I truly rejoice that you and your sister have sought me out by your father's desire," said Mr. Fuller, when the young people, having changed their garments, had rejoined him in the sitting-room, where a substantial meal was prepared for them." I loved your father for your dear mother's sake, as well as for his own; and grieved that he should remain with his mind darkened, and bound by the shackles of Rome. He knew that I, long ago, was freed from bondage; and also that your mother believed the truth as it is in Christ Jesus and constantly prayed for his conversion; but, till you arrived to-day, I knew not that her prayers had been heard; and that he, and you two, her dear children, had been called into the marvelous light of the Gospel. As I think of it, my heart bounds with joy and gratitude; and oh, dear children, how will her blessed spirit rejoice when she knows, as assuredly she will know, that he whom she loved on earth is ready to confess his Savior before men, and to go forth even unto death, as a witness of the truth. You shed tears for the danger in which your father is placed. They are natural tears, and such as God will not condemn; but think, dear children, at the same time, of the words of our blessed Lord, ' Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of Man also confess before the angels of God' (Luke 12:88Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: (Luke 12:8)).”
“Yes, uncle; indeed, I know well the words of the blessed Gospel, and gladly, even now, would I return to London, that I might bear witness to the truth in company with my dear father," exclaimed Humphrey, with his usual warmth.
“My nephew, I do not advise you to pursue such a course," answered Mr. Fuller." Your duty was to come to me as you have done. You may not be required to give your life for the truth; and God may have some other work for you to do, in which you can equally confess Him before men, and make known His name, and advance His honor and glory in the world.”
These arguments somewhat reconciled Humphrey to the course he had pursued, though he did not the less desire to return to share his father's captivity and ultimate fate, whatever that might be. His uncle, however, did not allow him to think in silence.
“You must tell me, Humphrey," he continued, "how this happy conversion was brought about. I know there is but one agent, one teacher, one guide—the Holy Spirit, who can convert the heart of man, and enlighten the mind; and yet wonderful and numerous are the means employed.”
Humphrey narrated to his uncle and aunt the chief events which had occurred in their family from the day he and his sister had witnessed the martyrdom of William Hunter to the present time.
“All! yes; our arch-enemy, Satan, believes, when he instigates his wretched tools to shed the blood of the saints, that he is about to trample out the truth; instead of which, for every martyr who dies, hundreds, nay thousands, are rescued from the kingdom of darkness, and brought into the kingdom of heaven. When Satan instigated Judas to betray our blessed Lord, he undoubtedly thought that he had gained a victory. Still more did he rejoice when he saw Him hanging on the cross; not understanding that thus the Son of God had become the Savior of the world, that the seed of the woman whose heel he had bruised had accomplished that glorious prophecy uttered to our first parents, and that he was to find that thus his head had been bruised. Who but Satan—who but Antichrist—is the instigator of all the cruel burnings which are now taking place? and yet, cruel as are those who expect thus to trample out the truth, they are even yet more foolish, for they are pursuing the very surest way to make Englishmen hate the very name of Rome and the Pope of Rome, and securing the ultimate triumph of Protestant principles throughout the land. Be assured, dear children, that the glorious Gospel will be heard throughout the length and breadth of England in spite of Philip of Spain and our unhappy Queen. These opinions I have held for many years, and though I grieve to hear of Christian men suffering imprisonment and death, yet my faith in the certainty of the progress of the Gospel is in no way shaken.
“I have long lived a quiet life in this retired place, and though I have never concealed my opinions, and lost no opportunity of imparting to my neighbors a knowledge of the truth, I have hitherto escaped persecution, yet have I ever been prepared for it. I foresaw that bad times were coming for England—a long night, although day, I felt sure, would break in the end—when Philip of Spain came over to wed the Queen. That year of 1554 I went up to London on business, and saw, the preparations made for the reception of the Queen's intended husband. When our blessed young King Edward the Sixth came to the throne, and showed his love for the Gospel, I had vainly supposed that Popery would, ere long, be totally extirpated from the land; albeit I considered that too much conformity with the Roman ritual was still maintained in the form of worship he had sanctioned, calculated to lead the people back to, rather than away from, the errors of the Papal system. Alas, what sights was I to behold! what grievous backslidings among all ranks of people! One of the saddest sights was to see hundreds, nay thousands, of married ministers turned out of their houses, with their wives and little ones literally begging their bread, or starving, as many did, and their places filled by the priests of Rome, who had restored all the ceremonial observances which had been swept away, who were singing masses for the souls of the departed, hearing confession, granting absolution, causing the adoration of the Eucharist, and teaching the fable of Transubstantiation; while the Holy Bible—which even the Queen's father, Henry, had allowed the people everywhere freely to possess and read—albeit he was little influenced by its sacred precepts, was now a prohibited book. One of those true ministers of the Gospel has since been residing with us, though in disguise, for fear of our enemies. I found him in the last stage of exhaustion, when he had already lost his beloved wife and two infant children. He is from the house at this present moment, but will return in the evening, and he will tell you of many things of which probably you know little. You cannot fail to be interested in what he will say, as well as in himself, for a more faithful, humble Christian does not breathe; so full of confidence in our Heavenly Father's mercy, so full of love for the souls of his fellow-creatures.
