Farel and his Brothers--Farel expelled from Gap--He preaches
in the Fields--The Knight Anemond of Coct--The
Minorite--Anemond quits France--Luther to the Duke of
Savoy--Farel quits France.
Thus violently did the gale of persecution blow at Meaux and at Metz.
The north of France rejected the Gospel: the Gospel for a while gave
way. But the Reformation only changed its ground; and the provinces of
the south-east became the scene of action.
[Sidenote: FAREL EXPELLED FROM GAP--RURAL PREACHING.]
Farel, who had taken refuge at the foot of the Alps, was there
labouring with great activity. It was of little moment to him to enjoy
the sweets of domestic life in the bosom of his family. The rumour of
what had taken place at Meaux and at Paris had filled his brothers
with a certain degree of terror; but an unknown power was drawing them
towards the new and admirable things on which William conversed with
them. The latter besought them with all the impetuosity of his zeal to
be converted to the Gospel;[911] and Daniel, Walter, and Claude were
at last won over to that God whom their brother announced. They did
not at first abandon the religious worship of their forefathers; but,
when persecution arose, they courageously sacrificed their friends,
their property, and their country to worship Jesus Christ in
freedom.[912] The brothers of Luther and of Zwingle do not appear to
have been so decidedly converted to the Gospel; the French Reform from
its very commencement had a more tender and domestic character.
[911] Choupard MS.
[912] Farel, gentilhomme de condition, doué de bons moyens, lesquels
il perdit tous pour sa religion, aussi bien que trois autres siens
frères. Geneva MS.
Farel did not confine his exhortations to his brethren; he proclaimed
the truth to his relations and friends at Gap and in the
neighbourhood. It would even appear, if we may credit a manuscript,
that, profiting by the friendship of certain clergymen, he began to
preach the Gospel in several churches;[913] but other authorities
positively declare that he did not at this time ascend the pulpit.
However this may be, the doctrine he professed caused great agitation.
The multitude and the clergy desired to silence him. "What new and
strange heresy is this?" said they; "must all the practices of piety
be counted vain? He is neither monk nor priest: he has no business to
preach."[914]
[913] Il prêcha l'évangile publiquement avec une grande liberté.
Choupard MS.
[914] Ibid.; Hist. des Evêques de Nismes, 1738.
Erelong all the civil and ecclesiastical powers of Gap combined
against Farel. He was evidently an agent of that sect which the whole
country is opposing. "Let us cast this firebrand of discord far from
us," they exclaimed. Farel was summoned to appear, harshly treated,
and violently expelled from the city.[915]
[915] Il fut chassé, voire fort rudement, tant par l'évêque que par
ceux de la ville. Choupard MS.
He did not, however, abandon his native country: were there not in the
fields, the villages, the banks of the Durance, of the Guisanne, and
of the Isère many souls that stood in need of the Gospel? and if he
incurred any danger, could he not find an asylum in those forests,
caverns, and steep rocks that he had so often traversed in his youth?
He began, therefore, to go through the country preaching in private
houses and in solitary fields, and seeking an asylum in the woods and
on the brink of torrents.[916] This was a school in which God trained
him for other labours. "The crosses, persecutions, and machinations of
Satan, of which I was forewarned, have not been wanting," said he;
"they are even much severer than I could have borne of myself; but God
is my father; He has provided and always will provide me the strength
which I require."[917] A great number of the inhabitants of these
rural districts received the truth from his lips. Thus the persecution
that had driven Farel from Paris and from Meaux, contributed to the
spread of the Reformation in the provinces of the Saone, of the Rhone,
and of the Alps. Every age has witnessed the fulfilment of the saying
of Scripture: _They that were scattered abroad went everywhere
preaching the Word_.[918]
[916] Olim errabundus in silvis, in nemoribus, in aquis vagatus sum.
Fare ad Capit. de Bucer. Basil, 25th Oct. 1526. MS. letter at
Neufchatel.
