Thank you all for coming this evening, and before I begin a short talk on John Hooper, I am right in recollecting that earlier in the year we had someone speaking about William Tyndale. This was in the Daily Telegraph, dated Friday the 10th this year, And the subheading is, Melvin Bragg tells the astonishing story of William Tyndale and the brains behind the King James Bible. And I just thought it might be interesting just to read a couple of pieces from this article, remembering that the man that wrote it is not a believer, of course. But this is what he says, meanwhile in 1517, England, William Tyndale had set himself against the law to go back to the original Greek New Testament and translate it into English accessible to the illiterate and literate. By an unanticipated consequence, his translation made him, according to medieval historian Ian Mortimer, the only writer in the English language more influential than Shakespeare. later on, and he translated Presbyterus not as priest but as elder. Christians, he said, needed no such intermediator. Christ was the only intermediary between themselves and God. In those two words, Tyndale sent a wrecking ball through centuries of authority. later on. The Coverdale Bible, the Matthew Bible and others in the 16th century followed up to the King James in 1611. What they have in common is that all of them plagiarised Tyndale's work. In Shakespeare there is over 1300 references to Tyndale's words which are reproduced in the plagiarised Bibles the Bard would have heard. The English version of Protestantism, fed at its source by Tyndale, became the quarry in which millions found truth in their faith. His words provoke democracy, enrich liberty and literature, and are a magnificent global cultural achievement. That's a secular writer on William Tyndale. I know, but I thought it might just be interesting to read that. John Hooper was born in the reign of Henry VII in 1495 and he was born in Somerset whereabouts we have no idea but all we know that he come or he came should I say from Somerset. He went up to Merton College in Oxford in 1514 and he took a Bachelor of Arts in 1518. And then virtually nothing is known of John Hooper in the next 21 years or so. But it was in that period that John Hooper came to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And of course he obviously records this, very influential in leading to his conversion were reading of books by Ilric Zwingli, and the commentary of Paul's letters by John Bullinger of Zurich. Fox's Book of Martyrs tells us that Hooper's love and knowledge of the scriptures compelled him to leave Oxford. He went and served in the household of one Sir Thomas Arundel, and he retained John Hooper as his steward. Sir Thomas Arundel liked him as a person but did not follow or agree with his Christian views. As a result, John Hooper left his service and journeyed to Paris. He stayed there for a short time before returning to England and there he was in service to a man, Mr. Sentlow. And John Hooper was a man of strong views, and he was not a man that kept them to himself. He began to voice his strong views. For him, the reforms in the Church of England had not gone far enough. And he began to attract the attention of this man. And this is someone who you perhaps would not rather attract their attention. And as a result of Henry VIII making inquiries about him, John Hooper fled to the continent. And one of his things that he said at that time was this, our king has destroyed the Pope but not the papacy. On the continent he met Bullinger and other reformers and through these contacts John Hooper became even more reformed in his thinking. Particularly that the church needed to be purified according to the scriptures. And on the continent he visited Germany and Basel and Zurich And also another great event in his life occurred while he was on the continent. He met and he married a Burgundian lady whose name was Anna de Terserklae. They married in 1546 and from what we gather it appears to have been a very happy marriage. Of course, That's a rather flattering picture of King Henry VIII. That's not so much. It makes you feel sorry for Catherine Park, doesn't it? His last wife. Imagine waking up to that every morning. And as you can see, that's quite near the end. I mean, he was apparently a grotesque figure at the end, I believe. Anyway, in 1547, Henry VIII died. and his son succeeded him. His son, of course, becoming Edward VI. John Hooper felt with the accession of Edward VI, who was a Protestant, he was able to return to England and he arrived back in this country in May 1549. He came back with a reputation. He came back with a reputation as a man of great soundness. Soundness in his doctrine. And this reputation had gone before him. And he was soon approached and served in ministry as a chaplain to the protector. of England at that time, the Duke of Somerset. Of course you're aware that Edward VI was a minor and therefore there was a protector and at that time it was the Duke of Somerset. John Hooper was a man he preached usually twice a day and