HEROES OF THE 
 CHURCH 
 
 By Park Hays Miller 
 
 BR 
 
 1704 
 .M5 
 1922 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 
 THE WESTMINSTER PRESS 
 
 1922 
 
 IXX 
 
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BR 1704 .M5 1922 
 Miller, Park Hays, 1879 
 Heroes of the church 
 
V 
 
 Heroes of the 
 Church 
 
 By Park Hays Miller 
 
 Philadelphia 
 
 The Westminster Press 
 
 1922 
 
Copyright, 1922 
 
 By the Trustees of the Presbyterian Board of Publication and 
 
 Sabbath School Work 
 
 Printed in the United States of America 
 
/ 
 
 TO THE CLASS OF BOYS 
 
 IN THE SUNDAY SCHOOL OF THE NINTH PRESBYTERIAN 
 
 CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA, WHOSE COOPERATION MADE THE 
 
 PREPARATION OF THIS MATERIAL A PLEASURE, THIS BOOK IS 
 
 GRATEFULLY DEDICATED 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 In April, May, and June, 1922, a series of twelve lessons 
 on "Later Christian Leaders" appeared as a part of the 
 Intermediate Departmental Graded Lessons. These lessons 
 were prepared with the purpose of filling the gap in his- 
 tory between the Apostolic Church and the Church of to- 
 day. They were planned also to give to members of the 
 Church to-day convictions concerning the true foundation 
 of the Protestant faith. 
 
 Interest in these lessons on the part of parents of Inter- 
 mediate pupils in the Sunday school and the request for this 
 material in permanent form have led to the printing of this 
 book, with the omission of those features which marked the 
 chapters as lessons. 
 
 The writer will rejoice if these biographies, prepared for 
 Sunday-school use, reach a larger circle of readers. 
 
 P. H. M. 
 
 Philadelphia, July 1, 1922. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Chapter I. Polycarp 9 
 
 Chapter II. Augustine 15 
 
 Chapter III. Bernard of Clairvaux 21 
 
 Chapter IV. John Wyclif 27 
 
 Chapter V. John Huss 32 
 
 Chapter VI. Martin Luther 38 
 
 Chapter VII. Ulrich Zwingli 43 
 
 Chapter VIII. John Calvin 48 
 
 Chapter IX. John Knox 54 
 
 Chapter X. John Wesley 58 
 
 Chapter XI. Francis Makemie 62 
 
 Chapter XII. William A. Shedd 67 
 
POLYCARP 
 
 Chapter I 
 POLYCARP 
 
 IF ho Confessed Christ in the Arena 
 (Died probably either a.d. 155 or 166) 
 
 In the year A.D. 166 the city of Smyrna was in an up- 
 roar. The city was under Roman authority and the Roman 
 officers were having their hands full maintaining peace and 
 order. During the absence of Polycarp, the Christian bishop 
 of Smyrna and the surrounding country, who had been on a 
 visit to Rome, bitter enmity against the Christians had been 
 stirred up, and the populace was wild with excitement. Be- 
 cause it was supposed that the Christians were disloyal to 
 Caesar, those who looked upon themselves as especially loyal 
 to the emperor, cried, "Death to the Christians!" Then some 
 one started the cry, "Let Polycarp be brought out!" 
 
 The Christians believed they must be ready to die for 
 their faith, if need be, but they felt that they must not run 
 needlessly into danger. So they persuaded Polycarp, their 
 beloved bishop, who was nearly ninety years old, if not 
 older, to leave the city and remain for a time in seclusion. 
 
 But one day, as evening drew near, he heard the sound of 
 a cavalcade and the rattle of chariot wheels. One of Poly- 
 carp's servants had betrayed his master and the Roman 
 officers were at the door. Frightened friends brought word 
 to the old man that he must flee, but he replied, "The will 
 of God be done." 
 
 Unwaveringly he went to meet those who had come to 
 take him. He set food before them and asked that he be 
 permitted to spend the time in prayer while they ate. Think- 
 ing only of the cause of Christ to which he had given his 
 life, Polycarp prayed for the Christians and for the churches. 
 Then, at the appointed time, he announced that he was ready 
 to go. 
 
 9 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 ON THE ROAD TO SMYRNA 
 
 Polycarp was permitted to ride upon a donkey and, with 
 the horsemen acting as guards, the journey to Smyrna was 
 begun. The irenarch, or Roman peace officer, who had come 
 to arrest Polycarp, could not help feeling respect for this old 
 man who exhibited such courage. Besides, it was the ire- 
 narch's business, if possible, to persuade the Christians to 
 renounce their faith in Jesus and to worship the statue of 
 the emperor, according to the custom of the Romans. So he 
 invited Polycarp into his chariot, and as they rode the 
 irenarch said, "What harm is there in saying, 'Lord Caesar,' 
 and in sacrificing, with other ceremonies observed on such 
 occasions, and so make sure of safety?" 
 
 At first Polycarp gave no answer. It is hard for us to 
 imagine the thoughts which might have come into the old 
 man's mind as he listened to the irenarch's words. Why not 
 save his life by renouncing his faith in Jesus? 
 
 Perhaps he thought of his boyhood and of his Christian 
 home. How different was the home where Christ was wor- 
 shiped from the home of the pagan; for in the homes where 
 Christ was worshiped there was unselfishness and love. 
 
 Then no doubt he remembered how, when he was a boy, 
 John the apostle, who for a long time was the leader of the 
 church in Ephesus, had come to his town. He listened to 
 the apostle, who had himself seen the Lord and had listened 
 to his teaching. From the apostle's own lips he had heard 
 the story of the wonderful works and the wonderful words 
 of Jesus. These words were written in his heart; he could 
 never forget them. 
 
 Then Polycarp must have thought of his long life spent 
 in the service of Jesus. He had preached the gospel and had 
 seen men changed by the message of the Saviour. 
 
 He remembered, too, how he had become a leader in the 
 Church and had been ordained a minister of Jesus, and then 
 had been made bishop of the church in the district of which 
 Smyrna was the chief city. He had promised to hold fast 
 
 10 
 
POLYCARP 
 
 to the truth of the gospel. How could he now break his 
 word, even to save his own life? 
 
 Paul, the great apostle, had taught in Ephesus, the city to 
 the south, from which the Christian faith had been carried 
 to Smyrna, and the Christians of Smyrna knew by heart 
 the famous letters of this apostle to the Gentiles. Polycarp 
 must have thought of how undaunted Paul had been when 
 he faced death in the service of Christ. 
 
 Then, too, Polycarp had just come back from Rome, where 
 he had gone to confer with Bishop Anicetus in the interests 
 of the Church. What would his friend, Anicetus, think if 
 Polycarp should waver now in his loyalty to Christ? 
 
 But uppermost in the mind of Polycarp was the thought 
 of Jesus, who had set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem 
 where he knew that he was to be crucified. And Polycarp 
 knew by heart the message that Jesus had given his beloved 
 John for the church in Smyrna, Rev. 2: 8-11, especially the 
 words, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the 
 crown of life." 
 
 So when the irenarch urged Polycarp to renounce Jesus 
 and offer sacrifice to the emperor, he shook his head, "I shall 
 not do as you advise me." The Roman officer could not 
 understand the conduct- of this Christian. The Romans be- 
 lieved in many gods, and it was a simple matter for them to 
 add another god to the list. And here was a man who was 
 stubborn enough to insist that there was but one God, and 
 who refused to acknowledge any other. In Smyrna a temple 
 in honor of Emperor Tiberius and his mother had been 
 erected, but these Christians refused to worship the emper- 
 or's statute. In anger the irenarch hurled the old man from 
 his chariot. Polycarp was injured, but, ignoring the pain, 
 he followed to the city. 
 
 IN THE ARENA 
 Smyrna had its stadium, as had many cities of that day, 
 no doubt copied after the great stadiums of the Greeks and 
 
 11 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 after the arena at Rome where gladiators fought with one 
 another or with wild beasts, and where, in the days of Nero, 
 Christians were tortured, and put to death. When Polycarp 
 reached the entrance to the stadium, words came to his mind 
 that made him lift his head with fresh courage: "Be strong, 
 and show thyself a man, Polycarp." Had not God him- 
 self sent this message to him? 
 
 The proconsul endeavored to persuade Polycarp to re- 
 nounce his faith in Christ. "Swear, and I will set thee at 
 liberty," urged the proconsul. "Reproach Christ." But 
 Polycarp, unmoved by the persuasion of the proconsul and 
 by the shouts of the multitudes, replied, "Eighty and six 
 years have I served him, and he never did me an injury; 
 how, then, can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?" 
 Again the Roman officer urged, "Swear by the fortune of 
 Caesar." "Since thou art vainly urgent that, as thou sayest, 
 I should swear by the fortune of Caesar," Polycarp replied, 
 "and pretendest not to know who and what I am, hear me 
 declare with all boldness, I am a Christian." 
 
 Thinking he might still frighten this Christian into denying 
 his faith, the proconsul threatened, "I have wild beasts at 
 hand; to these will I cast thee, except thou repent." "Call 
 them, then," answered Polycarp, "for we are not accustomed 
 to repent of what is good in order to adopt that which is 
 evil!" 
 
 "I will cause thee to be consumed by fire, seeing thou de- 
 spisest the wild beasts, if thou wilt not repent," threatened 
 the proconsul. "Thou threatenest me with fire which burn- 
 eth for an hour and after a little is extinguished," answered 
 Polycarp, "but art ignorant of the fire of consuming judg- 
 ment and of eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. 
 But why tarriest thou? Bring forth what thou wilt." ^ 
 
 f 
 THE DECISION 
 
 Then the herald, at the command of the Roman officer, 
 stepped forth into the arena. A hush settled over the crowd. 
 
 12 
 
 i 
 
POLYCARP 
 
 They wanted to catch every word the herald shouted. Then 
 came to the hushed crowd the words of the herald: "Poly- 
 carp has confessed that he is a Christian! Polycarp has 
 confessed that he is a Christian!" 
 
 The hush was turned into shouts of fury: "Let loose the 
 lion! Burn him alive." The shows of wild beasts were 
 over, so it was determined to put the Christian to death by 
 fire. The eager crowd, each wishing to have a share in the 
 death of Polycarp, searched shops and public baths that 
 were near for wood. 
 
 POLYCARP PLAYS THE MAN 
 
 The fagots were piled around him. When they were about 
 to nail Polycarp to the post, he said, "Leave me as I am; for 
 he that giveth me strength to endure the fire, will also en- 
 able me, without securing me by nails, to remain without 
 moving in the pile." Accordingly he was only bound. Then 
 Polycarp prayed, "I give Thee thanks that thou hast counted 
 me worthy of this day and this hour, that I should have a 
 part in the number of thy martyrs, in the cup of thy Christ, 
 to the resurrection of eternal life." 
 
 The fire was kindled and the flames leaped about Poly- 
 carp's body. The story which has come down to us says 
 that because the flames did not consume him, an executioner 
 was commanded to pierce him with a dagger. Thus this 
 noble martyr gave his life rather than deny his Lord. His 
 body was at last consumed by the flames, but the Christians 
 of Smyrna gathered up his bones and buried them. And 
 on the hill, just outside the city of Smyrna to-day, there is 
 a tomb which is said to be that of Polycarp, who gave his 
 life in the service of Christ almost eighteen hundred years 
 ago, soon after the middle of the second century A.D., either 
 in A.D. 155 or 166. 
 
 With the death of Polycarp the persecution of the Chris- 
 tians at this time in Smyrna came to an end, and, as Ter- 
 tullian, who was born about the time of Polycarp's martyr- 
 
 13 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 dom, wrote, "The blood of the martyrs was the seed of the 
 Church." By men and women who would not deny their 
 faith in Jesus, the gospel of Christ has been handed down 
 to us through the centuries. 
 
 14 
 
AUGUSTINE 
 
 Chapter II 
 AUGUSTINE 
 
 JFho Fought the Battle in the Garden 
 (Born A.D. 354; died a.d. 430) 
 The greatest battles that have ever been fought have been 
 fought right in the heart of a man or of a woman, or of a 
 boy or of a girl. In such a battle, instead of ranks of sol- 
 diers engaged in hand-to-hand conflict, low ideals contest 
 with high ideals, right feelings struggle with wrong feelings, 
 high resolutions meet with powerful temptations. It was 
 this kind of battle that Augustine fought with himself in 
 the garden in Milan about the year 386.. To him it was 
 more terrible than any battle fought in the Great War. 
 We can understand that battle fought in Augustine's heart in 
 the garden of Milan only when we know how the story of 
 his life led up to this experience. 
 
 A BOY OF TAGASTE 
 
 Augustine was born in Africa, in the town of Tagaste, in 
 the year a.d. 354. Africa was part of the great Roman Em- 
 pire. Since the days of Polycarp, Christianity had made 
 great progress. The Roman emperors had themselves be- 
 come professing Christians, and had forbidden the perse- 
 cution of the followers of Christ. But the proclamations of 
 the emperors had not routed paganism from the empire. 
 
