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Letter from Heber C Kimball, Wilford Woodruff, and George A. Smith to the editors of the Times and Seasons, reprinted in Times and Seasons, Vol.2, pp.250-252 Manchester, England, Oct., 12, 1840.
E. ROBINSON AND D.C. SMITH,
Dear Brethren:
We left Manchester immediately after the July Conference for the purpose of visiting the city of London. We visited the churches which lay on our route through Stafforshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire; and we had many interesting meetings, baptizing and confirming daily, as we passed along. We baptized forty in one day, many new doors were opening, and all things indicate a short work in England, the last meeting we held among the Saints while on this journey, was in the open air and field, in the town of Leigh Gloucestershire on the 16th Aug., we had an interesting time, we baptized 15 and ordained one Elder and two priests; the two priests came 12 miles to hear, we baptized them the first sermon, and confirmed and ordained them at the same time, and sent them to preach the gospel. We parted with the Saints on the 17th, went to Cheltenham 5 miles and spent the night, there are several Saints in that place which we baptized. On the 18th we took coach and rode forty miles, through a level farming country, something like the Illinois prairies, we passed through Oxfordshire, leaving the Oxford university a little upon our left, this university consists of twenty colleges endowed, five halls not endowed, which is considered the largest and most noted university in the world, we then took the rail road and traveled seventy miles, had a view of the splendid Windsor Castle as we passed along, we landed at the London Great Western railway station at four o’clock P.M., from thence we took coach and rode a few miles into the city, we walked over London bridge and called upon Mr, Allgood, 19 King St. Borough, Mrs. Allgood is sister to Elder T. Turley‘s wife, she treated us kindly, gave us such refreshments as we needed and directed us to lodgings in the neighborhood where we spent the night. After which we immediately commenced our researches through this great Metropolis, for the honest in heart and the meek of the earth; we first commenced by visiting the ministers and preachers of the various orders, and requested the privilege of delivering our message unto the people in their Churches and Chapels, but of course you will not be astonished, when we inform you that they denied us this privilege and rejected our testimony. We next went to and fro through the city of London from day to day endeavoring to get some door open whereby we could warn the people and search out the honest in heart, when on diligent search we found the whole city given to covetousness, (which is idolatry.) priestcraft, tradition, superstition, and all manner of abominations, wickedness and uncleanness, and all doors closed against us, we did not hesitate to stand in the midst of the streets and, Jonah like cry repentance unto the inhabitants of that mighty city The Metropolis of England -- the pride and glory of Britain -- the boast of the Gentiles and the largest commercial in the world -- containing one million five hundred thousands souls who are ripening in iniquity and preparing for the wrath of God; and like the ox going to the slaughter, know not the day of their visitation. p.251
We shall long remember standing together in the midst of that people and bearing a message which will prove a savior of life unto life, or of death unto death, not only unto them, but unto all they unto whom the sound of the everlasting gospel shall come, even unto the whole world; and the judgment of the great day shall manifest the truth of it unto all nations. -- And it will ever sweeten the memory of that eventful period of our lives, to know that our labors on that occasion, were not in vain; but we were enabled through the great mercy of God, toil, labor, diligent search and perseverance, to find some of the blood of Ephriam, a few honest souls who were willing to receive and obey the gospel, and that we were enabled to lay the foundation of a work in the city of London, which will not be removed until the city is warned, so that they will be left without excuse, and the Saints gathered out to stand in holy places, while judgment works: until that time, the seed which we have sown there, will bring forth fruit, and the fruit will rebound to the honor and glory of God. We have baptized 11 only in the city of London, but through faith, and the mercy of God, we ere long, expect a harvest of souls in that place; but we are willing to acknowledge, that in our travels, either in America or Europe, we have never before found a people, from whose minds we have had to remove a greater multiplicity of objections, or combination of obstacles, in order to excite an interest in the subject, and prepare the heart for the reception of the word of God, than in the city of London, while conversing with the common people, concerning the gospel, we found their highest attainments to be, “Why I go to church or chapel and get my children christened, what more is necessary?