William Farel: A Simple Biography

The details of this story and many of the lessons learned have been taken from the book by Francis Bevan, The Life of William Farel. It is available from this same publisher and I hope you will be encouraged someday to read the longer account of William Farel’s life. My purpose was to shorten and simplify this story so that younger readers could enjoy it now and learn some of the lessons from Frances Bevan’s book.

Teri Smith

What Would It Be Like?

What would it be like to live in a country that had no cars or airplanes? And what if that country had no electric lights or running water? Can you imagine such a country? The story I am about to tell you takes place in a country that had none of these things. William Farel lived over 500 years ago and no light came on at the flip of a switch and no water gushed out at the turn of a tap.

But there was something far worse that William Farel’s country did not have. It did not have the Bible. If you have trouble thinking what it would be like to have no electricity or running water, cars or airplanes, then you will have an even harder time thinking what it would be like to live in a land where there was no light from God’s Word. It will be necessary to tell you something of the darkness of such a land in order for you to understand something of the great work that God gave His servant, William Farel, to do.

But wait. So that you will not learn a wrong lesson from this book, I must tell you one more thing. This story is not to tell you how great a man William Farel was. No, that would be a useless story. It is rather to tell you how great William Farel’s Saviour is. May the greatness of Jesus be the story of your life and mine when our story is told!

The Boy Without a Bible

No one told William Bible stories when he was young, nor did he go to Sunday school. The only Bibles were written in a language that only a few men could understand and even those Bibles were kept hidden away. But if William did not get any light from God’s Word when he was a boy, he did get good training for his body. He lived in a little village in France that was surrounded by mountains. William and his brothers climbed in the hills and swam in the rivers. They could get to places in those mountains where you and I would most likely be dashed to pieces if we dared to go. William needed this training for his body in order to do the work that the Lord was going to give him.

/When I tell you that William did not have the light from God’s Word, I do not mean for you to think that he had no religion at all. No, he had been taught to pray to idols and to angels and he had been told many religious stories of so-called “miracles.” At first William believed everything. But the idols, angels and religious stories did not put peace in his heart. He had not yet heard that “being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

Since no one had a Bible when William Farel was a boy, it was not hard for Satan to teach many foolish things to the people. But now when we all have Bibles, Satan works in a different way and mixes the good and the evil together in books and hymns so that we will not suspect that it is not true. May you and I read the Bibles that we have so that we will know what is dark and what is light.

Why William Went to Paris

Many people, even today, go to Paris to see the famous city. They visit the huge Eiffel Tower and perhaps taste the good French food and see where the kings once lived. The Eiffel Tower hadn’t even been built yet when William Farel went to that great city. He went, not to see the sights, but to study. His father had seen how William was not afraid of the mountain heights or the wild streams and had hoped that his son would be a soldier. William himself had other ideas and wanted to study to become an intelligent man who could write books and have a great name. Neither William nor his father could possibly have imagined what was going to happen when William reached Paris.

There was a second, rather secret reason that William wanted to go to Paris. It was that he did not have peace with God, and he hoped that he would learn from the religious men in Paris how to be more holy and get closer to God. There were indeed many men in Paris who could teach William Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He could study all he wished there, but his other, greatest wish seemed farther away than ever. The priests and other religious men, instead of living close to God, made fun of religion and lived wicked lives. Was there no one who could help him live a more holy life and find peace with God?

At last Farel met the man he had hoped to find. Master Faber took his religion seriously and bowed before the idols longer than any person William had ever met. William was glad to get to know him and thought that he had at last found the man to help him. Sad to say, Master Faber himself did not know that God wanted, not prayers to images and saints, but rather faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus.

So it was not from Master Faber, the learned man, that help came. We do not even know the name of the person who told William Farel God’s good news. Another Christian, unknown to us but not to God, taught William the value of the death of the Lord Jesus, and that one ray of light swept away many years of darkness. “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Something Hard to Do

William was happy to know that Christ had died for his sins, but one question still troubled him. If he was saved by faith in the death of Christ, then of what value were his works, his prayers and his giving to the poor? William took this question to Master Faber. What would he say?

“We have no goodness at all,” he said. “All is of grace and of God’s pure mercy, granted to those who deserve nothing.”

Yes! Even Master Faber, the great idolater, had learned something of the gospel. Now William and his old friend could thank the Lord together, and they began to study the Bible, that precious book that so few could read. In fact, William began to teach others that the Bible alone was the guide for their lives.

Most people in that great city of Paris did not care for William’s teaching. They preferred their sins and the darkness to the great light of God’s Word. A few did believe, but as Farel studied his Bible, he began to see that to try to make churches better was not the answer. The only answer was to come out from them and begin again to follow the simple teaching in God’s Word.

Not everyone who had been saved agreed with Farel, and it was at this time that he had to do something very hard. It had not been easy to leave his parents and go to Paris. It had been harder still to turn from the false religion he had been taught all his life. Now William had to choose whether he would go on with his Christian friends who wanted to stay in the churches even though there was much evil there, or whether he would stay away from the evil even though it could mean he would be alone.

What would you have chosen? What indeed are you choosing every day of your life? To mix the light with the darkness? William had read the verse, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity” (2 Timothy 2:19). It was hard to do, but William left his old friend, Faber, and left also the city of Paris.

You, too, will have to make choices like this. God has a wonderful promise for those who choose to stay away from evil. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty” (2 Corinthians 6:17-18).

Why William Had to Hide

When William left Paris, he returned to his family and his home in the mountains. Perhaps you are thinking that his family would be glad to see him again. Not so! They thought of his arrival with a feeling of terror because they had heard of the “strange” things he had been doing in Paris. No more idols? No more prayers to angels? How strange!

The mountains, the villages and the green valleys that William knew as a boy were all the same when he arrived home. But for William, everything had changed. He saw, not the hills and valleys, but the people. He saw the precious souls that were perishing without the knowledge of his Saviour, the Lord Jesus.

William began to preach at once. It was not in the churches that he preached, but in the streets, in the fields, on rocks by the river — wherever anyone would listen. The book he used was the Bible and his voice rang out like thunder. It was not long before his brothers, Daniel, John-James, Walter and Claude, believed and were saved. How happy William must have been!

But the priests were furious. How dare a young man preach when he was not even trained! And to preach anywhere and everywhere from the Bible! It was not long before the priests were doing everything they could to stop Farel. But William continued to preach wherever he could, and he knew, as you remember, the rocks and caves of the mountains so well from his youth that it was easy for him to find safe places to hide. The Lord helped him many times, but the priests were always on the watch.

William now felt that the Lord Himself had called him to be a preacher. He tried to be gentle but he also spoke faithfully against idols and preached Christ boldly. Soon his strong voice and his red hair were well-known by those who wished to stop him. Enemies chased Farel again and again, but the Lord delivered him from their hands while he traveled on, hiding in the woods and hills.

Lost in the Woods

William was an excellent traveler as you have seen, but one night God had a special lesson to teach him. On this trip he walked with a friend named Thomas, and on the first evening they lost their way. Rain came down and the night brought darkness and cold. They wandered not knowing where they were until they were thoroughly worn out, and they finally sat down in the wet road, giving up all hope of finding the right path. It was nothing new for Farel to spend the night outdoors. But on this dark and wet night God taught him something that he especially needed to know in order to do the great work that God had given him. Listen carefully, for it would be good for you and me to learn this lesson too.

“You know yourselves,” wrote William later, “that I am not quite such a fool as to be unable to tell one road from another, nor am I so slow and lazy as to be incapable of following an active man, but the Lord, by showing me how powerless I am even in little things, wished to teach me my utter helplessness in great things, how I am to rest, not on myself, but on Christ.”

Yes, it seems that William had learned not to trust in the religions of his youth or even in dear Master Faber and other great Christian teachers, but there was one man in whom he still had confidence. That man was William Farel himself. The cold night in the rain and mud was a message from God and he understood it well.

