Like
as there was no place, either of Germany, Italy, or France,
wherein there were not some branches sprung out of that most
fruitful root of Luther; so likewise was not this isle of
Britain without his fruit and branches. Amongst whom was Patrick
Hamilton, a Scotchman born of high and noble stock, and of the
king's blood, of excellent towardness, twenty-three years of
age, called abbot of Ferne. Coming out of his country with three
companions to seek godly learning, he went to the University of
Marburg in Germany, which university was then newly erected by
Philip, Landgrave of Hesse.
During his
residence here, he became intimately acquainted with those
eminent lights of the Gospel, Martin Luther and Philip
Melancthon; from whose writings and doctrines he strongly
attached himself to the Protestant religion.
The archbishop
of St. Andrews (who was a rigid papist) learning of Mr.
Hamilton's proceedings, caused him to be seized, and being
brought before him, after a short examination relative to his
religious principles, he committed him a prisoner to the castle,
at the same time ordering him to be confined in the most
loathsome part of the prison.
The next
morning Mr. Hamilton was brought before the bishop, and several
others, for examination, when the principal articles exhibited
against him were, his publicly disapproving of pilgrimages,
purgatory, prayers to saints, for the dead, etc.
These articles
Mr. Hamilton acknowledged to be true, in consequence of which he
was immediately condemned to be burnt; and that his condemnation
might have the greater authority, they caused it to be
subscribed by all those of any note who were present, and to
make the number as considerable as possible, even admitted the
subscription of boys who were sons of the nobility.
So anxious was
this bigoted and persecuting prelate for the destruction of Mr.
Hamilton, that he ordered his sentence to be put in execution on
the afternoon of the very day it was pronounced. He was
accordingly led to the place appointed for the horrid tragedy,
and was attended by a prodigious number of spectators. The
greatest part of the multitude would not believe it was intended
he should be put to death, but that it was only done to frighten
him, and thereby bring him over to embrace the principles of the
Romish religion.
When he arrived
at the stake, he kneeled down, and, for some time prayed with
great fervency. After this he was fastened to the stake, and the
fagots placed round him. A quantity of gunpowder having been
placed under his arms was first set on fire which scorched his
left hand and one side of his face, but did no material injury,
neither did it communicate with the fagots. In consequence of
this, more powder and combustible matter were brought, which
being set on fire took effect, and the fagots being kindled, he
called out, with an audible voice: "Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit! How long shall darkness overwhelm this realm? And how
long wilt Thou suffer the tyranny of these men?"
The fire
burning slow put him to great torment; but he bore it with
Christian magnanimity. What gave him the greatest pain was, the
clamor of some wicked men set on by the friars, who frequently
cried, "Turn, thou heretic; call upon our Lady; say, Salve
Regina, etc." To whom he replied, "Depart from me, and
trouble me not, ye messengers of Satan." One Campbell, a
friar, who was the ringleader, still continuing to interrupt him
by opprobrious language; he said to him, "Wicked man, God
forgive thee." After which, being prevented from further
speech by the violence of the smoke, and the rapidity of the
flames, he resigned up his soul into the hands of Him who gave
it.
This steadfast
believer in Christ suffered martyrdom in the year 1527.
One Henry
Forest, a young inoffensive Benedictine, being charged with
speaking respectfully of the above Patrick Hamilton, was thrown
into prison; and, in confessing himself to a friar, owned that
he thought Hamilton a good man; and that the articles for which
he was sentenced to die, might be defended. This being revealed
by the friar, it was received as evidence; and the poor
Benedictine was sentenced to be burnt.
Whilst
consultation was held, with regard to the manner of his
execution, John Lindsay, one of the archbishop's gentlemen,
offered his advice, to burn Friar Forest in some cellar;
"for," said he, "the smoke of Patrick Hamilton
hath infected all those on whom it blew."
This advice was
taken, and the poor victim was rather suffocated, than burnt.
The next who
fell victims for professing the truth of the Gospel, were David
Stratton and Norman Gourlay.
When they
arrived at the fatal spot, they both kneeled down, and prayed
for some time with great fervency. They then arose, when
Stratton, addressing himself to the spectators, exhorted them to
lay aside their superstitious and idolatrous notions, and employ
their time in seeking the true light of the Gospel. He would
have said more, but was prevented by the officers who attended.
