Chapter 25: Sowing and Reaping

FROM the Federal capital of Brazil to the State capital of S. Paulo there extends a high range of mountains — the Sierra do Mar — parallel to, and only some thirty or forty miles distant from, the sea coast.
So high is the Sierra, and so difficult are the engineering problems involved, that as yet no line of railway finds its way through this narrow strip of territory — over 300 miles long. To a large extent it is cut off from the progress and prosperity that mark the towns and villages on the Highlands of the States of Rio, Minas, and S. Paulo, and an air of stagnation, both material and moral, hangs over everything, rendering it a happy retreat for those priests of Rome who hunger for that absolute rule which is now fast passing out of their hands with the advance of progress and education.
One of the chief places in this district is the mountain-girt town of Parahybuna. Eighteen years ago some American missionaries tried to preach the Gospel here, but were driven out without accomplishing their object. Fifteen or sixteen years later one of our native colporteurs, Benedicto Hirth (now an evangelist), penetrating this district, canvassed the same city, and achieved the triumph of selling eighteen Bibles and very many New Testaments, and that in the face of dangerous opposition. Most of these books, it transpires, were afterward filched away from the people by their priest and thrown by his orders into the river; but being carried away by the current, many were recovered by fishermen living along the banks.
Great interest was created among these simple folk by the circulation of the Scriptures and Gospel tracts, and several meetings were held by the colporteur.
A year had passed. We felt that it was now about time that these places should be revisited and evangelized, and Benedicto was again chosen for that purpose. The plan of action was laid carefully and compassed with much prayer, and two good colporteurs prepared the way with a week’s canvass of Parahybuna.
The book sales were not very great, some fifty copies in all, but faithful house-to-house work was done and many hundreds of tracts were circulated of a character designed to arouse discussion and dissipate indifference.
One day the colporteurs called at the house of the fanatical, Bible-hating priest, who deluged them with torrents of abuse, declared their books only fit for burning, and in reply to a reasonable protest offered our brothers personal violence, from which they with difficulty escaped.
“Help!” cried the priest; “this nigger is speaking against the saints in my house.”
He tried to have the colporteurs expelled from the city, and, failing that, sent people to buy up the stock of books in order to burn them. Even here he was frustrated; for hearing of the plot they refused to sell, declaring that the priest had not enough money, nor was there sufficient in the whole city to buy one copy of the New Testament for that purpose.
The news of all this soon spread through the place, and from that hour the genuine sales steadily improved.
During those days, while canvassing with Scriptures, small meetings were held in the outskirts of the town, with attendance varying from twenty to thirty people. On the arrival of Benedicto, however, a large room in the center of the city was hired for two nights, and meetings were announced.
A band of assassins was hired from a neighboring village to break up these gatherings by force, but the police got wind of the affair, and all their local extemporary force was put at our disposal. Over two hundred people were present at each of these meetings, and the roadway outside was choked with men, women, and children. The Gospel message, carried by the clear, ringing voice of the native evangelist, was heard by all with rapt attention; and many who came to persecute our brethren as devils found them to be the messengers of God.
Our colporteurs then attempted to rent the cinemograph hall, and the owner agreed at first, but afterwards refused, fearing it might injure his business Happily they were able to arrange for another, though smaller, hall close by.
Such was the attraction of the Gospel message in the loud, Spirit-touched voice of Benedicto that as soon as our meetings commenced the audience abandoned the cinematograph in a body on the three successive nights of our mission. So great was the chagrin of the showman that, after vainly tempting our workers to change the hour to suit his purpose, he sold all his benches and requisites and shut up the show.
No sooner had Benedicto opened the first meeting than up jumped a certain Senhor A —, exclaiming, “I want to confess my faith, and do it right now.”
Benedicto, not knowing him, and deeming him to be a little the worse for drink, persuaded him to be seated, saying he would speak with him Afterward.
“All right,” was the response, “so long as I can only get converted tonight,” and down he sat. This was indicative of the spirit pervading these gatherings.
The meetings were splendid, many countrymen coming in from the surrounding farms and from the river banks where the Bibles had floated down two years before, and deep attention was paid to the messages of our evangelists. At the closing meeting four persons publicly testified their acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ, and many gave evidence of a new and God-given interest in their soul’s welfare; while Senhor A —, being sincere and earnest, was genuinely converted to God.
Since that occasion there have been many Conversions in that district. In one case a farmer owned a Roman Catholic chapel as part of his estate. On accepting the Gospel he cleared out all the idols and other things, and converted the place into a Gospel Mission Hall; so both man and chapel were converted.
It is difficult for those who live under the shelter of Protestant institutions, with their independence, freedom of conscience, and intelligent knowledge and worship of God, to realize what Rome really stands for, where she has full power, where she sits “high throned and unashamed,” the declared foe of God’s Word and of the simple Gospel contained therein.