ONE day, twelve years ago, Father Jacob was sitting with his family in his cottage on the mountains of Dauphine. He was a laborer, living in a wild and remote little village, himself as untaught and unenlightened as his Roman Catholic neighbors.
One generation followed another in this old far-away village, and men heard little of that which went on in the great world, and if they could read they had neither books nor newspapers. Father Jacob could read, but a book was a rare sight to him.
The day on which our story begins, there suddenly came into his cottage an old friend, a soldier, just come back from Algeria. A book was in his hand. "Look here," he said; "when we landed at Marseilles, a lady was there on the quay giving away books, and this one she gave to me. A nice book I thought it was, and just now I showed it to his reverence at the parsonage. But only think! he said it was a dangerous, wicked book, and he told me to burn it. Seems a pity, doesn't it? However, I don't care to keep it, so, Father Jacob, if you like to have it you may."
"Give it me," said Father Jacob. And afterwards he related, "When I took that book in my hands, somehow I felt that I had got hold of a treasure. And when I opened it at the title page, I read these words, 'The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' Oh, what a wonderful book! A kind of awe came over me. I thought, it is a book about Jesus Christ! No, it can't be a bad book. It must come from God." “Therefore Father Jacob said, ' Thank you, kindly. I'm right glad to have it."
When the soldier was gone, Father Jacob went into his little room with his book all alone. But a terrible fear came over him. The priest had said it was a dangerous, wicked book. And yet it was about Jesus. Was it a sin to read it? “But if it comes from God will He not tell me," thought Father Jacob,” if I ought to read it or not? Will not the book tell me?”
And Father Jacob knelt down with the book in his hand, and said, "O my God, if this book comes from Thee, and I ought to read it, show me in the book that I should do so."
Then Father Jacob opened the book, and saw these words before his eyes. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater; for this is the witness of God, which He hath testified of His Son." And he opened it again, and he read these words, “He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life.
Father Jacob needed no more at that moment. He had the witness of God, how much greater than that of the priest! And further, he said to himself, “God says, I have everlasting life. For I believe in Jesus: hath is the word—hath everlasting life. Yes, I have it!" And Father Jacob thanked and praised God for giving him this glorious gift.
And very soon after that happy day, he was seen continually with a radiant face, and the book in his hand, going from house to house to tell his friends and neighbors that God had given His Son, and that He gives eternal life, and full, free forgiveness to all who believe in Him.
In vain did the priest rebuke Father Jacob for his mad ways. He only thought " The priest may say what he likes, but the witness of God is greater, and this, this," and Father Jacob clasped his book lovingly and reverently, “is the witness of God, which He has testified of His Son."
Soon the news spread from village to village, that Father Jacob had wonderful tidings to tell out of a book that came from God. And people came from far and near, over the mountains and torrents, to hear the witness of God. And sometimes a messenger would come to Father Jacob from some distant place to ask him to come and tell the good news and read the book.
As years went on many of these men and women of the mountains believed and were saved, and they would meet together to pray and to thank God, and Father Jacob found means of getting Bibles and New Testaments for them also. For a colporteur met him once on his journey, and sold to him a whole Bible, and Father Jacob said, “Now I have a double treasure, the Old Testament and the New." And these poor men and women began to take the Lord's Supper together in some of the mountain cottages, in remembrance of the death of Jesus. And thus they do still.
It came to pass last winter (December, 1890) that a message was sent to Father Jacob from a mountain village a long way off. It was a very strange message, which needs explanation. In this mountain village, quite out of the way of the world, there had long been a priest who was much beloved by the people. This poor man was as dark as his neighbors, but he was kind-hearted and generous, and made everyone fond of him by this means.
And trusting that he was out of sight and out of mind of the bishops around, he had taken to himself a wife, with whom he lived happily, though of course, being a priest, his marriage was not a lawful one. As time went on, the bishop of the diocese discovered that the priest was married and that he had several children. He, therefore, banished him from the village, and put in his place a priest who would better conform to the rules of the church.
But the people were filled with anger, and not only did they hate the new priest, but they tormented him in many ways. They liked to hold Dutch concerts with tongs and tin kettles under his windows at night. They hooted him and called him every bad name they could think of. And as none of these means had the desired effect of driving him away, a new idea occurred to them. They would one and all become Protestants.
