March 1926
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
136
Free Yet Bound When taken ill, he was allowed to rent a house in the town and stay there under guard. His father came from Cumana to care for him and he received many visitors, but absolutely refused to see any priest or bishop. The bishop who had written him urg ing that the Protestants on the island be done away with, came to see him, but in spite of his father’s pleas, the priest refused to see him. Soon after this he was at liberty and accepted an invitation to Bpend a few weeks in a private home near Carupano, on the mainland. Just one year before the burning of the Chapel on Margarita, the Orinoco River Mission had been established, with headquarters in Caru pano and Rev. Van V. Biddings as Gen eral Director. Fernandez was expect ing to rest while in San Jose and con sider the steps necessary for leaving the priesthood. However, he was urged to serve the people as priest and did so, though he continued reading the Bible and renounced all his titles, even visiting his parents, informing them that he was going to take off his robes. Three times the priest visited Mr. Eddings at Carupano and was dealt with simply as a sinner, needing a Saviour. One afternoon, Mr. Fer nandez walked out of his house with out his robes. Soon this was known all over the cquntry. After this he visited the mission at Carupano more frequently, even testifying in the Pro testant pulpit that he had left the church of Rome because of its corrupt ness and was looking for the way of salvation. He was not converted at this time, but God was speaking to him. ■ , Seeking in, the Darkness Then followed a year of unrest, sor row and sinful living. Upon refusing to return to the priesthood, he was excommunicated from the church of Rome and banished from the state of Sucre for one year. He went to a dis tant town, rented a little house, fur nished with three empty boxes, a na tive hammock and a Bible and began to practice law, living meanwhile illeg ally with a young girl whom he could not marry because of the law forbid ding a priest to marry. The poor young girl died there and soon after ward Fernandez was allowed t'o return home, where he stayed 'fo r some months. During this time his parents never gave up hope of getting him back into the priesthood. Aocepting an opportunity to go to Trinidad, he found employment in a large depart ment store, living meanwhile a very (Continued on page 160)
church i there, and near the Gospel Chapel. Priest Vasquez,'vicar of the island and priest of "The Virgin of the Valley of the Holy Spirit” (probably the best paying position In Venezuela) was made treasurer of the enterprise. .One week the priest sent to the treas urer for money to pay the men but the vicar claimed he had no money left In the treasury. Fernandez knew this could hot be true, so gave each work man an order on the vicar for the amount due him. These orders were not honored and after much corres pondence between the priests and the bishop, the matter was dropped, Fer nandez deciding that it was simply a personal grudge of tEe" vicar- and had no difficulty in keeping faith in the Church at this time. After the receipt of another letter from the bishop tell ing Fernandez that it was "now time to do away with Protestantism on Mar garita,” the priest made plans to carry out bis instructions literally if possible. Consequently, on the fourth of July, 1921, aided by a company of people who had come from the adjoining country to hear more about the errors of the Gospel, he literally wrecked the little Gospel chapel with clubs, picks, bars, etc., then set fire to it, using every hymn book and Bible on the place. The little company of Chris tians fled to the hills where they spent the night. The next 'morning when Fernandez went to view the wreckage he found a woman with the large pul pit Bible which had escaped the flames because of its heavy covers. She, was just starting to burn it, but he stopped her, saying that he wished to keep it '■sfe a remembrance of the occasion, and took it home, carelessly throwing it on the table where he* kept his writing materials. In Prison Much to the surprise and chagrin of the young fanatic, about ten o’clock that morning special police came down from Asuncion to take him to Jail. The people protested and would have mobbed thef police for taking the “ pad- recito” to jail, but Fernandez quieted them with a word, and accompanied by eight men who volunteered to share his bonds started on the long, hot walk to Asuncion. When they were quar tered in the jail, Fernandez realized that his stay might be prolonged so sent for the books on his table with the paper and ink. When the books came, with them was the pulpit Bible from the little Gospel Chapel. He threw it into the corner and there it lay for two days. He called two lawyers to work on his case, but had no funds to pay them, jBo sent them to the Vicar
Ellautr Fernandas Former Priest Now with Orinoco River Mission
Vasquez, who again refused him any funds. That afternoon, Fernandez sighted the Bible and began out of curiosity to read it. Inside was a tract with a'list of Roman customs and prac tices, opposite each the Bible reference refuting it. After reading and study ing these for a few hours, he again threw the Bible down, but was rather frightened, for he now had his first doubts of the infallibility of bis church. The lawyers returned with the report that the vicar had again refused to help him but that the people of Fer nandez’ parish had paid the $120 necessary to start his defense. This did not make the priest feel any too grateful towards Rome. In this frame of mind he again read the Bible, this time about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Such was the .effect upon his mind that he immediately called to gether the eight men who were his voluntary fellow-prisoners and swore before them that when he got out of jail he would leave the church of Rome, because she had failed to sup port him at this time. The remainder of his six weeks in jail were spent in reading the Bible to the other men and writing twelve articles against the in fallibility of the Pope and other Roman doctrines.
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