A bond of trust

When Augustine handed over the leadership of his church in 426 BC, his successor was so overwhelmed by the awareness of his incompetence that he declared "The swan is silent," fearing that the voice of the spiritual giant would soon be lost. But for 1,600 years, Augustine has not been silent, nor have the men who have faithfully sounded the trumpet for Christ after him. Their lives have inspired every generation of believers and drive us to have a greater passion for God.

"Most people don't know that Spurgeon, Müller, and Taylor were contemporaries who knew and loved each other. Although they had differences, there was a deep camaraderie of trust in God among them. They were thoroughly evangelical in their emphasis on Scripture, the atoning work of Christ, the necessity of the new birth and conversion, and the resulting energy of activism and missions. The suffering that each of them endured resulted in an extraordinary trust in the powerful goodness of God. Beneath their teaching about faith and the simplicity of trusting in God, lay a massive consideration of God's irresistible right and power to govern every detail of life (both good and evil)."