The two friends prayed together and started again. Before the trip was over they slipped in the mud, waded in water, wandered in the forest and were lost again. Wet to the skin and covered with mud, they finally reached the city, but the lesson Farel learned was never forgotten. He could thank God for the rest of his life for the cold and rain and darkness that had taught him those simple words of the Lord Jesus, “Without Me ye can do nothing.” May you and I learn from William and from the Word of God so that we will not have to learn it from the rain, the darkness, and other hard ways!

A Good Place for a Holiday

Do you have a favorite place for a holiday? Some like to go to the beach, some like to camp in the woods and others like to see mountains. Even today thousands go to see the beautiful mountains and lakes of Switzerland.

It was in this land of Switzerland that William Farel spent the rest of his life. He did not go for a vacation. It was not because the land was great and beautiful that he wanted to be there, but because the hearts of the people were dark and sad. It was not for a holiday, but to work for his Saviour.

The darkness of those pretty villages, you remember, was because there were no Bibles. The priests told wicked stories to the poor people and everyone believed them. “The church bells walk to Rome on their own accord during Passion Week,” the priests told them. “They go to ask pardon of the pope for all their sins.” If any looked at the church bells, the priest would say, “Those are only the appearance of bells. If you were to ring them, they would give no sound.” These tales were so completely believed that not even the most mischievous of boys dared to try to see whether the bells would ring or not!

Such was the darkness of that lovely land, and as yet not a voice had been heard there to tell the people of God’s true way to receive the forgiveness of sins. William had a message that would bring joy to the hearts of those who received it, and his name is remembered even today in some of those places.

A Teacher in the Village

One winter day in the village of Aigle, a traveler arrived all alone. He called himself Master Ursinus and he told the people of the village that he was going to open a little school where the children could learn to read and write. The parents were glad to send their children to school during those winter days, since there was not much work that could be done outdoors and since there were no other schools for their children to go to.

After a while, the children told their parents that the teacher not only taught them reading and writing, but also beautiful stories about the Lord Jesus. They were told how Jesus loved sinners and had been punished in their place, how He died and rose again and now He was in heaven. The parents had never heard such stories and they went themselves and asked to hear more of these wonderful stories. Master Ursinus was kind and friendly, so he told them more about the wonderful Saviour and His love. He told them, too, that it is the blood of the Lord Jesus that takes away our sins, not prayers to idols or walking bells. He told them that no saints nor angels nor men could give them pardon, but that they must go to Jesus Himself.

The poor people wondered at such a message and listened gladly. Then one day they were surprised to see Master Ursinus go to the front of the church. He told them he was going to preach from now on and that his real name was William Farel! The government at Berne had at first forbidden him to preach openly, but now they had told him he was not only allowed to preach but requested to do so.

The people had never heard of William Farel, but the priests knew that name only too well. They were furious and did all they could to stir up the people against him. They hated Farel, and in some of the villages where the men were too frightened to attack him, the women were sent after him with their washing sticks! There were, however, a few men and women in some of the villages who began to see the light from the Word of God.

William knew well now that to speak of the Lord Jesus was not going to be popular. You too will find that many people do not like to hear you speak well of the name of Jesus. If you speak of Him at school or to your neighbors, you will learn, like William Farel, of the reproach of Christ. “Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach” (Hebrews 13:13).

How a City Was Saved

How could a whole city be saved? It would seem almost impossible when there were so many who did not want God’s Word to be preached. There were, however, a number of other men by this time who were also preaching from God’s Word and some of them had visited the great city of Berne. Finally, the town council and the citizens decided to have a meeting to determine whether the city would continue to have their idols and old religion or the gospel of the grace of God. Each side, the priests and the gospel preachers, were invited to give a reason for their faith, and there was only one rule — but what a rule! The Bible only could be used to prove what was said. No other book or law or idea would be accepted as the truth of God.

Three hundred and fifty priests came to debate with the gospel preachers. With that one rule, the Bible was opened and each side had to look for verses that tell what God has said about His Son, about salvation and about the forgiveness of sins. The priests searched in vain for the idols and prayers to the saints and angels, and they became more and more angry. The gospel preachers found many verses that speak of the finished work of Christ and of salvation through faith in His name.

Imagine everyone’s surprise when suddenly a priest took off his fancy clothes and threw them upon the altar.

“Unless the idolatry has better proofs from the Bible than I know of,” he said, “I can have no more to do with it!” The whole city of Berne was amazed. At the end of the meetings, the town council decided that the idols should be done away with and people should worship the true and living God. Perhaps not everyone in the city was truly saved, but now the Word of God was preached openly in the whole city.

The city of Berne wanted William to continue preaching in the towns and villages, and they even sent a letter around to say, “Beware that you do not touch a hair of his head.” This warning was necessary, for by now his red hair was well-known.

William and the Princess

In a story that happened over 500 years ago, you would expect to read about a princess. So you will not be surprised to know that William Farel’s next story has a princess in it. She was the Princess Jeanne, the ruler of the large town of Neuchatel. Princess Jeanne did not live in Neuchatel, because she liked better the exciting pleasures of France than being shut up in the old castle in Switzerland. But William next took the good news of salvation to this quiet town that belonged to the princess.

He first preached in a little village just outside of Neuchatel. Preaching had been forbidden in the church of that village, so William preached outdoors in the courtyard standing on a stone. The people crowded into the courtyard to hear. The priest warned and threatened them, but it was useless, because they had hearts hungry to hear God’s Word. If you were to go to that village today, you could still see the stone where Farel stood to preach.

You and I who have so often heard the good news of God’s love can hardly imagine what it was to these poor people to hear it for the first time. Many of the villagers believed in the Lord Jesus, and soon the people from the town of Neuchatel also heard that Farel was preaching and determined to hear him themselves. The governor, appointed by Princess Jeanne, tried to stop William from preaching and the priest wanted to kill him. But soon he was preaching in the large church right in the town of Neuchatel.

“We will follow Christ and the gospel, and in that faith alone will we and our children live and die,” the people cried out. The idols and pictures were broken down not only from the great church but also from the hearts of men and women. In their place, a table was set up, and a loaf of bread and a cup of wine were placed there for the breaking of bread.

“Here you can offer up the worship that the Father delights in,” William told the people.

The sad governor had to write to the princess to tell her of all that had happened and how he had been helpless to stop it. The Princess Jeanne did not care at all what happened in that quiet old town. She never wished to see it again. They could do anything they liked as long as the people still paid taxes for her to spend in Paris.

You should know that in all the long letter the governor wrote about all that had happened, he never once mentioned the name of William Farel. This is just as Farel would have wished. He had come to Neuchatel to point others to Christ, not to himself. May you and I remember this too. When we speak to others, it is not to draw attention to our clever words or our life of faith, but to draw others to our wonderful Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. Only then can we say, like the Apostle Paul, “We preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord” (2 Corinthians 4:5).

The Countess of Valagin

After the people of Neuchatel received the gospel, William went on to the town of Valagin. This town was ruled by a countess and was even stronger in its love of idols and hatred of the gospel than Neuchatel. The countess, unlike the Princess Jeanne, was old and lived right on the spot so she could have everything her own way. She had heard of Farel and thought of him as an enemy. If this mighty town of false religion were going to be taken for Christ, then it must be God’s work alone. It was well that Farel had learned on that wet and dark night how little he could do because now he could learn the lesson that follows: how much Christ can do!

William walked into the town of Valagin one day with a young Christian friend named Anthony Froment. The priests were singing in the church, but Farel went right up to the front and told the astonished crowd that there is a Saviour in heaven for them. Anthony and William both said more, but soon the priests and a crowd of people attacked them. God delivered them out of the church, but the old countess had heard the news and she cried out to her people, “To the river! To the river! Drown the dogs!”

The priests took the countess’s advice, but just at this moment some poor folks returning from Neuchatel came up and spoke up for William and Anthony. They were locked up in the old castle and soon more people from Neuchatel came and demanded their release. The old countess dared not refuse because she was afraid of the great city of Berne. Berne, you remember, had sent out orders that no one was to harm William Farel.

For a whole year more the old countess had her way, but Farel returned to preach and before long the people of Valagin believed the good news of the gospel and tore down the images from their church. The countess, who as far as we know never turned to Christ, was allowed to have her idols in her own castle.