crowds flocked to hear him. And in 1550, he was nominated to be the next Bishop of Gloucester. He had preached a series of Lent sermons before the King, prior to his nomination. And Hooper's time on the continent had showed him how much the English church needed to, or had to, reform. He had learned so much from the Continental Reformers. But those who would perhaps criticize John Hooper say that he made no allowance for the slow growth that was happening here in England. Some have even accused him of having a harsh spirit. Indeed, he has been described as an aggressive and an advanced reformer. However, we must obviously say in John Hooper's defense, he was deeply distressed, deeply distressed over the corrupt condition of the church at that time. And of course, it's true for us today, isn't it? when we see the church corrupt today or parts of the church corrupt today. Although we may are not part of it per se, we should still be distressed by what is happening. And what was John Hooper's desire, what was he, he longed for was a New Testament pattern to be restored to the church here in England. As I say, he was in 1550, he was offered the position of the bishop or to be the next bishop of Gloucester. He wanted the appointment so that he could be in a position to put into the practice those practical issues that he had for reforming the church. And Hooper had no time, he had very little patience for what he considered, in his words, feckling ceremonies and foolish superstitions. In fact, he would believe them to be sinful and he was not willing to compromise. One thing one could say about John Hooper and how we would pray for men like this today in positions of authority in the church, John Hooper was no pragmatist. as far as he concerned and the big issue for him was vestments or robes. Because he believed they were contrary to scripture and I've got a list here, I'm not going to go through it but this is just a list of some of the things that people wear as vestments and what they are and sometimes what they signify. And he was against all of that. and he made his stand very clear. He could not wear what he considered as obnoxious. Because these garments, wearing them of course, would have offended his conscience. And so there was this offer, if you want to call it an offer, to take up the Bishopric of Gloucester, one that he desired to take because of the influence and the input that he could put into that diocese, but he would not take up the appointment because of his view that wearing vestments was sinful and against scripture. I guess this does happen because he quarrelled with two very people that we would respect perhaps quite greatly. One was Thomas Cranmer who of course later on after John Hooper was martyred in the reign of Queen Mary Tudor. Thomas Cranmer is a man who, if you've ever read any part of the Book of Common Prayer, the prayers, the collects that he wrote, they're very, very instructional, very godly prayers. And yet this man sadly quarrelled with John Hooper over the vestment issue. At this time, of course, Thomas Cranmer was Archbishop of Canterbury. And the other man that John Hooper quarrelled with over this issue was Nicholas Ridley. Nicholas Ridley at this time was Bishop of London and he too of course would in due course pay for his life for his faith. Indeed he was burnt with Hugh Latimer. I think it was in Oxford they were burnt. And also Hooper objected to the new prayer book service. This of course is not the prayer book that he objected to because this is what is known as the 1662 prayer book. There have been a couple of prayer books. The one that he was having problem with was the 1552 prayer book. And one more. I just thought that might be up there. That's from the Book of Common Prayer, of course. Probably hardly ever used today, except at eight o'clock in the morning, and they probably wouldn't use that. Not the burial for the dead, although having said that, for some it might be quite appropriate. Also, one other thing that Bishop Hooper objected to was taking an oath. involving or invoking or the invocation of the saints. Also he objected to the way the Bible was paraded. Or there was exact instructions how, if you were carrying the Bible, how you were to hold it. It seems strange, doesn't it? Those who here bring a Bible to church, I mean, no one notices how you carry it, whether it's in your shopping bag, whether it's in your handbag, whether it's under your arm, in your hand, or wherever. But in those days, if you had a Bible being processed through a church, it had to be done in a correct way, it had to be held in a correct way. Another thing that he objected to was the holding up of the bread and wine at the Lord's Supper. Very often at a church, Church of England, Holy Communion or perhaps the Eucharist, the officiator, the man who's, these days, and the woman I suppose, who's doing it, will lift up, particularly the cup. And there is, and of course everybody's kneeling. and the inference of it is obvious, isn't it? You know, what are you needing before? Bread and a cup, even