Their sentence
was then put into execution, and they cheerfully resigned up
their souls to that God who gave them, hoping, through the
merits of the great Redeemer, for a glorious resurrection to
life immortal. They suffered in the year 1534.
The martyrdoms
of the two before-mentioned persons, were soon followed by that
of Mr. Thomas Forret, who, for a considerable time, had been
dean of the Romish Church; Killor and Beverage, two blacksmiths;
Duncan Simson, a priest; and Robert Forrester, a gentleman. They
were all burnt together, on the Castle-hill at Edinburgh, the
last day of February, 1538.
The year
following the martyrdoms of the before-mentioned persons, viz.
1539, two others were apprehended on a suspicion of herresy;
namely, Jerome Russell and Alexander Kennedy, a youth about
eighteen years of age.
These two
persons, after being some time confined in prison, were brought
before the archbishop for examination. In the course of which
Russell, being a very sensible man, reasoned learnedly against
his accusers; while they in return made use of very opprobrious
language.
The examination
being over, and both of them deemed heretics, the archbishop
pronounced the dreadful sentence of death, and they were
immediately delivered over to the secular power in order for
execution.
The next day
they were led to the place appointed for them to suffer; in
their way to which, Russell, seeing his fellow-sufferer have the
appearance of timidity in his countenance, thus addressed him:
"Brother, fear not; greater is He that is in us, than He
that is in the world. The pain that we are to suffer is short,
and shall be light; but our joy and consolation shall never have
an end. Let us, therefore, strive to enter into our Master and
Savior's joy, by the same straight way which He hath taken
before us. Death cannot hurt us, for it is already destroyed by
Him, for whose sake we are now going to suffer."
When they
arrived at the fatal spot, they both kneeled down and prayed for
some time; after which being fastened to the stake, and the
fagots lighted, they cheerfully resigned their souls into the
hands of Him who gave them, in full hopes of an everlasting
reward in the heavenly mansions.
An
Account of the Life, Sufferings, and Death of Mr. GeorgeWishart,
Who Was Strangled and Afterward Burned, in Scotland, for Professing
the Truth of the Gospel
About the year
of our Lord 1543, there was, in the University of Cambridge, one
Master George Wishart, commonly called Master George of Benet's
College, a man of tall stature, polled-headed, and on the same a
round French cap of the best; judged to be of melancholy
complexion by his physiognomy, black-haired, long-bearded,
comely of personage, well spoken after his country of Scotland,
courteous, lowly, lovely, glad to teach, desirous to learn, and
well travelled; having on him for his clothing a frieze gown to
the shoes, a black millian fustian doublet, and plain black
hosen, coarse new canvas for his shirts, and white falling bands
and cuffs at his hands.
He was a man
modest, temperate, fearing God, hating covetousness; for his
charity had never end, night, noon, nor day; he forbare one meal
in three, one day in four for the most part, except something to
comfort nature. He lay hard upon a puff of straw and coarse, new
canvas sheets, which, when he changed, he gave away. He had
commonly by his bedside a tub of water, in the which (his people
being in bed, the candle put out and all quiet) he used to bathe
himself. He loved me tenderly, and I him. He taught with great
modesty and gravity, so that some of his people thought him
severe, and would have slain him; but the Lord was his defence.
And he, after due correction for their malice, by good
exhortation amended them and went his way. Oh, that the Lord had
left him to me, his poor boy, that he might have finished what
he had begun! for he went into scotland with divers of the
nobility, that came for a treaty to King Henry.
In 1543, the
archbishop of St. Andrews made a visitation into various parts
of his diocese, where several persons were informed against at
Perth for heresy. Among those the following were condemned to
die, viz. William Anderson, Robert Lamb, James Finlayson, James
Hunter, James Raveleson, and Helen Stark.
The accusations
laid against these respective persons were as follow: The four
first were accused of having hung up the image of St. Francis,
nailing ram's horns on his head, and fastening a cow's tail to
his rump; but the principal matter on which they were condemned
was having regaled themselves with a goose on fast day.
