EVANGELICAL MAGAZINE

AND

MISSIONARY CHRONICLE.

APRIL, 1861.

Reminiscences of Adolphe Monod, the Great French Preacher.*

BY THE REV. J. C. HARRISON.

My former paper had almost exclusive reference to Mr. Monod's preaching. I now propose to add a few recollections of his general life. These I shall throw out without any strict regard to order; much as I should do if my readers and myself were chatting together by the fireside, and Adolphe Monod became the subject of conversation. I am aware that I can thus hope to convey only a very inadequate impression of his general character; yet even a few hasty glimpses of the life of one so richly endowed, and so eminently useful, may not be without their interest.

One or two facts respecting his earlier history, which I gleaned in conversation, I will just relate, as an introduction to my own personal reminiscences.

His father was one of the pastors of the Reformed Church in Paris. His mother was by birth a Dane, but was so familiar with English as to train her children to the habitual use of that language in their conversation with her. This fact will account for the ease and accuracy with which he, and indeed all his brothers and sisters, spoke it. He was himself educated for the ministry in the church of his father; but, for some time after his ordination, he was not possessed of real spiritual religion; I don't think that he held evangelical doctrines. He was appointed (I know not whether it was his first charge) pastor to the few French Protestants in Naples; and, on his way thither from Paris, stayed in Lyons, where he created no small sensation by a sermon of remarkable eloquence, which he preached in the Church of the Reformed, —a sermon which was to exert a considerable influence on the direction of his after-life. Meantime he continued his journey, and, having arrived at his destination, entered on the discharge of his official duties. During his residence in Naples, he often suffered from fits of deepest melancholy, which were in all probability partly constitutional, and partly

* Continued from page 150.

VOL. XXXIX.

occasioned by the unsatisfactory character of his religious views and his spiritual state. I remember his telling me that at a ball which he attended one Saturday evening he was made profoundly sad by a young lady, who said to him, half in jest, "I suppose you find a dance on Saturday evening a good preparation for your work on Sunday ?" God, however, was providing some better thing for him, and was no doubt preparing him for it. One of the Erskines visited Naples, and by the force of his scriptural instructions, and the ardour of his personal piety, was made the instrument of leading him to the Saviour, and teaching him the way of the Lord more perfectly. Thenceforth he lost his melancholy, and found joy and peace in believing. Some time after this, a vacancy occurred in the pastorate at Lyons; and the Consistory, remembering the magnificent discourse which he had preached as he passed through their town, and ignorant of the change which had taken place in his views, invited him to the post without the usual trial sermons, and got his nomination confirmed by the Minister of Religious Worship. He had no sooner entered on his labours than the men who appointed him were startled by the power and pungency of his appeals. They recognised the old eloquence; but it was now used to enforce sentiments which they could not endure. When, in addition to the inculcation of " Methodistical doctrines," he proceeded to insist on some slight measures of discipline, and announced his intention to refuse the sacrament to all notoriously bad livers, the Consistory rose in rebellion, saying, "We shall, perhaps, be ourselves among the first whom you will exclude." On his refusing to yield to their remonstrance, they became indignant,-applied to the State-minister of Religious Worship,explained to him the mistake they had made, and succeeded in getting his appointment reversed. But though the wealthy and influential were so eager to thrust him away, there were many others, not so high in station, but in heart more noble, who had been either converted or established by his ministrations, and who besought him not to leave their city. These rallied around him, and formed the nucleus of that Independent Church, which is now not only a bulwark of the faith in Lyons itself, but a centre of evangelical and missionary influence to the whole of the south-east of France. That church comprised many in Mr. Monod's time-and has, I believe, comprised many ever sincewho were originally Roman Catholics. How far this may have arisen from the following incident I am unable to say. Mr. Monod was accustomed to hold a week-day service in the school-room of his chapel, for the exposition of the Scriptures, and prayer; very much like those which are held in connexion with all our churches in England. On the 20th October, 1834, a person before unknown to Mr. Monod called at his house, accompanied by a friend, and asked permission to propose a few questions at the service which was to take place that evening. Mr. Monod granted permission, without difficulty, upon the

