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SCOTLAND.

Introduction.

Brief notice of Scotland during the fourteenth and fifteenth cen-

turies—The opening of the sixteenth before the Sacred Scrip-

tures in print were first imported,

395

BOOK IV.-SCOTLAND.

From James the Fifth to the Commonwealth.

SECTION 1.-1526. REIGN OF JAMES V.

State of Scotland–The first introduction of the Sacred Volume

in print, that is, of the New Testament in the English lan-

guage-Earliest arrivals at Edinburgh and St. Andrews-Sin.

gular condition of the country, and especially of its Primate,

at the moment,

403

SECTION II.-1527-8.

Anno 1527-1528—Consternation of the authorities in Scotland-

The New Testament soon followed by one living voice, that of

Patrick Hamilton—His martyrdom-Alexander Seton, the

next witness, persecuted—He escapes to England— The New

Testament goes on to be imported,

412

SECTION III.—1529-34.

From 1529 to 1534-All-important period, hitherto unnoticed

Alexander Ales or Aless-Cruelly persecuted by Hepburn, the

Prior of St. Andrews-At last escapes by sea, from Dundee, first to

France, and then to Germany–His epistle addressed to James

V.; or the commencement of the first regular controversy in

Britain respecting the Scriptures printed in the vulgar tongue

-The abusive publication of Cochlæus professedly in reply-

The representations of Ales confirmed by the state of the coun-

try, and the second martyrdom—Answer of Ales to the calum-

nies of Cochlæus—Ales pleads, most earnestly, for the New

Testament to be read—But especially in families--Extols

divine revelation, and as to be found in the English version

now importing—Cochlæus, quite enraged, addresses James V.

-And is rewarded-Had mendaciously averred that the writ-

ings of Ales proceeded from Melancthon—The persecutions

and martyrdoms of 1534 again confirm the statements of Ales

- Who is now standing by himself alone, in defence of the

truth, or the Scriptures in the vernacular tongue,

425

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SECTION IV.-1535-37.

From 1535 to 1537—The future exertions and writings of Ales,

till his death in 1565-State of Scotland-Provincial council

of the prelates-Agitation Reading of the New Testament

forbidden by proclamation-Progress of the cause,

476

SECTION V.-1538-42.

From 1538 to 1542—State of the country-Beaton a Cardinal, and

persecution revived—The martyrdoms of 1538—Dean Forret

— The cause of all the tumult in opposition traced to the New

Testament in the native tongue-Another martyrdom—Men

escaping— The cruel progress of Cardinal Beaton-Death of the

King James V.—Gloomy state of the country as to its Govern-

ment at this moment,

495

REIGN OF MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS.–1543.

The year 1543, a memorable one-Critical state of the Govern-

ment-Remarkably sudden change—The Primate of St. An-

drews, though a Cardinal, in prison-His clergy in mourning,

and all their churches closed, when Parliament assembled, and

by a bill and proclamation throughout Scotland, sanctioned the

general perusal of those Scriptures, which had been reading in

secret for sixteen years—Contrast with England at this mo-

ment-Extent to which the Scriptures had been possessed, and

therefore perused in Scotland–The Earl of Arran, the Gover-

nor, very soon abjures, and falls under the power of Beaton, now

enlarged-The singular existing position of all the European

sovereigns, with the Pontiff and the Turk included—More mar-

tyrdoms by hanging, drowning, and the flames—The death of

Beaton-Peculiarity in the history of the Bible in Scotland,

515

QUEEN MARY, JAMES VI., TO THE COMMONWEALTH.

1543-1650.

a

From 1543 to 1650—Singular history of the Scriptures in Scot-

land, during this entire period—Not supplied from its own na-

tive press, but by importation, for more than a hundred years

-State of literature and education—The Apocrypha.

The present version of the Bible become the only one in use, and

at a period indisputably significant of Divine superintendence

over the entire kingdom,

532
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BOOK V.-GREAT BRITAIN.

From the Commonwealth to Queen Victoria.

SECTION 1.-1650-1780.

THE COMMONWEALTH TO GEORGE III.

Brief survey-Downward progress of the Stuart dynasty—Oppo-

sition at home ineffectual-League, in which even the Pontiff

and Germany concurred and assisted–The line of succession in

Britain broken—The Revolution of 1688-9—Preceding opposi-

tion to the Scriptures by James II., an adherent of the old

learning-Consequences of the Revolution-State of the Bible

press in England—Canne's Bible—Guy's Bibles—Baskerville's

-Blayney's Bible--State of the Bible press in Scotland-James

II. equally busy in opposition there—The number of Bibles is

now past all human computation—The results, if but too feeble

in Britain, must be looked for elsewhere,

549

SECTION II.-NORTH AMERICA.-1620-1780.

