LETTERS FROM GRANADA
IN September I received again news from the prisoner. Matamoros says
"The Prison, Granada, Sept. 7th, 1861.
“Perhaps, dear brother and indefatigable protector, this letter may reach you before the very sorrowful one which I wrote to you last week. How long I have been hindered from corresponding with you (twelve weeks), and without hearing anything of you or my worthy English and Irish friends! This is a great trial to me-greater than my imprisonment; than the fury of my implacable enemies, or than my physical sufferings, which are, nevertheless, severe. The best and most consoling and greatest news you can give me, is what you tell me of the Christian solicitude and zeal and holy love, with which our friends and brethren in the faith ask after us, the prisoners of Christ. And, believe me, it is not pride or presumption that makes me so much rejoice at this, but rather I rejoice at the manifestation of our holy union as the body of Christ' which is thus made so evident. Oh! when you reply to these dear friends, speak to them of my gratitude in the most lively and expressive terms. Be very sure that you cannot exaggerate it.
“If the proposal for a day of prayer on our behalf throughout England, Ireland, and Scotland has not yet been carried out, I beg of you to use your legitimate and fraternal influence that it may take place. The prayers of the saints are of more value to us than anything else in this world. These supplications will be heard by the great Head, and He in His mercy will give us strength to bear so much suffering, so much torment. Pray for poor Spain; for this unfortunate country, sunken in error and slavery by Satan's hand, and these prayers will be heard by our loving Father, who will grant all that we ask for His own glory. I have not yet received the last sums which you mention as having been sent to me. I received £20 in June; half was distributed in Malaga, and half was divided amongst ourselves here. Since that time I have not received any money, and am now in want. The position of the prisoners at Malaga must be terrible; they must be in severe trouble, and this breaks my heart; the more so, as I cannot but feel that the sacrifices made by our British friends are already very great.
“In Malaga two more arrests have been made. The defense made for Alhama and myself I hope to send to you soon. Our lawyers asked for our liberty, but it was refused. Alhama's advocate made a brilliant and lucid, as well as a courageous, defense, saying, amongst other things, after having professed his Catholic belief, ' That for a society in the state of corruption of so-called "Catholic" Spain, he would prefer the faith professed by his clients, though called Protestants; for its tendencies, apart from the question of faith, were eminently moral and noble.' My advocate, and also Trigo's, made good defenses, and the affair is now in the hands of the lawyers of those of the accused who are at liberty on bail.
“I will not tell you anything, dear brother, of all that I have suffered. I could fill many pages with horrible descriptions; but in my captivity I have begun to write a sort of sketch of my life since my conversion. If possible, I will send it to you when it is finished. You say that you hope to hear me preach the gospel in Spain. Oh! it is my only aspiration, my highest ambition. I long to complete my classical studies; and then, poor, very poor, but rich in faith, I would preach unweariedly wherever I could be heard. Believe me to be, dear brother, your attached though unworthy friend,
"MANUEL MATAMOROS.”
"My grateful respects to all our brethren in the Lord,
"JOSE ALHAMA.”
I received many sweet letters from Christians in England, and, after translating them, sent them to Matamoros, and they helped to wile away the sad time, and were as a sweet cordial in the cup of his deep and protracted sorrow. One of these, from Mr. Leonard Strong, of Torquay, was as follows:—
"Brampton, Torquay, S. Devon, England.
"MUCH BELOVED AND Honored BROTHER IN OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST,
“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord permitted us a few days since to hold a meeting of believers in Jesus Christ for worship, prayer and mutual edification by the word, in this town, and between our worship meetings we partook together of a social meal or tea drinking as before our Lord, during which a letter from yourself to some Christian brethren at Kingsbridge (a town in South Devon) was placed in my hands, with a request that I would read it, which I did. The expressions of faith and love therein contained, the joy in the Lord Jesus, and willingness declared, through grace, not only to be bound, but to die if need be for the name of the Lord Jesus, in connection with your present sorrowful circumstances, called forth from us all the warmest sympathy for yourself and dear family in these heavy trials through which it has pleased God to bring you; and as it drew from our little assembly at the time a few offerings of love, if they may assist in any way to ameliorate your condition, I herewith transmit them through the kind hands of a dear brother in the Lord who, I am informed, has some means of communication with you. It is a very small sum, only £3 sterling, but dear, afflicted brother, it is sent to you with much love and many prayers that after you have suffered awhile and made a good confession before governors, magistrates, etc., you will come forth free, as our Italian brethren before you, to worship God in Spirit and in truth, rejoicing in Christ Jesus, none making you afraid. We, who at present enjoy so much liberty in this respect, are especially enjoined to remember them that are in bonds as though bound with them, and as we are exhorted to make prayers for kings, and all that are in authority, that we Christians may lead a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty, we do especially remember your afflictions before the Lord, and ask Him to turn the heart of the queen of Spain, her ministers, advisers and associates in government, that liberty of conscience and worship may soon be allowed, as in other European governments. I can also say, dear brother, that we are not afraid for you, but glory in you for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, seeing God is counting you worthy of the coming kingdom for which you also suffer.
“Let us call to remembrance the former days, how, immediately after poor sinners were illuminated, they endured a great fight of afflictions, and took joyfully the spoiling of their goods, knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and an enduring substance.
“Now, dear brother, thou art, with others, made a companion of them, cast not therefore away thy confidence, which has great recompense of reward, for to you it is given, not only to believe, but also to suffer for Jesus' sake. Cheer up, then, dear brother, for yet a little while, and he that shall come will come and will not tarry. The Lord says, 'Leap for joy.' He putteth thy tears which flow from the weakness of the flesh into His bottle, and He will refresh thy spirit and soon deliver you all out of your bonds. I am with much true sympathy and with confidence in the love, and in the mighty arm of yours, and my Lord Jesus,
“Your Brother in the hope of Glory,
"LEONARD STRONG.”
"Prison of the Audiencia,' Granada, Oct. 8, 1861.
" BELOVED AND RESPECTED BROTHER IN OUR DIVINE REDEEMER, JESUS CHRIST, OUR JOY AND OBJECT OF OUR CONSTANT FAITH,
“Mr. Greene has just given me one more proof of Christian zeal in translating your important letter of June the second time, and sending it to me, impelled by the desire of comforting me, understanding clearly that it would produce in me most wholesome effects of Christian edification. I received with the greatest pleasure your very important letter—important to me in many ways—and which I now hasten to answer; but this I cannot do as I would wish, as, though my heart earnestly desires to do so, my intellectual powers are insufficient; but be it as it will, in whatever I do say my heart shall speak.
“Beloved and respected brother, if to man on earth it is given to be happy, I enjoy this benefit in a superlative degree. My soul is filled with lofty and permanent recollections of Christian joy; the history of my life, during the past year, having been the means of procuring them for me, and founded principally on the magnificent spectacle that the Church of Christ has presented to the eyes of God and of the world, in watching, with pious and evangelical attention, over the wants of their Spanish brothers. The continual and eloquent proofs of this love which I am daily receiving will always leave in my soul grateful and profound impressions.
"I see the day approach when my country will be happy by the triumph of the gospel in the hearts of its inhabitants. The honor has fallen to my lot to suffer for having preached the kingdom of God, and for having exhorted men to have faith in Christ, who I know and love with all my heart. I see by the love which you profess for me that He has not forsaken me, that He accepts my sincere Christian desires; and tell me, dear brother, is not this the truest happiness that we can enjoy here below? Have I not good reason then to be happy, and for calling myself so? Yes, assuredly. Well, such is the ground of my joy, the motives I have for glorying. This happiness would have been a stranger to me had I been still living in darkness, as is the Church of Rome, that eternal enemy of Christ.
