The state of his heart, on that occasion, he expresses thus. “In the midst of it all, my mind was calm. I had no remarkable consolation, or fear, or sorrow. I prayed for them, and do still pray God to forgive them, and not lay this sin to their charge.”
I pass over a number of other instances of the opposition he met with, of a private as well as public nature; and only mention these, as a specimen of the malice which Satan bears to God’s kingdom, and servants.
CHAPTER IV.
A short account of the endeavours of the Romish clergy, to prevent his usefulness among their people. The means he made use of to instruct them, and the success which he met with therein.
NOTWITHSTANDING the strict laws which are in force, to prevent the propagation of Popery in these kingdoms, and to restrain the attempts of Romish priests and jesuits; it is no secret, that both in Ireland and England, their endeavours, are as unwearied as ever. They compass sea and land all round the globe, and hardly stick at any thing that may contribute towards their making proselytes.
The endeavours of this servant of Christ, to convert to him members of that communion, stirred up their clergy against him wherever he came. His name was well known in all their churches; and in whatsoever place there appeared but a probability of his coming, the priests took care, to render him as obnoxious to the people as they possibly could; insomuch, that they stuck at nothing, though never so false, to compass their end. They however carefully avoided his having opportunity to talk with themselves. I do not find that from the time of his leaving their communion, he had ever any settled personal interviews with them, although for the sake of their poor ignorant people, for whom he had the tenderest compassion, he has frequently desired it; sometimes even in public. One [♦]occasional conversation only, with one of their priests, on board a ship, in a passage from England to Dublin, he relates, as follows, “We discoursed on the following particulars. 1. The Pope’s infallibility. 2. Transubstantiation. 3. Invocation of saints. 4. Purgatory. But he could not withstand the force of plain scripture, and therefore withdrew. The company were greatly pleased to find, how little the Romish clergy have to say for themselves, when opposed by arguments taken from scripture and reason.”
[♦] “occcasional” replaced with “occasional”
In one place, (C——l) the priest informed his congregation, (to such low shifts were they driven) and industriously spread abroad, “that he had been a servant boy to a certain priest, and that having stolen his master’s books, he learned to preach by that means.”
The conduct of another of them at Cork, was still more extraordinary. There was in that place a vast resort of Catholics (so called) to his sermons, which were often under the open firmament, as well as daily within doors, both in Irish and English; and among the Romanists, who were happily stirred up thereby to a concern for their salvation, there was one elderly woman, who had been in some religious office among them. She entirely forsook their communion, constantly attended his sermons, and thenceforward, received the Lord’s supper in the church of England.