WILLIAM proceeds to say how the utter ruin of the church was brought about by the favor shown to it by the Roman Emperor Constantine. “The Christians,” he says, “having received these favors, fell into the snare of following and obeying those who thus favored them, instead of looking diligently into the Bible to see what they ought to observe and do. We may, therefore, say that the heretics who taught false doctrines were really more useful to the Christian fathers than the emperors who favored them, for the heretics at least stirred them up to search the Scriptures more diligently than they would have done, had they had no heretics to contradict.” Thus the more William read of the fathers, the less did he respect them. “Ambrose,” he says, “writes down for us all the senseless things which Helena said about the cross; whereas if she had really said them, she ought to have been rebuked, and told not to speak like a fool. Alas! we find from reading the fathers, how not only those in these latter days have gone astray from God—in these days of complete ignorance, of idolatry, of entire revolt against Christ, against faith, and against the gospel—in these days when we see how far away the blind could lead the blind—but we find in the books of the fathers how at first wise and holy men began already to swerve from the right way, even as soon as the churches had multiplied after the days of the apostles. These holy men were greatly admired for their wisdom and goodness; but for all that they erred and sinned grievously, in ordering things which are not in the word of God, but which are condemned therein. They acted without the commandment of Jesus Christ. They should, therefore, serve as a warning to us, lest we, too, should comply with things which God has not commanded. For things cannot be ordered more decently, nor in more complete order, than God’s order—that order which Christ commands. There is no better conformity than conforming to the word of God; there is no leader to be followed, wiser and better than Jesus Christ. If the sacrifices, the dresses, the observances of Moses, were all to give place to Christ, it is easy to judge what we should do with all those things which were invented after Christ. Let it be enough for us that the pastors should be those God Himself sends forth; the doctrine that which He has vouched for; that the places where Christians meet should be decent and convenient; that those received at the Lord’s table should be such as the Scripture directs; that all should be done simply according to the gospel. If Jesus Christ and the gospel, believed and followed, are not enough to ensure that Christians should assemble reverently and in the right way, how else is it to be done? Who can order this if Christ cannot? All will go well when Christ alone is owned in the church.”
The priests replied to all such reasoning in various ways. Some said that it was a fact that the sign of the cross drove away Satan. “The cross,” they said, “is the sword which kills the devil.”
“Where, I ask you,” said William, is the devil more evidently present and alive than in the person of the pope, who wears three crosses on the top of his head, and is covered with crosses down to his slippers?—than in the service of the mass, where more crosses are to be seen than in any other service?”
Others argued that the old fathers did not mean that the cross was to be adored, but that it stood for Christ Himself.
“It is no use,” said William, “to try to excuse and color the words they used. It is much better to own that they did not speak according to Scripture. In the Old Testament we find types and figures, but the gospel speaks plainly and simply, of the one sacrifice of Jesus Christ, in words clear and full, without mystifying anything; and we should speak in the same way, naturally, simply, and calling things by their right names. We ought not to talk of altars and sacrifices if we mean something else. To say the cross is the hope of Christians, is blasphemy, if we mean the cross and not Christ. And if we mean Christ, how inconsistent is it to see the cross mixed up with worldly ornaments, stuck upon crowns and diadems, and robes of scarlet!
“Does the cross then mean Christ? Jesus Christ stands far apart from all this worldly finery. And if we are Christians, we are not of the world, but new creatures. For Christ is not of the world—He is gone away from the world to the Father, and is in heaven, not on earth. But the truth is that the cross is put in the place of Him who died—in the place of that precious blood which alone can wash away sin. He who believes in Jesus hath everlasting life. But that we should be thus redeemed, it needed nothing less than Himself—the One Savior Jesus, true God and true man—it is Himself who has done it all. Oh, that all might believe and own this blessed Savior as their Redeemer and Deliverer, might know themselves saved by believing His blessed gospel, and that all would thank and praise that gracious Father who gave them a Savior so great and so excellent. Let us satisfy our hearts with Him, and look to Him, and occupy ourselves no more with crosses, than with Judas or Pilate, or any other tormentors of that blessed Savior. For the Holy Spirit teaches Christians that they are dead to sin and alive in Christ, risen in newness of life, and that thus risen they should seek the things that are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, and that they should set their affections on the things that are above, not the things that are on earth.”
