Calvin describes those who persecuted Gospel ministers as ‘the enemies of the truth.’ Who else would dare have acted in such a way ‘against the Lord and His anointed Servants!’ In profound spiritual blindness, they lifted up their wicked hands against the servants of Christ and the Gospel. Who else but devil-inspired clergy and officials of state would dare to take such action against God’s anointed! Who else but the most hardened against the Gospel of Christ would dare to behave in such a vile manner! Calvin was right—only ‘enemies of the truth,’ however dressed, would stoop to such depravity.
Using such non-PC language would have rung bells of rejoicing in the ears of these five saints. The persecutors were the ‘enemies of the truth,’ and the prisoners were the ‘servants of the truth.’ No ‘moral equivalence’ was drawn or even inferred between these two groups of people by Calvin. There was ‘right’ and there was ‘wrong,’ and 'ne'er the twain shall meet'—unlike the Eames/Bradley report into dealing with Northern Ireland’s past.30 Calvin told it as it was, and no attempt was made to sanitise their vile actions.
How do we know that Calvin supported his brother ministers? Did he merely say to them that he was behind them all the way? Was his support purely verbal? Not at all. He took action to help at their time of vulnerability and need. The Gospel ministers in today's church must learn this lesson immediately.
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