Blogging the Reformers: George Wishart

George Wishart

George Wishart was born in Scotland in 1513. He fled to England after being convicted of heresy for reading the Greek New Testament to his students. He returned to Scotland in 1544, and began preaching the Bible all over in Scotland. He traveled to Montrose, Dundee, Ayr, Glasgow and many other places. Many people were converted by his preaching. An attempt was made by a monk to kill him, but Wishart, seeing that he was holding a weapon under his gown, snatched it from him. He then protected his would-be assassin from the crowds. After this his friends always had someone accompany him to protect him. John Knox, who was later the greatest reformer of Scotland, served in this capacity for a time, but when Wishart knew that he was about to be arrested he sent him away.

St. Andrew's Castle, where Wishart was kept

In December, 1545, he was seized and then transferred to Edinburgh Castle, and then delivered to Cardinal Beaton, one of the great persecutors of the Reformers in Scotland, and was placed in St. Andrew's Castle. After a mock trial he was sentenced to be burnt. He was killed in front of St. Andrew's Castle on March 1st, 1546. As he was burning, seeing Cardinal Beaton sitting in the castle watching his execution, he said, “He who sits in such state, from that high place, feedeth his eyes with my torments, within a few days shall be hanged out at the same window to be seen with as much ignominy as he now leaneth there in pride.”1 This prophesy was fulfilled just two months later when he was killed in the same castle by some conspirators who desired to revenge Wishart's death.

The letters in the pavement mark where Whishart was burned

1 As quoted in As quoted in J. H. Merle D'Aubigne, History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 2000) volume 3, book x, p. 206

Blogging the Reformers - Patrick Hamilton

St. Andrew's Castle in Scotland, where Patrick Hamilton was kept

The Cathedral of the "Scottish Rome"

Patrick Hamilton was born in 1504 in Scotland. He was in the royal line of the kings of Scotland, and his father was one of the last great knights of the Middle Ages. When he was fourteen his father sent him to Paris to be educated. He was saved there through the beginning of the Reformation in the university at Paris, and his sadness over the death of his father in a sword battle. He returned to Scotland in 1522 after getting the Master of Arts degree. When he returned he went to the University at St. Andrew's, which was called the “Scottish Rome”. He explained and taught the Bible to those around him. He was not a great preacher such as Luther or Farel, but he knew the scriptures and could teach them ably. In 1527 he was declared a heretic by Archbishop James Beaton, and fled back to the continent. After studying the scriptures there for some time, he returned to Scotland. He began preaching to the common people in his home-country and many accepted the gospel. In 1528 he married, although he was a priest. Bishop Beaton invited him to St. Andrew's to discuss the gospel, but really he wanted to kill him. There he continued to preach, and at length the bishop summoned him before a council, which convicted him as a heretic. At noon on February 28th, 1528 he was brought out to be burned at the stake. The fire did not burn well, and there were six hours of slow torture before he died. As he was about to die, he raised his hand, off which two fingers were already burnt, as a signal that he held true to the gospel to the last. His death was the start of the Reformation in Scotland. The university and all of Scotland were inspired by his example, and he strikingly fulfilled that saying, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” 1

Last year we visited St. Andrews on the Scotland Faith and Freedom Tour, and we saw where Patrick Hamilton was killed.

It was in front of the college where Hamilton was burned

These initials mark where he was burned

1 J. H. Merle D'Aubigne, History of the Reformation in Europe in the Time of Calvin (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 2000) volume 3, book x, p. 70

Photography

Here are some good pictures I have taken recently (from our trip to Scotland in July until now.) I hope you enjoy them!

Charlie Zahm singing at Bannockburn

We decided to put up another video clip we took of Charlie Zahm singing in Scotland. This clip is at Bannockburn, where Robert the Bruce defeated the English. First there are a few speeches, and then Mr. Zahm sings "Flower of Scotland", "Johnny Cope", "Scots Wha Hae", and "Remember the Alamo."



The video is pretty long, if you want to go directly to Charlie Zahm, drag the slider so that it says about 21:00 min on the right.

If you want to see another video from our trip, please click here. To see Mr. Zahm's website, go to charliezahm.com.

Flower of Scotland

O Flower of Scotland,
When will we see,
Your like again,
That fought and died for,
Your wee bit Hill and Glen,
And stood against him,
King Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.

The hills are bare now,
And autumn leaves lie thick and still,
O'er land that is lost now,
Which those so dearly held,
And stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.

Those days are past now,
And in the past
They must remain,
But we can still rise now,
And be the nation again,
That stood against him,
Proud Edward's Army,
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.

Johnny Cope

Cope sent a challenge frae Dunbar,
Sayin "Charlie meet me an' ye daur;
An' I'll learn ye the airt o' war,
If ye'll meet me in the morning."

