The Great Controversy The Great Controversy | Page 215

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withdrawn from the pope, and given to Jesus Christ.”—D’Aubigne, b.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 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 word of God
for themselves, and this was soon accomplished. Lefevre undertook the
translation of the New Testament; and at the very time when Luther’s
German Bible was issuing from the press in Wittenberg, the French
New Testament was published at Meaux. The bishop spared no labor
or expense to circulate it in his parishes, and soon the

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