"The Scriptour," said Johne Knox, "sayis, that 'be natour we are all the soneis of wraith.' Our Maister, Chryst Jesus, affirmes, 'that sik as do sin ar servandis to sin,' and that it is the onlie Son of God that settis men at freedome. Now what difference thair is betwix the sonnis of wraith, and the servandis of sin, and the slaiffis to the devill, I understand nocht, except I be taught; and gif the scharpnes of the terme offendit you, I haif nocht inventit that phrase of speich, but haif leirnit it out of Godis Scriptour; for those wordis I find spokin unto Paul, 'Behauld, I send thee to the Gentillis, to oppin thair eyes, that thay may turn from darknes to lycht, and from the power of Sathan unto God.' Mark thir wordis, my Lord, and sture nocht at the speiking of the Holie Goist. And the same Apostle wryting to his scoller Timotheus, says, 'Instruct with meiknes those that ar contrarie myndit, gif that God at onie tyme will gif thame repentence, that thay may knaw the treuth, and that thay may cum to amendment, out of the snair of the Devill, quhilk ar tackin of him at his will.' Gif your Lordschip rychtlie considder these sentences, ye sall nocht onlie find my wordis to be the wordis of the Holie Goist, but also the conditioune quhilk I use to adde, to haif the assurance of Godis Scriptouris."
"But thay spak nothing aganis kingis in especiall," said Lethingtoun, "and yit your continewall crying is, 'The Quenis Idolatrie, the Quenis Messe, will provoke Godis vengeance.'"
"In the former sentences," said the uther, "I heir nocht Kingis and Quenis excepit, but all unfaithfull ar pronunced to stand in one rank, and to be in bondage to ane tyrant, the Devill. But belyke, my Lord, ye lyttill regaird the estait whairin thay stand, when ye wald haif thame so flatterit, that the daingour thairfoir sould neither be knawin, neither yit declareit to the poore peopill."
"Quhair will ye find," said Lethingtoun, "that onie of the Propheittis did so intreat Kingis and Quenis, reuleris or magistratis?"
"In mo placeis than ane," said the uther. "Achab wes ane King, and Jesabell wes ane Quene, and yit what the Prophet Helias said to the one and to the uther, I suppois ye be nocht ignorant?"
"That wes nocht cryit out befoir the peopill," said Lethingtoun, "to mak thame odious unto thair subjectis."
"That Helias said, 'Doggis sail lyck the blude of Achab,'" said Johne Knox, "'and eat the flesche of Jesabell,' the Scriptouris assuris me; but that it wes whisperit in thair awin eir, or in ane cornar, I reid nocht. But the plane contrair appeiris to me, quhilk is, that boith the Peopill and the Court understude weill eneuch what the Propheit had promeissit;[1009] for so witnessit Jehu, efter that Godis vengeance had strickin Jesabell."
"Thay wer singular motiounis of the Spreit of God," said Lethingtoun, "and appertene nothing to this our aige."
"Then hes the Scriptour far dissavit me," said the uther; "for Sanct Paule teichis me, that 'Whatsoevir is wryttin within the Holie Scriptouris, the same is writtin for our instructioun,' And my Maister said, that 'Everie leirnit and wyise scribe bringis furth his tresour, baith thingis auld and thingis new.' And the Propheit Jeremye affirmis, that 'Everie realme and everie cytie that lykwyse offendis, as then did Jerusalem, sould lykewyse be punischit.' Why then that the factis of the ancient Propheittis, and the feirfull jugementis of God executed befoir us upoun the disobedient, appertene nocht unto this our aige, I neither see nor yit can understand. But now, to put end to this heid, my Lord, (said he,) the Propheittis of God hes nocht spairit to rebuke wickit kingis, alsweill in thair face as befoir the pepill and subjectis. Elischa[1010] feirit nocht to say to king Jehoram, 'What haif I to do with thee? Get thee to the Propheittis of thy [Father, and to the Propheittis of thy] Mother; for as the Lord of Hostis levis, in quhose sicht I stand, gif it wer nocht that I regaird the presens of Jehosaphat, the king of Juda, I wald nocht haif luikit toward thee, nor sene thee.' Plane it is, that the Propheitt wes ane subject in the kingdom of Israell, and yit how little reverence he gevis to the King, we heir. Jeremye the Propheit wes commandit to cry to the King and to the Quene, and to say, 'Behaif your selfis lawlie; execute justice and jugement; or ellis your carcageis salbe eassin to the heit of the day, and unto the froist of the nicht.' Unto Cononias, Sallum, and Zedechias, he speikis in speciall, and schawis into tham, in his publict sermoundis thair misserable endis; and thairfoir ye aucht nocht to think it strainge, my Lord, (said he,) albeit that the servandis of God mark the vice[1011] of Kingis and Quenis, evin als weill as of uther offendouris, and that because thair synnis be moir noisum to the Commounwelth, than ar the synnis of inferiour persounis."
The moist pairt of this ressounyng, Secretour Lethingtoun leanit upoun the Maister of Maxwellis breist, who said, "I am almoist werie: I wald that sum uther wald ressoun in the chief heid, quhilk is nocht tuychit."