 Monica, Augustine's mother, was one of the noblest Chris- 
 tian mothers who ever lived. Writers have said that it was 
 the prayers of Monica that at last led Augustine to Christ. 
 Augustine's father, Patricius, was a pagan. Possibly he had 
 not become a Christian because he was a politician, a mem- 
 ber of the city council, and the pagans rather than the Chris- 
 tians were in power in Tagaste. So Augustine grew up in a 
 home that was made Christian by his mother, but in which 
 his father set him a different kind of example. 
 
 15 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 Tagaste was a busy city, situated where many roads met. 
 There traders from distant places came to exchange their 
 wares, and Augustine would watch with interest these mer- 
 chants of many nations. He would also see the galloping 
 horses of the Imperial Mail as they plunged over the roads 
 on their hurried errands for the Roman Government. 
 
 Augustine liked to play handball, and to catch birds and 
 make pets of them. He also played soldier and pretended 
 that he was Hannibal, the great Carthaginian general, or 
 Scipio, the Roman commander, or Achilles or Hector, the 
 Greek warriors. 
 
 At school his teacher was strict and hard, and many a 
 thrashing the youngster received. He tells how he often 
 prayed in the morning that he might not be whipped that 
 day, but God did not answer his prayers, for he "was not 
 a good boy." 
 
 A great ambition stirred the heart of Augustine. He 
 wanted to be a rhetorician. A rhetorician was a professor 
 of language and an orator. Augustine dreamed of moving 
 great crowds by his eloquence. 
 
 A STUDENT IN MADAURA 
 
 If Augustine's ambition was to be realized it was neces- 
 sary for him to study in a better school than was to be 
 found in Tagaste. Accordingly, he was sent to the city of 
 Madaura, thirty miles from Tagaste. 
 
 In Madaura was a statue of Apuleius, a famous orator, 
 philosopher, and sorcerer, honored in all northern Africa. 
 We can imagine that young Augustine must have paused 
 before the statue of this famous man and dreamed of be- 
 coming, like him, an orator whose name would be heralded 
 throughout the world. 
 
 It was not long before Augustine, now fifteen, drifted 
 away from his Christian ideals and his Christian faith. 
 When he returned to Tagaste he was really a pagan. But 
 his mother did not give up hope; God, she believed, was 
 
 16 
 
AUGUSTINE 
 
 able to save even such a youth as Augustine had beopme, 
 and she prayed unceasingly for him. 
 
 IN THE CITY OF CARTHAGE 
 
 Ambition next took Augustine to Carthage, where he ex- 
 pected to finish his education as a rhetorician. Carthage 
 was at that time one of the five great cities of the world. 
 Here he found a city even more pagan than Madaura. Car- 
 thage was given to pleasure of the most degrading kind, 
 and Augustine, now a young man of eighteen, broke away 
 completely from his Christian ideals and gave himself to 
 a life of indulgence. At the same time he made progress 
 in his studies, and established a reputation as a public 
 speaker. 
 
 One day he found a book called "Hortensius." This 
 book was written by Cicero, the famous Roman orator and 
 philosopher, but has been lost. As Augustine read the book 
 he came to the words, "the pursuit of truth." Suddenly 
 Augustine's whole view of life was changed. Truth, not 
 pleasure, now became his goal; he wanted to know the 
 truth. 
 
 In his search for the truth he read the Bible, but he was 
 too fond of rhetoric to appreciate its plain, direct language. 
 In despair he turned to the teaching of the Manichaeans, a 
 peculiar religious sect which at this time was making great 
 progress in Africa. Their teaching is hard for us to under- 
 stand, nor is it necessary for us to understand it. The 
 Manichaean teachers, however, talked so much as if they 
 knew it all that Augustine, who was seeking the truth, be- 
 came one of them. Soon he became one of their cleverest 
 debaters. He liked this religion because in spite of the 
 Manichaeans' pretense to holiness of life, he felt he could 
 still continue to live in sin. When he went back to Tagaste 
 from Carthage, a young man of twenty, he was an out- 
 spoken, conceited Manichaean. 
 
 Augustine returned to Carthage and practiced his profes- 
 
 17 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 sion, but he began to feel disgusted with the teaching of the 
 Manichaeans. Had he found the truth after all? Eagerly he 
 awaited the arrival of Faustus, one of the Manichaeans' 
 famous teachers. When Faustus arrived, Augustine was 
 completely disgusted, for Faustus could not answer his ques- 
 tions. The teachings of the Manichaeans did not stand the 
 test of fact and experience, and their leaders could not sat- 
 isfy his mind. The religion which he had so cleverly de- 
 fended no longer satisfied him. 
 
 IN ROME AND MILAN 
 
 From Carthage Augustine went to Rome. There he met 
 with disappointment. He now scarcely believed anything, 
 and he wondered if truth was to be found anywhere. He 
 secured an appointment in Milan; but here again he met 
 with disappointment. He had not found the truth that would 
 satisfy him. In Milan his health failed him, and he became 
 discouraged. 
 
 But Milan was a Christian city, and the famous Ambrose 
 was its bishop. Augustine went to hear Ambrose preach, 
 and he began to read the Bible again. He was impressed by 
 the fact that the Bible made good men and women. Now the 
 struggle in his heart became intense. Could he give up his 
 evil practices and turn from his sins and serve Christ? 
 
 One day when he saw a drunken beggar on the street, 
 seemingly happy in his intoxication, Augustine, who all his 
 life had been seeking happiness in pleasure, was tempted 
 to give up his search for truth and give himself over to en- 
 joyment. But he could not get rid of the thought that there 
 is more to life than mere pleasure. 
 
 "There is something else," he said, and he began again 
 his search for truth. Now the Bible appealed to his heart, 
 but he was too proud to acknowledge that he needed a 
 Saviour and too fond of his sins to be willing to give them 
 up. Then one of his friends gave him a book by Plato, the 
 Greek philosopher, and as he read it and compared it with 
 
 18 
 
AUGUSTINE 
 
 the Gospel by John and the Epistles of Paul, the truth began 
 to take hold upon him. He must escape from his sins; but 
 how? He could not break the chains that held him in 
 slavery. 
 
 THE VICTORY IN THE GAr^DEN 
 
 He was told of Victorinus, the famous rhetorician and 
 philosopher, who became a Christian and immediately an- 
 nounced his conversion to the multitudes. Augustine won- 
 dered at such courage. He was told how Anthony, a famous 
 monk, had given up the world to serve Christ; and Augus- 
 tine felt ashamed of his own weakness. Then, in the garden 
 in Milan, he fought the battle with his weakness and his sin. 
 "How long, how long?" he cried. "To-morrow and to-mor- 
 row? Why not this hour make an end of my vileness?" To 
 understand Augustine's experience, read Rom. 7: 14-25. 
 
 Then he heard a voice, the voice of a child, perhaps from 
 a neighboring house: "Take and read! Take and read." 
 Had God spoken to him through a child? He went back to 
 his Bible. The verse upon which his eyes fell was Rom. 
 13: 14: "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not 
 provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof." Then and 
 there Augustine's better self, by the grace of God, won the 
 battle, and he gave his heart to Christ. He rose from his 
 knees with a new peace in his heart. He had found the 
 truth! He had found true joy in Christ. Joyfully he went 
 to his mother, who had followed him from city to city while 
 she kept praying for him, and made her happy by his con- 
 fession of Christ. 
 
 AUGUSTINE THE CHRISTIAN 
 
 Quietly he began his Christian life, after a time coming 
 out before the world as a Christian. Then he started for 
 Africa. On the way his mother died; but he went on to 
 Tagaste, where he turned his house into a monastery. He 
 gave himself to the study of the Scriptures. He wrote and 
 spoke in defense of his faith. His life and his writing and 
 
 19 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 his power in debate made him one of the best known men 
 in northern Africa. 
 
 One day he attended the church in Hippo. During the 
 service the bishop spoke of the need of priests. Instantly 
 the congregation cried out: "Augustine a priest! Augustine 
 a priest!" and then and there he was ordained to the priest- 
 hood. Later he was made Bishop of Hippo, a position which 
 he filled for more than thirty-five years. 
 
 Augustine wrote and taught and preached, and defended 
 the truth of Christianity. He relieved the needs of the poor, 
 managed the property of his diocese, preached in the cathe- 
 dral, prepared converts for membership in the Church, min- 
 istered impartially to rich and poor, educated and ignorant, 
 and in spite of threats and dangers and hardships served 
 Christ with the utmost devotion to the very end. He died 
 when Hippo was being besieged by the barbarian hordes 
 into whose hands the city fell after his death. 
 
 Augustine has been recognized as the greatest of the 
 Church fathers. For a thousand years his influence domi- 
 nated the Christian Church, and it is still felt to-day. 
 
 20 
 
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX 
 
 Chapter III 
 BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX 
 
 Whose Courage Was Mightier Than the Warrior's Sword 
 (Born 1090; died 1153) 
 
 William, Duke of Aquitaine, who lived in the twelfth cen- 
 tury, commanded a powerful army ready to carry out his 
 orders. His territory covered the richest region of south- 
 western France. He was in a position to crush anyone who 
 dared to oppose him. He was also a man of huge stature 
 and of almost gigantic strength, and he had a violent temper. 
 
 This powerful duke who was so much feared on every hand 
 had removed certain bishops from the church in his terri- 
 tory and had set up bishops of his own choice. The high 
 authorities in the Church could do nothing with him. He 
 recognized no law or authority in his wide domains, and 
 he disdained religion. 
 
 One day this tyrant stood face to face with Bernard, the 
 abbot of the monastery of Clairvaux. What a contrast be- 
 tween the two figures! Bernard was about middle height 
 and was physically frail, but within that frail body was a 
 strength that seemed almost irresistible. Bernard had been 
 conducting the service in the church, and Duke William, who 
 disdained the Church and mocked at it, stood upon the steps. 
 With flashing face and eyes that burned with indignation, 
 Bernard advanced to meet the towering figure of the duke. 
 "Your Judge is here, at whose name, every knee shall bow, 
 of things in heaven, and things on earth, and things under 
 the earth!" exclaimed Bernard. "Your Judge is here, into 
 whose hands your soul is to pass! Will you spurn him, 
 also?" 
 
 There was an impressive silence. Then suddenly the great 
 warrior fell to the ground before the fearless monk, who was 
 armed only with courage and a sense of right. The duke, 
 who could have struck Bernard dead with one blow of his 
 
 21 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 fist or mace, was conquered by the fearless messenger of 
 God. In penitence Duke WiUiam sought forgiveness for his 
 sins, and asked to be admitted to the Church which he had 
 disdained. The monk who faced and conquered the gigantic 
 warrior has an interesting story. 
 
 BERNARD'S BOYHOOD 
 
 Bernard was born at Fontaines, in Burgundy, France, in 
 the year 1090, just six years before the First Crusade, in 
 which a host of knights, under the banner of the cross, set 
 out to rescue the Holy Land from the followers of Mo- 
 hammed. As a boy he must have heard the thrilling stories 
 of how the knights who wore the cross fought their enemies 
 who held Jerusalem, the Holy City, for France had sent out 
 many warriors in that First Crusade. 
 
 His father was Tescelin, a knight famous for his valor 
 in arms, for his justice, and for his sympathy for the poor. 
 A great soldier, he refused to fight except to protect his own 
 lands from the plunderer, or at the call of his feudal lord, 
 to whom he owed allegiance. Bernard's mother was Aleth, 
 or Aletta, one of the noblest Christian women whose story 
 has come down to us. She dedicated Bernard, her third 
 son, to the service of Christ. 
 
 The boy was sent to the cathedral school at Chatillon, 
 where he distinguished himself as a student and a Christian. 
 Unlike Augustine, Bernard had the strength and courage to 
 resist temptation, and he kept his life pure. 
 
 His mother died while he was still a boy, but in his 
 heart he cherished her memory. He could never forget her 
 words and her life. Often the memory of her came to him 
 so vividly that it seemed that she had actually appeared to 
 him. 
 
 BERNARD'S CHOICE 
 
 The time came for Bernard to decide upon a career. He 
 might choose to be a knight, and win fame and fortune as a 
 soldier. Or he might secure a position at court. With his 
 
 22 
 
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX 
 
 pleasing personality and his ability to influence others, he 
 might rise to the highest position in the service of the king. 
 Another field, too, was open to Bernard. Learning had been 
 much neglected in the "Dark Ages," but now schools were 
 coming into favor and soon great universities would be es- 
 tablished. Bernard, with his splendid mind and his ability 
 as a student, might hope to become a famous scholar and 
 teacher. This calling especially appealed to him. 
 
 However, Bernard's mother had dedicated him to the serv- 
 ice of Christ. Perhaps he might fulfill her wish and at the 
 same time win honor and position and wealth by aspiring 
 to some high office in the Church, for the Church of Bernard's 
 day owned great lands, possessed enormous wealth, and ruled 
 over kings. Pope Gregory the Great had compelled kings 
 and emperors to acknowledge the sovereignty of the pope. 
 Bernard, for the asking, could secure a position in the Church 
 which would lead to honor and ease and wealth and power. 
 Which should he choose? 
 
 One day Bernard was on his way to join his brothers who 
 were in the army of the duke of Burgundy, which was laying 
 siege to a powerful castle. Deeply moved by memories of his 
 mother, he turned aside and entered a church to pray. There 
 the victory over selfish ambitions and pride was won. He 
 would fulfill the wish of his mother; he would give his life 
 to the service of his Lord. Giving all to God, he would give 
 up camp and court and high office to live in a monastery. 
 
