1806 HT: Dan Graves On this day, April 26, 1806, Alexander Duff was born in Perthshire in Scotland. The boy, who would win such a name for patient and enthusiastic faith as a man, grew up on a small farm. His father farmed but also had a heart for the things of God. He was…
Of his latest article about Scottish missionaries, Paul James-Griffiths of Christian Heritage Edinburgh writes, “This week is about a Scottish Christian who poured out his heart for the plight of the Australian Aborigines, and changed a nation – and died at 102 years old!” “No money, no hope,” John murmured, as he stooped down to the earth, his face…
1735 Death at Epworth, England, of Samuel Wesley, curate, author, and father of Methodist revival leaders John and Charles Wesley. 1800 Death at East Dereham, Norfolk, England, of English poet William Cowper. Despite lifelong depression, he had produced enduring hymns, including, “Oh For a Closer Walk with God” and “There is a Fountain Filled with…
1555 HT: Stephen Edwards Today we remember the death of George Marsh (1515 – 24 April 1555) was an English Protestant martyr who died in Boughton, Chester, on 24 April 1555 as a result of the Marian Persecutions carried out against Protestant Reformers and other dissenters during the reign of Mary I of England. His death…
1538 John Calvin and William Farel are fired by the town council of Geneva and ordered to leave the city within three days. They had refused to administer the Lord’s Supper the day before in part because of notorious sins among the city’s folk, and in part because they did not want to follow the…
1855 HT: DIANE SEVERANCE AND DAN GRAVES Dwight L. Moody didn’t attend school beyond the fifth grade; he couldn’t spell, and his grammar was awful. His manners were often brash and crude, and he never became an ordained minister. Once, before his conversion, he so outraged an Italian shoe salesmen with a prank, that the…
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…
HT: Stagger and Reel 1587 Today, on 18 April, we remember the life and legacy of John Foxe (1516–1587), a beacon of light in the history of the Protestant Reformation. Renowned for his seminal work, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, Foxe meticulously documented the courage and steadfast faith of those who suffered for the Gospel. Despite…
1779 HT: Dan Graves SHORTLY AFTER COMING TO CAMBRIDGE on 29 January 1779, Charles Simeon faced a serious test of conscience. “It was but the third day after my arrival that I understood I should be expected in about three weeks to attend the Lord’s Supper…The thought rushed through my mind that Satan himself was…
Of his latest article about Scottish missionaries, Paul James-Griffiths of Christian Heritage Edinburgh writes, “This week we meet John Paton, a man of great determination and courage, who left Scotland to pioneer the church among cannibals in the New Hebrides (today called Vanuatu) in the South Pacific.” John Paton stood, weeping and trembling with grief. His wife Mary…