“Your pious and interesting letter refers, beloved brother, to the sentiments that I had the pleasure of expressing to the brethren of Kingsbridge; and that humble expression of faith, you say, has produced in you the most lively sympathies. Pray give, in my poor name, to all who have honored me by hearing it the fullest assurance of my Christian love. Beloved brother, while young, very young, at the age when generally all are left to run after some illusion of fancy, some pleasure of a day, at that in which the deceitful attractions of the world fascinate the heated imagination of youth, the infinite goodness of our heavenly maintaining my faith as a Protestant, my faith in Christ, and my eternal separation from the Church of Rome, His enemy.
“But, beloved brother, if men have traced out for me a path of sharpest thorns, since that day my heavenly Father has portioned out for me one of infinite pleasure. What signify the sufferings of the body? What the blind rage of an enemy who neither forgets nor forgives, and who, making use of the power of brute force, rejoices in the sorrows of a Christian who cannot be convinced by his arguments, nor be intimidated by his horrible punishments? Nothing ought, nothing can, avail for the man who, despising the world, fixes his eyes upon His Lord, and, committing his soul to his Maker, determines to follow Him. They may augment my punishment, but they will also augment my joy. They may augment their rage, but it will be manifest to the world, and the world will know them and separate from them.
“Not one life but one thousand would I sacrifice willingly in the name of Christ, and for His holy cause, and for the extension of His holy kingdom on earth. My enemies will find me always disposed to sacrifice all for my faith. There is no bitter future to intimidate me with, nor reasonings to convince me. My reasoning is all taken from the Word of life, and my invariable aim is to accomplish the will of the Lord, who exhorts us to imitate Him.
“The pious remembrance of our beloved brethren in the faith, who offer fervent prayers in our behalf, is invaluable; it is the greatest benefit they can confer upon us; and whatever you tell me on this head leaves on my mind a sweet and enduring record, and on my soul the happiest impression.
“You exhort me, dear brother, to bear in mind the sacred memorial of the martyrs of Christ and of their tribulations. I give you my best thanks for so doing. Some of those glorious martyrs left behind them, even in dying, the footprints of victory. Oh, may the Supreme Being grant that our sufferings may open the gates of my country to the Word of God; and if this is to happen, they may do their worst to me. I have been too long, and I have tired myself in writing, but it was necessary to my peace to manifest my gratitude towards you. My companions in suffering salute you.
“Your humble servant in Christ,
"M. MATAMOROS.”
"I ought to add, that the £3 that you kindly sent has been received and distributed, and it is quite unnecessary to say anything about our gratitude, as you can imagine it. Please make this known to the contributors.”
On looking through these lovely letters of our brother, I am constrained to see in all his sufferings the hand of the Most High, and I believe they will prove to be a consolation to many a Christian who probably may be comforted by them in endeavoring to follow in the same path of trial. "A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon;" and such would Matamoros have remained to us in England, had it not been that in this long and tedious night through which we are passing, God had afflicted one of the members of the body in order that His grace might be manifested. He has blown upon the garden, His Spanish garden, that the spices of it may flow out. But though the church in England has had a sort of first-fruits of the blessing of these bonds suffered in the name of Christ, surely Spain shall have the full harvest of the good results. If large sums of money had been expended, much labor given in evangelizing, the work of the Lord would not have been half so effectually promoted as by the bonds of these brethren. As Paul wrote before, so may we repeat in truth, "I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel. So that my bonds in Christ are manifested in all the palaces and in all other places." And the following lines will go to substantiate this:—
"Prison of the Audiencia,' Granada, Nov. 23, 1861.
“MY DEARLY-LOVED AND NEVER-TO-BE-FORGOTTEN BROTHER IN THE LORD,
“The day begins to dawn, the first splendors of the morning, entering in by the clefts of the wretched shutters of the old window of my dungeon, announce to me that it has been the will of our beloved Father to spare my life to this day, in spite of the will of tyrants. It is about a quarter of an hour since I finished my morning prayer, which I always make immediately on rising from my bed, be the hour what it may. A melancholy silence reigns in this distant dungeon, and I take advantage of these hours to write to you, and answer some questions in your welcome letter. You, beloved brother, have asked me if Christian principles progress steadily in Spain. In this unfortunate country, where the voice of the press is silenced, the publication of every periodical that is not Catholic prohibited; the distribution of the Word of God the signal for persecution, as also that of every book that tends to show the true religion preached by Jesus; the enchaining of as many Christians as possible; the burning in the public ' plazas' of Barcelona and Cordova, and that recently, an infinite number of books, for the sole cause of their not being in accordance with the ecclesiastical court of Rome, and with the principles that it sustains and defends; drawing forced interpretations from the elastic laws of Spain to the prejudice of the Spanish Christians; and, in short, having recourse even to the ignoble weapons of crime, they try to obscure the truth.
" However, against these barriers that tyranny presents and sustains with unwearying zeal, you noble and decided soldiers of Jesus have presented yourselves a grand, worthy, and magnanimous vanguard of Christianity; sonorous echoes of the Christian spirit, representing its wishes, and making our government see that Christianity established in the earth demands for itself the fullest liberty of conscience.
“However, dear brother, if civilization has not opened, as it ought to have done, the doors of this poor dejected nation, if even it has not been able to shed its light on this soil, on a scale that, if not entire, might at least be in a measure; its spirit, nevertheless, is not a stranger to the land, and thanks to it, and to the age in which we live, it breaks the chains, come from whence they may. The nation feels the necessity of seeking the truth; and in this study, in this meditation, in this search, so inherent to the nineteenth century and to its worthy sons, the triumph is secure; the triumph of truth, yes, of Christian truth, is secure. He who wishes to come to the true knowledge of the secret of the religious tyranny sustained in Spain alone, finds it in the certain danger of the church of Rome, and the positive welfare of the church of God whose numbers are increasing.
"Within my prison I have had the indescribable pleasure of hearing persons of a certain position in the literary and scientific world, of sufficient worth and of sound judgment, support my poor reasonings, and emit new and brilliant judgments on this important question, founding their opinions on history, and on the conversations of those whom they may mix with daily, whether on the public promenade or the evening tertulia.' Public opinion has occupied itself much upon this question, hitherto dormant in Spain, and, in general, 'bas given its opinion that there is a future for Spain. Yes, a bright morning will shine upon the evangelical work in this land.
“If the fear, and a very well-grounded one, of this letter being intercepted did not prevent me, I would give you the names of those persons who have supplicated me to take an active part in the work of evangelization. I would tell you what their influence is, what their social position; and assuredly you would rejoice infinitely, as I have done, at this fruit of your efforts, blessed by our dear heavenly Father. I could show you a long catalog of the fruits of your Christian carefulness that has reached the ears of all, and produces its effects on all souls. A day never passes almost without my receiving letters from different points of the peninsula, in which similar desires are manifested.
