The patrons of the established religion in the University of St. Andrews, taking advantage of superior literary attainments, had often entangled the exponents of the new faith with sophisms and garbled quotations from the Fathers. Knox had assisted the reform preacher with his pen, and by his superior skill in logic and the writings of the fathers, exposed their popish errors. One day, at a public disputation in the presence of a great number of people, the papal party, having been driven from every defense, fled as their last refuge to the infallible authority of the church, alleging that as the tenets of Luther had been condemned by it as heretical, all further dispute was unnecessary.
Knox replied that before accepting this conclusion it would be necessary to identify the true church by its marks or characteristics given in scripture, lest they should blindly receive a harlot as their spiritual mother.
"For" he continued, "the Roman church as it is now corrupted, wherein stands the hope of your victory, I no more doubt that it is the synagogue of Satan, and that the head thereof, called the Pope, is the man of sin of whom the apostle speaks, than I doubt that Jesus Christ suffered at the investigation of the church at Jerusalem. Yea, I offer myself to prove by word or writing that the Roman church is this day farther degenerated from the purity which existed in the days of the apostles than were the Jews from the ordinances given by Moses, when they consented to the death of Jesus Christ."
To this bold charge, the people responded that, if it was true, they had been miserably deceived, and they demanded that he should ascend the pulpit and give proof of what he had so confidently affirmed.
The next Sunday he redeemed his promise. His text was Dan. 7: 24, 25. He first explained the vision, showing that the four empires represented by the four beasts were Babylon, Persia, Grecia, and Rome, out of the last of which, the power described in his text arose. He proceeded to show that this was applicable to no other power but the degenerate church of Rome, and compared with his text parallel passages in the New Testament, showing that the king here mentioned was the same as elsewhere called the "man of sin," the anti-Christ, the Babylonian harlot; that this did not mean a single person, but a body of people under a wicked head.
In support of his assertion that the papal power was anti-Christian, he described it under its three heads,—life, doctrine, and laws. He depicted the lives of the Popes, and compared their doctrines and laws with those of the New Testament, particularly respecting justification, holidays, abstinence from meats and from marriage. He quoted from the canon law the blasphemous titles and prerogatives ascribed to the Pope as additional evidence to sustain his position. In conclusion he signified that if any present thought that he had misquoted or misinterpreted the testimonies which he had produced from the Scriptures, history, or elsewhere, he was willing, in the presence of witnesses, to give satisfaction. There were present in the audience his former preceptor, the members of the University, the Sub-prior of the Abbey, and a great number of canons and friars of different orders.
This sermon delivered with much of the eloquence for which Knox was afterward celebrated, made a great noise and excited much speculation among all classes. All the reformed preachers who preceded Knox in Scotland, not excepting Wishart, had contented themselves with refuting some of the grosser errors of Popery, but he struck at its very root by boldly denouncing the Pope as anti-Christ.
One of his hearers, Sir David Lindsay, afterward, under the title "Monarchies," put this discourse in rhyme in which, says the historian, "he traced the rise and progress of the Papacy, and the causes which produced the corruption of Christianity, and discovered a knowledge of history which would not disgrace any modern author." It is said that this poem, with others by the same author, was read by every man, woman, and child. The following incident illustrates the effect they produced.
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While a friar was at one time preaching in Perth, after relating some of the miracles purporting to have been wrought at the shrine of the saints, he began to inveigh bitterly against the Lutheran preachers who were endeavoring to withdraw the people from the catholic faith. Instantly a loud hissing arose from that part of the church where some three hundred boys were seated. The friar abashed and affrighted broke off his discourse and fled from the pulpit. An inquiry respecting the origin of the disturbance was made, when it was found that the son of a craftsman in town having Lindsay's "Monarchies" had been reading it to his school-fellows. When the master was about to administer severe chastisement to the boy on account of the disturbance, and for having in his possession such a heretical book, he spiritedly replied that the book was not heretical, and requested his master to read it, professing his willingness to receive punishment if heresy was found in it. The master complied, and was convinced of the truth of the boy's statement. Accordingly he made the best excuse possible for the conduct of his scholars, advised the friar to abstain in future from extolling miracles and abusing Protestant preachers, and was himself ever afterward a friend to the Reformation.
For the sentiments advanced in this sermon Knox was soon called in question by the Sub-prior, who though favorable to the Reformation dared not let such heretical and schismatical doctrines "be taught without some show of opposition." In Knox' able defense he was opposed by a Gray Friar who attempted to prove the divine institution of papal ceremonies. Having been driven from the Gospels to the Acts and from the Acts to the Epistles and from one epistle to another, he was at last obliged to affirm that the apostles had not received the Holy Ghost when they wrote the epistles, but they afterward received it and ordained ceremonies. "Father," exclaimed the Sub-prior, "what say ye? God forbid that ye should say that; for then farewell the ground of our faith."
Instructed by the result of this free discussion, the Papists avoided all further disputation. Had the Castle of St. Andrews been in their possession they would have soon silenced their troublesome preachers, but as it was held by the opposite party, more crafty and moderate measures were necessary. Orders were issued that all the learned men in the university and abbey should preach by turn, and by this means the reformed preachers were excluded in those days when the greatest audiences attended, and all were forbidden to touch on controverted points. Great numbers, however, during the few months which Knox remained at St. Andrews, renounced Popery and embraced the Protestant faith.