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The Great Controversy 1888
concerning himself, “After the most straitest sect of our religion I lived
a Pharisee.” [
Acts 26:5
.] A devoted Romanist, he burned with zeal to
destroy all who should dare to oppose the church. “I would gnash my
teeth like a furious wolf,” he afterward said, referring to this period
of his life, “when I heard any one speaking against the pope.” He had
been untiring in his adoration of the saints, in company with Lefevre
making the round of the churches of Paris, worshiping at the altars,
and adorning with gifts the holy shrines. But these observances could
not bring peace of soul. Conviction of sin fastened upon him, which
all the acts of penance that he practiced, failed to banish. As a voice
from Heaven, he listened to the reformer’s words: “Salvation is of
grace. The Innocent One is condemned, and the criminal is acquitted.”
“It is the cross of Christ alone that openeth the gates of Heaven, and
shutteth the gates of hell.”
Farel joyfully accepted the truth. By a conversion like that of Paul,
he turned from the bondage of tradition to the liberty of the sons of
God. “Instead of the murderous heart of a ravening wolf,” he came
back, he says, “quietly, like a meek and harmless lamb, having his
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heart entirely withdrawn from the pope, and given to Jesus Christ.
While Lefevre continued to spread the light among his students,
Farel, as zealous in the cause of Christ as he had been in that of the
pope, went forth to declare the truth in public. A dignitary of the
church, the bishop of Meaux, soon after united with them. Other
teachers who ranked high for their ability and learning, joined in
proclaiming the gospel, and it won adherents among all classes, from
the homes of artisans and peasants to the palace of the king. The sister
of Francis I., then the reigning monarch, accepted the reformed faith.
The king himself, and the queen mother, appeared for a time to regard
it with favor, and with high hopes the reformers looked forward to the
time when France should be won to the gospel.
But their hopes were not to be realized. Trial and persecution
awaited the disciples of Christ. This, however, was mercifully veiled
from their eyes. A time of peace intervened, that they might gain
strength to meet the tempest; and the Reformation made rapid progress.
The bishop of Meaux labored zealously in his own diocese to instruct
both the clergy and the people. Ignorant and immoral priests were
removed, and, so far as possible, replaced by men of learning and piety.
The bishop greatly desired that his people might have access to the