1 June 1661 A.D. Mr. (Rev.) James Guthrie, Scots
Covenanter, hung-by-the-neck.
Dr. Rusten tells the story. Rusten, E. Michael and Rusten,
Sharon. The One Year Christian History.
Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003. Available at: http://www.amazon.com/The-Year-Christian-History-Books/dp/0842355073/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393302630&sr=8-1&keywords=rusten+church+history
James
Guthrie was born to a well-to-do Anglican family in Scotland in 1612. He
attended St. Andrews University. He
attended weekly prayer meetings and became friends with Scotland’s famous
theologian, Samuel Rutherford. He left
St. Andrews in 1638 to enter the Presbyterian ministry.
In 1638,
he signed the National Covenant, a coalition to uphold the Reformed faith and
Presbyterian government. The Emperor,
south of the Scottish border, Charles II and his Arminian bully, Mr.
(Canterbury) Billygoat Laud, were attempting to enforce episcopalianism on the
nation…along with Laud’s deviant theology full of oddities and
Arminianism. The Covenant was also
designed to keep the church free of state control, something that never
succeeded south of the border…even to this day.
Mr.
Guthrie served as a Pastor through the 1st and 2nd
English Civil Wars (1642-1648).
Emperor
Charles II was executed by the English Parliament in 1649.
Upon
restoration of the monarchy, England’s new Emperor, Charles II, restored and
enforced episcopalianism on Scotland.
Mr.
(Rev.) Guthrie led 12 Scotsmen to petition the Emperor to keep his earlier
promises prior to accession. Charles II
had Rev. Guthrie thrown in jail.
He was
tried before the “well-named Drunken Parliament.” He was sentenced to be hanged, his head to be
placed on a pike, and his inheritance and property to be confiscated.
Before
his hanging on 1 Jun 1661, he told
the crowd:
“I take God to record upon my soul, I would not exchange this scaffold
with the palace and mitre of the greatest prelate in Britain. Blessed by God who has shown mercy to me such
a wretch, and has revealed His Son in me…Jesus Christ is my Life and my Light,
my Righteousness, my Strength, and my Salvation and all my desire. Him! O Him, I do with all the strength of my
soul commend to you. Bless Him, O my
soul, from henceforth even forever. Lord,
now lettest thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation.”
He head
was cut off and placed on a pike. It
stayed on that pike high above Netherbrow Port of Edinburgh for 27 years.
Sources
Douglas,
J.D. “Guthrie, James.” DSCHT. 381.
Howie, The Scots Worthies. 257-68.
Purves. Fair Sunshine. 13-21.
Smellie. Men of the Covenant. 88-99.
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