though it will not be, it's not transubstantiation, because this is the Church of England, or most of it at least. But he objected to this, this holding it up, and he was a man, as I say, who had very, very strong principles. And he would have nothing whatsoever to do with what he saw as contrary to scripture. I suppose we would call it today the regulative principle held in his life. And he would also have things that were not in the scripture. He would only have things that were commanded in the scripture. He would not have the additional things which the scripture perhaps doesn't say anything But the main argument coming down to it was his refusal of the wearing of robes or vestments. As I say, he maintained that the practice was a leftover from the Levitical priesthood of Aaron. And of course if you go by, we sometimes on our journey up to church on, they all say morning sometimes, we pass a Roman Catholic church at Polgate and we often go by just as they're finished their service and people are leaving and there's usually one or sometimes two men outside and They are quite bright. One's got a very bright green thing with all sorts of colours around it and everything. That's the sort of thing that he objected to. But of course he would also object, if you liked, to the ordinary thing, just the white surplus and the black cassock. He would not have anything to do with that either. He believed that the Gospel abolished the priesthood. He believed in the priesthood of all believers. that one man's ministry was as valid as another. Yes, some people are called into certain positions of authority, and rightly so, and the church recognises that authority and serves under that authority. But when it comes to actual worshipping and taking the things of the Lord's Supper, that he would say all those priestly sort of things that was gone in the Gospel. Very simplistic, isn't it? I mean, when we read the Scriptures, it is, isn't it? It's a simple remembrance service of the Lord's death. And he always would say as well that garments, vestments, always smacked of Roman Catholicism. In Hooper's words, papistical. And he also stated that vestments belonged to the Antichrist. and he would maintain that no New Testament church in doctrine and in practice could countenance such a thing. And of course this caused an immense delay on his becoming or accepting the ministry there as the new Bishop of Gloucester and King Edward himself King Edward himself where he became concerned over the delay. And indeed King Edward himself intervened in the situation. He intervened with the oath that Hooper was requested to swear and the palm that he objected to. And this oath And the words that he had to swear were words that were being decreed by the late King Henry VIII. In these words were included a mention of the saints placed in association with God. And indeed, King Edward himself struck out the words much to Hooper's delight. Of course there was still the issue of his refusal to wear vestments or robes and Cranmer and Ridley, both Thomas Cranmer and Nicholas Ridley, threatened John Hooper. Indeed legal advice was taken and the advice that was given was to do it the way that John Hooper wanted it or perhaps even demanded it. But Bishop Ridley stuck his heels in and said no. And he maintained that the laws of the King, the law of the Church and the law of Parliament must be obeyed. Ridley tried to respond to John Hooper's demands. Hooper was asked to consider the issue in perspective and consider the following. This was what the question was to him. Was the government of the church solely declared in the scriptures or was there a place for this role by the state? Of course, remember, this is the Church of England. And of course, we have that still situation today, don't we? You know, we have bishops of the Church of England in Parliament, or in the House of Lords, at least. And whenever there's a state occasion, one or two of them are dragged out to do what's ever necessary. And whenever there's anything official, a royal wedding, which I'm sure you'll I don't know, perhaps you're not like me, I'm fed up with you over here. One of them would be, I suspect, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and then he's going to baptise this lady, what's her name, whatever, and then confirm her. I mean, surely he's going to ask, are you a Christian? I don't suppose that would come into it. The state, still interfering, well not interfering, helped run into the church. And of course, we as, I trust, good non-conformists, would be very much on the side of John Hooper. That the state has no right to interfere in the running of the church. And if, for example, if the government pass a law tomorrow and say we've all got to drive on the right-hand side of the road, then I'm happy to, well, I'm not happy, but I'll obey that. because that's what we've got to do. But if they introduce a law tomorrow that says you're not allowed to read the Bible in public, then that's a law we must be prepared to break. Obviously you pay the consequences of breaking such a law. And