Once the Salvation Army was established in the city of Paris in the 1880s, officers were sent out to surrounding towns and villages to spread the Gospel. Reports like the following came in: A telegram from Beaucourt came on Christmas day: “Revival here, send help, twenty-five souls saved. Great liberty in night of prayer which terminated at 4 a.m.”
“Forty soldiers are the result of our meetings, I have never seen anything like the night of prayer: snuff-boxes, pipes, tobacco, and drink, all yielded to the Lord. My own soul is mounting; every day I enjoy intimate communion with my Saviour. Nine saved in one meeting, six young men volunteered. How little light they have! I have been crushed lately with the thought that they would not remain faithful. I pleaded with God for them, then He said to me, ‘Do not fear; I am almighty to keep.’ What a responsibility I have! I need my Lord’s continual help and power.”
“On visiting a convert one day in an inn where many men were drinking in the saloon, I asked if they would let me pray. ‘Yes,’ was the reply. After prayer and a few minutes’ talk, I saw a crowd coming towards the inn; one of the men who had listened to me had gone out and gathered these people, saying, ‘I know you are not proud; you love everybody, the poor and the rich. That is why I brought all these people to you.’ And what a meeting we had!”
One convert wrote to the Maréchale: “I was born a Catholic, but married a Protestant, for which I was excommunicated. After my marriage I returned several times to the chapel, seeking pardon for my sins; but the priest repulsed me as a completely lost soul…there was no more salvation for me! One evening I went to an Army meeting, where, glory to God! I learnt that although I was refused by the ‘Church’, and a poor sinner, Jesus did not wish my damnation but my salvation; and, bless His name! I gave myself completely to Him, and now I am happier than I have ever been. On Sunday morning my husband gave himself also to the Saviour; instead of being an ‘excommunicated Catholic’ and my husband a ‘Protestant’ we are both ‘soldiers of Jesus Christ,’ and are saved by His precious blood.”
“Forty soldiers are the result of our meetings, I have never seen anything like the night of prayer: snuff-boxes, pipes, tobacco, and drink, all yielded to the Lord. My own soul is mounting; every day I enjoy intimate communion with my Saviour. Nine saved in one meeting, six young men volunteered. How little light they have! I have been crushed lately with the thought that they would not remain faithful. I pleaded with God for them, then He said to me, ‘Do not fear; I am almighty to keep.’ What a responsibility I have! I need my Lord’s continual help and power.”
“On visiting a convert one day in an inn where many men were drinking in the saloon, I asked if they would let me pray. ‘Yes,’ was the reply. After prayer and a few minutes’ talk, I saw a crowd coming towards the inn; one of the men who had listened to me had gone out and gathered these people, saying, ‘I know you are not proud; you love everybody, the poor and the rich. That is why I brought all these people to you.’ And what a meeting we had!”
One convert wrote to the Maréchale: “I was born a Catholic, but married a Protestant, for which I was excommunicated. After my marriage I returned several times to the chapel, seeking pardon for my sins; but the priest repulsed me as a completely lost soul…there was no more salvation for me! One evening I went to an Army meeting, where, glory to God! I learnt that although I was refused by the ‘Church’, and a poor sinner, Jesus did not wish my damnation but my salvation; and, bless His name! I gave myself completely to Him, and now I am happier than I have ever been. On Sunday morning my husband gave himself also to the Saviour; instead of being an ‘excommunicated Catholic’ and my husband a ‘Protestant’ we are both ‘soldiers of Jesus Christ,’ and are saved by His precious blood.”
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