The Confession

Fritits of the Apoadediip of ^atriek— 9e praises God, vho preserved him from Sia, and furnished him with the grace of Preaching, and with a zeal for propagating his Gospel, and bringing Nations into the Church, according to the precept of our Lord, and the testimony of the Prophets, and this i^h so mu(A fruit, that many holy Men and Women should vie with each other in their ardor for evangelical perfection— 'He maintains he cannot, on any account, relinquish the good work he had begun, although he acknowledges his own imperfections.

It would be a tedious matter to give a narrative, wbolij or in pmt, of all my labrns. Briefly let me say how the God (ff piety often rescued ms hem. slavery, and from the many dangers wherein my soni was perilled, besides many snares, which I cannot express in words, lest I ^ould fatigue my readers.. But I have God fm my author, who knows all things before they happen, and who often admonished me, a poor wret^ed creature, by his divine revelations. Where have I acquired that wisdom, which was not in me, who knew not even God, nor the number of my days? Again, whence have I obtained that wonderful and saving gift of God, to know him, and to love him, so that I should renounce my country and my parents, and (he several offerings which were presented to me with weeping and

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with tears ? And there I went against the wishes of many of my elders ; but, by the grace of God, I by no means consented nor acquiesced in their desires. I resisted them all — not I, ‘but the grace of God, which triumphed in me, until I came to the Irish nation to preach the Gospel, and endure reproaches from unbehevers. I heard them upbraid me as a stranger, and I suffered many persecutions, even unto chains ; and yet I gave myself up without reserve for their advantage. And if I were held worthy, I am ready, immediately and cheerfully, to lay down my life for his name’s sake, and I desire to sacrifice myself, even unto 'death, if the Lord should demand it ; for I am a great debtor to God, who gave me so great a grace, that many people should be born unto the Lord through me, and be afterwards perfected, so that clergymen should every where receive ordination to serve a people that lately embraced the faith — a people whom the Lord had called to himself from the extremities of the earth, and to say, “Our fathers adored false gods, and there is no benefit from them.” And again, “ I have set thee for a fight to the Gentiles, that thou mayest become my salvation even to the boundaries of the earth.” And there I will expect his promise, who never deceives, as in the Gospel he has pledged himself(a) — “ They will come from the east and from the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” as we believe. They will come from every part of the world, wherefore we must fish diligently and carefully, as the Lord recommended, saying(5), “ Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’’ And again, by the Prophet(c), “ Behold I

(a) Matt. viii. 11. (6) Matt. iv. 19.

(c) Jer. xvi. 16.

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send you many fishers and hunters, saith the LoTd.” Hence we must cast our nets, so that a large and copious multitude be taken for God ; so that everywhere there would be clergymen who would baptize so great and so zealous a people, as the Lord admonishes and teaches(a) — “ Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them, to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold ! I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” And again, he says(i), “ Go ye to the whole world, and preach the Gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized wiU be saved.” “And preach this Gospel of the kingdom in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations, and then the consummation shall come.” And again the Lord, foretelling by his Prophet(c), says, “ And it shall come to pass in these latter days, saith the Lord I will pour out my spirit upon all fiesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your old men shall dream dreams. And indeed, upon my servants and handmaids, in those days, I ■w^l pour out my spirit, and they shall prophesy.” And Osee says (d), “ I will call those my people who are not my people, and those who have not obtained mercy, as those who have. And in the place where it is said, you are not my people, there shall they be called the sons of the living God.” And now, with regard to the Irish, who had no knowledge of God, pd who never worshipped any other but unclean idols, behold how they have lately become the people of the Lord, and are called the sons of God. The sons of the Scots, and the daughters of their kings

(a) Matt, xxviii. 19.

(c) Joel, ii. 28.

(6) Mark, xvi. 15. {d) Osee, ii. 23, 24. F

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seem to become the monks and the vir^s of Christ; nay, even one Scotia, a blessed noble and beautiful young woman, was baptized by me, and after a few days addressed herself to me> and intimated that she had received a warning from God’s messenger, who advised her to remain a virgin of Christ, and thus draw nigh to God. Thanks be to God, in six days afterwards she gladly and cheerfully laid hold of that grace, of which all virgins of God are alike partakers ; but not, indeed, according to the wishes of their parents, yea, rather from them do they suffer reproaches and persecutions unjustly; and, nevertheless, their number daily increases, so that we cannot keep any account of those of our nation who belong to Christ, not to speak of those who remain widows and unmarried. But even they labor much who are confined in service, and who endure all things patiently, with threats and terrors. But the Lord gave many of his handmaidens this great grace, for notwithstanding the prohibition, they still courageously imitate the example. Now I have the power, if I choose, to leave them, and to proceed into Britain. Although I should most willingly go, as to my country and my parents, and not only so, but I should visit my brethren even in Gaul, and see my acquaintances who are saints in the Lord. Now, the Lord is my witness that all this I did very much desire ; but, bound in spirit, there was one who annoimced to me, that if 1 should do this I should become guilty in his sight. So 1 feared to frustrate the labor I have commenced — not I, but the Lord, who commanded me to come and to stay with them for the remainder of my days, if the lord should preserve me from all sin and evil in his sight. Now dl this I should hope for ; but I trust not in myself, so long as I remain in this body of death. For he is powerful

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who is daily struggling to withdraw me from my purpose, and from my chaste desires of unfeigned religion, which purpose I will preserve to the end of my life, in Christ my Lord. But the flesh, always hostile, would bring me to death, that is, to enjoyments that are not to be tasted, but with the loss of eternid happiness. But I partly know that I have not studi^ eternal life like other believers; but I confess before my Lord — and I do not blush in his sight to proclaim the truth — that from the time I knew him in my youth, his fear and love have been, up to the present time, increasing within me ; and, by his grace, I will still continue to preserve the faith.