LETTER VII.

To his Mother and to his Spouse.

DEARLY beloved mother, with my very hearty commendations; after the writing of my other letters which have lain beside me a long time for want of a bearer, I received your letters as I returned from Kent, where I was labouring before the receipt thereof. I was assured of your trouble, and I suspect a greater to be upon you both, than your letters declare to me. As for your spiritualness, dear mother, it behoved Christ to suffer and so to enter into his glory, and of necessity every member of his body, in his own degree and time, must suffer with the Head. But damnation (is not) to such as once have been ingrafted within that body, as I am, so far as creature can be, most surely persuaded you are, as all signs and tokens most evidently show, as I have written unto you in divers letters.

It pleases me very well that the enemy assaults you with diverse and new assaults, for that is the most sure proof that by his old tricks he has not prevailed. Remember, mother, that so long as he that besieges a castle or strong hold, is continually shooting his artillery or his ordnance, there is some strength within, which he would have destroyed and beaten down; otherwise it were foolish and vain to spend the force of his ordnance when no resistance were made. And therefore, dear mother, you remember well, and I am rejoiced at your remembrance, where you write that only the regenerate man fights the battle. It is even so indeed. So spiritual can we not be in this life, but that the flesh will ever make repugnance.* But so carnal may we be that the power of the Spirit is altogether quenched, and thus persons, as Paul speaks of them, after they have ceased to mourn, give themselves wholly to filthiness, to perform the same in all greediness. It is not so with you, mother. You lament and mourn that you cannot have such perfection, as God and his word require of you. You fight with the weak strength that is left, which although it appears weak in your sight, yet before God it is most valiant. A sob to resist such assaults is most acceptable in the presence of Him who requires nothing * Opposition.

more than that we know and confess our imperfections, which is the most triumphant victory which we can show, fighting under that danger. Despair not, sister, you have brethren here, even such as are judged to be most perfect.

My great labours, wherein I desire your daily prayers, will not suffer me to satisfy my mind touching all the process between your husband and you, touching my matter concerning his daughter. I praise God heartily both for your boldness and constancy. But I beseech you, mother, trouble not yourself too much therewith. It becomes me now to jeopard my life for the comfort and deliverance of my own flesh, as I will do by God's grace, both fear and friendship of all earthly creatures laid aside. I have written to your husband, the contents whereof I trust our brother Harry will declare to you and to my wife. If I escape sickness and imprisonment, be sure to see me soon. Yet, mother, depend not upon me too much, for what am I but a wretched sinner? If you receive any comfort, it comes from above, from God the Father, who shall provide for you abundantly. Whatever becomes of me remember, mother, the gifts of God are not bound to any one man, but are common to every man, in his measure, that calls upon the Lord Jesus, whose omnipotent Spirit rest with you for ever.

The 20th of September, 1553.

3

Your Son,

JOHN KNOX.

LETTER VIII.

To his Sister.

"Great are the troubles of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth them out of them all," &c.

DEARLY beloved sister, whom I no less tender than it becomes a weak member to do another, so far as the frailty of this corrupt nature will permit-when I revolve the sore and continual trouble you suffer, sometimes I remember also the charge thrice together given to Peter by Christ himself, saying, "Feed my lambs; feed my sheep, feed my sheep." Whereby the wisdom of God would signify unto us two things most worthy to be noted, and ever to be bore in mind, not only of the sheep, but also of the pastor;

that to the flock of Christ the lively word of God is so necessary that without the same they can continue no while in the true knowledge of God. For by it, that is by God's word, the soul begins to receive life, and by the same word receives its strength and spiritual consolation, by the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ remaining in our hearts by true faith, whereof God's word is the mother, nurse, and maintenance; for that Christ means, when he commands his lambs and sheep to be fed and guided. Lambs we are when we cannot for our infirmity and weakness digest any part of God's word, but as it is broken unto us by our pastors, as were the people of the Jews after Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, hearing themselves justly condemned; for they cruelly, and without crime committed against them, shed the blood of the innocent Son of God-hearing their condemnation, I say, they cried, "What shall we do?" which words declare them to be lambs weak, yea dead, yet desirous to be fed, and like unto these are all this day, who, hearing the great abominations wherein they have been long blinded, unfeignedly thirst to know the truth and obey the same.

