Answer to a Jesuit, To the reader
TO THE FAITHFVLL REAEDR.
WHAT malice, Inuy, and heatrent of the treuth, hes moued men to brust furth against me & my behauour, in Scotland, Ingland, and elles where: I lytle regarde. For a good cōscience susteanes me, before my God, against all ye odious lies, that hauehave bene laide to my charge, now many yeares past. For the whiche I dout not, but the blaspheamers shall answer: (onles repentance preuene Iudgement) when the secreates of heartes shalbe disclosed.
The caus that I adde this imperfyte letter, to ye former discourse is, That they whome Sathan hath not blinded by inuy, may see and vnderstand, what a troubled conscience craues, into the day of battell. Becaus that God now in his mercy hath put end, to ye battell of my deare Mother Maistres Elizabeth Bowes, before that h… put end to my wretched lyfe: I could not cease, but declare to the worlde, what was the caus of our great familiaritie, and long acquentance. Whiche …as nether fleshe nor bloode, but a troubled consciēce vpō hir part, which neuer suffered her to rest, but when she was in the company of the faithful: of whome (fra the first hearing of the word at my mouth) she iudged me to be one. Now seing her battell is ended, & I am vpō the point shortly to follow: this I leaue to the posteritie, for discharge of my conscience, and to the instruction of her children. That in Scotland, Ingland, France and Germanie, I hauehave heard the complaintes of diuers that feared God: but of the lyke conflict as she susteyned, fra the tyme of her first acquentance and long before (as her owen mouth, ofter thē ones, confessed to me) til this hour, I hauehave not knowen. For her tentation was not in the fleshe, nor for any thing that appertey ned to fleshe: (no not when she was in greatest desolation) but it was in spirite.
For Sathan did continually buffette her, yt remission of sinnes in Christ Iesus apperteyned nothing vntounto her, be reason of her former Idolatrie and other iniquities: For the which notwithstanding any worldlie comfort, I hauehave sene her (not for a starte, but in long cōtinuance) powre furth teares, and send to God dolorous cōplaints, ofter then euer I heard man or woman in my lyfe. Her company to me was cōfortable (yea honorable and profitable, for she was to me and myne a Mother) but yet it was not without some Croce: For besydes trouble and fasherie of body, susteyned for her: my mynde was seldome quyet, for doing somewhat, for the cōfort of her troubled conscience. Whereof this rude letter is the least, and of basest argument, amongs many …hich ly besyde me, and so must do, be reason of my inabilitie in mo sortes then one. I hartly salute & take my goodnight, of all the faithfull in bothe the Realmes: earnestly desyring ye assistance of their prayers, that without any notable sclander to the Euangell of Iesus Christ I may end my battell. For as the worlde is wearie of me: so am I of it.
Of Sanctandrois the 12. of Iulij. 1572. IOHNE KNOX.
¶Lord be mercyful to England & Scotland, for we stand bothe in a dangerous estate: and that becaus we wold not obey thy holesome admonitionis: whiche wer thyne, how contemptable that euer the persones of thy Messingers wer. Yet Lord remember mercy for thy treuthes saik. Amen, Amen. And giuegive vsus not to the opprobrie of thy enemies, of whome the Castell of Edinburgh are the principales, within this Realme. Conuert them Lord, or elles confound them: that the worlde may one… agane vnderstand, that thow art a trew & a righteous God. Amen. Amen. Amen.
FOLLOWETH THE LETter as it past from my hand at Deip the 20. of Iulij. 1554.
TO HIS LOVING MOTER MAISTRES Elizabeth Bowes, troubled in spirite, whome God comfort for his great mercyes sake. Amen.
PSALME. 79.
RYSE LORD, STREACHE out thy hand, forget not the sobbes of the oppressed.
