The Bishop of Geneva had not ceased to think of his deserted flock. But he thought of it as the wolf thinks, not as the shepherd. One night, in July, the chief magistrate, who was just gone to bed, was roused up by his servants. A stranger wished to speak to him on business that would admit of no delay. The stranger was a gospeller from Dauphiné. “I should grieve,” he said, “to see Geneva and the gospel brought to destruction. The army of the Duke of Savoy is already before your city, and very early this morning, the bishop left Chambery in order to force an entrance by means of the Savoyards.”
The news was too true. The enemy was already at the gates. The bishop, with his followers, had halted at a village about two miles off. The Catholics in the town, who had long been in the plot, had made all ready for the entrance of the enemy. They had lodged 300 Savoyards in various Catholic houses. They had spiked some of the cannon—had stuffed some with hay. They had a locksmith in readiness to open the city gates. In the middle of the night the Catholics were to make the signal to those outside, by waving lighted torches from the roofs of their houses. A great gun was to be fired in the Molard as a signal for the armed priests inside the town to assemble, and before morning Geneva was to be given over to her two deadly enemies. The duke had asked the help of France, and he had agreed with the bishop that, as soon as he was restored to his see, he should give it up to a young son of the duke’s, receiving in return a large sum of money.
These strange tidings fell as a thunderbolt upon the ears of the magistrates. The whole city was speedily in arms. The priests, who were about to unfurl the red flag—the signal for the murder of the Huguenots—fled to hide themselves in their houses. The troops outside waited impatiently for the beacon lights, and they wondered that no torches had as yet appeared upon the house-tops.
Suddenly a bright light shone forth, but it rose higher and higher—far higher than the roof of the tallest house in Geneva. It stood still at last upon the spire of the great cathedral. “It is the light of the city-watch!” said the Savoyards, who knew Geneva. “We are discovered!” And suddenly a panic seized the army. The two generals gave the signal for retreat.
The bishop, who had observed the strange light, knew not what to make of it. Some soldiers hurried to give him the alarm, and terrified, as on the night when Baudichon, with his torches, had suddenly appeared, he sprang on his horse and galloped away at full speed. When the sun arose not an enemy remained in sight. God had saved Geneva!
Fervently did the gospellers thank God for this deliverance; and a month later they had fresh cause for thanksgiving. Baudichon, who had been seized by the Catholics at Lyons some months before, had been kept in prison, with another Huguenot, and, finally, had been sentenced by the archbishop to be burnt alive. But just after the retreat of the Savoyards from Geneva some Bernese ambassadors were sent to transact some business with Francis I, King of France. They took the opportunity of asking for the release of Baudichon. Francis had his own reasons for wishing to be on good terms with the Swiss. He sent orders to Lyons that Baudichon and his fellow-citizen should be set free. Warmly were they welcomed home by the Huguenots of Geneva.
But the dark days were not yet over. Darker days were yet to come—darker to the eye of man, brighter to the eye of faith—for it was because of the shining of the light of the gospel in Geneva, that the prince of darkness mustered his forces against the city he feared to lose. The gospellers of Geneva were to learn how true were the words of Farel, “How nobly all goes on, when all is lost as to the world!” All was to be lost, except Christ, His gospel, and His messengers. It was very clear to the citizens of Geneva that the clouds were gathering. Tidings came that France and Burgundy had promised their help to the duke and bishop, and that a fresh attack would speedily be made. All the citizens were called to arms. The Catholics, who had so nearly betrayed their city, were closely watched lest they should bring enemies within the walls; but the Catholics had other plans. Most of them had determined to leave the city, and join the forces of the duke and bishop; except the priests, few remained.
With joy the Huguenots saw the Catholics depart; Geneva, save for the priests, was now in their own hands.
The council determined on a desperate measure for the defense of the city. They feared lest the suburbs outside the walls should fall into the hands of their enemies. The suburbs were large, consisting of houses and gardens, convents and churches. Orders were given that they should be entirely demolished. The work began at once. The homes of rich and poor alike were pulled down to the ground—the beautiful houses of the rich citizens, the barns and storehouses, the ancient Priory of St. Victor, and the hovels of the poor. Six thousand citizens were thus left homeless and destitute; but the Huguenots within the walls took into their houses all alike—gospellers and Catholics—and shared with them their last loaf, and gave up to them every spare corner.
