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MAY

 20, 1525 --France. Francis I, king of France, having been captured by the Emperor Charles V, the French Parliament has decided against Lutheranism. It has issued a decree that “the bishop of Paris and other bishops should be held bound to lend their assistance to Messieurs Philip Pot, President of Requests, and Andrew Verjus, Counselor, and Messieurs William Duchesne, and Nicolas Le Clerc, Doctors in Theology, in framing and conducting the process against such as should be found infected with the doctrine of Luther.”
     A manuscript of the period declares, “In order that it might appear that these commissaries were more under the authority of the Christian Church than the Parliament, his Holiness was pleased to send his Brief, approving of the said named Commissioners.” The Pope signs this Brief today.
    “Following upon this, all who were declared Lutherans by the bishops or judges of the Church, deputed to this effect were given over to the secular arm, that is to say, to said Parliament, which therefore condemned them to be burned alive.”

20, 1527 --Germany. Michael Sattler, leader of the South German Anabaptists was returning home to Horb after having formulated the doctrines and the constitution of the South German Anabaptists when he and his wife were arrested and imprisoned at Binsdorf. Today at Rottenburg, Mr. Sattler is burned at the stake, and his wife is drowned.

20, 1690 --Massachusetts. At Roxbury, John Eliot dies. Seeking freedom from the oppress-ion of Archbishop Laud, he left England for America, where he became a missionary to the Algonquin Indians. In addition to publishing Indian tracts, he has published in 1661 the “Moheecan Bible”, which is the first Bible ever printed in North America. Together with Richard Mather and Thomas Welde, Mr. Eliot has prepared the Bay Psalm Book, the first book of any kind to be printed in America. It bears the date 1640. Mr. Eliot’s work here has been supported by the “Corporation for the Promoting and Propagating the Gospel Among the Indians of New England” which was instituted by Parliament in 1649 and since the restoration of the monarchy, has been re-established through the energy of Robert Boyle.

20, 1720 --Scotland. Thomas Boston has introduced a book he has discovered that had been in the possession of a soldier of the Commonwealth returning from England. The name of the book is The Marrow of Divinity and was written by Edward Fisher, M. A. at Oxford.
The book maintains:

1.) that the Gospel, strictly viewed, contains neither precepts nor threatenings, but is merely a declaration of the glad tidings of salvation;
2.) that in it God makes a gift of Christ as a Savior to sinners of mankind as such, warranting everyone who hears the Gospel to believe on Him for salvation;
3.) that saving faith includes personal appropriation and assurance;
4.) that believers are entirely freed from the law as a covenant of works, though not as the law of Christ; and,
5.) that the servile fear of Hell, and hope of Heaven as a reward something due to our good works are not the proper motives to Evangelical and acceptable obedience.

     Mr. Boston has entrusted Mr. Ebenezer Erskine to draft this. Twelve ministers sign it, but today by Act of the Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the book is condemned because it maintains a universal call and offer of the Gospel to sinners. Defenders of the free offer are nicknamed “marrow-men”, and include Mr. Boston, and the Erskine brothers.

20, 1732 --Scotland. At Ettrick, Selkirkshire, Thomas Boston dies. His circulation of Edward Fisher’s book the Marrow of Modern Divinity has sparked what is known as the “Marrow Controversy.” He is best remembered for his Fourfold State of Primitive Integrity, Entire Depravity, Begun Recovery and Consummate Happiness or Misery, which he published in Edinburgh in 1720 and The Sovereignty and Wisdom of God Displayed In the afflictions of Men, which will be first published in 1737 but will be reprinted in 1863 as The Crook In the Lot.
 

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