quickly," and his longing response voices the prayer of the church in all
her pilgrimage, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."(466)

From the dungeon, the stake, the scaffold, where saints and martyrs
witnessed for the truth, comes down the centuries the utterance of their
faith and hope. Being "assured of His personal resurrection, and
consequently of their own at His coming, for this cause," says one of
these Christians, "they despised death, and were found to be above
it."(467) They were willing to go down to the grave, that they might "rise
free."(468) They looked for the "Lord to come from heaven in the clouds
with the glory of His Father," "bringing to the just the times of the
kingdom." The Waldenses cherished the same faith.(469) Wycliffe looked
forward to the Redeemer's appearing as the hope of the church.(470)

Luther declared: "I persuade myself verily, that the day of judgment will
not be absent full three hundred years. God will not, can not, suffer this
wicked world much longer." "The great day is drawing near in which the
kingdom of abominations shall be overthrown."(471)

"This aged world is not far from its end," said Melanchthon. Calvin bids
Christians "not to hesitate, ardently desiring the day of Christ's coming
as of all events most auspicious;" and declares that "the whole family of
the faithful will keep in view that day." "We must hunger after Christ, we
must seek, contemplate," he says, "till the dawning of that great day,
when our Lord will fully manifest the glory of His kingdom."(472)

"Has not our Lord Jesus carried up our flesh into heaven?" said Knox, the
Scotch Reformer, "and shall He not return? We know that He shall return,
and that with expedition." Ridley and Latimer, who laid down their lives
for the truth, looked in faith for the Lord's coming. Ridley wrote: "The
world without doubt--this I do believe, and therefore I say it--draws to an
end. Let us with John, the servant of God, cry in our hearts unto our
Saviour Christ, Come, Lord Jesus, come."(473)

"The thoughts of the coming of the Lord," said Baxter, "are most sweet and
joyful to me."(474) "It is the work of faith and the character of His
saints to love His appearing and to look for that blessed hope." "If death
be the last enemy to be destroyed at the resurrection, we may learn how
earnestly believers should long and pray for the second coming of Christ,
when this full and final conquest shall be made."(475) "This is the day
that