_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_.
The _Romish_ priests became strangely irritated, and laboured vehemently to stop the growing evil; to which end, one of them affirmed to the people, that “As to that _Walsh_, who had some time before turned heretic, and went about preaching, he had been dead long ago: and that he, who then preached in this manner, was but the devil in his shape.”
But their endeavours, proved in great measure ineffectual; for, however a few persons might receive ill impressions from such insinuations; yet several of their communion in many places heard him gladly, and would not be hindered therefrom. Rather, the more the priests urged them, they prevailed the less. His labours, and prayers, and tears, for their poor straying souls, over whom his bowels so often yearned, had, on many the desired effect; being thereby, not only reformed from Popery, but really converted to God.
Of the common natives of _Ireland_, it has been frequently observed, that of all the natives of the globe, there are none who exceed them for hospitality, good nature, and susceptibility of religious impressions. It might well therefore, occasion the ‘yearning of the bowels’ of this lover of souls, to see such multitudes of them detained in total ignorance by their priests, to whom they pay the most implicit obedience.
*And hence it was, that from the beginning of the concern which he felt for his own soul, he set himself, by all possible means _to turn them from darkness to light_. And whither in the highways, at inns, in the city or country, he let slip no probable means of instructing them. One circumstance which is much more common in _Ireland_ than _England_, I mean the number of street beggars, furnished him with frequent opportunities of this kind.