 THE MONASTERY OF CITEAUX 
 
 In that day when men wished to give up the world, they 
 were accustomed to retire to an institution called a "mon- 
 astery." Here all their time was given to humble work and 
 to study and meditation. Having made up his mind to enter 
 a monastery, Bernard undertook to persuade others to fol- 
 low him. His eloquence and influence soon led his brothers, 
 his uncle, and others, to join his company, and together they 
 sought admission to the monastery of Citeaux. He did not 
 
 23 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 choose a famous or attractive monastery, but a monastery in 
 which his devotion would be tested. Here the monks Hved 
 on one simple meal a day and worked at their humble tasks. 
 Bernard went further than the rules required, and ate so lit- 
 tle food that he lost all sense of taste. As a result, his phys- 
 ical weakness unfitted him for the harder work of the mon- 
 astery, but to make up for this he took upon himself the 
 most menial tasks. Afterwards, he said that he should have 
 nourished his body, so as to keep strong for the service of 
 Christ. But in his day it was thought that self-denial, in 
 itself, was a virtue. 
 
 THE MONASTERY OF CLAIRVAUX 
 At the age of twenty-five, with twelve monks in his com- 
 pany, he went out to found a new monastery. The site had 
 been known as "The Valley of Wormwood." Here the 
 monks cleared land, built rude houses, and erected other 
 buildings with their own hands. They began to subdue the 
 wilderness. Inspired by Bernard, his followers in spite of 
 untold hardship and deprivations finished their task. Soon 
 the monastery under Bernard's leadership became so re- 
 nowned that requests came for monks from Clairvaux to go 
 out to many other places to establish colonies. During 
 Bernard's life there were societies established in England, 
 Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, 
 and Italy, to the number of one hundred and sixty. 
 
 THE WEAPONS OF BERNARD 
 
 Bernard was accustomed, to preach to the monks in the 
 monastery every day. His greatest lessons came from the 
 Scriptures which he studied with devotion. God spoke to 
 him best when he was out in the midst of nature, which he 
 loved. "The trees and rocks," he said, "shall teach thee 
 what thou never canst learn from human masters." 
 
 From time to time he was called away for work which re- 
 quired great courage. When no one else had the influence 
 
 24 
 
BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX 
 
 necessary to accomplish what was to be done, Bernard was 
 sent. He alone, as we have learned, could overawe the 
 gigantic and violent William of Aquitaine. Armed only 
 with his courage and his faith, he could meet and scatter 
 an enraged and murderous mob with greater dispatch than 
 could a thousand soldiers armed with lances. 
 
 When the count of Champagne, in whose territory the 
 convent of Clairvaux was situated, unjustly punished one of 
 his vassals, Bernard became the champion of the suffering 
 man and his family and compelled the count to make repara- 
 tion. 
 
 Rudolph, a monk of Germany, declared that he was com- 
 missioned of God to lead a home crusade. If it was the call 
 of God to fight the enemies of the cross in Palestine, why 
 should he not lead in a crusade against the descendants of 
 those who carried Jesus Christ to Calvary? With his cry, 
 "Death to the Jews," he won many followers, and thousands 
 of Jews were slain. Bernard protested against this slaughter 
 of the Jews. "The Church triumphs more abundantly over 
 the Jews in every day convincing and converting them," 
 he said, "than if it were to give them all on the instant to be 
 consumed by the sword." He met the heartless Rudolph 
 and broke his stubborn spirit almost as suddenly as he had 
 broken that of William of Aquitaine, and then he conquered 
 the mob bent upon slaying the Jews. 
 
 Bernard, much as he respected the pope who was then 
 recognized as the chief bishop of the Church, was not afraid 
 to remonstrate in the sharpest terms when he felt that the 
 pope was wrong. When the pope failed to keep a promise, 
 Bernard called him to account. 
 
 Thus, in his fear of none save God, this humble monk 
 discharged his duty. He refused all titles and material re- 
 wards, and when urged to become a bishop he insisted that 
 he would live and die the abbot of Clairvaux. 
 
 When word came from the Holy Land that the fortresses 
 of the Christians were falling into the hands of the united 
 
 25 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 Mohammedans, a caU was issued for a Second Crusade and 
 Bernard was appointed to preach it. Everywhere he went 
 he stirred enthusiasm. He did not invite men to arms to win 
 fame or weakh, but spoke of the sufferings of the Christians 
 of the Holy Land of the profanation of the sacred places 
 where Christ had walked. Then he called upon men to win 
 back Palestine from the Mohammedans. He preached re- 
 pentance in preparation for the crusade, and multitudes 
 turned from their sins in response to his preaching. But 
 the crusade was a disastrous failure, and Bernard was furi- 
 ously reproached. His own disappointment was keen, but 
 he went on about his work as if nothing had happened. He 
 had sought to please God rather than men, and as far as 
 man's wrath was concerned he paid no heed. 
 
 At last, in his sixty-third year, in 1153, the end came. 
 When his friends crowded about him in tears, he prayed, 
 "Wilt thou not pity us, our Father? wilt thou not compas- 
 sionate those whom thou hirtherto hast nourished in thy 
 love?" And his spirit was gone. 
 
 In a day in which such a man was needed, he gave an ex- 
 ample of the courage which sincerity of purpose and honesty 
 of heart and faith in God can give to men. 
 
 26 
 
JOHN WYCLIF 
 
 Chapter IV 
 JOHN WYCLIF 
 
 The Father of the English Bible 
 (Born 1324; died 1384) 
 
 In 1365, during the reign of King Edward III, England 
 was stirred by the demand of Pope Urban V for tribute. In 
 1213 the pope's ban upon the country for three years forced 
 King John of England to yield to the pope and to make 
 over to him the realm of England. In recognition of the 
 pope's claim upon the country the king promised to pay an- 
 nually twelve thousand pounds as rent. This was a much 
 larger sum than the income of the king himself. For more 
 than a hundred years this rent had been irregularly paid. 
 When Edward III was king, over thirty years had passed 
 without the payment of this rent and now, in 1365, Pope 
 Urban V not only demanded the payment of the year's taxes 
 but also the payment of all the back rent. 
 
 England was aroused by this demand. Many were eager 
 to throw off the yoke of Rome. Just at this time there was 
 in England a man who was brave enough, patriotic enough, 
 and learned enough, to become England's champion — John 
 Wyclif. 
 
 WYCLIF'S EARLY TRAINING 
 
 Almost nothing is known of Wyclif's boyhood. He must 
 have been born about 1324, in Yorkshire, England. As a 
 boy he was probably taught by the village priest, but when 
 he was sixteen or possibly a little older, he was sent to the 
 now famous University of Oxford. To reach Oxford he had 
 to make a ten-days' journey through territory where out- 
 laws made it their business to waylay and rob just such 
 travelers. But Wyclif joined other students and wayfarers 
 who banded together for self-protection. At Oxford Wyclif 
 became known as a scholar, and was made master of Balliol 
 College. 
 
 27 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 ENGLAND'S CHAMPION 
 
 When Pope Urban V demanded the payment of the past 
 rental claimed by him, the king's council discussed the mat- 
 ter. Wyclif, as royal chaplain, was a member of this coun- 
 cil. He insisted that King John had had no right to tax the 
 country without the consent of Parliament, and so the rental 
 now demanded by the pope was not legal. Supported by 
 Wyclif's argument, the council decided to stand by the king 
 in his refusal to pay the money the pope demanded. Wyclif 
 wrote a tract setting forth the reasons why England should 
 not yield to the demands of the pope. The pope sought to 
 get rid of Wyclif's influence in England, but the English 
 court and the English people looked upon him as the great 
 defender of their national rights. In various conferences 
 and councils where English liberty was discussed, Wyclif 
 was the spokesman for the English, and a brave, powerful 
 defender of liberty he was. 
 
 Wyclif was for some time a professor at Oxford, but the 
 pope succeeded in having him removed from this position. 
 In 1374 he was appointed rector of Lutterworth, where he 
 carried on most of his work as preacher and writer. 
 
 WYCLIF'S PREACHERS 
 
 Wyclif himself was a powerful preacher. As a scholar, 
 of course he knew Latin and wrote and spoke in this lan- 
 guage; but he felt that it was his duty to reach the common 
 people, so he preached and wrote also in English. His Eng- 
 lish sermons were in the everyday language of the people. 
 He studied the Bible, and his knowledge of what was taught 
 in God's Word led him to oppose many of the teachings of 
 the Roman Catholic Church and claims of the pope. In- 
 stead of looking upon the pope as the highest authority in 
 religion, as the Roman Catholic Church claimed, he de- 
 clared that the Bible was the true authority. He wrote a 
 book entitled "The Truth and Meaning of Scripture," in 
 which he taught that we are to find out what is true from 
 
 28 
 
JOHN WYCLIF 
 
 the Bible and not from the pope, that everyone has the right 
 to think for himself and to decide for himself what the Bible 
 means, and that the Church is not to be guided by what the 
 pope says but by what the Scriptures teach. He declared, 
 too, that the simple preaching of the gospel was the best 
 means of reaching the hearts and the consciences of men and 
 women. He felt that there was need of more preachers who 
 would go among the people preaching God's Word. 
 
 There were plenty of a certain kind of preachers in Wy- 
 clif's day, but this was just the trouble. These preachers 
 were known as "friars," and belonged to the Franciscans 
 and the Dominicans, two orders of begging friars who went 
 about preaching. By Wyclif's time the high ideals of the 
 founders of these orders had been lost, and the friars, who 
 were supposed to be poor and to give up all their property, 
 had become greedy and their orders rich. They were the 
 pope's best money raisers. They no longer preached the 
 Word of God, but cared only to say what would interest 
 and please their audiences and bring good collections. Their 
 so-called sermons were often absurd, and even indecent. 
 
 Wyclif felt that the only hope of saving England was by 
 the preaching of the gospel. One day when he was sick and 
 some of the friars came to denounce him for his errors, he 
 declared, "I shall not die but live, and declare the evil deeds 
 of the friars." 
 
 Wyclif gathered about him men from Oxford and others 
 and trained them to preach simple sermons based upon the 
 Scriptures. He called them the "poor preachers," for they 
 were really what the friars pretended to be. They preached 
 the gospel of Christ, without any thought of gain. These 
 preachers went through the towns and villages of England 
 telling the message of the cross. They preached in the 
 churches where they were invited, otherwise in the church- 
 yards or under the trees. They also visited the sick and the 
 aged and the poor, and helped them as best they could. 
 These "poor preachers" became known as "Lollards." 
 
 2 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 WYCLIF'S BIBLE 
 
 The "poor preachers" who were sent out by Wyclif to 
 preach in the language of the people needed the Bible in 
 English. But the Bible was in Latin, the language of the 
 Roman Catholic Church. Parts of the Scriptures had been 
 translated into English, but Wyclif undertook to give the 
 whole Bible to the people in their own language. The New 
 Testament was translated by Wyclif himself, but Dr, 
 Nicholas Hereford of Oxford helped with the Old Testa- 
 ment, and John Purvey, the curate at Lutterworth, assisted 
 in revising the whole translation. The translation was made 
 from the Latin. Thus Wyclif gave to the world the first 
 complete Bible in English, in the year 1382. 
 
 After translating the Bible, Wyclif still had a great task 
 before him. There were no printing presses then, and copies 
 of the Bible had to be made by hand. Scores of willing 
 workers were engaged in copying the English Bible by hand. 
 The demand became so great that hundreds of expert scribes 
 were employed to make more copies. Wealthy people se- 
 cured their own copyists to make their Bible for them and 
 the poorer people bought portions of the Bible — a Gospel, 
 or The Psalms, or an Epistle. So many copies were made 
 and kept that to-day, after more than five hundred years, 
 there are still in existence one hundred and fifty manu- 
 scripts of Wyclif's Bible in whole or in part. It has been 
 said that we owe to Wyclif our English language, our Eng- 
 lish Bible, and our Reformed religion. Wyclif's Bible has 
 been the parent Bible of the world, for it was the first Eng- 
 lish Bible, upon which, to a large extent, all later Bibles 
 were based — and the English Bible has been translated into 
 over seven hundred languages and dialects. 
 
 WYCLIF'S DEATH 
 
 Wyclif worked hard and long; but one day, in 1384, while 
 he was conducting services in the church at Lutterworth, he 
 was struck down with paralysis and never spoke again. A 
 
 30 
 
JOHN WYCLIF 
 
 few days later, on New Year's Eve, his life ended with the 
 passing of the year. He was reverently buried in the church- 
 yard. But his body was not allowed to lie in peace; thirty 
 years later he was condemned by the Council of Constance 
 and, at the command of the pope, his bones were dug up, 
 burned to ashes, and cast into the river Swift. "This brook," 
 says Fuller, "did convey his ashes into the Avon, Avon into 
 Severn, Severn into the narrow sea, and this into the wide 
 ocean. And so the ashes of Wyclif are the emblem of his 
 doctrine, which is now dispersed all over the world." 
 