“In— I have the positive assurance that the work of evangelization will develop itself both rapidly and solidly, as well as in an eminently consoling and Christian manner; and that it will be like an electric spark for all the province of —, and will have a great effect in Spain, through the great moral influence that the opinion of that part of the country (without doubt the most civilized in Spain), exercises throughout the peninsula. I could have wished that my imprisonment had taken place a year later; oh! only one year; and 14,000 or 15,000 Spaniards, declaring themselves Protestants, would have petitioned the Cortes for liberty of worship and the toleration we need. Do not doubt it, this gigantic step would have been made to the astonishment of Europe and the shame of tyrants. This step will yet be taken, do not doubt it; but at present it is premature. Spain is not a sterile country to sow the gospel seed in; I have been to the humblest dwellings, and among some people of elevated position; I have mixed with the humble, and with the proud; I have explored, in short, all that was possible to me, and the evidence has shown me sufficient to know what may be hoped from this unfortunate nation.
"However, to-day more than ever, I hope much for the future. Do not doubt that that future will be very flattering for the work of the Lord in this classic land of tyranny; your efforts, made patent to the world, promise much prosperity to the holy cause of the gospel. At that time we shall make more progress in one month than at other times in a year. Do not doubt, in short, that you will have the consolation of rejoicing in the rapid progress, and, perhaps, in the complete triumph, of the great work prepared for this poor nation, in which you have had so large a part, and this joy you shall very soon feel, with the protection of the Lord.
“You tell me that you note more confidence of my gaining the victory in my letter to A—than in any of my others. Oh no, a thousand times no, my hope increases every moment, every minute that passes; and if in some letters I have lamented, these lamentations have not been, by any means, the result of discouragement; no, discouragement is impossible to me! Believe it implicitly, I have never known what it is, and I hope never to know it.
“The battle is gained, be the result what it may; tyranny has received a fatal blow in Spain; the life and magnitude of evangelical work is every way more secure, and my liberty or my imprisonment are alike for its good; my liberty, because thus tyranny shows its impatience; my imprisonment, because thus it shows its only way of sustaining itself, and announces from its own mouth its approaching end.
“May peace, grace, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit dwell in you eternally.
“Your humble brother, friend, and son,
"MANUEL MATAMOROS.”
The days of our prisoner were by no means spent in idleness. On the contrary, an activity almost unparalleled seemed to animate him. In one of his letters, received about this time, he writes, “I have just received my correspondence. One long and eminently consoling letter from Mrs. Tregelles, your of the 14th, the enclosed notable one from Miss Whately, three from Gibraltar of importance, four from Malaga, and one from Barcelona. These have come by this morning's post, and I hope for some also by the evening's delivery. The letter of —is very valuable, and is written so sweetly, with so much purity and feeling, that it has edified my spirit, and filled my heart with joy. I can write no more to-night; my eyes are sore, and my head aches. I must go to bed, for it is already three o'clock in the morning, and I have some things still to do.”
In another part of the same letter he adds, “One of our brethren in Christ has fled to Gibraltar. He was a great helper in the Lord's work, and was well off at Malaga; and after going through repeated trials, he is now serving as mason's laborer. This breaks my heart. I really don't know what to do. The life which I pass is not life. My own position does not affect me in the least, but these tidings are too much for me; they affect me profoundly, and, believe me, that more than all the rest, they are helping to kill me.”
Deep sympathy was one of Matamoros' leading characteristics, but many were the other graces that adorned this loving and faithful man. "How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! How fair and how pleasant art thou, O love, for delights!" His confidence in God is seen in his letter of February:—
"Prison of the Audiencia,' Granada, Feb. 26, 1862.
“VERY DEAR AND RESPECTED BROTHER IN THE LORD,
"You judge most truly when you suppose that the continued and eloquent proofs of Christian love, manifested towards us by your various correspondents, give me much true consolation. You tell me that England will do what she can with France for us. This is, indeed, a source of material comfort; but I must be plain and frank with you on this score.
“I believe that whatever efforts have been or shall be made on our behalf may, perhaps, be fruitless. But I have always striven to set aside the idea of what may be beneficial in the unimportant matter of my personal liberty, which is really of very little consequence to the world and to myself. The only slavery which appalls me is the slavery of sin. But my slavery for the love of God makes me happy; and surely this happiness could not be increased by the addition of some physical comforts for an already weak and contemptible body; nor can its liberty be compared with the liberty, the happiness of the soul.
“You know I have never desired the noble efforts of the church of Christ for the sake of benefits conferred upon myself. I have greatly rejoiced on account of the advantage to that which concerns the salvation of the world, the salvation of my poor nation. In this sense, all that the church has done or may do for me gives me great pleasure; her attitude and her efforts have filled me with Christian joy.
“The exertions of a Catholic nation in my favor might be successful. I believe they would; but I repeat I could not rejoice in them. For me the Spirit that animates you and the loved and loving brethren has infinitely more importance and value than all the political movements of France and the whole Catholic world.... From the hour when I read—'s speech, I feared his want of energy, and that it would only add strength to tyranny. In effect the neo-Catholic press has adopted his arguments as its text, and has made use of them to assure our condemnation. If La Correspondencia is correct in the report of the Duke of Tetuan's answer, I perceive that this answer is really identical with that given to Sir R. Peel in the House of Commons.
“And now, without reference to this diplomatic question, this wisdom of this world, what have been the commands which Divine love has issued to the church of Christ? To be unwearied in well doing, ceaselessly to invoke the mercy of the Eternal upon us, to hasten to our relief, and to display perfectly the picture of its Christian love. Then let diplomacy follow on its course, defending its own interests, and let the church of God follow hers; they will ever be widely distant the one from the other. Finally, nothing disturbs me nor violates my tranquility. I desire a happy termination of this matter, for there are many destitute families concerned; but our heavenly Father, who has seen the end from the beginning, will bring it to the conclusion which He sees fit. His holy and divine will be done, be it what it may.
“The most honorable moment of my life is drawing near. In a few more months my enemies will have achieved their victory, and I shall enter upon my convict life. I shall no longer possess the rights of citizenship. The moment the sentence is pronounced against me I shall be a criminal, and only a criminal, in the eyes of society. My rights will be the rights of the parricide, of the thief, of the assassin. There will be no difference there. There will be one law, one regimen, one rule for us all.
“Not only shall I be deprived of my clothes, my hair cut off, and the happiness of seeing my beloved and tender mother denied to me; but I shall be absolutely prohibited from writing. Your letters, consoling, loving, edifying as they are, will not reach me then.
Of course, it will be impossible for you ever to hear from me. Then, dear friend, if those sad but honorable hours are drawing so near, I entreat you to make use quickly of the time that remains for my consolation. I trust you will not delay in writing to me.
“Your letters are very necessary to me, yet now I can hardly hope to receive more than four more of them. All the trouble that I have, caused you is now nearly over. I know I have often unreasonably imposed upon your love, but I feel a real want of your comforting letters, and I cannot resist the impulse to tell you so. Pardon one who loves you heartily, and feels that he encroaches on your kindness.
“A few days ago, on the 17th, one of the authorities of Granada came to the prison at about 10 A.M. He asked directly for me, and was immediately conducted to my room by the chief of this establishment. I was in bed; feeling even now far from well. He took his hat off immediately on entering, and, in spite of my repeated request, would not replace it. With the most lively interest he inquired after my health, and begged me to tell him if I wished for anything. I thanked him, and said I wanted and want nothing. On the table beside my bed lay two copies of the Bible, the one Valera's version, the second Scio's. The first attracted his attention, and he said to me:—
“' Have you the Bible there? '
“Yes, senor,' I answered.
“He took it up, and before he opened it he asked,
‘Is it English?
“It was printed in London in 1853,' I answered.
“Do you read much in it?' he asked.
“Yes, senor, at least twice every day; it is my greatest comfort in this place of suffering.'
“‘Do you profess yourself a Protestant?
