Who Was Hugh Latimer?
EDITOR'S LETTER
King David Playing the Harp (1622) by Gerard van Honthorst
Psalm 86 is a prayer of David in which he lists several reasons why he calls upon God in prayer.
Verse 7 gives one of the great reasons for calling upon God in prayer: “For You will answer me.” What is the point of calling upon God if He will not answer? Surely there is none at all, yet many people foolishly do that as they pray to their false gods. The situation of Elijah on Mount Carmel with the prophets of Baal and the Israelites comes to mind (1 Kings 18). The people cried out to Baal all day long, even though he did not answer. Elijah prayed a short, simple prayer and God answered. What a privilege to come to God and know that He answers prayer.
Another reason for praying to God is given in verse 10, “For You are great and do wondrous things.” The greatness of God is seen in His wondrous works. No one else could create the universe out of nothing by speaking. God said in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” What a wonderful promise! God hears, answers and does great things in response to prayer – things even greater than we can imagine. Paul expressed this clearly in Ephesians 3:20, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.”
More reasons for calling upon God are given in verse 5, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.” As sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God, no one deserves to receive answers to prayer from God. But God is good, merciful and forgiving. You will receive mercy from God if you call upon Him with all your heart. Do not fear condemnation. God will forgive you if you confess your sins to Him (1 John 1:9). Further attributes of God are revealed in verse 15, “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”
The ultimate reason for calling upon God instead of calling upon false gods or depending on people is because He alone is God (verses 8 and 10). Since He is the only God, He is sovereign over all things. King Nebuchadnezzar said it so well when he said that God does according to His will and no one can stop Him doing as He pleases (Daniel 4:35). Call upon God because He alone is God and mercifully answers prayer.
“For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You.”
Hugh Latimer
Hugh Latimer portrait c. 1555, sourced from Wikimedia Commons.
Hugh Latimer (1485-1555) was born in Leicestershire in England. His early life was spent on the family farm. Young Hugh showed that he had an ability to learn, so at the age of 14 he was sent to the University of Cambridge to study. Later he graduated and became a lecturer in the University.
Latimer lived in a time when people did not have the Bible and very little was known about God or Christ. Even the priests and ministers knew very little about the Bible and very few of them could repeat the Ten Commandments.
At first Latimer was very opposed to the teachings of Martin Luther and was very angry at those people who had obtained copies of the Bible and had begun to read them. He gave some lectures warning the people about this “new religion.”
Hugh Latimer was a very honest and sincere man, but he did not understand the Bible. Sometimes he was troubled about his soul, whether he was saved and forgiven. He went to the priests, but they told him to perform more religious duties and he would be right with God.
About this time, Latimer heard that some of his own students had begun to read the Bible. Although it was a forbidden book at that time, Latimer decided that he should buy a copy and read it. He opened the Bible and read 1 Timothy 1:15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” These were wonderful words to him; he had never heard such words before.
One day, a man named Thomas Bilney came to Latimer and said, “For the love of God, hear my confession.” Latimer agreed to hear Bilney’s confession. But it was not a confession of sin, for Bilney told him how the Lord had saved him and forgiven all his sins. Latimer too believed and was saved. Then, Latimer began to preach the truth that he had found. Many people became offended with Latimer. Though he was accused of teaching false doctrines, God spared his life.
In 1536 Latimer was made Bishop of Worcester. During the reign of Henry VIII, he was twice thrown into prison because of his preaching. Then, during the short reign of Edward VI, he had freedom to preach God’s Word. But in 1553, Queen Mary came to the throne. Latimer was put in prison in the Tower of London with some other friends. In prison, they studied the Bible together.
Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley on their way to the funeral pyre (1860–1866) by Hermann Schweder
Latimer and his friend Nicholas Ridley were condemned for teaching error. On 16 October 1555, they were burned at the stake at Oxford. When the fires were being lit, Latimer turned to Ridley and said, “Be of good cheer, Master Ridley, and play the man; we shall this day, by God’s grace light a candle in England as will never be put out.” So both of them died. Hugh Latimer was a true man of God. He loved God, and loved and taught His Word, and in the end was prepared to give his life for the Lord and His truth, which he preached.
(From “The Shark’s Secret and 50 Other Stories”
By Ray Cameron-Smith)
What Happened in November
Click the different dates to find out historical Christian events that happened in the month of November. These are listed in chronological order by year.
