In 1512 , before either Luther or Zwingli had begun the work of reform , LeFevre wrote : " It is God who gives us , by faith , that righteousness which by grace alone justifies to eternal life ." --Wylie , b . 13 , ch . 1 . Dwelling upon the mysteries of redemption , he exclaimed : " Oh , the unspeakable greatness of that exchange , --the Sinless One is condemned , and he who is guilty goes free ; the Blessing bears the curse , and the cursed is brought into blessing ; the Life dies , and the dead live ; the Glory is whelmed in darkness , and he who knew nothing but confusion of face is clothed with glory ." -- D ' Aubigne , London ed ., b . 12 , ch . 2 .
And while teaching that the glory of salvation belongs solely to God , he also declared that the duty of obedience belongs to man . " If thou art a member of Christ ' s church ," he said , " thou art a member of His body ; if thou art of His body , then thou art full of the divine nature . . . . Oh , if men could but enter into the understanding of this privilege , how purely , chastely , and holily would they live , and how contemptible , when compared with the glory within them , -- that glory which the eye of flesh cannot see , --would they deem all the glory of this world ." -- Ibid ., b . 12 , ch . 2 .
There were some among LeFevre ' s students who listened eagerly to his words , and who , long after the teacher ' s voice should be silenced , were to continue to declare the truth . Such was William Farel . The son of pious parents , and educated to accept with implicit faith the teachings of the church , he might , with the apostle Paul , have declared 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 anyone speaking against the pope ." -Wylie , b . 13 , ch . 2 . He had been untiring in his adoration of the saints , in company with LeFevre making the round of the churches of Paris , worshipping 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 to 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 ." -- Ibid ., b . 13 , ch . 2 .
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 heart entirely withdrawn from the pope , and given to Jesus Christ ." --D ' Aubigne , b . 12 , ch . 3 . 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
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