Whilst John Knox was initially a reluctant preacher, once he accepted the call he
moved forward with unflinching determination and undaunted courage.
It was said of him that he feared not the face of men, and while the fires of
martyrs were burning all over Britain, they only served to intensify his zeal for
the gospel.
Ruling was Mary, Queen of Scots, and it was said that many a reformer
wilted under pressure in front of her.
However, that was not the case with John Knox.
He stood before her and spoke without fear and answered boldly for his faith.
On one occasion he was brought before her here at Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh,
charged with heresy, as she said, he instructed the people to keep a
religion forbidden by the state.
Thus she said he transgressed the command of God, requiring that subjects obey their
princes.
However, he was able to answer with strong and compelling reason, saying that right
religion receives its original strength and authority not from worldly princes,
but from the eternal God alone.
He went on to use some analogies from the past that strongly supported his argument.
If all the seed of Abraham were the religion of Pharaoh, what religion would
there have been in the earth?
Or if in the days of the apostles all men were the religion of the Roman emperors,
then what religion would have been on the face of the earth?
And so, he said, you may perceive, madame, that subjects are not bound by the
religion of their princes, albeit they are required to give them obedience.
Mary responded, Ye interpret the scriptures one way, and they, the Roman
Catholic teachers, interpret another way.
Whom shall I believe, and whom shall be the judge?
Ye shall believe God, that plainly speaketh in his word.
And further than the word teaches, ye shall neither believe the one nor the
other.
The word of God is plain in itself, and if there appear any obscurity in one
place, the Holy Ghost, which is never contrary to itself, explains the same more
clearly in other places, so there can remain no doubt except unto such as
obstinately remain ignorant.
John Knox pointed to the supremacy of the Bible and the internal consistency of the
Bible in being able to answer the challenging questions that were put before
him.
It was answers such as these that illustrate just how bold he was.
But it was not just his intellect that put fear into Mary, Queen of Scots,
but also his prayer life.
It was said by her, I feared the prayers of John Knox more than 10,000 men armed
and ready for war.
John Knox started his ministry carrying a two-handed sword, following his teacher
George Wishart, but by the end of his ministry he was more famous for his prayer
life.
Prayer is a gift that has been given to the believer, an opportunity to talk to
God, to present our petitions and lay our burdens to him.
May we strike fear in the enemy's kingdom, not through might, but through a faithful
prayer life.
For it is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven's storehouse.
For centuries the Waldensians had been a beacon of light shining amidst the
prevailing darkness.
Faithfully they preserved God's word and worked tirelessly to share it throughout
Europe.
For this they paid a high price, facing wave after wave of bitter
persecution.
The intense persecution that they faced began to wear down the Waldensian churches
and they began to give in to the temptation to compromise.
Many began to render an outward compliance to the papacy while trying to remain true
to their faith in God's word.
But this course of action began to quietly erode the purity of their faith.
Around this time of crisis, the Waldensians got word of the Reformation
that was beginning to take root throughout Europe.
They heard of the work that was taking place in Germany, Switzerland,
and France.
And in order to fully understand the nature of this new movement and determine
what similarities they shared, the Waldensian churches decided to send a
few delegations of ambassadors to the churches in Europe.
As these ambassadors came back, they brought back some of the writings of
the late King Charles as well as reports of what similarities they shared,
and this greatly encouraged the Waldensian believers.
Up until this point, they had been a lone voice calling people back to the standard
of God's word, and reports of other like-minded believers was a source of
great comfort to them.
The leaders of the Waldensian churches then decided to convene a synod with
representatives from the Protestant churches so they could meet with the
leaders of the Waldensian churches to discuss their beliefs and further
determine the relationship that the Waldensians would have with the
Reformation as a whole.
On the 12th of October 1532, right here in the Angrona Valley, the Synod of
Champhoran was convened and sat for six consecutive days.
One of the most significant decisions that was made was the resolution to translate
and print the entire Bible into the French language, and the Waldensian churches
raised the funds for this endeavor.
The work was then undertaken by Calvin and his cousin Oliverton and was completed in
1535.
The Bible was then printed in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and then distributed amongst
the French-speaking Protestants in Europe.
Some of the commonalities shared between the two churches was a rejection of
decidedly papal institutions such as the mass, confession, the celebration of
feasts, the worship of saints, the celebration of Lent, the observance of
the lenticular fast, and prayers for the dead.
Other doctrines that they also rejected was purgatory, penance, and celibacy.
However, it was not all good.
In their joy at finding fellowship, the Waldensian churches were quick to
embrace some of the shortcomings of the Reformation as well.
Whilst the Reformation of the 16th century was a decided step in the right direction,
it did not bring about a complete restoration of biblical truth.
In some areas of belief and doctrine, the Waldensians made compromises that
represented a step backwards as they found fellowship with the Reformation.
