protestant12

PROTESTANT HISTORY

THE CONVERSION OF JOHN KNOX OF SCOTLAND

I will utter dark sayings of old: Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. (Psalm 78:2-4)

 

INTRODUCTION: BIBLE PROTESTANTISM HAS A GLORIOUS HISTORY. It is an epic story of a deadly struggle from under the heel of the Roman system to the glorious liberty of the sons of God. In our ecumenical and apostate age, this story needs to be retold that the battle may continue. This is the TWELFTH of a number of posts (hence entitled: Protestant12) and is just another shot fired in this great battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil. We are deliberately aiming at brevity, leaving it to other works (listed later) to satisfy any hunger for further information. These pages may therefore be viewed as tasty appetisers. May God give us the faith of these old Protestants who loved not their lives unto death and of whom, the world in its sin, was not worthy. 

John Knox's fearless preaching

JOHN KNOX - HIS CONVERSION (1514-1572)

IT WAS A GOOD DAY when our Scottish Reformer was converted to God. He had been a priest of  Rome but recorded on his death bed  how he "first cast anchor" on the glorious words of Christ in John 17:3   And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. He was a fearless Christian. Once when captured by the Spanish and forced to be a galley slave, they produced an image of the Virgin Mary  and ordered him to kiss it. Knox declined the invitation: "Trouble me not. Such an idol is accursed and therefore I will not kiss it." The Romanists replied, "Thou shalt handle it" and forced it violently to his face and into his hands. Knox then received the idol into his hands but immediately cast it into the water with the words, "Let her save herself she is light enough, let her swim!" After this, no Scotsman was urged with this idolatry. Knox was a fearless preacher of the gospel. CH Spurgeon said: "I cannot shape the truth. I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine. John Knox’s gospel is my gospel. That which thundered through Scotland must thunder through England again."

 

THE END  

ALL INDEXES:

* PROTESTANT INDEX 
* CALVINISM INDEX 
* CH SPURGEON INDEX  
* EVANGELISM INDEX  
* HERE AND THERE INDEX