understanding that, in any discussion that might arise, the sole appeal should be to the Word of God. In the evening this person came to the meeting, and, repeating several times that he was nothing but a common artisan, proceeded to ask several questions relating to the Church and to the primacy of St. Peter. These Mr. Monod answered with great perspicuity and conclusiveness. The next week the same person was present, and proposed additional questions on the Apocryphal books, and the doctrine of the Trinity. The third week he again appeared, to discuss the characteristics of the true Church. The fourth week he touched on the sovereign authority of Holy Scripture. The fifth week he broached the subject of apostolical succession, and the agreement of the Church of Rome with the Word of God. On this occasion he was so completely foiled by Mr. Monod's answers that he left the room, complaining that he could obtain no sufficient replies to his questions, and declining further discussion. His friend, however, took up the subject, and when he was silenced, a third interlocutor arose; but as the hour was now late, Mr. Monod requested him to reserve his remarks for a sixth evening. During the interval it began to be rumoured abroad that a wide and deep sensation had been produced; that many persons were opening their eyes to the errors of the Church of Rome, and that the partisans of that Church were resolved to put an end to the discussions,-if possible by argument, but if not, by disorder. The sequel proved that these rumours were true. The sixth evening arrived. Mr. Monod's opponent read a paper which did little more than repeat the arguments of the preceding speakers. The discussion which followed was long and wearisome, and seemed as if it would be utterly fruitless, when a new disputant arose, and took up the defence of the Church of Rome. His very first words showed that he was a man of a totally different order from his predecessors. In addition to natural eloquence, he had the facility of utterance which can only be acquired by long practice, so that, in spite of his disguise, it was very evident that he was a preacher of great ability. Mr. Monod answered with corresponding vigour, taking up his points one by one, and exposing their fallacy, but was continually interrupted by shouts and disorder; so that, at last, he was obliged to dismiss the assembly. In the midst of the confusion, one of his antagonists said that he should demand another evening, but he never made his appearance, and so the controversy came to an end. The impression produced by these discussions was most adverse to the Church of Rome, and equally favourable to the Protestant cause.

Although Mr. Monod had from the force of circumstances become the minister of an Independent Church, he had no conscientious objections to the church from which he had been temporarily driven; and therefore when, most unexpectedly to himself, he received an appointment to the Chair of Hebrew and Rhetoric in the Theological Faculté at Montauban,

he regarded it as a call of Providence which he was not at liberty to disobey. A large proportion of the ministers in the Protestant Church were, as we have already intimated, strongly infected with Rationalism; and hence he felt that if, by casting salt into the fountain-head, he could heal and purify the streams-if, by exerting an evangelical influence on the students when their views and religious characters were in the process of formation, he could leaven the younger ministry with the true faith of the Gospel,-he would be doing a greater work for France than by continuing his pastoral labours in Lyons,-dear as that church was to his heart. No doubt it was a sore trial to his flock to lose him, for their affection to him was very strong. I remember that in passing through Lyons, in the year 1840, in my way from Montauban to Geneva, I attended a prayer-meeting at the chapel, on a Monday evening; and after prayer had been offered, one of the deacons said, "There is an English brother present, just arrived from Montauban, who has given. me, in private, most interesting accounts of our dear friend Mr. Monod, -his wife, his children, his work. I am sure you would like to hear what he has said to me." I was therefore obliged to repeat the statements which I had made to the good deacon, and was quite touched by the fixed attention and deep interest with which they listened to my narrative (in spite of its halting French), and the fervour with which they afterwards invoked the blessing of God on their old friend and pastor.

Mr. Monod was well fitted to secure the respect and esteem of young men. Though grave in his manners, he was very accessible, and made every student, who was really anxious to do his best, feel that in him he had a friend. He was also a man well equipped for his office. Besides his proficiency in Hebrew, of which he was Professor, he had a sound knowledge of Latin and Greek, and spoke German, Italian, and English with fluency. His acquaintance with theological and general literature was extensive, and whatever he knew, he knew accurately, and could use skilfully. His memory was very tenacious, and was stored with grand or beautiful passages from the chefs d'œuvres of the French orators and poets. These he had, perhaps, committed to memory, with a view to his classes in rhetoric. For his plan in these classes (at least, when I was present) was, to require some half-dozen students to come prepared with a particular passage, which had been fixed on at the preceding lecture, and, after he had made some remarks on the character of the composition, and the style of elocution adapted to it, to request them to recite it one after the other as skilfully and expressively as they could. At the end of each recitation he pointed out the faults into which the speaker had fallen, and sometimes desired him to repeat a part of the passage over again, and try to avoid the defects that had been indicated. When all had finished, he recited it himself with singular grace and effectiveness, and made one feel that a just and