CHAPTER XI
CHARACTER AND INFLUENCE
|
Or Davidson's personal appearance we
have no hint except that he was small of stature. The family
to which he belonged is wrapped in obscurity. In the story
of his career there are revealed none of those intimate relations
by which a man's character and habitual mood can best be appraised.
His health does not appear to have been good, especially in
his later years, when his distress was aggravated by the persecution
which he suffered. Thus Davidson enjoyed none of the advantages
which have meant so much to some public men-ancient lineage,
commanding presence or powerful physique. He was, nevertheless,
a man of singular natural endowments, including a large share
of that peculiar sagacity which the character of his times
was well fitted to uphold and sharpen. The mental picture
of him which we form for ourselves is that of a small, serious,
courageous man, determined to see through whatever he took
in hand.
It is most regrettable that there is no record of his early
spiritual pilgrimage. We have no account of how he became
so whole-hearted a Christian and so splendid an upholder of
the Reformation. That he owed much to David Ferguson, the
minister of his youth, and to Knox we are aware, but we have
no information concerning his conversion or such influences
as make a most moving page in the life of his contemporary,
Robert Bruce.
|
| 239 |
Intellectually Davidson was far above most of the ministers
of the early Reformed Church. Learning in those days was not
on a very high level, though a few had foreign education, and
it was not till 1575 that the Assembly resolved for the first
time that Latin was a necessary qualification for the ministry.2
Archibald Douglas would not adventure himself in the Greek Testament
when examined with a view to the charge of Glasgow. Davidson,
however, while by no means a scholar like Andrew Melville and
probably much inferior even to Patrick Simson, possessed a knowledge
of the Classics as well as of tile Scriptures, revealed in his
writings and speeches, to which few of his contemporaries could
lay claim. He deplored the prevailing ignorance of so many of
the clergy in his day3 and did all in his power to promote earnest
and devoted study among them. His own sound knowledge combined
with a fiery eloquence, made him one of the most forceful and
impressive preachers of his generation. He was a devoted evangelist,
a faithful soul-winner and a sound Calvinistic theologian. With
power born of his knowledge, and zeal inspired by the Holy Spirit,
he placed himself unreservedly at the disposal of the Church.
By reason of his outstanding gifts his words carried great weight
with his brethren over whom he exercised a wonderful influence.
|
| 240 |
|
There was no more zealous upholder and
defender of the Rcformed Church than John Davidson. His absolute
sincerity, purity of motive and heaven-born courage characterized
all his dealings both with it and with the King. In his uncompromising
attitude to alt the evils ofthe time as well as to the machinations
of the Court, he stands out in contrast to men like Rollock
and Pont who were usually inclined to a policy ofyielding,
and to Galloway and Lindsay, whose personal convictions were
never particularly strong. From Knox he had learned the duty
of opposing the despotism of kings and of maintaining the
independence of the Church He was a stout supporter of Andrew
Melville whose views he shared, and he was at least his equal
in zeal and devotion and in unwearied service to the Church
and the Kingdom of God. There was no better skilled debater
on religious and ecclesiastical subjects in the Church of
Scotland. Sornetimes, it is true, he bore down on his opponents
with terrific vehemence, and on all occasions he expressed
himself" with the unrestrained earnestness of a forcible conviction
". He was always contending earnestly for the faith, even
if occasionally he lacked patience and longsuffering with
those differing from Ilim. His adversaries, however, were
often even more vehement, refuting themselves by their own
excess. By his parishioners and the more devoted ofhis brethren
he was held in the highest esteem and affection, although
it must be admitted that in the Church courts he forfeited
a good deal of influence by his obstinacy and bitter invective.