[917] Non defuere cruces, persecutio, et Satanæ machinamenta. Farel
Galeoto.
[918] Acts viii. 4.
[Sidenote: ANEMOND DE COCT.]
Among the Frenchmen who were at that time gained over to the Gospel
was a gentleman of Dauphiny, the chevalier Anemond de Coct, younger
son of the auditor of Coct, lord of Châtelard. He was active, ardent,
and lively, sincerely pious, and a foe to relics, processions, and the
clergy; he received the evangelical doctrine with great alacrity, and
was soon entirely devoted to it. He could not endure forms in
religion, and would gladly have abolished all the ceremonies of the
Church. The religion of the heart, the inward worship, was in his view
the only true one. "Never," said he, "has my spirit found any rest in
externals. The sum of Christianity is comprised in these words: _John
truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy
Ghost; ye must put on the new man_."[919]
[919] Nunquam in externis quievit spiritus meus. Coctus Farello MS. in
the conclave of Neufchatel.
Coct, endued with all the vivacity of a Frenchman, spoke and wrote at
one time in Latin, at another in French. He read and quoted Donatus,
Thomas Aquinas, Juvenal, and the Bible! His style was abrupt, passing
suddenly from one idea to another. Ever in motion, he presented
himself wherever a door seemed open to the Gospel, or a celebrated
doctor was to be heard. By his cordiality he won the hearts of all his
acquaintances. "He is distinguished by rank and learning," said
Zwingle at a later period, "but more distinguished still for piety and
affability."[920] Anemond is the type of many of the reformed
Frenchmen. Vivacity, simple-heartedness, zeal sometimes carried even
to imprudence, are the qualities often found in those of his
fellow-countrymen who embraced the Gospel. But at the opposite extreme
of the French character we find the serious features of Calvin, a
weighty counterpoise to the levity of Coct. Calvin and Anemond are the
two poles between which revolves the whole religious world in France.
[920] Virum est genere, doctrinaque clarum, ita pietate humanitateque
longe clariorem. Zw. Epp. p. 319.
[Sidenote: ANEMOND'S FAMILY--THE MINORITE FRIAR.]
No sooner had Anemond received the knowledge of Jesus Christ from
Farel,[921] than he sought himself to gain converts to that doctrine
of spirit and of life. His father was dead; his elder brother, of
harsh and haughty temper, disdainfully repelled him. Lawrence, the
youngest of the family, and who loved him sincerely, seemed but half
to understand him. Anemond, finding himself rejected by his own
kindred, turned his activity to another quarter.
[921] In a letter to Farel he subscribes himself: _Filius tuus
humilis_. 2d September 1524.
Hitherto the awakening in Dauphiny had been confined solely to the
laity. Farel, Anemond, and their friends, desired to see a priest at
the head of this movement, which seemed as if it would shake the
provinces of the Alps. There dwelt at Grenoble a minorite priest,
Peter Sebville by name, a preacher of great eloquence, of an honest
and good heart, not taking counsel with flesh and blood, and whom God
was gradually attracting to him.[922] Sebville soon became aware that
there is no infallible teacher but the Word of God; and, abandoning
the doctrines that are supported on human testimony alone, he
determined in his own mind to preach the Word "purely, clearly, and
holily."[923] In these three words the whole of the Reformation is
summed up. Coct and Farel were delighted as they heard this new
preacher of grace raising his eloquent voice in their province, and
thought that their own presence would henceforward be less necessary.
[922] Pater cœlestis animum sic tuum ad se traxit. Zwinglius
Sebvillæ, Epp. p. 320.
[923] Nitide, pure, sancteque prædicare in animum inducis. Ibid.
[Sidenote: ANEMOND QUITS FRANCE AND VISITS LUTHER.]
The more the awakening spread, the more violent became the opposition.
