Page:Stundists.pdf/91

Rh secular aid is nothing else than a confession of her impotence, and that any furthur concessions to the bigotry and ineptitude of the clergy may have the effect of surrounding the suffering Protestants with the halo of martyrdom, and of alienating the people from sympathy with the Church. The Church may, indeed, for a time succeed, but we know that in calling on the secular arm to assist her she is seeking help from the very quarter by alliance with which most of her difficulties have sprung.

Now what are the prospects of the Stundists as a Church? There can be no doubt that within this community there are enormous powers of proselytising zeal, held in present check by the drastic measures of the police and clergy. We would fain believe that the energy thus kept under must, in great measure, sooner or later, find vent for itself, and that a glorious future is yet in store for Stundism. But the serious question is: Is the persecution which the Stundists are now undergoing a purifying fire or the reverse? Will the young Protestant Church emerge from her troubles with sufficient spring, and made white in the fire, or will not the never-ending theological strife and the breaking up of the Church into warring sections—the sad results of the persecution—effectually turn the energies of the leaders into other channels than propagandism?

For our part, we believe there is little fear for the future of Stundism, if it is only true to itself, and to its noble ideals. It is just now passing through fiery ordeals both from without and from within; but it has a genius and a mission all its own, and we believe that, with the opportunity, it will in the future produce champions as doughty as those now in prison and in exile. Its strength is in its true Gospel message, and in the earnestness and passion of the messengers. Let us all hope and pray that the triumphs