Owing to various conspiracies and plots, Mary was sentenced to die, eventually, by Queen Elizabeth, and her execution took place on February 7th, 1587.
There is a touching little story about her favourite dog. The tiny animal hid itself in her dress when she was taken to the scaffold, and, after her death, he refused to leave her body, and had to be forcibly taken away.
Mary, Queen of Scots, led a gay, dissipated life, and her death was sad and solemn. Having been trained a Romanist, the Holy Word of God was not placed in her hands and made the guide of her life, and her sins brought much sorrow and difficulty which seemed to draw her on from sin to sin, instead of leading her to humble repentance and simple faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible alone is the guide which God has given both for this present life, and for the future life; and God has given this book to each and all, to read and to study with earnest prayer for His Holy Spirit's teaching, that each and all may understand it, and may act upon its teaching.
Perhaps if Mary had read God's Word herself, and seen the beauty and purity of its commands, and learned from it all the great love of God, and His way of salvation for sinners through the "One Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus," she would have escaped the temptations of her own great beauty and of her royal position, and not have perished as she did. We ought, indeed, to value our Bibles, and to seek grace to study them, so that, although there are snares and temptations around us, we may always know what God's will is, and also know how to resist those temptations through His mighty help. And we should also thank God that He has given us His Holy Word to lead us safely through all earth's changes to the unchanging Heaven, and that He has promised to give those who trust in Jesus and love Him now, far more than an uncertain crown of gold, even a "Crown of glory that fadeth not away."