Re was decidedly blunt and lacked the suavity which is essential
in a really typical ecclesiastic. His speeches
|
| 241 |
sometimes seem to pass the limits of generous
controversy; but one has, in judging, to remember the characteristics
of the age in which he lived, and the judgment he had formed
of these. The men of the sixteenth century staked life and fortune
in the expression of their convictions ; and in controversy
carried on under such conditions, words were real battles and
not mere broadsides of ink."' It would be a mistake to attempt
to idealize one who thus so oftcn manifested the defects of
his virtues. Stubborn and sometimes even vindictive, Davidson
would resolutely pursue the object of his heart with an acerbity
which did not help his aims. More quickly and easily would he
have gained his end, if only he had been less ready to expose
his feelings and more careful to restrain his ardour. Besides,
he would certainty have escaped many of the troubles with which
his life was beset. We must, however, be slow to condemn. The
ministers of the early Reformed Church lived in constant dread
of an enemy they could not see and, not without reason, they
were suspicious that they could not even count upon the support
of their king. It was the custom, too, to bring all matters
of public interest to the pulpit, for they considered that it
was their calling to apply the principles of the Kingdom of
God to every side of human life. The functions which they thus
exercised have now to a large extent been relegated to the public
press. Their concern was with things social and political as
well as religious, and their power, through excommunication
and in other ways, was as great as that of the civil magistrate
to-day.
|
| 242 |
|
Liberty had been purchased at a great
price and there was always the fear that it might be filched
away again. Vigilance and outspokenness were born of past
suffering, and thus Davidson S career was rendered memorable
by his vehement assertions first against Morton, and later
against the King, as well as by his pungent criticisms of
the Church itself.
It says much for his standing and influence in the Church,
that Davidson was so frequently appointed to interview James,
for not in any way could he be regarded as a courtier. The
style of approach to the royal presence was, of course, very
different in the sixteenth century from what it came to be
later. Davidson addressed the King with an amazing frankness
which left no doubt as to his meaning he was quite as uncompromising
as Knox and Ferguson, and as uncourtly as Melville and Bruce.
For plainness and faithful personal dealing, his words surpass
even the most famous of Melvill&s speeches. Both in the pulpit
and in private he was ready to speak out his mind without
fear. Yet none was more loyal to his Majesty, for whom he
cherished a real affection and whose well-beingwas his constant
concern. Itsoftens his apparently hard utterances to remember
that. He cared for his King but the key to his life is the
supreme care which he had for the Church and truth, and for
his Master. For him, as for his great contemporaries Melville,
Bruce and Welsh, there was another King, one Jesus" Who had
always to take precedence of King James the Sixth.
The ministers of the Scottish Church in the sixteenth century
do not seem to have been troubled with
|
| 243 |
|
much in the way ofintellectual doubt.
Few evidently found the road to truth very hard, or were perplexed
with grave misgivings. An exceptional soul like Bruce might
fight his way through the mists of doubt to the clear light
of faith, but for the most part assurance and confidence were
the marks of the age, as they were the characteristics of
the reforming movement. Davidson was no exception. He was
as sure of himself as he was of the cause he had espoused~sure
of himself and it, because sure of the God whom he served
and whose law was, for him, the basis of all human action.
Presbyterianism as the divinely appointed system of church
government found in him a loyal and consistent supporter;
and because he was so confident of that, he was prepared to
defend it with all his power.
Davidson's influence in Church and Nation seems, however,
to have been due more to his personal piety than to any other
of his great qualities. If a man is to be judged by his peers,
then he passes the test exceedingly well and their good opinions
have been echoed by many modern writers. Fleming in The Fuiftiling
of the S£rsptures says he was" eminently zealous and faithful
for his Master in a time of the Church's defection ", and
quotes Didoclavius (i.e. Caldenwood) as calling him " Cato,
et Constans, Cato sni temp oris in his preface to the Altare
Dam ascenum. M'Crie sums up his qualities in this verdict-"
Davidson was a man of sincere and warm piety and of no inconsiderable
portion of learning, united with a large share of that blunt
and fearless honesty which characterized the first Reformers."