RIGHT dearely beloued Mother in our Sauiour Iesus Christ,
now is our dolour appointed by God, and forespokē by his Prophetes come vponupon vsus as the dolour of a woman in the birth of her first Chylde,The … part of Iohn Knox preaching in the last dayes of King Ed…ard was of trouble approching. and so is it come, as with your eares, bothe oppenly and priuately, oftentymes yow hauehave hard declared. When I remember your great infirmitie, and the strong battel that continually ye feght, & calles to my mynd how small cōfort yow hauehave in earth: I am compelled to …ob and grone to him that only may giuegive strēgth, comfort, and consolation, without help of any creature vntounto yow, in these moste dolorous dayes. And good hope I hauehave that my petition shall not be repelled, but for Christ Iesus sake accepted and graunted: albeit not in suche sort as yow and I most gladely wold,I praise … God he hes shawen hi… mer…y on her & me in dispy…e of Sathā if my batt…ll … at an end … is. yet I dout not but in suche sort we shall obteane it, as his glorie and our Euerlasting comfort and proffeit requyreth. It hes not bene without the most speciall prouyde n…e, and fauoures of God that these many dayes by past, yow hauehave bene greuously t…pted, and sore assaulted, to reuolt & turne back agane to that abhominable and blaspheamous Idolatrie: which now in G…odes anger is erected, before the vtterm…st of his plaigues be pow red furth vponupon t…e stubburne and inobediēt which neuer wold delyte in y• treuth of his word. And therfor of his iust iudgmentes,… most iustly hes he giuen thē ouer according to there heartes desyre: to delyte in lies to their eternall cōdempnatiō. In the dayes I say (dearely beloued Mother) that no apperance there was, y• euer such abhominationes should hauehave taken place,… so suddanely, within this Realme of England, yow wer tempted and assaulted, to turne back agane to Idolatrie: which… tempting spirite, God our heauēly Father permitted to trouble yow: partly for that he wold hauehave yow exercised in the battel, Nota.before the great danger approched, least (perchance) that ye might hauehave bene ouerthrowen,… if inprouydedly, bothe occasion and temptation at ones had assaulted yow: and partly that by continuall …epugnance, ye might learne, how odious is all kynd of Idolatrie, in y• sight of God. For Sathan vseth seldome to tempt, but in those thingis where with he knoweth god moste to be offended: as pryde, lust, couetousnes, ad…lterie, idolatrie, & such others: the committers whereof (and continuers in the same) pronunces Paule,Galath. 5. to hauehave no portion in the Kingdome of God. This is my hope (beloued Mother) That in zour continuall battell, so far ye hauehave profited, that in this case, almost, ye nead no admonition of me. But becaus it is my bounden dewtie,I had maid … faithful promise befo… witnes … Mariorie▪ Bowes … doughter, & so as she …uk me for sone, I hartly imbrased h…r a… my mother. not only by a common Christiane cheritie: but also for that moste vnfeaned familiaritie and tender louelove (according to godlynes) that we hauehave kept, sence our first acquentance, to do the vttermoste of my power for your cōfort. By pen therefore will I wryte (becaus the bodyes be now put a sunder to mete agane at Godes plesure) that which by mouth and face to face ye hauehave often hard. If man or Angell sh…ll l…ubour to bring yow back, from the professiō that ones ye hauehave giuen: let thē (in that behalf) be accursed and in no part (cōcerning your faith & religion) obeyed of yow: if any trouble yow aboue measure (whether they be Magistrates or c…rnall freindes) they shall beare their iust condempnation, onles they suddanly repent. But whosoeuer it be that shal prouoke, or solist yow, to that abhominable Idol, resist yow all such boldely to the end: learning of the holy Gost not to defyle the Tēple of God with Idolles, nether yet to giuegive your bodylie presence vntounto them, but obeying God more then mā, auoide all apperance of iniquitie. The n…cessitie that all man hath so to do (that willingly will not deceaue him self) I remit partly to y• which oft yow hauehave hard, and partly to a generall letter, by me written in great anguissie of heart,… to the Congregationis: of whome I hear say a great part, vnderunder pretense that they may kepe faith secrete in the heart, and yet do as Idolaters do, be ginneth now to fall before that Idoll. But ô allace, blinded and deceaued are they, as they shall knowe in the Lordes sharpe visitation: which so assuredly as our god liueth,Let treuth this day speak of … one or … within … Realme shall sho…tly apprehend those back starters, amongis the myddes of Idolaters. With the verray greaf of heart I wryte.