The last loaf was, alas! soon to be found in many houses. The bishop, from his retreat in Savoy, had sent orders to all towns and villages around his city of Geneva, that no provisions were to be supplied to the rebellious citizens.
The market which the country people had stocked so well with fruit and vegetables, was left empty and deserted. The bishop and the duke placed soldiers in the many castles belonging to them on all sides of the city. None could go out or come in, save at the pleasure of the soldiers. The bishop then took up his abode at Gex, about ten miles off, and ordered all his council to join him there. He gathered around him a number of priests, with whom he took counsel. “We must crush these Lutherans,” he said, “either by war or by any other means.” He then solemnly excommunicated every person left in Geneva—all who should hear the preachers, or talk to them—all who should enter the city for any purpose whatever.
The village people all around now believed Geneva to be a place inhabited by devils. They avoided it, not only out of obedience to the bishop, but from fear and terror. Some bold peasants from one village ventured to go there, for they were curious to see “the devils.” When they came back to their friends they reported that “the preachers were really men, and not devils at all.” The bishop speedily stopped their tales by sending them to prison.
Thus did the clouds gather over the devoted city. But all these things did not move the gospellers; they had their preachers, and the meetings were now unhindered. Every day the Lord added to the church such as should be saved, and, in spite of all that the enemy could do, “there was great joy in that city.”
At night, when the soldiers were keeping watch at the gates and on the ramparts, the preachers would sit amongst them, and tell them the story of the cross, and of the glory of Christ. Many were thus turned to the Lord. “In the old times,” said the citizens, “the soldiers used to while away their time with idle, ill-conducted women, but now they care for nothing but preaching, and, instead of profane and filthy conversation, we hear nothing but the Word of God.”
God was indeed showing mercy to Geneva, in saving multitudes of blind and lost sinners. And He was teaching those whom He saved glorious and blessed lessons. They were soon to learn by experience, as well as from the words of Farel, what it is to lean upon an arm of flesh. If they had been trusting in Berne rather than in God, they were to find that there is but One who can never be as a broken reed. Berne stood aloof; and though not against them, their old allies seemed either unable or unwilling to defend their cause against the duke and the bishop.
The duke meanwhile offered them terms of peace. He would forgive them everything. But it was on the condition that they should send away “these new preachers; that they should allow no more such preachings in their city; that they should receive the bishop back, and live in the faith of our Holy Mother, the Church.” Thus they might have their choice—peace and plenty and the old forms and ceremonies; or the sword and famine, and the gospel of God.
But Geneva, which two years before had driven Farel from its walls, had another spirit now.
“You ask us,” replied the council, “to give up the gospel of Jesus Christ. We would sooner give up father and mother, wife and children. We would sooner lose our goods and our lives. Tell the duke we will set fire to the four corners of our city, before we send away the preachers who preach to us the word of God.” The duke and the bishop were astonished at this answer, and roused to the height of anger.
The bishop called together a great meeting of his friends and allies at the little town of Thonon, on the southern shore of the Lake of Geneva. Sister Jane thus describes it: “In this month of November (1534) was held a meeting at Thonon, to treat for peace for the good of the country, and all at the cost of my lord (the bishop), who, as a true prince of peace, desired by no means to shed blood, and he took part himself in person at this assembly, with the great and excellent nobles of his country... and my lords the bishops and the archbishop. All which was a great expense to my said lord, and was to no purpose, for the heretics would by no means be brought to their senses, nor give up their heresies, but were more proud and insolent than before, and ceased not to destroy the images. And in December they broke and removed all the crosses all round Geneva, which was a great pity, and the rest of the year was a time of great sorrow and tribulation. And on Christmas day the Lutherans had no service, and dressed themselves in their shabby clothes just as on working days, and did not make white bread (answering to Christmas cake in England) “because Christians did it. And all advent there was no sermon preached at Geneva, except by these wretches—such a thing as was never known before, and very strange to the Christians.”
