And in England, after that terrible trial had passed over us, there rose up the best and noblest time which she had ever yet beheld.

Yes, my friends, three hundred years ago we went through just such a fiery trial as the Jews went through in Hezekiah’s time; and God grant that we may never forget that lesson.

But what is true of whole nations, is often true also of each single person; of you and me.

To almost every man, at least once in his life, comes a time of trial—­what we call a crisis.  A time when God purges the man, and tries him in the fire, and burns up the dross in him, that the pure sterling gold only may be left.

To some people it comes in the shape of some terrible loss, or affliction.  To others it comes in the shape of some great temptation.  Nay, if we will consider, it comes to us all, perhaps often, in that shape.  A man is brought to a point where he must choose between right and wrong.  God puts him where the two roads part.  One way turns off to the broad road, which leads to destruction:  the other way turns off to the narrow road which leads to life.  The man would be glad to go both ways at once, and do right and wrong too:  but it so happens that he cannot.  Then he would be glad to go neither way, and stay where he is:  but he cannot.  He must move on.  He must do something.  Perhaps he is asked a question which he does not wish to answer:  but he must.  It would be well worth his while to tell a lie.  It would be very safe for him, profitable for him; while it would be very dangerous for him to tell the truth.  He might ruin himself once and for all, by being an honest man.  Now which shall he do?  He would be glad to do both, glad to do neither:  but choose he must; speak he must.  He must either lie or tell the truth.  Then comes the trial, whether he believes in God and in Christ, or whether he does not.  If he only believes, as too many do without knowing it, in a dead God, a God far away, he will lie.  If he only believes, as too many do without knowing it, in a dead Christ, a Christ who bore his sins on the cross eighteen hundred years ago, but since then has had nothing to do with him to speak of, as far as he knows—­then he will lie.  And that is the God and the Christ which most people believe in:  and therefore when the time of trial comes, they fall away, and do and say things of which they ought to be ashamed, because their trust is not in God, but in man.

But if that man believes in the living God, and believes that he lives, and moves, and has his being in God, he cannot lie.  As it is written, ’he that is born of God, sinneth not, for his seed remaineth in him, and that wicked one toucheth him not.’  He will say, Whatever happens, I must obey God, and not man.  The Lord is on my side, therefore I will not fear what man can do to me.