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The French Mission

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Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 7, 1859

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 13, No. 20.

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The French Mission.

By D. T. Bourdeau

Bro. Smith: For three weeks past it has been my happy lot to labor with our dear brother Lawrence; and it may be proper for me to write you further about our mission.
The 9th inst. we gave a discourse to the French Methodists in Dickinson; and at the close of our meeting they unanimously invited us to give them another lecture the next Sunday. We gladly accepted their invitation, and according to their request, we met with them the 13th inst., and spoke with good freedom on the subject of truth. Our congregation was quite large and attentive, and manifested a good spirit. Here we came in contact with Eld. Le Clair, who exerted his influence against us, and with whom we had the following conversation:
Eld. L. I believe you are sincere; but you have not the truth, and the subjects you treat have a tendency to divide the church.
Ans. Is it only error that divides the professed people of God? Is it not a fact that truth divides or sifts the church, and draws a line between whole-hearted christians and those who only have a form of godliness? If so, we certainly should not be hasty in condemning those who differ from us; we should ever ask ourselves the question, Have they got the truth?
Eld. L. We are united, and the Lord blesses us. You believe the Lord's coming is right upon us; you should therefore preach to the wicked, and not to us.
Ans. We do not doubt but what the Lord has blessed you, and blesses you still; but should this prevent us from preaching you the truth? I appeal to your reason. I appeal to John Wesley, who was a man of God, and whom you consider as the founder of Methodism. What course did he take when the Lord gave him light on the doctrine of sanctification, which was so well calculated to awaken and stir up the lukewarm church with which he was associated? Was he silent? No. Did he preach this truth only to the wicked? No. He preached it to those who could be benefitted by it; he preached it to his brethren. Now don't condemn us for imitating Mr. Wesley. Be consistent when we present to our brethren the stirring truths of these last days.
We have no need to say that this interview was more agreeable to us than the one we had with Eld. L., among the French in Constable. We saw that Eld. L. was sincere, but laboring under wrong impressions in regard to those who are preparing for the coming of Christ; and we left Dickinson with the ardent desire that Eld. L. and all the honest whom he is called to teach, might understand that we are not false prophets, but lovers of truth.
Sabbath the 19th, we met with the little company of Sabbath-keepers in Constable, and were encouraged in seeing them disposed to persevere in the way of life. They begin to realize that it is through many afflictions that they must enter into the kingdom of heaven.
A certain Frenchman who embraced the truth in Constable about a fortnight ago, and who had been accustomed to use tobacco for years, on seeing the straitness of the way, resolved to give up using the filthy weed. We remarked that he needed courage to carry out his resolution. He replied, "A man can overcome this habit; and the Lord is willing to help those who are striving to deny themselves." And he added, "When I was a Catholic, I used to be in the habit of profaning God's holy name; but as soon as I saw the light, I decided to no more take the name of the Lord in vain; and before I was aware of it, I found myself freed from the temptation of swearing. Now the Lord can enable me to leave off using tobacco." He was consistent. He laid aside his pipe and tobacco, and the last time we saw him, he said that he was no more tempted to use the filthy weed, than he was to profane the name of the Lord. Thus we see that where there is a will there is a way; and those who truly desire to glorify God with their bodies and spirits which are his, can overcome all their evil inclinations, and the works and lusts of the flesh. We learned that most of the French Protestants of Constable were much agitated on the subject of the Sabbath, and were surprised to see that no scripture testimony could be produced in favor of Sunday-keeping.
The 20th we gave three lectures in English in the town house of Constable to quite a number of candid hearers, and sold a few English tracts. It had been noised abroad among the Americans that we were abusing and deceiving the poor Canadians; and we thought that God would be glorified if we should deliver a few discourses to our American friends. We gave in all six lectures on present truth in the town-house, and providentially met with honest individuals whom we had known in Vermont, and who gladly received us, requesting us to teach them the truth. We also held meetings in Bangor and Westville, where we found some who had ears to hear, and seemed to relish the truth.
The more we labor in this good cause, the more we are convinced that the message will soon go with a loud cry; and while we come in contact with such as are willing to receive the truth and live it out, we tremble for ourselves, and for those who are not disposed to arise with the message, but are as though they could be saved without working for the salvation of others. Brethren, let us bestir ourselves, and see that no man take our crown.
D. T. Bourdeau.
Mooers, N. Y., March, 1859