But William did not think that his work was over in these towns when the idols were torn down. It is one thing to tear down, but quite another to build up. The new believers needed to be taught more from God’s Word and built up in their new faith. This was a much harder work and most of it could not be seen by the eyes of man.

Will you boys and girls who are reading this book sometimes try this kind of “building up”? Perhaps you can just help someone find the place in their Bible or encourage others to read God’s Word. And may you and I build ourselves up in God’s Word! “Ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 20-21).

Can You Buy Something Free?

Well, can you? Can you buy something that is free? I once heard of a boy who tried to buy something free. He saw a friend making a boat. It was a beautiful little boat carved out of wood. The friend was polishing it smooth with fine sandpaper for days and days. The boy would have liked very much to have that boat, but his friend kept rubbing and polishing and smoothing it. Finally, the friend held the boat out to the boy and said, “You can have it.” The boy was so surprised! Surely the friend wasn’t giving the boat away after having worked so hard on it!

“I’ll buy the boat,” the boy said.

“Then you can’t have it. Give it back,” the friend said.

The boy was puzzled, but finally the friend explained that he had worked so hard on the boat that it was worth too much to sell. No amount of money could pay for it. But he was willing to give it to the boy as a gift of love.

So you can’t buy something that is free, can you? In our next story about William Farel, a man was trying, not to buy, but to sell something that was free. After William left the town of the Countess, he went to the town of Orbe. This town, too, was full of idols and false ideas about worshipping God. Just at this same time, a pardon-seller also arrived in Orbe. This man had come to sell pardons for any who had done bad things or even who planned to do them and wished to get a pardon ahead of time. You can see what a wicked thing it was — not only to sell what God says has already been paid for by the death of His Son, but also to encourage people to go ahead and sin!

This pardon-seller walked through the streets of Orbe calling out, “A pardon for every sin, past or future! Buy it now!”

The seller saw a man with a red beard looking at him and felt strangely afraid of this man. The man stepped forward.

“Do you have a pardon,” he said, “for a man who is going to kill his father or mother?”

The seller didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t expected anyone to ask for a pardon for something so terrible! The red-headed man’s eyes now flashed with fire. He jumped upon a stone in the marketplace and in a voice of thunder began to preach to the astonished people of God’s judgment upon sin. He told them how Jesus had suffered and fully paid the price of that judgment and was now offering salvation and pardon without money and without price. Like the little wooden boat, salvation was too costly to sell, for its price was the precious blood of Christ. The man who preached on the stone was, of course, William Farel.

Two men of the town of Orbe were glad to hear this preaching. One was a school teacher named Mark and the other was a workman named Christopher.

But now before we leave our story of the pardon-seller, have you been trying to buy that which God offers free? Have you tried to buy your way to heaven by trying to be good or doing the best you can? God is too rich to sell His salvation and you are too poor to buy it. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:23-24).

The Sheep That Did Not Want to Be Found

Do you remember the story in the Bible about the sheep that got lost and was found by the Good Shepherd? Sometimes that story is told as though the sheep was sorry to be lost and was just waiting for the Shepherd to find him. But I wonder if that sheep was perhaps quite happy to be lost. He had chosen his own way without realizing that it was a foolish and dangerous way. It was the Shepherd who knew the dangers and wanted to find His lost sheep. It is just so in our next story. The “sheep” did not at all want to be found, but rather wanted to act more like a lion than a sheep.

This sheep, or rather “lion” at the beginning of our story, was the Lady Elizabeth. She was the leader of the ladies in the town of Orbe where William had just preached, and she was determined to defend her great church and the great idols from the preachers and from men like Mark and Christopher who had believed.

The Lady Elizabeth told the other women in Orbe that they would be doing a great service to all good people of their religion by killing Farel. These ladies knew when Farel would be passing by a certain street, and they agreed to meet there in full force. When Farel arrived, Lady Elizabeth rushed forward and with the help of some of her friends dragged him to the ground. But just at that moment, a friend who had suspected mischief arrived and grabbed Farel and dragged him away. He bowed politely to the ladies and said, “I beg your pardon, ladies, this gentleman is under my protection.”

Farel went to preach in the great church of Orbe, but Lady Elizabeth made other plans. She no longer dared to kill him, but was determined that he should never preach. So she saw to it that the church was filled with poor, dirty folks all pretending to be asleep. The moment the preaching began, they all jumped to their feet, shouted, whistled and ran out the door yelling. Nobody remained but the preacher.

The next time Farel tried to preach, the priests led most of the people in a procession out of the town to another church. William had the opportunity at least to preach in peace, but only ten people had stayed to listen. The Lady Elizabeth and the priests thought they had won, but the rulers at Berne heard of their boasting and commanded that the people be required to listen to Farel preach.

It was almost a month before it was known that Farel’s sermons had not been wasted. Imagine the shock of the people of Orbe when they learned that Lady Elizabeth had believed the message and was trusting in Christ! Yes, on the next great day of idols, she stayed home and did her washing! God had changed the lion into a lamb. Many lost lambs have been found since the day Lady Elizabeth was saved, and all of them have been found by the Good Shepherd and all have been carried home by a power that was not their own. This is true of you, too, if you have trusted in Christ.

A Nobody

Have you ever wanted to be a “nobody”? I doubt it. Most of us want to be somebody special. We’d like people to think of us as a good student, a fine neighbor or a talented young person. But William Farel found out that God needed a “nobody.”

Farel had long had the old city of Geneva on his heart. There were two groups of people in Geneva: the religious people who loved their idols and feast days, and a group of people called the Huguenots who loved freedom and longed to have no more to do with the priests and rulers. These Huguenots loved freedom but did not yet have love for the Bible. Yes, Geneva, like Orbe and Neuchatel, needed to hear the gospel.

The Huguenots of Geneva welcomed William Farel, but he told them plainly, “I have not come to free you from the pope or the rulers, but from Satan and from yourselves. There is a freedom for the soul, the freedom with which Christ makes free, and He has sent me to tell you that.” They listened and a few of the Huguenots began to see that their Master should be the Lord Jesus Christ alone.

The religious men of the city, along with many of the citizens, were furious that William was preaching.

“It is you, then, who has done nothing but disturb the world and stir up rebellion everywhere. You are a busybody, who has come only to do mischief. We order you to depart from this city at once,” said the rulers of the city.

William stayed for two days and tried to continue preaching, but the city was in an uproar. One man pointed a gun at Farel and pulled the trigger. There was a flash but the gun did not go off.

“I will not be shaken by a pop-gun,” Farel said coolly to the man.

Finally, Farel decided that he must leave. Many of the townsfolk wanted to throw him in the river, and there was no peace to preach the Word. He knew that in God’s own time, He would make a way for the people of Geneva to hear the gospel. So Farel’s trip to Geneva lasted only two days.

But that’s not the end of the story! Farel had by no means given up on Geneva. He simply traveled to find his young friend, Anthony Froment, who was teaching the Word of God at a small village. Anthony was only twenty-two, he was shy and he was a short man. Certainly he was not a giant to take on the grand city of Geneva. But there was one thing that Anthony had that William Farel needed. Anthony was a “nobody.” People all around Switzerland had heard of Farel’s voice of thunder and his fiery red hair. No one had heard of Anthony. Farel told Anthony of the deep need in Geneva and how there were a few who would listen if someone could be left in peace.

“Go and try if you can find an open door at Geneva,” Farel said.

Anthony stood speechless. “How should I dare,” he said finally, “to face the enemies who drove even you away, Master Farel?”

“Go and begin as I did,” said Farel. “I first taught school and took any opportunity to speak of Christ.”

Anthony still hesitated for some time. Much later he said to Farel, “I am young and weak. Geneva is the very stronghold of Satan.”

“Do not be afraid,” said Farel. “It is a great thing to be a nobody. Then you can be free of everybody. No one will pay attention to what you do. God will guide you.”

At last Anthony felt that God Himself, not just Farel, was asking him to go. He fell on his knees, asking for God’s power and guidance. God needed a “nobody” to begin His work in Geneva and Anthony was that nobody!