Chorus
O Hey! Johnnie Cope are ye waukin' yet?
Or are your drums a-beating yet?
If ye were waukin' I wad wait,
Tae gang tae the coals in the morning. *

When Charlie looked the letter upon,
He drew his sword and scabbard from,
Come, follow me, my merry men,
And we'll meet Johnnie Cope in the morning.

Chorus

Now Johnnie, be as good as your word,
Come, let us try baith fire and sword,
And dinna flee like a frichted bird,
That's chased frae its nest i' the morning.

Chorus

When Johnnie Cope he heard o' this,
He thocht it wouldna be amiss,
Tae hae a horse in readiness,
Tae flee awa in the morning.

Chorus

Fye now, Johnnie, get up an' rin,
The Highland bagpipes mak' a din,
It's better tae sleep in a hale skin,
For it will be a bluidie morning.

Chorus

When Johnnie Cope tae Dunbar cam,
They speired at him, "Where's a' your men"
"The de'il confound me gin I ken,
For I left them a' in the morning."

Chorus



Scots Wae Hae

'Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,

Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,

Welcome tae your gory bed,

Or tae Victorie!

'Now's the day, and now's the hour:

See the front o' battle lour,

See approach proud Edward's power -

Chains and Slaverie!

'Wha will be a traitor knave?

Wha will fill a coward's grave?

Wha sae base as be a slave?

Let him turn and flee!

'Wha, for Scotland's king and law,

Freedom's sword will strongly draw,

Freeman stand, or Freeman fa',

Let him on wi' me!

'By Oppression's woes and pains!

By your sons in servile chains!

We will drain our dearest veins,

But they shall be free!

'Lay the proud usurpers low!

Tyrants fall in every foe!

Liberty's in every blow! -

Let us do or dee!'

Remember the Alamo
A hundred and eighty were challenged by Travis to die
By the line that he drew with his sword when the battle was high
Any man that will fight to the death cross over
But if you want to live you'd better fly
And over the line went a hundred and seventy nine

Chorus: Hey Santa Anna we're killing your soldiers below
So the rest of Texas will know, and remember the Alamo

Ol' Bowie lay dying his powder was ready and dry
Flat on his back Bowie killed them a few in reply
And young Davy Crockett was laughing and singing with a gallant look in his eyes
For God and for freedom a man more than willing to die

Chorus: Hey Santa Anna we're killing your soldiers below
So the rest of Texas will know, and remember the Alamo

Well a courier was sent from the battlements bloody and loud
With the words of farewell from the men so gallant and proud
Grieve not little darling my dying if Texas is sovereign and free
We'll never surrender and ever with liberty be

Chorus: Hey Santa Anna we're killing your soldiers below
So the rest of Texas will know, and remember the Alamo

If you want to see another video from our trip, please click here. Here is Charlie Zahm's Website.

Scotland CDs

Loch Levin Castle, where Mary Queen of Scots abdicated the throne as a prisoner (we went here after the Faith & Freedom tour)

Vision Forum has published the CDs of their Scotland Faith and Freedom Tour. To Buy, Click Here. These talks on the CD take you back to the early centuries studying the early church fathers from all over Scotland and how they effected America. These talks explain the history of the early church fathers, the things leading up to the Reformation, and the Reformation itself. Some have said that John Knox, one of the Scottish reformers, effected America more that anyone else. If you buy them you will certainly enjoy them. The speakers are Doug Phillips, Bill Potter, Dr. Joe Morcraft III, and last but not least the Celtic Balladeer singer Charlie Zahm. Enjoy!

Other books about Scotland:
Scotland Reading List,
Bonny Prince Charlie,
Crown and Covenant Collection,
In Freedoms Cause

Scotland - 2008 Trip Summary

Here is an outline of Scottish history, and is very similar to the one we used for a Scotland Reformation presentation we did at our church with pictures from the Scotland Faith and Freedom Tour.



1. The British Museum - The Meaning of History

2. Kilmartin Cairn, 1500BC-200AD – Danger from within and without - A Contrast and a Warning

3. Iona, 520AD-800AD – The Power of the Gospel reaching the entire world and the Perpetuity of the Church

4. Urquhart/Loch Ness, 540AD – Crossroads of History - visited by Columba who founded Iona, attacked by one of Wallace's generals, and by a Jacobite force.

5. Edinburgh Castle / Margaret's Chapel 1100AD – Contrasts with Popery

6. William Wallace, 1250-1305AD – The Importance of Jurisdiction. The English can not rule Scotland, they are a separate jurisdiction.