Boyd of Trochrig in his Philotheca terms him a whip of false
priestrule
|
| 244 |
|
and a very keen promoter of a purer teaching,
an absolutely apostolic chap, and after Wishart and Knox,
not lacking in prophetic grace as everyone knew to whom he
was well known." lIe adds that Davidson often made hononrable
mention to him ofhis father, Archbishop Boyd, with whom he
had lived on most intimate terms, and in the name of that
friendship he used to show paternal affection to him-self'
Wodrow adds as a postscript to what he has written concerning
this eminent minister, the following words :-" I shall add
Mr. Kirkstoun's character of Mr. Davidson which is very just
and well-founded, 'Mr. John Davidson was excellently learned,
eminently pious, and endued with the spirit of prophecy. lIe
was the salt of the Church of Scotland both in the pulpit
and judicatones, both for zeal and constancy, and died a sufferer
under King James, notwithstanding all the respect he professed
for him.'" We require no further witness to prove that in
the pages of Scotland's history there has been no man more
highly regarded by that school which carried on the succession
of the Reformers. The intention of his soul was to bring all
life into line with Christ's purposes, and his loyalty to
the Master and His Cause was so unquestionably great that
he could not refrain from speaking out, wherever and whenever
he saw error, ecclesiastical or moral.
It will be noticed that in some of the tributes to Davidsonjust
quoted there is a reference to his possessmg the gift of prophecy.
Such a gift has, at different times, been attributed to great
and good men by
|
| 245 |
|
enthusiastic admirers and followers,
and in the early days of the Reformation many attributed it
to John Knox and other ministers. Andrew tang simply dismisses
the subject with the sneer that their " subliminal premonitions
'gave them part of their power with the people. Burnet is
even less complimentary, remarking thus on Davidson and Bruce
who were supposed to have inherited the gift from Knox "Some
of the things that they foretold came to pass but my father,
who knew them both, told me ofmany of their predictions that
he himself heard them throw out, which had no effect but all
these were forgot, and if some more probable guessings which
they delivered as prophecies were accomplished, these were
much magnified"' Against these views we must set others, as
in Davidson's case the question 0r prophetic utterances cannot
be so lightly dismissed. Wodrow sets up a strong defence ofit
on the grounds that men of singular piety, especially in the
more extraordinary periods of the Church, have been favoured
with singular communications of the Lord's mind and notices
of things to come; "and in a way perfectly consistent with
the full revelation in the Word, the only rule of faith and
practice ; to which these persons highly favoured of the Lord
have still showed the greatest regard." He is aware of a great
unwillingness on the part of many to credit such prophecies
and he holds that they ought to be weil vouched for. He himself
he says, is not given to an easy credulity in such matters
and he tests them in the same way as he tests all facts concerning
the Reformation and following years. He has "the
|
| 246 |
repeated and good testimonies of credible witnesses, under no
bias, having full opportunity to be informed, and many of them
living in time of these facts '. Regarding Davidson's case and
the facts he relates concerning him, he cites as his supports
Scot of Conpar, Row, Livingston, Fleming and " an interrupted
account yet remaining in the parish where Mr. Davidson died"
The judgment of M'Crie on a subject like this ought also to
be borne in mind. "The Reformers", he writes, " were men of
singular piety ; they were exposed to uncommon opposition and
had uncommon services to perform they were endued with extra-ordinary
gifts and why may we not suppose that they were occasionally
favoured with extraordinary premonitions, with respect to certain
events which concerned themselves, other individuals or the
Church in general? But whatever intimations of this kind they
received, they never proposed them as a rule of action to themselves
or others, nor rested the authority of their mission upon these,
nor appealed to them as constituting any part of the evidence
of those doctrines which they preached to the world."2 All that
is true of Davidson. Although Row describes him as "a verie
prophet of God" and Wodrow dwells at length on his gifts in
that direction, yet he never presumed on the possession of them.