“God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty ... that no flesh should glory in His presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27,29).

Claudine’s Loveliest Jewels

Did you know that the Queen of England has a crown containing 2,783 diamonds, 277 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and 5 rubies? What a lot of jewels! But in our story now you will hear about some jewels even more lovely than these.

The story does not begin with jewels. No, it begins with our friend, Anthony, walking all alone to the gates of the city of Geneva. He felt shy and strange in the city. No one knew him nor cared that he was there, and he got short answers from everyone. Even the few friends that William Farel had made during his short stay in Geneva looked coldly at Anthony. They were insulted. Surely Farel could have sent an important preacher to this great city! Why, this Anthony was almost a boy. They would be ashamed to see what answers he would give to the great rulers and the clever priests.

Anthony had every door closed in his face. No one wanted to listen to him. He went sadly back to his room, paid his bill, packed his small bundle and left the city.

So ended Anthony’s visit to Geneva, you will say. Not so. He suddenly stopped and remembered William Farel’s words, “I began as a schoolteacher.” Now it was clear to him. He had wanted to be somebody. He had wanted the people of Geneva to accept him and listen to his message. He had forgotten that God needed a nobody in Geneva.

Anthony went back and opened a little school. Soon children came, and after the lessons he read to them a little from the New Testament. It was not long before many heard of what was going on in the schoolroom, and others, including men and women, came to listen. God began to work in their hearts.

One day a lady named Paula, whose heart had been touched by the Word of God, invited her sister-in-law, Claudine, to the preaching. Claudine had no use for Bible meetings but was at last persuaded to go. She was afraid she would be “bewitched” by the preaching, so she fastened a number of crosses and other religious charms to her fine clothes and sat down to listen with a look of mockery. As Anthony told the story of the love of the Lord Jesus in dying for our sins and of His offer of salvation for everyone who comes to Christ, the look of mockery left Claudine’s face. She listened intently, and after everyone else left, she asked, “Is it true what you say?”

“Yes,” answered Anthony.

“Is that book really a New Testament?”

“Yes.”

“Will you lend it to me?”

Anthony gladly gave it to her, and she carefully hid it under her coat. Claudine went straight home and shut herself in her room with the book. She did not come out for three days and three nights. When she came out, Claudine announced to her shocked family, “The Lord has forgiven me and saved me. He has given me the living water.”

To Anthony she said, “How can I ever thank God enough that He has opened my blind eyes?”

One day not long after this, Claudine again shut herself up in her room. She took off her fine clothes and her jewels and dressed in a plain and modest dress. She sold her jewels and gave the money to the poor. She opened her home to those who followed Christ, and she spoke openly of her Saviour.

At first her friends were shocked and decided they would never again visit her. But when they saw her new joy, her holy life, her meekness and her gentleness, they became uneasy. Could it be that she really had changed for the better? At last they came back to visit, and Claudine spoke lovingly to them of the Saviour. Many of these ladies also came to know the Lord Jesus. Claudine had sold her fine jewels, but she had received gems of love, joy and peace that were far more beautiful and would last forever. “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10).

Are there any jewels of this kind in your home?

Lights That Could Not Be Put Out

Have you ever had anyone put trick candles on your birthday cake? They are the kind of candles that light up again and again after you blow them out. It’s fun to watch someone blow them out and then, suddenly, they light back up again. Those trick candles remind me of the lights that were now burning in the city of Geneva. The rulers of the city and the religious men tried hard to put out the lights now shining for Jesus, but they kept burning. Others began to shine too.

Anthony Froment had been forbidden now by the rulers of the city to preach in his school. One morning when he walked to his school, he found the streets so packed with people that it was impossible to make his way. His room was so crowded with people wanting to hear the Word of God that no more could fit in, much less Anthony, and still the street was filled with those anxious to listen.

“To the Molard! To the Molard!” a voice shouted out.

The Molard was a large square where the fish market was held. Soon the crowd had Anthony up on the fish stall and the square was completely filled.

“Preach the Word of God to us!” they shouted.

Anthony made a sign for them to be quiet and got off the stall and knelt on the ground. Tears ran down his cheeks and the crowd grew quiet and he prayed that God would open the eyes and ears of these people. The people wondered at this prayer. There was certainly no prayer like it in their prayer book! There is not time to tell you all that Anthony told those people. But he spoke more plainly than ever before of the truth of God’s salvation and the evil of worshipping idols and following a false religion.

Suddenly in the middle of the preaching a voice rang out, “I command you to cease from preaching!”

“We ought to obey God rather than men,” Anthony called back. He continued to preach, but soon armed men arrived and broke up the preaching. Anthony was forced to stop in order to avoid bloodshed.

Anthony now found that he was well-known in Geneva, and it was impossible for him to go out on the streets. One day the priests and other citizens saw him and yelled, “Fall on the dog! Drown him!” The Lord delivered His servant, but Anthony knew now that the time had come for him to leave.

The religious men of the city had won! They had gotten rid of William Farel, and now only three months later, they were rid of Anthony. They thought they had put out the candles. These religious men asked the Grey Friar to preach to them. He had preached before, and they expected to listen happily now that the gospel preachers were gone. To their utter shock, the Grey Friar himself preached boldly the same glorious gospel that Anthony had preached! God’s candles had not been put out after all. The priests were even more angry against the Grey Friar than they had been at Anthony. They quickly drove him out of the city, and so three of God’s servants, one after another, had been driven away.

Were there then no more lights shining for God in that great city? Yes, indeed there were. A small group of believers gathered together one morning to remember the Lord in His death. A man named Guerin, a cap maker, stood up and prayed and broke the bread. He passed it around to the others. Then he passed the wine. Together they sang praises and then went home with their hearts full of joy.

This news soon reached the ears of those who were determined to put out God’s candles. They decided that the quickest way to get rid of Guerin was to kill him. But Guerin was warned and escaped from Geneva. So the fourth light was driven out of the city.

This was not the last man to be driven from Geneva, nor was he the last bright light to shine for God in that city. God had purposed to bless the city of Geneva and no one could put His lights out.

Baudichon Remembers Gideon

Where was William Farel when all these things were going on in Geneva? He was still busy going about with the blessed good news from God’s Word, preaching to the lost, and teaching and cheering those who had been saved. Many were the prayers that he offered up for Geneva, for he had not forgotten the needs of that great city.

“If my father were alive,” he said, “I know not how I should find time to write him a letter.” But he could write many letters when it was needful to do so to instruct others in the Word of God. Some of these letters are preserved for us today and I hope you will someday read a longer story of his life so that you may enjoy these letters.

And Geneva? There is not time to tell you of all that happened. God’s people in Geneva were sometimes shut up in prison and sometimes forced to listen to men who spoke against God’s Word and against the gospel preachers. At times the believers in Geneva rode all the way to Berne to ask for help. The city of Berne often sent officers to command that the gospel preachers be allowed to speak freely in their city.

About this time several of the believers were captured by the priests and shut up in prison. One brave Huguenot, as the believers were now called, had just returned from seeking help in Berne. This man, Baudichon, learned that the bishop was going to carry off the prisoners, and it was feared that they would be killed. Suddenly Baudichon remembered the story of Gideon and the lamps that had been in the pitchers. Surely the God of Gideon was still the God of His people!

Baudichon called together about fifty of his friends. He told them each to take an iron-tipped staff with five unlighted torches at the end. They then went to a house near the palace of the bishop and hid until midnight. At that time, Baudichon ordered his men to light their torches and hold their staves in their left hands and their swords in their right hands. With no one daring to resist the sight of so many lights and swords, they walked right into the palace and up to the bishop’s chamber. The bishop stared in amazement and fear.

“We demand the prisoners,” said Baudichon. “Surrender them at once to their lawful judges.”

The bishop was completely terrified by the sight of 250 lights and men with drawn swords. He gave up all the prisoners immediately, and Baudichon and his friends carried them off without a single blow. The bishop was so frightened by his midnight encounter that he could not sleep, and soon he packed his bags and ran away from the city.

So Baudichon, like Gideon and others, found that “there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6).

“But there are no battles to fight for the Lord today,” you may say.