"Yes, senor. I was interrogated by the tribunals of Barcelona and Granada, and not choosing to deny, I confessed the truth.'
“All these questions were asked with great politeness, and then laying down the Bible, he turned to another table where I had more books, and asked:—
“Are those tracts or religious books?'
“No, sir, excepting a copy of the Liturgy. The rest are the History of the English Revolution and some other books which have been lent to me, but which I have not had time to read, and must return.'
“He then examined with extreme, almost exaggerated, attention the likenesses which I have hung up in my cell. He dwelt long upon yours, and asked if you were English. I replied Yes,' and he then looked at that of my mother, and he told me her name without my asking.
“When he had left me, with an injunction to let him know if I wanted anything, he desired to be shown our exercise-ground, asked the hours at which we are allowed to see our friends, and finally inquired into the position of our case, and gave orders for what was to be done if General Alexander came, and how he was to enter. He also went to the apartments of Trigo and of Alhama; was exceedingly polite with them also, and asked many questions concerning their treatment in the prison.
"A few days ago, the following scene occurred in the alcalde's house, where I was spending the evening:—.An old lady, with less prudence that fanatical love to Popery, insisted on opening a discussion with me on matters of religion. As the conversation advanced, the good lady took advantage of the privileges of her age and sex to insult rather than to reason with me. When I was allowed to speak, I took occasion to show her that she was more likely to wound my feelings, perhaps involuntarily, than to convince my intelligence by such a mode of proceeding. My little brother Enrique was standing by, and did not lose a word of the conversation. The old lady, having somewhat moderated the tone of her argument, we began to discuss the question of the Eucharist, and after some general remarks, the good lady concluded by saying to me, Do you see how wisely the Inquisition acted in burning all heretics 1 Your words are more evil and dangerous than fire. Look at that little angel (pointing to Enrique), he is listening to every word, and at last will be a Protestant like yourself.'
“’I believe you,' said Enrique. 'I don't mean to go to hell with you and the Pope!' This sally of my little brother's drew forth the laughter of all the guests, and the renewed wrath of the old lady.
“I have just learned that to-morrow our case passes into the hands of the royal fiscal, by his own demand. There are two assistant fiscals, who do nearly all the business; but it appears that the royal fiscal desires to take our case into his own hands. We shall see. He is, I believe, the most liberal member of the Audiencia '; for the rest, nearly all old men, belong to the old school, and are thoroughly priest-ridden. The English ambassador has lately asked for, and immediately received from—the fullest details respecting our case.
“Senor Marin, of Malaga, has been very ill in prison, and his daughter also. Both are now better, and the latter has been ordered change of air and water for a few weeks.
“My mother is very well. Alhama and his family continue well. Trigo also is in good health. I am; as usual, but with good heart. All send you a thousand kind regards. In answer to your exhortation to stand firm, I must tell you that I purpose to be steadfast to the end, be that what it may; you will not see me shrink. I ask of the Lord the powerful aid of the Holy Spirit, and I fear nothing for the body while I am so happy in my mind.
“Onward, dear brother—onward and upward! I cannot tell you all I feel towards you. You have a high place in my heart. I pray that God may fill you and yours with peace, grace, and the communion of his Holy Spirit.
"Your loving brother in the Lord,
“MANUEL MATAMOROS.”
His deep attachment to his mother was another sweet trait in his character. She indeed proved a mother to him in this long night of sorrow, and had it not been for her untiring care, he must have succumbed to his bodily sufferings. Perhaps I may be wrong in speaking thus. Would it not be wiser to say of him, as he would have said himself, "The Lord God is my strength, and He will make my feet like hinds' feet, and He will make me to walk upon my high places." His unflinching steadfastness on hearing the royal fiscal's demand against him is manifested in his next sweet letter. Of him it may be said—
If on my face for Thy dear name
Shame and reproaches be,
I'll hail reproach and welcome shame,
For Thou rememberest me,”
Matamoros wrote again on the 17th of March. The following are extracts from his letter:—
“The results of the accusation and the demand of the royal fiscal is, as you know, the sentence of eleven years at the galleys, and other accessory punishments. This ferocious outburst of intolerance has not surprised me. After a year and a half of such and so many vexations, after so many troubles and trials, the three prisoners of Granada are to be condemned to eleven years of penal servitude, for the sole offense of their Christian faith. This is the maximum punishment indicated by the penal code; and if the accessory penalties are confirmed, it will be an infinitely severer sentence than the framers of the code ever anticipated.
“The demand of the royal fiscal generally indicates, with tolerable certainty, what will be the sentence of the superior court. There may be trifling variations—as increase or diminution of penalty, but they are usually slight. In this suit, the belief of the judges has been evidently influential. They have thought the greater our martyrdom the greater their merit.
“Four days before the fiscal's accusation the archbishops sent hastily for the secretary. They say it was to ask the number of the accused. Possibly. It is only too certain that on the following day the case had taken an unfavorable turn. The accusation was settled in consultation by the four fiscals, lawyers of the `Audiencia; every one of whom is a bigoted Roman Catholic—nay, belongs to the party who still defend the Spanish Inquisition. It seems as if they sought to make my future as dark as can be. No matter; I forgive them with my whole heart, and I pray to God that my sufferings may be the means of one day making them remember and repent, and that, in their repentance, they may seek the truth of Christ, and faithfully follow it. May our God have pity upon them!
“A similar penalty has been demanded for Alhama and Trigo, but I hardly think it possible that it can be confirmed against the latter. For those prisoners who have been at liberty on bail, a term of eight years has been demanded. In fact, the whole accusation breathes our slaughter, threatening hatred vengeance.
"Onward! onward! They demand the maximum penalty against us. Is not this the maximum of our honor? I will go forward, and will fulfill the word that I gave to the judge at Barcelona, when he desired me to withdraw my confession of Protestantism. I repeat now what I said then: I have put my hand to the plow, and will not look back.' This is the road that my faith points out. I will never waver. To me to live is Christ and to die is gain. I will go forward and onward. The disciple is intimately united with his Master.
That Divine Master sought his cross, and voluntarily shed his blood for us; He died to give us life. Well then, if I desire to follow Him, shall I fear what Jesus did not fear? No! If I die in Christ, and for Christ, I shall live eternally with Him. The will of God be done in all things.
“Your assurance of the continued prayers of many saints on behalf of the prisoners fills me with happy joy. Give to all my hearty thanks, and the assurance of my gratitude and love. My dear mother consoles and sustains me in these trying circumstances by her courage and resignation. Yesterday some friends called, and expressed their sympathy on the result of the fiscal's address, and said, amongst other things, that our enemies, in addition to the penalty, sought to brand the Spanish Protestants with the infamy of the galleys. Steadily my mother answered, They are deceived; my son ought to be proud of it. I, his mother, shall glory in telling that I have a son at the galleys for his Protestant faith; and if children should survive him, this remembrance of their father will enoble them’ ... .
"The prisoners of Malaga have added a glorious page to the church's history. Three days ago, they declared before the tribunal that they were not Roman Catholics, but Protestants by faith and conviction. I believe some of them had answered ambiguously at their first interrogation, and could not rest without this fresh step to satisfy their consciences. May God enlighten them and me also!....
“I earnestly aspire to a fair and brilliant future for myself! My will and my soul are bent upon this point; nothing disturbs me or alters my tranquility, save the idea of involuntarily straying from my chosen path—this terrifies and confounds me. This path is not that which the world opens to me. So widely apart are the two, that now, although I recognize pious and eminently evangelical zeal and love in the efforts which you and your friends are making for my liberty; yet, I believe that I ought not to strive for it.
