cotland! how
ruinously overwhelmed beneath the briny waters of adversity.

The providences of God are mysterious. We become mystified and
distressed when we ask for reasons. God's circles are vast; we cannot
take in His horizon. We know however that all His works are done in
truth and righteousness. The wheels of Christ's chariot never move
backward. In getting over the rough places, progress may seem to be
reversed, yet this is an illusion. In every such case the mysterious
operation of providence is merely preparation for advancement. The great
work of redemption goes forward through all stages to perfection. The
storms that dash against the face of spring prevent not the coming of
summer with its abundant harvests and songs of joy.

The light of the Gospel seemed to have been quenched beneath the
seething tide of Papal corruption. Still there were incorruptible men
and women here and there, who devoutly worshiped God according to His
Word. Their hearthstone was their church. There may have been many in
those days deeply rooted in the faith, but for most part they remained
invisible. To be known as true to Christ imperiled life. Not many had
the courage to publish their convictions. Yet there were some who arose
in the majesty of redeemed manhood and confessed Jesus, testifying to
His truth in defiance of the powers of darkness. To them truth was
sweeter than life.

John Resby is on record as one among the first witnesses, who heralded a
glorious reformation for Scotland. He was a voice crying in the
wilderness, proclaiming the sovereignty of Christ over the Church and
denouncing the pope who claimed to be the representative of the Lord
Jesus. He was quickly silenced by death at the stake. This occurred in
1407 The spirit of religious liberty was thereby crushed and
disappeared for twenty-five years.

Paul Craw was the next to be lifted into prominence by the power of the
Gospel, and thrust into publicity by the courage of his convictions. The
Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him. His love for the truth of the
Gospel filled him with abhorrence of Roman errors; his pity for souls
carried him into the fight for their freedom. He testified boldly
against Papal idolatry, prayer to saints, and the confessional. For this
he was sentenced to suffer in the flames. His martyrdom took place in
1432.

Patrick Hamilton was another distinguished hero in this age of darkness.
Nearly a century had passed between the last