The Work in France

Dearest -----, - As to me and my work, I have, the Lord be thanked, been blessed in it hitherto. At St. Hippolyte, where it was at a stand in a measure, though the Lord had a people, and there were souls waiting as it were for the fire to be put, there has been an evident working of the Spirit of God, and that in the hearts as it would seem of the most obdurate. At the Vigau, where I spent some days, I was happy with the brethren. At Montpellier the Lord is working, but things will hardly rest as they are; some will go on, and some I should suppose go back (though I trust I may be mistaken), when a certain quantity of light is sure to call for a certain quantity of self-denial. The work is not altogether in the position I should desire it; perhaps I want faith, but there is much that is interesting and souls desirous. The heat has become excessive. It is generally so in July and August, but this year in May it is, as their meetings are in small rooms, become difficult. I suppose I must go to Switzerland, but my thought of work as when I left, is here....
The great difficulty is the desire of Free Churches and Evangelical Alliances to save trouble and conscience. ------ declares there are profound evils in the National Church, but they wait for some violent blow which will trouble all their consciences, and they will go out together. By this means it is sought to retain them within the circle of the Establishment; but for plain consciences, under the power of the Spirit of God, this will not do....
We have great need of laborers; may the Lord of the harvest raise them up, for indeed the harvest is great, and the fields whiten for it. It ought to be a subject of our prayers, that God raise up real laborers, such as He loves and can use. It is the great need here; why should we not know how to present our needs before Him, whose glory and work all this is? this is our folly. Dear G., I shall feel his loss, for he loved Jesus much, and I loved him, but I am not surprised at his death nor his joy. It remains for us to work yet while it is called day. It is our glory also.
I have undertaken again a Synopsis of the Books of Scripture, and written in French on Genesis, Exodus, and half Leviticus - some 70 pages or so already. It runs longer than I thought, and will after all be very imperfect. I fear souls may content themselves with it, instead of using it as a help to read the blessed word with. I feel almost afraid in presence of the task I have begun, though it be full of interest and instruction in doing it, but not to give the aim right, which would be very sad. I feel my responsibility much, though we may have pleasure in the study.
Kindest love to all the dear brethren, both in London and at Plymouth, when you see them. The Lord has care over these dear brethren; that He holds them under His hand is no sign that He does not love them; whatever of the energy of the flesh there might have been in separation, as often there is, is thus subdued and chastened. I have not at all got estranged from England; the work in the south of France however claims attention.... I wait only the Lord's will, but it is an important moment for Nismes and Montpellier and all the Gard, but requires to set to work in the sense that there is work to be done, and that the Lord gives something whereby to help them. Peace and blessing be with you, dear brother.
Your affectionate.
Montpellier,
June 1st, 1847.
The Work in France
Here there is blessing. I write from a small mountain town, where I have met with the workmen of some ten departments to study the scriptures together, and the Lord has been very gracious to us, and even a good many of the townspeople have come to hear the gospel, though the reproach is excessive. In the country round there are some six hundred brethren, and the work still continues. Further south the work goes on, and all are sensible that though men are slow and there is nothing very extraordinary to attract attention, the Spirit of God is at work through grace, and souls are constantly brought to God, numerous new villages and towns open, and the saints comforted, and in general walking in peace and godliness. It is certainly - though, as I said, there is nothing very outwardly remarkable - a time of blessing, and He has raised up one or two new workmen.
I am off for a five hours' walk up the mountains, to speak (D. V.) to-morrow, Lord's day, at another center of the work on the skirts of Ardeche and Haute-Loire.
Yours affectionately.
Vernoux,
March 17th, 1849.
The Work in France
I have been rather wondering not to have a line from you, and some account of all the beloved brethren in Canada.... I should like to know everything about all of them in as much detail as possible. I feel knit up with Canada in a way almost strange for beginning it at my age, though indeed the kindness I received, as you know in it, warranted the feeling. But I think it was partly that as it was really a matter of faith for me crossing the ocean, the Lord blessed it in my fellowship with them. But whatever the secondary cause, I have felt specially the blessing of interest in and communion with them. I should be quite disposed, were I younger, to begin in the United States, too, but then it would require patient and arduous service; that I see.... I have been in Switzer-. land, where I was comforted, though sorrow in the church carried me there. After all, I never had such good meetings.
Everywhere I think the Spirit of God is at work, making men feel that Christianity ought to be something more real. But infidelity and denial of inspiration spread in an astonishing way, but I find in the Lord one is always happy. Did I look, as I once did, even unconsciously to anything here, I should be dismayed and overwhelmed; but I do feel the heavenward path and my home there every day more simply mine. I am here for one of the translations, which a good deal made me leave Canada when I did. The German I have not yet set to work at.
There is a good deal of conversion going on in France, particularly in the Ardeche and the Doubs, but also in the Pyrenees, and a new field in Vaucluse. In the west also there is blessing, which is a new field of work. And the Lord has raised up some laborers. In Switzerland they are lacking, and the lack is felt. But God is wise in all things, even where we feel loss, though it be to our shame.... I think (D.V.) of returning for a while. I am going (D.V.) to England for a short time, inconveniently to me, but the beloved brethren in the north are free Easter week, and have a conference [Bradford, March 25th], and have begged me to be at it, so I would not put them off. I shall have to return here. We are just going to have a little local conference, that is, three days of reading here. The letter of one invited tells us of an excellent evangelist of the free church who is delivered, and of the interesting progress of the work in the west (Charente).... In Germany there is widely extending work.
I hope still to get out again to America; but the Lord will guide. Work is plenty here. But if I go, though longing to see them all, and surely hoping thus to do so, I should think a little of the States, as I have some doors open in one or two places. But all this is in our blessed Lord and Master's hand. For my part, my journey to America has done me a great deal of good. I feel more than ever to belong to the Lord, and myself and the church not to be of this world, and look upward. The very infidelity current has helped me too, for all things help those who are with the Lord.
I really do not know brethren to whom I have become more attached than those in Canada, and good reason, from all their kindness. My affectionate remembrance to all you may see in your going about. We have had a Canadian winter everywhere, even in Italy, skating at Florence, and weeks of hard frost in Switzerland, and even in the south of France such weather as I never knew there.
Peace be with you, beloved brother, and the Lord's blessing on your work, with kindest remembrance.
Affectionately yours.
Pau,
March 3rd, 1864.