No? How about the battle against anger? How about fighting against pride and selfishness? These battles must be fought still, and you will find that the Lord can help those who trust in Him.

“We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:12-13).

God's Help or Man's Help?

God’s strong and outstretched arm wonderfully delivered the believers in Geneva, but it was all too easy to begin to trust in “man’s arm” or in man’s power to deliver. The city of Berne was eager to see the gospel preached and many cities had been forced to agree, but there was a danger in beginning to rely on Berne instead of God.

You have not forgotten Claudine, the grand lady who sold her jewels after she was saved. Her husband, Aime, had been one of the men anxious to defend the freedoms of Geneva without too much desire to actually spread God’s Word. In his desire to gain freedom from the harsh rulers and the priests, he also had gone to Berne for help. The news of his departure reached the priests and he was captured and put in prison. God did not allow this in vain, for it was in the prison that light from God’s Word shone more brightly upon his soul, and he decided that if the Lord brought him out of prison, he would tell others of the true freedom in Christ. Two months later some Bernese men appeared at the door and demanded his release. Aime was sent home.

The first thing he did when he arrived was to write to Anthony Froment and ask him to return to Geneva. Aime and Claudine waited anxiously for the answer to their letter, for they knew that asking Anthony to come again would be to risk his life.

The answer to their letter arrived in the form of Anthony himself! He brought with him a preacher from Paris named Alexander. At once they began preaching in private homes. But the priests had someone else preaching in the great churches at the same time. This man’s name was Furbity, and he spoke, not from God’s Word, but from his own ideas about the gospel preachers, or “chimney-preachers,” as he called them.

One day, when Furbity paused for a moment in this preaching, our little friend Anthony stood up to read from the New Testament, like David standing before the giant Goliath. He read passage after passage and some of the Huguenots called out, “This is the truth!”

“Drown him!” called out others. Brave Baudichon stepped forward to rescue Anthony and took him away to his home and hid him in the hay loft. Soldiers, sent by the rulers of the city, searched for Anthony and pierced their spears into the hay, but God’s hand protected him and not a spear touched him. The city council issued an order to banish Anthony and Alexander from Geneva and they were led to the city gates, followed by a large crowd. Even so the Word of God was not silenced, for Alexander turned and preached to the crowd that followed for about two hours.

Baudichon went with them as they left and followed the road that had now become familiar, the road to Berne. But the believers in Geneva were going to learn that when God does a work, He does it so that He alone has the glory. “According as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).

A Plot Discovered

In order to understand what happened next in Geneva, you must understand how the city was divided into groups. There were the Huguenots who at first had only longed for freedom from the bondage of the priests and the harsh city rulers, but now many of them had learned also of the freedom from Satan and from their own sinful ways. Then there were the priests and those who still clung to the false worship of the idols and who hated God’s Word. The bishop, of course, who had run away from Geneva in fear, still intended to rule over the city. Berne, that great city who protected the gospel preachers, had an agreement of friendship with Geneva to protect one another, should other enemies invade the city. This agreement was badly needed, for the Huguenots and the bishop alike had one enemy not far away who always kept his eye on Geneva. This was the duke of Savoy. He also wished to rule the city and had often wished to overthrow the bishop and the Huguenots alike in order to have his own way in the city. Such was the sad state of Geneva at this time.

Now that the gospel preachers were sent away from Geneva, Furbity and their priests were in great spirits. Furbity preached again in the great church.

“I have done my duty,” he said. “I entreat all you good and faithful people to make good use of your swords. I will use my tongue to defend the truth.”

Scarcely had these words been spoken when another cry rang out in the city.

“Baudichon has come back from Berne, bringing, not an army of soldiers, but the banished Alexander and William Farel!”

“What! That wretch!” exclaimed the priests. “He is come back!”

Before the day was over, one man put Furbity’s words into action and seeing Baudichon and Farel in the street, ran at them with his sword. But Huguenots were on guard and dragged their friends off to a place of safety.

The next day Baudichon appeared before the city council with a letter from Berne. “You drive away the preachers of the Holy Word,” the letter said, “and allow men to preach who blaspheme. We command you to arrest Furbity, and, moreover, we ask for a place in which William Farel may preach the gospel publicly.”

The council, too afraid of the priests to actually arrest Furbity, simply placed a guard of soldiers around him. At this time Furbity decided that his great work in the city was done and that he would leave. He preached his farewell sermon, packed his bags and prepared to leave. He had forgotten that he was in the keeping of the soldiers, and great was his shock to be informed that he was not permitted to leave the city.

Now the priests were further surprised to hear of a fresh arrival: Anthony Froment was back! He arrived with the Bernese ambassador himself and another young gospel preacher, Peter Viret, who had recently been stabbed in the back by a hater of the gospel. There he was, weak and exhausted, ready to preach. There they were — William Farel, Viret and Anthony together in Geneva! With the Bernese ambassador also present, no one dared to hinder their preaching.

Even so, many dared to speak against them. “It is plain that Farel is a devil,” said some.

“I saw them feed devils,” said others.

“I would rather that they went away without paying their bill, if only they would go a long way and never come back,” said the landlord where they were staying.

The Huguenots cared little for such idle talk, but they were alarmed at another matter. One day a few Huguenot soldiers had been placed as guards at the palace of the bishop. The bishop, you remember, was not there, but the soldiers chatted and joked with the bishop’s servants. The servants did not like the comments of the Huguenots.

“Our friends are more important than you suppose,” they said. “There are letters from my lord the bishop, yes, and from his highness the duke of Savoy himself.”

“Indeed!” replied the Huguenots, realizing they were on the verge of a great discovery. “You don’t mean us to believe that such grand people would trouble themselves to write letters about our city. You must have dreamt it.”

“There are letters,” insisted the servants. “If you could but open the cupboards, you would see them with the duke’s great seal, too.”

Up jumped the Huguenots and raced to the cupboards. They cleared out the letters and carried them to the city council. The citizens of Geneva were horrified to learn the danger that was before them. The bishop himself had arranged to have a governor appointed who would have absolute power in Geneva. He would put to death whom he wished and not answer to anyone but the bishop. In order to carry out this plot, the bishop had made an agreement with his old enemy, the duke of Savoy! The bishop, whom the council had trusted, had betrayed them into the hands of their bitterest enemy!

The plot had been discovered, but now not only the gospel preachers but the city itself was in great danger.

The Wolf and the Shepherds

Wolves scatter, devour and kill the sheep. Shepherds care for the sheep, lead them to good food and protect them from dangers. In our story now you will easily see who was the wolf and who were the shepherds.

News now came to the poor citizens of Geneva that France had promised to help the bishop and the duke of Savoy and that an attack would speedily be made upon the city. The citizens were called to get arms ready for a battle, but the followers of the false religion had other ideas. They had decided to leave the city. They intended to join up with the armies of the bishop and the duke. It was really with joy that the Huguenots saw them depart. Now Geneva was in their hands except for the priests themselves who had stayed.

The council now had to make plans for the defense of Geneva. They feared that the villages outside the gates of Geneva would be excellent hiding places for the enemies. These villages would have to be destroyed. The council informed the villagers of the danger and took the people, gospel believers and others alike, into their homes. They were prepared to share their last crust of bread with these people who were now homeless.

The last crust of bread, sad to say, came all too soon. The bishop had sent out orders that no food was to be given to the “rebellious” citizens of Geneva. He also ordered that anyone who entered the city would no longer be considered part of his church.

With the storm clouds so thickly gathered over the city of Geneva, the gospel believers were not moved. They could freely preach now from the Word of God and the Lord was saving more souls daily. God was showing mercy to the city and saving multitudes. There was great joy within the city even as the soldiers were gathering outside.

If the believers in Geneva had ever been trusting in Berne for deliverance instead of God, they now found that there is only One who is worthy of our trust. Berne remained strangely silent.

The duke, in the meantime, offered the city terms of peace. He would forgive them everything, but they must send away the “new preachers.” They could have their choice — peace and plenty with the old idols and old religion, or the sword and hunger with the Word of God. Geneva, which had only two years before driven William Farel away, had another spirit now.

