GOOD NEWS FROM VALSESIA 
 
 BY 
 
 Rev. Cav. SAVERIO FERA. 
 
 
 FLORENCE, 
 
 • PRINTED BY G. BARBERA. 
 
 1396 . 
 
CH1AVENNA 
 
< 
 
 TO THE FRIENDS OF THE EVANGELIZATION OF ITALY. 
 
 Florence, 30th November, 1896. 
 
 ^ * 
 
 # 
 
 Dear Christian Friends, 
 
 A very encouraging religious movement is going on in the Italian 
 peninsula, especially in the vast field of labor, which the Lord has 
 confided to the Free Italian Church, better known to-day as the Evan¬ 
 gelical Italian Church. 
 
 The movement has manifested itself unexpectedly and while every 
 one was predicating slumber and indifference, on the part of the Ita¬ 
 lians, from a moral and religious point of view. 
 
 And it has come after a year of serious trouble, which this young 
 Church, wholly composed of converts from Roman Catholicism, has 
 been called to pass through, and which it has come out of victoriously, 
 in so providential a way, as to remove all doubt as to the great 
 mission which the Lord has called it to accomplish. 
 
 The fact that the movement has shown itself, at one and the same 
 time, in six different regions of Italy, from the Alps to Sicily, and 
 each of these* distant from the other, enhances its importance. 
 
 By glancing at the accompanying map, you will see how far apart 
 ^alsesia is from Valsoana, and the districts of Carrara from the Pu- 
 giie, as well as the northern part of Sicily from the South-eastern. 
 
 These are the localities, particularly blessed of God, in this season 
 of awakening and refreshing, and we shall refer to each of them in 
 turn, that you, Dear Christian Friends, may join with us in thanksgiv¬ 
 ing to God, for the fresh and vigorous life He has infused into the 
 Church, as a pledge of the progress of His Kingdom, in the salvation 
 of many souls. 
 
 Let me begin to-day by telling you of the Lord's work in Yalsesia, 
 
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 a celebrated and lovely valley, both in its upper and lower parts, 
 in a mountainous region, between Novara and the Swiss frontier, 
 with the snow-clad Monte Rosa shutting it in on the North. No sce¬ 
 nery can be more picturesque, and no place more historical, than 
 this theatre of the exploits of Fra Dolcino, mentioned by Dante in 
 the 28th Canto of the Inferno. 
 
 The Evangelical Italian Church has labored with varying success 
 in Valsesia for many years, from the old centre of Fara Novarese. 
 
 In 1891 two outpost Churches were planted. One was at Yarallo, 
 a nest of superstition, owing to the neighbouring * Madonna of the 
 Holy Mount,” which is so renowned a shrine, as to be visited by 
 pilgrims of all classes, from ruling Sovereigns and Princes down to 
 the humblest devotee. 
 
 The priests call Yarallo the New Jerusalem. To evangelize in such 
 a place was reckoned impossible. Dismal failure was prophesied, an* 
 yet in a few years the Church has trebled its membership. The 
 other Church was at Civiasco, on the road to Lake Orta. Here the 
 few but faithful brethren have, from the first, paid the rent of their 
 place of worship and all the expenses of the Station. 
 
 Moments of difficulty have arisen, owing to the fierce persecution 
 of the priests or to the betimes straitened finances of this young Evan¬ 
 gelical Italian Church, but the Committee has maintained its ground 
 and been very courageous. 
 
 The Evangelist at Yarallo has gone his rounds, summer and winter, 
 among these alpine heights, visiting regularly all the * Comunes ” large 
 and small, selling the Word of God, distributing tracts, and preaching 
 Jesus Christ. 
 
 Often has his life been threatened by fanatical papists and many 
 a hairbreadth escape from mist and tempest can he narrate. On 
 one occasion, when returning home all alone, in a pitch dark night, 
 from one of these excursions, he fell into a deep ravine. By a mi¬ 
 racle his life was saved, and only a simple dislocation confined him 
 to the house for a while. 
 
 And now we approach the time, from which we date the new erj, 
 of prosperity in the evangelization of the Valley. 
 
 Early in 1895, Signor Furlanetto, the Evangelist, was violently 
 opposed by the Romish preachers, and he seized the opportunity of 
 replying in the most Christian way, in a short, effective, Gospel tract, 
 of which thousands of copies were distributed. 
 
