WORK AT LAUSANNE—PREPARATIONS FOR EVANGELIZING SPAIN—WORK ORGANIZED AT PAU, BAYONNE, AND BORDEAUX
To give some idea of the labors of our brother after his release from prison, an extract from a statement of his own is here introduced. This will put the reader in possession of many facts that will show the nature and importance of the undertakings which were commenced in France and Switzerland, and carried on with most blessed results.
“When once the prison doors were opened to the prisoners, and when persecution ceased in Spain, the first thought that occupied the minds of the exiles was to continue the work begun, profiting by the experience of the past and preparing for the eventualities of the future. A s there are many appearances that the day is near at hand when liberty of worship will be granted, we have been led to prepare ourselves, and also to prepare our youth. When I left Spain the first thing that was laid on my mind in a particular way was the creation of a Spanish college for that portion of our young men who should feel disposed to prepare themselves by theological studies; a fitting place was soon fixed upon in France, and we commenced with six young Spanish pupils. At the same time one of our young persecuted brethren went to Switzerland, where, being already far advanced in knowledge, he was enabled to devote his time to the more serious studies; while in France I began to prepare myself for everything that my future position might call me to undertake.
“During this period the work in the interior of Spain advanced with fresh vigor, and its results were visible in many ways; and now this implacable persecution, by means of which our enemies expected entirely to destroy our work, had, on the contrary, only opened a new future, by preparing public opinion (which generally is favorable to toleration) to re cognize the cause of the persecuted, and to take an interest in them. Our beloved brothers at—boldly put themselves at the head of the work, which began to be extended and consolidated. Besides this, the creation of a college in France filled them with joy, which was increased when they learned that some were thinking of founding, at Lausanne, an institution which was intended to afford opportunities for supplementing and completing the studies of the youth from Bayonne, where the teaching was more of an elementary character. The work at Lausanne was inaugurated at the beginning with only six young people, but afterward its numbers were increased.
“The well-disposed among our youth in Spain appeared to vie with one another in their emulation to be among the number of the future preachers of the gospel in their country, and fathers and children both gave many manifest proofs of this fact. It is not difficult to observe the rapid progress that the Spirit of God has given to this blessed work. The number of converts in Spain has increased considerably, as have also their means of laboring, and the interior organization of the churches has guaranteed solid and positive progress. But in order that you may have a good idea of the same, I will cite some passages from an important report made by Pastor Currie to the Paris committee, of which he was the representative, subsequent to his visit last year to the churches in Spain. The following is a part of his report: —
“On arriving at—, all the friends there received me with the greatest cordiality. Everyone, from the directing body down to the humblest Christian, appeared desirous of being useful to me, and of anticipating my wishes. Often from morning till evening have I been engaged in receiving and paying visits, my friends wishing to accompany me wherever I went. There exists in this place a congregation of three hundred members, whose names have been given to me. This congregation is thoroughly well organized, as you will hereafter see. A committee composed of six individuals, who are all sincere Christians, and who are both capable and prudent, manage the work, under the superintendence of our brother Matamoros, who is recognized and loved as the founder, the father, and spiritual director of this body. This committee holds its regular sessions, which are opened and closed with prayer; its acts are duly registered in a book, which I examined. Political discussion is strictly forbidden.
With the exception of ten evangelists or missionaries, who are laboring for the dissemination of the Scriptures and of Scripture truth, the remainder of the congregation are quite ignorant of the names of the persons who form the committee. Sometimes, in cases of emergency, the committee invites the other evangelists to be present at their meeting, so as to obtain their advice and to have the assistance of their judgment. These missionaries are, for the greater part, young men of exemplary conduct, intelligent, and filled with zealous and noble sentiments. These, after their daily avocations are finished, seize every propitious occasion to combat the errors of the Church of Rome, and to preach the truth. These dear friends have as yet but a limited knowledge of the Scriptures; but, nevertheless, such as they are, the evangelists of -interest me much, for while they do not dishonor the name they profess, they act faithfully to the extent of their light and their faith.
“These young men are, so to speak, self-taught, for they have neither a pastor to instruct nor books to enlighten them. Every Sunday morning they form small gatherings in different parts of the town, where they preach the truth; and afterward, when among their audiences they observe people sufficiently convinced of the errors of Romanism, and who are living a good life, they ask them to join the Reformed Church. Indeed, sometimes the demand is spontaneous on the part of the listeners, and needs not to be provoked. In such cases, the person who wishes to be received has to sign a request to that effect addressed to the committee. The evangelist presents this, and if there be no opposition the applicant is admitted.
