Go, lift your voice to the tumultuous waves of the ocean, or try to reason amid the roar of cannon while the tumult of war is gathering thick around, or speak to the howling tempest while it pours a deluge over the plains; let your voice be heard amid the roar of chariots rushing suddenly over the pavements; or, what is still less useful, converse with a man who is lost in slumbers, or reason with a drunkard while he reels to and fro under the influence of the intoxicating poison, and those will convince you of the impossibility of communicating truth to that soul who is willing to make up his judgment upon popular rumor, or to be wafted gently down the current of public opinion, without stopping for a moment to listen, to weigh, to hear both sides of the question, and judge for himself. One of the greatest obstacles in the way of the spread of truth, in every age, is the tide of public opinion. Let one ray of light burst upon the world in any age, and it is sure to come in contact with the traditions and long-established usages of men, and their opinions; or with some religious craft, so that, like the Ephesians, they counsel together what shall be done; their great goddess will be spoken against, her magnificence despised, her temple deserted; or, what is still worse, their craft is in danger, for by this they have their wealth. Call to mind the Apostles in contact with the Jewish Rabbis, or with Gentile superstitions; in short, at war with every religious establishment on the earth. Witness the popular clamor: "If we let them thus alone, all men will believe on them, and the Romans will come and take away our place and nation." "These men that turn the world upside down have come hither also." "What new doctrine is this, for thou bringest certain strange things to our ears?" "These men do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, being Romans." "What will this babbler say, he seems to be a setter forth of strange gods?" And many other such like sayings. Or, let us for a moment contemplate the events of later date; for instance, the Mother Church against the reformers of various ages; see them belied, slandered, degraded, whipped, stoned, imprisoned, burned, and destroyed in various ways, while the ignorant multitude were made to believe they were the very worst of men.