IT is interesting to a Christian to notice the easy way in which the Lord can give opportunities for service, as well as the small links in the chain of circumstances by which He can bring about the conversion of a soul. To elucidate this I will give more particulars of the case of conversion briefly alluded to in this magazine last September.
About nine months ago my wife and I were holding a Gospel service, with magic lantern views, in a little hamlet near Chasseneuil, when two strangers from a neighboring village came in. They were so interested with what they heard that they said, “Cannot you come and hold a similar meeting in our village?” As I always like to see in such invitations a call, not from man but from the Master, and to obey His call without delay or hesitation, I replied, "Certainly; if you can find the room, we will come the day after tomorrow.”
They promised to do this, and to make known the meeting to all the inhabitants. We therefore went over on the day appointed, and after securing a humble lodging for the night, and sending to the Maire the notice required by French law, we went to the room that had been engaged, which was speedily crowded with an eager and most sympathetic audience.
They seemed so desirous to hear the Gospel, and bought testaments and hymn books so readily, that we promised to return the following week.
In this way we went on for some weeks, and at last began to make the acquaintance of several. Amongst others we were specially interested in a young man, L. P., who related to us a little of his history.
As a boy his family had intended that he should become a Romish priest, and for that purpose put him under the care of the village curs, who took him into his house to educate. But what he saw there, during three or four years, of the daily life of this priest and his colleagues, instead of attracting him, so shocked his natural sense of right and wrong that he felt he never could force himself into such a life. He therefore left the priest's house, thoroughly disgusted with religion as it had been presented to him, and took work in a factory. Our service in the village was the first time that he had heard the Gospel, and he told us that at the very first meeting a deep impression had been made in his soul.
We read and prayed with him, and urged him then and there to accept the offer of salvation in Christ Jesus, which he seemed to do as far as he had light. After that he used to walk over on Sundays from time to time to have reading and prayer with us, or to attend service. But after a time his visits stopped, and on looking him up he confessed, with Much regret, that he had got led away by evil companions into wrong ways. We pointed him afresh to Christ, who can restore the weak and wandering ones, and encouraged him to make a fresh grasp of the Savior, which, I think, he did. At the same time we asked praying friends in England to intercede for the work in this village, and especially for this young man, L. P., surrounded as he was by so much to tempt him and drag him back. Some warm-hearted Christian men belonging to the Postmen's Association in Ramsgate responded to our appeal, and have been lovingly bearing up this young brother by their fervent prayers; and I have now the pleasure of saying that the work which we began in such a humble way in this village has, at my request, been permanently taken up by our good and active friend the pastor of Chasseneuil, who has built a small hall in the place, and holds regular services there every week. L. P. is apparently pressing on, and I believe that many of his companions are more or less impressed. All this in a purely Catholic locality, where the Gospel was unknown till we went there, nine months ago, is a matter of much thankfulness.
Since then my wife and I have moved into a village right in the heart of a vast un-evangelized district, having secured the aid of a devoted and experienced evangelist and his wife to help us, and we have already had the joy of seeing several turning to the Lord.
A remarkable point about our settling here is that we were not the first to think of it; but after having held two or three lantern services here, as we had done in other places round Chasseneuil, some of the inhabitants themselves (who, of course, are all Catholics) said to us, "We should like regular teaching on these subjects. Cannot you come and live in our midst?" The proposal at first seemed unreasonable, as vacant houses are seldom to be found in villages of this kind; and, therefore, we were all the more surprised when a well-to-do farmer told us that his own house was much larger than he required, and that he would gladly put half of it at our disposal, one of the rooms being sufficiently spacious for meetings. We were still undecided, when we were still further surprised by the landlord of our house at Chasseneuil saying that he had changed his mind, and could not renew our lease of that house as he had promised; and as there was no other suitable house to be had there, the leading of God seemed clear that we should make the move to this place, Lapéruse.
To a peculiar extent the promise of Matt. 10:4040He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. (Matthew 10:40), "He that receiveth you receiveth Me," appears to have been fulfilled, as special blessing has rested on the household. The farmer himself is deeply impressed; his Wife, who, like most educated women in France, was brought up in a convent, has fully turned to the Lord, so far as we can judge; so has a brother, who was staying in the house, as well as the maid-servant, and a respectable laborer who works on the premises. The matter has not rested here, for the farmer having relatives in other villages who are in positions of influence, two of them, who are Maires in their respective villages, have made arrangements for our holding Gospel services there, and have offered us permanent permission to that effect, a privilege that we have not as yet been able to obtain in this place.
My article in FAITHFUL WORDS of last September has also borne fruit, by meeting the eye of an English lady much experienced in Gospel work in France, and specially musical. She has been led to join us, and promises to be a great acquisition to our work.
My interest in converted priests remains unabated. I have at last succeeded in getting a godly pastor to take as evangelist the priest who came last to stay with me, on the condition, however, of my paying half his salary myself, which is rather a drain on my purse. I had hoped that this priest would get more thorough training in this way, under a French pastor of special experience and gift, than if he were with me; but I am sorry to say that though my friend considers the priest himself to be truly converted, and really gifted for evangelistic work, yet he thinks that the wife is not of the same spirit, but is so worldly and dressy that he fears putting them into any important post. I am therefore afraid that I, or the friends of the Mission, will have this ex-priest on our hands after some months' time, with little possibility of finding a suitable post for him. I would therefore ask any readers who have power in prayer earnestly to pray that the wife may be converted, and that thus the priest himself may continue in his post as evangelist, and also that some may come forward to help in his salary.
Lapéruse, Chabanais, W. F. HATHAWAY. Charente, France.