29 Feb 1528: Patrick Hamilton, Scotland's 1st Protestant Martyr

29 February 1528. Scotland’s 1st Protestant Martyr at the Hands of Scots-Roman policies. Lest we forget. And because God has not forgotten (it's as a yesterday to His Majesty and Rev. 6.9ff).

Mr. (Dr.) Rusten reports the following story, pp. 121-122. Rusten, E. Michael and Rusten, Sharon. The One Year Christian History. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2003. 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. We have added other details to the story.

Patrick Hamilton was burned at the stake on 29 Feb 1528.

Mr. Hamilton was born of a noble family in Scotland and was a distant relative of a Stuart king, James V. He graduated from the University of Paris in 1520. He began digesting the Lutheran documents. He returned to Scotland in 1523. He was unhappy with the Scots-Italian church. He went to Leonard’s College, St. Andrews University, to study theology.

But, Scotland’s Parliament banned Luther’s book in 1525 (like the Anglo-Italian bishops in Canterbury and London). In 1526, Hamilton declared in favor of Luther. By 1527, he received 3 summons by Mr. (Abp.) Beaton to appear on heresy charges.
(Meanwhile, Mr. Thomas Cranmer is attempting to figure things out at Cambridge while others, like Hamilton up north, were declaring in favor of Luther. Bp. John Fisher was doing the heavy-lifting for Henry VIII in their antagonisms to Luther.)

Hamilton runs abroad and lands in Wittenberg. He met Luther, Melancthon, and the English hero, William Tyndale, himself a fugitive from the Anglo-Italians in England. Hamilton wrote his "Common Places," affirming justification by faith alone. Hamilton returned to Scotland and began preaching.

In Jan 1528, Mr. (Abp) Beaton and other Scots-Italian bishops meet at St. Andrews University, summoning Hamilton again and preferring 13 charges of heresy against him.

He was tried and was burned the same day on 29 February 1528. It would only spark further discussion of Reformation theology in Scotland.

A few questions:

• If a Roman Catholic, what say you of this and the decrees of the Council of Trent that anathematized then—and as reaffirmed recently—against the doctrine of justification by faith alone? Have you developed a 10-page bibliography on justification by faith alone consisting of the best works on it? Or, has your priest done this?

• Why has Mr. (Bp) Robert Duncan, ACNA, never appeared to articulate, assert and defend this doctrine? In Article XI of the Thirty-nine Articles? Would a discussion here relate to other Reformed doctrines?

• What do Misters (Bps) Jack Iker, Keith Ackerman and others say of Articles IX-XI? What really are “their” views here?

• Do these matters get discussed in modern centers of advertisement? TBN? Daystar Television? Word Television? Rick Warren? Or others? If so, does Paul’s Epistle to the Romans feature in their ministries?

• Have worldwide Lutherans betrayed the Reformation understanding of justification by faith alone? See: http://reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/2009/09/cyberbrethren-betraying-reformation-sad.html

• Has Mr. (Bp.) N.T. Wright erred here?

• What is one to say of the Federal Visionists and Mr. Norm Shepherd at Westminster Theological Seminary?

• If you are a secularist, what do you say of justification by faith alone? What homework have you done on this?

• Does modern TV, internet and other forms of media serve to obscure this doctrine?

• What’s the health and status of this doctrine? One might think denomination by denomination here. Aside from the catechetical memory work as lads, do you hear this clearly enunciated?

Romans 11:6

1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

6 [a]And if it be of grace, it is [b]no more of works: or else were grace no more grace: but if it be of works, it is no more grace: or else were work no more work.

Footnotes:

a. Romans 11:6 Although that all be not elect and chosen, yet let them that are elected, remember that they are freely chosen, and let them that stubbornly refuse the grace and free mercy of God, impute it unto themselves.
b. Romans 11:6 This saying beateth down flat to the ground all the doctrine of all kinds and manner of works, whereby our justifiers of themselves do teach, that works are either wholly or partly the cause of our justification.