7. Robert Bruce, Battle of Bannockburn, Declaration of Arborath, (Reign 1306-1329) – Precursor to the American Revolution

8. Highland Games established in Ceres to commemorate the battle of Bannockburn, 1315

9. St. Andrews, (Scottish Reformation) 1528-1547 – The blood of the martyrs

10. John Knox, 1510-1572 – Fearing no man, fearing God alone

11. Covenants, 1620-1660 – God’s people banding together

12. Covenanters, 1660-1688 – “There’s nae joukin in the cause of Christ” - James Guthrie

13. Puritans and Jacobites, 1688-1788 - Examples of Righteous and Unrighteous Rebellion

14. Livingston, 1813-1873 – Worked for Evangelism, Exploration and Emancipation

15. Spurgeon, 1832-1892 – The power of preaching

16. What this all means – we must spend and be spent for the bride of Christ

Alba Gu Bra,

Joshua Horn

The Castles of Scotland

Charlie Zahm in Scotland

When we first signed up for the Faith and Freedom Tour, we thought that the only way that the trip could be better would be that Charlie Zahm would come as our balladeer. When we went to the 200 Year Plan conference, Mr. Phillips told us that they had arranged for Mr. Zahm to come! We were really excited. We ordered another CD (Scotland's Heroes) from him to prepare for the trip.

Charlie Zahm mostly sings Scottish, American and Irish folk songs. We first heard him at the National Constitution Party convention in 2004, but when we really learned about him was on the Faith and Freedom Tour in Philadelphia. We also heard him at the Jamestown Quadricentenial Celebration, where we bought a CD.

It was wonderful to hear Mr. Zahm sing Scots Wae Hae at Stirling Castle, Will ye no come back again? at Culloden, and Scotland the Brave at the closing dinner. He did three concerts during the trip, and at many stops along the way.


Here is Mr. Zahm singing Scots Wae Hae at Stirling Castle. Mommy and Rachel and in the background.

'Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,

Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,

Welcome tae your gory bed,

Or tae Victorie!

'Now's the day, and now's the hour:

See the front o' battle lour,

See approach proud Edward's power -

Chains and Slaverie!

'Wha will be a traitor knave?

Wha will fill a coward's grave?

Wha sae base as be a slave?

Let him turn and flee!

'Wha, for Scotland's king and law,

Freedom's sword will strongly draw,

Freeman stand, or Freeman fa',

Let him on wi' me!

'By Oppression's woes and pains!

By your sons in servile chains!

We will drain our dearest veins,

But they shall be free!

'Lay the proud usurpers low!

Tyrants fall in every foe!

Liberty's in every blow! -

Let us do or dee!'

If you enjoyed this, you might want to visit his website, http://www.charliezahm.com/ where you can order CDs, and listen to samples.

Scotland updates - more comming soon!

No more pictures for a while, because we are leaving for Branson tomorrow.

I am putting pictures in the posts we wrote in Scotland. Some are already up, and there are more to come.

Check back soon!

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Joshua

Scotland Pictures - Day 4

Scotland Pictures - Day 2 & 3

Edinburgh Castle

Mr. Phillips speaking at Grassmarket, where many Covenanters were martyred

Parking space 23 in the St. Giles church parking lot where John Knox is buried

Scotland - Day 1

We are now in Scotland! We arrived a few days ago and have been on two days of the Faith and Freedom Tour, and have really enjoyed learning all the Scottish and Covenanter history.

We flew out of Charlotte after church. Our flight was delayed because of mechanical and weather problems, and we arrived in Philadelphia, and discovered that we had missed our connection to Glasgow. Kelly Bradrick, her baby Triumph and Blair Brown, who we were traveling with to Scotland, got an alternate flight through London. We walked to the gate of that flight, and they finally got us the last five seats on the plane. After the all-night flight we arrived in London, and we boarded our plane to Glasgow, but Mrs. Bradrick and Ms. Brown were not able to get through security. We arrived in Glasgow, got our car, and waited for them, but they had gotten on a flight to Edinburgh, where we were really headed. When they did not come, we drove to Edinburgh just in time for the opening dinner, and they arrived before we left Glasgow. Our luggage did not make it, since we barely got on the flight to London.

Us waiting for our plane in North Carolina

We really enjoyed the speeches that Mr. Doug Phillips and Mr. Potter made, and we also enjoyed Charlie Zahm's ballads.

Mr. Zahm

Scotland - Day 8

On Monday we first went to Urquhart Castle, on the shores of Loch Ness. It has an incredible history, which includes the friends of Wallace, of the covenantors, of Cromwell and Bonnie Prince Charlie. When we arrived Mr. Phillips gave a speech on the Loch Ness monster, Nessie. He said that if we did find a Loch Ness monster, it would be a very serious problem for the evolutionists, because if their worldview is correct, all dinosaurs would have been dead for more than a million years. After this speech, we explored the castle. We went to this castle, and several of the other sites on our trip to Scotland two years ago. You can read our blog posts on it here.