“However, to my history. As Mary was looked on by many Protestants, as well as by the Papists, as the rightful heir to the throne, she was heartily welcomed when she arrived in London to assume the scepter, few persons dreaming of the blood which was so soon cruelly to be shed at her command. I cannot even now think without tears of the execution of that young, beautiful, and talented Christian woman, the Lady Jane Gray. It was a bad beginning, and Protestant men began to tremble for their religious liberty. Greater reason had they to do so when it became known that the Queen had resolved to espouse Philip of Spain, one of the most bigoted princes of Europe. You have heard how many, dreading the consequences of having a foreigner and Papist as king, who would be eager to put England again under the power of the Pope, took up arms to prevent the marriage. I do not for one moment approve of an appeal to arms. God's work is not thus to be accomplished it is a hard thing for unregenerate man to wait patiently for what God may think fit to bring about in His own way. In this instance the result proves strongly that I am right in my opinion.
“In Devonshire, Sir Thomas Carew, with a body of friends, took up arms to resist the landing of the King of Spain, but finding that he was not supported as he had expected, he fled for safety to France. In the meantime, in Kent, a confederate of Carew's, Sir Thomas Wyatt, also rose in arms, and soon, many of the Queen's troops going over to him, he advanced with a small and ill-disciplined army towards London, There was great terror and alarm in the city at the approach of this army, which came without impediment to Charring Cross, opposite St. James's Palace. Here one part of Sir Thomas's force separated from him to attack Whitehall; while he, with the rest, advanced on through Temple Bar and Fleet Street, till they came to Lud Gate, which they found closed against them. From this, after some skirmishing, they turned back purposeless. There was another skirmish at Temple Bar, when Wyatt was persuaded to yield himself up a prisoner under the expectation of being pardoned. In this he was cruelly disappointed, and not only he, but some score of his misguided followers paid the penalty of their rebellion with their lives. Oh! it was a sad sight to see their lifeless bodies hanging on gibbets at the end of every street in London. Truly, it sickened people of rebellion, but it did not make them love the Queen more.
“When however, news was received that King Philip was actually coming, the bodies were taken down, and the gibbets removed, and people prepared to put on smiling faces to welcome him. At length he arrived at Southampton, attended by a gorgeous train of Castilian and Flemish nobles, and the Queen went down to Winchester to welcome him. They were married on the festival of St. James, the guardian saint of Spain, by Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester. At first, even Philip and Gardiner, though acknowledging that they desired to see the nation brought back to the Church of Rome, talked only of mild means. They talked of trusting to persuasion and eloquence to convert the people. They were soon to throw off the mask, and to show what Rome is when opposed, and when she has the power in her hands.
She was mild and gentle enough in Edward the Sixth's time, she is mild enough in the States of those German Princes who have thrown off her power; but, alas, now we know her as she is, and as she will ever be, under similar circumstances. Yes, Rome, in her arrogance and bigotry, hates the light, and believes, and ever will believe, that she can stamp it out with her iron-shod heel and her burning brands. After a few days of banqueting, Mary and Philip proceeded to Windsor, that the new king might be installed as a Knight of the Garter. It was then, as was supposed by the Queen's order, a herald took down the arms of England, and in their place would have put up those of Spain, but the indignation of some lords was so great that he was compelled to restore them.
“A few days after this the King and Queen returned to London. The public places were decorated to do them honor. On the conduits of Gracechurch were painted portraits of the nine worthies, and of Henry VIII. and Edward VI. Henry was painted, I remember it well, with a Bible in his hand, on which was written Verbum Dei. Bishop Bonner, having noted the book in the King's hand, shortly afterward called the painter before him, and with vile words and other abuse, such as" traitor, knave," demanded who bade him describe the King with a book in his hand—threatening to send him to the Fleet. The painter humbly replied that he thought he had done no harm. How could he, for what more gracious and important act did the King ever perform than when he ordered that the Bible should be read in all churches throughout the realm? ‘Nay,' replied the Bishop, ' it is against the Queen's catholic proceedings.' So, shortly afterward, the painter put out the book of Verbum Dei, and placed instead in his hand a new pair of gloves. When I saw that change as I walked along the street, I knew well that bad times were coming for poor England —an empty pair of gloves for the full free Gospel of truth! Bad times have come. Popery has come back, and is rampant in the land; but still, the truth is here. They cannot take that away—they cannot put that out while faithful man remains to keep the lamp alight. But we have talked long enough. You shall now return to your room and rest awhile till our evening meal is prepared.”
Humphrey gladly obeyed, but he could not rest.
The window of the sleep-room which had been awarded to him opened over the plain. As he was looking out of it, he saw in the far distance a party of horsemen passing across it. He watched them anxiously. For what purpose could they have come? Could it be that they had traced him and his sister thus Par? If so, he prayed that even at the last they might lose trace of them, for it would be doubly grievous to bring their uncle into trouble for having given them shelter. Now it seemed that the horsemen were approaching the house. Humphrey felt that he ought to give his uncle notice, that he and Mary might be concealed in time; but just as he was leaving the window they again turned away, and continued their course across the heath.
The matter, when Humphrey mentioned it, caused some anxiety in the family, at the same time it showed that if Humphrey and his sister's pursuers had traced them in that direction, they could be guided by no certain information as to where they purposed seeking refuge. William Fuller was a wise and cautious man, and at the same time stout of heart. Firmly resolved to protect his young relatives to the utmost, he took every care to prevent it being known that they were secreted in his house. Their pony was concealed during the day that it might be removed to a distance at night; and the boy alone who had seen them arrive, and one female domestic, were aware that they were in the house, both being earnestly cautioned not to speak on the matter. Anxiety and fatigue had sorely tried Mary's health, and it was evident that many days would be required to restore it. Humphrey more quickly regained his strength, and as soon as he saw Mary in a fair way of recovery, he told his uncle of his resolve to return to London, that he might succor his father as best he could, or be ready to suffer with him.
“I cannot gainsay thee, nephew. I, under like circumstances, would have done the same," answered William Fuller; "yet consider well what would be thy father's wish; that should guide thee.”