James Reveleson
was accused of having ornamented his house with the three
crowned diadem of Peter, carved in wood, which the archbishop
conceived to be done in mockery to his cardinal's cap.
Helen Stark was
accused of not having accustomed herself to pray to the Virgin
Mary, more especially during the time she was in childbed.
On these
respective accusations they were all found guilty, and
immediately received sentence of death; the four men, for eating
the goose, to be hanged; James Raveleson to be burnt; and the
woman, with her sucking infant, to be put into a sack and
drowned.
The four men,
with the woman and the child, suffered at the same time, but
James Raveleson was not executed until some days after.
The martyrs
were carried by a great band of armed men (for they feared
rebellion in the town except they had their men of war) to the
place of execution, which was common to all thieves, and that to
make their cause appear more odious to the people. Every one
comforting another, and assuring themselves that they should sup
together in the Kingdom of Heaven that night, they commended
themselves to God, and died constantly in the Lord.
The woman
desired earnestly to die with her husband, but she was not
suffered; yet, following him to the place of execution, she gave
him comfort, exhorting him to perseverance and patience for
Christ's sake, and, parting from him with a kiss, said,
"Husband, rejoice, for we have lived together many joyful
days; but this day, in which we must die, ought to be most
joyful unto us both, because we must have joy forever; therefore
I will not bid you good night, for we shall suddenly meet with
joy in the Kingdom of Heaven." The woman, after that, was
taken to a place to be drowned, and albeit she had a child
sucking on her breast, yet this moved nothing in the unmerciful
hearts of the enemies. So, after she had commended her children
to the neighbors of the town for God's sake, and the sucking
bairn was given to the nurse, she sealed up the truth by her
death.
Being desirous
of propagating the true Gospel in his own country George Wishart
left Cambridge in 1544, and on his arrival in Scotland he first
preached at Montrose, and afterwards at Dundee. In this last
place he made a public exposition of the Epistle to the Romans,
which he went through with such grace and freedom, as greatly
alarmed the papists.
In consequence
of this, (at the instigation of Cardinal Beaton, the archbishop
of St. Andrews) one Robert Miln, a principal man at Dundee, went
to the church where Wishart preached, and in the middle of his
discourse publicly told him not to trouble the town any more,
for he was determined not to suffer it.
This sudden
rebuff greatly surprised Wishart, who, after a short pause,
looking sorrowfully on the speaker and the audience, said:
"God is my witness, that I never minded your trouble but
your comfort; yea, your trouble is more grievous to me than it
is to yourselves: but I am assured to refuse God's Word, and to
chase from you His messenger, shall not preserve you from
trouble, but shall bring you into it: for God shall send you
ministers that shall fear neither burning nor banishment. I have
offered you the Word of salvation. With the hazard of my life I
have remained among you; now you yourselves refuse me; and I
must leave my innocence to be declared by my God. If it be long
prosperous with you, I am not lede by the Spirit of truth; but
if unlooked-for troubles come upon you, acknowledge the cause
and turn to God, who is gracious and merciful. But if you turn
not at the first warning, He will visit you with fire and
sword." At the close of this speech he left the pulpit, and
retired.
After this he
went into the west of Scotland, where he preached God's Word,
which was gladly received by many.
A short time
after this Mr. Wishart received intelligence that the plague had
broken out in Dundee. It began four days after he was prohibited
from preaching there, and raged so extremely that it was almost
beyond credit how many died in the space of twenty-four hours.
This being related to him, he, notwithstanding the importunity
of his friends to detain him, determined to go there, saying:
"They are now in troubles, and need comfort. Perhaps this
hand of God will make them now to magnify and reverence the Word
of God, which before they lightly esteemed."
Here he was
with joy received by the godly. He chose the east gate for the
place of his preaching; so that the healthy were within, and the
sick without the gate. He took his text from these words,
"He sent His word and healed them," etc. In this
sermon he chiefly dwelt upon the advantage and comfort of God's
Word, the judgments that ensue upon the contempt or rejection of
it, the freedom of God's grace to all His people, and the
happiness of those of His elect, whom He takes to Himself out of
this miserable world. The hearts of his hearers were so raised
by the divine force of this discourse, as not to regard death,
but to judge them the more happy who should then be called, not
knowing whether he should have such comfort again with them.