Dr. Rusten cites the following sources:

Douglas, J. D. “Hamilton, Patrick.” NIDCC. 449.
Hillyer, N. “Hamilton, Patrick.” WWCH. 301.
Torrence, I. R. “Hamilton, Patrick.” DSCHT. 390-1.

Ambrose: Curse, Absolution, Justification, Blessings

"He was made a servant, He was made sin and a curse, that thou mightest cease to be a servant of sin, and that He might absolve thee from the curse of the Divine judgment. He therefore took upon Him thy curse, for Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree. He was made a curse upon the cross, that thou mightest be blessed in the kingdom of God." Ambrose, Epistle XLVI, To Sabinus

Article 11: Mr. (Canterbury) Cranmer & Justification

Article 11 of the Thirty-nine Articles: "Of Justification." An amplification from the "Homily on Salvation." At least one writer (name eludes me now, regrettably) claims that Cranmer was called to Henry VIII's bedside as death was imminent and as Henry was in and out of consciousness. Reportedly, Cranmer rehearsed this doctrine, counseling the Tudor king to rest alone in Christ's righteousness. Unable to speak, Cranmer, allegedly, asked Henry to squeeze his hand in the affirmative. Allegedly, Henry squeezed Tom's hand. But, did Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, go forward and tell the story of his bedtime counsels? Did some attendant to Henry hear Canterbury's counsels and later report the story? We're not confident in the report. (If anyone one has a scholarly footnote or credible reasons to counter our suspicions of the story, please advise. We'll take it for review and investigation.) Romanticization of history? It reminds me of a few historians who attempt to put Cranmer inside the Whitehorse Inn, for which there is no documentary evidence. Inferential, perhaps. But, definitive history with an established factual pattern? No. It happens. Having said all that, we can say this. This is Cranmer's view on justification by faith alone by Christ alone and justification by God alone by grace alone and mercy alone. This is not Rome nor Trent. It's Wittenberg and Geneva. It's not "via media" between Rome and Geneva. It's Wittenberg and Geneva, unified on this point. Or, and rightly, put another way, it is 180 degrees the opposite of Trent and Rome's 1994 Catechism, which reaffirmed Trent.  Cranmer is implacably and irretrievably against Trent.  Or, in more modern parlance, "let's just drop it, shall we?"  Our response, "Go ahead, drop it, but we can't, thanks to the Biblical Canon. Cheers."  Here's Mr. Cranmer.

"Justification

"Justification is not the office of man, but of God: for man cannot justify himself by his own good works, neither in part, nor in whole ... So the true understanding of this doctrine, we be justified freely by faith without works, or that we be justified by faith in Christ only, is not, that this our own act to believe in Christ, or this our own faith in Christ, which is within us, doth justify us ... but the true understanding and meaning thereof is, that although we hear God’s word and believe it; although we have faith, hope, charity ... we must renounce the merit of all our said virtues....and good deeds which we either have done, shall do, or can do ... and therefore we must trust only in God’s mercy, and in that sacrifice which our High Priest and Saviour Christ Jesus, the Son of God, once offered for us upon the cross... (Homily of Salvation)"


This is the unity of Canterbury, Geneva and Wittenberg on this point. This is unity with the Lowlands Countries, the Swiss, the Gallican and the Scots Reformers. 180 degrees out and opposite to the Romanists. Entirely opposed to the Council of Trent, the 1994 Romanist Catechism (about 1000 pages), and all the recent Anti-Gospellers in the 100-acre outfit called the Vatican (reduced to 100 acres by annoyed Italians). No via media here. No purgatory here. No saints' invocations here. No merit-mongering by works of supererogation, pilgrimages, relics, or works of any kind, at any time, under any condition, by anyone, of any station. Everyone has nothing but brings wickedness, damnation and judgment to the table of divine justice. The believer receives free forgiveness, free justification, free blessings, a free future and the other related promises. Free to us, but not free to Christ. He earned our salvation.


John Calvin echoes Cranmer in the Antidote: "There is no room for the righteousness of faith until we have discovered that it is in vain that salvation is promised us by the law. But that which the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God performed by his own Son, by expiating our sins through the sacrifice of his death, so that his righteousness is fulfilled in us."