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 Thomas Ken in
the course of his lifetime was both rewarded and punished for his firm
adherence to principle. He was born in 1637 and reared by his half-sister
Anne and her husband the well-known angler Izaak Walton. He became a
clergyman and served for a year at the Hague as chaplain to Princess Mary,
niece of King Charles II of England and wife of the Dutch King William of
Orange. During this year he publicly rebuked King William for his treatment
of his wife Queen Mary, which may be why he was chaplain there for only a
year. Upon his return to England, he was made Royal Chaplain to King
Charles. The King had a mistress, Nell Gwyn, and for his convenience wished
to lodge her in his chaplain's residence. Thomas sent the King a sharp
refusal, on the grounds that it was not suitable that the Royal Chaplain
should double as the Royal Pimp. Charles admired his honesty and bluntness,
and when the bishopric of Bath and Wells became available soon after, he
declared, "None shall have it but that little man who refused lodging to
poor Nellie!" Ken was accordingly made a bishop. When Charles was on his
deathbed, it was Ken whom he asked to be with him and prepare him for death.
Under the next king, James II, brother of Charles, matters were different.
James converted to Roman Catholicism, the religion of his mother, and
political turmoil followed. James issued a decree known as the Declaration
of Indulgence, which decreed that various public offices, formerly open only
to Anglicans, should thereafter be open to all persons. It was feared that
the King would appoint large numbers of Roman Catholics to positions of
power, and eventually transfer to them the control of the government. When
the King commanded the bishops to proclaim the Declaration of Indulgence,
seven of them refused to do so and were by the King's command imprisoned in
the Tower of London. The people of London rioted, and the bishops were freed
and carried in triumph through the streets of the city. Soon after,
Parliament offered the crown to the King's daughter Mary and her husband
William of Orange (see above) and James fled into exile.
William and Mary naturally began their reign by demanding oaths of
allegiance from all persons holding public positions, including the bishops.
Thomas Ken and others (known as the Non-Jurors -- the older meaning of
"juror" is "one who takes an oath," hence "perjurer" as "one who swears
falsely") refused to take the oath, on the grounds that they had sworn
allegiance to James, and could not during his lifetime swear allegiance to
another monarch without making such oaths a mockery. They were accordingly
put out of office.
The bishops of Scotland also refused the oath, and William and Mary
retaliated by disestablishing the Church in Scotland and making the
Presbyterians the official state Church there instead. Therefore, we have in
Scotland today the Kirk of Scotland (a Presbyterian Calvinist group which is
the established Church there), The Episcopal Kirk of Scotland (an Anglican
Church, what is known as a "free" Church in the sense of having no ties with
the government), the Free Kirk of Scotland (broken off from the Kirk of
Scotland), and the Wee Free Kirk of Scotland (broken off from the Free
Kirk-- everyone calls them the "Wee Frees" and I do not remember their
official name).
Thomas Ken became a private tutor and spent the rest of his life in
retirement. He died 19 March 1711 and is usually commemorated on 21 March.
During his lifetime he was known for his books of sermons. Today, he is best
known for several hymns that he wrote, such as the ones beginning with the
lines
Awake, my soul, and with the sun
All praise to thee, who safe hast kept
All praise to thee, my God, this night
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow
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