After this the
plague abated; though, in the midst of it, Wishart constantly
visited those that lay in the greatest extremity, and comforted
them by his exhortations.
When he took
his leave of the people of Dundee, he said that God had almost
put an end to that plague, and that he was now called to another
place. He went from thence to Montrose; where he sometimes
preached, but he spent most of his time in private meditation
and prayer.
It is said that
before he left Dundee, and while he was engaged in the labors of
love to the bodies as well as to the souls of those poor
afflicted people, Cardinal Beaton engaged a desperate popish
priest, called John Weighton, to kill him; the attempt to
execute which was as follows: one day, after Wishart had
finished his sermon, and the people departed, a priest stood
waiting at the bottom of the stairs, with a naked dagger in his
hand under his gown. But Mr. Wishart, having a sharp, piercing
eye, and seeing the priest as he came from the pulpit, said to
him, "My friend, what would you have?" and immediately
clapping his hand upon the dagger, took it from him. The priest
being terrified, fell to his knees, confessed his intention, and
craved pardon. A noise was hereupon raised, and it coming to the
ears of those who were sick, they cried, "Deliver the
traitor to us, we will take him by force"; and they burst
in at the gate. But Wishart, taking the priest in his arms,
said, "Whatsoever hurts him shall hurt me; for he hath done
me no mischief, but much good, by teaching more heedfulness for
the time to come." By this conduct he appeased the people
and saved the life of the wicked priest.
Soon after his
return to Montrose, the cardinal again conspired his death,
causing a letter to be sent him as if it had been from his
familiar friend, the laird of Kennier, in which it was desired
with all possible speed to come to him, as he was taken with a
sudden sickness. In the meantime the cardinal had provided sixty
men armed to lie in wait within a mile and a half of Montrose,
in order to murder him as he passed that way.
The letter came
to Wishart's hand by a boy, who also brought him a horse for the
journey. Wishart, accompanied by some honest men, his friends,
set forward; but something particular striking his mind by the
way, he returned, which they wondering at, asked him the cause;
to whom he said, "I will not go; I am forbidden of God; I
am assured there is treason. Let some of you go to yonder place,
and tell me what you find." Which doing, they made the
discovery; and hastily returning, they told Mr. Wishart;
whereupon he said, "I know I shall end my life by that
bloodthirsty man's hands, but it will not be in this
manner."
A short time
after this he left Montrose, and proceeded to Edinburgh, in
order to propagate the Gospel in that city. By the way he lodged
with a faithful brother, called James Watson of Inner-Goury. In
the middle of the night he got up, and went into the yard, which
two men hearing they privately followed him. While in the yard,
he fell on his knees, and prayed for some time with the greatest
fervency, after which he arose, and returned to his bed. Those
who attended him, appearing as though they were ignorant of all,
came and asked him where he had been. But he would not answer
them. The next day they importuned him to tell them, saying
"Be plain with us, for we heard your mourning, and saw your
gestures."
On this he with
a dejected countenance, said, "I had rather you had been in
your beds." But they still pressing upon him to know
something, he said, "I will tell you; I am assured that my
warfare is near at an end, and therefore pray to God with me,
that I shrink not when the battle waxeth most hot."
Soon after,
Cardinal Beaton, archbishop of St. Andrews, being informed that
Mr. Wishart was at the house of Mr. Cockburn, of Ormistohn, in
East Lothian, applied to the regent to cause him to be
apprehended; with which, after great persuasion, and much
against his will, he complied.
In consequence
of this the cardinal immediately proceeded to the trial of
Wishart, against whom no less than eighteen articles were
exhibited. Mr. Wishart answered the respective articles with
great composure of mind, and in so learned and clear a manner as
greatly surprised most of those who were present.
After the
examination was finished, the archbishop endeavored to prevail
on Mr. Wishart to recant; but he was too firmly fixed in his
religious principles and too much enlightened with the truth of
the Gospel, to be in the least moved.
On the morning
of his execution there came to him two friars from the cardinal;
one of whom put on him a black linen coat, and the other brought
several bags of gunpowder, which they tied about different parts
of his body.
