1 June 1661 A.D. Mr. (Rev.) James Guthrie, Scots
Covenanter, hung-by-the-neck. Hat tip to
the English King, the non-head and non-governor of Christ’s Church, as if
Christ needed an English King or any earthly King for that matter. Christ is the King of little kings.
Graves, Dan. “James Guthrie Hanged for
Christ.” Christianity Today. Apr
2007. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1601-1700/james-guthrie-hanged-for-christ-11630135.html. Accessed Apr 25, 2014.
At the close of his defense to
the Scottish Parliament, James Guthrie said, "...My conscience I cannot
submit to you. But this old crazy body and mortal flesh I do submit, to do with
it whatsoever you will, whether by death, or banishment, or imprisonment, or
anything else; only I beg you to ponder well what profit there is in my blood.
It is not by killing me or many others that you will kill the Covenant or the
work of the Reformation..." [language modernized]
However, his enemies were
determined to execute him. On May 28, 1661, the order went forth: James Guthrie
was "to be hanged at the cross of Edinburgh, on the first of June, and Mr.
Guthrie's head to be fixed on the Nether-bow, his estate to be confiscated, and
his [coat of] arms torn..." The Scottish Presbyterian minister was to be
executed for publishing a work which declared God's wrath was coming upon
Scotland for, among other things, setting up the King of England as head of the
church. Only Christ could fill that role.
James was well-born and
well-educated. At school, he met the godly and profound pastor named Samuel
Rutherford, attended non-conformist prayer meetings, and was converted to
Christ. After that, he became a zealous preacher of the gospel, but at the same
time the kind of steady man who cannot be drawn into hot arguments.
Although he led a busy life as
pastor and writer, he always made time for Christ. It was the same on the day
of his execution. He got up at four in the morning so that he could meditate
and pray. When his children visited him for the last time, he assured them that
he died for a worthy cause.
James went to the scaffold on
this day, June 1, 1661. There he
preached his last sermon. "... I do believe that Jesus Christ came into
the World to save sinners of whom I am the chief, through faith in his
righteousness and blood, have I obtained mercy, and in him and through him
alone have I the hope of a blessed conquest and victory over sin and Satan, and
hell and death, and that I shall attain unto the Resurrection of the just and
be made a partaker of eternal life; I know whom I have believed, and he is able
to keep that which I have committed to him against that day." He urged his
listeners to seek Christ's free grace.
The dying man gave a copy of this
last speech to a friend to keep, asking him to pass it on to his little boy
when he was old enough to understand what it meant. Then the napkin was put
over his face and shortly afterward, James swung into space. Just as ordered,
his head was placed on a pike over the gate. There the skull bore its testimony
for 27 years, until a daring student risked his life to climb up, take it down,
and bury it.
Bibliography:
1. Guthrie, James. "The True
and Perfect Speech of Mr. James Guthrey, Late Minister of Sterling as it was
delivered by himself immediately before his execution, on June 1, 1661 at
Edinbrough."
2. Howie, John. "Life of James
Guthrie." Biographia Scoticana. http://www.truecovenanter.com/
bio/howie_bios_guthrie_james.html
3. "James Guthrie."
http://www.freechurch.org/fair/fair1.htm
4. Smellie, Alexander. Men of the
Covenant. Revell, 1903.
5. Whyte, Alexander. "James
Guthrie." Fire and Ice: Puritan and Reformed Writings.
http://www.puritansermons.com/ruth/rwhyte16.htm
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