"“As right religion took neither original strength nor authority from worldly princes, but from the eternal God alone, so are not subjects bound to frame their religion according to the appetites of their princes. For oft it is that princes are the most ignorant of all others in God's true religion.... If all the seed of Abraham had been of the religion of Pharaoh, whose subjects they long were, I pray you, madam, what religion would there have been in the world? Or if all men in the days of the apostles had been of the religion of the Roman emperors, what religion would there have been upon the face of the earth? ... And so, madam, ye may perceive that subjects are not bound to the religion of their princes, albeit they are commanded to give them obedience.” GC 250.5 Said Mary: “Ye interpret the Scriptures in one manner, and they [the Roman Catholic teachers] interpret in another; whom shall I believe, and who shall be judge?” GC 251.1"
"Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men."
The EGW passage, quoting John Knox, directly echoes the principle of obeying God rather than men, as stated in Acts 5:29. The context is different (Knox addressing a queen, the apostles addressing the Sanhedrin), but the core principle is the same.
"“Ye shall believe God, that plainly speaketh in His word,” answered the Reformer; “and farther than the word teaches you, ye neither shall believe the one nor the other. The word of God is plain in itself; and if there appear any obscurity in one place, the Holy Ghost, which is never contrary to Himself, explains the same more clearly in other places, so that there can remain no doubt but unto such as obstinately remain ignorant.”—David Laing, The Collected Works of John Knox, vol. 2, pp. 281, 284. GC 251.2"
"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
The EGW passage, quoting John Knox, emphasizes the clarity of scripture and the Holy Spirit's role in interpreting it, aligning with 2 Peter 1:20-21, which states that prophecy is not of private interpretation but inspired by the Holy Spirit.
"Such were the truths that the fearless Reformer, at the peril of his life, spoke in the ear of royalty. With the same undaunted courage he kept to his purpose, praying and fighting the battles of the Lord, until Scotland was free from popery. GC 251.3"
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
The EGW passage describes Knox's spiritual battle against the forces of popery, which thematically aligns with Ephesians 6:12's description of wrestling against spiritual wickedness. While not a direct quote or allusion, the underlying concept of a spiritual battle is present.
"In England the establishment of Protestantism as the national religion diminished, but did not wholly stop, persecution. While many of the doctrines of Rome had been renounced, not a few of its forms were retained. The supremacy of the pope was rejected, but in his place the monarch was enthroned as the head of the church. In the service of the church there was still a wide departure from the purity and simplicity of the gospel. The great principle of religious liberty was not yet understood. Though the horrible cruelties which Rome employed against heresy were resorted to but rarely by Protestant rulers, yet the right of every man to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience was not acknowledged. All were required to accept the doctrines and observe the forms of worship prescribed by the established church. Dissenters suffered persecution, to a greater or less extent, for hundreds of years. GC 251.4"
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."
The EGW passage describes the incomplete religious liberty in England after the Reformation, where conformity was still enforced. This directly contrasts with Galatians 5:1, which urges believers to stand fast in the liberty Christ has given them and not be entangled in bondage.
"But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men."
The EGW passage describes the retention of Roman forms and the imposition of doctrines by the established church, which aligns with the idea of vain worship through human commandments as described in Matthew 15:9.