moves me to give 'place in this behalf. Albeit I could, with soberness and obedience, shew causes reasonable why sitting at the Lord's Table is to be preferred unto kneeling, yet if the upper powers, not admitting the same, would execute upon me the penalty of their law (because they may not suffer a common order to be violated), assuredly Christian charity were broken and dissolved upon the one part, either by me, that, for so small a matter, obstinately would gainstand such magistrates as profess themselves earnest promoters of Christ's Gospel; or else by them, that, persuaded by some manlye [human] reasons of certain dangers to follow if common order should not universally be kept in the realm, should trouble the body or stop the mouth of him that, to his knowledge, hath spoken nothing but Christ's plain verity."

Not many, perhaps, of the readers of these remarkable paragraphs were prepared before reading them for such a tone of moderation and modesty on the part of their author, especially on a subject on which he had shortly before expended so much zeal and energy in the highest places of the kingdom. It is plain now that Cranmer had mistaken and misrepresented the character of the man whom he had spoken of in his letter to the Privy Council as a "glorious and unquiet spirit," who "could like nothing but what was after his own fancy, and could not cease to make trouble and disquietness when things were most quiet and in good order." What a magnanimous return does Knox here make, in the shape of reverence and deferential consideration, for the reproaches which had been cast upon him! Nor is there any inconsistency between his previous vehemence in counselling the abrogation of kneeling and his present submission in the interest of charity to its continuance, in the hope of further reformation at a future time. Most men of energy, indeed, who are vehement in speech are also intemperate in action. But Knox was an instance, not only on this occasion, but on not a few others of his life, of a man of great original force, who could be as moderate in action as he could be vehement, even to occasional intemperance, in language. Like all wise men, he knew and remembered that there is a time to speak, and a time to be silent-a time when it is a duty, in the interest of truth, to oppose, and a time when it is equally a duty, in the interest of peace and charity, to cease from opposing, and to set an example of submission under protest.

Not only was he content to conform to the practice of Sacra

mental kneeling in his own person, but one of the chief purposes of this epistle was to give counsel to the congregation of Berwick to adopt the same course, when required by "the upper powers to conform to all the rubrics of the new Prayer-book. Of that compulsory enforcement there was now, it is plain, a near prospect, and the reader cannot fail to notice, with deep interest, the following paragraphs in which their former teacher, and much trusted guide expounds to them his views of what would be their duty, in an emergency which could not fail to be very unwelcome and trying :

"If now, by especial commandment of your upper powers, ye shall be compelled to observe the common order, God forbid that ye shall be damned or judged as shrinking from Christ; if, firstly, ye rejoice not that ye are called back again to a gesture that is joined with dangers in that action. Secondly, if openly ye profess that that which ye do now, as it proceedeth neither of your will, pleasure, nor election, so do ye not approve nor allow the same, but only do bear and suffer it for obedience unto magistrates, and peace to be kept amongst the congregation; thirsting and praying in the mean season that God of his great mercy, for Christ his Son's sake, please so to move and illuminate the hearts and eyes of magistrates and rulers, that they might understand and see Christ's institution to be most perfect, and men's devices and wisdom in matters of religion ever to have displeased God; that by contemplation thereof they may study to eradicate and pull out all such plants as the Heavenly Father hath not planted: and, lastly, if, hating in your hearts all superstition and idolatry, ye likewise openly protest that ye communicate with such as in that action adore any corporal or real presence of Christ's natural body, which is not there but in heaven, which behoveth to receive Him till all be complete that is spoken by the mouths of God's holy prophets-if these things by you be righteously observed, understood, and believed, God forbid that of any ye shall be suspected as that your fervency towards the truth began to abate and wax cold, albeit (contrary to your heart's desire) your order be altered; which unto my heart is so dolorous, that if any corporal pain that my wicked carcase is able to sustain might confirm and establish that order which God's truth hath planted among you without trouble or danger of you, rather I should suffer the death, than your quietness and consciences should be molested.

But seeing that my resistance should rather stir the magistrates against you than establish you in quietness, the counsel of all godly, as also the testimony of my own conscience, is that less offence it is to bear this one thing (with dolour of your hearts, daily calling unto God for reformation of the same), than to provoke the magistrates to displeasure, seeing that in principals we all agree. This for your order, which ye shall not alter nor change until ye be especially commanded by such as have authority."

