ROBERT BARNS
On his graduation from the University of Louvain, Robert Barns was made prior and master of Augstines at Cambridge. At that time little literature was taught at Cambridge, but Barnes introduced its study and produced many educated young men who were familiar with the works of Terence, Plautus, Cicero, and others. Once literature was established, Barnes began teaching Paul’s epistles, producing many good men for the church.
Through his reading, discussions, and preaching, Barnes became famous for his knowledge of scripture, always preaching against bishops and hypocrites, yet he continued to support the church’s idolatry until he was converted to Christ by Bilney.
Barnes preached his first sermon as a Protestant at St. Edward’s Church in Cambridge and was immediately accused of heresy. Brought before Cardinal Wolsey, his friends convinced Barnes to abjure, and he did public penance at St. Paul’s before being imprisoned for a year and a half. On his release from prison, Barnes was sent as a freed prisoner to the Austin friars in London, but they soon brought more charges on him, and he was forced to flee to Luther at Antwerp.
While in Antwerp, Barnes became friends with Luther, Melancthon, the Duke of Saxony, and the king of Denmark, who sent him with the Lubecks as an ambassador to Henry VIII. Sir Thomas More wanted to capture Barnes while he was in the country, but the king wouldn’t allow him to, since Cromwell, his friend and advisor, had become the protector of the Protestants. Barnes was allowed to dispute with the bishops and leave the country at will. He returned to Luther at Wittenberg to publish his books then went back to England at the beginning of Queen Anne Boleyn’s reign, becoming a well-respected preacher.
Once Stephen Gardiner arrived from France, trouble fell on the Protestants again. From then on, religion suffered, as did Queen Anne and Cromwell; and Barnes was imprisoned in the Tower of London, until he was burned on July 30, two days after Cromwell’s death. Two other Protestants were burned with him — Gerrand and Jerome — plus three Catholics — Powel, Featherstone, and Abel. Seeing both Protestant and Catholic being punished for their faith at the same time confused the whole nation, although it was the political result of a division of the king’s council, half of whom were Catholic, half Protestant.
THE LAW OF THE SIX ARTICLES
In 1539, at the instigation of Henry VIII, Parliament passed the Six Articles upholding the Catholic doctrines of priestly celibacy and transubstantiation. The punishment for breaking this law was death, with no provision for recantation, although this was softened a bit by Parliament in 1544, which made provision for recantation and penance for the first two convictions and required death for the third offense.
At the same time, Parliament banned all of Tyndale’s books and all songs, plays, and books in English that violated the Six Articles. The text of the Bible was forbidden to all women, craftsmen, apprentices, journeyman, servants, yeoman, farmers, and laborers. Noblemen and their wives were allowed to read the Bible if they did so quietly and didn’t expound upon it.
Another provision of the law of the Six Articles allowed a person accused of heresy to bring forward witnesses on his behalf in equal or greater number of witnesses being called against him. This had never been allowed before in heresy trials.
KERBY AND CLARKE
Kerby and Clarke were captured Ipswich in 1546 and brought before Lord Wentworth and other commissioners for their examination. At that time, they were asked if they believed in transubstantiation. Admitting they did not, both stated their belief that Christ had instituted the Last Supper as a remembrance of His death for the remission of sins, but there was no actual flesh or blood involved in the sacrament.
Kerby was sentenced to burn in Ipswich the next day; Clarke the following Monday in Bury. When he heard his sentence, Kerby bowed devotedly, raised his hands, and proclaimed, “Praised be Almighty God!”
The next day Kerby was brought to the marketplace at ten in the morning, where the stake, wood, straw were in place. He removed his clothing to his shirt, still in his nightcap, and was fastened to the stake with irons. Approximately two thousand people were present, including Lord Wentworth. After a sermon by Dr. Rugham, during which Kerby commented to the assembled crowd whenever he agreed or disagreed with Rugham, he was given time to say his prayers, which moved everyone, including Lord Wentworth, to tears. The fire was lit and Kerby called to God, knocking on his breast and holding his hands up as long as he could. Everyone present praised God for Kerby’s faithfulness to the end.
As Roger Clarke was being brought to the stake the next Monday in Bury, a procession of the host met them. Clarke refused to bow or remove his cap to the procession, vehemently rebuking such idolatry and angering the officers around him.
THE DEATH OF HENRY VIII
After a long illness, toward the end of January 1547, it became obvious to King Henry’s doctors that he was dying. Although they felt he should know the state of his health, no one was willing to risk telling him. The task fell on one Master Denny, who boldly told Henry that he was dying and urged him to prepare for it by calling on God in Christ for grace and mercy.