“You ask us to give up the gospel of Jesus Christ,” they replied to the duke. “We would rather lose our goods and our lives. We will set fire to the four corners of our city before we send away the preachers who have spoken to us the Word of God.” The duke and the bishop were astonished at this answer and became more angry than ever.

A great meeting of leaders had been called to decide upon the plan to bring back the rebellious city in obedience to the bishop. Berne, though not actually in the ranks of the enemy, agreed to some of the demands! The only hope of Geneva was now to be in the One who was greater than Berne. The believers were learning what it was to trust in the arm of the Lord.

Next followed the news that the great emperor, Charles the Fifth, would also come to help the duke of Savoy! The duke’s wife was his sister-in-law. Surely now the poor city would accept the truce, send away the gospel preachers and accept the bishop’s demands. France, the bishop, the duke and the great Emperor Charles were all waiting to attack.

It is worth taking the time to tell you of the brave answer the gospel believers made.

“As to the preachers of the new faith, we have searched the Scriptures and find that they are indeed preaching the ancient faith and the teaching of Jesus Christ. 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 bishop, he drove himself away, and instead of a bishop and pastor, he is a wolf to his sheep. It is the wolves who are demanding a truce with the shepherds and the sheep. 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.”

Such was the answer of the “sheep” of Geneva to the wolves — the little city alone against the world, but alone with God!

Soup for Supper

Do you have a favorite soup? Chicken noodle, or clam chowder, or spicy bean soup? Most of us are a bit fussy about our soup and want it prepared just the way we like it. Why are we talking about soup when we left off with the armies all gathered around Geneva? Soup was important to the poor believers inside the city. They had little food and the soup that was served to William Farel one night about this time had an extra ingredient added.

You must first understand that a stranger had appeared in Geneva. She attended the gospel meetings and told the believers that she had been forced to leave France because she was persecuted for believing the gospel. She now had nowhere to live.

Claude Bernard was touched by her story and hired her to be a maid. The three gospel preachers, William Farel, Peter Viret and Anthony Froment, were living with Claude, and he could well use a maid in the house.

One day the maid brought dinner as usual for William, Peter and Anthony. She had made some thick spinach soup.

“I like the thin soup of the household better,” said William. “I will have my soup with the family.”

Anthony was just helping himself to the soup when someone arrived to tell him that his wife and children had just arrived in Geneva. Without even tasting the soup, he ran off to find them. Peter, who was still recovering from his stab wound, was the only one left to eat. The maid, Antonia, told him she had made the thick soup to help him get better. Scarcely had he finished his soup when Antonia ran into the room looking wild. She urged him to drink water but would not tell him why. Peter drank the water and soon became very ill.

Claude Bernard was very upset as his friend seemed to be dying. Finally the truth flashed upon Claude’s mind, and he made a search for Antonia. She was nowhere to be found. Claude set off to catch her and before long brought her back. Antonia finally confessed that she had poisoned the soup and had been led to do so by some of the priests who had remained in the city.

Peter, although violently ill for some time, finally recovered. He felt the ill effects of the poison, however, for the rest of his life. But the work of God continued and more people in the city were converted. Idols were carried out of the churches and the Word of God sounded out clearly. Neither armies nor persecution nor poison nor hunger had put out God’s lights that were now brightly shining in Geneva. God’s eyes were continually on His dear children.

If you are saved, then His eyes are right now, as you are reading, upon you just as lovingly as they were upon His own in Geneva. “The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers” (1 Peter 3:12).

Sister Blaisine

Now while the clouds around Geneva were dark and heavy with the armies still waiting to attack, the city inside was full of sunshine. The city council asked the priests that remained to give answer from the Bible that their religion had been right. The priests replied that they were only poor men and could not. Finding that the whole city was not taking the believers’ part, the council ordered that only the Bible should be taught and that the idols and religious services of the priests should be stopped.

There was, all this time, a large group of religious ladies who had followed the priests and had remained shut away from the world in their own buildings. The religious ladies were fierce haters of the gospel and had cheered whenever they felt the preachers had been defeated. The council now ordered that these buildings had to be opened to the Word of God as well. The religious ladies were furious but had little choice.

Our friend, Claudine, the grand lady who had been saved when Anthony first came to Geneva, had a sister, Blaisine, who lived with these religious ladies. At this time Claudine visited her sister and spoke to the younger ladies who were also present.

“Poor ladies,” Claudine said, “do you know that God has said that His yoke is sweet and easy, and He has said, ‘Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’? He has not said to shut yourselves up in prison and torment yourselves as you are doing.”

Claudine’s words stopped when the ladies shut the door in her face. The religious ladies then discussed how best to stop the gospel believers. Sister Blaisine was the only one who did not answer. She looked as though she was thinking hard. The older ladies sent for her aunts, whom they begged to reason with Blaisine. Blaisine had been told that it was her sister, Claudine, who had come to talk to her, so she rose up joyfully to see her. It seems that the religious ladies had thought it all right on this occasion to tell a lie, for it was not Claudine, but her aunts who had come.

“Oh, Blaisine,” her aunts said, “we know that you just wish to be married.” Blaisine only smiled at them and returned to her lonely room. The other ladies looked upon Blaisine with disgust from then on.

Some time later, Baudichon, still fighting the Lord’s battles, came with other men and gave notice that any of the religious ladies who wished to leave could do so now and join their families. Many of the ladies shrieked and cried and gathered around the head lady. Baudichon knew that Blaisine was longing to escape, but she dared not show herself at first.

“Are you sister Blaisine?” they asked one lady after another.

“Indeed not!” was the reply. “Neither do I wish to be.”

Finally poor Blaisine dared to take a few steps toward the men who had come to rescue her. The head lady flew at her and tried to drag her back, but Blaisine was led out to safety. How happy Claudine must have been to teach her sister more of the precious truths of the Bible!

The other religious ladies now planned to leave Geneva. They would no longer stay in a town with such heathens! The duke of Savoy offered them a safe place to go and early one morning they left Geneva and, sadly, left the truth of the Word of God.

The council of Geneva now visited the empty building and found no less than 1700 eggs, three large barrels of flour and oil. These things were a great treasure to the starving people.

Now that you have heard this strange story of how these religious ladies refused the good news of God’s salvation, I ask you to seriously consider if the same gospel has found a welcome in your own heart. Is it possible that you have avoided someone who was sure to speak to you about the loving Saviour? Have you ever wished the preaching would not be so long so that you could go about with your fun? Perhaps you have been satisfied that you are better, at least, than your neighbors. Or maybe you are proud that you were born into a family of Christians. None of these things will do. The same words written to the religious ladies of Geneva and to the worst man in prison are also written to you: “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7).

Friends for Geneva

Surely you are anxious now to learn of what happened to the city of Geneva. It was, you remember, standing alone with God against the whole world. The Emperor Charles was up in arms, the duke of Savoy had his followers ready and he could count on help from his nephew, the King of France. Geneva was surrounded with no way of escape — except from above!

Berne was still silent, but the ambassador of Geneva at last thought of one friend. Do you remember the wonderful way the gospel was received at Neuchatel? The believers there still burned with love for the Lord and His people. An old captain, James Wildermuth, lived in Neuchatel and the ambassador of Geneva at last made his way to this man. James listened to the troubles of the believers in Geneva with sorrow and anger.

“If no one else will go to the help of Geneva, I will go!” he said. “We can at least lay down our lives for these brethren if nothing else.”

He called together his little band of soldiers from his town and from the villages nearby. About 900 men set out to defend Geneva.

Was this the way that the Lord desired to defend the gospel? If you have read your Bible, you know it is not. God has warned, “All they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Matthew 26:52). But before we blame these good people for not knowing this, let us beware that we do not fail on the other side. Are we as ready as they to help a brother or a sister? They were willing to give their lives. Are we willing even to give an hour or so of our time?

It is necessary to say, though, that it is indeed a serious mistake to take up swords to defend the gospel. Cannot the Lord, who is King of kings and Lord of lords, defend His people? These things, however, were little known to these dear people who had only recently come out of the darkness into the glorious light of the gospel. So the little band of soldiers made their way over the mountains to rescue their brothers and sisters in Christ.

