Sermon on the Nineteenth of August 1565

IOHN KNOXE THE seruaunt of Iesus Christ, Inpreaching of his holy Euangell, to the beneuolent Reader, desireth grace and peace, with the spirite of righteous Iudgement.

WONDER NOT, christian Reader that of al my studye and trauayle within the scriptures of GOD these twentye yeares, I haue set forth nothing in exponing anye portion of scripture, except this onely rude and indigest Sermon preached by me in the publicke audiēce of the church of Edingbrough the day and yeare aboue mēcioned. That I did not in writ communicate my iudgemēt vpon the scriptures, I haue euer thought and yet thinke my selfe to haue most iust reason. For cō sidering my selfe rather cald of my God to instruct the ignorant, comfort the sorowfull, confirme the weake, and rebuke the proud by tong & liuelye voyce in these most corrupt dayes, thā to compose bokes for the age to come, seeing that so much is written (& that by men of most singuler cō dition) and yet so little well obserued: I decreed to containe my selfe within the bondes of that vocation, wherevnto I founde my selfe especially called. I dare not denie (lest that in so doing I should be iniurious to the giuer) but that God hath reuealed vnto me secretes vnknowen to the worlde, and also that he hath made my tong a trumpet to forwarne realmes and nations, yea certaine great personages, of mutations and chaunges, when no such thinges were feared, nor yet was appearing, a portion wherof can not the world denie (be it neuer so blind) to be fulfilled, and the rest (alas) I feare shall followe with greater expedition and in more full perfection, than my sorowfull heart desireth. These reuelations and assurances not withstanding, I did euer absteyne to commit anye thing to writ, contented onely to haue obeyed the charge of him, who commaunded me to cry. If anye then will aske to what purpose this onely sermon is set forth, & greater matters omitted, I answere, to let such as Sathan hath not altogether blinded see, vpon how small occasions, great offence is nowe conceyued. This sermon is it for the which from my bed I was called before the Councell: and after long reasoning, I was by some forbidden to preach in Edingbrough so long as the King and Queene were in the towne.

This sermon is it that so offēdeth such as would please the Court, and yet will not appeare to be enimies to the truth, that thei dare affirme that I haue exceded the bonds of Gods messanger. I haue therfore faithfully committed vnto writ, what soeuer I could remember might haue beene offensiue in that sermon. To the ende that aswell the enimies of Gods truth, as the professors of the same, may eyther note vnto me wherin I haue offended, or at the least ceasse to condempne me before they haue conuicted me by Gods manifest worde. If any man thinke it easy vnto me to mitigate by my pen the inconsiderate sharpenesse of my tongue, and so can not men freely iudge of that my sermon, I answere that neyther am I so impudent that I will study to abuse the worlde, in this great light, neyther yet so voyde of feare of my God, that I will auowe a lye in his owne presence. And no lesse doe I esteeme it to be a lye, to deny or cōceile that which in his name I haue once pronounced, than to affirme that GOD hath spoken, when his worde assures me not of the same, for in the publike place I consulte not with flesh and bloud what I shall propone to the people, but as the spirit of my God who hath sent me and vnto whome I must answere, moueth me, so I speake, and when I haue once pronounced threatnings in his nāe (howe vnpleasant soeuer they be to the world) I dare no more deny thē, than I dare deny that God hath made me his messinger to forwarne the inobedient of their assured destruction. At that sermō were auditours vnto me not onely professors of the truth and such as fauor me, but rancke papistes, dissembled Hipocrites, & no small number of couetous clawbaks of the new court. Now I will appeale the conscience of them all, as they will aunswere in the presēce of the eternal god, that eyther they beare me record now writing the truth, or els note vnto me the sentences offensiue then by me pronounced, & now ommitted in writting, for in Gods presence I protest that so far as memorie would serue me, I haue written more vehemētly, than in the action I spake and pronounced, but of purpose I haue omitted persuasions and exhortations which then were made for alluring of suche vnto the feare of God, whom gladly I would haue pleased, if so I could haue done, & not haue betrayed the manifest truth of my God. The Lorde be mercifull vnto me that I did not more fullye expresse whatsoeuer his holy spirit layde before me, in that text, which I am assured the indifferent reader shal think I haue but slenderlye handeled, all circumstances being cōnsidered. O Lord for thy great name sake giue vnto vs Princes and rulers that delight in thy truth, that loue vertue, hate impietie, and that desire rather to be roundely taught to their saluation, than deceyueably flattered to their euerlasting confusion. Amen.

13 O Lorde our God, other Lordes beside thee haue ruled vs, but we will remē ber thee onely and thy name.

14 The dead shal not lyue, neyther shal the dead arise, bicause thou hast visited and scattered them and destroyed all their memorie.

15 Thou hast increased the nation, O Lorde: thou hast increased the nation, thou art made glorious: thou hast enlarged all the coastes of the earth.

16 Lorde in trouble haue they visited thee: they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was vpon them.