The king listened to Denny and considered his sins, which he regretted, yet concluded that “the mercy of Christ is able to pardon me all my sins, even if they were worse than they are.”
Glad to hear Henry thinking this way, Denny asked if he would like to speak to anyone. Henry replied that he would like to see Dr. Cranmer, but by the time Cranmer arrived, Henry was unable to speak and barely conscious. He was able to reach out and grasp Cranmer’s hand, however. Cranmer urged the king to put his trust in Christ and call on His mercy, and Henry pressed Cranmer’s hand as a sign that he was doing so and then died. Henry had ruled for thirty-seven years and nine months, leaving behind three children — Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth.
PATRICK HAMILTON
The first Scottish martyr was Patrick Hamilton, abbot of Ferne, the son of Sir Patrick Hamilton of Kincavil and Catherine Stewart, a daughter of the Duke of Albany. Young Hamilton was educated at St. Andrews in the liberal philosophy of John Mair then read Luther for himself. He was always noted for having a liberal mind and adopted Protestant theology wholeheartedly, but he fled to Wittenberg when he was called to appear before an ecclesiastical council.
There Hamilto became friendly with Luther and Melancthon, who recommended him to Lambert, the head of the University of Marburg. Lambert instructed Hamilton even more fully in Protestantism, which produced a great change in him. Where before he had been skeptical and timid, he now became courageous, almost rash, and decided to return to Scotland and preach the faith there.
He arrived back in Scotland in 1527 and publicly addressed the people for a time before being arrested and imprisoned. His youth — he was only twenty-eight — his talent, and his pleasant, gentle disposition made many churchmen try to change Hamilton’s mind or at least convince him to stop preaching his beliefs and disturbing the church. Hamilton held so firm that he converted a Catholic priest named Aless who visited his cell. In time, Aless suffered persecution for his new faith and was burned.
On the scaffold, Hamilton gave his servant all his clothing, comforting him by saying, What I am about to suffer, dear friend, appears fearful and bitter to the flesh. But remember, it is entrance to everlasting life, which none shall possess who deny their Lord.” Even though his executioner’s lack of skill prolonged Hamilton’s suffering, he never ceased preaching to those standing near him. “How long, oh God,” he exclaimed, “shall darkness cover this kingdom? How long will You allow this tyranny of men?” He died with the words “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” on his lips.
HENRY FORREST
A few years after Patrick Hamilton’s death, Henry Forrest preached that Hamilton was a martyr and what he’d proclaimed was true. He was put in prison by James Beaton, the archbishop of St. Andrews, who sent a friar named Walter Land to hear Forrest’s confession. In his supposedly secret confession, Forrest affirmed his belief in Hamilton and all he had died for. The friar immediately went to the bishop and told him everything Forrest had confessed, which was used as evidence in his trial.
On the day of his execution, Forrest was stripped of his church offices in front of the clergy, calling out, “Fie on falsehood! Fie on false friars! Revealers of confession! After this day let no man ever trust any friars, condemnor of God’s Word and deceivers of men!” He suffered death for his faithful testimony at north church stile at St. Andrews.
JAMES HAMILTON,
CATHERINE HAMILTON,
STRAITON, GOURLAY
In 1534, James Hamilton, Catherine Hamilton, David Straiton, and Norman Gourlay were called before King James V in Edinburgh, James Hamilton had been accused by the church of holding the opinions of his brother Patrick. King James warned Hamilton not to appear at his trial, where he wouldn’t be able to help him, but to leave the country and forfeit his lands and property to save his life.
Catherine Hamilton, James’s sister and King Jame’s aunt, was charged with not believing she could be saved by works. After a long discussion with a lawyer named John Spens, she concluded, “Work here, work there! What kind of working is all this? I know perfectly that no kind of work can save me except the works of Christ, my Lord and Savior!”
The king turned aside and laughed at her reply then called her up to him and convinced her to recand for the sake of her family. She was set free.
Straiton was a gentleman from a good family, but he quarreled with the bishop of Moray over his tithes. One day when he was challenged by the church collectors, Straiton ordered his servants to throw every tenth fish they caught back into the sea and told the collector to go look for his tax there. After this, he calmed down and became a sincere convert of the Reformation. Accused of heresy, Straiton refused to recant and was burned with Gourlay on August 27, 1534.
DEAN THOMAS FORRET
Every Sunday, Dean Thomas Ferret preached from the gospel, something that was normally only done by the friars. In retaliation, the friars accused him of showing the mysteries of scripture to the common people, reading the Bible in the common tongue, and making clergy detestable in the sight of the people.