But what is it to be a Protestant? they asked one another. They had heard of such people, but had never seen them. All they knew was this, that Protestants did not go to mass, and that the priests warned everyone against them. How could they find out the way of becoming Protestants?
"I know!" said one; "there is Father Jacob. The priests hate him, and say he's mad. No doubt he's a Protestant. Let us send for him."
Thus did the message reach Father Jacob, that he was wanted at once in the village of M. to teach all the people, old and young, how they were to become Protestants. Accordingly Father Jacob lost no time, but started on his journey, despite the wind and snow of December. When he came to the deep mountain torrent that had to be crossed, behold, the wooden bridge had been swept away by the wintry storms. And in place of the bridge three lengths of telegraph wire were stretched across the ravine, the foaming waters dashing wildly from the mountains far below. The three wires were placed one above the other. You were supposed to grasp the top one with your hands, pass the second under your armpits, and plant your feet on the lowest.
“Surely, Father Jacob," said a friend, who had come thus far,” you will never risk yourself, at the age of sixty-three, on those bits of wire! I wouldn't trust myself to them for a thousand francs."
“I am going over for the Lord," said Father Jacob,” and if I go to heaven instead of the other side, what then? “And singing a cheerful hymn, Father Jacob went on his way, and safely reached the other side.
When he came to the village he was welcomed by everyone, great and small, except the unhappy priest.
“And now you will teach us how to be Protestants," they said.
“I will teach you how to be Christians," said Father Jacob,” but I don't know much myself about Protestants. Anyhow, I would have you know that to make a din beneath the priest's windows, and to insult and ill use him is not Christianity, or Protestantism either. But if you want to be that which God would have you be, I have a book that will tell you all,"
Then Father Jacob opened his book, and preached Christ to them. How little had they imagined what it was they were to hear! But they heard eagerly, and one after another was saved.
Amongst these people who believed to the saving of their souls, was a poor woman, the wife of a man who was known far and wide as a “drunken brute." He had been the terror of his village, and of the villages round, and when all his neighbors went to hear Father Jacob, he stormed at them and threatened them. He was not going to be such a fool as they were-not he!
But after a while his good and patient wife began to astonish him by her loving words and ways, and when he had many times asked her how Father Jacob had managed to bewitch her with his sorceries, she said, “Come and see." And against his will he came.
A power stronger than his will was leading him by a way that he knew not.
Father Jacob opened his book and read out of it a short story. It was the story of Nathanael. He was a man, said Father Jacob, who was very unwilling to come to Jesus, but he had a kind friend who entreated him to come, and when he said he thought there was no good thing to be found in Jesus, his friend said " Come and see."
Then the angry man started up, shook his fist, and shouted, "Who told you all about me?”
And Father Jacob explained to him that he knew nothing whatever about him, but that the Lord Jesus who saw Nathanael under a fig tree when he was far away, had seen him also, and vas waiting to welcome him, for he loved him, and was calling to him.
Then the man fell on his knees, and said, “It is no use, I am too wicked; I am far, far too great a sinner!”
And when he went home with his wife he could not go to bed, but he threw himself on the ground, and cried and groaned, and said he was lost, lost, lost forever!
But Father Jacob knelt beside him, and told him of the blood of Jesus, and of the Shepherd who went after the sheep that was lost until He found it. And at last the poor man believed the blessed news, and he, too, was saved.
And now, if you were to go to his village, and ask for his little cottage, you would hear no longer drunken shouts, and the terrified shrieks of wife and children, but you would find the " terror of the village " sitting with his children round him and on his knee, teaching them to sing hymns, and to read the Book, Father Jacob's precious Book.
Now in that village from fifty to one hundred meet together on the Lord's Day to pray and read the word, and to remember the Lord's death, and to comfort themselves together, and to edify one another. And when they have a visit from Father Jacob, it is a high day and a festival, and it is in vain that the priest warns them that he is but a lunatic. They have received the witness of God, and they have believed the record that He has given of His Son. S hall we not pray that Father Jacob may yet win many souls for Christ? And shall we not thank God for Father Jacob, and also for the lady at Marseilles? And, most of all, shall we not praise Him for the Book?
F. B.