Madeleine Lascelle ID 301092683 English 310- Early Modern Literature Niall Mackenzie December 7, 2011 A Necessary Burden: John

Knox and the Exposition on the Sixth Psalm of David The sermons of John Knox were arguably largely influential in leading the forefront of the Scottish Reformation, the religious upheaval of Catholicism for Protestantism in Scotland. In contrast to reformers of the era who expounded the doctrine of justification by faith alone, Knox supported and emphasized the Idolatry of the Masses in the majority of his sermons, during his encounters with Roman councils and prior to the rule of Mary Queen of Scots. The Scottish Reformation was greatly supported by reformers who had travelled to England and had seen similar reformative actions taking place, like John Calvin. It is due to the reformation movement in England that reformers like Knox and Calvin were able to strengthen the Scottish reform in favour of Protestantism and to gather English sympathizers and exiles, fleeing the Roman Catholic Mary Tudor, Bloody Mary. Knoxs History, letters, and treaties, remain the most complete account of the Protestant reform in Scotland. This paper will examine Knoxs treatise, An Exposition Upon the Sext Psalme of David; Whairin is Declarit His Cross, Complayntis, and Prayers; Necessarie to be Read of all Thame, For Their Singular Confort, that Under the Banner of Chryst are by Sathan Assaltit, and Feill the Heavie Burdene of Sin with Whilk thai ar Oppressit (1553-54): (1) to provide a brief history of the treatise and its recipient, in relation to Knox; (2) to summarize the content of the treatise and where necessary draw parallels to instances of biblical and historical significance; and (3) to dissect and discuss one of Knoxs biblical allusions. Knox's Exposition Upon the Sext Psalme of David, although addressed to his belovit mother, was actually written in answer to the entreaties of Marjory Bowes, an aquaintance of Knoxs during his residence at Berwick (M'Crie's Life of Knox [Edinburgh, 1855], p. 44.) Bowes father opposed the match and so the union was delayed, but Knox in keeping with his promise to unite with Bowes, faithfully addressed this treatise to her as mother. Marjory Bowes adherred to the Protestant doctrine of faith, it is

believed, prior to her introduction to Knox, and relatively quickly she became an incorporate and integral member of the Protestant congregation (W. Stanford Reid, Trumpeter of God [New York, 1974], p. 79-80.) In spite of this, Bowes is depicted as having continual doubt about the state of her faith and spirituality, which she feared was an indication that she was a sinner (W. Stanford Reid, Trumpeter of God [New York, 1974], p. 79-80.) As a result she often consulted Knox and when absent, wrote him entreaties for justification of her faith, which in turn produced Knoxs exposition of David. Bowes, depicted by Knox appears to be a distinctly altered individual, whose faith Knox himself often turned to when he was in need of conviction. A plausible explanation for this inconsistent characterization is that Bowes faced constant oppression, opposition, and persecution due to her Protestant beliefs. The editors footnotes on the final page, have Knox dating his exposition the last of Februar 1553, however this dating is ommitted in older editions. During this time Knox had been exiled to Dieppe, where not long afterwards he released two treatise to England, the first being the Exposition Upon the Sext Psalme and the other which was the The Godly Letter of Warning or Admonition. Knox remained separate from Bowes until he returned out of exile to Scotland in 1555, where by sometime shortly afterwards they married. Following his betrothal Knox and Bowes returned to the epicentre of the Protestant movement, Geneva, where in September 1556 Knox resumed his pastoral duties, uniting with the English exiles. Knoxs exposition begins by saying that he has written an extensive treatise which explains the plagues that assuredly shall apprehend obstinate idolaters, he then adds that he has finished this particular treatise in response to Bowes entreaty of him and as an aid in dealing with what he refers to as her troubles. The Exposition Upon the Sext Psalme of David is composed of three sections, The Argument, and The Sixth Psalme which is deconstructed into two sections due to length and content. The title of the first section The Argument, as noted by the editor in the footnotes, is actually a derivative of a previous treatise called Letter to the Faithful in London, which sequentially followed

this exposition. The Argument addresses David's punishment after his offences against God, O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, nor chasten me in thy hot displeasure (Psalm 6:1). David's punishment is referred to as a sickness, though not in its corporeal definition, but rather it alludes to wrath as an infection that has been consumed. The sickness is supposedly so tormenting, that once it is alleviated it imprints upon the sufferers mind, so that they will take heed and in the words of Moses "Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God" (Deut. 8:11). There is no specified time frame for King Davids illness, it is however speculated that Psalm 6 was written during the period when his son Absalom made an attempt at a monarchical rule ( 2 Samuel 15:14), or it may perhaps have been constructed after King Sauls attempt on Davids life ( 1 Samuel 19:18). Verses one to three of Psalm 6 consists of Davids prayer, whereby he pleads with God stating that his bones are afraid and that he is very frightened (Psalm 6 V 1-3). Davids malady is not restricted or limited to the physical, not only are his bones unwell his mind is frightened. And plaintively within the verses he asks how long (Q), presumably meaning how long will the illness last, how long will I be tormented (Psalm 6 V 1-3). Within these verses though it is made adamantly clear that David does not admit to any wrong doing, he is able to shamelessly ask why God is punishing him of a wrong doing because he believes that he has not committed one. Within the psalm, Gods answer does not immediately follow, in verses four to six David expects to hear a response from God, he is told by his enemies that God will not save David (Psalm 3:2), and so feeling a divine absence weeps. David finally receives a response in the last three verses, eight to ten, where he inevitably senses that God has heard his suffering, banishes those workers of iniquity (Psalm 6 V 810), and commands them to appear before him ashamed and vexed from their ill-doings. Knoxs choice of Psalm 6 reads interestingly similar to John Foxes Book of Martyrs, in that there is an overbearing question of not only the origin of suffering, which Foxe attributes to Catholicism and Knox to Gods displeasure, but also both embellish and embrace a motif of suffering for the sake of purity. Foxes Book of Martyrs retells witness accounts of particular burnings and other acts of martyrdom, where not only the act of burning, which is notable because fire is often representative of rebirth, results in the loss of life but also acts as a test. The martyrs which are persecuted are all given the opportunity to recant their religious beliefs in favour of the oppositions (Catholicism), whereby their lives will be saved. Should they chose to not alter their religiosity the consequences is death, often by burning. However, altering their religious beliefs, according to their own religion will result in damnation, thus, the trial itself as well as the burning is the test which is constant and present through

the Psalm of David in the form of physiological and psychological trauma. At the end of The Argument, Knox embellishes his conclusion with the rhetorical term interrogatio, asking whether individuals who are subject to God and the Holy Ghosts torment ar Godis elect... (or) abject frome him (Knox 121). On the succeeding page Knox proposes an answer, David in such agony prays to God and beseeches him to remove his wrath, to remitte and take awaie thy hevie displeasure, which, by my inquitie I have provoked against my selfe (Knox 121). David exclaims that the sorrows of both the body and the mind that can be attributed to God, are sent purposefully and not by chance. Knox repeatedly alludes to instances in the Bible where individuals are tested by God with physical or psychological torment, in order to judge them the elect . It is the results of these tests which ultimately determine how the sonnes of God differ from the reprobate: that the sonnes of God knowe both prosperitie and adversitie to be the giftes of God onelie, as Job does witness (Knox 122). Knox is referring to the Book of Job