Calvin vs. Rome

THE POWER OF GOD UNTO SALVATION:
I read a most interesting and encouraging account of Jean Calvin today in a book I am reading aloud to my children. In “Mr. Pipes and Psalms and Hymns of the Reformation” we were told of a debate that took place between Calvin and several Roman Catholic Priests. After three days of being lectured and rebuked by the Roman Catholics and finally being accused of not knowing the teaching of St. Augustine and the Early Church Fathers, shy Calvin rose to speak. Using not a single note he quoted verbatim many works of the early church and of St. Augustine that proved the exact opposite; it proved that the teachings of the Reformation were, in fact, the teachings of the early church and that Rome had departed. A most interesting, well quite frankly, miraculous thing occurred. The Spirit did His work. The following blog captured what took place. http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Pipes-Psalms-Hymns-Re…/…/193036752X
“Having completed his extemporaneous discourse, Calvin sat down, and a hushed silence fell on all present. Even those who understood very little of what had been said sensed that the direction of the debate had shifted.
There was not a single word of rebuttal. ‘No one wanted to expose himself, not even Mimard [who made the charge] or Blancherose, the spokesman.’ History records that in the moments following, a Franciscan friar, Jean Tandy—noted as a capable preacher who had denounced the Reformers from his pulpit—spoke, his words filled with emotion:
“It seems to me that the sin against the Spirit which the Scriptures speak of is the stubbornness which rebels against manifest truth. In accordance with that which I have heard, I confess to be guilty, because of ignorance I have lived in error and I have spread the wrong teaching. I ask God’s pardon for everything I have said and done against His honor; and ask the pardon of all
of you people for the offense which I gave with my preaching up until now. I defrock myself henceforth to follow Christ and His pure doctrine alone…”  http://beggarsallreformation.blogspot.com/2006/03/calvin-in-dialog-with-catholic.html
Following this, some 200 other priests were converted to Christ and left the Roman Catholic church to join the Reformation. This was a most encouraging account to read. It also struck me as further evidence of the darkness of our day. The fact that, up until five years ago, I could sit for OVER TEN YEARS in a so-called PROTESTANT CHURCH and NEVER ONCE HERE THIS MAN’S NAME or the names of any other reformers demonstrates to me the darkness of the age. But, stories such as these show me that God’s light shines brightest IN THE DARK.
SDG! GLORY TO GOD!