"OF WHOM THE WORLD WAS NOT WORTHY"
-26-
JANUARY
22, 1793 --England. John Berridge dies. Next
Sunday, six ministers, “devout men,” will carry him to his grave and
will make great lamentation over him. His funeral sermon will be
preached by Charles Simeon from II Timothy 4:7. He has composed his own
epitaph:
“Here lies the
earthly remains of John Berridge, Late Vicar of Everton, and an
itinerant servant of Jesus Christ, Who loved his Master and his work;
and after running on His errands many years was called to wait on Him
above. Reader, Art thou born again? No Salvation without new birth! I
was born in sin, February 1716. Remained ignorant of my fallen state
till 1750. Lived proudly on faith and works for salvation till 1754. Was
admitted to Everton vicarage, 1751.
Fled to Jesus alone for refuge, 1756. Fell asleep in Christ, January 22,
1793.”
22, 1885 --England. In London, the first meeting of the Young Women’s
Christian Association of Great Britain and Ireland is held. It has been
founded by the Honorable Mrs. Arthur Kinnaird.
23, 386 --France. Emperor Valentinian II, at the instigation of his
mother, has taken the Arians under his protective care. Today he issues
an edict insuring toleration for the Arian adherents at the Synod of
Ariminum. Other acts will be passed which will benefit them. But
Theodosius will successfully halt this policy changing the entire
government policy.
In his twentieth year at Vienne, he will be murdered by Arbogastes, his
general, and will die unbaptized. His body will be brought to Milan
where Ambrose will preach his funeral.
23, 1248 --Russia. Pope Innocent IV addresses a letter to Alexander
Nevski, Grand Duke of Novgorod, urging him to submit to the See of Rome.
Another such letter will be sent on September 15th. Mr. Nevski will
respond, “We know what the Old and New Testaments say, and we are also
acquainted with the Church of Constantine and from the first to the
seventh council; but your teaching we do not accept.”
23, 1546 --Germany. Martin Luther leaves Wittemberg for Eisleben to
settle a mining dispute between the counts of Mansfield. He will be
successful, but he will neglect his health and will contract a severe
cold from which he will die on February 18th.
23, 1570 –Scotland. The Protestant Regent, the Earl of Moray, is
assassinated, and Morton Regent from 1572-1578, will attempt to remove
the freedom of the Church of Scotland.
23, 1579 – Holland. On January 6th, a secret alliance known as the Union
of Atrecht was formed to defend the Roman Catholic Church and the
Authority of the king. Today the Union of Utrecht is formed to oppose
it.
23, 1890 --Japan. Neesima, commonly called Joseph Hardy Neesima, dies.
When Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Yedo in 1853, his curiosity was
awakened about the western world. Later, he came in contact with Dutch
traders and learned their language. He next read in Chinese Elijah
Coleman Bridgman’s Church History and William Alexander Parsons
Martin’s Evidences of Christianity, and determined to visit the
lands where these people had come from, and to learn the way of truth
more perfectly. By the connivance of friends, he was smuggled into an
American brig lying in harbor at Hakodate in July 1864 and reached
Boston in August 1865. He became the interpreter of the Japanese embassy
in 1871 and thereby received a pardon for the capital crime of leaving
his country without permission. He was absorbed with the desire of
promoting Christian education in Japan. At Kyoto, on November 29, 1875,
he opened a college with eight students. It was given the name “Doshisha
University”—which means “One counsel.”
23, 1918 --Russia. Communists attack the Russian Orthodox Petchersky
Monastery and kill hundreds of priests. The Orthodox Church will declare
that in this month alone, over two thousand priests, along with fifty
bishops have been killed or deported as the Communists attack their
churches in the Ukraine. This month the new government will also decree
all church treasures belong to the state and that all gold and precious
stones are to be sold to relieve the starving. When the Orthodox
patriarch instructs priests and bishops to surrender all “unconsecrated”
items, the anti-Christian party leaders will condemn the church as being
too greedy to care for the starving. This will result in turning much
public opinion against it in the form of assaults upon churches,
monasteries and the taking of human life.