File:The story of our Christianity; an account of the struggles, persecutions, wars, and victories of Christians of all times (1893) (14783787732).jpg

Identifier: storyofourchrist00bird (find matches)
Title: The story of our Christianity; an account of the struggles, persecutions, wars, and victories of Christians of all times
Year: 1893 (1890s)
Authors: Bird, Frederic Mayer, 1838-1908 Harrison, Benjamin, 1833-1901
Subjects: Church history
Publisher: Philadelphia, Pa., Peerless Publishing Co.
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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arly fitted by ability, experience, andcharacter for the difficult post; the only possible ruler of the free Netherlands.But Orange himself stood in the way of this. The chief defect of his noblenature was an excessive scrupulousness, a modest desire to keep himself and hispersonal interests in the background. Had he been less loftily disinterested,more open to the promptings of common ambition, it might have been better for 606 THE STORY OF OUR CHRISTIANITY. his country. He shrank from no labor, no peril, no loss, in the public service,but he would not have the sovereignty. Fraternal pride may have led John ofNassau to exaggerate in saying that William was daily and without intermis-sion implored to give his consent; but he knew his brothers motives, and butone exception can be taken to the statement that he refuses only on thisaccount—that it may not be thought that, instead of religious freedom for thecountry, he has been seeking his private advancement and a kingdom for himself.
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A STREET SCENE IN AMSTERDAM. The exception lies in the word only. Regard for his reputation was notand could not be the only nor the chief consideration with the prince in regard toanything affecting the public welfare. But he feared injury to that welfare fromthe jealousies of which he was the constant object, and which would be heated totenfold fury if he became the ruler of the land. It seems to me, he said, thatI was born in this bad planet that all I do might be misinterpreted. He wasready to die, ready to resign and retire, but not to do anything that might hurtthe cause. Again, and still more : he felt that the provinces could not win their THE STORY OF OUR CHRISTIANITY. 607 battle alone. Foreign aid was an absolute necessity, and no more of it was tobe had from German). He prized the alliance of England, and coveted that ofFrance. Now the Dnke of Anjon, called throughout this volume by his earliertitle of Aleucon, was the brother of Henry III. and the favorite of Elizabeth.On

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