PATRICK HAMILTON; Scotland’s Royal Martyr

Posted at Clogher Valley Free Presbyterian Church:

The 16th Century shaped the destiny of modern Britain more than any other era in our national story. This was the Reformation period, when the old establishment – which had dominated Europe for 1,000 years – was shaken, when theology turned the tide of history and dominated the affairs of nations. While grievances against the Church had been simmering away for many years, as the peasants yearned for greater freedoms, and when theological challenges to the authority of the Papacy, as Wycliffe and Huss had demonstrated, were nothing new, opposition to the beliefs of these early reformers had been held in check.

The theological, political and social fabric of Europe had been conditioned for change in much the same way as wood is dried for the fire. In 1517, the circumstances were just right for the spark to be lit. It was Dr Martin Luther, the Augustinian monk, who ignited the fire on 31st October by pasting up his ‘95 arguments against Papal indulgences’ on the Church door at Wittenberg, Germany. The fire spread through Europe, eventually reaching every part of the world. The flames continue to burn today, diffusing sacred light; praise be to God!

The Scottish Fire

The Reformation would come to Britain in two very different ways. Remaining with the metaphor of fire; two separate fires would spread in from Europe, one in Scotland and the other in England. Eventually, the flames would merge together, forming one great Gospel light shining from one United Kingdom, while the hearths that gave rise to these fires would retain their unique position in the Anglican Church of England and the Presbyterian Church of Scotland. It was in Scotland, however, that Luther’s flame would makes its first and immediate British impact, through the brief but transformative ministry of one young man, from the Scottish Royal Family. My heart swells in admiration and brokenness as I write about the passionate, yet tragic, ministry of young Patrick Hamilton, Scotland’s royal martyr.

St Andrews

In the modern era, St Andrews is world famous on account of its famous golf course, recognised as the birthplace of this rather gentlemanly sport. The equally famous university, though, one of Britain’s most ancient seats of learning, bears witness to an antiquity that predates the sport with which the place has become associated.

St Andrews, as the name suggests, was the ancient spiritual capital of Scotland, the seat of the bishops who dominated Scottish life for centuries. The ruins of the old city were destined to bear witness to some of the most dramatic scenes in Reformation Europe. Oh – if only stones could speak!

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