JOHN KNOX

John Knox, the chief promoter of the reformation in Scotland, was born at Gifford, in East Lothian, in 1505; died at Edinburgh in 1572. He was educated at the grammar-school of Haddington, and at either Glasgow or St. Andrews, and had Dr. John Man or Mair or Major as his philosophical and theological teacher, but did not take the degree of master of arts. He became a secular priest about 1530, and spent about 10 years in a religions establishment in East Lothian.

He became an avowed advocate of the reformed faith about 1542, and entered the family of Douglas of Longniddrie as tutor to his sons and those of the laird of Ormiston. In 1546 - 47 he preached to the beleaguered Protestants in the castle of St. Andrews, and when it was taken by the French, Knox was sent to France with the other prisoners, and put to the galleys, from which he was released in 1549.

He passed over to England, and, arriving in London, was licensed either by Cranmer or the Protector Somerset, and appointed preacher, first at Berwick, and afterwards at Newcastle. In 1551 he was appointed chaplain to Edward VI., and preached before the king at Westminster, who recommended Cranmer to give him the living of Allhallows, in London, which Knox declined, not choosing to conform to the English liturgy. It is said that he also refused a bishopric. On the accession of Mary, in 1554, he quitted England, and sought refuge at Geneva, where he had not long resided before he was invited by the English congregation of refugees at Frankfort-on-the Main, to become their minister.

A. dispute concerning the use of a church service sent him back to Geneva, whence after a residence of a few months, he ventured, in 1555, to pay a short visit to his native country. He again retired to Geneva where he wrote several controversial and other works, including the First Blast of the Trumpet against the Monstrous Regimen of Women, chiefly aimed at the cruel government of Queen Mary of England, and at the attempt of the queen regent of Scotland to rule without a parliament. A Second Blast was to have followed; but the accession of Queen Elizabeth to the throne of England, who was expected to be friendly to the Protestant cause, prevented it.

In May, 1559, he returned to Scotland, and immediately joined the Lords of the Congregation. He preached at Perth on the occasion when the inflamed multitude made a general attack on the churches of the city, the altars being overturned, the pictures destroyed, the images broken, and the monasteries almost leveled to the ground. Similar vandalism took place in many other places, but these proceedings were censured by the reformed preachers, and by the leaders of the party. Being appointed minister of Edinburgh, he took a prominent part in the proceedings of the Protestant leaders from this time onward, and had the principal share of the work in drawing up the Confession of Faith, which was accepted in 1560 by the parliament.

In 1561 the unfortunate Mary arrived in Scotland. She immediately began the regular celebration of mess in the royal chapel, which, being much frequented, excited the zeal of Knox, who openly declared from the pulpit, 'that one mass was more frightful to him than 10,000 armed enemies landed in any part of the realm.' This freedom gave great offence, and the queen had long and angry conferences with him on that and other occasions. He preached with equal openness against the marriage of Mary and Darnley, giving so much offence that he was called before the council and inhibited from preaching.

In the year 1567 he preached a sermon at the coronation of James VI., when Mary had been dethroned, and Murray appointed regent. After the death of Murray, in 1569, Knox retired for a time to St. Andrews. In 1572 he was greatly offended with a convention of ministers at Leith, for permitting the titles of archbishop and bishop to remain during the king's minority. At this tune his constitution was quite broken, and he received an additional shock by the news of the massacre of St. Bartholomew. He had, however, strength enough to preach against it, but soon after took to his bed, and died.

He was twice married, first to Marjory Bowes in 1555, and secondly, in 1564, to Margaret Stewart daughter of Lord Ochiltree. In addition to numerous polemical tracts, letters, and sermons, Knox wrote a Historie of the Reformation of Religion within the Realm of Scotland.

The best edition of his works is that edited by David Laing (1846 - 64y; the standard biography is M'Crie's Life of Knox.