“I read in the Book of Life, that the Lord knew that his hour had not yet come; that He knew when it had come, and that He advanced as it were to meet His fate, although it was one of anguish. It is true that He withdrew from a place where He was persecuted, but only because His time was not yet come; when that hour arrived, He—life of our life—went to seek the scene of His martyrdom!
“I have given myself entirely to God, through the most sweet name of Jesus. I am His. He will open the door of my prison, if He sees it meet for me and for all. Or else, He has another lot in store for me which I cannot imagine, the end of which, as far as this earth is concerned, I shrink from contemplating. But my end and aim is Jesus, and being so, ought I to shrink from or refuse to bear sorrow or persecution for His name's sake? No; for He sought out His sufferings for us. No; for the pathway to heaven is the pathway of the cross. Well, then, I know not if it is for the advancement of the cause of my freedom, that my poor and humble but sincere letters should be published. But I do know that the publicity which has been given to the story of the sufferings of Jesus has saved my soul; that the publicity given to the constancy and piety of Paul has given me a bright example; and that the publicity given to the Book of Life has given me life, for it has taught me to worship God through Jesus, in spirit and in truth. Now, who can say whether the publication of my sufferings for my fidelity may not bring some soul to the gate of salvation? 'Might it be so? Yes, then let that soul be saved, and let my body perish in the hands of my tormentors. So many saints have died, but their souls have been witnesses of the truth before the world, and have been saved by Jesus. For he who loses his life for His sake, the same shall find it.
“This publicity has been for nineteen centuries wounding to death the power of the evil one, witnessing against his impurity, destroying his kingdom, step by step driving back his hosts. Light has sprung up in the dark places, and in the region of error enters eternal truth.
“My letters are poor and weak, but as they are the expression of the vehement and sincere desire of my heart, some who read them may be led to ask the reason of my joy in tribulation, and he who cannot understand it by faith, may strive to fill the void that my words will leave in his heart by the study of the Book of Life, which is my strength and consolation, and this study may give health to the soul which is sick with doubt or indifference. Perhaps, also, my weak but sincere words may confirm in the way of life someone who is walking or beginning to walk feebly in its glorious path. My pen is very weak and ignorant, but my desires and wishes are in no way weak or feeble; they are solidly written in my heart, and to carry them out, I will go on unweariedly, firmly, and steadily to the end, to the last moment of my life.
“I must repeat and reiterate today what I have said for a year and a half now; today, that the passions of my enemies appear like an overflowing river; which is that, by God's grace, I will go forward and onward with yet greater joy and decision. I am, as ever, most thoroughly resolved not to lose one moment or one opportunity to show forth all my wishes, their grounds, and the deeply-rooted sentiment that produces them, or to declare to my foes that they will never succeed in conquering or in punishing me. For earnest faith is unconquerable, and against such there is no law.
“This is my soul's necessity, or rather the natural effect of my faith in God. He gives me life, joy, peace, spiritual food for my soul's health. But on the other hand, I only look forward to increased wrath on the part of my enemies: fury, that grieves me on their account, but that is to me a sweet pledge of my sure rejoicing in Jesus. But once again. When I shall have entered upon my term of punishment, I cannot but look forward to my death, perhaps very close at hand, for the flesh is weak; but in this I shall find my joy. The hand of the all-wise God, the gentle hand of my gracious Father, will be in this. If I am faithful unto death, He will give me the crown of life; and being faithful, I must die under my punishment, for this will be for the advancement of the holy cause; welcome then, this death! This is the future to which I aspire, as I told you before. Therefore, I must not struggle for liberty. The will of the Lord be done in all things. And you, His faithful children, act as seems fittest.”
At this time (March, 1862) the prisoners at Malaga addressed to Matamoros the following assurance of their faith having been strengthened by his constancy:—
“DEAR FRIEND, AND OUR LOVED BROTHER IN CHRIST,
“We have received your Christian letter, and we confess frankly that we were anxious for the moment to arrive, because we are always delighted by your correspondence, and because our souls receive by it the efficacious consolation which keeps faith alive in our hearts, and gives us the aid we require to suffer patiently persecution and disgrace. We find much to admire, dear brother, in your letters; much to respect and follow. In them we perceive what pure ideas animate you; what unwavering faith and what holy love to the Lord Jesus, and that this love is exalted in proportion to your sufferings for His name. We see by your letter that you have not flinched to confess before the tribunal the creed you profess; that your principal wish is that the Protestant religion be propagated in our benighted country, by spreading the light of truth, and making all know the maxims contained in the Book of Life. All these things we respect, and we cannot do less than render our just tribute of admiration to the indefatigable propagation of such holy truths. Up to the present we have kept you informed of our declarations, acts, etc., which have been given in our trial, and the faithful observations that concerning them we have received from you have so deeply moved us, and have caused such a deep sensation in our minds, that having repented from the bottom of our hearts for having wavered in confessing our faith, we have resolved to go before the tribunal that is trying us, and with all clearness to amplify our declaration; manifesting to them, that owing to certain untoward circumstances foreign to our character we held silence for a length of time, which now causes us remorse, for we are Protestants to the bottom of our hearts, and we have propagated and will propagate the maxims and doctrines contained in the Holy Bible, and imprisonment is not sufficient to quench our ardent faith, nor shall it tear from our bosoms those ideas which are our chiefest glory, and which we pray to the Eternal may be diffused through the length and breadth of Spain. Also we desire to inform you that our one desire is that the truth be propagated, and that all may receive the divine light of the gospel, and may be made acquainted with the true doctrines that Jesus taught upon earth. We also desire to say that in this step we have not been moved by any human interest, but simply from the conviction that the Reformed religion is the right one; and believing, as we do, that all the creeds which differ from it are either false or adulterated, we abandon the maxims that the Church of Rome teaches, and will only follow those contained in God's Word, where we hear the voice of God only speaking, and the holy apostles who accompanied him during his ministry. This is our act of faith, and this is what probably we shall have put into execution before the competent authority, when you have received this letter.
“We confess, beloved Manuel, that we have not been given the same energy and decision as you in confessing Jesus. We confess that we have been lukewarm in publishing what we believe. But we trust that you will pardon us in this delicate matter, and we hope that you will perceive that it was only circumstances which caused us to conceal our faith for a time. We feel we have erred; but now be assured that we are disposed, come what may, to repair our mistake, and we believe that God in His infinite mercy, so loving, so benign, will pardon us this fault. We are led to think this by the many proofs of the Divine clemency we have given us; the Magdalen, that sinful woman, a model of corruption and vice, who had never thought about the salvation of her soul, and had during her lifetime only thought of carnal delights"
The last letter from the Malaga prisoners shows the important place which Matamoros' faithfulness held in determining them to follow his example. One of them, Senor Marin, of Malaga, was a sculptor of great merit, and, from his long confinement in a damp cell, he had nearly lost his eyesight. He, from his deep devotion to Christ, received the cognomen of the Spanish Andrew Dunn.
