If you think the art of preparing Glimpses for you is easy, then we assure you it is not. This issue is a case in point. Our perennial problem is digesting the massive wealth of material and having to cut so much we'd love to include.

This issue was scheduled to be devoted to John Knox -- the fiery reformer and most influential man in the history of Scotland. But to tell his story, we needed to set the stage for his tumultuous career by noting the catalytic role in his life played by his friend George Wishart. The problem is we found it incredibly difficult to just skip over Wishart with a paragraph or two. He kept growing on us. In short, the issue became Wishart's. Knox will have to wait. Well, not completely, because the following account is abridged and paraphrased from Knox's History of the Reformation in Scotland.

The Place: Pre-Reformation Scotland
The Time: Early 1540s

George Wishart was a man so full of grace there was none that had come before to whom we could compare him. He was unusually gifted intellectually, excelling not only in general studies but also in spiritual insight. In fact, we came to recognize that he was also endowed with the spirit of prophecy, and some of his predictions that were later fulfilled were heard firsthand by many. One instance was what happened at Dundee.

He was at Dundee teaching from the Epistle to the Romans. But Cardinal Beaton recruited a leading citizen of Dundee, Mr. Robert Myll, to publicly interrupt Wishart's teaching and warn him in front of everyone gathered that he was to stop preaching and stop troubling the town right away -- that they would put up with no more of it. Wishart paused a long time, looked up to heaven, then looked upon Myll and the crowd that gathered and said: "God knows that I came here not to trouble anyone but to bring comfort. If you are being troubled, I assure you that bothers me more than it does you. But you must realize that to silence me from explaining to you God's word, and to chase me out of town, is not going to preserve you from trouble. It is just the opposite. It will increase your troubles."

So he left and went to the western region where his teaching was received warmly by many. But again the Cardinal stepped in and influenced the Bishop of Glasgow to interfere. This kind of opposition spread so that George was not allowed to enter churches to teach. Local parishioners who wanted to hear him got so upset they were ready to take over the churches by force to allow him place to teach. But Wishart would not hear of it. There was to be no bloodshed for the sake of gaining a place to preach the Word. He was bringing a word of peace. He reminded them how the Lord Christ Jesus was just as potent in the open fields as inside the walls of a synagogue. So on a pleasant and hot day he went up upon a dyke at a moor's edge on the southwest side of Mauchline and preached for over three hours. There was a large and attentive turnout, and the power of God was manifested. In fact one of the most wicked nobles in the area, Lawrence Rankin, was wonderfully converted that day, tears streaming down his face even in front of the others gathered. And I can tell you even now that his conversion was genuine and has lasted right up till this time.

"More Trouble" Back at Dundee
Four days after he was forced to leave Dundee, the terrible plague broke out there. The death count grew rapidly. Every day more people were dying. When Master George heard of this he went back there right away against the advice of his colleagues. Many rejoiced at his return to minister to them again. He preached at the East Port of the town and taught how death need not be feared if God be trusted. And he did more than preach. Master George attended to the sick, rich and poor alike, tending both body and soul, without concern for his own well being.