The Great Controversy - Righteousness is Love

174die for the Catholic religion!"–D'Aubigne, History of the Reformation inEurope in the Time of Calvin, b. 4, ch. 12.Terrible had become the darkness of the nation that had rejected the light oftruth. The grace "that bringeth salvation" had appeared; but France, afterbeholding its power and holiness, after thousands had been drawn by itsdivine beauty, after cities and hamlets had been illuminated by its radiance,had turned away, choosing darkness rather than light. They had put fromthem the heavenly gift when it was offered them. They had called evil good,and good evil, till they had fallen victims to their willful self-deception.Now, though they might actually believe that they were doing God servicein persecuting His people, yet their sincerity did not render them guiltless.The light that would have saved them from deception, from staining theirsouls with bloodguiltiness, they had willfully rejected.A solemn oath to extirpate heresy was taken in the great cathedral where,nearly three centuries later, the Goddess of Reason was to be enthroned by anation that had forgotten the living God. Again the procession formed, andthe representatives of France set out to begin the work which they hadsworn to do. "At short distances scaffolds had been erected, on whichcertain Protestant Christians were to be burned alive, and it was arrangedthat the fagots should be lighted at the moment the king approached, andthat the procession should halt to witness the execution."–Wylie, b. 13, ch.21. The details of the tortures endured by these witnesses for Christ are tooharrowing for recital; but there was no wavering on the part of the victims.On being urged to recant, one answered: "I only believe in what theprophets and the apostles formerly preached, and what all the company ofsaints believed. My faith has a confidence in God which will resist all thepowers of hell."–D'Aubigne, History of the Reformation in Europe in theTime of Calvin, b. 4, ch. 12.Again and again the procession halted at the places of torture. Uponreaching their starting point at the royal palace, the crowd dispersed, and theking and the prelates withdrew, well satisfied with the day's proceedingsand congratulating themselves that the work now begun would be continuedto the complete destruction of heresy.The gospel of peace which France had rejected was to be only too surelyrooted out, and terrible would be the results. On the 21st of January, 1793,two hundred and fifty-eight years from the very day that fully committedFrance to the persecution of the Reformers, another procession, with a fardifferent purpose, passed through the streets of Paris. "Again the king was