Anemond, desirous of becoming acquainted with Luther and Zwingle, and
of visiting those countries where the Reformation had originated, and
indignant at the rejection of the Gospel by his fellow-countrymen,
resolved to bid farewell to his home and his family. He made his will,
disposing of his property, at that time in the hands of his elder
brother, the lord of Châtelard, in favour of his brother
Lawrence;[924] and then quitting Dauphiny and France, he made his way
with all the impetuosity of the south, through countries which it was
no easy matter in that age to traverse, and passing through
Switzerland, hardly stopping at Basle, he arrived at Wittemberg, where
Luther was residing. This was shortly after the second Diet of
Nuremberg. The French gentleman accosted the Saxon doctor with his
usual vivacity; talked with him enthusiastically about the Gospel, and
eagerly laid before him the plans he had formed for the propagation of
the truth. The gravity of the Saxon smiled at the southern imagination
of the chevalier;[925] and Luther, notwithstanding certain prejudices
against the French character, was fascinated and carried away by
Anemond. He was affected by the thought that this gentleman had come
from France to Wittemberg for the sake of the Gospel.[926]
"Assuredly," said the reformer to his friends, "this French knight is
an excellent, learned, and pious man."[927] The young noble produced
the same impression on Zwingle and on Luther.
[924] Mon frère Annemond Coct, chevalier, au partir du pays me feist
son heritier. MS. letters in the library at Neufchatel.
[925] Mire ardens in Evangelium, says Luther to Spalatin. Epp. ii.
340; Sehr brünstig in der Herrlichkeit des Evangelii, said he to the
Duke of Savoy. Ibid. 401.
[926] Evangelii gratia huc profectus e Gallia. L. Epp. ii. 340.
[927] Hic Gallus eques......optimus vir est, eruditus ac pius. Ibid.
[Sidenote: ANEMOND AND LUTHER--LUTHER TO THE DUKE OF SAVOY.]
Anemond, seeing what Luther and Zwingle had done, thought that if they
would turn their attention to France and Savoy, nothing could resist
them. Accordingly, as he could not prevail on them to go thither, he
begged them at least to write. In particular, he requested Luther to
address a letter to Duke Charles of Savoy, brother to Louisa and
Philiberta, and uncle to Francis I. and Margaret. "This prince," said
he to the doctor, "feels great attraction towards piety and true
religion,[928] and loves to converse on the Reformation with some of
the persons about his court. He is just the man to understand you; for
his motto is this: _Nihil deest timentibus Deum_,[929] and this device
is yours also. Injured in turns by the empire and by France,
humiliated, vexed, and always in danger, his heart stands in need of
God and of his grace: all that he wants is a powerful impulse. If he
were won to the Gospel, he would have an immense influence on
Switzerland, Savoy, and France. Write to him, I beseech you."
[928] Ein grosser Liebhaber der wahren Religion und Gottseligkeit. L.
Epp. ii. 401.
[929] Nothing is wanting to those who fear God. Hist. Gén. de la
Maison de Savoie, par Guichenon, ii. 228.
Luther was wholly German in character, and would have found himself
ill at ease out of Germany; yet, animated by a true catholicism, he
stretched out his hands as soon as he saw brethren, and in every place
when there was any word of exhortation to be given, he took care that
it should be heard. He sometimes wrote on the same day to the farthest
parts of Europe, to the Low Countries, to Savoy, and to Livonia.
"Assuredly," replied he to Anemond's request, "a love for the Gospel
is a rare gift, and an inestimable jewel in a prince."[930] And he
addressed a letter to the duke, which Anemond probably carried as far
as Switzerland.
[930] Eine seltsame Gabe und hohes Kleinod unter den Fürsten. L. Epp.
ii. 401.
[Sidenote: LUTHER'S FAITH AND ITS CONSEQUENCES.]
