“When things seem desperate,” said William Farel, “then is the time for faith to rest in God, against all appearances, against all that man can see.
“This is what happened to faithful Abraham. When was the promise fulfilled that he should have the son of whom God had spoken? Was it not when all earthly hope was at an end in the case of himself and Sarah? And when was that promise confirmed to him? At the moment when he had the knife in his hand to slay his son Isaac.
“And when you and I see things all the contrary to that for which we are looking, when Satan stands up in greater power than ever before, then is the time to pray, for God will then show us His help, for the glory of His own great name. And truly if there is any one who need be afraid, it is I. For though, on the one hand, God has promised me a mouth and wisdom, which none of the adversaries shall be able to gainsay or resist; on the other hand, I have plenty of warnings that those who desire to kill me would think thereby to do God service. It is true that not a hair of my head will fall, without the will of my blessed Father, as I have often found when in dangers from which God alone could deliver me. How often when doing His errands, I have been at the brink of a violent death, how often beaten, having no refuge but prayer. And now I look to Him to have pity on you, and I know He will, if you keep your hearts loose from earth, and put no trust in men; but have all your heart and all your trust up there with Him. And then if there were a hundred thousand times more against you, and less hope than there is now as to the flesh, I am well assured God would hear your prayer, and give you your heart’s desire. Faith looks at nothing but the fathomless depths of the goodness of God.”
Thus spoke William Farel, and his words did not fall upon deaf ears. In spite of emperor, duke, and bishop, the King of France and the threats of Burgundy, in spite of Berne proving to be but a broken reed, the gospellers of Geneva stood firm. They were willing to suffer the loss of all things except Christ and His Word.
Day by day the work of destruction went on in the beautiful suburbs. The fragments of the ruined buildings were piled into ramparts. The gospellers denied themselves needful food to give to those who had thus become homeless. All trade was stopped, and want stared them in the face on every side.
“Let what will befall you,” said William Farel, “but see that for no threats, for no commands, you turn aside from Jesus and His Word—but cleave to that, with full purpose of heart, at the cost of your lives, and of the lives you hold dear, of the loss and ruin of all you have; let not any of these things hinder you from following Jesus. For there is nothing better spent, no money put out to better interest, than that which is lost for the gospel; for you have the Lord’s word for it, that it shall turn to good account, not only for this life, but for that which is to come.”
Thus passed the winter at Geneva. The gospellers had lost much as to the things of this world, but they had gained much as to the things of God. And to them it was a happier time than they had ever known before.
For Sister Jane and her nuns, it was dark and dreary. Her tale of sorrow gives us a strange picture of the mind of those who had been trained up under the priests and friars. Each week brought some fresh trouble, which caused the poor sisters “abundance of tears and anguish.”
One day an officer appeared at the convent gates, and insisted upon going over the premises to see if any part need be fortified.
Another day, a naughty boy, who had taken this opportunity of getting inside the walls, not only washed his hands in the holy water, but assured the people in the street when he came out that he had kissed several of the ladies, “which was quite an untruth,” says Sister Jane. “And,” she adds, “the following Friday a Lutheran apothecary died. His wife was a good Christian. When she saw he was dying, she did her duty by admonishing him to return to God, and to confess. But he would not listen, but begged and entreated her to send for the cursed Farel; but she said if he came she would leave the house, for she would have none of such company. And so he died. And as he died in his errors, his father, who was a Christian, had him cast out of the house and carried to the churchyard, that his accomplices might take him and do according to their will, for he would not own him as his son, and as for his wife, she made no more account of him than if he had been a dog.”
Thus went matters on the earth below, whilst “the Lutheran apothecary” was welcomed into the presence of his Savior above.
It is well to look at this sad picture of the heart of man, and to remember the awful truth that there is in every heart the same enmity to God. Yes, in your natural heart and in mine, there is a hatred to the blessed Lord Jesus, which is stronger than all natural affection, which is able to quench the love of parents and of children, of husbands and of wives, and to prove how true are those words of Jesus, that a man’s foes shall be they of his own household. And let us watch lest the mote in our brother’s eyes become to us merely an occasion of pride and self-satisfaction.
“Beware,” said William Farel, “lest you indulge self, in speaking evil of poor sinners, or in mocking at their sin. Do not relate their sins in mockery or in hatred, nor in malice to those who are guilty. If you have to speak of their sin, let it be with deep compassion for their evil state, hating the sin, but desiring for them that they should be saved from it.
“For, my brethren, who are we? What have we of ourselves which is at all better than that which is in them? There is nothing but God’s grace and mercy alone, which has made any difference. God, instead of leaving us in eternal death, to perish in our corruption, to go from bad to worse, as we deserved, drew us forth from the pit to have eternal life, to be saved from our sins, to go from good to better, and all by His grace alone. Therefore do not let us set ourselves up, thinking there is any good thing in us, but let us humble ourselves, seeing whence we have been taken, and thank God, giving Him all the honor and all the glory, owning that all the good is His, and comes from Him, and that from ourselves nothing comes but evil only. All that we think, say, and do, if it is from ourselves, is sin. Therefore think with pity of poor sinners, and pray to God for them.”