After the castle we went to a little town about a mile away for lunch, and a Loch Ness exhibit if the families wanted to. We went to the exhibit, which is the 'original' exhibit that gives a more favorable view of Nessie's existence. We enjoyed this, as we had gone to the 'new' visitor's center on our previous trip. At the visitor center they had a couple bookcases of used books for only one pound each. ($2.17)

Our next stop was Culloden battlefield. Mr. Potter told us what happened there, Mr. Zahm sang, and we did a reenactment charge. After visiting the battlefield, we walked to the visitor center, which was updated since two years ago. One exhibit was a 360 view of the battle, and a map that showed the movements of the troops. We really enjoyed this, and could have spent more time there, but it closed.



After this we drove back to Fort William, and tried to find a place to eat, and we went to a bad Chinese restaurant, and then we back to the hotel.

Scotland - Pictures

Old books that I bought

The train driving over a bridge near the Jacobite monument.

Scotland - Day 9

We are skipping yesterday for sake of time.

Today we rode on the "The Jacobite" Railway, which runs from Fort William to a small fishing village called Mallaig. It is a steam train that goes through the beautiful Highland country, and passes the bay where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard at a place called Glenfinnan. We had a really fun time. Mr. Zahm sang some songs for us, and we talked with the others on our tour. We arrived in Mallaig and ate lunch (the normal fish and chips for some) and walked around the souvenir shops while we waited for the train to leave.

When we got back from the train ride, we walked down the street and  went to several shops, including the grocery and a used book store. There Daddy got around 15 books and I bought 3. We found four R. M. Ballantyne books there, which was exciting. The owner was nice enough to ferry the books to our apartment for us. After shopping we returned home to cook dinner and consider how to fit these purchases into our suitcases!

---
Joshua

Scotland - Day 7

Yesterday was Sunday. We arrived in Fort William safely Saturday, and we got to sleep in Sunday morning. We walked to one hotel, and a bus was there to take us to the main hotel. There we had a worship service where Mr. Phillips preached from Hebrews 12:1, and talked about the life of Robert Bruce from that.

After church we had a lunch break, and so we got some food from a grocery. After that we got on the buses again to drive to Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in Scotland. We had a good time hiking part way up the mountain (in the rain) with the other people on the tour. There were beautiful views of the valley and mountains with the clouds around them.

Then we drove to Glencoe. It is where the famous massacare took place of the McDonalds. We had a short visit there, and walked on a few trails. By this time I was tired of being wet and cold.

Then we drove back to the hotel, and we had to eat quickly so we could hear Charlie Zahm sing the songs of Scotland and America. We got there and heard many songs, including Scotland the Brave, Glencoe, Flower of Scotland, and many more. We finally returned to our apartment to sleep and prepare for the next day.

----
Joshua Horn

Scotland - Day 6

Here are some pictures.

Right now we are on the bus driving to Fort William, a town in the highlands of Scotland. Last night Stephen got sick, and he has not been feeling well today, but he persevered. Since Stephen was sick, we got a taxi which took some of us and our luggage to the bus. Our first stop was the town of St. Andrews. There there is a castle and cathedral, and many Christians were martyred there. We went to the graveyard at the ruined cathedral, and saw the grave of Samuel Rutherford, a famous early reformer who wrote the book Lex Rex. There is a tower that is not ruined, and there are great views of the castle from the top.


Next we went to where Patrick Hamilton was murdered. He was the first man killed in St. Andrews. Next we saw where George Wishart was killed in front of St. Andrew's Castle, before all the students of the college. These men were killed for things like not believing in purgatory and not praying to the Virgin Mary.

After seeing these places, we were able to go in the castle. At one time the English and French were besieging a group of covenanters in the castle. They dug a mine to try to destroy the wall. The defenders tried to reach their mine, and after several false starts, they were able to break through. We were able to go into the mine and counter mine. I enjoyed this very much.

After this we went to the Ceres Highland Games. These games are the oldest continuous games, being founded by Robert the Bruce himself. There were several bicycle races, running races, shot put, hay bale throwing, pole throwing and wrestling. We really enjoyed them.


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Joshua

Scotland - Day 5

We do not have time to write a long post, so here are some quick pictures and captions.

 Here I am with an ancient Pict Cross and a post-covenanter church in the background

 A statue of David Livingstone being attacked by a lion at his birthplace.

 Here Mommy is playing with Issac in the rain at Bothwell Castle.

 Here we are climbing on the outside wall of Bothwell Castle.