THE REIGN OF JAMES I. TO GEORGE III.

New movement in reference to the English Scriptures—The Bible

first beheld by the natives in America, an English one-Copies

carried away to New England by the refugees and following

settlers—No individual ever specified as particularly zealous

in the transit of copies—Yet were they sent across the Atlan-

tic Ocean for above a hundred and sixty years !-A movement

such as never distinguished any other European version, and

now never will—The extraordinary results during this long

period— Williams, Eliot, Mather, Edwards, Brainerd, and

many thousands beside—The restrictive and unnatural po-

licy of Britain—She must be overruled, as her monarchs had

been in England—In justification of its continued independence

of all human authority, the English Bible is at last printed in

America—No consultation of the mother country—The first

edition only in 1782—The independence of America acknow-

ledged by Britain, Holland, &c.—The first Bibles in octavo,

quarto, and folio, printed there in 1791–The second in duode-

cimo not till 1797,

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III.-OR FINAL SECTION.-1780-1844.

REIGN OF GEORGE III. TO QUEEN VICTORIA.

The last sixty-four years.

The commencement of a greater movement than ever before-To

be understood only by first looking abroad—The Revolution-

ary times in France—The agitation extends-Neither Britain

nor her colonies remain unscathed—The sagacity of English

authors in every form of composition is exhausted, without

averting or even allaying the storm-Action is called for—But

the obstacles to united action appear to be insuperable—The

Sovereign Disposer of all events, as a secret mover, unobserved

- In secret he must be acknowledged— The first feeble move-

ment taking its name from the Bible—The second--Its entire

failure no ground for discouragement_Ten years before, Divine

Providence had fixed on one young man-Reading the English

Bible in obscurity, his mind is ripe for action-A new feeling,

or spirit of enlarged benignity is imbibed—In maturer years,

his history and exertions gradually interpret the beneficial re-

flex influence of foreign operations—Two other men go to his

aid—These efforts much impress a few powerful minds at home

-The Bible without either note or comment draws more at-

tention—The destitution of it in Wales—The British and

Foreign Bible Society with its auxiliaries—their exertions up

to the present day—The United Kingdom and her colonies

embrace above four thousand similar assistant or independent

unions—These form only an inferior division of the vast field

of action—After a distribution and sale of so many millions of

the English Scriptures, there occurs an extraordinary and un-

precedented fall in the price of the Sacred Volume—Thus

lending to the present history, its last providential movement,

or a conclusion as cheering as it was unanticipated.

Britain at the height of a responsibility not easily conceived, as

it baffles all adequate description-On the summit of her

highest privilege there is no repose, no release from far greater

exertions throughout her foreign dependancies, or the world in

general—The present history indicates a course of action, if

not the only one, which involves her future welfare and stabi-

lity-A path of duty which cannot, with impunity, be evaded,

Conclusions drawn from the preceding history,

Appendix. The family of Tyndale. Fac Simile of his Prologue and first two New

Testaments. Chronological Index-List of Bibles and Testaments.

a

574

629

MOXIAL ALLIANCES-NEGOCIATIONS WITH FRANCE AND SPAIN-GARDINER

RECALLED-BONNER SENT TO FRANCE THE GERMAN STATES-GARDINER, NORFOLK, AND TUNSTAL MET—THE FIRST ARTICLES, IN THEIR NATURAL CONSEQUENCES-PERSECUTION RESUMED.

THE SECOND YEAR OF TRIUMPH-THE

ENGLISH

BIBLE

PRINTING IN

PARIS-PRESS INTERRUPTED—INQUISITION OVERMATCHED-THE BIBLE FINISHED IN LONDON—FIRST INJUNCTIONS FOR TYNDALE'S BIBLE—NEW TESTAMENTS, FRESH EDITIONS—COVERDALE'S TESTAMENTS—THE DESTITUTE STATE OF ENGLAND-JOY OVER THE SCRIPTURESRETROSPECT.

HROUGHOUT the preceding volume, the reader found himself obliged to travel for years, contentedly, by the margin of what might be compared only to a

rivulet, patiently fighting its way with the rocks and obstructions of every description which lay right before it, and seeming to forbid, by a sort of authority, all passage or progress. Still no returning season passed away, without bringing fresh tokens that all opposition was not only vain, but actually helpful ; and the event of last year must have rewarded the expectation of all who had waited for it. Nor ever let the long and well-sustained conflict be forgotten. It must be measured by its consequences; for though but too

VOL. 11.