The bishop of Dunkeld called in Dean Forret and advised him not to preach to the people every Sunday. If he wanted to do that, he should become a friar.
Dean Forret replied that preaching the gospel once a week was barely enough, but the bishop maintained that they were not ordained to preach, admitting that even he didn’t know the Old and New Testaments himself, being content to know his Mass book and pontifical. At this time, nothing was done to Dean Forret, even though he stood his ground and refused to stop preaching the Bible.
Shortly afterward, Den Forret was arrested, along with two friars named Keillor and Beveridge, a priest named Duncan Simpson, a gentleman named Robert Forrester, and three or four others from the town of Stirling. Accused of being chie heretics and teachers of heresy, none of them was given the opportunity to recant. The main charges against them were that they were present at the marriage of a priest and ate meat at the wedding, which was held during Lent. In February 1538 or 1539, they were all burned in Edinburgh.
GEORGE WISHART
In 1543, George Wishart was teaching at the University of Cambridge. He was a tall man, slightly sad-looking, with black hair and a long beard. A pleasant man, this native of Scotland was polite and humble, a man who loved to travel, learn, and teach. He dressed simply in black and regularly gave his used clothes to the poor.
Wishart was noted for his Christian charity and spartan style of living, eating only two meals a day and fasting one day out of four. He slept on a straw mattress under canvas sheets that he gave away whenever he changed his bed.
Wishart had been arrested and imprisoned in the castle of St. Andrew, locked in chains for his doctrine. On the day he was summoned to appear before the cardinal at St. Andrews, he was escorted to the church by one hundred armed men. Pausing momentarily to hand his purse to a poor man lying by the door, he was then escorted to the cardinal. Dean John Winryme stood in the pulpit to deliver a sermon on heresy, then Wishart stood by the pulpit and heard John Lauder read the charges against him.
When this well-fed priest had read them all, his face running with sweat and frothing at the mouth like a boar, he spit in Master George’s face and demanded, “What do you say to these accusations, you traitor and thief?”
Master George briefly knelt down in the pulpit to pray then answered calmly and politely, requesting that they allow him to explain his doctrine for three reasons.
“The first is because through preaching the Word of God, His glory is made manifest. It is reasonable, therefore, for the advancing of the glory of God, that you hear me teaching the pure Word of God.
“Secondly, since your salvation comes from the Word of God, it would be unrighteous of you not to hear me teach the Word of God.
“Third, your doctrine is full of blasphemous and abominable words coming from the devil. You should know my doctrine so I don’t die unjustly to the peril of your own souls.
“Since I came to this country, I taught nothing but the commandments of God, the twelve articles of the creed, and the Lord’s Prayer in the mother tongue. In Dundee, I taught the Epistle of Paul to the Romans. And I will show you how I taught. . .”
His accuser suddenly shouted, “You heretic, traitor, and thief! It wasn’t legal for you to preach! You took that power into your own hands without the authority from the church.”
The assembled prelates exclaimed, “If we allow him to preach here, he is so crafty and knowledgeable of the scripture that he’ll turn the people against us.”
Master George, seeing what they were planning, asked to appeal his case to the lord governor, since he was arrested by him in the first place and should be judged by his legal authorities, not the church.
Despite his appeal, eighteen articles of heresy were read against Wishart, each of which he answered with scripture that soundly supported his doctrine. When the bishops were through, they condemned Wishart to burn as a heretic, ignoring all his replies, and told the congregation to leave.
Returned to prison in the castle, Wishart refused to make his confession to the two friars who arrived, demanding instead Dean John Winryme, who had preached at his hearing. The fire was made ready and the gallows erected. The cardinal, afraid Wishart would be freed by his friends, ordered all the castle’s arms aimed at the gallows. Wishart’s hands were tied behind him, and he was led to the fire with a rope around his neck and a chain or iron around his waist.
He told the assembled crowd not to let his death turn them from the Word of God. “I exhort you to love the Word of God and suffer patiently, with a comfortable heart, for the sake of the Word, which is your salvation and everlasting comfort.” Then he asked the crowd to help his followers remain firm in his teaching. “I don’t fear this grim fire. If any persecution comes to you for the Word’s sake, don’t fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Tonight I will dine with the Lord.”
After Wishart asked God to forgive those who condemned him, the hangman kneeled before him, “Sir, please forgive me. I am not guilty of your death.”
“Come here,” Wishart replied. When the hangman went to him, Wishart kissed his cheek and said, “There’s a token of my forgiveness. Do your job.” As Wishart was hung and burned, the crowd mourned and complained that an innocent lamb had been slaughtered.
(To be continued …)
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