738 
K N 
began liis public miniftry at St. Andrew’s, in the year 
154.7, with that fuccefs which always accompanies a bold 
and popular eloquence. Inltead of amufmg himfelf with 
lopping the branches, he llruck direllly at the root of 
popery, and attacked both the dottrine and difcipline of 
the eltablilhed church, with a vehemence peculiar to him¬ 
felf, but admirably fuited to the temper and wifhes of the 
age.” In his firlt fermon he proved, to the fatisfaftion 
of his auditory, that the pope was antichrift, and that the 
dodtrine of the Roman church was contrary to the doc¬ 
trine of Chriit and his apoltles. He likewife gave the 
notes both of the true church, and of the antichrillian 
church, &e. This fermon made a great noife, and highly 
incenled the popifli clergy, who took every official llep in 
their power to oppofe Mr. Knox. The fub-prio,r of St. 
Andrew’s, having fummoned him before a convention of 
grey and black friars, entered into a conference with him, 
and a friar prefent afterwards difputed with him on points 
in controverfy between the papilts and proteftants ; but io 
unequal were they to enter the polemic lilts againli Knox, 
that their caufe lolt ground from this day’s proceedings. 
The lub-prior tlien ilfued an order, obliging every learned 
perfon in the abbey and the univerfity, to preach in the 
parifli-church by turns, upon Sundays, and prohibiting 
them from introducing into their fermons any contro¬ 
verted points. Mr. Knox literally complied with the or¬ 
der when he preached in rotation on Sundays-, but, as the 
injunction did not extend to other days, he frequently 
preached again it popery on week-days, with unabated in¬ 
trepidity, and increafing fuccefs, till he had converted all 
the people in the caitle, and great numbers in the city, 
to tlie protellant religion ; and i'uch was the zeal with 
which he infpired them, that they joined with him in par¬ 
taking of the Lord’s flipper. This, molt probably, was 
the firlt time of the facrament’s being adminiltered in 
Scotland, according to the practice of the reformed 
churches. In the month of July 154.7, an interruption 
took place in the exercifeof Mr. Knox’s miniltry, in con- 
fequence of the lurrender of the cattle to the French ; 
when he was carried pi ifoner with the garrifon to France. 
Knox remained in confinement on-board the galleys 
till the latter end of the year 154.9 > when, being fet at li¬ 
berty, he palled over to England ; and, arriving at London, 
was there iicenfed either by Cranmer or Somerlet the pro¬ 
tector, and. appointed preacher, firlt at Berwick, and af¬ 
terwards at Newcaltle. While he was thus engaged, he 
was fummoned, in 1551, to appear before Cuthbert Ton- 
ftal, bilhop of Durham, for preaching againft the mafs ; 
but what took place on this occafion we are not inform¬ 
ed. In 1552, he was appointed one of the fix chaplains, 
whom the council thought proper to retain in the fervice 
of king Edward VI. not only to attend at court, but to 
be itinerary preachers of the protellant religion all over 
the kingdom ; and, during the enfuing year, he had 
the grant of an annuity of forty pounds, till fome bene¬ 
fice in the church Ihould be conferred on him. Being 
now in high favour with his majelly, and fome of the 
principal courtiers, on account of the zeal which he dif- 
played againli popery, he was appointed to preach before 
the king and council at Weftminlter; and, in his fer¬ 
mon on this occafion, he aimed fome fevere Itrokes againli 
fome particular great men, who, notwithllanding their 
outward conformity to the eltablilhed religion, were fe- 
cret abettors of popery. But that this honelt freedom did 
not give offence to the council, appears from their fend¬ 
ing to archbilhop Cranmer, to prefent him to the living 
of _ Allhallows in London, which was accordingly offered 
him. He refufed it, however, from conlcientious objec¬ 
tions which he had to the rites and difcipline of the En- 
glilh church. Being called before the council, to affign 
the realons for his refufal, after fome conference relative 
to the fubjelts of his objections, he was told “ that they 
were forry to know him of a contrary mind to the com¬ 
mon order.” Knox’s reply was, that he was “ forry the 
common order was contrary to Chrilt’s inftitution,” The 
Vol. XI. No. 799. 