 31 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 Chapter V 
 JOHN HUSS 
 
 Who Put His Conscience Above His Life 
 (Born 1373; died 1415) 
 
 Even as a young man John Huss was getting ready for 
 life, not only by his studies but by his desire to prove worthy 
 to be called a Christian. He had read the story of Lawrence, 
 a third-century martyr, and he wondered if he would have 
 the courage to suffer for Christ as this Christian had suf- 
 fered. So he put his hand on the fire in the coal pan and 
 held it there until his companions pulled it away. "Why 
 dost thou fear so small a matter?" Huss inquired. "I only 
 wished to test whether I should have sufficient courage to 
 bear but a small part of that pain which Lawrence endured." 
 In later years Huss was indeed to endure the flames for 
 conscience' sake. 
 
 A BOHEMIAN BOY 
 
 As a boy he was known, as John, the son of Michael, but 
 because he came from Husinec, in Bohemia, he was later 
 called John Huss. He was born probably in the year 1373, 
 which would be just the year before John Wyclif went to 
 live at Lutterworth. The home of Huss was a humble cot- 
 tage, for his mother was a poor widow. While her son was 
 still an infant she dedicated him to the service of God. Al- 
 though she was poor, she planned that her son should re- 
 ceive a good education. For a time he attended school in 
 a near-by town, and then his mother herself took him to 
 Prague where he became a student in the university. Often 
 he went hungry, and slept on the bare ground, and some- 
 times he had to beg in the streets, which was not uncom- 
 mon in the days of begging friars. 
 
 To a less earnest Christian than Huss the city of Prague 
 might have been as ruinous as Carthage was for Augustine, 
 for the city abounded in temptations. Huss, however, be- 
 
 32 
 
JOHN HUSS 
 
 came known for his clean living and Christian character. 
 
 Huss studied the Bible and books written by early Chris- 
 tian writers — "the Fathers," they are called — among them 
 Augustine especially. In his university work he made rapid 
 progress. As a student he was still loyal to the Roman 
 Catholic Church, but influences were coming into his life 
 which were opening his eyes to some of the false claims of 
 the Romish Church and the evil lives of many of its leaders. 
 Among his teachers in the university were men who were 
 opposed to the pope's claims. His reading of Wyclif's 
 books, which put the Scriptures above the pope as the au- 
 thority in religion, and his own study of the Bible prepared 
 him for his brave stand for the supreme authority of God's 
 Word and for liberty of conscience. 
 
 HUSS THE PREACHER 
 
 The university student began to be heard from as a 
 preacher. For a time he preached at the Church of 
 St. Michael, and then he was called to be the preacher in 
 the famous Bethlehem Chapel. This church had been en- 
 dowed by two citizens who believed in preaching the gospel 
 to the people, and who insisted that "the poor should have 
 the gospel preached to them in their own tcfngue." Here 
 Huss preached twice almost every Sunday, with great power. 
 
 There was need of a fearless preacher in Prague, for the 
 people did not know God's Word and were not living as 
 Christians should live. Huss preached the gospel to the peo- 
 ple and fearlessly called them to repentance and to holiness 
 of life. He preached with boldness and with earnestness, 
 yet with sympathy and love. Thousands attended his serv- 
 ices. His own consistent Christian life gave power to his 
 sermons. 
 
 The popularity of Huss as a preacher pleased the priests 
 and bishops, until he began to expose and denounce the evil 
 practices of the clergy. Then they began to feel that it was 
 time to get rid of this bold preacher. 
 
 33 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 HUSS IS PERSECUTED 
 
 There was also another reason for opposition to Huss. In 
 Prague there was rivalry between the Bohemians and the 
 Germans. Although Prague was a Bohemian university, 
 three out of four votes were controlled by the Germans. 
 Huss believed that the Germans had the right to rule their 
 own country, but that the Bohemians should have the right 
 to rule in Bohemia. So he championed the rights of the 
 Bohemians in the university. When three votes were given 
 to the Bohemians to one to the Germans, there was a great 
 outburst of opposition from the Germans, and many with- 
 drew to establish universities elsewhere. Huss was made 
 -rector of the university. Emperor Sigismund, of the Holy 
 Roman Empire, which included Bohemia, wished to add 
 Bohemia to his territory. He was glad enough now to 
 find reasons for putting Huss out of the way, for this patriot 
 would stand for the independence of Bohemia. 
 
 Wlien he preached, spies listened in order to find some 
 statement upon which an accusation of false teaching could 
 be based. His books were eagerly read for evidence that 
 he taught doctrines which were contrary to the teaching of 
 the Church. One of the chief excuses for attacking Huss 
 was the fact fhat he had translated one of Wyclif's books. 
 So violent was the opposition to Wyclif's teaching that his 
 books were gathered together and publicly burned by the 
 Roman Catholic bishop. Huss defended the reading of 
 Wyclif's writings, not because he believed everything that 
 Wyclif taught but because he believed in liberty. He de- 
 clared that no doctrine should be condemned until it was 
 shown to be contrary to the Word of God. The bishop then 
 excommunicated Huss — that is, Huss was denied the rites of 
 the Romish Church, and also no longer had the right to 
 preach. But he kept on preaching in Bethlehem Chapel. 
 
 He was then summoned to Rome for trial, but he was con- 
 vinced that nothing would be accomplished by his going, 
 and so friends were sent in his place to make his defense. 
 
 34 
 
JOHN HUSS 
 
 They were cast into prison. Huss was condemned by the 
 pope. This was in August, 1412. All faithful members of 
 the Roman Catholic Church were forbidden to give "him food 
 or drink, or even to speak to him. But Huss appealed from 
 the decision of the pope to Jesus Christ, the true Head of 
 the Church. Again he was condemned by the pope, Bethle- 
 hem Chapel was ordered to be leveled to the ground, and 
 Prague was put under the interdict. This meant that mass 
 could not be celebrated, sermons could not be preached, 
 and that all religious rites, even Christian burial, were for- 
 bidden. 
 
 Huss was willing to suffer himself for what he believed, 
 but he did not want the city of Prague to suffer the hardships 
 of the interdict. So after long debate with himself to de- 
 cide what his duty was, he went into voluntary exile. Loyal 
 friends protected him in their castles. 
 
 THE COUNCIL OF CONSTANCE 
 Huss was finally summoned to Constance where he was 
 to be tried. He went willingly, because he thought he was to 
 have a chance to defend himself. Sigismund, the emperor, 
 promised to protect him. Huss was sure that he could show 
 that he believed nothing but what was taught in the Bible. 
 But the idea of his enemies was that Huss was being sum- 
 moned to take back his teaching, or to be punished for dis- 
 obedience to the Church. 
 
 Before Huss arrived his enemies had their plans laid. 
 Huss, who had expected the emperor's protection, was ar- 
 rested and cast into a disgusting cell, close to the sewer and 
 filled with poisonous odors. Later he was thrown into a 
 dungeon. During the day his hands were chained to a post, 
 and at night his feet also. He was allowed to suffer terribly 
 from hunger and thirst. 
 
 Huss had a number of hearings, but instead of giving him 
 a chance to explain and to defend what he believed, false 
 charges were made against him and he was commanded to 
 
 35 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 acknowledge his errors and promise to repent. This Huss's 
 conscience would not let him do. He said: "I do not wish 
 to maintain any errors, but will humbly submit to the de- 
 crees of the council; but I cannot, without offending God 
 and my conscience, say that I held erroneous opinions, 
 which I never held, and which I never had at heart. I beg 
 only that hearing may be granted me that I may express my 
 views regarding the accusations that have been made against 
 me." He would not deny the truth of what he believed in 
 order to save his life. 
 
 HUSS ENDURES THE FLAMES FOR CONSCIENCE' SAKE 
 July 6, 1415, was set for the execution of Huss. The coun- 
 cil met in the cathedral and Huss was brought from prison 
 to receive sentence. The accusations against Huss were read 
 and a last demand made that he retract. When Huss said 
 that he could not deny the truth, but was willing to retract 
 anything which was not true, if this could be shown him, 
 he was sentenced to death. Then Huss knelt and prayed: 
 "Lord Jesus Christ, forgive all my enemies, I entreat you, 
 because of your great mercifulness. You know that they 
 have falsely accused me, brought forth false witnesses 
 against me, devised false articles against me. Forgive them 
 because of your immense mercifulness." When he was 
 called a Judas, he answered that he expected to drink of the 
 cup of Christ in the heavenly Kingdom that very day. When 
 the bishops said, "We commit thy soul to the Devil," Huss 
 replied, "And I commit it to the most sacred Lord Jesus 
 Christ." 
 
 A high paper cap resembling a dunce cap was placed on 
 his head to make sport of him, and, guarded by a force of 
 three thousand soldiers, he was led to the place of execu- 
 tion. "Lord Jesus Christ," said Huss, "I will bear patiently 
 and humbly this horrible, shameful, and cruel death for the 
 sake of the gospel and the preaching of thy Word." The 
 fagots of wood, mixed with straw, were piled about him to 
 
 36 
 
JOHN HUSS 
 
 his neck. When the lictors lighted the pile, Huss sang, 
 "Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on us." Soon 
 the flames blew in his face, and his voice was silenced. 
 When his body had been consumed, his ashes were cast into 
 the river Rhine. 
 
 Huss was dead, but his influence was not ended. Soon 
 many reformers were to rise who would not only seek to re- 
 form the evil practices of the Church of Rome but also to 
 purify its teachings by proclaiming the gospel as it was first 
 taught in the Scriptures by Jesus and the apostles. 
 
 37 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 Chapter VI 
 MARTIN LUTHER 
 
 The Father of the Reformation 
 (Born 1453; died 1546) 
 
 Hans Luther rented a Httle furnace in Eisleben, Germany, 
 in which he smelted copper ore from the mines. He was am- 
 bitious, even if he was poor, and when his son, Martin, was 
 six months old, Hans and his wife, Margareta, moved to 
 Mansfeld where Hans thought that his business chances were 
 better. Here he became the owner of two furnaces, and 
 won the respect of the community to such an extent that he 
 was made a member of the village council. 
 
 Martin was strictly brought up and carefully taught at 
 home. At Mansfeld where he attended school, the children 
 were neither well taught nor kindly treated. Martin's parents 
 were ambitious for their son and hoped that he would be- 
 come a lawyer. So when he was thirteen he was sent to 
 Magdeburg to school, where a free scholarship was secured 
 for him. A year later he was sent to Eisenach, where he 
 helped to support himself by singing and begging. His 
 voice and appearance so appealed to a family by the name 
 of Gotta that they took him in and gave him a home. At 
 St. George's School he had excellent teachers and learned 
 rapidly. 
 
 Early in the boy's life he felt a growing desire for some- 
 thing besides learning. Whenever he heard of a famous 
 Christian, he thought of his own failings and sins, and 
 longed for some way to rid himself of his feeling of un- 
 worthiness and guilt. Often he cried out to himself, "I am 
 a sinner — what must I do to be saved?" 
 
 A UNIVERSITY STUDENT 
 Next Martin attended the University of Erfurt, then the 
 most famous institution of learning in the land. He at first 
 
 38 
 
MARTIiN LUTHER 
 
 intended to study law. But while he was making progress 
 in the studies required in the university, his heart was seek- 
 ing peace with God. When the Black Plague swept over the 
 continent, leaving death in its trail, Martin was all the more 
 terrified because of his sins. He was afraid to die. As his 
 desire to get rid of his sins increased, he decided in desper- 
 ation to give up law and become a monk, thus hoping to 
 earn the forgiveness of his sins by his self-denial. 
 
 A MONK 
 
 The monasteries of Erfurt were many, but Luther chose 
 the best of them all, that of the Augustinians, from which the 
 preachers of the city came. The new monk was set to clean- 
 ing and sweeping and begging. Often, weary and exhausted, 
 he staggered home to the monastery under the heavy sack 
 upon his back; but he gladly bore every hardship in the 
 hope of earning forgiveness for his sins. He occupied a 
 cell seven by nine feet, with a single narrow window. He 
 studied theology in the hope of finding the way to peace. 
 Thinking that he could win salvation from sin by his own 
 sufferings, he fasted until he fell in a faint, and exposed his 
 body to the cold, and slept on the stone floor without any 
 covering. But through all these tortures he did not find 
 peace. 
 
 In obedience to a neglected rule of the Augustinians, Lu- 
 ther began to read the Scriptures. As he read he found 
 comfort and encouragement. In 1508 he was appointed 
 instructor in the University of Wittenberg, and at this time 
 he studied the Scriptures with great earnestness. One day 
 he came upon the sentence in the Epistle to the Romans, 
 "The righteous shall live by faith." Gradually the light 
 came; he saw that he could not find peace or salvation 
 ■through his own works, but that he must be saved by faith 
 in Jesus Christ. 
 
 Later he returned to Erfurt to complete his studies. For 
 two years he lectured there. Then he was called ba ck to 
 
 39 
 
 V 
 J; 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 Wittenberg as professor of theology. Here he lectured on 
 the Scriptures. He studied Hebrew and Greek so that he 
 could read the Bible in its original languages. Out of his 
 study came a clear statement of the great Bible truth that 
 we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. No hardships we can 
 endure can earn us forgiveness of sin; pardon comes only 
 through faith in Jesus Christ. At last Luther had found the 
 secret of peace with God. Great crowds came to listen to 
 his lectures. Soon he began to preach as well as teach. 
 
