The spiritual death which pervaded Christendom in the eighteenth century lingered on the Continent till the early years of the nineteenth century. The way in which God revived the truth there, when to all appearance it had become extinct, is so remarkable that it deserves to be recorded in some detail. The means employed were very simple; the results, however, cannot be measured.
Incredible as it may sound, Geneva, that great citadel of the Reformation, where Farel and Calvin had labored and where thousands of standard-bearers of the gospel had found refuge during the days of persecution — Geneva, the city blessed with such light, was, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, steeped in darkness. The Protestant Churches of Switzerland were dead. The students of divinity in its famous university knew little or nothing of the Bible and were totally ignorant of the gospel. The same was true of the Continental countries as a whole.
In 1810 a few young and earnest inquirers after the truth, doubtless led by the Spirit of God and having, in spite of their ignorance, love for the Lord Jesus, formed a little company called “La Societé des Amis.” Among these were a young man named Bost and another named Empeytaz. The latter had become chaplain to Madame Krudener, but her views of the truth were visionary and indistinct. The little society was frowned on by the Arian clergy, and in 1814 it was dissolved. About a dozen of them, however, continued to hold a sort of love feast after the manner of the early Christians, at which they conversed to the best of their knowledge on eternal things. Bost, however, left them to take up a post as pastor in the Canton of Berne, and Empeytaz also quitted the field, but he wrote, at this time, a pamphlet which he addressed to the students on the subject of the deity of Christ. It shows the state of things among the students and professors of theology at Geneva that this pamphlet raised a storm of protest. Meanwhile, the few who were hungering and thirsting after righteousness had been praying to God to send them an instructor in the truth.
At this moment Robert Haldane appeared. In 1816, acting, as the events prove, under a divine impulse, he was led to visit the city and to spread in that country the glad tidings which he and his brother had been preaching in Scotland. Armed only with the Bible, knowing no one there personally, he got in touch providentially with one of the students, and ere long the greater part of the young men studying for the ministry were sitting at his feet listening to the Word of God and drinking in the water of life, which, in turn, was to flow out from them in a fertilizing stream and cause the gospel to flourish once more in a continent where it had become almost extinct.
One of the young men who listened was Merle d’Aubigné, the well-known author of the History of the Reformation. He himself once said that the narrative of this revival would form “one of the most beautiful episodes in the history of the Church.”
Let us hear in Haldane’s own words as to how the exercise began:
“For many years I had cherished the idea of going to France, with the view of doing something to promote the knowledge of the gospel in a country in which I had been three times before as a traveler. Accordingly, when the return of peace rendered my design practicable, I went to the Continent. Being, however, unacquainted with a single individual there and therefore unable to arrange any particular plan of action, I feared that my object might prove abortive, and, in consequence, when asked, before I left Scotland, how long I expected to be absent, I replied, ‘Possibly only six weeks.’ The Lord, however, was pleased to open a wide and effectual door, leading me in a way that I knew not, and my residence abroad continued about three years.
“On arriving at Paris, involved, as it appeared, in Egyptian darkness, I soon perceived that I had no means of furthering the object of my journey in that great metropolis. Unexpectedly, however, I met with Mr. Hillhouse, a gentleman from America, of whom I had not heard before. He had landed at Bordeaux and, traveling through the south of France, had gone to Geneva and thence to Paris. Having passed through Montauban, where the French Theological Protestant Faculty was founded by Napoleon, he had there, and in other places, inquired respecting the Protestant ministers, and he communicated to me all his information on the subject. He told me that at Geneva there were only two individuals to whom I could have access — the one a pastor, in advanced years, and the other not a pastor but what is termed a minister — and that nearly the whole of the other pastors were Arians or Socinians.
“Finding no opening at Paris, I immediately set out for Geneva, hoping that something might be done through the two individuals referred to by Mr. Hillhouse. On my arrival, I called on the pastor alluded to, the late M. Moulinie, and conversed with him on the gospel. He was very kind, but appearing to acquiesce in all that I advanced, discussion on any point was out of the question and no progress was made. Being, therefore, unable to discover means of usefulness at Geneva and finding, on inquiry, that the young man also spoken of by Mr. Hillhouse had some time before removed to Berne, I repaired to that city, where I found he had been ordained a pastor. He was not an Arian or Socinian, but although very ignorant respecting the gospel, he was willing to inquire and hear concerning the great truths which it reveals. I remained in Berne about eight days, during which he came to me every morning at ten o’clock and continued till ten at night —in fact, as late as it was possible for him, the gates of the city, beyond which he lodged, being shut at that hour. During the whole day, I endeavored to set before him, as far as I was enabled, everything relating to the gospel, and I have good reason to believe that the word spoken was accompanied with the blessing of the Lord. I was afterwards informed that, subsequent to my departure, he conversed with his colleague, the other pastor of the Church, on the subject of our discussions and that in considering what had been advanced, they arrived at the conclusion that it must be the true doctrine of salvation.
