Dauphiné (France) -- Description and travel; Huguenots; Waldenses
As he could not visit all who wished to hear him, he wrote out sermons
that might be read to them. His friend Henry Poutant, one of those who
originally accompanied him from Switzerland and had not yet been taken
prisoner by the soldiers, went about holding meetings for prayer, and
reading to the people the sermons prepared for them by Brousson.
For the purpose of writing out his sermons, Brousson carried about
with him a small board, which he called his "Wilderness Table." With
this placed upon his knees, he wrote the sermons, for the most part in
woods and caves. He copied out seventeen of these sermons, which he
sent to Louis XIV., to show him that what "he preached in the deserts
contained nothing but the pure word of God, and that he only exhorted
the people to obey God and to give glory to Him."
The sermons were afterwards published at Amsterdam, in 1695, under
the title of "The Mystic Manna of the Desert." One would have expected
that, under the bitter persecutions which Brousson had suffered during
so many years, they would have been full of denunciation; on the
contrary, they were only full of love. His words were only burning
when he censured his hearers for not remaining faithful to their
Church and to their God.
At length, the fury of Brousson's enemies so increased, and his health
was so much impaired, that he again thought of leaving France. His
lungs were so much injured by constant exposure to cold, and his voice
had become so much impaired, that he could not preach. He also heard
that his family, whom he had left at Lausanne, required his
assistance. His only son was growing up, and needed education. Perhaps
Brousson had too long neglected those of his own household; though he
had every confidence in the prudence and thoughtfulness of his wife.
Accordingly, about the end of 1693, Brousson made arrangements for
leaving the Cevennes. He set out in the beginning of December, and
arrived at Lausanne about a fortnight later, having been engaged on
his extraordinary mission of duty and peril for four years and five
months. He was received like one rescued from the dead. His health was
so injured, that his wife could scarcely recognise her husband in that
wan, wasted, and weatherbeaten creature who stood before her. In fact,
he was a perfect wreck.
He remained about fifteen months in Switzerland, during which he
preached in the Huguenots' church; wrote out many of his pastoral
letters and sermons; and, when his health had become restored, he
again proceeded on his travels into foreign countries. He first went
into Holland. He had scarcely arrived there, when intelligence reached
him from Montpellier of the execution, after barbarous torments, of
his friend Papus,--one of those who had accompanied him into the
Cevennes to preach the Gospel some six years before. There were now
very few of the original company left.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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