The object of the meeting of Thonon, was, as you will have seen, to decide upon some plan for bringing back the insolent, rebellious city to its obedience to the bishop. On this occasion Berne declared itself on the side of the duke and bishop! Berne, which had been the hope and strength of Geneva, as the citizens had once thought, Berne was now, if not in the ranks of the enemy, consenting in part at least, to their demands. The hope and strength of Geneva was now to be One greater than Berne. Had they lost by the exchange?
Then followed the news that the great emperor, Charles V, would also come to the help of Savoy. The Duchess of Savoy was his sister-in-law.
The terms agreed upon by the duke and bishop at the Council of Thonon were proposed to the Council of Geneva. The Bernese had consented, in some measure, though not entirely, to the proposal of these terms. The duke’s offer was, that a truce should be made with Geneva for two months, to give the council time to “put down the newfangled preachers, and to return to their allegiance to the prince-bishop.” The answer made by the Council of Geneva was speedily sent to their ambassador at Berne. It is well worth reading.
“As to the first article of the terms proposed, namely, that 'each party should remain quiet and take no further step,’ we reply, That we desire nothing more than peace and love with regard to everyone.
“As to the second article, 'that the preachers of the new faith are to be silenced and put down at Geneva, whether in public or in private,’ we reply, We have no longer any preachers of the new faith at Geneva who are not put down: for, of the two who preached here during the past year, one is in prison (i.e., Father Furbity), because he would not retract what he had preached according to the new faith, and against the ancient faith and the teaching of Jesus Christ, namely, 'that nobody could enter Heaven except by means of the pope and of his priests, and that to eat meat on days when meat is forbidden by the pope and his church is as great a sin as murder and theft’ Also, many more similar statements, which he could not prove by the holy Scripture and by the old doctrine of Jesus Christ, but only by the writings of the new teachers, such as Thomas Aquinas and others, who only lived 400 years ago, and who are called in the holy Scriptures antichrists, because they teach otherwise than Christ has taught us. The other preacher was a priest of St. Gervais, who, finding that he could not prove by the old and holy Scripture many things which he preached, fled away without our having to drive him forth, and retired to Peney, where he took up his abode with the traitors and outlaws of Geneva. Thus, we have no longer any preacher of the new faith at Geneva, as also it is forbidden by our present laws to preach aught else than the gospel and the old doctrine of Jesus Christ.
“As to the third article, 'that each party during the truce of two months is to be left in security as to their persons and goods on the territory of the others', we answer, We never forbid any to come into our territory, nor did we make war, so that we have no truce to make.
“As to the fourth article, 'that neither party is to refuse provisions to the other, in return for money, nor to stop the provisions', we answer, We never did refuse nor stop provisions, nor did we intend to do so, but it is the duke who has done so with regard to us.
“As to the fifth article, ‘if during the term of the truce, any shall break it, they shall be duly punished,’ we answer, We have no prisoners in our hands, except thieves and traitors, nor have we ever had any. But the duke is keeping in his hands six prisoners (in the Castle of Peney), three children and three old men, because they listened to the preaching of the gospel, and endeavored to live according to it, and for no other crime.
“As to the bishop, that is another affair altogether. He drove himself away, and instead of a bishop and pastor, he is a wolf to his sheep, which we are ready and willing to prove to him in the right place and at the right time, all men knowing what he has done. It is the wolves who are demanding a truce with the shepherds and the sheep.” And to this the ambassador of Geneva added a sentence of his own, “The Master of the sheepfold, who has sent shepherds to rescue His sheep from the wolves, is faithful and strong, and can do all things. May God give them grace, courage, and might to resist the wolves and to stand fast to His honor and glory!” Such was the answer of Geneva, of the little city alone against the world, but alone with God.
The Castle of Peney, mentioned in this letter, was a strong fortress belonging to the Bishop of Geneva. It was a few miles from the city, on the road to Lyons. The bishop had placed a garrison in this castle, composed of the most desperate and ruffianly of the Catholics who had fled from Geneva. He kept them there at his own expense, in order that they might waylay any “Lutherans “or Huguenots, who should venture along the road; and also in order that they might seize any provisions which were intended to supply the market at Geneva. This den of robbers became in time the prison and the grave of many of the servants of God.