 THE NINETY-FIVE THESES 
 
 The doctrine of salvation by faith which he had found in 
 the Bible and which he taught and preached brought him 
 into conflict with the pope and the Roman Church. At this 
 time the pope was building the Church of St. Peter and was 
 securing by the sale of indulgences a great amount of money 
 for this purpose. The Roman Church taught that the merit 
 of Christ and of the saints was stored up in the treasury of 
 the Church, to be credited to individuals as the Church 
 chose. So, in return for the payment of money, one could 
 secure forgiveness of sins. The people were taught that in- 
 stead of going directly to be with Christ at death, believers 
 go to purgatory, an intermedite state, where by their suffer- 
 ing they are purged or cleansed to fit them for heaven. A 
 gift of money to the Church, however, would shorten the 
 time in the tortures of purgatory. So the people eagerly 
 gave their money to buy forgiveness for themselves and to 
 shorten the suffering of their departed friends who were 
 supposed to be in purgatory. 
 
 Luther could not believe that the pope approved of this 
 practice which was so contrary to the Scriptures, so when 
 Tetzel, a Dominican monk, came to the border of Saxony 
 selling indulgences, Luther wrote an argument against this 
 unwarranted practice. This argument consisted of ninety-five 
 statements, or theses. This paper was posted on the door of 
 the Wittenberg church where Luther preached. The date, 
 
 40 
 
MARTIN LUTHER 
 
 October 31, 1517, marks the beginning of the Reformation. 
 Luther's "Ninety-five Theses" were printed and scattered 
 abroad. To his surprise the pope defended the practice of 
 selling indulgences and commanded Luther to take back his 
 statements, or to "recant," as this was called. Agents of the 
 pope tried to flatter and to argue and to threaten Luther into 
 yielding to his demands; but Luther stood his ground. De- 
 bates were engaged in, but the reformer could not be con- 
 vinced and came out boldly against the claims of the Roman 
 Catholic Church. Then the pope prepared what is called a 
 "bull" in which he denounced Luther's teaching and said 
 that if he did not recant in sixty days he would be excom- 
 municated, or cast out of the Church. 
 
 LUTHER STANDS BY HIS TEACHING 
 
 In the presence of a great crowd Luther burned the pope's 
 bull and a copy of the canon law on which the pope based 
 his false claims. This was the reformer's answer to the 
 pope. 
 
 Luther was summoned to the Imperial Diet at Worms, 
 there to be heard by the emperor. The pope hoped that the 
 reformer would be condemned and punished by Emperor 
 Charles, who was an ardent Catholic. Luther started for 
 Worms, and everywhere he went he was received by the 
 people with blessings, in spite of the pope's ban. 
 
 At the Diet, presided over by the emperor, he was com- 
 manded to recant, but he replied: "Unless I am convinced by 
 Scripture and by right reason (for I trust neither in popes 
 nor councils, since they have often erred and contradicted 
 themselves) — unless I am convinced, I am bound by the 
 texts of the Bible, my conscience is captive to the Word of 
 God. I neither can nor will recant anything, since it is 
 neither right nor safe to act against conscience. Here I 
 stand, I cannot do otherwise; God help me. Amen." 
 
 Luther was dismissed, and he left the city. While on his 
 way home, his friends, fearing for his safety, took him under 
 
 41 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 their protection and held him in the castle of the Wartburg, 
 which overlooked Eisenach. 
 
 LUTHER'S LATER WORK 
 
 Luther gave himself to the task of building up a Church 
 which would teach the religion of the Bible. He translated 
 the Scriptures from the Hebrew and Greek into German. 
 Since Wyclif's day the printing press had been invented, 
 and Luther's Bible was printed in large numbers and was 
 eagerly read. 
 
 When the spirit of freedom which followed Luther's 
 heroic stand against the tyranny of the pope threatened un- 
 der unwise leaders to turn into anarchy and riot, Luther 
 left his safe retreat and returned to Wittenberg, where he 
 once more became teacher and preacher. When the peasants 
 threatened to rise against the princes, Luther tried to per- 
 suade the nobles to yield to the just demands of the peasants, 
 and also to restrain the peasants from revolution. When 
 anarchy seemed to threaten, Luther sided with the nobles 
 against the peasants. 
 
 He had entirely broken away from the Roman Church and 
 considered his monastic vows no longer binding. He mar- 
 ried Catharine von Bora, who had been a nun. With his 
 family he spent many happy years. 
 
 In all, Luther wrote four hundred and twenty works. 
 Among the most important, next to his translation of the 
 Bible, were his catechisms in which he explained the Ten 
 Commandments, the Creed, The Lord's Prayer, and the two 
 sacraments. 
 
 The efforts of the pope to stamp out the teaching of 
 Luther failed. When the Diet of Speyer in 1529 forbade 
 the spread of the Reformation, the princes who believed in 
 the teaching of Luther made a solemn protest. From this 
 "protest" came the name "Protestant," by which the Churches 
 of the Reformation are known to-day. 
 
 42 
 
ULRICH ZWINGLI 
 
 Chapter VII 
 ULRICH ZWINGLI 
 
 JFho Brought the Reformation to Zurich 
 (Born 1484; died 1531) 
 
 Ulrich Zwingli had two characteristics which make for 
 success: he knew how to dare, and he knew how to wait. 
 When Zwingli was pastor in Ziirich, Switzerland, word had 
 come that the army of the Roman Catholic Forest Cantons 
 (a "canton" was a state in the Swiss confederacy) was 
 marching to attack Ziirich. To meet this army of eight 
 thousand, an advance guard of twelve hundred men was 
 hurried out. The Ziirichers took their stand on a piece 
 of high ground protected by woods and a ditch and swamps. 
 In the night some artillery had been added to this advance 
 guard. In the meantime reenforcements were gathered, but 
 the entire army of the defenders reached only a total of 
 twenty-seven hundred as against eight thousand from the 
 Forest Cantons. 
 
 Zwingli was the chaplain of the Ziirich army, and went 
 with the reenforcements sent to join the advance guard which 
 was bravely attempting to hold off the Foresters. As the 
 chief chaplain, Zwingli bore the Ziirich banner. They found 
 the advance guard in a desperate plight. The Ziirich army 
 was really not ready for battle. Should they enter the fight, 
 or wait until they were better organized and equipped? "If 
 we wait here until the rest come up in their leisurely man- 
 ner," said Zwingli, "then I see it will be too late to help 
 our countrymen. We must not stand here and see our 
 friends suffer defeat. I go to them and am prepared either 
 to die with them and among them or to succor them, as God 
 pleases." 
 
 Zwingli took no part in the fighting — he was a chaplain — 
 but he tried to encourage his countrymen who were so greatly 
 outnumbered. "Brave, fellows," he urged, "take heart and 
 
 43 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 fear nothing. We suffer, if we must, in a good cause. Com- 
 mend yourselves to God, who is able to care for us and ours. 
 God's will be done." 
 
 This was the spirit of Zwingli: he knew how to wait 
 patiently for fruit from his labors, but he had the courage 
 to dare when he saw the need for action. He felt that he 
 could trust God, whatever came to him. It was this man 
 and this patient courage that brought the Reformation to 
 Zurich. We want to know what he did and how he became 
 the great leader that he was. 
 
 A BOY PATRIOT 
 
 Ulrich Zwingli was born in Wildhaus, German Switzer- 
 land, January 1, 1484, seven weeks after Martin Luther. 
 His father was the chief magistrate of the village, and his 
 uncle was abbot of a monastery. As a boy Ulrich dreamed 
 of some day serving his country, and exercised his body 
 and tried to develop his skill in order to become a good 
 citizen and a soldier. He was given the best education pos- 
 sible. For a time he was taught by his uncle; later he went 
 to Berne to study, and after that to the University of Vienna; 
 finally he went to Basel, where he taught while attending 
 the university. Ulrich liked to debate, and his ability to de- 
 fend his side of an argument made some of his fellow stu- 
 dents jealous of him. 
 
 A COURAGEOUS PREACHER 
 
 In time Zwingli became priest of the church at Glarus, 
 an important charge. 
 
 Because of their reputation as unconquerable fighters Swiss 
 soldiers were in great demand, and hiring them became a 
 regular business. Prominent men of Glarus made a great 
 deal of money by the practice. Zwingli began to condemn 
 the hiring of Swiss soldiers to fight for foreign rulers. It 
 was degrading and weakening the nation. Although he knew 
 powerful men of Glarus would oppose him because they 
 
 44 
 
ULRICH ZWINGLI 
 
 were making fortunes by hiring soldiers to foreign princes, 
 Zwingli came out boldly against the practice. 
 
 Next Zwingli went to Einsiedeln. Here was a famous 
 chapel to which people came even from distant places to 
 seek miraculous healing. Zwingli studied the Bible. He 
 also began to learn Greek in order to study the New Testa- 
 ment in the original language. Through his study of the 
 Bible he came to see that many of the claims and teachings 
 of the Romish Church had no foundation in the Scriptures. 
 He was led also to believe that the true authority in religion 
 is the Bible, and that when the teaching or the practices of 
 the Church contradict the Bible, the Church must be wrong. 
 
 From Einsiedeln he was called to Zurich. Here his fame 
 as a preacher spread. In the church he preached courses of 
 sermons explaining various books of the Bible, and preached 
 to the people in the market place on market days. His 
 preaching of the Bible slowly but surely prepared the way 
 for the Reformation in Ziirich. Zwingli, like Luther, 
 preached against the practice of selling indulgences. 
 
 Testing the teaching and practices of the Church by the 
 Scriptures soon led him to oppose many things because they 
 were not taught in God's Word. One of the first of these 
 was the rule requiring fasting in Lent, or the forty days 
 before Easter. Fasting in Lent was not taught in the Scrip- 
 tures, and therefore should not be demanded of Christians. 
 Then Zwingli began to preach about the practice of praying 
 to the saints, or "the adoration of the saints." In studying 
 the Bible, Zwingli found no ground for praying to anyone 
 but God. The Roman Catholic Church taught that men 
 could save themselves by their good works. But Zwingli in 
 his study of the Bible was led to the same truth which 
 Luther discovered in the Bible, that we are saved by faith 
 in Jesus Christ. 
 
 Zwingli was called upon to defend his teaching against the 
 best debaters the pope could find, but always Zwingli in- 
 sisted that what he taught was based upon the Word of God 
 
 45 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 and that those who opposed him must show that what they 
 taught was taught in the Bible and that what he taught was 
 not taught in God's Word. Because they could not do this, 
 he won many supporters, and the Reformation grew in 
 Zurich. 
 
 The reformer's patient and continued preaching of the 
 Bible gradually led the people of Ziirich to give up many 
 of the teachings and practices of the Romish Church. Saints' 
 days were no longer observed. The annual processions to 
 Einsiedeln, to worship relics of the chapel there, were dis- 
 continued. 
 
 The Catholics called the Lord's Supper "the Mass," and 
 looked upon it as a sacrifice for sins, as if Jesus were cruci- 
 fied again. The Romish Church taught that the bread and 
 the cup of the Lord's Supper were changed so that they were 
 no longer bread and the juice of the grape, but the real flesh 
 and the real blood of Jesus. They worshiped the bread, or 
 wafer, as Christ. But Zwingli persuaded the people that the 
 Lord's Supper was intended to remind us of Jesus' death as 
 the Lamb of God, offered once for all as a sacrifice for sin. 
 Instead of the mass, the Lord's Supper was observed in 
 Zurich. 
 
 Then, because the people had been taught to venerate and 
 practically to worship the images of the saints, images and 
 pictures were taken out of the churches. 
 
 ZWINGLI AND LUTHER 
 
 Both Zwingli and Luther came to believe as they did 
 through the study of the Scriptures. Many friends of the 
 two reformers thought that if they could bring them to- 
 gether with their followers, it would be a great aid to the 
 Reformation. A conference was arranged. They agreed on 
 almost every point except the Lord's Supper. Luther still 
 believed that although there was no change in the material 
 in the bread and the juice of the grape, yet somehow the 
 real flesh and blood of Jesus were in them. Zwingli, how- 
 
 46 
 
ULRICH ZWINGLI 
 
 ever, said that the Lord's Supper was a memorial of Christ's 
 death, and that he was present only spiritually, so they could 
 not agree. 
 
 ZWINGLI'S DEATH 
 
 As the Reformation spread in Ziirich and other cantons of 
 Switzerland, it met with opposition from the strongly Roman 
 Catholic cantons, known as the Five Cantons or the Forest 
 Cantons. They were accused of persecuting preachers of the 
 Reformation. The Reform Cantons felt that this was in- 
 fringing on their liberty and the bitter feeling which resulted 
 led to war. 
 
 The Forest Cantons agreed to permit preaching by the re- 
 formers in their cantons, but they went back on their agree- 
 ment and marched against the Ziirichers. It was the battle 
 that followed which was mentioned at the beginning of this 
 lesson. The twenty-seven hundred Ziirichers fought valiantly 
 against the overwhelming odds of eight thousand Foresters, 
 but were defeated. Five hundred of them fell in the battle, 
 among them Zwingli, whose body was shamefully treated by 
 the Foresters. 
 