o x. 
council, finding that they were not able to reafon him 
out of his objections, difmiffed him in a friendly manner, 
with an exhortation to reconfider the quellion of confor¬ 
mity. It is alfo faid, that he was even offered a bilhopric, 
by the king’s command ; but that he refufed it with in¬ 
dignation, vehemently condemning all prelatical titles, as 
favouring of the kingdom of antichrill. However, he 
Hill retained his place and annuity, as itinerary preacher; 
and, in the difeharge of that office, going into Bucking- 
hamlhire, he was highly pleafed with his reception at fome 
towns, particularly at Amerffiam, in that county ; where 
he continued to preach, as well as at other places, for 
fome time after queen Mary’s acceffion to the throne. 
The ltorm of perfecution in which the proteftants were 
involved under the reign of that bigotted and mercilefs 
princefs, foon rendered it neceffary for Mr. Knox to con- 
lult his fafety, by withdrawing to the continent. Accord¬ 
ingly, early in the year 1554, he left England, and, erod¬ 
ing the lea to Dieppe in France, he went from thence to 
Geneva. He had not refided long at that place, before 
he was invited by the congregation of Engliih refugees, 
then eltablilhed at Frankfort, to become their min liter. 
This invitation he accepted, though unwillingly, through 
the interference of John Calvin ; and he continued his 
fervices among them, to mutual fatisfaClion, till the peace 
of that little community was broken, by difputes which 
arofe about ceremonies. Some of the Engliih exiles, par¬ 
ticularly Dr. Cox, afterwards bilhop of Ely, were very 
defirous of introducing king Edward’s liturgy into their 
church-fervice. This defign, however, was vigoroufly 
oppofed by Knox and many of his congregation, who 
preferred the Geneva fervice, which they conceived to be 
more thoroughly freed from Romiffi fuperltition. In or¬ 
der to carry their point, Dr. Cox and his party had re- 
courfeto the molt ungenerous and bale mealures, to oblige 
Knox and his moll Iteady adherents to quit the city. 
Recollecting that Knox had, while he was in England, pub- 
lifined a treadle, in which he faid, with his ul’ual boldnels, 
“ that the emperor of Germany was as great an enemy to 
Chriit as Nero;” taking advantage of this, and fome other 
unguarded expreffions in the fame book, they accufed him 
to the fenate of treafon againft the emperor, as alfo againli 
their own fovereign in England, queen Mary. Upon this 
the fenate, not having it in their power to fave him, if 
either the emperor, or queen Mary in his name, Ihould 
demand his furrender, gave him private notice of the ha¬ 
zard of his fituation, which he no fooner received than 
he fet out for Geneva. 
After a few months refidence in this city, Mr. Knox 
refolved on paying a vilit to his native country, from 
which he had now been a long time abfent ; and, in Au- 
gull 1555^ fet out for Scotland. Upon his arrival there, 
finding the profeffors of the protellant religion greatly in- 
creafed in number, and formed into a fociety under the 
infpeftion of fome teachers, he affociated himfelf with 
them, and again commenced preaching, with his ufual 
zeal and vehemence. Soon afterwards, he accompanied 
one of the protellant chiefs, the laird of Dunn, to his feat 
in the north ; where he refided a month, teaching and 
preaching daily to vail crowds who reforted thither, among 
whom were the principal gentlemen of the country. From 
thence he went to Lothian, where he lived, for the moll 
part, in thehouleof Calder, with fir James Sandilands, and 
had intercourle with many perfons of the firll rank, with 
whom he converfed familiarly, and confirmed them in the 
truth of the protellant doflrine. He afterwards preached 
for a confiderable time at Edinburgh, as he did alfo in 
many other parts of Scotland; the people flocking to hear 
him in immenfe numbers, and many of them being in¬ 
duced by his preaching to embrace the reformed religion. 
Mr. Knox had proceeded thus fuccefsfully in gaining 
converts from popery for about twelve months, when the 
popilh clergy, alarmed at his progrefs, fummoned him to 
appear before them in the church of Black Friars at Edin¬ 
burgh, on the 15th of May, 1556. This fummons he 
10 D was 
