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Rise and Establishment of Protestantism at Geneva - James Aitken Wylie

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had called them to the honor <strong>of</strong> maintaining His<br />

truth, would lead them to martyrdom as by the<br />

h<strong>and</strong>." He bade them think <strong>of</strong> the "heavenly<br />

immortality" to which the "cross <strong>and</strong> shame <strong>and</strong><br />

de<strong>at</strong>h" conducted, <strong>and</strong> <strong>of</strong> Him who waited, the<br />

moment these were ended, to wipe away all tears.<br />

One <strong>of</strong> these sufferers, who had been reached by<br />

the words <strong>of</strong> Calvin, thus thanked him:--"I could<br />

not tell you, sir <strong>and</strong> brother," wrote Louis Marsac,<br />

"the gre<strong>at</strong> comfort I received from the letters which<br />

you sent to my brother, Denis Peloquin, who found<br />

means <strong>of</strong> passing them to one <strong>of</strong> our brethren who<br />

was in an underground cell above me, <strong>and</strong> read<br />

them to me, because I could not read them,<br />

inasmuch as I can see nothing in my dungeon. I<br />

pray you, therefore, to persevere in aiding us<br />

always with like consol<strong>at</strong>ion, which invites us to<br />

weep <strong>and</strong> pray." When the little company <strong>of</strong><br />

martyrs, <strong>of</strong> which Louis Marsac was one, were led<br />

forth to be burned, all appeared with halters round<br />

their necks except Louis. His enemies had spared<br />

him this indignity on the ground <strong>of</strong> his being nobly<br />

born. But so far from reckoning this as a favor, he<br />

even deemed the denial <strong>of</strong> it a dishonor, <strong>and</strong> asked<br />

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