 On a great stone marking the spot where he is supposed to 
 have died, are cut his words, "You can kill the body, but you 
 cannot kill the soul." 
 
 47 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 Chapter VIII 
 JOHN CALVIN 
 
 A Timid Man Who Transformed a City 
 (Born 1509; died 1564) 
 
 One day in the year 1536, five years after Zwingli fell in 
 the battle of Cappel, two men met unexpectedly in a little 
 inn in Geneva, a city of French Switzerland. One of these 
 men was William Farel, a heroic Protestant who had been 
 preaching in Geneva. He had defied prison and ill treat- 
 ment. Covered with wounds and dripping with blood, he 
 had appeared before the people to preach the gospel. He 
 had dared to undertake the reformation of Geneva; but 
 helpers had failed him, and he had discovered that Geneva 
 needed some one who could organize the church. 
 
 The second man was John Calvin, a young man of twenty- 
 seven. A student, modest, retiring, and timid, he was seek- 
 ing a quiet place where he might continue his studies away 
 from strife. Farel felt that this student was the man to make 
 Geneva a city of God. Here was a task for a real leader, 
 for Geneva had surpassed all other towns for centuries in 
 unbridled pleasures, and it boasted strong men who were 
 rebellious and hard to tame. Farel told Calvin that God 
 called him to labor in Geneva. 
 
 "I am timorous and shy by nature," the student answered. 
 "How, then, shall I be able to fight against those raging 
 waves?" 
 
 "You think of nothing but rest," thundered Farel, his eyes 
 flashing. "You trouble yourself about nothing else than 
 your studies. Well, then, in the name of the Almighty I tell 
 you that, unless you give ear to his call, your plans he will 
 not bless." 
 
 To John Calvin this was the call of God, and he answered 
 it with all courage. He was timid and retiring, but no dan- 
 ger could turn him back when he had heard God's call. 
 
 48 
 
JOHN CALVIN 
 
 Like Joshua of old, he was ready to go forward with God, 
 though giants and walled cities were before him. 
 
 HIS EARLY TRAINING 
 
 Once more we are reminded that leaders must be prepared 
 for their work. God had peculiarly fitted this young man 
 of twenty-seven to become the great leader in Geneva. Cal- 
 vin was born in Noyon, in Picardy, France, in 1509, eight 
 years before Luther nailed the Ninety-five Theses on the 
 door of the church in Wittenberg. As a boy he was delicate, 
 pale, and nervous, but his father, an attorney and public 
 official, saw that he had a fine mind and planned to make 
 the most of his talents. 
 
 After attending school near home, he was sent to the 
 famous University of Paris. There he mastered the art of 
 writing well and led his classes. He was especially good as 
 a debater. When he was convinced of the truth, his timid 
 nature did not keep him from saying what he believed. 
 
 Calvin was led by a relative to study the Scriptures. 
 Brought up as a Roman Catholic, at first he violently op- 
 posed the teaching that we must be saved by the unmerited 
 kindness of God, but as he more and more became conscious 
 of his own sinfulness he began to wonder if it was not in- 
 deed true that if he was to be saved at all it must be by the 
 mercy of God, and not by any merit of his own. As he 
 read the Bible he discovered the great truth which Luther 
 and Zwingli also had found, and he cried, "0 Father, the 
 sacrifice of thy Son has turned away thy wrath; his blood 
 has washed away my sins: his cross has borne my curse." 
 
 It was decided that Calvin was to study law, so he went 
 to Orleans, where he studied under the greatest of law teach- 
 ers. Here Calvin made such progress that the great teacher 
 asked him to lecture in his place. This he did with such 
 success that he was expected to be the successor of the great 
 jurist. He also studied Greek, and was thus prepared to 
 study the New Testament in its original language. 
 
 49 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 A FUGITIVE 
 
 In Paris, Protestants were bitterly persecuted. A number 
 of them had been put to death. The Sorbonne, as the theo- 
 logical faculty of the university was called, was determined 
 to crush the Protestant faith. On All Saints' Day in 1533, 
 a friend of Calvin's, Nicholas Cop, the rector of the uni- 
 versity, was to deliver the address. He asked Calvin to 
 write it. This address set the Sorbonne in a rage, and Cop 
 took flight to escape prison. Calvin also made his escape 
 from Paris. He went from place to place, seeking quiet in 
 order to continue his studies. When the Protestants were 
 being misrepresented and slandered, Calvin undertook to 
 write a defense of Protestantism. This book he called "The 
 Institutes of the Christian Religion." He boldly addressed 
 it to the king. This book, afterwards enlarged, is one of 
 the greatest books ever written. 
 
 Calvin preached his Protestant doctrines in Ferrara, Italy, 
 but persecution soon drove him out. He intended to go to 
 Strassburg. It was while on his way there that he met Farel 
 in Geneva and was persuaded to aid in the work in that city. 
 
 IN GENEVA 
 
 Farel had already won a large following in Geneva by his 
 powerful preaching, but Calvin now became the great cham- 
 pion of the Protestant faith. Leaders in the Swiss city of 
 Berne planned a disputation, as such discussions were called, 
 in which champions of the Romish Church would debate 
 with the champions of Protestantism. Three hundred and 
 thirty-seven priests were invited, but four hundred and sev- 
 enty came. Calvin answered the arguments of his opponents 
 by quoting the most important of "the Fathers," as the an- 
 cient Church writers were called, and administered a crush- 
 ing defeat. Some who had been bitter against the Reform- 
 ers became fellow workers, and within a few months more 
 than one hundred and twenty priests and vicars and over 
 eighty monks became Protestants. 
 
 50 
 
JOHN CALVIN 
 
 Not everyone was happy over the changes Calvin and 
 Farel wanted to make in Geneva. Many did not wish to 
 live as the Reformers taught Christians should live. Some 
 of them wanted to be members of the Church and still live 
 as they pleased. But Calvin insisted upon discipline. If 
 people did not live as Christians ought, they must not be 
 permitted to partake of the Lord's Supper. Politics added 
 to the difficulties of the Reformers. Some supported Calvin 
 and Farel while others opposed them. Their enemies be- 
 came strong enough to persuade the government to forbid 
 them to preach, but they believed that the State had no right 
 to dictate to the Church, and insisted upon preaching. Then 
 Farel and Calvin were ordered to leave the city. "Well, in- 
 deed!" answered Calvin. "If we had served men, we should 
 have been ill rewarded, but we serve a great Master who 
 will recompense us." 
 
 THE RECALL OF CALVIN 
 
 Calvin went to Strassburg, Germany, where there were 
 many of his fellow countrymen who had fled from France. 
 To them he ministered. In the meantime the feeling in 
 Geneva was changing. The patriots there began to realize 
 what these preachers of the gospel had done for their city, 
 and they were eager to have them back. Geneva needed 
 these strong men. For a long time Calvin resisted the call. 
 When Farel urged him to come to Geneva again, he said, 
 "If I were given the choice, I would do anything rather than 
 yield to you in this matter; but since I remember that I am 
 not my own, I off"er my heart as if slain in sacrifice to the 
 Lord." 
 
 When he returned to Geneva, a great crowd thronged the 
 church to hear him preach. It was Calvin's hope to make 
 Geneva a model Christian community. A constitution was 
 adopted which separated Church and State and gave freedom 
 to each to conduct its own affairs. 
 
 Many wondered how a Church could be governed without 
 
 51 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 a pope or a bishop at its head; but Calvin planned to have 
 the Church governed by a consistory, composed of ministers 
 and elders. This is one of the greatest services which Cal- 
 vin rendered the Protestant Church. He showed that a 
 Church could be organized and governed without pope or 
 bishop. 
 
 Calvin believed in education, and under his leadership 
 the schools of Geneva were developed. He believed, also, 
 that a religious city should be an industrious city, and per- 
 suaded the authorities to develop the weaving industry. He 
 believed, too, in guarding the public health and so estab- 
 lished health laws which were wonderful for the sixteenth 
 century. Thus religion, education, and industry made 
 Geneva a prosperous city, and it became the refuge of thou- 
 sands of fugitives from other countries. 
 
 A CHAMPION OF DISCIPLINE 
 
 The strict rule of the city under the leadership of Calvin 
 put an end to many evil practices. But, as was the case when 
 Farel and Calvin first attempted to reform the city, they met 
 with opposition. Some especially found fault because Cal- 
 vin insisted that those who were not living as Christians 
 should, must not be permitted to partake of the Lord's 
 Supper. 
 
 When resentment against Calvin was at its height he went 
 boldly into the town hall, in spite of the drawn daggers that 
 threatened him. "If you desire my blood — here it is!" he 
 said. "If you want to banish me — I will go. And you may 
 try once more to save the town without the gospel." No one, 
 however, dared to lay hands on him. They drew back re- 
 spectfully to let him pass. 
 
 Calvin's enemies were determined to break his power. The 
 party which opposed him was known as "The Libertines." A 
 prominent Libertine had been told not to come to the Lord's 
 Supper because of his evil life. But his friends insisted that 
 he should come in spite of Calvin. They thought Calvin 
 
 52 
 
JOHN CALVIN 
 
 would not dare to insist upon discipline. When the time for 
 service came, Calvin entered the pulpit. He saw the man 
 in the congregation. After the introduction to the Lord's 
 Supper, he said: "As long as God permits me to stay here, 
 I shall show the constancy he has granted me, whatever may 
 happen. And I shall follow the line of conduct which my 
 Master has made perfectly clear to me." He took his place 
 at the Communion table. The Libertine came forward to 
 take the bread and the cup. "These hands you may cut 
 off," said Calvin, "these limbs crush, here is my blood — 
 shed it. You will never compel me to give what is holy to 
 the godless." 
 
 The Libertine stopped, then hesitated, and then left the 
 church. Calvin had conquered. 
 
 A PROTESTANT CENTER 
 
 From many lands students came to Geneva to study under 
 Calvin and then went back to their own countries to extend 
 the Protestant Church. He influenced France, Italy, Ger- 
 many, Holland, England, and Scotland. He lived to see 
 twenty-one hundred and fifty reformed congregations organ- 
 ized in France. 
 
 Month after month and year after year Calvin labored in 
 spite of physical weakness and pain. He had to conquer his 
 own frail body as well as difficulties and foes. 
 
 When the end came. May 27, 1564, when Calvin was in 
 his fifty-fifth year, he could say, "In all my battles with the 
 enemies of the truth ... I have fought the good fight 
 squarely and directly." 
 
 53 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 Chapter IX 
 JOHN KNOX 
 
 Scotland's Protestant Champion 
 (Born 1505; died 1572) 
 
 George Wishart, who had come under the influence of the 
 teachings of John Calvin, was fired with zeal for the gos- 
 pel as it was taught in Geneva. His preaching stirred Scot- 
 land. There was need of preachers like Wishart in Scot- 
 land. The Romish Church had become very corrupt. The 
 higher clergy lived like nobles and gave little or no thought 
 to religion. Friars swarmed like locusts and, because of 
 their low morals, were a corrupting influence in society. 
 The parish priests were so ignorant that they could not 
 preach. Driven from one place Wishart preached in an- 
 other until, at last, he was arrested and condemned to death. 
 He was burned at the stake at St. Andrews, while Cardinal 
 Beaton, w4io had brought about his death looked on from the 
 window of his palace. 
 
 Roused by such cruelty, which they called murder, a few 
 men determined to avenge the death of Wishart. After stab- 
 bing the cardinal to death, they seized the Castle of St. An- 
 drews and defied the government. Many others who sought 
 refuge from persecution, although they had had nothing to 
 do with the death of Cardinal Beaton, joined the defenders 
 of the castle. Among them was a man by the name of John 
 Knox. 
 
 These Protestants believed that the preaching of the Word 
 of God was important and so, in the castle, services were 
 held regularly. Knox was urged to become their minister; 
 but he declined. Like Calvin, he much preferred to listen 
 to others and to study. But, as Farel called Calvin to a place 
 of leadership, so John Rough, a minister who was in the 
 castle, called John Knox. After preaching a sermon on the 
 election of ministers. Rough suddenly turned to Knox, "In 
 
 54 
 
JOHN KNOX 
 
 the name of God and of his Son Jesus Christ, and in the 
 name of those here present who call you by my mouth, I 
 charge you that you refuse not this holy vocation . . . even 
 as you look to avoid God's heavy displeasure." 
 
 Knox fled to his room. Like Moses, he said, "Who am I, 
 that I should undertake this great work?" After days of 
 struggle he answered the call. At the close of his first 
 sermon, his hearers said: "Others lop off" the branches of 
 the papacy, but he strikes at the root, to destroy the whole. 
 Master George Wishart spoke never so plainly, and he was 
 burnt; even so will he be." The congregation in the castle 
 soon came to respect and honor and love their minister. 
 Others, too, came to share their feeling, for John Knox be- 
 came the great Protestant leader of Scotland. 
 
 KNOX'S EARLY TRAINING 
 
 Moses was educated in the schools of Egypt, tested by ex- 
 ile, and trained in the wilderness, in order to become the 
 deliverer of Israel. So was John Knox trained for his place 
 in history by study, by hardship, by meditation. He was 
 born in Haddington, Scotland, probably in the year 1505, 
 just four years before John Calvin. He was taught in the 
 town school and in the high school, and then became a stu- 
 dent in the University of Glasgow. Here he studied under 
 John Major, the "most renowned professor in the country." 
 He studied Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and French. He became 
 a priest, but was led to reject the teaching and the practices 
 of the Romish Church. 
 