“ When we conversed with the learned, we found them too wise to be taught, and too much established in the traditions of their fathers, to expect any change in the last days. -- While conversing with the ministers of the various orders of the day, upon the principles of the gospel, they would inform us that the ancient order of things was done away, and no longer needed; and some of them had preached forty years the good old religion, and God was with them, and they needed no more revelation, or healing the sick, or any thing as manifest in the days of the Apostles, for we can get along without them in this day of refinement, light, and knowledge. -- When we arose to preach unto the people repentance and baptism for the remission of sins, the cry of “Baptist, Baptist,“ would be rung in our ears. If we spoke of the church and body of Christ being composed of Prophets, and Apostles, as well as other members, “Irvinites, Irvinites.“ would immediately dash into the mind. If, in the midst of our remarks, we even for once suffered the saying to drop from our lips “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy,“ “O you belong to Joanna Southcoats’! would be heard arising from several places at once. -- If we spoke of the second coming of Christ, the cry would be, “Aitkenites.“ If we made mention of the priesthood, they would call us “Catholics.“ If we testified of the administering of angels, the people would reply, “the Irvinites have their angels, and even the Duke of Normandy is ready to swear that he has the administering of angels every night.“ These salutations in connection with a multitude of others, of a similar nature, continued to salute our ears from day to day, until we were about ready to conclude that London had been such a perfect depot of the systems of the nineteenth century, that it contained six hundred three score and six different Gods, gospels, Redeemers, plans of salvation, religions, churches, commandments, essential and non essential, orders of preaching, roads to heaven and to hell; and that this order of things had so affected the minds of the people, that it almost required a trump to be blown from the highest heavens, in order to awaken the attention of the people, and prepare their minds to candidly hear and receive the doctrine of one gospel, one faith, one baptism, one Holy Ghost, one God, and one plan of salvation and that such as Christ and the Apostles preached. -- But notwithstanding this we do not feel discouraged concerning a work being perfected in London but firmly believe there will be many souls embrace the fullness of the gospel there, though it will be through faith, diligence, perseverance, and prayer. p.252
Having spent 23 days together in this first mission in the metropolis and the time drawing near for our October Conference, Elder Woodruff left the city on the 10th of September for the purpose of attending several Conferences; he attended the Bran Green and Gadfield Elm Conference held in Worcestershire on the 14th of September, and also the Frooms Hill Conference held in Herefordshire on the 21st of September; at these two Conferences he heard represented, 40 churches containing 1007 members, and 113 officers, viz: 19 elders, 78, priests, 15 teachers, and 1 deacon, the whole of which had received the fullness of the everlasting gospel and been baptized in less than seven months, in that part of the vineyard which he first opened in the month of March, and the work is still progressing very rapidly throughout that region, and among the number baptized there has not been much less than one hundred preachers of the various orders of the day. He also attended the Conference of the Staffordshire Potteries, which met at Hanlx on the 28th of September, and heard represented 231 members, 9 elders, 32 priests, 9 teachers and 9 deacons, most of which received the work, since our arrival there, last winter and spring; while he was attending these Conferences, Elders Kimball and G. A. Smith continued their labors in the city until the first of October at which time we met together again in Staffordshire and enjoyed each others company while journeying together to Manchester, at which place the quorum of the traveling council, with many elders and Saints had the privilege of once more sitting in a general Conference together on the 6th of October, in the Carpenter‘s Hall in Manchester at which place we heard represented,
3626 Saints and 383 official members.
At the July Conference there was
2513 Saints and 256 official members,
Making an increase in three months, of
1113 Saints and 127 official members
beside over 200 Saints including many elders, priests, teachers and deacons who have emigrated to America which would make over 1300 additions to the churches in Europe during the last three months, and over 2000 since our Conference held in Preston on the 15th of April, which representation at that time was, 1671 Saints and 132 official members.
Thus you see the Lord has given us an increase and blessed the labors of the servants of God universally in this land, for which we feel thankful, and our constant prayer to God is that his kingdom may roll forth, that the messengers bearing the everlasting gospel may be diligent, meek and humble, not weary in well doing. but waiting with patience for their reward, which lies at the end of the race, that their joy may be FULL.
H. C. KIMBALL,
W. WOODRUFF,
G. A. SMITH. |
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