October 18
1511: Execution of William Sweeting and John Brewster at Smithfield, England, for heresy.
1534: Pamphlets (containing even violent and abusive terms) appear in Paris denouncing the mass and other Roman Catholic practices during the “Affair of the Placards.” The protestants were suspected for the act.
1662: Birth of Matthew Henry, English Presbyterian pastor, known for his series “Exposition of the Old and New Testaments” form 1708 to 1710), which contained devotional and practical comments on the books of the Bible and which is still in print!
1667: Demise of Fasiladas, the emperor of Ethiopia, who had made strenuous efforts to get rid of the Jesuit influence in the society and to bring back his nation to its traditional Orthodox roots.
1685: Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes from 1598, which had allowed limited religious freedom for the Protestants. It forced the Huguenots to flee from the land, affecting France’s industrial economy very badly. Some say this exodus hastened the French Revolution.
1826: Nineteenth-century England offers its last state lottery; authorities had concluded that, although it brought in large revenues, it was evil because it tempted many poor people to gamble, and had impoverished many of them. But the lottery was brought back In 1994.
1855: Francis McDougall is consecrated the Bishop of Borneo for the Anglican church in Labuan and Sarawak, where he pioneered a medical mission. He was effective among the Chinese traders of Borneo, and made good progress among the indigenous Dyaks.
1938: Conversion of Spetume Florence Njangali who later became an active member of the East African revival movement within the Anglican Church. Her tireless efforts paved the way for women to obtain a theological education and ordination as deacons.
1954: The final airing of “The Week in Religion” over Dumont television. As an ecumenical Sunday evening panel show, it set apart 20-minute each for Protestant, Catholic and Jewish news.
Edited by: T. Chempilayil MCBS
Courtesy: https://studylight.org