Aug. 6th. Stayed over night with Brother Johnson, President of this Branch and manager of a tannery. Took a walk up the River Wye and saw nice rural scenery.
Our announcement by crier was as follows: "Three missionaries from America will preach in the hall at Bridge Street tonight at 7:30. Public is respectfully invited. Seats free." At meeting, singing, prayer by Brother Morris who then spoke; said he had received the same Gospel taught by the Savior; quoted Ephesians about Apostles and prophets, and bore his testimony. I followed, bore testimony to the truth, set forth as the Gospel was in the days of the Savior - that, as God is unchangeable, His Gospel must be the same now. I asked the people to search the scriptures and see if our teachings do not compare and agree with them, and called upon them to be baptized. Thomas Steed bore a strong testimony. After the meeting two young Church of England gentlemen asked if we used the protestant Bible and if there is a chance for a sinner to redeem himself beyond this life, and how they were to know which was the truth We conversed with them nearly an hour. Stayed over night at Brother Johnson's.
Brother Morris recorded this event in a letter to Joseph F. Smith which was recorded in the Millenial Star, page 590, vol. 37:
ReplyDeleteWe went from there to Malvern, and met with Elder Jacob Miller, who, in connection with Elder's Steed and Job Welling are now visiting their old friends prior to their departure on a mission to Australia. Elder Miller went with us to the Maiden City of Hereford, where Elder Robert Johnson the President of that Branch had engaged the Lecture Hall for us. We engage the bellman to go around twice, and announce that three missionaries from America would preach in the evening, and we had a very nice, respectable audience, although the weather was not very propitious. A couple of young gentlemen detained us after the meeting, and asked several questions, which we answered, and turning to the passages of Scripture to substantiate the same to their satisfaction, apparently, for they accompanied us nearly to our lodgings, asking questions on the way.
Thomas Steed's record of this evening:
ReplyDeleteAugust 6. A rainy day. Visited the old Castle Grounds and the Cathedral of Hereford; it dates of the 12th Century. We took a walk up the River. We then held a meeting in the Lecture Hall, in Bridge Street, where a very respectable congregation appeared to take great interest in our message. Elder Morris, the Jacob, and myself spoke in turn. I hop our visit to the Maiden town of England will result in good; at least we have done our duty and leave them in the hand of God. The town is very ancient, old-fashioned looking, with buildings hundreds of years old.