Cross, Jonathan; Evangelists -- United States -- Biography; Missions -- Appalachian Region
About ten days after we were passing again, and called on him. He met
us in the most cordial manner. I told him I had called to see whether
he would thrash me or not for the book I had sold him. “Oh,” said he,
“it is the best book I ever read. I would not take five dollars for it,
if I could not get another like it.” We found him deeply anxious about
his soul. After a long talk with him, I told him I was about to close
my labors there, and never expected to meet him again in this world,
and urged him to meet me in heaven. With tears running down his cheeks,
he said to Mr. J----, “Will _you_ not come and see me again?” Mr. J----
said with tears that he would, and he no doubt did very frequently.
CHAPTER IV.
Calling one day at a fine country-house in Western Pennsylvania, I
found a prosperous Irish family of more than ordinary intelligence. I
inquired if they wanted some good religious books. The father replied,
“What kind of _relagin_ do you teach?” I replied, “The holy catholic
religion.” “Ah, it’s not the Roman-catholic relagin. What objection
have you to the Roman-catholic relagin?” I replied that all that I
desired was, to teach the people to repent and believe in the Lord
Jesus Christ and to lead holy lives, and that I was not going about to
argue with people about their churches. Still he insisted on my telling
him what objections I had to the Roman-catholic church.
At last I told him they violated the second commandment by the use of
images in the worship of God. But this he denied. I asked him to get
his Bible and compare it with mine. He brought out the Douay Catechism
to prove he was right, and told me that was his Bible. I got mine;
but he forbade my reading it, as it was a heretic’s Bible. I insisted
on having Bible authority for the use of images in God’s worship. As
the old man seemed to be at a loss to defend his position, one of his
daughters, a beautiful girl, presented herself before me, and said, “I
can give you Bible plenty for the use of images, and the good resulting
from the use of them. What was it that Moses put up on the pole for the
Israelites to look at when the fiery serpents bit them?” I explained
to her that the brazen serpent was set up, not to be worshipped, but
simply looked at as a type of Christ, to whom dying sinners may look
and live. But all my efforts were in vain. As I left them, she was
still asking me to repent, and come over to the true Roman-catholic
church as the only place of safety.
A few days after, the Rev. Mr. J---- requested me to visit the town
of S----, where he occasionally preached, and had made an appointment
for me to address the people at night, preparatory to visiting all the
families. He gave me a letter of introduction to one of his members,
who lived a mile from the village, and who he expected would go with
me. I came to his house near dark, almost frozen. He received me very
coldly, and neither offered me food or company. I inquired the way to
town, and soon left.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account