As soon as the duke was informed that they had arrived, he called out about 1500 well-trained soldiers. The brave captain, James Wildermuth, rushed out to fight. The army of the duke did not know what to make of men who fought so valiantly, and soon they turned and ran away.

There is not time to tell you of all that followed. As soon as news of this battle reached Geneva, Baudichon was up and out with his men. Two Bernese ambassadors arrived to say that they had been sent to make peace. The duke realized that his army could not fight both Geneva and the brave men from Neuchatel, but with cunning and lying words he convinced Baudichon that he and the ambassadors from Berne had arrived at an agreement for peace that was favorable to Geneva. He sent a separate message to the men from Neuchatel, and these brave and honest men believed that Berne had finally won this peace. There was nothing to do now but to return to Neuchatel.

But less than a month later, Geneva was surrounded by the duke’s armies and the poor flock in Geneva was more distressed than ever by lack of food, fuel and clothing.

William Farel, in the meantime, prayed and preached. Brave Baudichon wrote to Berne, “Believe me, God will deliver us from the hand of our enemies. You will see wonders before long and know how God can help us.”

God did show Himself strong for the believers in Geneva. Man can see only the outward events, but the eye of faith can see God’s hand in turning the heart of kings where He wills. The King of France had a quarrel with the duke of Savoy and with the Emperor Charles. He withdrew his support. Berne became fearful lest the King of France should take Geneva for himself.

Just when Geneva could no longer hold out against the duke, a messenger arrived with the news. “The Bernese are coming!” At last Berne felt forced to send an army to protect the city. The King of France had his own quarrel with the duke of Savoy and now had set his army against him. The Emperor Charles had grown weary of the matter of a small city and had deserted the duke. When the Bernese army arrived no one could resist them. Geneva was free!

Geneva Proclaims Its Choice

There was great rejoicing in the city of Geneva now that they were free from their enemies. But William Farel knew that his work had just begun. School needed to be started. The believers still lacked much teaching from the Word of God, and many old, evil habits in the city still remained.

One of William Farel’s great problems now was with those who had left the old religion just for the purpose of freedom. They had never been truly converted to God. It was a black day for those men when William preached against swearing, gambling and drinking. They did not like to hear that all taverns would be closed on Sundays. Some in Geneva began to think that the gospel was worse bondage than that of the bishop or the duke.

But one day in May the city council called the citizens of Geneva together to decide if they wanted the old religion or the gospel.

“Do you desire to live according to the gospel and the Word of God? Do you declare that you will have no more masses, images and idols? If anyone knows and wishes to say anything against the gospel that is now preached to us, let him do so.”

There was a deep silence. Then one citizen answered, “We all, with one accord, desire, with God’s help, to live in the faith of the gospel.” This was not intended so much as a promise that they would follow the Lord, but rather they were proclaiming that the gospel was not being forced upon them.

The council then ordered an inscription to be placed over the city gates so that all might see the faith that was now believed in Geneva. Only four years before, the city had driven out William Farel and refused to listen to his message. Now anyone who entered the city could see the new sign:

In the year 1535, the most holy religion of Christ having been restored in its truth and purity and the church set in good order by a signal favor of God: The enemy having been repelled and put to flight; and the city by a striking miracle restored to liberty; the senate and the people of Geneva have erected and set up this monument, in this place; as a perpetual memorial to attest to future ages, their gratitude to God.

The Queen’s Inheritance

Have you forgotten William Farel’s old friend from his days in Paris? William certainly had not forgotten Master Faber. He loved him dearly, even though he had felt compelled to leave Paris in order to have the liberty to preach freely all the truth of God.

News of Master Faber reached William at this time. His old friend, still trusting in Christ, was greatly troubled at the path he had chosen.

“I did not dare to confess the truth before men!” he said. He remembered that many had bravely preached the truth and had been willing to give their life for it. Faber had held back much of the truth and had been given protection in the palace of the Queen of Navarre. He had a pleasant life, but now he was tormented that he had not been faithful. This thought lay heavy on his heart as he neared death at the age of 90. One day when Faber dined with the Queen, he began to weep.

“What is the cause of your sorrow?” asked the Queen.

“How can I be cheerful when I am the greatest criminal on the face of the earth?” Faber replied.

“Whatever is your crime?” asked the Queen in surprise, for she knew him to be personally a holy man.

“Others have gone bravely to their death to defend the truth of the gospel,” he replied sadly. “I, who have taught others, have run away, the cowardly teacher.”

Neither the Queen nor his Christian friends could comfort Master Faber, but at last he took courage when he thought that soon he would at least go to meet his Lord.

“I name you as my heiress,” said Master Faber looking at the Queen. “Gerard Roussel shall have all my books. All my clothes, and all my possessions besides, I give to the poor. The rest I commend to God.”

“But what will be left for me, Master Faber, seeing that I am to be your heiress?” asked the Queen with a smile.

“I leave to you,” he said, “the task of dividing all I have and giving it to the poor.”

“So be it,” said the Queen, “and I can assure you, this inheritance is more welcome to me than if my brother, the King of France, had left me all his lands.”

Soon after this Master Faber lay down to sleep, and his friends found that it was not the sleep of rest, but sleeping in Jesus.

Is there something that you and I can learn from the life of William’s old friend? If ever you are inclined to take the smoothest and easiest path instead of the path that the Lord chooses, remember that it does not lead to happiness. Only when we follow the Lord and His Word do we find that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

Victory at Lausanne

Many times William Farel had tried without success to get an entrance into Lausanne, another great city in Switzerland. The proud old city with its grand church, almost an army of priests, and citizens with ears closed to God’s Word had many times closed its gates to the gospel preachers. But now the victory at Geneva had placed the whole province into Berne’s hand and the council of Berne, ever eager to spread God’s Word, declared that the gospel should be heard.

The council arranged a time for a public discussion to be held between the priests and the gospel preachers. The old religion would have to come face to face with William Farel and Peter Viret.

The great Emperor Charles heard of the plans and issued an order to forbid them to proceed. The little Swiss cities turned a deaf ear to the great Emperor who ruled all of Europe! Since the Emperor at that moment was busy with his invasion of France, he had no time to enforce the small matters of the Swiss cities. These were small matters to the Emperor, but great in the sight of God and soon to be great in the lives of the people of Lausanne.

One morning in October in the beautiful old city which looks down upon the Lake of Geneva, the discussion began. William Farel stood up.

“The Lord Jesus Christ came down into this miserable world in order that by Him we could have salvation and life. For this end He died that He might gather in one the elect people of God. Satan’s work is to scatter the sheep. The work of the Lord Jesus is to gather them.” With many other words and verses from the Bible, William faithfully preached God’s Word.

A priest stood up. “The Scriptures command peace and therefore we cannot have this disputing.” He seemed to have no other answer to give. There is not space to tell you about all that was said, for the discussion continued for several days.

“And now,” said Farel one day, “behold how we are saved — freely, undeservingly and without the works of the law!”

“I do not believe it is written so,” said a religious man who desired to defend the priests.

A Bible was at once handed to the man. The passage was found for him. Yes, the wonderful words were there!

The man was amazed. “Yes,” he said, “it is true. A man is justified by faith.” He sat down unable to say anything more.

But many of Farel’s words fell on deaf ears, just as if you would speak these marvelous words today in the ears of your neighbors.

At the end of much discussion a monk rose up. “My very dear brethren,” he said, “I do not desire to commit the sin of resisting the truth of God. I here confess that I have been for a long while blind and deceived. I thought I was serving God when I was only serving man. I ask pardon of God for all the evil I have done. I ask your pardon that I have taught you so badly.” With these words, he threw off the religious clothes he had been wearing, never to wear them again.

“Oh how great, how good, how wise is our God,” said Farel as he rose up. “He has had pity on the poor sheep that was straying in the wilderness and has brought him home to His flock. Let us thank our Lord together.”

Many other lost souls came to the Lord Jesus on this occasion and a great work was begun in Lausanne. Idols, altars, robes and jewelry were carried out of the great churches. The images were broken in pieces and other items were given into the treasury of Berne. With this money, a college, the Academy of Lausanne, was begun.