of course the other thing you have to remember as well, at this time, Well later on of course, what their answers were, the reformers answers were to those that were questioning them, interrogating them, were matters of life and death and not just a very nasty death at that. The other question that Ridley put to John Hooper, does the state have the right to regulate the church? And of course they are major issues for today. And there are many people, many people in, certainly in secular life, would like to see the Church of England what they call disestablished, like the Church of Wales is. But that's not our brief tonight to think about that. Then Ridley made an offer to consecrate John Hooper wearing anything he liked, anything he liked. John Hooper would drop his assertion that vestments were sinful. As I say Hooper was not a pragmatist and he refused. And so and then on the 20th of December 1550 John Hooper published his Confession of Faith. And then the next issue or stage in his life was that he was placed under arrest in Lambeth Palace. And on the 27th of January, 1551, he was put into the Fleet Prison. And I don't think the Fleet Prison was a very nice place to be put in. And indeed, after a month or so in that prison, John Hooper submitted. I don't think it was an act of cowardice on his part. One's only got to read the descriptions of his death and the way that he spoke and answered his interrogators when he was under arrest. But what happened or so in that month he had persuaded himself that he could do much good in the reformation of the church as Bishop of Gloucester. And so, on the 8th of March in 1551, he was indeed consecrated Bishop of Gloucester. I want to, if I may, just quote some words that John Hooper himself said. The Scriptures are the law of God. None may set aside their commands, nor add to their injunctions. Christ's kingdom is a spiritual one. Neither the Pope nor King may govern the Church. Christ alone is the Governor of His Church. The Scriptures and the Apostles' Churches are solely to be followed, and no man's authority. There is nothing to be done in the Church but is commanded by the Word of God. And on taking up his ministry as Bishop of Gloucester, John Hooper soon discovered the appalling ignorance that abounded in his diocese. His own words, he says this, he found them inhospitable, non-resident, inefficient, drunken and evil living incumbents, i.e. that's the clergy. He did a survey, I'm sure perhaps you may have read of this, he did a survey in his diocese of 311 clergy. And in that 311, 9 didn't know there were 10 commandments, 32 didn't know where they would be found in the Bible, 168 could not state the 10 commandments, could not recite the Lord's Prayer and 30 didn't know that the Lord Jesus Christ was the author of the Lord's Prayer. And so you get some idea of the appalling ignorance. Now that's Gloucester Diocese and I'm sure it was the same in all the others up and down the country. But in 1553 Edward VI died and Mary Tudor ascended to the throne. Mary Tudor of course was the first daughter born to Henry VIII or at least the first daughter that survived to Henry VIII and her mother was Catherine of Aragon and Mary was a staunch Roman Catholic and one of her aims was that she was determined to bring back or if you like to restore the Roman Catholic religion in England. John Hooper was soon arrested and sent as a prisoner once again he went back to the Fleet Prison. He was examined a number of times by Gardner by Bonner who were bishops, Roman Catholic bishops and others. And their aim was simply, well simply their aim was to make John Hooper recant, to once again take on Roman Catholicism. They of course failed. John Hooper stood firm. holding to his Protestant convictions and his Protestant principles. Indeed, Foxe's Book of Martyrs tells us that he was eventually condemned for holding a view. Firstly, for two things. Firstly, that it was right for priests to marry. And secondly, for denying the doctrine of transubstantiation, which I'm sure you know that basically when the priest says the magic words, the bread becomes the body of Christ actually, and the wine becomes the blood of Christ actually. And that of course is the Mass, a re-sacrifice of Christ every time it's carried out, which is absolutely, totally and utterly against scripture and indeed the 39 articles of the Church of England call the Mass a blasphemous fable. On the 5th of February, as I say, he is paid guilty, as they saw it, and condemned to death. On the 5th of February 1555 he began his final journey to Gloucester. and he arrived there on the 7th of that February. And between then, from the moment that he'd obviously been found that he would be burnt, he spent much, much time in prayer. And one can only imagine who the Lord must have strengthened and sustained him, because he knew what was coming. Thinking of that journey, knowing this would be his last journey, and what awaited him when he got to Gloucester. And Saturday, the 9th of February, was the day that was set for his execution. When he arrived