“During my sojourn at—I sometimes assisted at the committee meetings, and on each occasion, two, four, six, and even seven propositions for admittance were presented. In receiving these new members, I believe that the committee makes few mistakes. They know that the faith and walk of the neophytes are still weak, and that they need instruction ; but being once convinced of the sincerity of the step they have taken, of the fervency of their desires, and uprightness of their conduct, the course of the committee is easy. These brethren are received, and the committee look forward to seeing them progress in their spiritual career, and in the love and knowledge of their Savior. Every Sunday evening, the members of the committee, together with some evangelists, meet for reading and worship, when the Word of God is studied and prayer is offered. All the functions of the committee and of the evangelists are gratuitous, and among them simplicity, brotherly love, and peace abide. They seem to out-rival each other in zeal, and display the greatest activity. These churches are as yet quite in an incipient stage, and much is wanting ; yet, nevertheless, even as matters now are, they have pleased me greatly, and I ever wish to see them increased more and more, not only in numbers, but also in that spiritual life which is hid with Christ in God. The doctrines of the gospel appear to have taken such deep root at that from three to four thousand persons, it is believed, would join the Reformed Church on the day that religious liberty was proclaimed in Spain.
“' Besides the many visits that I paid to these friends, I was also enabled on many occasions to celebrate divine worship, first with the members of the committee and the evangelists united, and afterward with sundry individuals from among the groups to whom the evangelists were in the habit of preaching. On all occasions I remarked the most sustained attention, and a great thirst after truth on the part of the hearers, who numbered from fifteen to twenty individuals. I also had the pleasure of having meetings composed entirely of females. One evening there were seventeen present, and had all who wished been able to attend we should have had twenty-five. This fact is, to my mind, most comforting; for not only do they form the most living part of the Church, as was explained to me, but, besides, as wives, mothers of families, and Christians, they may, by God's grace, do much good, not only at home, but all around.' These were M. Currie's words, written in October, 1865.
“I shall now say a few words about an institution which I some time since had the pleasure of founding here at Pau. Some years ago I had the idea of forming an institution for young Spanish women, the daughters of our Protestant brethren, and to give them the education necessary to fit them to serve the Lord in the different vocations he might call them to occupy, whether as governesses or as wives and mothers.
Different propositions from Spain made to me in regard to this matter confirmed me in my conviction that this project was approved by God in connection with the work in Spain, and would have His blessing. Consequently, immediately after my arrival at Pau, I communicated my idea to Miss C—, who sympathized with me, and who made it, from that time forward, the subject of her constant prayers, as I did also; and it frequently formed the subject of our conversations. I soon after left Pau, filled with this idea, which occupied my thoughts, and I wrote a long letter to her from Eaux Bonnes, touching lightly on the different points of the work in general. Part of my letter was as follows:—
"Eaux Bonnes, on the Rhine.
"The habits and customs in Spain are very different to what, I am happy to observe, prevail here, and they do not allow the same freedom in social intercourse. On this account, and from other circumstances, there is a difficulty in obtaining access to females in Spain for the purpose of announcing to them the gospel of God's grace. For this reason, this great and delightful task (whose importance is such that we would willingly call it the heart of our work) can only be carried on by females. But, through the grace of God, this branch of our labor may become one of the most solid bases on which our work of evangelizing our beloved country may have its foundation; for in all places doors are open to women, and they are always well received, whether they come to sit down at the domestic hearth, or to address the wife, the mother, or the unmarried female. They have access everywhere, which is far from being the case with the men.
“I believe, then, dear sister, that it is not only useful, but indispensable, that this special establishment should be founded, for the purpose of receiving a sufficient number of young Spanish girls, and of giving them a solid Christian education, so that they may acquire not only sound Scriptural instruction, but, at the same time, all the general information which pertains to a solid education, and which will by-and-by open a way for them among the many different classes of society. Under proper direction, and above all with a view to serve the Lord, they should be taught what are the duties of the daughter, the wife, and the Christian mother; they should be initiated into all the exercises of Christian charity, and be led to visit the sick and the poor. Indeed, by giving them an opportunity of living for some time in a Christian atmosphere, where spiritual life is a fact, and where faith is manifested by works of love and self-denial, we should be commencing a holy and blessed work, whose results may have, through God's grace, an incalculable influence on the religious future of Spain; and I cannot but recommend it to your notice, in the divine name of our Blessed Lord.'
“Such were the considerations which decided Miss C—, after a season of prayer and inward conflict, with full confidence to begin this work of faith, which already has given such happy results, and has made us joyful in the thought that the blessing of Jesus is resting upon it.”
