g now from individual to _general experience_, we find another
proof of the divine origin of the Bible in the power of the
gospel--which includes in itself the whole word of God--over the human
heart. This is closely connected with the preceding head, since the
Christian's religion takes the shape of personal love towards the
Saviour--love which is awakened in the sinner's soul, as the New
Testament teaches, by the Holy Spirit revealing to him his lost
condition and the character and offices of the Redeemer, whereby he is
drawn into an inward spiritual union with him. This love of Jesus is the
_mightiest principle on earth_ for both doing and suffering. The man of
whose soul it has taken full possession is invincible, not in his own
strength, but in the strength of Him to whom he has given his supreme
confidence and affection. No hardships, privations, or dangers can deter
him from Christ's service; no persecutions can drive him from it. In the
early days of Christianity, at the period of the Reformation, in many
missionary fields in our own time, not only strong men, but tender women
and children, have steadfastly endured shame and suffering in every
form--banishment and the spoiling of their goods, imprisonment, torture,
and death--for Christ's sake. In times of worldly peace and prosperity,
the power of this principle is dimly seen; but were the Christians of
this day required, under penalty of imprisonment, confiscation, and
death, to deny Christ, it would at once manifest itself. Many would
apostatize, because they are believers only in name; but true believers
would remain steadfast, as in the days of old. It is a fact worthy of
special notice, that persecution not only fails to conquer those who
love Jesus, but it fails also to hinder others from embracing his
religion. It has first a winnowing power. It separates from the body of
the faithful those who are Christians only in name. Then the
manifestation of Christian faith and patience by those who remain
steadfast, draws men from the world without to Christ. Hence the maxim,
as true as trite, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church."
The Christian religion at the beginning had no worldly advantages, and
it was opposed by all the power of imperial Rome in alliance with the
heathen priesthood. Had it been possible that any combination of men
should crush it, it must have perished at the outset; but it only grew
stronger in the midst of its fierce and pow