 And other things were happening which God was about to overrule 
 for good. 
 
 Here is the singular occurrence which took place in April of this 
 
5 
 
 year. It was in Roccapietra, a town of 900 inhabitants, about four 
 kilometers from Varallo. No place was so hostile to the Gospel as 
 this. An old Christian Brother hacl long labored for the conversion 
 of the town, but it seemed labor in vain. At last an excellent father 
 of a family was brought to Christ, and our hopes revived. But he too 
 found it seemingly impossible to communicate to others the joy and 
 
 peace which reigned in his own bosom. There was nothing for it 
 
 * 
 
 but to go forward in faith, praying that the seed might at no distant 
 day be blessed. And this is the expectation which has now, thank 
 God, been crowned with success. 
 
 But how did it all come about, you ask, Dear Christian Friends ; 
 what was the special occasion for the manifestation of God’s converting- 
 grace ? Well, it appears that although we were not greatly encouraged, 
 there were others who were greatly discouraged. The Bishop and 
 higher clergy of Novara had become alarmed at the spread of the 
 # Gospel in the diocese. They resolved to stop it, and for this purpose, 
 they sought to remove all the old clergy, and to substitute them 
 with younger men of greater bounce and pretension. As usual, many 
 districts took no action, while others sent embassies to the Bishop, 
 imploring him to let well alone. Among these was Roccapietra, which 
 was resolved not to lose their good-natured old priest. 
 
 The Bishop, however, remained inflexible, and so the people 
 deserted the Church Services. There was a great ferment, almost 
 revolution, for two months. Arrests and lawsuits and fines were the 
 order of the day. Exasperation reached its height. The wise old 
 men said: ” Where we ought to find charity and Christian teaching, 
 we have found pride and cruelty, and where we looked for justice, 
 injustice L Let us become Protestants ! * 
 
 No sooner said than done, for the son of Signor Furlanetto, who 
 was in Rocca that day, was stopped on the highway by several per¬ 
 sons, who said to him: " Tell your father that to-morrow we are all 
 going to Service in your Church.” 
 
 " When I heard this,” said the Evangelist Furlanetto, in the recent 
 general Assembly, " I collected chairs from all quarters and impro¬ 
 vised benches to accommodate as many as possible, and prepared a 
 special discourse for the occasion. 
 
 ” On the Sabbath morning I could see, from the window, a mul¬ 
 titude of people coming along the road, like an army. I was moved 
 to tears, and prayed the Lord to give me utterance and unction, that 
 I might touch these hearts. I knew they w r ere drawn to me, through 
 dislike of their Bishop, and I longed that they might find that good 
 part, which should never be taken away from them. 
 
— G 
 
 ” The place of worship and the two stairs were crowded to suf¬ 
 focation, and the surrounding streets and fields presented a novel 
 but comforting spectacle.” And an eye witness testifies, that there 
 was no confusion. The behaviour of the people was admirable. 
 Though humble, they evinced the most delicate respect and the most 
 sincere devotion. They listened silently, fixedly, sympathically, and 
 lost neither a word nor a gesture of the Preacher. Those who were 
 able to hear were delighted, and said they never dreamt of taking part 
 in such a serious and edifying Service, and that the priests were in¬ 
 capable of convincing and moving the people, as the Protestant Min¬ 
 ister did. 
 
 " For three weeks these good people attended our Service with 
 increasing interest,” continues Furlanetto. "Yet all this time most 
 earnest entreaties were made to me, that I should go and preach in 
 their own town. With great joy I accepted, but the difficult problei^ 
 was how to find a place of worship for so many people. At last a 
 Christian Friend gave us the inner court of his house, and at the last 
 hour an even more central and capacious place was offered and accepted. 
 
 ” But how about the furniture? We had to make a virtue of ne¬ 
 cessity, and as soon as the Sabbath morning Service at Yarallo was 
 finished, the chairs and table and Bible were transferred in a wagon 
 to Roccapietra, to be brought back to Yarallo at night! 
 
 ” My first Service was on Pentecost, and such was the crowd and 
 the heat, that a man fainted and had to be carried out. Signor Silva 
 came to us from Milan on Corpus Domini, and preached morning and 
 evening with great power. In demonstration of sympathy, the people 
 came with two bands of music and played under the windows of our 
 Hotel. Secretary Fera visited us later on, and preached to a crowded 
 and earnest throng, and so far as I can learn, the whole city is in 
 full accord with us, and I feel sure that the mass of the population 
 will never leave us. 
 