Such was the moderate course which Knox advised his former flock at Berwick to follow, when the moment should arrive which they all wished to be deferred as long as possible. And he sent them this advice, it will be noticed, as "the counsel of all godly." He had brought the subject beforehand, we hence gather, under the notice of his pious friends in London, as soon as he had become aware that the Prayer-book was to be introduced into the northern counties. For it will be remembered that at the meeting of Council on October 20th, one of the items of business set down for consideration, in the same line with mention of Knox and the Archbishop, was "The Book in the bishopric of Durham," and that we have also come upon traces of a desire on the part of the powerful Warden-General of the Borders, to see the same conformity enforced in the northern province as in the rest of the Kingdom. The course of duty, therefore, in anticipation of the coming change, had to be well weighed, and we are now aware of what had been the result of these deliberations in Knox's own mind, and in the judgment of "all godly," the duty of present and provisional conformity, with unabated desires and prayers for future reformation of what was still amiss.

At what precise date the expected orders from the higher powers arrived, there is no record to show. But it must have been in the course of the spring of 1553, probably not till Knox himself had been removed from Newcastle to the south, which took place near Easter that year. We are now, then, fully in presence of the very remarkable fact that, for four years after the issue of the First Prayer-book of Edward VI.-i.e., from 1549 to 1553 -the border counties of England were exempted from the obligation of conformity to the authorized liturgy of the National Church, and that the Puritan forms of worship and sacramental administration were in use in several, at least, of their most important parish churches. John Knox preached and prayed

and dispensed the Sacraments during all these years, entirely according to his own views of Scripture warrant and prescription, not only statedly for two years in Berwick, and for two years more in Newcastle, but also occasionally in Carlisle, and in many other places of the two most northern counties. And he used this Puritan franchise not only with the full cognizance of the King and the Privy Council, but with their cordial recognition and support, manifested on more than one occasion, when the enemies of his ministry endeavoured to discredit him, and to bring his work among them to a close.

These facts are curious and important in the history both of the Anglican Church and of the Puritan party. They form the first chapter of the history of English Puritanism—a history which has now run on for upwards of three centuries-which has been most intimately interwoven at many points with the history and progress and development of the nation itself-and which has still, no doubt, many more chapters of history awaiting it in the nation's future. As an applied and embodied mode of religious thought and belief, it took its rise in England at its extreme northern boundary, and in the course of the next Protestant reign it spread itself from new centres in London and the two universities over the whole kingdom; and, most curious fact of all, it was a Scottish Reformer who was the father of Anglican as well as Scottish Puritanism, and who rocked its cradle.

M

CHAPTER V.

THE LAST YEAR OF KNOX'S WORK IN ENGLAND, 1553

IN anticipation of Knox's return to Newcastle for a time, a letter was sent from the Privy Council on the 9th of December, 1552, to Lord Wharton, now Deputy Lord Warden of the Northern Borders, commending him to his favour and support.* In the course of that month he had returned to his important post, and we hear of him in the pulpit again on Christmas Day.

"It cometh to my mind," says he, in his Admonition to the professors of God's truth in England,† “upon Christmas Day, in the year of our Lord 1552, preaching in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and speaking against the obstinacy of the Papists, I made this affirmation, that whosoever in his heart was enemy to Christ's Gospel and doctrine, which then was preached within the realm of England, was enemy also to God, and secret traitor to the Crown and commonwealth of England. For as they thirsted nothing more than the King's death, which their iniquity would procure, so they regarded not who should reign over them so that their idolatry might be erected again. How these my words at that time pleased men, the crimes [accusations] and action intended against me did declare. Against me were written articles, and I compelled to answer, as unto an action of treason. But let my very enemies now say, from their conscience, if those my words are not proved true."

In the absence of any record of the proceedings immediately commenced against Knox by Sir Robert Brandling, it is fortunate that a long letter of the Duke of Northumberland upon the subject has been preserved, and was given to the world by the late Mr. Tytler. It is addressed to Cecil, and runs thus :

* Strype's "Memorials of Cranmer, book ii. cap. 33.

"Knox's Works,” vol. iii. p. 297.

‡ Tytler's “England under the Reigns of Edward and Mary,” vol. ii. p. 158.