I lately received a letter from a brother in Spain, who takes a lively interest in our work there. From it the following is extracted:—
“We feel, from day to day, that the Lord is blessing us in this town abundantly. A few days back, being the anniversary of the death of Torrijos and of his forty eight companions in misfortune, I was walking with C—, and, as we felt tired, we sat down to rest. The seats on this promenade are double, so that the persons who sit down are seated back to back. Well, as we were sitting on one of these seats, there came two others to sit down also. One was an honorable old man; his companion a man too, of mature years. Three others soon joined them, and commenced a conversation. The youngest, speaking of the recognition of Italy by Spain, said, amongst other things—
“This was a want of our age, in the presence of which the will of the Queen and the clerical party have been obliged to bow; and those who to-day recognize the unity of the kingdom of Italy, will also be forced to submit to the other conquests of this century, not bloody conquests, as the event we to-day are celebrating; and in due time we shall have liberty of worship posted over the door of every dwelling.'
“Quite true,' replied the other. You remember the persecutions of 1860 and 1861? That is a blot on the history of Spain that must be effaced by asking for liberty of worship.'
“Yes,' said the old gentleman.
“' But perhaps you are not aware that there are in this town now many Christians like those who suffered persecution, and that their number daily increases. A man comes to our house twice a week to read to us the Bible, and a tract entitled "Andrew Dunn." What pleasure we experience in listening to him, and in seeing that these people only seek after peace. More than once I wished to introduce politics, but he always replied that it was not about earthly things he wished to converse, but on divine things alone. He said, also, that the Church of Spain must be reformed, and return to its primitive standing, for then only would all things go on well.'
“That would be for the true welfare of the people,' replied the younger man. I also have had some serious conversations with one of these primitive Christians, and when I expressed my desire of entering into communion with them, he replied, "Yes; but you must first of all enter into communion with Christ."’
“Such was the conversation of these sincere men.
We said nothing, thinking that thus they would speak more unrestrainedly; but we seem to have perceived in their words a spark of that divine light which rejoices Christians here, and so we were made truly glad.”
Much more of a still more interesting nature is contained in the same letter, but we cannot at present reproduce it. A little farther on, however, we have a few lines of much importance, and, as they are from Matamoros's own pen, they are well worthy of our consideration: —
“The counsel that I give to my fellow-countrymen is, not to allow themselves to be governed by anyone in the development of their work, but by Jesus only.
Let us be neither of Paul, nor of Apollos, nor of Cephas, but of Christ, and may His Spirit be our guide. This is the best recommendation that I can at the present time give to the church in Spain. May she apply herself to the study of the Word, and with the help of the Lord, that Word alone shall be her guide. Let us seek to belong only to Christ, to walk and to increase in Him. Let us labor in the evangelization of the people, and let us be directed by His Spirit alone. This is my counsel for the present.
"MANUEL MATAMOROS.
The above will give some little insight into a portion of the labors of our brother when in France, but presents only a very superficial glance at the immense activity and unceasing care that he took of everything, and every individual, in any way connected with this most interesting work.
At Bordeaux, three other of the persecuted brethren were located, and, through his assiduity and attention, they were enabled to support themselves and their families. The young men established in Lausanne were most comfortably lodged in an excellent house, and attended the instructions of the College of the Free Church of the Canton de Vaud. Funds on a large scale were required for all these things, and the activity and prayers of our brother have supplied them all. Two missionaries laboring among the Spaniards at Algiers and Oran were placed there at the suggestion and request of Matamoros. But it was necessary to know him intimately to comprehend how his whole life was a living sacrifice to Him who has sacrificed His life for us all, in order that we might be His purchased people.
During the whole of the time of his exile, Matamoros's health was very feeble, and he was scarcely a day out of the doctor's hands; but in the midst of all this, when strength permitted, his lips and pen were never quiet. Such activity for Christ I have rarely witnessed, and such generosity of disposition I have seen in none. He was very much beloved in Holland, Switzerland, and France, and received innumerable presents of various kinds from the saints in all these countries; but his joy appeared to manifest itself more in giving than receiving, and he kept scarcely anything for himself.
A part of his three years of exile was spent at Bayonne, but at Lausanne his heart seemed to have been more at home than anywhere else, thanks to the loving sympathy he found in the house of those warm-hearted, earnest Christians, M. and Mme. Bridel.
He was in journeying oft, sometimes to Holland and sometimes to Paris. England saw but little of him, though he sighed to be among us, and looked to us as those from whom he expected all. Spain calls at present, with as loud a voice as ever Macedonia did, "Come over and help us. Come over and give us Christ's gospel. Come over and give us your sympathy in a cause which is the greatest of all causes, because it is for eternity." I cherish a hope that, in spite of much lukewarmness, in spite of much to mourn over, these words will enter the hearts of some who love Jesus, and that they will hear. In such a case my book will have answered the purpose I have in view, not merely to give a faithful picture of God's faithful servant, but to rouse others to imitate his bright example.