 ” In the meantime the labor became extremely fatiguing. Yarallo , 
 Civiasco and Roccapietra were three names which, even in my sleep, 
 I never forgot. On Sabbaths I had not even time to eat. The urgencjJ 
 of a helper was evident, and so the Committee sent me one of our 
 Students, Signor Francesco Prisinzano, during his holidays, and we 
 have worked together in thorough harmony and with great joy, over 
 the manifest breath of God’s Spirit on the people. 
 
 ” Of course, the Bishop of Novara was very far from quietly 
 accepting the loss of so many people. From his band of priests he 
 chose a young man, full of talent and fighting energy, who heaped 
 opprobrious epithets upon us in the hotels and streets, and insulted 
 
7 
 
 men, women and children, believing that this was the most effective 
 means for gathering in the sheep again to the fold. 
 
 ” The result was that he celebrated mass in the presence of three 
 women and one old man, who were unaware of what was going on. 
 
 ” What a disillusion for a man who thought by a few words to 
 recal to its duty a whole Community! It seems incredible, and yet 
 this is what happened to this vain glorious person, who thought to 
 drive us forth discomfited from the town. God showed him that a 
 man can do nothing successfully against the Truth of Christ, for while 
 he was obliged to ask to be transferred to another parish, for want 
 of parishioners, our " upper chamber ” remains crowded with hearers, 
 the greater part of whom are already sincere converts through the 
 preaching of the Gospel. 
 
 ” The Parish Church still remains empty, so that one night some 
 ^wag wrote in cubital letters on its walls, " Magazine to sell or let: 
 for information apply to the Bishop of Novara.” 
 
 ” On our side the Work is carried on earnestly and yields us the 
 greatest comfort. We feel that we are but fellow laborers with 
 God, who has begun this movement, and it is to Him alone we look 
 for grace and strength to develop it more and more, until it results in 
 a flourishing Church of believers, in these days of general incredulity 
 and priestly arrogance. 
 
 ” Before showing the immediate influence of this movement on the 
 other Comunes in the glen, let me quote the testimony of Signor Pri- 
 sinzano after two month’s experience : " Those who have enrolled 
 their names,” he says, " give evidences of conversion, courage and 
 disinterestedness. One could write a volume, if one wished to note 
 all the manifestations of joy, enthusiasm and faith, as we go from 
 house to house, among these dear people. 
 
 ” We are forced to exclaim: " Here is a genuine conversion, and 
 there is another.” They speak with their hearts in their mouths. 
 They talk about Jesus as if they had kpown and followed Him for 
 years. They testify of their restoration to religious feeling, with a 
 ^'race and sincerity which bring tears to our eyes. 
 
 ” They make such solemn vows for the future of their lives, that 
 one can hardly doubt their veracity. 
 
 ” In short, it is a great consolation to see a majority of these 
 people, who have hitherto lived in the grossest religious superstition, 
 accepting jubilantly the Gospel, expressing their satisfaction with the 
 step they have taken, and bidding an eternal Adieu to the past. 
 " Even though our old parish priest were to return,” they say, "we 
 would never abandon the Gospel.” 
 
8 — 
 
 ” The Pretor of Varallo , strolling with a friend, met a*young Rocca 
 girl of his acquaintance, and jokingly said to her: " Well, have you 
 Rocca people really decided in your hearts to become Protestants? ” 
 To which she resolutely answered: " Protestants or not, we have 
 decided to follow Jesus Christ, and to abandon for ever the mummeries 
 of the priest.” 
 
 ” Another young woman silenced two tempting, curious enquirers, 
 by replying: " Come with us. Hear but once the exposition of the 
 Word of God, and I assure you that you will remain with us. Even on 
 the absurd supposition that we are going wrong, you will go with us.” 
 These strong and spirited words, the expression of so thorough a 
 conviction, so wrought upon her tempters, that they promised to go 
 to the Gospel Church, and they kept their word. 
 
 ” The Gospel hymns are being chanted all round about us in rustic 
 melody. Young people are seen reading the New Testament on the pub-^ 
 lie road, and all of them feel the need of speaking to us, and offering 
 something, and they long for the day when they can build a Church 
 of their own, which it is calculated would not cost more than £ 150 
 Sterling, the people carting the materials and giving their labor.” 
 