“I hesitated whether I should return to Geneva, but at last resolved to do so. ... I again visited M. Moulinie with whom I had before conversed, who, as formerly, was very kind, but with whom I could make no progress. From all I could learn from him, Geneva was involved in the most deplorable darkness. It was, as Mr. Burgess observes, ‘an unbroken field of labor,’ with a ‘fallen Church.’ Calvin, once its chiefest boast and ornament, with his doctrines and works, had been set aside and forgotten, while the pastors and professors were in general Arians or Socinians. Some exceptions among them there were, including M. Moulinie, who held the divinity of our Lord Jesus and, I believe, loved and served Him according to their light, but that light was so obscure — they were, on the whole, so ignorant, so incapable of rightly dividing the Word of truth —that their preaching was without fruit. They preached neither law nor gospel fully, and their doctrine did not seem to affect the consciences of their hearers. A small prayer meeting had, for some time, been held, in consequence, I believe, of a visit of Madame Krudener to Geneva, and by one belonging to it I was told that, sensible of their want of knowledge, they had prayed that an instructor should be sent to them and that their prayer now, they believed, was answered.
“Being unable to meet with any other person with whom I might converse on the gospel, I resolved to quit Geneva without delay and proceed to Montauban. The Lord, however, is often pleased to overrule our purposes by occurrences which, in themselves, appear trifling and thus to bring about results that could not have been anticipated. M. Moulinie had politely offered to conduct Mrs. Haldane to see the model of the mountains, a little way out of town, and with this object he promised to call on us the day following. In the morning, however, we received a note from him, saying that, having suffered from a severe headache during the night, he was himself unable to come, but he had sent a young man, a student of divinity, who would be our conductor. On this providential circumstance depended my continuance at Geneva, which I had been on the point of leaving. With this student I immediately entered into conversation respecting the gospel, of which I found him profoundly ignorant, although in a state of mind that showed he was willing to receive information. He returned with me to the inn and remained till late at night. Next morning he came with another student, equally in darkness with himself. I questioned them respecting their personal hope of salvation and the foundation of that hope. Had they been trained in the schools of Socrates or Plato and enjoyed no other means of instruction, they could scarcely have been more ignorant of the doctrines of the gospel. They had, in fact, learned much more of the opinions of the heathen philosophers than of the doctrines of the Saviour and His apostles. To the Bible and its contents their studies had never been directed. After some conversation, they became convinced of their ignorance of the Scriptures and of the way of salvation, and they were exceedingly desirous of information. I therefore postponed my intended departure from Geneva.”
The two students with whom Haldane first conversed brought six others. So frequent did these visits become that regular meetings were arranged. Taking the Epistle to the Romans as his subject, Haldane began to instruct them in the gospel. Others now joined these classes, and soon almost the whole of the students in theology in the University were attending them regularly, and this continued during the winter of 1816-1817 right on to the end of the summer term. A good many were soundly converted. Beside those who thus attended regularly, others came for instruction at different hours, and Haldane was often occupied till midnight. Other inhabitants of Geneva, unconnected with the colleges, both men and women, also paid visits in the afternoon to receive instruction in the truth of the gospel. The University authorities and the pastors, disturbed by these activities, endeavored, but in vain, to silence Haldane and prevent the students attending. To these students, as we have seen, the study of the Scriptures was a new exercise. It formed no part of their preparation for the ministry, nor were they acquainted with the teachings of Luther and Calvin. Their new and unofficial instructor led the little band to the fountainhead of truth.
The gospel, which seemed almost extinguished, once again obtained a foothold on the Continent. Haldane’s brief pioneer work was followed up by others. In Scandinavia, where the whole population were nominal adherents of the national Churches, there was a sort of second Reformation. The Methodist and Baptist bodies also obtained adherents in various parts of Europe. Even Russia was affected; a fuller account of this is given in a later chapter.
In Spain and Italy there was also a feeble revival, but the power of Rome, particularly in the former country, hindered the spread of the Word of God.