 When the life of George Wishart was threatened because 
 he insisted upon preaching the gospel, John Knox carried a 
 great two-handed sword which he stood ready to wield in his 
 defense. After Wishart's death, as we have learned, Knox 
 was among those who sought refuge in the Castle of St. An- 
 drews. 
 
 55 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 FROM GALLEY SLAVE TO PREACHER 
 
 The defenders of the castle were captured by a French 
 force. Knox became a gaHey slave and, for a year and a 
 half, was compelled to row in chains. But through his hard- 
 ship he had learned to pray and to trust God as never be- 
 fore. When he was set free he preached in England and 
 then went to Switzerland, where he came under the influence 
 of Calvin. After many experiences he returned to Scotland, 
 to spend the remaining years of his life in heroic service 
 for his native land. 
 
 IN SCOTLAND 
 
 Mary of Lorraine, the Regent of Scotland, was laying her 
 plans to make Scotland Catholic; but John Knox exposed 
 the false claims of the Romish Church. Especially did he 
 oppose the celebration of the mass, urging instead the sim- 
 ple observance of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 As we have seen in the chapter about Zwingli, the Roman 
 Catholics taught that when the bread and the cup were conse- 
 crated in the celebration of the mass, they became the actual 
 flesh and blood of Jesus and so should be reverenced as the 
 real presence of Christ. John Knox declared that to bow to 
 the bread was idolatry. Instead of the elaborate ceremony 
 of the mass in Latin, he observed the simple Lord's Supper, 
 using the language of the people. When the queen regent 
 died, a meeting of Parliament was called and a confession 
 of faith was adopted. The rights of the pope in Scotland 
 were denied, and the celebration of the mass was forbid- 
 den. The Protestant Church was planned to take the place 
 of the Church which had been ruled by pope and bishops, 
 and so to govern the Church the General Assembly of the 
 Church of Scotland was organized. 
 
 KNOX AND QUEEN MARY 
 
 The victory was not yet won, however, for Mary, the new 
 queen of Scotland, who was educated and trained in France, 
 
 56 
 
JOHN KNOX 
 
 a beautiful and brilliant woman, was a stanch Roman Cath- 
 olic. In her chapel, mass was celebrated. In the eyes of 
 Knox this was nothing less than idolatry, so he denounced 
 the queen's act in a sermon. When summoned to court, 
 Knox insisted upon his right to speak what he believed. 
 When the queen declared that she believed in the Church of 
 Rome, Knox answered that the claims of the Romish Church 
 had no foundation in the Scriptures. "You interpret the 
 Scriptures in one way," said the queen, "and they in an- 
 other; whom shall I believe, and who shall be judge?" 
 "You shall believe God, who plainly speaketh in his Word, 
 above Your Majesty and the most learned papists of all 
 Europe," was Knox's reply. 
 
 Again and again Knox was summoned by the queen. She 
 tried to win him by persuasion, sometimes by tears, some- 
 times by flattery, and sometimes by angry threats; but Knox 
 stood for his convictions. The queen feared this man, v/hose 
 "voice could put more life into his followers than six hun- 
 dred trumpets bloAving incessantly." When accused of trea- 
 son, his defense was so convincing that even some of his 
 enemies voted for his acquittal, and he went free. 
 
 Queen Mary's conduct finally stirred such feeling against 
 her in Scotland that she was forced to renounce the throne. 
 Under Murray as regent, the Protestant Church prospered. 
 To the very last, Knox preached the gospel without ceasing. 
 In spite of threats and attempts on his life, he went on in 
 his work until 1572. At his funeral. Regent Morton said, 
 "Here lies one who never feared the face of man." 
 
 57 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 Chapter X 
 JOHN WESLEY 
 
 IFho Took Christ to the People 
 (Born 1703; died 1791) 
 
 In every age the true religion has been preserved by heroic 
 men of faith and loyalty to God. In the days of Ahab 
 idolatry had spread in Israel to such an extent that there 
 seemed to be few who still believed in and served the true 
 God. Then came Elijah, the champion of Jehovah, and sum- 
 moned the people to Mount Carmel, where, by the test of 
 fire, he convinced the people that Jehovah was the true 
 God. 
 
 The true religion seemed just as much in peril in Eng- 
 I'and in the eighteenth century. It seemed as if the Reforma- 
 tion had been almost in vain. There seemed to be little 
 real faith in God. People lived wicked lives, and were not 
 ashamed. Public men were without character. Talk was 
 profane and unclean. Those who did believe in God thought 
 of him as far away and not concerned with them. The 
 working classes were oppressed, and were unruly and re- 
 bellious. The people did not go to church; and the preach- 
 ing in the church would not have helped them much if they 
 had gone. There was desperate need of some messenger of 
 God like Elijah, who would convince people that there is, 
 indeed, a righteous God to whom men must answer for their 
 sins and who is ready and eager to save men from their sins. 
 
 The man who, under God, did most to restore true re- 
 ligion was John Wesley. 
 
 A MINISTER'S SON 
 
 John Wesley, who was born in 1703, at Epworth, in Lin- 
 coln, England, was one of nineteen children. His mother 
 was a woman of wonderful Christian character and intelli- 
 gence. His father was a minister in the Church of England, 
 
 58 
 
JOHN WESLEY 
 
 with a small salary. We can imagine that there were no 
 luxuries in a family so large and with so little money. When 
 John was about six years old their house burned down and 
 the new house was for years only partly furnished. 
 
 When John Wesley was eleven years old he was sent to 
 Charterhouse School in London. At school he was bullied 
 and abused, but he showed such courage and patience that 
 he won his way to favor, and he gained a reputation for 
 knowledge. Next he went to Oxford, the famous university 
 which Wyclif had attended four centuries before. He gradu- 
 ated with honors, and entered the ministry of the Church of 
 England. Later he returned to Oxford, where he both studied 
 and taught. 
 
 At this time he and a few friends, among them his brother 
 Charles, who is so well known for his hymns, and George 
 Whitefield, afterwards an eloquent and powerful preacher, 
 formed what was called the "Holy Club." They were care- 
 ful about times of prayer and meditation, Bible-reading, and 
 partaking of the Lord's Supper. They also visited the poor 
 and prisoners in the jail, and helped those who were in 
 need. Because they were so regular, or methodical, in the 
 observance of religious rules, they were called "Methodists," 
 a name which was afterwards given to the Church which 
 grew out of John Wesley's work. 
 
 MISSIONARY TO GEORGIA 
 
 Earnest as John Wesley was in his religious life, he did 
 not understand the great truth which Luther, Zwingli, Cal- 
 vin, and Knox had learned and preached. He did not under- 
 stand that our sins are forgiven and that we have peace with 
 God through faith in the Saviour who died for us. He 
 thought that he must earn his own salvation by his good 
 life. 
 
 John and his brother went as missionaries to the colony 
 of Georgia, which had been founded by General Oglethorpe. 
 On the vessel was a band of Moravian missionaries. Wesley 
 
 59 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 was deeply impressed by their courage and peacefulness in 
 a terrible storm. They seemed to have a trust in God which 
 he did not have. Through these Moravians his attention was 
 called to the great truth that we must depend upon Jesus 
 Christ alone for salvation, instead of depending upon our 
 own righteousness. This was the beginning of new things 
 for John Wesley. 
 
 IN ENGLAND AGAIN 
 
 Wesley returned to England and sought out the Moravians 
 and learned more of their teaching. At last he experienced 
 God's saving power in his own life. 
 
 Wesley now became an earnest preacher of the gospel. 
 Many of the ministers of the Church of England, not in sym- 
 pathy with his preaching, closed their pulpits to him. About 
 this time George Wliitefield was preaching to the people in 
 the open air. This reminds us of Wyclif, but to Wesley it 
 seemed an improper thing to do; the gospel, he thought, 
 should be preached only in the church. But when he saw 
 thousands moved to tears and repentance, he was convinced 
 that preaching to the people outside the church was right 
 after all. So he, too, began to preach in the open air, in 
 Bristol, London, and Newcastle. 
 
 WESLEY'S COURAGE 
 
 Wesley had to bear the opposition and criticism of min- 
 isters and bishops of the Church of England which he loved. 
 They insisted that if the people did not come to the church 
 to hear the gospel they should not hear it at all. The people, 
 too, were stirred up against him. On one occasion a mob 
 tried to brain him with clubs, but his courage and self-con- 
 trol calmed those who were nearest to him, and the enraged 
 crowd drew back to let him pass through unharmed. Re- 
 cruits from the mob became his bodyguard, and mob leaders 
 became class leaders, as those in charge of groups of con- 
 verts were called. Within twelve years he had enlisted 
 eighty-five lay preachers as helpers in his work. 
 
 60 
 
JOHN WESLEY 
 
 Wesley was a tremendous worker. He rose at four in the 
 morning and frequently preached at five. Every unoccu- 
 pied moment was used for reading, study, and writing. He 
 crossed St. George's Channel nearly fifty times and traveled 
 two hundred and fifty thousand miles on land. He spent 
 as many as twenty hours in the saddle and traveled ninety 
 miles in a day, once covering two hundred and eighty miles 
 in twenty-four hours. Nothing would hold him back. He 
 would press on though crusted from head to foot with ice. 
 When the road was covered with water he drove through the 
 surf. In fifty years of his ministry he delivered forty-two 
 thousand sermons, an average of fifteen a week. 
 
 THE METHODIST CHURCH 
 
 Through the preaching of Wesley and his assistants, thou- 
 sands were led to accept Christ as their Saviour. The faith 
 of these converts was not based upon some argument, but 
 upon their own experience with God. Instead of calling 
 down fire from heaven as Elijah did, Wesley convinced men 
 of the reality and the presence of God by the fire that burned 
 in their hearts when they believed the gospel and accepted 
 Jesus as their Saviour, and by the changed lives of those 
 who were won to Christ. 
 
 Wesley had no intention of establishing another Church. 
 But in spite of Wesley's plans the Methodist societies became 
 Methodist churches and the Methodist Church, independent 
 of the Church of England, was finally organized. This de- 
 nomination has become the largest in the world. 
 
 61 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 Chapter XI 
 FRANCIS MAKEMIE 
 
 The Presbyterian Pioneer in America 
 (Born 1658; died 1708) 
 
 We have been thinking about Christian leaders in many 
 lands: Asia Minor, Africa, France, England, Bohemia, Ger- 
 many, Switzerland. We ought to think also about the way 
 Christianity came to our own country, and about the forces 
 that have helped to make our country "Christian America." 
 This takes us back to the days before John Wesley. We 
 know that Virginia, the first colony, soon had its churches. 
 Its ministers belonged to the Church of England. The set- 
 tlers of Massachusetts were Puritans, with their wonderful 
 Christian faith and sterling Christian character. Maryland 
 was settled by Roman Catholics. Pennsylvania was colon- 
 ized by Quakers, or Friends. To the shores of America 
 came also many Protestants from France, who are known 
 as Huguenots. 
 
 Among the pioneers who dared to cross the Atlantic in the 
 days of sailing vessels, and to clear the forest and build their 
 cabins, were Scotch-Irish Presbyterians who came to Amer- 
 ica because of persecution. Their homes were scattered 
 through the forests. 
 
 These Scotch-Irish settlers brought with them their Protes- 
 tant faith and their Bibles. Without a minister, they had 
 their family worship and their meetings for prayer and 
 meditation upon the Word of God. But these Christians, 
 some of whom were elders, longed for a minister to preach 
 and to administer the sacraments. They loved the Church 
 and its "means of grace," as the ordinances were called. 
 The appeal for a minister was sent to the Presbyterian 
 Church of Ireland, and Francis Makemie was the answer to 
 this appeal. 
 
 62 
 
FRANCIS MAKEMIE 
 
 ANOTHER COLLEGE MAN 
 
 The Presbyterian Church has always believed in an edu- 
 cated ministry. This is not surprising when we remember 
 that the Christian leaders about whom we have studied were 
 educated men. So in selecting a man to minister to the scat- 
 tered colonists on the frontiers of America, the Presbytery 
 of Laggan chose a man trained for the task. 
 
 Francis Makemie was born about 1658, almost fifty years 
 before John Wesley. When he was a boy of about fourteen 
 he was led to Christ by an earnest school-teacher. He at- 
 tended the University of Glasgow, and became a student for 
 the ministry. About 1681 he was licensed to preach. Just 
 when he was ordained is not known. 
 
 PREACHING IN AMERICA 
 
 Makemie reached America in 1683 and organized his first 
 church at Snow Hill, Maryland. This became the center 
 of his work, but he extended his activity. Churches were 
 organized at Pitts Creek, Manokin, Wicomico, and Rehoboth. 
 
 Makemie was a real pioneer missionary. For six years he 
 had no fixed home. Much of his time was spent on horse- 
 back, going from place to place in his ministry. He lodged 
 in log cabins, and preached from crude pulpits. He ven- 
 tured into Virginia, but there Governor Berkeley objected 
 to anyone's preaching except ministers of the Church of 
 England. Tradition says that Makemie's preaching in Vir- 
 ginia stirred the wrath of the ministers of the Established 
 Church, and that he was arrested. But his appeal to the 
 governor was so convincing that he was set at liberty and, 
 as a result of his argument, the Virginia Legislature after- 
 wards placed upon the statute books the "Act of Toleration." 
 
