-14-

JANUARY  

                                
14, 1529 --Spain. Juan Valdes publishes his Dialogue on Christian Doctrine. Almost immediately, the inquisition will be aroused and will summon him to answer for his “heretical” teaching. As a result of the hearings, Mr. Valdes will flee to Italy. His book will appear on every list of books forbidden by the Spanish Index, and will be burned with such zeal, that only one is known to exist.
      In Naples, he will become leader of the evangelical movement in the city conducting regular Sunday services in his home.

14, 1604 --England. The Puritans have presented a petition to James I as he was on his way to London. Though unsigned, it represents the wishes of about one thousand pastors. For this reason it is called the “Millenary Petition.” Today, at Hampton Court, a conference opens professedly to consider these desires. After the third day of discussion, the king will summon four Puritans and will tell them he expects their party to humble themselves and obey. He adds, however, “If this be all that they have to say, I shall make them conform themselves, or I will harry them out of the land, or else do worse.”

14, 1684 --New Hampshire. Mr. Edward Cranfield, governor here, and whose only object in banishing himself to the wilds of America is “to wrest a fortune from the lumbermen”, today calls an assembly on a vague rumor of an invasion. He demands an immediate means of defense. The representatives of New Hampshire take time to consider, and then negate the bill the governor has prepared. They are convinced he is stooping to falsehood to satisfy his desire for pecuniary gain.
In order to intimidate the ministers of the Gospel, Governor Cranfield will forbid the exercise of church discipline. He will invoke the ecclesiastical laws of England which he maintains are in force in the colony. He next orders the people to observe Christmas as a festival and to fast on January 30th. But when he demands all people should be admitted to the Lord’s Supper as in the Episcopal and Lutheran churches, and that the English liturgy should in certain cases be adopted, the order will be completely disregarded.
     The minister of Portsmouth will reply to his threats in a sermon, and his church will remain inflexible. Mr. Cranfield will therefore appoint a day on which to receive the sacrament at the hands of the pastor after the manner observed by the Church of England. The pastor will refuse. The Governor will therefore have him prosecuted, condemned and imprisoned.
Religious worship will be almost entirely broken up. Still the people will not yield. Governor Cranfield will attempt to justify his actions in a letter to England in which he states that “while the clergy were allowed to preach, no true allegiance could be found;” ...and that “there could be no quiet till the factious preachers were turned out of the province.”

     On February 14th, he will make another attempt to impose illegal taxes. To make the people willing to pay them, a rumor will be spread of a war with the eastern Indians. The Governor will even visit New York pretending to take concerted measures with the governor of that province. But illegal taxes cannot be collected.
       At Exeter, the sheriff will be beaten off with clubs and the farmers’ wives will prepare boiling water to scald the officer.
      At Hampton, the sheriff will be beaten, robbed of his sword, put upon his horse with a rope around his neck and ushered out of the province.
     If rioters are apprehended, a fresh riot will rescue them. If the militia is ordered out, not a man will obey. In despair, Mr. Cranfield will implore England: “I shall esteem it the greatest happiness in the world to be allowed to remove from these unreasonable people. They cavil at the Royal Commission, and not at my person. No one will be accepted by them who puts the king’s command in execution.”
     The character of the people of New Hampshire will not change during the struggle for freedom, and will be esteemed by England to be “factious in its economy.”

14, 1697 --Massachusetts. This day has been set aside as a day of prayer and fasting. The General Court of Massachusetts has felt the need for the colony to ask forgiveness of Almighty God for the crimes committed in putting innocent people to death during the days of the Salem witch trials.

14, 1739 --England. George Whitefield is ordained a preacher of the Church of England.



 

Previous   Next