Two things that stand out from the Synod of Chanfran.
Firstly, we see the importance of Christian fellowship and we see the
importance of the accountability and encouragement that comes with Christian
fellowship.
However, fellowship can be a two-edged sword and sometimes we can be tempted to
compromise as we do fellowship with other believers.
Let us be careful as we're on this road to heaven that we do not let our Christian
experience be derailed, but that we stay on track and keep our eyes focused on
Jesus.
As the New World was discovered by Columbus in 1492, two men were born on
this side of the Atlantic who would have a powerful impact on the shaping of
Protestantism in Britain, Latimer and Cramner.
Hugh Latimer was born in 1491 here in the small village of Thurcaston, just north of
Leicester, a similar area that John Wycliffe would have worked just over a
century before.
His father was a farmer, and yet despite their humble occupation, he made sure that
Latimer stayed in school and got an education, a vital decision that would
take him far in life.
He enrolled in Cambridge University at the age of 14 and in 1510 was elected a fellow
here at Clare College.
He was at the time an ardent papist and preached passionately against men such as
Luther and Melanchthon for seven years.
His belief in Catholic teachings was great, and his zeal in the divine mission
of the papacy was unshakeable.
So what turned this pillar of papism into a pillar of Protestantism?
An encounter with a man by the name of Thomas Bilney who afterwards would visit
him, even coming to the confessional booth to speak with him, and he eventually
changed his views.
The two men would later go and visit the sick and imprisoned in Cambridge together.
Latimer went on to become the royal chaplain and the bishop here in Worcester,
advocating for papal reform and denouncing the clergy who did not own a Bible,
or the parishioners who could not even recite the Lord's Prayer.
His clarion call to reform ended him in prison in 1539, but he was spared the
stake by the intervention of Thomas Cromwell.
He remained in prison until the death of Henry VIII when Edward VI released him
from prison.
He would never ever hold the high office of bishop again, but continued to preach
regularly where audiences enjoyed his preaching, which was known for its wit,
its intelligence, and its biblical nature.
When Edward VI died on July 6, 1553, England was thrown into turmoil.
Lady Jane Grey ascended the throne, but only had it for nine days before Mary
Tudor took the throne.
Despite initial favour toward the reformers, her intentions of making
England a Catholic nation soon became clear.
Mary ordered the arrest of Latimer, and word reached him that his captors were
on their way, offering him an opportunity to escape, but he chose not to.
As he passed Smithfield on his way to London, he commented, This place has long
groaned for my life.
Imprisoned here at the Tower of London, he met Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London,
and Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury.
In March of 1554 there were tribes here in Oxford where Latimer was asked whether the
natural body of Christ was in the sacrament, to which he responded,
Our Saviour's body is in heaven.
Wither he departed at the ascension.
He went on to explain that the change at communion was not in the bread,
but in the heart of the believer.
He and Ridley were sentenced to death, and on the 16th of October they were
brought to the place of their execution outside Balliol College.
Here, a cross marks the ground of the exact spot where they were burned to
death.
Before the flames they shared an embrace, and Ridley said to Latimer, Be of good
cheer, brother.
God will either assuage the fury of the flames or strengthen us to endure it.
Latimer then responded, Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man.
We shall this day, by God's grace, light a candle in England, as I trust in
God, shall never be put out.
History says that Latimer died soon after, but Ridley died a slow and painful death.
The cost of their death was just over one pound and five shillings, but the real
result was the overthrow of Romanism here in England.
The entire country was appalled by a religion that had to resort to such brutal
methods in order to sustain itself.
As we contemplate their life and their death, the real question for us though is,
does the light that they lit at their death still burn in our lives and our
witness today?
Some men are born heroes.
They can look fear in the face and wonder what it is.
Others are not born that way, but they end their life as heroes.
Thomas Cramner was such a man.
Born into a good family, a well-to-do family here in the village of Ashlockton
on the 2nd of July 1489.
Thomas Cramner was educated from a young age, and growing up we know that he was an
expert bowman, hunter, and a great horseman.
He enrolled at Cambridge University at the age of 14 and earned his BA in 1511.
He was then elected a fellow here at Jesus College and earned his Doctor of Divinity
in 1523.
He lost his fellowship a year later when he got married, but a year after that when
his wife and child died, he regained his fellowship.
His rise to archbishop was unconventional and not sought after.
The issue of the day was King Henry VIII's desire to divorce his first wife Catherine
of Aragon, and Cramner commented to some friends at a lunch that he thought the
king should obtain a consensus of opinion from the leading universities around
Europe regarding whether this was permissible.
Word of these comments reached the king, who liked them and thought highly of
Cramner.
This set in series a motion of events that ended up with Cramner becoming the
Archbishop of Canterbury, even though he had never been a bishop before and was
quite content being a university scholar.