The warnings by which he frequently enforced his counsels, and
the threats he made were so often realized, that they led to
beliefin his preternatural powers. Many interesting stories
have thus been related concerning
|
| 247 |
|
the minister of Prestonpans, one or two
of the most striking of which may be set down here.
It has been already observed more than once that Spottiswood
in his history invariably refers to Davidson in terms of disrespect
and even contempt. The following anecdote, related by John
Livingston,a may explain to some extent the Bishop's antipathy
to that eminent minister. When Davidson was Moderator of the
Synod of Lothian, two young ministers, Mr. John Spottiswood
of Calder: and Mr. James Law of Kirkliston, were brought before
the brethren to be censured for playing at Football on the
Lord's Day. He urged that they might be deposed but the Syn0d
would not go so far as that. When they were called in, Davidson
said, Come in, ye pretty football men, the Synod hath ordained
you only to be rebuked" ; and, turning to the Synod, he said,
"And now, brethren, let me tell you what reward you shall
get for your lenity. These two men shall trample on your necks
and the necks of the ministry in Scotland." It is well known
what an accomplishment this prediction had, as both, after
becoming bishops, 'did much mischief"
Being at dinner on one occasion with Robert
Bruce, who was then in great favour with the King, Davidson
uttered the following words in giving thanks after meat Lord,
thy servant here is now a great favourite of the court and
in much respect; but he shall be within a little as much persecuted
as he is now in favour, and go down the streets, when many
who have him this day in esteem will not give
|
| 248 |
|
him a salutation " this was very manifest soon afterwards.
At another time when he and Bruce dined with an Edinburgh
magistrate who was very friendly to the godly ministers, he
gave utterance to words like these :-" Lord, this good man
hath respect for thy sake to thy servants, but he little knoweth
that in a short time he must carry us both who are here to
prison" which words greatly troubled the magistrate, though
in the course of his duties it fell to him to do exactly as
Davidson had predicted.
Not very long before his death this faithful m,nister was
visited after Communion by Mrs. Kerr, the widow bf Knox,'
and her son John. The young gentleman had lately come from
France and was attired in courtly garments. Davidson did,
in a solemn manner, charge him to cast off his scarlet cloak
and lay aside his gilded rapier and take him to study "for
you are the man", says he, "who is to succeed me in the ministry
at this place ". Kerr went home pondering the minister's words
and later he offered himself as a student for the ministry.
He did succeed John Davidson at Prestonpans where he was,
for many years, a holy and faithful minister of the Gospel.
Despite these and many other instances of his prophetic gifts
Davidson made no claim for himself over his brethren. He was
the most modest of men, transparently honest and purely disinterested.
In his manifold services to the Church he gave himself to
the work of God without counting the cost.
|
| 249 |
| Spottiswood, among his many unjust statements concerning this
godly man, has asserted that he was always aspiring to be one
of the ministers of Edinburgh. Nothing is farther from the truth;
in Wodrow's words the statement is "without any proof, void
of foundation and contrary to fact Although both in Scotland
and England his discourses were greatly appreciated, Davidson
modestly declared himself" no preacher ", and when invited by
the Moderator to address the Synod of Fife when present as a
visitor, he would not take precedcnce of the aged Ferguson who,
he said, had been an " actor " in the early days ofthe Reformation
when he himself had been but a " spectator ".' A short letter
which he wrote in I doo to the wcll-known preacher, Walter Balcanquhall,
reveals a striking tenderness of heart and modesty of spirit
most beautiful in the otherwise stern and uncompromising champion
of the Kirk. ile had heard some evil reports as to their friendship
and he must needs remove any misunderstanding lest Satan should
have his way and their Christian love should be shaken. Each,
he says, mislikes certain things in the other, but if they do
right, each will see many things to mislyke and damne in himself.
He is persuaded of their tender regard for each other and he
pleads that they please one another in what is good, that they
break not unity in truth and Christian love. He protests his
utter good-will and thus concludes And therefore, loving brother,
let us be wise in Christ. And though Satan has desired to sift
us, let us be assured that Christ hath prayed for us that our
|
| 250 |
faith fail not."' Such love in the strong man is very impressive.
