I-John Knox
By the Very Rev. W. P. PATERSON, D.D.
(From Edinburgh)
Little is known of the early life of the great Scottish refonner and historian, and even the date of his birth is in dispute. It is recorded that in 1547, the year after the murder of the Archbishop of St. Andrews, John Knox was preaching there a fully developed Protestantism.
In the summer of that year, St.
Andrews yielded to the French fleet, and Knox, among others, lay in irons for nineteen months. Upon his release he was appointed a licensed preacher of the new faith for England. He wa3 made a Royal Chaplain, he declined an English Bishopric, and in 1554 went into a five years' exile abroad.
He returned to Scotland and preached publicly and incessantly. The treatise he had published, ' The Monstrous Regiment of Women ', stood for a time in the way of friendly relations with England on account of Elizabeth, but they were achieved. With two others, he was responsible for drafting the Scots Confession which remained for two centuries the authorised Scottish Creed.
Today's talk will tell of his life and achievements, of his struggles with Mary Queen of Scots, of his visit to England at the request of the Assembly, and of his victory when the Parliament of 1567 made Moray Regent. Knox died in 1572. His countrymen have always believed that Scotland owes her political and religious individuality to him more than to any man.