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Chapter 46—Early Reformers
Amid the gloom that settled upon the earth during the long
period of papal supremacy, the light of truth could not be wholly
extinguished. In every age there were witnesses for God—men who
cherished faith in Christ as the only mediator between God and man,
who held the Bible as the only rule of life, and who hallowed the
true Sabbath. How much the world owes to these men, posterity will
never know. They were branded as heretics, their motives impugned,
their characters maligned, their writings suppressed, misrepresented,
or mutilated. Yet they stood firm, and from age to age maintained
their faith in its purity, as a sacred heritage for the generations to
come.
So bitter had been the war waged upon the Bible that at times
there were very few copies in existence; but God had not suffered
His Word to be wholly destroyed. Its truths were not to be forever
hidden. He could as easily unchain the words of life as He could
open prison doors and unbolt iron gates to set His servants free. In
the different countries of Europe men were moved by the Spirit of
God to search for the truth as for hidden treasure. Providentially
guided to the Holy Scriptures, they studied the sacred pages with
intense interest. They were willing to accept the light at any cost
to themselves. Though they did not see all things clearly, they
were enabled to perceive many long-buried truths. As Heaven-sent
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messengers they went forth, rending asunder the chains of error and
superstition, and calling upon those who had been so long enslaved
to arise and assert their liberty.
The time had come for the Scriptures to be translated and given
to the people of different lands in their native tongue. The world had
passed its midnight. The hours of darkness were wearing away, and
in many lands appeared tokens of the coming dawn.
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