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AUGUST

    
 1,1490 --Italy. Jerome Savonarola preaches in St. Marks Church following a lecture. Service is "crowded to suffocation" as Florence feels the start of a mighty revival. Men can be seen to tremble and women sob. The city is ecstatic.
     He proclaims, "God forgives man his sin and justifies him in the way of mercy. For every justified person existing on the earth, there has been an act of mercy in Heaven, for no man is saved by his works. None can glory in themselves, and if in the presence of God the question were put to all the righteous, 'Have you been saved by your own strength?' they would all with one voice exclaim, 'Not unto us, O lord, but unto Thy name be the glory.' Wherefore, O God, I seek Thy mercy, and I bring Thee not my own righteousness: the moment Thou justifiest me by grace, Thy righteousness belongs to me; for grace is the righteousness of God. So long, O man, as thou believest not, thou art because of sin deprived of grace. 0 God, save me by Thy righteousness, that is, by Thy Son, Who alone was found righteous among men."

1, 1545 --Scotland. At Baldovy, Andrew Melville is born. When the English government contemplates changes in the ecclesiastical system, he, with seven other ministers, will be summoned to London that they might not be able to interfere. When he is forced to witness a highly ritualistic service in the Chapel Royal, Mr. Melville will write a Latin epigram, which was seen by a court spy. The English Privy Council will try him, and though he will not have given out any copies of the epigram, he will be condemned and sent to the Tower of London for ten months. Here he will be treated with great severity. Deprived of pen and paper he will cover the walls of his cell with verses engraved with the tongue of his shoe buckle.
     Theodore Beza will write of him that the greatest token of affection the church of Geneva could give was that it consented to be deprived of Mr. Melville that the Church of Scotland might be enriched.

1, 1673 --England. Many oaths are required of those refusing to conform to the Church of England. Among them is the "Ex Officio Oath" by which a person swears to answer all questions put to him even though it is to accuse himself.
     The "Et Cetera Oath" reads, "I do swear that I approve the doctrine, discipline, and government established in the Church of England and that I will not ever give my consent to alter the government of this church by archbishops, bishops, deans, and archdeacons, ET CETERA ...as it now stands ...and this I do heartily, willingly, and truly upon the faith of a Christian."
     Today, the Test Act is added which is primarily designed against Roman Catholics, but which nevertheless, still imposes on Non-conformists further disability for they are now excluded from state service, both civil and military, because it requires all such persons to receive communion in the Church of England. Together with the Corporation Act of 1661, which requires members in municipal corporation to receive the Lord's Supper according to the rites of the Church of England, the Test Act successfully keeps non-Conformists out of national and municipal governments until both of these laws are repealed in 1828.

1, 1743 --Scotland. Thomas Nairn, of the Associate Presbytery which itself has seceded from the State church, aligns himself with the Covenanters and together with John Macmillan constitutes the Reformed Presbytery at Braehead.

1, 1834 --China. At Canton, Robert Morrison, the father of Protestant missions here, dies. He has served as interpreter for the East India Company, and has worked on the translation of the Bible into Chinese. The translation being completed in 1819, he then devoted more time to writing Chinese tracts, a Chinese dictionary, and even a Chinese catechism. He has translated the morning and evening prayers of the Church of England and leaves behind a Chinese grammar. The preaching of the Gospel being forbid-den, he has turned to the use of his pen. His remains will be taken to Macao.

1-4, 1848 --Italy. Waldensians hold their first synod and assume the plan of evangelization of Italy. They have been commonly looked upon as the sole survivors of the Primitive Christianity of apostolic times.
     In 1655, Oliver Cromwell rescued them from total destruction at the merciless hands of Catholicism, and instituted a collection which amounted to thirty-eight thousand and ninety-seven pounds, himself contributing two thousand pounds.
     William of Orange assisted their return from exile in 1689, and the English government sustained the pastors of twelve Waldensian churches.
     Holland in 1731 collected Three hundred eight thousand one hundred ninety-nine florins, while Germany assisted them both financially and by providing them with asylum.
     In 1800, Protestants entered into an alliance with Alexander I of Russia in behalf of the Vaudois, and in 1859, through the interest of Frederick Henry Pendleton of the British embassy in Montevideo, a group of Waldensian families settled in Uruguay and founded "Colonia Valdense." They have since expanded into Argentina establishing churches there, as well as in North America.
     Waldensian missionaries have been active in South Africa, and there has been a Waldensian missionary active in China.
     Pope Leo XIII issues an encyclical denouncing Protestantism as the "Lutheran rebellion whose evil virus goes wandering about in almost all the nations.”
 

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