A Promise by D. M. Canright

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 29, 1863

A Promise.

By D. M. Canright

“SURELY the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.”

Here is a blessed promise for the faithful child of God. Oppressed and persecuted, perhaps a decree has gone forth that his goods shall be forfeited, his family disgraced, and himself slain, unless he will renounce his God and his religion. This promise assures him that it will be to the praise of the Lord if he suffers; and that beyond this God will restrain his enemies. Trusting to this, he can say with the three Hebrew children, “Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods.”

And well may he trust him; for “the Lord is not slack concerning his promise,” but ever has a watchful care to the fulfillment of his word.

Thousands of instances are upon record where God has verified this promise to his children, when, according to all human calculations, the wrath of man must have swallowed them up. This was the case with Daniel, with the three Hebrew children, with Paul and Silas, and with John, the beloved disciple. These bore with faith and meekness the wrath of man, and God delivered them and brought honor to his name.

The most mighty kings of the earth in all ages have lifted their hands against the Lord's children; yet he has always delivered them, to the utter shame and confusion of their enemies. Thus the emperor Charles V, of Spain, the most potent monarch of Europe at that time, employed all his resources to put down and exterminate the Protestants, who were but a handful of seemingly defenseless men. But their defender was the God of heaven. They relied upon his promises, and he did not forsake them. All the efforts of Charles were unavailing. When he slew one a score were raised up in his place.

Charles, after spending the most of his life in warring against God's people, became discouraged, gave up the contest, and abdicated his throne? In his instructions to his son he warned him not to meddle with religion, and referred him to his own fruitless efforts against it.

Hume relates an interesting incident of Tyndale. About the time of the Reformation he made a translation of the Bible into English, and put out an edition. But becoming more familiar with the original, he wished to make a new translation which should be more correct. He was very poor. How to obtain the requisite means for this new translation he did not know. But the wrath of man came to his assistance. A certain Catholic bishop was much incensed against these Protestant Bibles, and resolved to destroy them all. So he sent out his agents, bought up all of Tyndale's Bibles, and burned them. I suppose he then congratulated himself that he had struck a mighty blow against Protestantism; but he was sadly mistaken; for by the sale of his Bibles, Tyndale was supplied with means to prosecute the work which he so much desired to perform. “Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee.”

Indeed, we see the same thing illustrated almost every day before our eyes. Many honest souls have had their eyes opened to the present truth by the bitter and malicious opposition of its enemies.

D. M. Canright.