Now go and feed the flock of God,' said his friend; and guard your own nature. The more you are inclined to violence, the more you should practise gentleness; temper your lion's courage with the meekness of the dove.' This needed counsel was received by Farel with all his heart.

In July 1524 he entered upon his labours at Montbeliard, and the first promise of success was astonishing. The seed was hardly sown when the harvest began to appear. The duke and his court were much in his favour. Most of the people were eager to hear the word of God; a few, who regarded themselves as of the higher class, were disposed to treat him with contempt, or dread his presence as a source of disturbances. There are always some who fear lest the world will be turned upside down by the gospel. Chevalier Esch was his companion, and doubtless was of service at the court of the duke. Farel had written to his gentle friend at Basle with no little exultation, and now another chevalier proposes to join him.

Anemond, delighted with the good news, ran with his usual vivacity to Peter Toussaint, saying hastily, 'I shall set off to-morrow to visit Farel.'

'Good! I am just finishing a letter to him. You must be the bearer.'

'Gladly will I be so; and I am to take one also from Ecolampadius.' At the time appointed the chevalier set out, and in a few days was at Montbeliard, where his face and the letters were appreciated.

Ecolampadius wrote: 'It is easy to instil a few doctrines into the ears of our auditors, but to change their hearts is in the power of God alone.' Toussaint wrote: I am glad that the duke and court are on your

G

side; but there is need of watchfulness, for you well know that the destroyer of our peace never slumbers. He employs every weapon to overcome his opponents, and the more so whenever any extraordinary attack is made upon his kingdom.' These were but little drops of caution in cups overflowing with encouragement.

The advice was timely, for Farel was already attacked by the destroyer of peace. The city was in commotion. Many of the nobles were alarmed, and said, as they looked in contempt at the new preacher, 'What does this sorry fellow want with us? Would that he had never come! He cannot stay here, for he will ruin us all, as well as himself.' But the worst opposition came from the Romish clergy.

On a certain Sabbath Farel had just begun to preach, when the priests, sent there for the purpose, called him a liar and a heretic. In an instant the whole congregagation was in an uproar. The people rose up and made the confusion still worse by crying out for silence. Word was sent to the castle; the duke hurried to the spot, and found that the disturbers were led on by the dean of the priory and the guardian of the Franciscan convent at Besançon. They and their pack had come over to cry down the gospel preacher. The duke reprimanded the dean, who took it in good part and retired from the scene. But not so the guardian. He went to another church in the afternoon, gave the lie to Farel, abused his sermon, and did all he could to excite a tumult in the town. The duke arrested both Farel and the guardian, requiring the latter to prove that the sermon was heretical, or to retract what he had said about it. He chose to retract, pulpit that Farel had

and confessed publicly from the

spoken the truth, and that the opposition to him arose

out of a bad temper. Farel was set at liberty. An official account of the affair was published, so that no false reports might be circulated.

Farel, whose very nature had fire enough, was now burning with zeal. He thought it his duty to unmask the priests who had been so active in all this riotous business, and with vigour he plied the sword of the word. He had been preaching what their guardian had admitted to be the truth, and now he exposed their errors.

'How fares it with Farel's meekness ?' inquired Ecolampadius of one who had come from Montbeliard, probably Anemond. The strongest testimony was borne to his faithfulness, energy, and success, although he had shown too much violence in attacking the priests for their errors concerning the mass. His gentle friend wrote him, and reminded him of the resolutions which he had formed at Basle. He advised meekness and modesty. 'Mankind must be led, not driven.'

During the winter, a friar of the order of St. Anthony came into the neighbourhood, and employed a monk to proclaim from the pulpit that he had some relics for sale. The monk gave the wares a hearty commendation. There was at Montbeliard a disciple of Luther, named John Gailing, who first preached the gospel in Wurtemburg, and was now the court-preacher to the duke. He had doubtless rendered great assistance in the work going forward, and he knew that the sale of these relics was only a trick to divert the minds of the people from the gospel. Farel and Gailing appealed to the senate to put a stop to such imposture, representing in strong terms how this traffic had destroyed souls, robbed the poor of their savings, and God of His glory. But the senate had not courage to act in the case, and declared that such

matters belonged solely to the duke. To the duke they went, asking him to send away the friar, unless he could prove from Scripture that it was right to sell relics. This gave the monk and friar a fine chance to defend themselves by that all-sufficient word by which Farel would test everything, as well as to show that the relics were genuine. But the impostors dared not accept the challenge, and made no further noise.

A report of Farel's labours and success came to the ears of the old sage Erasmus, and mightily annoyed him. He hinted to some spy in the camp at Montbeliard, that severe measures should be employed against the zealous preacher. He wrote at once to his Romish friends, that an exiled Frenchman was making a great disturbance in those regions. Farel knew of all this, but had enough to engage his attention in spreading the truth far and near. He was, at Montbeliard, like a general on a hill, whose piercing eye glances over the field of battle, cheering those who are actively engaged with the foe, rallying those ranks which are broken by an impetuous charge, and animating those who hang back through fear.' Behind him were Basle and Strasburg as a base of operations, whence he drew his supplies of tracts and books.

The refugees at Basle were forming a Tract and Bible Society, and raising up colporteurs to scatter the truth through France. The presses then were constantly occupied in printing French books, and these were sent to Farel, who put them into the hands of book-hawkers ; and these simple-hearted men passed through the country, calling at almost every door. Anemond was a true chevalier in this good work, which was moving forward with such strength that Erasmus was enraged, and the Sorbonne in alarm. He sent to Farel all the useful

books he could get; and one of his large plans was for Farel to use the pen, while he raised a fund and a force to work the presses day and night, and thus flood all France with the truth. He was anxious to see the New Testament printed in French, and widely circulated in the provinces.

The chevalier happened to be one day at the house of a friend, where his eye fell upon a new edition of Lefevre's French Testament. He was overjoyed. But how came the needed prize so near at hand? Vaugris, a merchant of Lyons, who had fled to Basle, had secured its publication in October 1524. The edition was limited. 'Lose no time in reprinting it,' said the earnest Anemond, ‘for there will be a call for a great number.'

At the urgent advice of his friends, Farel wrote several small books, among which was A Summary of what a Christian ought to know, in order to trust God and serve his Neighbour,-a work which passed through several large editions, and was widely circulated.

This same year Lyons was the centre of a movement in which Farel took a deep interest, if not an active part. The merchants Du Blet and Vaugris had taken the lead in the Reformation at this old city, where, four centuries before, Peter Waldo had preached, and by his sermons had shaken all France. Preachers were again needed, and the raging of nations was to bring them. Francis I. was leading an army against Charles v. of Spain, and passed through Lyons on the way to Pavia. Margaret the Duchess of Alençon came also, leading the spiritual soldiers of the Lord; and they halted at this point, while the other hosts went on to Italy. She caused the gospel to be publicly preached at Lyons. Her preacher, Michael D'Arande, drew large crowds to hear him, and with cou