The priests of Paris heard with anger that Farel could thus dare to say that the fathers themselves had fallen into sin and folly. But William answered that it did not matter who spoke, if the words spoken did not agree with the Bible. “Let us not fear to contradict anybody if what they say is not to be proved by the Scriptures,” he said. “Let us rather own, O Lord, Thou alone canst not lie nor err, and nothing can be right but that which is according to Thy holy word. And let us condemn by that word all that the greatest, the wises’, and the holiest have said, if their sayings do not accord with it. Who is there who would not condemn the idolatry of Solomon? His wisdom is no reason why we should not detest his sin. David was a very good and holy man, but that ought not to prevent us from saying that he sinned. It is a warning to us also, lest we should think ourselves safe from making mistakes.
If we could be like angels, we ought, nevertheless, to keep a tight rein upon our actions, our words, and even our thoughts, and look to see if they agree with the word of God, if not, we sin.”
But William found that the doctors of Paris were by no means willing to admit that the Bible was enough. “On the contrary,” he said, “the books of the fathers which are often as contrary to the Scripture as the flesh to the spirit, are preferred by them to the word of God. Instead of being satisfied with the Bible, they insist upon adding them on to it, just as if people tried to adorn gold and gems by sticking upon them dung and dirt. Instead of trying to understand and explain the word, they mix it up with the dreams of men, running after Helenas and bits of wood, and thrusting forward what is not in the Bible at all. And thus all this ruin and destruction has come. And just as it is a mark of utter blindness not to see the ruin, so is it a mark of cowardice and wickedness to encourage people to go on in the confusion into which we are fallen. There is no blessing from God upon such as do it. They arm themselves with the excuse that ancient custom and sightly shows are not to be lightly set aside; and even those who really desire that God should be worshipped spiritually, dare not say a word against old forms and ancient fathers. If the church had never allowed one single thing which is not plainly ordered in Scripture, we should never have fallen into the deep pit of error, idolatry, and superstition, where we now find ourselves, the idolatry of Christendom, worse than any idolatry that was ever seen before!"
Some of the least ignorant of the priests and doctors went so far as to agree that people ought to be told that the images and crosses are not in themselves to be worshipped. “It is easy to tell the people,” they said, “that they should worship God only. But the fault is in them if they are idolatrous, not in the crosses and images, they might remain as before, they do no harm.”
“The good king Hezekiah,” says Farel, “condemns you there. He did not content himself with telling the people not to worship the brazen serpent. That serpent had been made by the great servant of God, Moses himself, and by the commandment of God. It was an outward and visible sign of the greatest work that God ever did or ever will do, namely, of the putting away of our sins by the death of Christ. But Hezekiah made no difficulty about breaking it to pieces. He did not think it enough to preach to the people that they were to leave off worshipping it. He not only broke it in pieces, but he gave it a name of contempt, he called it ‘that piece of brass.’ I have just as much right as he had, to speak with detestation of those things which men have said and done contrary to the pure word of God. I have more right, for the worship which God looks for from Christians is a higher thing than the worship at Jerusalem—it is a worship of the Father in spirit and in truth.”
I have told you at some length of these words of William Farel. You must not think that he saw all this at once. It was a matter of months and years, for he had to unlearn and to learn in no small degree. But having once got firm hold of the truth that everything added by man to the word of God was an evil thing, one piece of popery after another fell down from the place it had had in his heart. And I have thought it well to tell you so much of what he has said on this subject, for a reason that should fill us with shame and sorrow.
Three hundred and fifty years have passed away since William Farel first taught men that they should search the Scriptures to find out how much in their belief and worship has no foundation there. But alas! if this were now to be done, how much is there, not only in popish, but in Protestant countries, that would be overthrown by such a test as that! If each person were to make an honest list of everything he does and allows in the worship and service of God, for which he can find no plain direction in God’s blessed word, and if all the things found in such lists were added together, what a long list, alas! would it make! And sadder still, if a second list were made of all the men and women who were willing therefore to give up at once and forever, all that is found in that long list, how short would that second list be! And yet we cannot but see that were Christian people willing thus to act, leaving nothing to be believed or done but that which God directs in His word, then “all that believe would be together”—they would have nothing to divide them into sects and parties, for there would be one rule, and that a perfect rule, for all alike.
But William Farel spoke in vain to all but a few, and perhaps there are not many more now who are willing to go back to the Scriptures only, and let all else go to the winds. The heart of man is not changed since 1520, nor is the world less at enmity with God, nor is Satan less busy. Therefore all that opposed the teaching of Farel then, is ready to oppose such teaching now. For the things that are of man are dear to the natural heart, and the things that are of God are hateful to it.