of G.o.ddis approved wisedome; and ennemye unto yow, becaus he lauboureth to separat yow from G.o.ddis favour; provoking his vengeance and grevouse plagues against yow, becaus he wald that ye should prefer your worldly rest to G.o.ddis prase and glorie, and the freindschipe of the wicked to the salvatioun of your brethrein. [SN: LETT THE PAPISTIS THAME SELVIS JUDGE OF WHAT SPREIT THOSE SENTENSES COULD PROCEAD.] ”I am nott ignorant, that feirfull trubles shall ensew your enterprise, (as in my formar letters I did signifie unto yow;) but O joyfull and confortable ar those trubles and adversities, which man susteaneth for accomplishment of G.o.ddis will, reveilled by his woord! For how terrible that ever thei appear to the judgement of the naturall man, yit ar thei never able to devore nor utterlie to consume the sufferraris: For the invisible and invincible power of G.o.d susteaneth and preserveth, according to his promeis, all such as with simplicitie do obey him.” The subtell craft of Pharao, many years joyned wyth his b.l.o.o.d.y cruelty, was not able to destroy the male childrein of Israell, nether war the watteris of the Redd Sea, much less the rage of Pharao, able to confound Moses and the c.u.mpany which he conducted; and that because the one had G.o.ddis promisse that thei should multiplie, and the other had his commandiment to enter into such dangeris. I wold your Wisedomes should considder, that our G.o.d remaneth one, and is immutable; and that the Church of Christ Jesus hath the same promeis of protectioun and defence that Israell had of multiplicatioun; and farther, that no less caus have ye to enter in your formar interprise, then Moses had to go to the presence of Pharao; for your subjectis, yea, your brethrein ar oppressed, thare bodyis and saules haldin in bondage: and G.o.d speaketh to your consciences, (onles ye be dead with the blynd warld,) [SN: THE DEUTIE OF THE n.o.bILITIE.] that yow awght to hasard your awin lyves, (be it against Kingis or Empriouris,) for thare deliverance; for only for that caus ar ye called Princes of the people, and ye receave of your brethrein honour, tribute, and homage at G.o.ddis commandiment; not be rea.s.son of your birth and progenye, (as the most parte of men falslie do suppose,) but by ressoun of your office and dewtie, which is to vindicat and deliver your subjectes and brethrein from all violence and oppressioun, to the uttermost of your power. [SN: THAT LETTER LOST BY NEGLIGENCE AND TRUBLES.]
Advise diligentlie, I beseik yow, with the pointis of that Letter, which I directed to the hole n.o.bilitie, and lett everie man apply the mater and case to him self; for your conscience shall one day be compelled to acknowledge, that the Reformatioun of religioun, and of publict enormities, doith appertene to mo then to the Clargie, or cheaf reularis called Kingis. [SN: G.o.d GRANT THAT OUR n.o.bILITIE WOULD YITT UNDERSTAND.] The mychtie Spreit of the Lord Jesus rewle and guyde your counsellis, to his glorie, your eternall conforte, and to the consolatioun of your brethrene. Amen.
From Deape, the 27 of October 1557.