at Gloucester he was placed in a house owned by a man called Mr Ingram and indeed a number of people came to visit him and these included Sir Anthony Kingston, also coming was the Mayor of Gloucester and also the various sheriffs of Gloucester. One of John Hooper's notable sayings to his visitors is found actually in J.C. Ryle's book, Five English Reformers. He was, this is John Hooper of course, willing to give up his life rather than consent to the wicked epistical religion of the Bishop of Rome. He was led out to his execution. That is a monument in Gloucester on the site on which Bishop Hooper was martyred. Many, many years ago we visited Gloucester and we asked in the cathedral where the monument was to Bishop Hooper. It's tucked around at the back and to me it looked quite shabby. And I wrote to the council of Gloucester saying that they ought to be ashamed of themselves that they made this monument to deteriorate. And they wrote back and said that they honoured Bishop Hooper and the monument wasn't. But it was quite tatty, wasn't it? I thought it was, anyway. But I suppose they would today, you see, a man of principle like that is perhaps not as thought so much of as some others. And of course he was led out to his place of execution and I'd like to read if I may from this edition of Foxe's Book of Martyrs and this is what it says. At eight o'clock on February the 9th, 1555, he was led forth and many thousands of persons were collected as it was market day, all the way being straightly charged not to speak and beholding the people who mourned bitterly for him. He would sometimes lift up his eyes toward heaven and look very cheerfully upon such as he knew. and he was never known during the time of his being among them to look with so cheerful and ruddy accountedance as he did at that time. When he came to the place appointed where he should die, he smilingly beheld the stake and preparations made for him, which was near unto the great elm tree against the college of priests where he used to preach. Thereafter he would enter a prayer, a box was brought, and lay before him upon a stool with his pardon from the Queen, if he would turn. At the sight whereof he cried, If you love my soul, away with it. The box being taken away, Lord Chanduas said, Seeing there is no remedy, dispatch him quickly. Command was now given that the fire should be kindled, but because there was not more green faggots than two horses could carry, it kindled not speedily. and it was a pretty while also before it took the reeds upon the faggots. At length it burned about him, but the wind having full strength at that place, and being a lowering cold morning, it blew the flame from him, so that he was in a manner little more than touched by the fire. within a space after a few dry faggots were brought, and the new fire kindled with faggots, for there were no more reeds, and those burned at the nether parts, but had small power above, because of the wind, saving that it burnt his hair and scorched his skin a little. In the time of which fire, even at the first time flame, he prayed, saying mildly and not very late, but as one without pain, O Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon me and receive my soul. After the second fire was spent, he wiped both his eyes with his hands, and beholding the people, he said with an indifferent loud voice, For God's love good people, let me have more fire. And all this while his nether parts did burn, but the faggots were so few that the flame only singed his upper parts. The third fire was kindled within a while, after which was more extreme than the other two. In this fire he prayed with a laid voice, Lord Jesus have mercy upon me, Lord Jesus receive my spirit. and these were the last words he was heard to utter. But when he was black in the mouth and his tongue so swollen he could not speak, yet his lips went until they were shrunk to the gums and he knocked his breasts with his hands until one of his arms fell off and then knocked still the other while the fat water and blood dropped out at his finger ends until by renewing the fire his strength was gone. and his hand clave fast in knocking to him the iron upon his breast, then immediately bearing forwards, he yielded up his spirit. Thus was he three quarters an hour or more in the fire, even as a lamb patiently he abode the extremity thereof, neither moving forwards, backwards, nor in any side, but he died as quietly as a child in his bed. and he nay reigneth, I doubt not, as a blessed martyr in the joys of heaven, prepared for the faithful in Christ before the foundations of the world, for whose consistency all Christians are bound to praise God. There is, you notice in the monument, he's wearing robes. This was put up in Victorian days, and they think it was just really a, that was the thing they did in Victorian days, clergy wore robes. So really that picture, or rather that statue, should I say, is not a true representation of Bishop John Hooper. It has been said, and I would not disagree with it, that John Hooper was a man ahead of his time. He has