1560
Death of German reformer Philip Melanchthon.
He had composed the Augsburg Confession of 1530. More of a peacemaker than Luther, he called for Lutherans and Zwinglians to put aside their differences for the sake of the reformation of the church. In addition, he led extensive efforts to develop the German educational system. The universities at Marburg, Koenigsberg, and Jena arose under his advice and Leipzig was reorganized.Authority for the date: Standard encyclopedias.
1854
Nineteen-year-old English Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, is called to pastor the New Park Chapel in London, one of the city’s largest churches.
1858
Death in Philadelphia of evangelist Dudley Tyng, having suffered several days after an accident that mangled one of his arms.
In the last sermon he had preached, he supposedly said words to the effect that he “would rather lose his right arm” than fail to share the gospel. Shortly before his death, he urges his father and ministerial brethren to “Stand up for Jesus”—words that will inspire the hymn “Stand up, Stand up for Jesus.”