"May your highness pardon me," wrote Luther, "If I, a weak and
despised man, presume to address you; or rather ascribe this boldness
to the glory of the Gospel; for I cannot see that glorious light
rising and shining in any quarter without exulting at the joyful
sight......It is my desire that my Lord Jesus Christ should gain many
souls by the example of your most serene highness. And for this reason
I desire to set our doctrine before you......We believe that the
commencement of salvation and the sum of Christianity is faith in
Christ, who by his blood alone, and not by our works, has made
atonement for sin, and put an end to the dominion of death. We believe
that this faith is a gift of God, and that it is created by the Holy
Ghost in our hearts, and not found by our own labours. For faith is a
living thing,[931] which spiritually begetteth the man, and maketh him
a new creature."
[931] Der Glaube ist ein lebendig Ding. L. Epp. ii. 402. The Latin is
wanting.
Luther then proceeded to the consequences of faith, and showed how it
could not be possessed without sweeping away the whole scaffolding of
false doctrines and human works that the Church had so laboriously
raised. "If grace," said he, "is obtained by Christ's blood, it is not
by our own works. This is the reason why all the labours of all the
cloisters are unavailing, and these institutions should be abolished,
as being contrary to the blood of Jesus Christ, and leading men to
trust in their own good works. Ingrafted in Christ, nothing remains
for us but to do good, for having become good trees, we should bear
witness to it by good fruits.
"Gracious prince and lord," said Luther in conclusion, "may your
highness, who has made so happy a beginning, help to propagate this
doctrine; not with the power of the sword, which would injure the
Gospel, but by inviting into your states learned doctors who may
preach the Word. It is by the breath of his mouth that Jesus will
destroy Antichrist, in order that, as Daniel says (chap. viii. ver.
25), he may be broken without hand. For this reason, most serene
prince, may your highness fan the spark that has been kindled in your
heart; may a flame go forth from the house of Savoy, as in former
times from the house of Joseph;[932] may all France be consumed like
stubble before that fire; may it burn, blaze, and purify, so that this
illustrious kingdom may truly be called _most christian_, for which it
is indebted, up to this hour, solely to the rivers of blood shed in
the service of Antichrist."
[932] Dass ein Feuer von dem Hause Sophoy ausgehe. L. Epp. ii. 406.
[Sidenote: FAREL QUITS FRANCE.]
Thus did Luther endeavour to diffuse the Gospel in France. We are
ignorant of the effect produced on the prince by this letter; but we
do not see that he ever showed any desire to separate from Rome. In
1522, he requested Adrian VI. to stand godfather to his eldest son;
and, shortly after, the pope promised a cardinal's hat for his second
son. Anemond, after making an effort to see the court and the Elector
of Saxony, and having received a letter from Luther for this
purpose,[933] returned to Basle, more decided than ever to expose his
life for the Gospel. In his ardour, he would have rejoiced to possess
the power of rousing the whole of France. "All that I am," said he,
"all that I shall be, all that I have, all that I shall have, I am
determined to consecrate to the glory of God."[934]
[933] Vult videre aulam et faciem Principis nostri. L. Epp. ii. 340.
[934] Quidquid sum, habeo, ero, habebove, ad Dei gloriam insumere mens
est. Coct. Epp. MS. of Neufchatel.
Anemond found his compatriot Farel at Basle. Anemond's letters had
excited in him a great desire to see the reformers of Switzerland and
Germany. Moreover, Farel required a sphere of activity in which he
could more freely exert his strength. He therefore quitted that France
which already offered nothing but scaffolds and the stake for the
preachers of the unadulterated Gospel. Following byroads and
concealing himself in the woods, he escaped, although with difficulty,
from the hands of his enemies. Often had he lost his way. At last he
reached Switzerland at the beginning of 1524. There he was destined to
spend his life in the service of the Gospel, and it was then that
France began to send into Helvetia those noble-minded evangelists who
were to establish the Reformation in Switzerland _Romande_,[935] and
to give it a new and powerful impulse in other parts of the
confederation and in the whole world.
[935] The French part of Switzerland, comprising the cantons of
Geneva, Vaud, Neufchatel, and part of those of Friburg, Berne, and
Valois.