OPENING OF THE EBENEZER MEETING HOUSE OF THE
LATTER-DAY SAINTS, IN ST. SERVAN, FRANCE, ON THE
23RD OF SEPTEMBER, 1849.
From Zion's
Trumpet, page 216-217
DEAR BROTHERS, Wm. Phillips, John Davis, my
compatriots, and all the Saints, : You will no doubt be pleased to hear that I have
opened a convenient place in the town of St. Servan
to preach the eternal gospel in the fulness (sic) of
its blessings, the power of God unto salvation to all who believe on it and
obey its convenants (sic), in the midst of the French,
the Bretons and the English who dwell in this place.
This is a testimony to all the
Saints that prayers are heard by the One who said, "Seek, &c." The congregation was not numerous in the
morning, but in the evening the sight was heavenly and I was rejoicing. None of the sectarian priests were present to
display their college learning, but there was there a small Mormon from Wales,
with a testimony in his heart that the Spirit of God had given to him some very
good "ensignement" teaching concerning "les premiers principes du christianisme." I had neither a brother nor a Jack (the title
the Welsh reverends have given to hundreds of handsome young men who have
stronger character in the sight of God than the men who love their own selves,
who are lovers of money, boastful, vain, &c.), to begin the meeting before
the preacher, rather he did that himself with beauty, and I can say without
hypocrisy,
"The Pentecost : turned
away fear, The
Spirit of God came to begin the meeting;"
for he
received the assistance of God to pray and preach.
At half past ten in the morning, "Mr. False
Prophet, viz. Antichrist" (namely the title which I received from the clergymen, viz. the Reverends of this
place), preached from Matthew xxiv, 24, "Et cet evangile du royaume sera preche par tout la terre
habitable, en temoignage a toutes
les nations, et alors viendra
la fin." We had a good and attentive
hearing, and all joined with me singing "Praise God, from whom all blessings
flow," &c. The evening meeting, at
six, was begun with reading and praying.
We did not have a choir of singers to entertain the congregation; but
the congregation joined with me to sing "Guide us, O thou great Jehovah, Saints
unto the promised land," &c. A sermon was delivered concerning the
spiritual part of the heavenly kingdom.
At the end of the meeting a person by the name of Mr.Hall,
Episcopalian, spent half an hour with me; and as he left, he took hold of my
hand happily like an old Welshman, and testified that he would visit me again.
One of the rich
men in St. Malo has given his name to me to go with
the first company to Zion! A gentle lady testified in this place also
that she would like to see Zion :
"The city of Zion on the sides of
the north." A gentle lady was baptized
on the 30th of September,
1849, at two in the afternoon.
His satanic
majesty has become greatly enraged because I opened a place to preach. He is threatening through his religious
servants, to put me in the black hole. One of his servants, connected with the
Brewery, is commanding all his workers "to remember not to go to the meeting of
the Latter-day Saints, for such will be forbidden to put their feet within the
confines of the company property
afterwards." I could not determine from
the above, if the English Protestants were as strict in their commandments and
as careful to oppose the success of the cause of Jesus; it must be that the
Catholic Priests who walk the streets in ranks, are careful to do their part
for themselves, but "he that sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision. My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my
pleasure, says God." Amen.
All
yours in the Lord,
Wm. HOWELLS.