As soon as he
arrived at the stake, the executioner put a rope round his neck
and a chain about his middle, upon which he fell on his knees
and thus exclaimed:
"O thou
Savior of the world, have mercy upon me! Father of heaven, I
commend my spirit into Thy holy hands."
After this he
prayed for his accusers, saying, "I beseech thee, Father of
heaven, forgive them that have, from ignorance or an evil mind,
forged lies of me: I forgive them with all my heart. I beseech
Christ to forgive them that have ignorantly condemned me."
He was then
fastened to the stake, and the fagots being lighted immediately
set fire to the powder that was tied about him, which blew into
a flame and smoke.
The governor of
the castle, who stood so near that he was singed with the flame,
exhorted the martyr, in a few words, to be of good cheer, and to
ask the pardon of God for his offences. To which he replied,
"This flame occasions trouble to my body, indeed, but it
hath in nowise broken my spirit. But he who now so proudly looks
down upon me from yonder lofty place (pointing to the cardinal)
shall, ere long, be ignominiously thrown down, as now he proudly
lolls at his ease." Which prediction was soon after
fulfilled.
The hangman,
that was his tormentor, sat down upon his knees, and said,
"Sir, I pray you to forgive me, for I am not guilty of your
death." To whom he answered, "Come hither to me."
When that he was come to him, he kissed his cheek, and said:
"Lo, here is a token that I forgive thee. My heart, do
thine office." And then he was put upon the gibbet and
hanged, and burned to powder. When that the people beheld the
great tormenting, they might not withhold from piteous mourning
and complaining of this innocent lamb's slaughter.
It was not long
after the martyrdom of this blessed man of God, Master George
Wishart, who was put to death by David Beaton, the bloody
archbishop and cardinal of Scotland, A.D. 1546, the first day of
March, that the said David Beaton, by the just revenge of God's
mighty judgment, was slain within his own castle of St. Andrews,
by the hands of one Leslie and other gentlemen, who, by the Lord
stirred up, brake in suddenly upon him, and in his bed murdered
him the said year, the last day of May, crying out, "Alas!
alas! slay me not! I am a priest!" And so, like a butcher
he lived, and like a butcher he died, and lay seven months and
more unburied, and at last like a carrion was buried in a
dunghill.
The last who
suffered martyrdom in Scotland, for the cause of Christ, was one
Walter Mill, who was burnt at Edinburgh in the year 1558.
This person, in
his younger years, had travelled in Germany, and on his return
was installed a priest of the Church of Lunan in Angus, but, on
an information of heresy, in the time of Cardinal Beaton, he was
forced to abandon his charge and abscond. But he was soon
apprehended, and committed to prison.
Being
interrogated by Sir Andrew Oliphant, whether he would recant his
opinions, he answered in the negative, saying that he would
'sooner forfeit ten thousand lives, than relinquish a particle
of those heavenly principles he had received from the suffrages
of his blessed Redeemer.'
In consequence
of this, sentence of condemnation was immediately passed on him,
and he was conducted to prison in order for execution the
following day.
This steadfast
believe in Christ was eighty-two years of age, and exceedingly
infirm; whence it was supposed that he could scarcely be heard.
However, when he was taken to the place of execution, he
expressed his religious sentiments with such courage, and at the
same time composure of mind, as astonished even his enemies. As
soon as he was fastened to the stake and the fagots lighted, he
addressed the spectators as follows: "The cause why I
suffer this day is not for any crime, (though I acknowledge
myself a miserable sinner) but only for the defence of the truth
as it is in Jesus Christ; and I praise God who hath called me,
by His mercy, to seal the truth with my life; which, as I
received it from Him, so I willingly and joyfully offer it up to
His glory. Therefore, as you would escape eternal death, be no
longer seduced by the lies of the seat of Antichrist: but depend
solely on Jesus Christ, and His mercy, that you may be delivered
from condemnation." And then added that he trusted he
should be the last who would suffer death in Scotland upon a
religious account.
Thus did this
pious Christian cheerfully give up his life in defence of the
truth of Christ's Gospel, not doubting but he should be made
partaker of his heavenly Kingdom.