These letteris receaved and redd, togetther with otheris direct to the hole n.o.bilitie, and some particular gentilmen, as to the Lardis of Dun and Pettarrow, new consultatioun was had what was best to be done: and in the end it was concluded, that thei wold follow fordwart thare purpose anes intended, and wold committ thame selfis, and whatsoever G.o.d had gevin unto thame, in his handis, rather then thei wold suffer idolatrie so manifestlie to regne, and the subjectes of that Realme so to be defrauded, as long thei had bein, of the only food of thare saules, the trew preaching of Christes Evangell. And that everie ane should be the more a.s.sured of other, a commoun Band was maid, and by some subscrived, the tennour whareof followis:--
”We, perceaving how Sathan in his memberis, the Antichristis of our tyme, cruelly doeth rage, seaking to dounethring and to destroy the Evangell of Christ, and his Congregatioun, aught, according to our bonden deuitie, to stryve in our Maisteris caus, evin unto the death, being certane of the victorie in him. The quhilk our dewitie being weall considdered, We do promesse befoir the Majestie of G.o.d, and his congregatioun, that we (be his grace,) shall with all diligence continually apply our hole power, substance, and our verray lyves, to manteane, sett fordward, and establish the most blessed word of G.o.d and his Congregatioun; and shall laubour at our possibilitie to have faythfull Ministeris purely and trewlie to minister Christis Evangell and Sacramentes to his people. We shall manteane thame, nuriss thame, and defend thame, the haill congregatioun of Christ, and everie membour thairof, at our haill poweris and waring of our lyves, against Sathan, and all wicked power that does intend tyranny or truble against the foirsaid congregatioun. Onto the quhilk holy woord and congregatioun we do joyne us, and also dois forsaike and renunce the congregatioun of Sathan, with all the superst.i.tious abominatioun and idolatrie thareof: And moreover, shall declare our selfis manifestlie ennemies thairto, be this oure faithfull promesse befoir G.o.d, testifeid to his Congregatioun, be our subscriptionis at thir presentis:--
”At Edinburgh, the thrid day of December, the year of G.o.d J^m. V^c.
fyfty sevin yearis: G.o.d called to witnesse.[702]
(_Sic subscribitur_,) A. ERLE OF ERGILE.
GLENCARNE.
MORTON.
ARCHIBALD LORD OF LORNE.
JOHNNE ERSKYNE OF DOUN.[703]
_Et cetera_.
[SN: THE THIRD VOCATIOUN OF JOHNE KNOX BY THE LORDIS AND CHURCHE OF SCOTLAND.]
Befoir a litill that this Band was subscryved, by the foirwrittin and many otheris, letteris war direct agane to Johne Knox fra the said Lordis, togitther with thare letteris to Maister CALVIN, craving of him, that by his authoritie he wold command the said Johne anes agane to visit thame. These letteris war delivered by the handis of Maister Johne Gray,[704] in the moneth of November, the yeir of G.o.d J^m. V^c. fyfty awght, who at that same tyme past to Rome for expeditioun of the bowes[705] of Ross to Maister Henry Sinclare.[706]
Immediatlie after the subscriptioun of this foirsaid Band, the Lordis and Barons professing Christ Jesus, conveined frequentlie in counsall; in the which these Headis war concluded:--
First, It is thought expedient, devised, and ordeaned, that in all parochines of this Realme the Commoun Prayeris[707] be redd owklie on Sounday, and other festuall dayis, publictlie in the Paroche Kirkis, with the Lessonis of the New and Old Testament, conforme to the ordour of the Book of Common Prayeris: And yf the curattis of the parochynes be qualified, to cause thame to reid the samyn; and yf thei be nott, or yf thei refuise, that the maist qualifeid in the parish use and read the same.
Secoundly, It is thought necessare, that doctrin, preacheing, and interpretatioun of Scriptures be had and used privatlie in qwyet houssis, without great conventionis of the people tharto, whill afterward that G.o.d move the Prince to grant publict preacheing be faithfull and trew ministeris.
These two Headis concernyng the religioun, and some otheris concernyng the Polecy, being concluded, the old Erle of Ergile took the mantenance of Johne Dowgla.s.s, caused him preache publictlie in his hous, and reformed many thingis according to his consall. The same boldness took diverse otheris, alsweall within townes as to landwarte; which did not a litle truble the Bischoppis and Quein Regent, as by this lettre and credite, committed to Sir David Hammyltoun [708] fra the Bischope of Sanctandrois to the said Erle of Ergile, may be clearlic understand.
THE BISCHOPPIS LETTER TO THE OLD ERLE OF ERGYLE.
MY LORD, After maist hartlie commendatioun. This is to advertise your Lords.h.i.+p, we have direct this berar, our Cousing, towart your Lordschipis, in sick besynes and effaris as concernes your Lordschipis honour, proffeitt, and great weall; lyk as the said berar will declare your Lordsehipe at mare lenth. Praying your Lordschipe effectuously to adverte thairto, and geve attendance to us, your Lordschipis freindis, that ay hes willed the honour, proffeit, and uter wealth of your Lordschipis house, as of our awin; and credite to the berar. And Jesu haif your Lordschipe in everlesting keaping.