THE RERORMATION IN SCOTLAND.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 5208, 7 November 1883, Page 2

THE RERORMATION IN SCOTLAND.

*. . A lecture was given last evening in the Fire Brigade Hall, by the Rev Mr Treadwell, in connection with the Orange Lodges of Wanganui, the subject being " The Reformation in Scotland." There were about 100 persons present. The chair was taken by W. H. Watt, Esq., M.H.R., and Mr Howe, Master of the Orange Lodge, also occupied a seat on the platform. The rev. gentleman opened his address with a long description of the state of the Church of Scotland in the times before the reformation under Knox was instituted, when priestcraft was rife, and corruption prevailed in the church, which was then in a dark state. In reference to this subject, the lecturer took occasion to say that the Church of Rome, since the 16th century, had made great changes, insofar that in each addition to her creed, she had wandered further from the truth. Notwithstanding this, however, the Church of Borne maintained her former errors, and continued to hold in obeyance the many millions by her sophistry. After allusion to the debased condition of the state of the morals of the people, consequent on the corrupt clergy, the lecturer quoted from Scotch ecclesiastical writers in support, stating that the old Reformers had to fight against sin and immorality in its worst form, which was-firmly entrenched in the country, and had the sanction of the State. Although the reformation of the Church, which led to a new state of affairs, had not been commenced till after that in Germany, yet it had long been in course of operation, and light had begun to gradually force itself into the darkness around. He instanced cases where in the earlier days, priests and noblemen were charged with heresy, the last victim to the papal persecution, expiating his faults on the scaffold in 1858. The reformation commenced in the year 1860, the great reformer John Knox, having returned to his country in that year, after a long period of banishment. He stated that to know Knox was to know the reformation itself, and the lecturer gave an account of the great reformer, and a description of him personally referring to his intensity of conviction and purpose, his heroic energy of spirit, his sincerity, and clear penetrating way of looking into the real truth of whatever he saw or heard. After describing his many great qualities for the position he had, which made him veritably a hero sent from God, the lecturer contended against the assertion that Knox was intolerant and bigoted, to the effect that he never once harmed a papist by persecution. We must look at the causes of the reformation, besides the great influence of the reformer, in the intense and vehement personality, two causes especially strong. Knox's work was his memorial, which was an answer to all the charges of intolerance, as it was a work which he had to do in times that were rough enough, against enemines that were little tolerant of him, which would never have been done but for his own intolerance to a certain extent. As Luther, when the princes of Germany offered him their swords, refused the offer saying that the word is enough, and as he and the Continental reformers brought the power of the divine word to bear on the evils and abuses, it, was their duty to correct, so did Knox. The reformers relied alone on God's word which they threw about in well-directed assaults on the evils they destroyed. So much' did Knox rely on the Bible that he spoke it almost like one of the Hebrew prophets rather than a modern. He then gave some description of the work done by Knox. The reformer travelled nearly all Scotland in a few months, preaching incessantly, and his voice was a battle-cry rallying to the side of thereformation,everyearnestspirit who could work against the idolatries and abominations of the Pope in the light of the Divine word. He quoted the words of Randolph (who was agent at the Scottish Court for England) to Cecil: "I assure you the voice of that one man is able in an hour to put more life in us than six hundred trumpets, continually blustering in our care." _ The other cauae by which the reformation was effected was the popular conscience. The reformers differed entirely from the priests of Rome as to their treatment of their fellow man. They saw in no man a slave who should implicitly believe all that was told him, but considered man a free, personal agent, into whose hands God had put, through his Word, the means of determining on all matters, religious and churchly, and who, being responsible to none but God, could claim the right to judge for himaelf apart from all constraint or coercion. And, so viewing their fellow men, the Reformers acted towards them accordingly. Contrary to the Roman creed of " Believe this, do that under pa^p of damnation, to which we have the pow er of handing you over," the Reformers went straight into the court of conscience, uttering no threat, but simply opening the word and showing what was in it. They appealed to the judgments of the people as to which was right, the Pope or God's word, and the answer was the reformation. The consequence was that Rome was utterly discomfited, and overthrown. He quoted the Rev Mr McCri to show the state of the country a year after the reformation commenced in 1560, when not a cross, or image, or cowl, or mitre was to be seen ; and only the smoking ruins of some monastery attested the former presence of popery in the country. The result of this great victory was that renewedheart wastakenby the reformers on the continent, who gained fresh courage from the spectacle of; (Scotland's victory. In place of the old church then extinct, they had of course, to build up a true House of God, in which the word of God should have the place due to it. And this they did, and in Magdalene College in the Cowgate at Edinburgh in the year 1860, sat the first assembly of the Protestant Scottish Church. The great question before them was "What form are we to give to the House of God, to the liberated Protestant body." Congregations existed throughout the land, and the great question was what they were to do with them, and into what order they should bring them. In consequence, rather than take example from other churches, they open their Bibles, and find in it a certain order or form, and acting on the conviction that what the first Christian Church was, the Christian Church should always be, the Protestant Church of Scotland stands forth as they moulded it, a Presbyterian Church, without any color of episcopacy. The superintendents appointed were in no way Episcopalian Bishops, but simply acted from expediency, aud supervised the spiritual interests of the people. They could only stay a certain time in one place on their missionary journey round the country, and were answerable to the Courts for their conduct, who could rebuke, suspend, or put them aside if necessary, When the church increased to such an extent that they were no longer required they passed out of existence. To their church, moulded and fixed in its Presbyterian form, the Scottish Parliament speedily gave legal establishment. The Parliament at the sams time pronounced against popery, and so the church went on her way on which she has had to face many dangers, and has been put to tests, at many a criaip. Founded by the people she is the church of the people still, who are her very strength and substance. They have watered her root with their blood, and they give to her their substance and their prayers. Aud so she has continued becoming the mother of churches, and reproduced herself in all parts of the earth, and the work of Knox, Avho knew not for what he labored, has grown great. The lecturer was frequently applauded, and at the conclusion of his address a vote of thanks was accorded the rev. gentlemaD, on the motion of Mr P. Bell, amidst applause. The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the chair.