Henry
subsequently divorced Catherine and married Anne Boylen, whose daughter,
Elizabeth, later Queen of England, was goddaughter to Cranmer.
Henry's gift to England was to break the yoke of Rome and to abolish monasticism,
but he himself was a faithful papist in his beliefs until the end.
At the coronation of Edward VI, Cranmer preached a sermon likening him to
the biblical boy king, Josiah.
Cramner also was instrumental in translating the Book of Common Prayer into
English for the first time rather than using the traditional Latin.
In 1553, following Edward's death, Mary Tudor ascended to the throne despite
an attempt by Lady Jane Grey to hold the throne, which lasted only nine days.
Mary then took Stephen Gardner from the Tower of London and made him Lord
Chancellor.
She then threw Thomas Cranmer in prison for his role in Henry's divorce from her
mother and for his Protestant beliefs.
Cranmer spent two and a half years in prison, during which time he was brought
to the roof of the prison to watch the martyrdom of Ridley and Latimer in an
attempt to make him recant, which he eventually did, pledging his allegiance to
Catholicism, but this did not secure his freedom.
He was finally brought to trial here at St Mary's Church, where he was forced to
listen to a two-hour sermon denouncing himself.
When he was brought to make a public recantation, he stood on a wooden platform
which rested against a pillar where a wedge was cut, which can still be seen
today.
He stood up, denounced the Pope as Antichrist, withdrew his former
recantation, and stood by his previous teachings.
He was taken to the place of his execution, and as he reached the flames he
held his right hand in first, the same that had signed the recantation,
saying, This hand hath offended, it shall first be burned.
He held it there for a while before collapsing into the flames.
Mary went on to slaughter 250 more Protestants during her reign, and when she
died, Elizabeth I took the throne.
One of her first acts as regent was to revive the Book of Prayer written by
Cramner, which was a fitting tribute to the man who was her godfather.
Though Cramner recanted in the face of pressure and persecution, he ended his
life a hero, faithful to God at the very end.
Proverbs 24 verse 16 says that a just man falls seven times but rises again.
It's not how often you fall that matters, but that you rise at the end.
In 1572, here in Paris, an event took place that has been described in the book
Great Controversy as Blackest in the Black Catalogue of Crimes.
On the 24th of August, Saint Bartholomew's Massacre began.
As the bells sounded at night, a slaughter began of the French
Protestants who were in the city.
There were more of them than usual because they had gathered for the wedding of one
of their leaders.
And in the night, they were dragged from their houses and murdered in cold blood.
The slaughter continued here in the city of Paris for seven days, and then it
spread abroad to other cities like Lyon and Rouen and Orleans.
And some people estimate that up to 70,000 people were killed over the next weeks and
months.
Two days before Saint Bartholomew's, the king's mother, Catherine, ordered the
assassination of Admiral Gaspar de Coligny, a Huguenot leader.
The assassination attempt failed, and they feared that the Huguenots would
launch a counter-attack.
And so the second time round they made sure and they killed the admiral in his
bed.
And then the killing spree started.
The butchery continued for seven months across the whole of France.
Many of those who were killed were great and honourable people in society,
as commoners and nobility alike suffered the same fate.
Two or three governors refused to obey the king's orders, and one of these,
Paul Monmorin, wrote a letter that deserves to be repeated.
Sire, I have received an order under your majesty's seal to put to death all the
Protestants in my province.
I have too much respect for your majesty not to believe the letter is a forgery,
but if, which God forbid, the order should be genuine, I have too much respect for
your majesty to obey it.
When the news reached Rome the response was jubilant and very undiplomatic.
The joy amongst the clergy knew no bounds.
The Cardinal of Lorraine rewarded the messenger with a thousand crowns.
The Canon of Saint Angelo thundered a joyous salute, and the bells on every
steeple rang throughout the city.
Gregory XIII, accompanied by cardinals and other ecclesiastical dignitaries,
led a procession to the Church of Saint Louis where the Cardinal of Lorraine led a
chant of Ah!
Te Deum.
A medal was struck to commemorate the massacre, and in the Vatican today can be
seen the three frescoes of Vasari describing the attack on the admiral,
the king in council plotting the massacre, and the massacre itself.
Saint Bartholomew's was one of those events that helped to create a shared
identity between Lutherans, Calvin's Reformed Church, and the Anglicans.
Catholicism was the other, and the violence directed towards Protestants
created a shared sense of injustice and solidarity that spread through our
international Protestantism.
Saint Bartholomew's remains one of the many stains on the Catholic Church when
the tragic consequences of the union of church and state were seen in full effect.
In the Bible, Jesus said that we should render to Caesar for the state that which
is Caesar, and to God that which is God's, meaning that church and state should
remain separate.
May we defend the freedoms of those we agree with and those we disagree with,
for freedom, religious freedom, is something that God wants for everyone.