The life of John Knox Author:Thomas M'Crie Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: PKlilOD IV. FROM THE YEAR 1554, WHEN HE LEFT ENGLAND, TILL THE YEAR 1556, WHEN HI.RETURHSD TO GENEVA, AFTER. VISITING SCOTLAND. '. '. !..-.. ' ' ' I t . ! ... more » .providence, having more important services in reserve for Knox, made use of the urgent importunities of his friends to hurry him away from those dangers, to which, had he been left to the determina- tion of his own mind, his zeal and fearlessness would haye prompted him to expose himself. No sooner did he reach a foreign shore than he began to regret the course which he had been induced to take. . When he thought upon his fellow-preachers, whom he had left behind him immured in dungeons, and the people lately under his charge, now scattered a- broad as sheep without a shepherd, he felt an indescribable pang, and an almost irresistible desire to return and share in the hazardous but honourable conflict. Although he had only complied with the divine direction, " when they persecute you in one city, flee ye unto another," and although in his own breast he stood acquitted of cowardice, yet he found it difficult to divest his conduct of the appearance of that weakness, and he was afraid that it might operate as a discouragement to his brethren in England, and might prove an inducement to them to make sinful compliances with the view of saving their lives. On this subject we find him unbosoming himself to Mrs Bowes, in his letters from Dieppe. " The desire that I have to hear of your continuance with Christ Jesus, in the day of this his battle (which shortly shall end to the confusion of his proud enemies), neither by tongue nor by pen can I express, beloved mother. Assuredly, it is such, that it van- quisheth afld overcometh all remembrance and solicitude which the flesh useth to take for feeding and defence of hersel...« less