KNOX, Jonsi, the celebrated Scottish reformer, was born in the year 1505, in the village of Gifford, in the county of East Lothian. His father was descended from an ancient and respectable family, who possessed the lands of Kock, Ranferly, and Craigends, in the shire of Ren frew ; but the particular period when his paternal ances tors removed from the western to the eastern coast of the kingdom; cannot be exactly ascertained. His parents were so far affluent in their circumstances, as to be able to give their son-a liberal education, (which was by no means com mon in that age) ; and, after acquiring the principles of the Latin language in the grammar-school of Haddington, he was sent, about the year 1524. to the university of St. Andrew's, at that time the must distinguished seminary in Scotland. The celebrated scholar Buchanan, (by whom he is always mentioned in terms of high respect,) was his contemporary and fellow student ; and their preceptor, John Mair, or :1Iajor, professor of philosophy and theology in the university, who had acquired in France move en lightened sentiments, both in ecclesiastical and civil policy, than were generally prevalent in those times, appears to have early inspired these distinguished men with some of the leading principles, which they subsequently matured and advocated in the cause of the Reformation. Knox, in the mean time, apptied to the scholastic studies of those days with great success ; and, after being created Master of Arts, he taught philosophy (probably as a private lec turer in the university) with extraordinary celebrity. About the same time, he was advanced to clerical orders, and was ordained a priest before he had reached the age which the canons of the church required. His studies, however, soon received a new direction, which led to a complete revolution in his religious sentiments, and future pursuits. Having entered upon a fuller perusal of the ancient authors and earlier fathers of the Christian church, he was attracted by the simplicity of their method of in vestigating and communicating truth ; and was especially engaged by the writings of Jerom, an Augustine, to a closer study of the sacred scriptures, as the only pure fountain of divine knowledge. From this time, (about the year 1535,) he renounced the study of scholastic theology ; and a as gradually led to a more comprehensive view of evangelical religion ; but it does not appear that he professed himself a Protestant before the year 1542.
This change of sentiment first appeared in his philoso phical lectures, in which he began to forsake the scholas tic path, and to recommend to hisipupils a more rational and useful method of study ; and the suspicions of heresy which this innovation excited, were soon confirmed by his pro ceeding to reprehend the corruptions that prevailed in the church. Finding it impossible to remain in safety at St. Andrew's, which was wholly under the power of Cardinal Beatoun, the most determined supporter of the Romish church, he retired to the south of Scotland ; and in a short time avowed his full belief of the Protestant doctrines. The
cardinal, not satisfied with passing sentence against him as a heretic, and degrading him from the priesthood, hired assassins, says Beza, to waylay him, by whose hands be must have fallen, had he not been taken under the pro tection of Hugh Douglas of Langniddrie, into whose family he had entered as private tutor to the children ; and in whose service he so conducted the religious instruction of his pupils, as to allow the people of the neighbourhood to derive advantage from the lessons.t But he was not per mitted to continue long in this employment. Hamilton, the successor of Beatoun, sought his life with so much eagerness, that he was obliged to provide for his safety by removing secretly from place to place ; and at length, wearied out with such a state of continual apprehension, he came to the resolution of leaving his native country. He was persuaded, however, by the lairds of Langniddrie and Ormiston, to relinquish this design, and to repair, along with their sons, to the castle of St. Andrew's, which was then held, in defiance of the regent, by the conspirators against Cardinal Beatoun, and where a number of perse cuted reformers enjoyed the free exercise of their religion. In this place, our reformer conducted the education of his pupils in his usual manner, catechising them in the parish church belonging to the city, and continuing his expositions of scripture in the hearing of all who chose to attend ; but he was soon constrained to take a more public part in the pro mulgation of protestant principles, in consequence of his election to act as colleague with John Rough, preacher to the garrison. Ills labours were so successful,during the few months that he preached in St. Andrew's, that, besides the garrison in the castle, a great number of the inhabitants of the town renounced popery, and made profession of the protestant faith, by partaking of the Lord's supper after the mode of the reformed churches. After the capitula tion of the castle to a French armament in July 1547, Knox was conveyed to France along with the other prisoners ; and, in violation of the terms of surrender, was confined on board the galleys, and exposed to all the ordinary rigeurs of such captivity, with the additional indignities which the Papists were accustomed to heap upon the heads of here tics. In the summer of 1548, when the galleys, in which these sufferers were confined, were stationed on the coast of Scotland, his health was so greatly impaired by the seve rity of his treatment, that he was seized with a fever, which reduced him to the greatest extremity. But even in this state of depression, his fortitude of mind remained unsub dued, and he comforted his fellow prisoners with the most animating hopes of release. When free from fever, he re lieved the tedious hours of captivity by committing to paper a confession of his faith, which he found means to convey to his religious friends in Scotland, accompanied with an earnest exhortation, to persevere undaunted in the faith which they had professed.