"The crowd worships you to-day, to-morrow kills you, and then the next day adores you dead."—Monti.
THE true Christian life lightens and brightens what this world calls the drudgery of daily toil. And we are now going to consider the life of a noble Christian woman, whose nobility did not shine amidst the grandeur of Italian marble palaces, but in the humble spheres of the common people. Angiolina, as wife and mother, took part in many a combat in the battle of life, and came off victorious to the end.
Naturally intelligent and thoughtful, she calmly pondered her duty, and then undertook it with a firm tenacity. Her character was, therefore, what we rightly call a strong one. She had been early taught the doctrine of the Church of Rome, and in due time became one of its most ardent members in that town. She had never heard pure evangelical truth, and she accepted as Divine the traditions of Rome, and according to these she modeled her religion with a devotion which knew no limits. To her the Church was the only and sure way to Heaven, its precepts were infallible and its practices unchallengeable. She kept a clear account with her confessor, and protected by the Blessed Virgin and her patron saint she felt she could defy all the unbelief and indifference of the world.
It was in this decided state of mind that one morning in the market place she met a friend, equally religious. Both women had been to early mass, and now they were engaged in the more secular occupation of gossip. Whatever was going to happen in the town was known and retailed in the market square amid the vociferous confusion of venders, fowls and various species of the “lower " animals.
“Have you heard the latest, Angiolina “exclaimed her friend as she clasped her hands and raised her eyes to heaven.” The Protestanti have arrived! "
“You do not mean it, Carmela! Why, I would rather that an epidemic had visited our town than that the Protestant heresy should have infected us."
Carmela was a most devout Roman Catholic, but much less intelligent than Angiolina, to whom she confessed her ignorance regarding the Protestant doctrine. Having expressed her surprise at her friend's lack of information on such an all important question, she began to instruct her. But, alas! Angiolina's instruction was more erring than Carmela's lack of information. " You know, Carmela, that the Protestants do not believe in God, nor in the saints, nor in the Holy Mother Church. But I shall defy them, and you will help me, Carmela."
“Yes, Angiolina, I will. They are going to preach to-night at 8 o'clock in a hall which they have hired in Via della Chiesa."
“Well, Carmela, I shall call for you, we shall go together, and I shall get up and oppose them."
At five minutes to eight o'clock Angiolina fulfilled her promise, and knocked at Carmela's door. She found her friend ready and excited about the eventful mission on which they were about to start. A few minutes brisk walk brought them to the door of the hall, which they found so crowded that they could not obtain an entrance. To avoid the unpleasant crush, Angiolina proposed that they should retrace their steps, especially as a bill on the door announced that the meetings would be held every night that week. “Carmela, we shall come early to-morrow evening."
At half-past seven the following evening Angiolina and Carmela were at the hall door, and on entering found a few people gathered and others entering. Two bright young men stood near the door and politely offered a seat to each comer. Angiolina led the way to a front seat.
“Who are these?" whispered Carmela to Angiolina and pointing to the evangelists.
“I do not know: they are strangers to our town," replied Angiolina as she scanned the hall, now observing the simple little platform, on which stood a plain table and a chair at each end of it; now reading the text on the wall behind the platform: " Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
“Angiolina, do the Protestants believe that?” inquired Carmela softly.
“No, they believe nothing," angrily replied Angiolina.
The hall was now full, and as the town clock struck eight, the two young Italian evangelists went to the humble platform, and for a moment bowed their heads in prayer. All was silent and reverent. While Carmela gazed around on the audience, Angiolina kept her eyes fixed upon the two young heretics, determined to oppose their first utterances against her sacred religion.
Presently one of the two young preachers arose and with a calm and natural voice said: “Friends, let us commence our meeting with prayer."
Carmela rose with the audience, but Angiolina kept her seat, with her eyes fixed upon the leader. Her first thought was to rise and challenge him, but suddenly it dawned upon her mind that Protestants do pray. So she would follow the prayer, and if any blasphemy were uttered she would oppose it immediately.
Having offered to God thanks for the liberty and peace they enjoyed, and for all the blessings of daily life, the young evangelist prayed for His blessing upon their meeting, that the speaker might be enabled to preach faithfully the Gospel of Christ, and that the hearers might be enabled to believe it.
The prayer was brief, fervent, reverent and spiritual, and was immediately answered so far that a portion of Angiolina's prejudice had now evaporated.
The audience had again taken their seats, and Carmela contented herself with satisfying her curiosity, looking behind here and there to see any person she might know, while Angiolina was intent only upon one thing—the doctrine of the Protestants.
So far the opening prayer had produced a favorable impression upon her, and leaning back more comfortably upon her seat, she resolved to give the preachers a fair hearing.
Presently the other evangelist rose with a book in his hand, and said: “Friends, I shall now read from the Holy Scriptures the account of Christ's death for us, as contained in the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel according to John."
Angiolina followed with close attention every word as it was read clearly and solemnly, and at the close of the reading she heaved a sigh, and with it another portion of her prejudice had gone.
The young preacher then announced that the subject of his message would be: “The Finished work of Christ," and read again from the thirtieth verse the few but all-comprehensive words: “It is finished."
He at once captured the attention of his audience by referring to the Vulgate text known to many of them: Consummatum est, and went on to expound it. For forty-five minutes he preached with spiritual unction the story of the Cross of Calvary. It was a message positive and plain, and had no controversial side issues to detract from its main line of teaching.
Laborers for Christ in Roman Catholic countries have found that the preaching of the Gospel, positively, plainly and purely, is the most potent controversy against error. Polemics too often stir up the latent prejudice of the audience against the truth. Nor is this to be wondered at. The people have been taught, as Angiolina had been, that Protestants have no positive Gospel to preach; that their doctrines are mere negations of the truth. Happily for Angiolina and for many others, there are those in Italy who “preach Christ “of” good will “and” of love " (Phil. 1:15, 1715Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: (Philippians 1:15)
17But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel. (Philippians 1:17)).
A brief prayer brought the meeting to a close. The Gospel so faithfully preached that evening had proved the power of God unto salvation to Angiolina. So vivid was her vision of Christ crucified for her sins, that she forgot all her prejudice against Protestantism, and left the hall a happy believer. Her former zeal for the Church and its traditions gave place to an earnest devotion based upon the Word of God. Her religion had been that of her own DOING, now her faith rested on what Christ had DONE. She had been working for that which was a free gift; she had been adding to that which had been finished, and she found that her doing was practically undoing what Christ had done for her.
Angiolina lost no time in making known her conversion to Christ. The first to whom she confessed Him were His two young servants whom she had purposed opposing. Then she went to the priest, no longer to confess her sins but to testify of her salvation. She was excommunicated, persecuted and forsaken by her former friends. Carmela had not that nobility of character of which we read in the apostolic history, and which has manifested itself in the true disciples of every age, who receive the Word with all readiness of mind, searching the Scriptures daily whether those things are so (Acts 17:1111These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. (Acts 17:11)).
The characters of Angiolina and Carmela are typical of many. Carmela represents the prejudice which is based upon moral ignorance, and which again lives upon indifference. It has no depth, and the impressions for good made upon it soon wither.
On the other hand Angiolina represents the prejudice based upon misconception and misunderstanding, under which there is a fundamental moral principle. Remove the debris and you will find a firm foundation on which to build, and a fertile soil in which to plant the truth.