been described as one of the first Puritans, a forerunner of the Puritans. And of course, certainly, he was not perfect. But he was a man of principle, a man who was willing to die for his Christian beliefs. And of course there were many others that were willing to do the same. 36 in Sussex, for example, who willingly gave their lives for the gospel. And surely as we sit here tonight in comfort and with very little possibility of that sort of persecution, certainly and even if it were, we would certainly not face the awful death that John Hooper faced. There is surely a challenge. That's the way some people are like. They don't know where they're going. This way or that way. Some Christians are like that. There was a thing I heard once, somebody told me about the number of people that were what he called Christopher Columbus Christians. Christopher Columbus was a man that when he set off, he didn't know where he was going. When he got there, he didn't know where he was. And when he got back, he didn't know where he'd been. And so many Christians live their lives like that. They just live day by day, and whatever happens that day, it just goes on. They have no firm roots. They're not anchored in doctrine. They may be anchored in some experience. Or they may be anchored in a particular minister, or a particular church, or a particular version of the Bible, or a particular hymn book. And when troubles come, whether it's through the everyday things we all get, illnesses and pains and things like that, or whether it's through persecution, they've got no room, no grounds to stand on. And it's quite a challenge, isn't it? And it's a challenge when you look and if you read things like from Barnabas and other organisations that deal with the believers in countries where they are persecuted. What they have to go through. So we don't want to be someone that's going this way and that way. We want to be someone that's going Christ's way. With Christ in the vessel, I can smile at the storm. And one other, Keep watch and stay alert. And the next question is, and there's no prizes, where is that? I don't know if anybody, does anybody know? I know you know, because you was with me when I took the picture. It's not too far away, actually. But the thing is, that's what we have to do. Keep watch and stay alert. And trust in the Lord. John Hooper's legacy lives on today. There are many godly men and women in this country who love the Lord Jesus Christ, who serve him faithfully and would be willing to put up with whatever comes to suffer for his name. And it's a reminder to us, isn't it? Now we're coming to the end, aren't we, of a year where we... I mean, one of the problems with anniversaries is that you tend to forget it when it's gone, don't you? But surely we should remember the reformers every day. Thank God for them and what they achieved, what they accomplished. and trust that God will so use us in our day as he used men like Bishop Hooper in his day. Let's just pray together for a moment, shall we? Our dear, gracious Lord and Heavenly Father, we do indeed thank you for men like Bishop John Hooper. Lord we would know and believe that like us he was far from perfect but he was a man that loved the Lord Jesus Christ, he was a man that loved the scriptures and he was a man that was prepared to die for the truth of the scriptures and for the truth of the gospel. We thank you Lord for men and women like him who paid that price of martyrdom under the reign of Queen Mary. We thank you, Lord, that such a shock and such a revulsion went up at that time, that we have, at least until recent years, remained a Protestant nation. And so, Lord, we pray that you would help us today We pray you would help those who have authority in the positions in the Church of England, that they would stand firm, that they would stand fast, Lord. But Lord, we can easily point the finger at other churches and other people. But Lord, we pray that you would indeed help us to stand firm in the gospel. to stand firm in the scriptures. And Lord, as we consider in a couple of weeks' time the solar to the glory of God alone, may that be our desire that all that we would seek to do, all that we would seek to be, all that we would seek to say would bring honor and glory to our sovereign God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you, dear Heavenly Father, for being with us this evening. Thank you, Lord, for your enabling grace. And Lord, do bless for the time of fellowship together. And later on, Lord, we pray you would take us to our homes in safety. And we thank you, Lord, that we can go with that sure and certain knowledge of the blessing of our God that goes with us. And so we just thank you again for this evening. We thank you for the meetings that have been held this year, both here and at the Baptist Church. We would commend, Lord, that meeting to you, yet to come in December. And may we know, each one of us, know your peace and your joy and your strength. We commend one another to you now, in the most precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.