FL14372772

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Sydney 18th March, 1847.

REVEREND SIR,-

I have received your letter, with the accompanying statement of what occurred in the recent case of apostacy to the
Church of Rome, which you informed me you reduced to writing immediately on the matter taking place. You have acted
very properly in making this communication to me; as it is of importance that the delusions which operate upon hardened
sinners is inducing them, under a fallacious assurance of security, to make a profession of adherence to the Church of
Rome, when under dread of death, should be made more generally known. As such proceedings may take place in ohter
parishes, I purpose having some copies of your statement printed for distribution, that both our clergy and laity may be
made more aware than they are at present of the unchristian proceedings which attend these pretended conversions. One
does not know whether to feel more of shame or of regret at the thought of their being countenanced and encouraged.

I remain, Reverend Sir,
Your very faithful servant,
W.G. AUSTRALIA.
THH REV. T. W. BODENMAM.

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MEMORANDUM.

On Wednesday, 3rd March, 1847, a message was left at St. Jame's Church, for me, to visit a sick man: his
residence, however, was so mis-described that after much searching for it, I was compelled to abandon the attempt,
especially as no one near the spot to which I had been directed knew of any person being ill. Late that evening, however,
the man's friend came to my house and told me his name, and where I could find him. I arranged to see him the next
morning, immediately after prayers, and did so; he was ill, but I saw no symptoms of his being near death; indeed his
bodily strength seemed hardly at all dimished. I had been told that he had led a very wicked life. I began my
instruction by asking him whether he believed that his sickness came fromGod, and pointed out to him that it was
proof of God's mercy and care for us, so to visit us; and that it was consequently our duty to receive his visitation
thankfully, and to bear it patiently, making use of it to bring ourselves unto repentance; for which purpose I adominished
him to compare his life, and words, and thoughts, with the rule of Scripture, and our baptismal covenant, to "dl all to the
glory of God;" to remember, also, that in baptism his body had been made a temple of the Holy Ghost, and consequently
ought not to have been defiled, and that the sin of polluting it was enormous; and that for all this we should have a solemn
and strict account to render at the judgement seat of Christ; with a good deal more to the same effect. I admonished him
also of the uncertainty of the moment when he might be called into his Maker's presence, and left him with an adomination
to employ his time, till he should see me again, in thinking over his life and conversation, and praying to God to make
him sorry for his sins. After this, I saw him daily, with but two exceptions, one of which was Sunday, and finding him
not get worse, and that he was far from considering himself a sinner, I laboured very hard to bring him to repentance.
I used to questionn him very closely, and he acknowledged to me his having offended against every commandment in the
decalogue; very generally even against the letter, and in all cases against the spirit of it; still he was not at all dissatisfied
with himself, but said that he thought he had led a very regular life, and was at any rate, as good as his neighbours. His
principal ground of confidence seemed to be that (although he acknowledged he had often been guilty) yet he had not been
an habitual swearer. I continued my exertions to bring him to a better state of mind, and told him, (among very many
other things), that the men in Noah's days were no worse than their neighbours, nor yet in Lot's, but that in both cases
God had destroyed them because all were wicked together; but that, even were it not so, we should not be judged for
being better or worse than others, but as to whether we had obeyed or disobeyed Almighty God. Instruction of this kind
and with this object, (though varied from time to time in the mode of putting it), I continued to give him, hoping that I
should be able, by God's blessing, to make him feel his sins to be a heavy burden, too great for him to bear; and that
when thus weary, and heavy laden, I might be able to speak to him of a Saviour who could give him rest. I conversed
with him in this way on Wednesday, the 10th March, and when I was about to leave, his wife (a Papiat) urged on me, with
great earnestness, to see him on the day following. This, which I should have done whether or no, I promised to do, and
accordingly, at about the same hour, in the afternoon of Thursday, the 11th instant, I called again, when much to my
surprised, I learned that within a-quarter of an hour, indeed it was said that within ten minutes, of my back being turned,
the day before, a person (who keeps a boarding house in the immediate neighbourhood), had come in with a Roman
Catholic Priest, whom she introduced to the sick man, and who, (the R. C. P.), after a few observations, baptised him,
while being accomplished, the Romiah Priest left, instructing him to say, or learn, (I do not know which), some
prayer which he pointed out to him. After the Romish Priest had gone, the person who had brought him, sent into the
sick man's house, roast beef and other estables; and I was informed that the evening was spent in feasting and carousing.

The morning after this, another Romish Priest called there about half-past seven, and, as I have been informed,
enquired if he (the sick man) had said the prayer? His wife said "no, but that she had done it for him;" the priest said
'"that would do as well, and that he must be prepared for absolutions."

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When I called in the afternoon, as I had promised to do, I was told of all these proceedings by an Irish Church-
woman, who had witnessed them, and was lodging (with her husband) in the house. I then saw the man himself, and had
the woman's statement confirmed from his own lips. On my asking him why he had acted in this way, he, for some time,
maintained a dogged silence, but ultimately said, that in time past, he had worked for the person who had brought in the
Romiah Priest, and that she had told him about there being but one true Church. He said no more, and I replied that that
was correct, but that while the Romiah Church was grievously corrupt, the Church of England was the most accordant with
the primitive and scriptural model, of say Church on earth; and thast consequently in acting as he had, he had left the
true Church he spoke of, and in which by God's mercy he had been brought up, to join one which had done more by its
persecutions and false doctrines to hinder the progress of Christianity, than all the heathen persecutions put together. I
asked him if he had not been baptised before: he said 'yes, in the Church of England." I said that he was aware of the
strict and solemn account which he must one day render before the judgement seat of Christ, and that in his present position,
of course, he could not tell how soon he might be called away; and I then asked him whether he thought the becoming
preparation for death was the commission of a deliberate sin by being baptised over again, in opposition to the plain
command of Scripture, that there was to be but "one baptism?" I said, that if he (the sick man) were not aware of the
sin he had partaken in, the Romish Priest was; and would have to answer for it at the bar of God, in his (the sick man's)
presence, and mine also, at the day of judgement. I told him of the practical idolatry of the Romish Church in the prayers
which she addresses (and would teach him also to address) to the Virgin Mary and to Saints, and recalled to him our blessed
Saviour's words, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." Finding, however, that I could
do nothing with him, I only further asked him what fault he had to find with his own Church, that he had left her for the
greviously corrupted Church of Rome? He said, "None." I asked him why he had ever felt any mis-givings as the
subject he had not applied to me for information; but he made no answer. Lastly, I enquired whether he wished me or
the Romish Priest to attend him for the future, and he said that on the next day he was to be removed to the Benevolent
Asylum, and that he would not see any but the Romish Priest. I said, 'well then that he should hear the Gospel now, if he'"never did again;" and that "I warned him in the name of God, whose minister I was, that (whatever the romish Church
"might tell him), he could be saved only by the merits of our blessed Lord, upon sincere repentance; and repentance, among
"other things, for the sin of being a second time baptised, and leaving the Church of God; - that the Virgin Mary or the
"Saints, who had all committed sins, and needed a Saviour themselves, could never procure him pardon; nor could the'"absolution of the Romish Priest avail him, since it would not be ratified by God, unless he had repented of his sins, as I
"had told him; and knew, and felt, and believed, that there was none other name under Heaven given among men, by whom,
"and through whom, he could obtain health and salvation, but only the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." I then left him.

THOS W. BODENHAM.

St. Jame's, Sydney, 13th March, 1847.