On March 14th, the case of the Spanish persecutions was brought before the British House of Commons, on which occasion Mr. Kinnaird spoke at great length, and also Lord Palmerston, but no results followed. We give their speeches below:—
The Persecutions in Spain
" Mr. KINNAIRD said it would be recollected that, during the last session, the Right Hon. Baronet the Chief Secretary for Ireland on more than one occasion brought under the notice of the House the case of the persecution of certain people in Spain, solely on account of their religious opinions. The right hon. baronet stated the case with great ability, and he had no doubt that, although he had since accepted office, the right hon. gentleman still remained true to his principles. The Spanish persecutions commenced in 1859. In that year a naturalized British subject (Escalante) was seized, and imprisoned in a loathsome dungeon, for merely circulating the Scriptures. He was sentenced to nine years' penal servitude in the galleys, but owing to the intercession of our consul he obtained a remission of the sentence. The opinions for which he was persecuted had since spread in Spain, as they had in Italy, in France, and in other Roman Catholic countries. The Roman Catholic priesthood became alarmed, tracked the readers of the Bible through the agency of police spies, and subjected them to cruel persecution. The names of Matamoros and Alhama were already as familiar to the people of this country as those of the Madiai were ten years ago. Since his right hon. friend brought the subject before the House, those two unhappy men had, on the 6th of January of the present year, been sentenced to seven years of the galleys, while to a third victim (Trigo) had been awarded four years of a similar servitude. An attempt had been made to connect these men with certain political disturbances which had occurred in the district, but they had been twice honorably acquitted of the charge by the tribunal before which they were carried for trial. They had been condemned to the galleys for no other offense than professing those religious views which were held by the bulk of our countrymen. An appeal had been raised from that iniquitous sentence, and he wished to impress on our Government the duty of an indignant and energetic remonstrance against its confirmation. To be sent to the galleys was not only to be stripped of every right of citizenship, but to be doomed to the companionship of murderers and felons, to wear a galling chain for years, to be denied letters or visits even from one's nearest relatives. Already Matamoros' strength was breaking down under his captivity. Originally an officer in the army, he had been compelled to throw up his commission on account of the faith which he held, and was subsequently, in October, 1860, thrown into prison for the same reason. But these three men did not stand alone. The number of victims to persecution had been constantly growing, though he was happy to hear that there were not so many in prison just now as formerly. Within a few weeks or months, thirty persons were arrested and imprisoned at Granada, Malaga, and Seville alone. Many others fled for refuge to Gibraltar and elsewhere. At one time as many as fifty persons in Malaga were left destitute through the disappearance of heads of families. In one case, a sculptor with his wife and eldest son were arrested in the dead of night, and cast into a dungeon, leaving five helpless children totally unprovided for. In another instance, the head of one of the best public schools in Seville was apprehended. It was well known that at Granada the vilest criminals received better treatment in prison than the Christians who were convicted of reading the Bible. By the latest accounts five were still in prison at Malaga, and three at Granada. The others had been released, and some, if not all, had become refugees. It might be said that this was a matter which concerned the Spaniards alone, and with which we had no right to interfere. Others thought that interference was unadvisable, because it would prove of no avail. Knowing, as he did, what an impression the debates in the House last year had produced in Spain, he was confident that great good would result from a decided expression of opinion on the present occasion, and from cordial intercession on the part of the Government. One of the prisoners wrote, with reference to one of the discussions of last session, 'I have not yet read the speech of Sir Robert Peel, but I have heard it notably praised. An extract from Lord John Russell's reply has been translated, but only by the reactionary and anti-liberal section of the Spanish press. These periodicals have also published long leading articles commenting on the words of the minister, which, unfortunately, appear to be favorable to the neo-Catholic party (of course that was (Ally the distorted interpretation which that party sought to put on the speech of the noble lord), and double anathemas and menaces have fallen upon us. The speech has been fertile subject with our foes. I do not know what the spirit of it as a whole may have been, but I venture to believe that it was not that which the enemies of the gospel and the friends of slavery of conscience would represent it. Be that as it may, the clergy have taken fresh life from it; and not a little was expected from England. We, and with us all Spanish Protestants, looked to you, after God, for everything Spain has advanced towards religious liberty more rapidly than in many past years. The attitude of England has done much. Our brethren have taken courage. The liberal press, in its narrow circle, has done what it could. Nay, in the Spanish Chambers the other day notice was given of an intended interpellation to the Government respecting us.' The writer says elsewhere that 'all Spaniards look to England in this crisis, and from England only can we expect any help.' That illustrated the moral effect of the discussions in the British Parliament. He would not recapitulate all the precedents quoted last session by his right hon. friend as to the right of this country to interfere in the matter. He would only remind the House of the words of the eminent authority, Vattel, on this question. 'When a religion is persecuted, the foreign nations who profess it may intercede for their brethren; but this is all they can lawfully do, unless the persecution be carried to an intolerable excess. Then, indeed, it becomes a case of manifest tyranny, in which all nations are permitted to succor an unhappy people. A regard to their own safety may also authorize them to undertake the defense of the persecuted.' An hon. friend of his, the member for Galway, the other evening made an earnest appeal to the sympathies of the House in behalf of the Southerners who were in armed secession from the United States of America, and who demanded liberty to keep 4,000,000 of people in perpetual bondage; might not he far more confidently ask their sympathies for those who only exercised the right to profess what they conscientiously believed, and sought not to be treated as felons for holding the faith professed by the majority of the members of that House? Nor were they without encouragement from the results of the intercession made in behalf of their persecuted brethren in former instances. He had had the honor of bringing before the House the case of the Madiai, and their release speedily followed. Little did he think when he brought that case before the House how soon the Grand Ducal Government which persecuted them would be swept away. The tendency of these persecutions was to alienate the people from their Governments, and they were never forgotten when the day of reckoning came. The House would recollect the benefits which followed the withdrawal of our diplomatic representative from the Neapolitan Court, and the publication of that remarkable pamphlet of the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to Poerio and his fellow-sufferers. Where now was that persecuting Government? Here was a great moral lesson which should not be lost on such Governments—an advantage gained in a peaceable way by bringing public opinion to bear upon them. And was the idea of religious liberty in Spain perfectly hopeless I Within the last ten years the question of right of worship had been discussed in the Cortez, and was only lost by one vote. The press, moreover, was not completely subservient to the Roman priesthood. Another fact of great importance was that, since his right hon. friend had brought forward this subject, we did not stand alone in our remonstrances with the Spanish Government. Greatly to the credit of the Emperor of the French, M. Thouvenol had written a very admirable dispatch, instructing his minister at Madrid strongly to remonstrate with the Spanish Government on the subject of these unhappy persecutions; and when he remembered the position of France in relation to the Pope's continued possession of Rome, the fact was al] the more significant. Prussia, Russia, and Sweden had also remonstrated, and were endeavoring to persuade Marshal O'Donnell of the impolicy as well as injustice of persisting in these iniquitous sentences. The hon. member for Launceston (Mr. Haliburton), with that power of sarcasm for which he was so remarkable, referred the other evening to what Juarez might have said to the Spanish General who had command of the expedition to Mexico. It certainly was somewhat remarkable that Spain, who had often repudiated her public engagements, kept notoriously bad faith with us in her treaties in regard to the slave-trade, and was now disgracing herself by these persecutions, should go to Mexico in order to compel her to pay her debts. He did trust that Marshal O'Donnell, who had great experience in public life, would see the inexpediency of continuing these persecutions. What was immediately wanted was the pardon of these persons. Private efforts had been unable to obtain this. He therefore asked again for the remonstrance of our Government, and he hoped ultimately to see a change in those laws under which these persecutions had taken place, which were a disgrace to a civilized nation, making it impossible to know if any man was honest in his religious profession; for while one man would undergo imprisonment and the galleys rather than deny his faith, 500 others might think him right without daring to face the danger of avowing their convictions. He begged to ask the noble lord, the First Lord of the Treasury, in reference to what took place last session on the subject of the persecution in Spain and the efforts which were understood to be about to be made by Her Majesty's Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in order to obtain remission of punishment for Matamoros and others, who were undergoing imprisonment and are now under sentence of the galleys, on the charge of maintaining certain religious opinions and practices contrary to the religion of the State, whether he had any objection to state to the House if any and what steps had been taken in reference to this matter; and whether Her Majesty's Minister at Madrid had been able to obtain any satisfactory assurance that a favorable consideration would be given to his representations on the subject.”
