“The 18th October was the day appointed for the public conference which the Romish Padre was to hold with me. I went, accompanied by two helpers, after previous prayer to God. The rules by which we were both to bind ourselves were these: (1) To do everything in love and without heat; (2) To make the Word of God alone the judge in the dispute; (3) To allow all that should be advanced on either side to be taken down by a capable scribe, so that at the expiration of the conference, the whole might be reviewed. These three rules were proposed by me; and the members of the Romish congregation had nothing to urge in objection, though whether the Romish Padre would be satisfied with them, they could not decide. At eight o’clock in the morning we arrived. Many of the Romish persuasion were assembled. They received me, but not with much courtesy. At length they collected together opposite the church, where I expounded to the members present many beautiful passages, as Matt. v. 1-10; John xiv. 6; 2 Cor. iv. 1; 1 Tim. i. 4-6; Matt. ii. 28. One of their chief persons said, ‘You speak as if one need never sin any more.’ At length, at eleven o’clock, a messenger arrived from the Romish Padre, with a message that he would not come, for he did not consider it to be necessary. The Romish were somewhat moved at his having broken his word on the subject, after having promised them that he would appear without fail. “I again enforced the truth on their hearts, implored them to trust in the Word of God and become obedient to it and so took leave of them. One of the helpers remained behind with them, an old friend having requested him to eat something with him, when he re-presented much to them out of God’s Word.” A year afterwards we get another entry in the journal describing in simple terms an act of persecution, which will represent the spirit of intolerance on the part of the Roman Catholics. Schwartz had been gathering his helpers together to comfort and encourage them amid these persecutions to declare the truth without shrinking, but “not to use the weapons of the enemy but much more after the example of the Lord Christ and His Apostles to oppose to gainsayers humility and meekness.” An opportunity for displaying this virtue soon presented itself: “It happened that a near relative of one of the helpers, whose name is Nyanapragasam, arrived here from the country and soon experienced a fatal attack of smallpox. He solicited the helper and his mother to nurse him in his sickness, which they willingly did. The sick man was a Papist but very ignorant, on which account the helper, besides nursing his body, often read to him from the Word of God and particularly exhorted him to turn with all his sins to the Mediator and Surety of the human family. The sick man expressed himself much satisfied and gratefully accepted the instruction. In about five days he died.