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People went to Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, on All Saints’ Day and read the Ninety-Five Theses Martin Luther had nailed to the door the previous day. This led to Reformation of the church in Europe.
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The British Act of Supremacy was passed making it a Protestant country. However, this was not a true reformation because the focus was on a break from Roman Catholicism that made King Henry VIII the head of the church instead of the Pope. Countries with true spiritual reformation proclaimed Christ as head of the church.
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John Bunyan was arrested and put in prison for preaching the gospel in England. He wrote The Pilgrim’s Progress while he was in prison.
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Isaac Watts died in England, aged 74. He was a pastor who was also known as the Father of English hymnody because he was the first person to write a large number of hymns in the English language.
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Charles Rhenius was born in Germany. He went to Tamilnadu in India as a missionary. During his time in India, he also wrote books in Tamil and revised the Tamil Bible.
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Horatius Bonar was ordained as the minister of North Church in Kelso, Scotland. As well as preaching God’s word, he wrote many hymns and books to teach gospel truths.
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Charles Spurgeon received an invitation to preach at New Park Street Chapel in London. This led to him becoming pastor of the church at the age of 19 years old.
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‘God Defend New Zealand’ was made New Zealand’s second national anthem. The words were written as a poem in the 1870’s by Thomas Bracken of Dunedin. The tune was composed by John Woods of Lawrence in 1876. His tune was the winner of a competition to write music for the poem.
Hymn - From Depths of Woe I Raise to Thee
1. From depths of woe I raise to Thee
The voice of lamentation;
Lord, turn a gracious ear to me
And hear my supplication:
If Thou iniquities dost mark,
Our secret sins and misdeeds dark,
O who shall stand before Thee?
2. To wash away the crimson stain,
Grace, grace alone availeth;
Our works, alas! Are all in vain;
In much the best life faileth:
No man can glory in Thy sight,
All must alike confess Thy might,
And live alone by mercy.
3. Therefore my trust is in the Lord,
And not in mine own merit;
On Him my soul shall rest, His Word
Upholds my fainting spirit:
His promised mercy is my fort,
My comfort and my sweet support;
I wait for it with patience.
4. What though I wait the live-long night,
And till the dawn appeareth;
My heart still trusteth in His might;
It doubteth not nor feareth:
Do thus, O ye of Israel’s seed,
Ye of the Spirit born indeed;
And wait till God appeareth.
5. Though great our sins and sore our woes
His grace much more aboundeth;
His helping love no limit knows,
Our utmost need it soundeth.
Our Shepherd good and true is He,
Who will at last His Israel free
From all their sin and sorrow.
By Martin Luther, 1523
The Story Behind the Hymn
The hymn ‘From Depths of Woe, I Raise to Thee’ was written by Martin Luther in 1523. It was one of the first hymns he wrote, and is based on Psalm 130. Of course, it was written in the German language. Several people have translated Martin Luther’s hymns into English over the centuries. As is the case with many of his other hymns, more than one person translated this one into English, which is why you can find several versions of this hymn with slightly different wording.
Martin Luther’s hymns were an important part of the Reformation because they presented the gospel in memorable ways that people could understand in their own language and sing in church and in their homes.
Psalm 130 was one of Martin Luther’s favourite psalms because it expressed the situation in which he found himself on many occasions. Although in the depths of trouble and despair as his enemies attempted to prevent him continuing his work of reforming the church, Martin Luther knew that he could raise his voice to God who would hear his supplication. This hymn not only speaks about God hearing the cries of His people, but also deals with the matter of the forgiveness of sins – a crucial topic in those days.
Roman Catholicism taught that people must do works of confession and penance in order for their sins to be forgiven. Martin Luther spoke against that teaching in his preaching and writings, including in this hymn. Take a look at verse two, where he says that it is only by God’s grace and mercy that sinners can be forgiven. “Our works, alas! Are all in vain,” spoke against the teaching people had been led to falsely believe. He continued in verse three by claiming that his trust is therefore in the Lord and not in his own merit. The final verse continues this emphasis by stating that, although our sins our great, God’s grace and love are greater. It is Jesus, our Good Shepherd, who will set us free from sin and sorrow. All by grace, and not by works.