A not uncommon fault with the Church leader is that he finds
it difficult to believe that he can ever be wrong. Davidson,
however, was not guilty of so grave a defect of character. He
was willing to be advised to withdraw some of the extravagant
speeches which the provocative behaviour of the King or the
supineness of his brethren had led him to make. He could be
wonderfully apologetic at times, not from any fear of consequences
to himself but just because he evidently felt that he had gone
a little too far.
In the foregoing chapters there has constantly been indicated
the great influence of Davidson upon the Church of his day.
There were few matters of importance in which he did not have
a share, and his brethren were continually committing to him
tasks of the utmost importance. One marvels, however, that so
prominent a minister was never Moderator of the General Assembly.
Although nominated with others on one or two occasions, he failed
to secure the majority of votes. Despite that trifling fact,
it is true that the Scottish Church has had few greater men
and few who have been listened to with greater respect or to
greater purpose by their brethren, even if at times excessive
vehemence robbed him of some of his power. It can be affirmed
with confidence that no braver or more disinterested man has
ever championed the rights of Christ's Kirk and of the Kingdom
of God in Scotland. If it be true that God sent Andrew Melville
to keep the |
| 251 |
Nation and the Church loyal to their inheritance of liberty,
it is equally true that God sent John Davidson to be one of
that great man S most ardent supporters in the carrying on of
the good work.
Davidson's life and service, however, must not be regarded as
dependent upon Melville. Quite apart from that leader of men,
he exercised upon the whole Church an influence all his own
which did much to reanimate its waning zeal. In a degree not
inferior to any of his most distinguished contemporaries he
upheld those principles of freedom which at length having secured
consolidation and force, expelled a dynasty and laid the foundation
of constitutional government. He may, at times, have been rather
too assertive and pugnacious, but only such a temperament could
suffice for the age in which he lived. What Professor Mackinnon
says of Melville can be said with perfect justification of Davidson-Choleric
and impulsive as he was, his stout words in defence of his convictions
and in defiance of authority arbitrarily used have in them the
ring of a powerful individuality, which impressed itself on
his country-men and bequeathed its inspiration to their resistance
to coercive methods in Church and State.~~ In addition to that,
in his public witness to the Gospel and in the pastoral work
of his own parish, he proved himself a leader wise in counsel,
persuasive in conference and decisive in action. His services
rendered to the cause of reformed religion, often without fee
or reward, and his munificent gifts for the advancement of education,
entitle him to grateful remembrance. |
| 252 |
| It only remains to be said that5 after a careful consideration
of Davidson's many and varied activities and after seeking to
appraise his service to Church and Nation, the outstanding impression
which a study of his life leaves upon the mind is the moral
splendor of the ma~ hindsight His was a fervent and disinterested
zeal, combined with inflexible adherence to what he believed
to be the cause of rightness and God. He could have neither
part nor lot with that sort of worthy people who so annoyed
Voltaire because, seeing a wrong, they simply groaned over it,
went home to their supper and forgot all about it. Davidson
was made of sterner stuff; what mattered to him mattered supremely.
He saw his way and resolutely pursued it. Even when his health
was seriously impaired he could not be induced to violate his
conscience by making any unworthy compliance. Though lie sometimes
erred he was infinitely to be preferred to the mere compromiser
who was neither hot nor cold. Like some other Reformers whose
names are held in highest honor John Davidson had the courage
and strength of those who believed that it was better to suffer
than to sin, and that in all circumstances and at any sacrifice
we ought to obey God rather than men. He is a great personate
in Scottish Church history who has given u~ a shining example
of the moral daring which is the greatest property of the human
soul and the spring of its noblest achievement". Thus his place
in the records of the Reformed Church of Scotland is one that
cannot be challenged. |
| 253 |
|
Back 