“Viscount Palmerston,—Sir, I quite admit that my hon. friend has performed a duty which nobody can complain of in bringing this matter under the consideration and attention of the House. And there can be no doubt the expression of opinion in the British House of Commons must have great weight with those in any country in Europe to whose conduct those observations apply. I am sorry to say that I cannot, however, make any report to my hon. friend and the House as to any satisfactory result which has yet followed any attempts or exertions of Her Majesty's Government to obtain the pardon and release of the persons to whom the observations of my honorable friend apply. The difficulties, as he must be aware, are very great. The Spanish nation is a nation full of valiant, noble, chivalrous feelings and sentiments; but unfortunately in Spain, the Catholic priesthood exercise a sway greater than that they possess in any other country; and, however liberal—I believe I may say so—the Catholic laity in most countries are, history tells us that wherever the priesthood gets the predominance, the utmost amount of intolerance as invariably prevails. And although in countries where they form a minority they are constantly demanding, not only toleration, but equality, in countries where they are predominant neither equality nor toleration exists. Well, sir, the case in this instance bears upon law. It does not depend upon the will and action of the Government. There are ancient laws of the most intolerant and persecuting kind which have been called into action by the ministers of the Christian religion, and that action has been the condemnation of these unhappy men to punishment, which must, in its nature, be revolting to the minds of liberal persons. Efforts have been made to obtain from the Ministers of the Crown of Spain the exercise of their advice to the Sovereign to show that mercy which belongs to the sovereign of every country. Those efforts have not yet been successful. Mixed with the admirable qualities which distinguish the Spanish people, there is one quality not undeserving of respect, viz., a feeling of jealousy of foreign interference in their internal affairs. It is a quality which is connected with one of the highest national virtues; and, therefore, it is obvious that, in any endeavor to obtain the reversal, mitigation, or cessation of punishment, great delicacy must be shown, and great care taken, lest in endeavoring to do good we should, on the contrary, perpetuate evil. I can only assure my hon. friend that no effort will be omitted by Her Majesty's Government which they think will be conducive to the attainment of the object which he has in view.”
May England not allow the blood of martyrs to be at her door. God forbid that it ever may be written of us that we, through our lukewarmness, have seemed to say, "His blood be on us and on our children." It is not yet too late to alter our hitherto timid and humiliating policy; and, no doubt, if a decided course of action were pursued an end would be put to this detestable Priest-craft and cruelty. "I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not." Our position has been sustained and our country blessed before now by our helping the oppressed, and now we have another opportunity offered us which, as yet, has not been taken.
The public press was not silent during this iniquitous persecution; the Patriot of Feb. 27, 1862, took it up warmly, and its brilliant article we give below:—
The Look Out
"Let the names of Manuel Matamoros and of J. Alhama become household words in every Christian family in these islands. Remember them that are in bonds as bound with them.' The Spanish Government, in accordance with Article 128 of the Penal Code, has condemned these noble confessors of the gospel to seven years of the galleys, and to perpetual civil disability, with costs. Spain, which is advancing rapidly in wealth, education, political influence, and military power, remains medieval, tyrannical, exclusive, spiteful, intolerant in her views of religion. It is sometimes supposed that all national development is co-ordinate, and that advance in every line of progress is equal and parallel. But experience proves that this is far from being the truth. A people may make progress in military power without advancing in arts or virtues; a nation may develop to a marvelous degree the resources of a fertile country, while remaining as to the higher departments of thought and feeling in a state of barbarism. The diffusion of secular knowledge has in itself little effect upon superstition. Why should a nation abandon ancient superstitions as the result of instruction in science when it is seen that an individual great man, who has mastered the whole circle of modern knowledge, remains a bigoted Catholic g Besides, Spain acts in this business, so she imagines, on principle and on experience. In Spain, if anywhere, it has been proved, so she alleges, that thorough persecution is, on the whole, effectual in the suppression of heresy,' at least for the time present; and the government appreciates the advantages of unity in the affairs of 'religion.' There, is not much ground for astonishment, therefore, at the issue of the trial of the Spanish Bible-readers. If you add together the probabilities arising from Spanish experiences in history; from the wrath of priest-craft assailed in one of its last strongholds; from the demands of a popular superstition friendly to the vices of a self-indulgent nation; from the cold-blooded cruelty of a modern bureaucratic and centralized government aiming at 'order' and quietness, you arrive at a sum total of likelihoods which convert into a philosophical certainty and a State necessity the result which has been realized.
“But MM. Matamoros and Alhama will not suffer in vain. They are accompanied to the galleys by a Power who will cause their detention and slavery to turn out rather to the furtherance of the gospel.' The widely-diffused zeal on behalf of religious liberty, which is a characteristic of our times, has somewhat tempted men to a forgetfulness of the fact that the sufferings of Christian teachers have as important a part to bear in the extension of Christianity as the openings for unhindered works liberally afforded by political wisdom and justice. There never was a time, perhaps, when there was more danger than at present of the missionaries of the gospel permitting themselves to suppose that the prospects even of imprisonment and death are decisive reasons for abandoning particular evangelic enterprises. There never was a time when the self-devoting heroism of a few martyrs would produce deeper and wider effects upon the kingdom of darkness than now. We are all too prone to make our own safety and comfort the first condition of Christian soldiership. The extreme antagonism existing between true Christianity and all that is in the world,' should prepare us for the frequent practical expression of the deep spiritual opposition to God harbored in the bosom of mankind. Political and religious liberty all over the world' will never obliterate the strife between truth and falsehood, good and evil, God and the Devil. ' They that are born after the flesh' will persecute, as far as they are able, them that are born after the spirit.' There are many who wish to live godly' in Christ Jesus, but who, in a sense far different from that of St. Paul, will not suffer persecution.' They will not hear of a man's undergoing wrong for his religious opinions.' Now, such extravagance proceeds from a miscalculation of forces. Liberty is a good thing, to be much sought after, and to be struggled for by Christian politicians. Meantime, suffering also is a good thing, and exercises a material influence upon the diffusion of spiritual religion. Towards the close of his ministry Paul spent nearly five years of his life, continuously in a state of bondage; yet, in the Roman letter, written during the latter portion of this detention, he always speaks of his bonds' as effectual preachers of truth. Chained by the hand, like a dangerous wild beast, to a Roman legionary, he ever speaks of his manacles as of equal value with miracles in the defense and propagation of the Gospel.