 And now to resume, in the language of Signor Furlanetto : " Such 
 an occurrence as this turning of Roccapietra away from the Church 
 of Rome to The Gospel, could not fail to excite curiosity up and down 
 Valsesia, not only as to the reasons of the difference between the 
 ecclesiastical authorities and the entire population, which now de¬ 
 lightedly listens to the preaching of Christ and Him crucified, but also as 
 to becoming acquainted with the Evangelicals and their doctrines. In 
 point of fact, we have lately noticed large numbers of persons from 
 all parts of this wide and populous region, coming to our Churches, 
 in order to study more closely who we are, and what we believe and 
 what we aim at. Those with whom we converse, express themselves 
 as greatly pleased with what they have seen and heard. Roccapietra, 
 in short, has been the means in God’s hand, of awakening the religious 
 sentiment among the neighbouring Comunes, and now everybody 
 wishes to hear us in their own homes. 
 
 ” As it was impossible for us to satisfy all of them, we have limited 
 ourselves to the more central places, such as Folecchio di Rossa, 
 where we have established the good Work and where the Word of 
 God has had free course. 
 
 ” Here is how we were led of God to set up our tent in Folecchio 
 di Rossa. A woman of Giviasco, some time ago brought to Christ, 
 went to live in this town of 700 inhabitants, ensconced on a preci¬ 
 pitous cliff, so that, seen from below, it looks like a nest for birds! 
 
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 ” This good woman felt the need of telling to others, in her new 
 
 abode, the precious truths, which the Lord had taught her. Other 
 « 
 
 women were not slow to observe how happy she was, as she said 
 to them : " Poor though you see me, in this humble position, I am 
 the richest woman in the world,” and then spoke to them of Christ, 
 and His priceless Gospel, and went about singing hymns on the 
 highway. 
 
 ” Very soon her hearers were anxious to hear for themselves the 
 preaching of the everlasting Gospel. One lovely Sabbath day I saw 
 them coming into Church and listening with great interest, to the 
 glad tidings of Salvation. 
 
 ” They became truly moved and convinced, that there was no 
 other way of truth and righteousness but in Christ, and in what the 
 Apostles had written concerning Him, and exclaimed: " Now we 
 ^are Evangelicals! ” 
 
 ” At least three times they came down to Varallo and Roccapietfa , 
 and each time they returned so happy and pleased with what the 
 Lord was working in their hearts. 
 
 ” At last they invited us to visit them, and with gladness Prisin- 
 zano and I accepted. We thought it was only a private visit we 
 were making, but, to our great surprise, after warming ourselves at 
 a good fire, and partaking of the simple meal they had prepared for 
 us, we found that another part of the house had been put in order 
 for a Gospel Service. There were plenty of chairs for the worship¬ 
 pers, and a table covered with a cloth, and a reading desk bearing 
 a large Bible and a splendid bouquet of deliciously perfumed mountain 
 flowers! 
 
 ” Better still, we learned that the whole town was anxiously wait¬ 
 ing to hear us. At 2 o’clock the large Hall was crowded with men 
 and women, and with our hearts full of holy enthusiasm, we spoke, 
 as the Lord gives grace to speak on such unexpected occasions, and 
 they were all persuaded, that we had not uttered the fancies of our 
 own minds, but the holy verities of the Son of God. 
 
 % ” At the close of the Service, we were surrounded by our joyous 
 
 hearers, and made formally to promise that we should return at least 
 every Wednesday. You may imagine how pleased we were to make 
 such a promise. And we found that nothing else was spoken of during 
 the whole week, in that place and in many surrounding hamlets, but 
 the preachers and their preaching: the truth in Jesus Christ. 
 
 ” On my next visit,” continues Signor Furlanetto, " another grateful 
 surprise awaited me. These women had ascertained that many would 
 ascend the hill, to the Meeting, from the large township of Balmuccia, 
 
10 - 
 
 and so they had secured a larger Hall, and had a quantity of benches 
 arranged instead of chairs, with lights and flowers in profusion. At 
 the hour fixed, the place was crowded, and I was listened to, for a 
 whole hour, with the most earnest attention. The greatest sympathy 
 was again shown, and renewed entreaties made for the continuance 
 of the good Work. 
 
 ” From that day we have not failed to go, on a single occasion, and 
 are able to say that the Work is assured, for there are already many 
 genuine conversions. 
 