 In order to avoid interference by the authorities, although 
 there was religious liberty in Maryland while Lord Balti- 
 more was in authority, the new church building at Rehoboth 
 was erected upon Makemie's own land. We forget that even 
 in free America there was not always religious liberty. Even 
 
 63 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 those who came to this country to find Hberty to worship 
 God in the way they thought was right, were not always 
 wiHing to grant the same privilege to others. Makemie had 
 much to do with establishing religious liberty in America. 
 
 A MERCHANT PREACHER 
 
 Makemie paid his own way as a missionary. There is no 
 record of his receiving a salary. He married Naomi Ander- 
 son, who inherited considerable money and land from her 
 father. Makemie himself was a ship merchant. He was 
 engaged in the service of Christ, and used his business to 
 pay the expenses. His home was in Accomac, Virginia, just 
 below Rehoboth, Maryland. 
 
 In 1704, the year after Wesley's birth, he went to England. 
 There he raised money for the support of missionaries in 
 America and brought back with him two Irish Presbyterian 
 ministers, John Hampton and George Macnish. As the num- 
 ber of Presbyterian churches grew, the center of Presby- 
 terianism shifted to Philadelphia. Largely as the result 
 of the labors of Makemie the first presbytery was organized, 
 in 1706, according to our calendar. Ten years later the 
 churches had grown so that the General Synod was formed, 
 with four presbyteries. In 1729 the General Synod passed 
 what is called the "Adopting Act." This act adopted the 
 Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter 
 Catechisms as the standards for the Presbyterian Church of 
 America. The Presbyterian Church in America also de- 
 clared its independence of the authority of the State in the 
 exercise of ministerial authority, and denied the power of 
 the civil magistrates to persecute any for their religion. 
 Thus the Presbyterian Church was the first in America to 
 declare the great principle of "a free Church in a free 
 State." 
 
 A CHAMPION OF RELIGIOUS LIBERTY 
 
 This occurred after Makemie's death, but he had much to 
 do with bringing it about. He traveled from South Caro- 
 
 64 
 
FRANCIS MAKEMIE 
 
 lina to Massachusetts preaching. In 1707 he and Hampton 
 were in New York, and he was asked to preach to a group of 
 Presbyterians of the city. For this purpose the Presby- 
 terians asked for the use of the Dutch Church and then for 
 the French Church, but were refused by both because the 
 people feared the governor. Lord Cornbury. When Make- 
 mie was asked to preach in the house of William Jackson, 
 he consented. Hampton, also, arranged to preach on Long 
 Island. Their certificates as nonconformist preachers 
 granted by the courts of Barbadoes, Virginia, and Mary- 
 land, were to them sufficient authority for this. But Make- 
 mie and Hampton were arrested. Like Paul they found 
 themselves in prison for the gospel's sake. 
 
 In 1689 England had passed the "Act of Toleration," per- 
 mitting congregations to worship outside the Established 
 Church, but Lord Cornbury said that this act did not apply 
 to the colonies. So when Makemie and Hampton were 
 brought before him, he demanded: "How dare you take it 
 upon you to preach in my government without my license? 
 None shall preach in my government without it. The Act 
 of Toleration does not extend to the American Plantations, 
 but only to England." 
 
 Makemie, however, argued that the Act of Toleration did 
 extend to the Plantations, and that his certificate showed that 
 he had conformed to it. 
 
 "The certificates are only for Virginia and Maryland," 
 insisted the governor. "The law was made against strolling 
 preachers, and you are such. You shall not spread your 
 pernicious doctrines here." 
 
 But Makemie was ready to show that the doctrine of the 
 Presbyterian Church was not contrary to the doctrines of the 
 Church of England. Cornbury offered to set the preachers 
 at liberty if they would give bond and security for good 
 behavior and pledge themselves to preach no more in his 
 colony. 
 
 Makemie's reply was such as Peter or Paul might have 
 
 65 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 made: "If your lordship requires it, we wiH give security for 
 our behavior; but to give bond and security to preach no 
 more in your exceHency's government, if invited and desired 
 by any people, we neither can nor dare do." 
 
 To prison Hampton and Makemie went. After a number 
 of vain attempts their release on habeas corpus was secured 
 until the trial should take place. At the trial Makemie ac- 
 knowledged that he had preached the gospel as accused, 
 but he insisted that this was not contrary to the law. He 
 argued his own case, and was promptly acquitted by the 
 jury. He was, however, released only after paying the costs, 
 which amounted to eighty-three pounds. 
 
 Makemie lived only a short time after his release. It is 
 thought that his imprisonment hastened his death. This pio- 
 neer of Presbyterianism in America had not lived in vain, 
 for, as has been said, he had much to do with the establish- 
 ment of the Presbyterian Church and with securing religious 
 liberty for the colonies. 
 
 56 
 
WILLIAM A. SHEDD 
 
 Chapter XII 
 WILLIAM A. SHEDD 
 
 JFho Gave His Life for the Oppressed 
 (Born 1869; died 1918) 
 
 When word came to the Christians of Urumia, Persia, 
 during the Great War, that the Russians were about to with- 
 draw, there was widespread terror. The Turks desired noth- 
 ing more than an excuse to massacre the Christian Armeni- 
 ans and Assyrians. They hated the Christians with a bitter 
 hatred, for everywhere the Christians were more prosperous 
 than their Mohammedan neighbors, and, in spite of persecu- 
 tion, the Christians refused to renounce their faith and be- 
 come followers of the prophet. The Christians knew that 
 the moment the Russian army withdrew, the Turks and 
 Kurds would murder and rob and ruin. 
 
 When the Russians withdrew the Christians fled. Between 
 eight and ten thousand followed the withdrawing Russians. 
 Probably seventeen thousand refugees rushed for protection 
 to the mission compound in Urumia. Here their protection 
 was just an American flag and a band of Christian mission- 
 aries under the leadership of a brave American citizen. 
 "There was no mounted cannon, no armed men. Outside, 
 the enemy blustered and threatened and cursed; but the 
 American flag flew between him and his prey. He spat at 
 it and made impotent boasts of what he would do if that 
 flag were once out of the way. Sometimes the foe were 
 German-drilled Turkish regulars; again they were wild 
 Turkish tribesmen, brandishing their weapons and filling the 
 air with their shrill cries." 
 
 The man who put up that flag and dared to keep it there 
 was the recognized leader to whom everyone turned in this 
 time of terror. Those who did not love him, feared him, 
 simply because he spoke the truth and stood for justice. As 
 he walked through the streets of the city he was honored by 
 
 67 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 high and low. This man was William A. Shedd, a plain 
 American missionary who had gone out to take Christ to 
 
 Persia. 
 
 HIS EDUCATION 
 
 William Shedd was born on the mission field, in the city 
 of Urumia, in the northwestern corner of Persia, where his 
 father and mother had gone to carry the gospel. In this 
 missionary home he breathed the atmosphere of Christian 
 faith and service, and as a boy he learned the languages of 
 the natives. 
 
 When he was five years old his parents returned to Amer- 
 ica for a time, where he received his schooling. When they 
 returned to Persia to continue their work, William was left 
 in Marietta, Ohio, where he attended school. At the age 
 of fifteen he entered Marietta College. He was one of "The 
 Hill Crowd," a group of unusually brilliant boys who be- 
 came leaders in later life. William was second in his class, 
 a fine student and a clear thinker. Often his understanding 
 of the subject and his clear statements enabled him to help 
 his less able fellow students. 
 
 He was a real boy, fond of sports, full of fun, but never 
 very rugged. After two years in college his family feared 
 for his health, and he was persuaded to return to Persia for 
 a time. But his three years in Persia were not vacation 
 years. He could not be idle when there was so much need. 
 He tutored his brothers, taught in the mission school, and 
 helped in the mission work. At the same time he studied 
 Persian and Syriac. 
 
 Returning to America he graduated from college in 1887. 
 Again he went to Persia, to help his father. After two years 
 he came back to America for his seminary course in Prince- 
 ton. His standing entitled him to a scholarship in Hebrew; 
 but he felt that Persia needed him, and back he went to that 
 mission land. This was in 1892, and for twenty-six years 
 he gave the best that was in him to bring Christ to the peo- 
 ple of Persia. 
 
 68 
 
WILLIAM A. SHEDD 
 
 A MISSIONARY'S WORK 
 Like the Good Samaritan who did his best for the wounded 
 man he found by the wayside, this missionary tried to meet 
 every need of the people of the land to which he gave his 
 life. They needed education, and so he became a teacher 
 and the president of the College of Urumia. In the outlying 
 villages churches were established and schools organized, 
 and at times he had oversight of these. Native workers 
 must be taught, and he gave himself to this task. Native 
 preachers must be trained, and he became their theological 
 professor. Distant tribes must hear the gospel, so he rode 
 over the mountains among the terrible Kurds and told them 
 the story of the Saviour. He acted as treasurer and man- 
 aged the mission press where missionary literature was pub- 
 lished. 
 
 THE YANKEE CADI 
 
 And so it came about that, when war came and terror 
 gripped the hearts of men and women and children, all 
 turned instinctively to Dr. Shedd as the one who must take 
 command. Speaking in this country of their efforts to de- 
 fend themselves against the Turks, a Persian Assyrian said, 
 "The brain and life of our movement was one single Amer- 
 ican who we consider the greatest American born, the Rev. 
 W. A. Shedd, and we owe our life, those of us who have 
 escaped, to that man." It was he who had the flag placed 
 over the compound and insisted that, being a neutral flag — 
 for the United States had not yet entered the War — it must 
 be respected. 
 
 Dr. Shedd was the real head of the government now. Be- 
 cause he was master of both Christian and Mohammedan 
 law, and understood the character of the people, he had, 
 since the death of Dr. Cochran, a missionary, been acting as 
 their cadi, or judge. With no authority or power to enforce 
 his decisions, his verdict was respected more than that of 
 the courts, and his word was final. All classes came to him 
 with their disputes and their troubles. 
 
 69 
 
HEROES OF THE CHURCH 
 
 One incident reminds us of the wisdom of Solomon. A 
 young man complained to Dr. Shedd that another had stolen 
 his shoes. Both were summoned before him. "Where did 
 you get your shoes?" he asked the man who claimed that 
 his shoes had been stolen. "In Chicago," he replied, nam- 
 ing the firm. Then to the other man, he said, "Where did 
 you get yours?" "My brother bought them for me from a 
 Russian soldier, who brought them from Russia," the man 
 replied. "Let me see the shoes," Dr. Shedd commanded. 
 In them he found the trade-mark of the Chicago merchant. 
 The shoes were then returned to the rightful owner, and the 
 thief was put to open shame. 
 
 Dr. Shedd tried to unite all interests in the support of or- 
 der and justice. He dared to walk the streets alone and 
 face the officers of the enemy. In an effort to enlist the 
 help of all in the protection of the refugees, he talked with 
 Turkish authorities, he visited influential Mohammedans, 
 and he kept in touch with the Kurdish chiefs. He super- 
 vised the distribution of relief with sympathy and yet with 
 a shrewdness and firmness that made it next to impossible 
 to impose upon him. 
 
 One day the Persian governor said to him, "The great 
 difference between you and us is that you depend upon the 
 truth to accomplish a purpose and we depend upon a lie." 
 
 Dr. Shedd was a lover of peace. He hated the idea of war 
 and stood for the principle of fighting only when attacked. 
 
 HIS LAST JOURNEY 
 
 During 1915, Dr. Shedd came to America, but the follow- 
 ing year he returned to his work in Urumia and its respon- 
 sibilities. Months of stress began to tell upon his health 
 and it was feared that he was going down with tuberculosis, 
 with which he had previously been threatened. The de- 
 fenders of the refugees had no touch with the outside world. 
 They did not know when they might hope for deliverance 
 by the arrival of the British Army. Then one day an air- 
 
 70 
 
WILLIAM A. SHEDD 
 
 plane brought word that in three weeks the British Army 
 would arrive. "But can I hold out for three weeks?" asked 
 Dr. Shedd, weary from the long struggle. 
 
 The refugees could endure the strain no longer. They 
 felt that they must run to the approaching British forces for 
 safety. Dr. Shedd urged the people to wait; but the flight 
 began like a stampede, and the massacring Turks followed. 
 Dr. Shedd followed, also, to render what service he could 
 to the suff'ering fugitives. A British camp was reached, but 
 they had to press on, for there were not enough soldiers to 
 hold back the pursuing Turks. 
 
 Dr. Shedd fell sick, and while they were trying to take 
 him over the rough mountain trail in a cart his life journey 
 came to an end. With a blanket and the canvas from the 
 cart for a shroud and casket, he was laid in a shallow grave. 
 When word was passed along that Dr. Shedd was gone, a 
 great cry went up from the fugitives: "What shall we do? 
 Our father is gone, our back is broken, there is not one left 
 on earth to help us. Would that half our nation had died 
 and he had been left." 
 
 71 
 
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