“How is this I It is because the spectacle of a cultivated man suffering severe affliction for conscience' sake, affliction which he might wholly escape by ungodly abandonment of his principles, always makes a deep impression on thoughtful observers. When men bring themselves ' much gain by soothsaying,' or by any form of religion, it throws a doubt upon their absolute sincerity. The obvious gain in money, in station, in authority, in reputation, is considered to offer a sufficient rationale and exposition of the ruling motive. Doth Job serve God for naught? is Satan's taunt at the prosperous believer, re-echoed by the world, which is always skeptical of fine excellence. But, when a man brings himself into trouble, or hard labor, or irksome toil, or straitened circumstances, by following his conscience; when he sacrifices bright worldly prospects for a spiritual and eternal end, it draws attention to the faith, and persuades men that there is something in it. Some people, indeed, talk as if the world were more likely to be wrought upon religiously, the more influential and prosperous, in a worldly point of view, are its advocates and patrons. It is conceived that the upper classes' particularly are more likely to be converted to goodness by a right reverend father in God enthroned in the House of Lords, and having five or ten thousand a-year at his disposal. But, in truth, this is a mistake. A duke or a marquis is just like any other man in the constitution of his mind, and is more likely to be persuaded by the spectacle of self-denial, of disinterestedness, of suffering borne for the sake of conscience, than by all the gorgeous trappings of a secularized hierarchy.
“Thus it is that suffering for the truth proves so powerful an auxiliary in its diffusion. It furnishes the evidence of a real faith and patience. Men are at ease in their sins when they see only a `godliness' which is gain.' But when they see a man burning to ashes for a principle, or going to the galleys for an idea of God, it gives them the impression that religion is a reality; and to make it seem real is halfway towards making it be believed. Suffering for the faith also exhibits God's supporting grace in sorrow. Matamoros says in his recent letter to the churches in Paris, 'This sentence causes me ineffable joy.' It represents the comforting action of the Divine Spirit in the midst of a world doubtful of all supernatural agencies. It kindles the enthusiasm of sympathizers, and makes them much more bold to speak the word of God without fear. Nothing is more inspiring than a martyrdom. The sparks of the burning fly and fall in every direction, and raise fresh ' fires ' on earth, such as God delights in-fires in which truth shall consume error. Suffering quickens the ingenuity of Christians, and leads them to devise fresh methods for assailing the fortresses of superstition. It exposes to public gaze the hateful qualities of the opposition. It exhibits the essential weakness of systems which can support themselves only by force, not by argument It brings to light the tyranny and cruelty of priests, who will leap through every restraint of right and honor in order to maintain their power. Frequently persecution has widely diffused the gospel by dispersing its confessors, who go everywhere preaching the word,' just as Palestine was filled with the fugitives from the persecution at Jerusalem, and American freedom was founded by the exiles of England. And, lastly, oftentimes the imprisonment of noted Christians has turned their thoughts inwards, since all outward activity was forbidden, and enabled them to mature in solitude thoughts and works which have operated to the production of evangelical religion long after their imprisonment was ended. It was thus that Patmos, under a divine inspiration, produced the Apocalypse. It was thus that the Restoration, with its Act of Uniformity, and its Conventicle Act, and its Five-mile Act, produced Baxter's ' Christian Directory,' and Howe's Blessedness of the Righteous,' and Delighting in God,' and The Vanity of Man as Mortal,' and Alleine's ' Alarm to the Unconverted,' and Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress,' and Milton's 'Paradise Lost,' and many other spiritual legacies of that age of sorrow. And thus our beloved brethren in Spain shall not suffer so many things in vain. We shall pray for them in every public act of worship; we shall ask that the solicitations of England, and Prussia, and Russia shall not be ineffectual in bending the pride of the Spanish Government; we shall beg that the warm intercessions of the Evangelical Alliance, so ably presented to the Prime Minister O'Donnell, by General Alexander, may not fail of success. But even if the Spanish hierarchy persist in enforcing the terrible and cruel sentence of the galleys, we shall still confidently expect that one Matamoros will, though in his bonds, chase ten thousand opponents, and one single Alhama, in chains and convict dress, prove stronger for the shaking of the Popedom than all this petty persecution can prove for the extinction of the gospel.
“W.”
Few in our country have shown more unceasing sympathy and perseverance in the case of Matamoros than General Alexander, and the record of his mission, which is also from the Patriot newspaper, we here insert:—
Spain
THE PRISONERS FOR THE GOSPEL
"The following statement of the result of General Alexander's visit to Spain has been forwarded to us by the Evangelical Alliance:—
“' Major-General Alexander, who, at the request of the British Committee of the Evangelical Alliance, and as the representative of the Conference of Christians of All Nations, held a few months since at Geneva, visited Madrid, to endeavor to obtain the liberation of the Spaniards imprisoned for reading the Bible, has just returned from his mission.
“The object of the mission was not to excite public agitation, or to adopt any course which might wear the appearance of foreign interference with the laws of Spain—a point on which the people of that country are proverbially sensitive—but simply to seek for an act of royal clemency towards the prisoners, especially towards Matamoros, Alhama, and Trigo, who have, solely on the ground of their religion, been condemned to the galleys, the first two for seven years, and the third for four years.
“' Through the kindness of several distinguished persons in this and other countries, the cordial, though unofficial, services of the ambassadors of England, France, and Russia, were enlisted in this work of mercy. The Prussian ambassador, though a Roman Catholic, had already made representations to the Spanish Government. Other valuable aid, Spanish and foreign, was also obtained. At the request of Sir John Crampton, General O'Donnell favored General Alexander with an interview, at which he entered fully into the subject of the General's mission.
“'At that interview the General frankly stated the circumstances under which he was deputed to lay before his Excellency the expression of the principles and sentiments of his co-religionists, not in England only, but in France, Germany, Sweden, Holland, Switzerland, and other countries; that, although the arrangements for his mission had been made by a particular Society, the cause was common to all Protestants.
“General Alexander then presented to General O'Donnell a written statement of the object of his mission, and of the pleas adduced to obtain from the clemency of Her Majesty the Queen of Spain the pardon of men who stand acquitted of all political and criminal offenses, but who are condemned to the galleys for taking the Sacred Scriptures as their rule of faith, and acting according to their conscientious convictions.
“The Prime Minister was most courteous in his reception of General Alexander. He received very cordially the statement above referred to, together with a translation of a Minute on the subject of the Spanish prisoners. adopted by the Geneva Conference in 1861, and of lists of the nationalities represented at that Conference, and of many persons of note in Europe known to be interested in the fate of men now suffering for conscience' sake in prison, and over whom impends the dread sentence of labor in the galleys.
“' The Duke of Tetuan, while stating the obstacles to General Alexander's object, expressed his satisfaction with the manner in which it had been sought to promote it, and promised to submit the papers presented to him to his colleagues in office. He made some remarks upon Spain being less intolerant than was generally supposed, but said that though she would allow nothing like dictation or foreign interference, still her Government was considerate of moral influences and of fair representations that came properly before them. He observed that, though he could hold out no hope of an immediate favorable result, yet, if the object was to be gained, the course adopted was the best that could have been pursued for the purpose. In the course of his remarks the General alluded in a gratifying manner to his own Irish origin, and spoke in very complimentary terms of the army to which the General belongs, and of the Sovereign whom it is his honor to serve.
“' The final result of this interview will be anxiously waited for by Protestants throughout Europe any America.'”
If we contrast the conduct of our rulers in this matter with that of Darius, the Persian monarch, whet Daniel was in the lions' den, we cannot but see till deepest sympathy and energy evinced in the actions o: the latter, whilst supineness and apathy are the characteristics of the former. We cannot but admire the conduct of Darius when we read the words, "The king was sore displeased with himself, and set his heard upon Daniel to deliver him, and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him." Again, "The king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting, neither were instruments of music brought before him, and his sleep went from him. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions." The remainder of the story is well known. The deep sympathy of the Persian monarch elicits from us sentiments of grateful admiration for his untiring care and love to Daniel, and we sought in vain for a corresponding line of action from those in power in our Government. “If thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall their enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed. And who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”