CHAMPIONS OF TRUTH?

Hugh Latimer was consecrated Lord Bishop of Worcester in 1535 at the age of fifty one. He was able, zealous and godly, determined that the Church of England should return to Biblical principles. For forty years the previous bishops of that diocese had all been non resident Italians! Latimer found the ignorance of the clergy in the diocese to be deplorable, and the problems were compounded by the abundance of monks. Latimer dedicated himself to the reformation of the church. He condemned the use by the priests of relics and images to deceive an ignorant people. At this time the Bible was made available, having been printed in English, and now reading it was actually encouraged. He appointed able preachers to teach the Bible throughout the diocese. He himself tirelessly preached and wrote in order to further the peoples understanding of the gospel. He would denounce ungodly behaviour wherever he saw it. His overriding love for God’s truth even led him to confront King Henry the Eighth! The king was openly consorting with Jane Seymour and neglecting his wife Anne Bolyn. The bishops had a tradition of giving presents to the king every new year. These usually consisted of gold or money. Latimer instead gave his sovereign a New Testament and a handkerchief which was embroidered in Latin saying

“Whoremongers and Adulterers God will judge”!

In 1539 Henry published the notorious “Act of Six Articles”, which Latimer and other Bishops committed to a biblical reformation of the church strenuously opposed. This enforced, under cruel penalties,

1) Transubstantiation and the real presence of God in the bread and wine of the Mass,

2) Communion of one kind only,

3) Clerical celibacy,

4) Vows of Chastity,

5) Private Masses,

6) Auricular confession.

Their opposition failed and he felt compelled to resign. For the next few years life was far from easy. Eventually he was imprisoned in the tower of London because of his opposition to the doctrine of purgatory which he did not find in Scripture.

When King Henry died and the sympathetic young Edward the Sixth came to the throne, Latimer was released. He declined to return to his former bishopric, preferring instead to concentrate more on preaching and teaching. He travelled widely, preaching in his characteristic fiery manner both before the court and the common people. At this time he lived with his close friend Archbishop Cranmer who was writing the “Book of Common Prayer” and the “Articles of the Church of England”.

King Edward unfortunately died in 1553 and Queen Mary succeeded to the throne. She was committed to return this country to its old Roman Catholic ways. Within two months Latimer was ordered to appear before the Council at Westminster to answer for his “seditious behaviour”, and was again committed to the Tower of London where he was imprisoned with both Cranmer and Ridley. There the three of them studied “the New Testament with great deliberation”. After six months they were all taken to Oxford and brought before the Queen’s Commissioners. They each had to answer three questions.

1) Whether the natural body of Christ was really in the Sacrament?

2) Whether any other substance did remain after the words of consecration than the body of Christ?

3)Whether in the mass there was a propitiatory sacrifice for the sins of the quick and the dead?

Latimer , although about seventy years old, remained resolute in his adherence to the Bible, saying that the church had no right to introduce doctrines and practices that neither Jesus nor his apostles taught. Considerable pressure was put on him to change his mind. He was promised that the Queen would free him if only he would turn! He replied

“You shall have no hope in me to turn. I pray for the Queen daily, even from the bottom of my heart, that she may turn from this your religion”.

The three were formally condemned to die as heretics, though their execution was deferred for eighteen months. At this time Latimer’s servant Bernher wrote of his master “He did most of all rejoice that God had given him grace to apply his office of preaching and assisted him without fear or flattery to tell unto the wicked their faults. The other thing I did notice was his earnestness and diligence in prayer .... He prayed for three principal matters. The first that God would help him to stand to his doctrine until his death. The other thing was that God would restore the Gospel of Christ unto this realm once again. And these words, “Once again, once again” he did so inculcate and beat into the ears of the Lord God, as though he had seen God before him and spake unto him face to face. The third thing was that God would make the Princess Elisabeth, who he was want to mention by name, and even with tears, a comfort to the comfortless realm of England”.

On Wednesday, the sixteenth of October 1555, Latimer and Ridley were led out together for execution outside Balliol College in Oxford. Ridley ran up to his old friend and hugged him saying,

“Be of good heart brother for God will either assuage the fury of the flame or else strengthen us to abide it”.

The two of them then knelt together and prayed. When they had finished they were tied to their stakes and the firewood placed around them. Latimer had a peaceful look on his face when he said to Ridley,

“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man, we shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England as I trust shall never be put out”.

So Latimer died holding to the end the true apostolic faith. His prayer was that it would remain for ever strong in England.

Today only around two per cent would hold to the same gospel as Latimer and how many of them are clear enough in their understanding to be willing to die rather than change Christ’s doctrine? Many incumbents and laity are even proud that they belong to a “broad church” which lays little emphasis on doctrine. The apostolic command needs to be told again:

“Preach the Word, be prepared in season and out of season, correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Timothy 4 v. 2 - 4)

Today many churches are disappearing partly because the teachings of God are no longer confidently taught and God’s demand that people should “repent and turn back to him” clearly heard. Cannot the condemnation of Jesus to the religious leaders of his day also be applied to us,

“You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” (Matthew 22 v. 29)

Let us encourage each other to so that we do not take our doctrine and practices from contemporary philosophies and pressures but only from the Word of God!

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another” (Colossians 3 v. 16)

According to the Bible it is not unloving or arrogant to oppose those who hold doctrines not based on Scripture, but it will be costly, as Latimer found!

BVP