Fittingly, this hymn was sung on 20 February, 1546, while Martin Luther’s body lay in state at the Church of Our Dear Lady in Halle during a pause in the journey to return his body to Wittenberg for burial. I suggest you read through Psalm 130 and compare the words of the biblical text with Martin Luther’s words in this hymn.
Salvation Despite the Messenger
The story of Jonah, the Old Testament prophet who tried to flee from the presence of God when he was told to go to Nineveh and speak God’s message to them, wonderfully shows forth the truth that “Salvation is of the LORD” (Jonah 2:9). Jonah spoke those words in his prayer to God while he was in the belly of the fish that the Lord sent to save him from drowning in the sea after the mariners threw him overboard, as he told them to do in order for the terrible storm to stop. But this truth is also seen on two other occasions. The first of these was most unexpected, but makes it abundantly clear that salvation is of the Lord.
Image source: Hans Isaacson, Unsplash
Instead of obeying God and going to Nineveh, Jonah fled in the opposite direction and boarded a ship going to Tarshish. God sent a violent storm; a storm so bad that the experienced mariners were afraid and began crying out to their false gods to save them. These men were used to storms, but this one was more terrifying than most. They found Jonah sleeping, woke him up and told him to pray to his God in the hope that He would consider them and save them from perishing in the storm.
When the storm got worse, they decided to cast lots to determine who caused the terrible storm to come upon them. The lot fell to Jonah, and they immediately bombarded him with questions: “For whose cause is this trouble upon us? What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” (Jonah 1:8). Earlier on, Jonah told these men that he was fleeing from the presence of his God. Jonah’s response to their questions made the men even more afraid. He said to them, “I am a Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land” (Jonah 1:9). They could see it now. Jonah’s God, who made the sea, sent this terrible storm because He was angry with Jonah for disobeying and running from Him. What should they do? Jonah told them to throw him overboard and the storm would stop, something they were unwilling to do.
Eventually, they did something they had never done before. They prayed to Jonah’s God, the Lord God who is sovereign over all things that happen on earth. Here is their prayer: “We pray, O LORD, please do not let us perish for this man’s life, and do not charge us with innocent blood; for You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You” (Jonah 1:14). What a prayer from pagan Gentiles who up until this moment had never prayed or even thought about the Lord God in a respectful manner.
The mariners threw Jonah overboard and immediately the storm stopped. What a day it had been for those pagan mariners. They saw the work of God in remarkable ways. They saw God send a terrible storm upon the sea. They cast lots and saw God sovereignly choose Jonah as the one responsible for the storm. They heard Jonah say that his God was “the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” These men came to understand the sovereignty of God as they saw His works and heard the words of His prophet. This is evident in their prayer when they said, “For You, O LORD, have done as it pleased You.” To top it all off, they saw God stop the storm in an instant as soon as Jonah was thrown into the sea.
All this led to a dramatic change in their lives. Verse 16 reveals their response to all this, “Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice to the LORD and took vows.” Not long before this, they were praying to their false gods and offering sacrifices to them. After their encounter with Jonah, they forsook their idolatrous practices and began to worship the Lord God who made and controls all things.
“Salvation is of the LORD.”
These men were changed. Even wicked people sometimes cry out to the Lord God in the midst of terrible situations. Once the situation is over, they often forget God and go about their lives as they did beforehand. Not so with these men. They initially prayed to their idols to save them from the storm. Nothing happened. After hearing Jonah, the reluctant Gentile missionary, speak to them, they prayed to the Lord God. After the storm ended, they did more than just pray to Him. They feared Him exceedingly, offered a sacrifice to Him and made vows to Him. They were converted by the power of God.
If you read through the book of Jonah, you will probably get the impression that Jonah did not want the Gentiles to come to a saving knowledge of God. Yet, ironically, God used Jonah to bring the knowledge of God, His sovereignty and His power to save to some wicked Gentile mariners whom God had sovereignly chosen to save from their sins. Jonah was reluctant to go to the Ninevites with the message of God. He ended up going in the opposite direction, and God used his words to save mariners who took the gospel to Tarshish. Eventually, as you can read in chapter 3, Jonah went to Nineveh and God did a remarkable work of salvation in the lives of those Gentiles too.
We hope you enjoyed the excerpts from this month’s volume of The Christian Informer.
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