And for such, no doubt God doth provide one Peter or other; that is, such as unfeignedly believing Jesus to be the Son of the living God, fervently thirst for the same knowledge to be dispersed abroad in the ears of many sheep. We are to be fed after some knowledge, and after open profession of Christ, for yet many things comfortable to our hearts, and profitable for our erudition, remain hid for us; as were the self-same people after baptism continually abiding together in the doctrine of the apostles, which thing declared evidently that every day they desired to be fed with God's word. And as sheep we are to be guided, for so do I understand the third kind of feeding, by God's word, all the days of this our transitory and troublesome life. For like as sheep have no judgment to discern between wholesome and noisome grass, so hath not the flock of Christ wisdom to avoid sects and heresies, yea abomination and idolatry, but by God's word, which ought purely and sincerely to sound from the pastor's mouth. The sheep has discretion by God's grace to discern between the voice of the pastor and the voice of a stranger, and to follow the pastor, and fly from the murderer and cruel thief. But if the pastor sleep, and altogether keep his tongue close, then surely shall the sheep

go astray-not that they can perish for ever, for that is impossible, seeing that Christ Jesus, the only sovereign Shepherd, has taken them into his protection; but that they may be scattered in the day of darkness and mist, as ofttimes the elect have been, and yet they are gathered again by the voice of that pastor who not only feeds, but also most tenderly loves his sheep, committed to his protection by God his Father, by him to receive life, and that abundantly. Therefore he provides some Peters in every age, to call again the sheep to the only pastor of their souls, Jesus Christ, whose voice the sheep hear and thirst for. Of which flock and number I am most undoubtedly persuaded that you are, albeit weak and sorely troubled. Sister, remember that the power, might, and virtue of Jesus our Saviour is made known in our weakness. He despises not the lame and crooked sheep; no, he takes the same upon his back, and bears it to the flock because it cannot go; that so the unspeakable mercy and kindness of the Shepherd may be known, and praised by us his sheep. Were we always strong, then should we not taste how sweet and merciful the relief of our God is from these daily cares; and so should we grow proud, negligent, and unmindful, which estate is the most dangerous of all others.

But now I had almost forgotten myself, for briefly I intended only to have spoken of the two observations which I thought worthy to be noted upon the commandment of Jesus Christ to Peter; whereof the former was, that Christ's flock in youth, in strength, in age, are to be fed and ruled by God's word; whereto this will I add, that the most evident token by which the sheep of Christ is discerned and known from the goats and swine of the world, is, that the sheep thirsts ever for the voice of its own pastor, and loves unfeignedly such as bring the same to its ears. The goats and swine both hate the word of God, and the messengers thereof. And in this thing, sister, you have great cause to rejoice, for had you not been one of Christ's sheep, no dearer had I been unto you than to others who daily thirst for my blood and destruction. The second note I made on Christ's words to Peter, is, wherein appears the care and diligence of a true pastor unto Christ's flock; for Christ would say: Peter, thou confessest that thou bearest an unfeigned love unto me, that shalt thou declare in feeding of my lambs, in nourishing of my sheep, and in guiding of the same. A

thing rightly expounded and weighed by Peter, commanding the same to all pastors in these words" Feed, so much as in you is, the flock of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. v. 2.) Oh alas! how small is the number of pastors that obey this commandment; but this matter will I not touch upon, except that I, not speaking of others, will accuse myself that I do not, I confess, the uttermost of my power in feeding the lambs and sheep of Christ. I satisfy, peradventure, many men in the small labours that I take. But truly I satisfy not my own conscience. I might be more diligent in going about from place to place, although I should beg, and preach Christ: I should remain careful to comfort the afflicted and you amongst many.* * I have done somewhat, but not according to my duty: the slander and fear of men have impeded me from exercising my pen so oft as I would; yea very shame hath called and holden me from your company, when I was most surely persuaded that God had appointed me at that time to comfort and feed your hungry and afflicted soul. And this, sister, while I revolve with myself, I think I am criminal and guilty, for I ought more to regard the affliction you sustain than any slander of such as either know not, or will not know, the necessity of them that labour under the most heavy and unpleasing cross. God of his infinite mercy remove not only from me all fear that tends not to godliness, but also from the suspicion of others to judge of me otherwise than it becomes one member to judge of another. As for myself, I do confess, my right ear, my right thumb, and right toe must be sprinkled with the blood of the lamb wherewith Aaron and his sons were consecrated and appointed to that priesthood; that is, my best work must be purged with Christ's blood, and of one thing I rejoice, that I find in myself compassion for your trouble. Marvellous are the works of God. It may be that a cause of your trouble is a trial of us, that proves us to be pastors. Yea, and of others that are called earnest professors, to examine and try out what care and solicitude we will take of the weak and infirm sheep. If we be, as we are named, true pastors and Christian professors, there can no member of Christ's body suffer within the reach of our knowledge, but thereupon we must needs be compassionate; for that is the nature of lively ones, to

* Knox was constantly engaged in preaching through different parts of England during the latter part of king Edward's reign.