Better it had bene vntounto thē neuer to hauehave knowen the treuth, thē so suddanely with Godes great dishonour, to hauehave returned to their vomet. God of his infinite mercy grant vntounto them suddane repentance: for if the sin sleap long I feare it shall a walke to their perpetuall confusion. But now deare Mother cōfort yow my heart (God grant ye may) in this my great afflictioun and dolorous pilgramage. Cōtinew stoutly to the end,Iohne Knox requeast …o his mother in his exyl…. and bow yow neuer before that Idoll, and so will the rest of worldlie troubles to me be more tollerable. With my owen heart I oft common, yea, and as it wer comforting my self, I appeare to triumph,I praise his mercy who suff…rred me not to be deceaued. that God shall neuer suffer yow to fall in that rebuke. Sure I am, that bothe yow wolde feare and eshame to commit that abhomination in my presence, who am but a wretched man subiect to s…n and miserie, lyke to your self. But (ô dear mother) though no earthlie creature should be offended with yow: yet fere yow the presence and offence of him,Approbatiō of sin excuses not before God. who present in all place, searches the verray heart and raynes: whose indignation ones kendilled against the inobedient, (and no sin more inflāmeth his wraith then Idolatrie doth) no creature in heauen nor yet in earth (y• only is creature) is able to appease the same. And therefore deare mother auoide and fle from it euen as from the death Euerlasting. Verray louelove and carefull sollicitude (whiche God knoweth) my heart taketh for yow, compelleth me so oftentymes, to dowble and rehearse one thing: being vncertane, when God shall graunt any opportunitie to visite yow agane. But the spirite of the Lord Iesus shall by his owen omnipotēt (& yet inuinsible) power supplie in yow, that wt lacketh of worldly comfort, that the glorie may be knowen to be Godes alone, who for a tyme vseth to comfort, susteane, & fead, one creature by another: but in the end he draweth vsus (his owen Image) vntounto him self, that by him alone without the help of all other we may liue, reioyce, regne & triumph,…. 1…. as he hes promysed by Iesus Christ his sone. One thing will I not conceale from yow deare Mother,Nota. That nether are we sure, nether yet in our heartes, can we glorifi… God, as our dewtie requyreth, so long as that we hauehave the carnall cōfort & defence of creatures with vsus. The hole man in body and saule shall euidentlie proue this coclusioun. For that body that liueth by meat, drink, sleap, clothing, & nurishemēt, we se it subiect to infirmitie, yea, to mutabilitie and sin, as the finall death of all mā declareth: and the saule euen of Goddes verray elect, liuing by the liuely worde of the heuinly father, hauing a teacher that caries fleshe, is alwayes flowing, and troubled, with some feare: as in Christes Apostles and many others,Nota. most manifestly we ar instructed. But when all earthly creature ceases, then shall the sufficiencie of Godes spirite wirk his owen work. And therefore (beloued Mother) feare not the battell that ye susteane,The feare of that godlie woman. nether yet the infirmitie that ye find either in fleshe or spirite, only absteane from external iniquitie, That yow make not your members seruandes to sin,Nota. and your Imperfection shal hauehave no power to dampne yow: for Christes pe…fection is reputed to be youres by Faith which ye hauehave in his bloode. Be assured (Mother) I willingly wolde not deceaue yow, if any such infirmitie wer dāpnable, long ago I wold hauehave shawed yow the treuth. But no more then God is displea…d, albeit sometymes the body be seak, and subiect to diseases: no more is he offended albeit the saule in yt case be dis…ased & seak. And as the naturall Father will not kyll the body of the chyld,Note the similitude. albeit through seaknes it faint, and abhorre comfortable meates, no more (and muche les) will our heauenly Father, kyll our saules, albeit through spiritual infirmitie & weaknes of our Faith,Nota. sometymes we refuse the liuely foode of his comfortable promises. Where contempt of God is by his grace remoued, and a louelove of Iustice, and of the lyfe to come ingrafted in the heart, there is the infallible seal, and testimonie of the holy Ghost:1. Cor. 12. who shall performe his owen work in dew seasō. For the power of God is knowen in our infirmitie: and thus cō mit I yow to the protectiō of him who by grace hes called yow frō darknes to light: by Faith, hes purged your conscience, and heart: and of his fre mercy shall glorifie yow, according to his promise, made vntounto those,… 3. that obediētlie receaue the Message of lyfe, in Christ Iesus our Lord. Whose omnipotent spirite rest with yow for euer and euer. At Deip the 20. of Iulij. 1554. After that I had visited Geneua & other parts and returned to Deip to learne the estate of England. Postscript.
My owen estate can I not well declare, but God shall guyde the footesteppes of him that is wilsome, and shall fead him in trouble, that neuer greatly sollisted for the worlde. If any collection might be made amonges the faithfull, it wer no shame to me to receaue that which Paule refused not in his trouble. But all I remit to his prouydence, that careth for his owen. Rest yet in Christ.
Youres Sone with troubled heart. IOHNE KNOX.
End of the text · John Knox, Answer to a Jesuit (1572)