them . They have not consulted their temporal interests , nor sought to preserve their reputation or their lives . Yet when the storm of opposition and reproach bursts upon them , some , overwhelmed with consternation , will be ready to exclaim : " Had we foreseen the consequences of our words , we would have held our peace ." They are hedged in with difficulties . Satan assails them with fierce temptations . The work which they have undertaken seems far beyond their ability to accomplish . They are threatened with destruction . The enthusiasm which animated them is gone ; yet they cannot turn back . Then , feeling their utter helplessness , they flee to the Mighty One for strength . They remember that the words which they have spoken were not theirs , but His who bade them give the warning . God put the truth into their hearts , and they could not forbear to proclaim it .
The same trials have been experienced by men of God in ages past . Wycliffe , Huss , Luther , Tyndale , Baxter , Wesley , urged that all doctrines be brought to the test of the Bible and declared that they would renounce everything which it condemned . Against these men persecution raged with relentless fury ; yet they ceased not to declare the truth . Different periods in the history of the church have each been marked by the development of some special truth , adapted to the necessities of God ' s people at that time . Every new truth has made its way against hatred and opposition ; those who were blessed with its light were tempted and tried . The Lord gives a special truth for the people in an emergency . Who dare refuse to publish it ? He commands His servants to present the last invitation of mercy to the world . They cannot remain silent , except at the peril of their souls . Christ ' s ambassadors have nothing to do with consequences . They must perform their duty and leave results with God .
As the opposition rises to a fiercer height , the servants of God are again perplexed ; for it seems to them that they have brought the crisis . But conscience and the word of God assure them that their course is right ; and although the trials continue , they are strengthened to bear them . The contest grows closer and sharper , but their faith and courage rise with the emergency . Their testimony is : " We dare not tamper with God ' s word , dividing His holy law ; calling one portion essential and another nonessential , to gain the favor of the world . The Lord whom we serve is able to deliver us . Christ has conquered the powers of earth ; and shall we be afraid of a world already conquered ?"
Persecution in its varied forms is the development of a principle which will exist as long as Satan exists and Christianity has vital power . No man can serve God without enlisting against himself the opposition of the hosts of darkness . Evil angels will assail him , alarmed that his influence is taking the prey from their hands . Evil men , rebuked by his example , will unite with them in seeking to separate him from God by alluring temptations . When these do
424