16th Century Scottish Reformer, John Knox
Iain Murray, in his classic, ‘The Puritan Hope’, points out that the Puritan era was a period of many local revivals. He writes,
‘Following as it did so closely upon the Reformation it is not surprising that the Puritan movement in England believed so firmly in revivals of religion as the great means by which the Church advances in the world.’ (The Puritan Hope, Iain Murray, Banner of Truth, p.3)
16th Century Breakthrough
In 1559 a general revival broke out in Scotland. The conversions were so rapid that John Knox wrote, ‘God did so multiply our number that it appeared as if men had rained from the clouds.’ (ibid p.5)
Describing the spiritual hunger of the Scottish people he adds, ‘Now forty days and more, hath God used my tongue in my native country, to the manifestation of His glory…The thirst of the poor people, as well as of the nobility here, is wondrous great…’ (ibid p.5)
One Scottish church historian writes ‘in Scotland the whole nation was converted by lump; and within ten years…there were not ten persons of quality to be found in it who did not profess the true reformed religion, and so it was among the commons in proportion. Lo! Here a nation born in one day!’ (James Kirkton, The Secret and True History of the Church of Scotland, p.21-22)
The promise of Revival in the Seventeenth Century
This amazing receptivity of the people to powerful gospel preaching did not die out in the century to follow. A fairly compelling example of what we might call ‘revival’, or at least ‘revivalistic, is captured by a description of a powerfully anointed sermon from 1630.
Arthur Fawcett quotes James Robe as saying,
‘The omission of our worthy Forefathers to transmit to posterity a full and circumstantial account of the conversion of 500 by one sermon at the Kirk of Shots in the year 1630…I have heard much complained of and lamented.’ (Arthur Fawcett, The Cambuslang revival, Banner of Truth p.5)
Clearly Scotland, in the generation following the mighty John Knox and the many other ‘Scots Worthies’, was ripe for the gospel. Multitudes were swept into the Kingdom of God and the culture of the nation was definitively shaped by the Bible.
You can purchase Iain Murray’s The Puritan Hope’ here
© 2009 Lex Loizides
A fascinating showdown (in Prof. Geddes McGregor’s bio called “The Thundering Scot”) and turning point in the history of the reformation in Scotland, was when Marie (her French spelling, I guess) Queen of Scots arraigned Knox before the land’s nobles (many of whom had fallen under the spell of her charm and beauty). It was over a public letter, generally published by Knox to summons the people to Edinburgh to protest Marie’s attempt to sentence to death 2 citizens who resisted the Mass (banned by parliament)being said in Marie’s palace.In his pamphlet he called the people to prevent the Queen performing an act of “cruelty” by permitting the re-introduction of papalism. When put to the vote twice, the nobles voted unaimously both times that Knox was innocent. She never recovered support after this and was soon deposed.God was so with his humble and fearless servant!
Great comments about the Protestant Reformation in Scotland under John Knox. I hadn’t realised just how widespread and near universal the revival was.
I have recently been studying Revelation 11:7-13. Its message seems to me to be that God employs a deliberate strategy of allowing the Church to decline, then reviving it, then allowing it to decline, then reviving it, etc. Through this plan He is able to save more people over AD history than He would just through a steady state within the Church.
This encourages me that God has a great Plan in store for the UK and for Europe – one which will make years of decline the prelude to wonderful revival :-)