 " As if this were not enough employment for two Christian laborers, 
 another town, in the providence of God, has pleaded with us to go 
 also to them and establish a Service in their midst. That town is Bal- 
 muccia, with 600 inhabitants. Near by there is another Sanctuary, 
 called after the Madonna dei Binelli. The Balmuccia, people still come 
 to the Services at Folecchio di Rossa, but they have already gathered 
 enough money to secure a place of worship and to furnish it suitably.” 
 
 Signor Furlanetto further mentions a circumstance, which enables 
 one to judge of the great progress of the Gospel in these districts. 
 The priests of Yarallo, owing to the wet and stormy weather of last 
 summer, organised a pilgrimage to the miraculous Crucifix of Bocca. 
 
 " I forget,” he says, " whether it perspires blood or water, but some¬ 
 thing of that sort it is said to do.” Going from door to door, they asked 
 the support of the people. A certain woman received them cour¬ 
 teously, but said: " I am sorry not to be able to acquiesce in your 
 request at this time. Come on Monday, and I will give you a definite 
 answer.” Naturally they wished to know the reason of her reserve. 
 And what do you think she had the courage to say in reply? " It 
 is now a long time that I have desired, for better or for worse, to 
 hear the Evangelicals preach. I now feel constrained to carry out 
 my wish, and I purpose doing so on Sunday next.” 
 
 The priests were astonished and spoke angry and threatening 
 words, but nothing moved the woman from her decision. On the 
 following Lord’s Day, therefore, she heard Signor Prisinzano preach, 
 and to my wife and to several of the brethren she said: " This is^ 
 precisely what I was seeking for. Now I believe! ” After dinner 
 she came to Rocca, and heard me preach, and said to us all: "I will 
 never turn away my heels from the Evangelical Church! ” She is 
 now firmly convinced that Christ is her Saviour, and glories in no¬ 
 thing, save in bearing testimony to the faith which she has reposed 
 in Him.” 
 
 And now, Dear Christian Friends, let me close by saying, that the 
 future of this movement in Valsesia surely promises well, if we had 
 
— li¬ 
 
 the means at our disposal, to send at least other two or three preach¬ 
 ers, to all the different towns that are longing to hear the Gospel, 
 such as Serpello and Morondo , and which are already in cordial re¬ 
 lationship with us. 
 
 We, therefore, earnestly ask every one who reads these tidings, 
 to help us by their prayers and sympathies and urgently needed 
 gifts, to press forward this great Work which the Lord has given 
 us to do. 
 
 We render all praise to God for granting us this gracious revival, 
 and look alone to Him, for all the strength and courage and zeal 
 necessary for the ingathering of souls into His blessed Kingdom. 
 
 With kindest regards, 
 
 Yours very sincerely, 
 
 S A VERIO FERA. 
 
 + 
 
 PS. — In our next letter, we shall speak of the movement in 
 the Yalsoana and Carrara districts, and in a third, of the same Work 
 in the Puglie and Sicilian regions. 
 
 Latest News. — As we go to press, we learn that a place of worship 
 has been rented at Balmuccia, where the majority of the inhabitants 
 are making ready enthusiastically to inaugurate the Service. 
 
 Also that the entire liberal party of Cellio has invited our Evan¬ 
 gelists, and that they have fixed to go, on 8th December, to preach 
 the Gospel to that people. We ask earnest prayers for a blessing. 
 
 » 
 
Contributions for the Evangelical Church of Italy in this crisis 
 will be thankfully received by the following Gentlemen. 
 
 London, Messrs. Barclay and Co., 54, Lombard Street. 
 
 » Rev. George H. Giddins, Memorial Hall, Farringdon 
 St., E. C., London. % 
 
 Edinburgh, Messrs. Kinmont and Maxwell, W. S., 57, Hanover St., 
 
 Treasurers of Edinburgh Committee. 
 
 Glasgow, Wm. Martin, Esq., 341, St. Vincent St., 
 
 Treasurer of Glasgow Committee, 
 
 Belfast, Sam. 1 Mac Bride, Esq., Westbourne, 
 
 Windsor avenue. 
 
 New York, John J. Tower, Esq., 340, Clinton St., Brooklyn, 
 
 Treasurer of American Committee. 
 
 Florence, Rev. Dr. John R. Mac Dougall, 
 
 Chiesa Scozzese, 11, Lung’Arno Guicciardini.