With this victory won, William Farel returned to help the believers in the old city that he loved so much, the city of Geneva.

More Trouble at Geneva

At last William was to have some days of rest, peace and sunshine in Geneva — is that what you were thinking? Does Satan ever stop his attacks against the people of God? No, indeed; he will continue to stir up trouble as long as he is able.

At first William’s concern was more for the many villages and towns in the area. He worked continually to bring more of the light of God’s Word to these people. He worked so hard that his good friend in Geneva, John Calvin, wrote in alarm to a friend.

“If you do not come to help him,” Calvin said, “you will soon lose him altogether, for the toil and burden are too much even for a man of iron.”

I have not yet told you of this friend, John Calvin. He was a young man who had been saved and come from France. Farel looked upon Calvin not only as a great worker, but as the very one who could do the work so needed among the believers of Geneva. Not just Farel, but many in Geneva were amazed at Calvin’s preaching, and soon his word became almost law to the believers. Calvin set about to organize the church in Geneva and felt that everyone in the town should be made to sign a confession of faith which would include keeping the ten commandments. Farel had long preached the truth that the believer is not under law, and he had never had any thought of forcing unbelievers to keep the law. But at this time he did not raise his voice against Calvin’s plan.

The citizens of Geneva did not keep quiet! They were angry at being forced to sign. The city council at this time was in favor of Calvin’s confession and told the citizens they would have to sign or leave the city. Many refused still to sign, nor would they leave. The citizens of Geneva, you remember, had long been lovers of freedom. There were still those who had never been actually converted to God, and they wanted not only freedom from orders such as these, but liberty for more riotous living. These people formed themselves into a group called the Libertines.

Soon after this a notice came from Berne that certain festival days should still be observed. The Libertines thought these days could be turned into wonderful parties, so they quickly supported this notice. The city council felt that Berne must be obeyed, but William had always taught that “he that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it” (Romans 14:6). He felt that this matter had to be left up to the individual before God.

The council called Farel and Calvin and ordered them to conform to the new decrees of Berne and forbade them to preach if they did not do so. The preachers stood firm and soon the city was again in a state of riot! The council now said that Farel and Calvin must leave the city.

“Well and good,” replied Farel with sorrow in his heart. “God has done it.”

As they walked the familiar streets to the city gates, angry shouts rose up around them.

“To the river! Drown them!” Just the same cry as in the days of the old religion six years before!

So William Farel was driven out of believing Geneva. The city had been more dear to him than any place on earth. But we can be thankful that rather than be disobedient to the Word of God, he was willing to be cast out of the city he loved. If Geneva was dear to him, there was One who was more dear.

Have you too found the One who is more precious than all others on earth? Is there even one person who is more to you than the Lord Jesus? If so, then perhaps you have never truly had a glimpse of our Saviour. One look at Him and you will know, like Farel, that “He is altogether lovely.”

New Clothes for an Old Man

Was there no one who was sad when William left Geneva? Yes, we are told there were many, for the work that God had done there was a real work. The opposition of Satan only proved that it was a true work of God. Farel said simply that the thought of Geneva was one that he must cast upon the Lord. He wrote from time to time to the little flock and entreated them to humble themselves and cast themselves upon the Lord that He might restore and bless them.

William arrived at the city of Basle and for the first time in his life, he felt the need of a rest.

His rest was short.

Soon a letter arrived from his old friends at Neuchatel asking him to come and live with them. Their cheery letters comforted his heart, and he agreed to go with the condition that he would always be free to go and serve wherever the Lord led him. For the rest of his life, Neuchatel was his home — as much as he could ever be said to have a home.

After three years, John Calvin was called back to Geneva and he soon became not just a preacher, but the ruler of the republic. He was honored and obeyed by all of the decent citizens.

Farel traveled on to Metz where he preached to 300 at a time. Monks rang the church bells and raised riots to silence him, but his old voice of thunder rose above it all. The plague broke out in this city and many people fled from it, but Farel found it the more reason to stay and serve the people.

Next we know that Farel ventured back to the city of Geneva where his friend Calvin was becoming famous. When the council saw Farel’s old suit, torn and faded, they ordered a new suit to be made for him. But Farel desired to be free from the council so that he might be free to stand for God’s Word, whatever the cost. So it is pleasant to think of William, still the shabby old preacher, going out to serve the Lord with none to meet his needs but the Lord Himself.

Calvin tried to convince Farel to stay in Geneva, but William knew he had more work to do for the Lord. Since Calvin was not successful in this, he arranged for William to be made a professor at Lausanne. But William would not hear of it. The world’s honors were not for him. He was the Lord’s servant and nothing more.

“The only title I desire,” he said, “is preacher of the gospel of God.”

Later another storm arose in Geneva and the Libertines so pushed the city council that a letter was sent to Neuchatel to demand that Farel come to Geneva for a trial. His “crime” had been, again, simply standing for the truth of God’s Word. Calvin sent word to Farel to escape, for the Libertines desired to sentence him to death.

God’s faithful servant set off immediately in the middle of a storm, not to escape, but to appear in Geneva and answer for himself. The old man was allowed to speak and his words of power so reached the hearts of those present that even his enemies listened with awe and respect. The chief enemy admitted that Farel was right and shook his hand.

In the Lord’s goodness, better days for Geneva were ahead. The light had dawned in many hearts, and the city even became a place of refuge for other believers who were persecuted.

Wedding Bells

The next event in the life of God’s old servant is the one you would have least expected. The wedding bells were not for his young friend, John Calvin, or one of the other young preachers, but for William himself!

At the age of 69 he married a believer, Mary Torel, who had escaped from his own country, France. Mary had taken refuge in Neuchatel and seems to have been a good wife for her elderly husband.

Some of William’s friends were not pleased at the news of William’s wedding. They declared that they were “speechless.” Indeed they were not as speechless as they might have been, for they had a great deal to say about the “youthful folly” of God’s old servant.

William’s marriage did not in any way hinder his work for the Lord, and it was not long before he was off again to preach the Word. In all his many years of labors in Switzerland, Farel had never forgotten his old homeland in the French Alps. Soon he set off with a Bible and a staff in his hand, preaching in those lovely villages in the French Alps.

Old enemies of the gospel were as quick to oppose William now as they had been in the days of his youth. In one village soldiers moved through the crowd and declared that they seized the preacher “with the crime in his hand.” The “crime” was the Bible.

William was thrown into prison, but friends managed to rescue him and sent him back safely to Neuchatel. As usual, this did not stop William, and the next year he was again back in the hills of France. The bishop of Gap, who had long been an enemy, at last listened to William preach in the open air. When the message was over, the old bishop rose up and threw down the mitre, a small bishop’s hat, that he had worn for 35 years. He stepped on it and said, “I will follow Jesus with Farel.”

The good news of God’s Word sown in that area of France grew, and if you should travel there even to this day, you would see that the light has never been put out.

William’s Last Days

William was now an old man. At the age of 75, he heard that his young friend, John Calvin, was dying. William set off for one last time to Geneva and reached the city in time to have a last visit with Calvin. They spoke together of the One they loved, and a few days later, Calvin was with the Lord.

William’s labors were almost done as well. He made one last trip, still at the peril of his life, to Metz. After one of his sermons here, he sank down exhausted. His beloved friends in Christ carried him home to Neuchatel. Many who loved him for his work’s sake came to see him during the last days of his life. On September 13, 1565, William fell asleep in Jesus. On earth he had reproach, toil, danger, hatred and shame, but in heaven he will have the reward planned for him by the Saviour he served.

Even now in Christian circles, many have heard of the names of John Calvin and Martin Luther, but very few know about William Farel and the great work he did in leading souls out of the darkness and into the light of God’s Word.

“There is not a man upon the earth,” said William at the end of his life, “nor is there an angel in heaven, who can truthfully say that I have drawn disciples to myself and not to Jesus.”

Although there are even today many Lutherans and Calvinists, it seems that God Himself has set a sign of His favor upon the work of William Farel: there never was a Farelite!