26 March 1821

John Ryland at Stokes Croft, Bristol, to William Wilberforce in London, 26 March 1821.

My dear Sir

I recd your kind Note last week for which I am much obliged to you. – 

Mr Fuller’s Works are 12s a Volume except that on the Revelations wch is only 10s/6.d –

If you please to inclose an ordr on a London Bank, my Bankers in Bristol wd take it, and I would immediately pay the amount to his Son. – Or, if you wd prefer paying it to Mr Dyer, No 9 Wardrobe Place Drs Commons, he wd forward it to me, witht Delay.  Another Vol. will be out in a few days.

Vol     I           12s

II          12s

III        12s 

V          10s/6d 

VII       12s 

                        2    18    6

 Do you wish for a Copy of the Memoirs of his Life? Or, have you got it already?

I have transcribed 2 or 3 extracts from letters recd last week from India and from Jamaica, and have desired MrDyer to send you the last printed accounts.

I have never busied myself much in political concerns, having other business sufficient to occupy my whole time.

As to the Catholic Question I have been considerably at a loss which side to take. On the one hand, I have been afraid of seeming to distrust my own sword, and to ask for the aid of the civil magistrate to defend the cause of Christ.

On the other hand, while I am willing that the worst enemies of the truth should be approved only by the word of God, and be left to try all that they can do by means of argument agt it.  I have tho’t the case of the Catholics differ’d from that of other erroneous persons.  A man may indeed be a Catholic, and disbelieve the power of the Pope to dispense wththe obligation of an oath: tho I should fear that out of 12 men, who now think themselves sincere in denying that power, 8 or 9 wd be likely to change their opinion in case of a Crisis, when they might esentially serve their Church, by adopting it.  But another point weighs more with me, viz.  A man cannot be a Roman Catholic, and yet be heartily disposed to allow Liberty of Conscience to others.  If then a man had his hands tied behind him, and I was sure that if they were untried, he wd immediately tie mine behind me, I should hesitate about cutting the string.  Hence the scale has hitherto preponderated in my mind ag.t the measure. Yet the more I think of it, the more I dread distrusting the sufficiency of scripture and argument to defend our cause; and I have almost felt inclined to risque all consequences.  Surely if Protestants of all denominations do their Duty, we cannot have much room to fear the prevalence of popery in England.  Hence I have forborn signing the petition against their claims.  To some petitions in this City I should utterly object, tho’ to that in our parish I shou’d not have any objection, except from the cause already stated.  I have therefore left the business quite alone. – 

If I were to judge of Mr Brougham’s Bill by the returns of many of the Clergy, I should fear, It is not so much intended for the increase of education to the poor, as it is to prevent Dissenters and Methodists, from instructing the Children of Absenters, and thereby causing many of them to become conscientious Dissenters.  Even the returns of some excellent men in this City, are suprizingly defective and inaccurate.  If it be not too much trouble for you to have them read to you I will shortly send you some clear Statements on this subject.

I have enclosed a few lines on one or two political measures now pending in Parliament.  One of which I am much inclined to leave entirely alone; and on the other (Mr Brougham’s Bill) I hope soon to send you some authentic information.  I dare not say there can be no individual found among all the friends of Sunday schools who may be intemperate or imprudent, tho I know of none such.  But I am sure those that I have known to be most active, have been purely and earnestly concern’d to do good, by alluring the most neglected children, who used totally to profane the Lord’s day, to come and be instructed in the common faith –  We have abt 500 taught by persons belonging to our congregation.  I am 

            Dear Sir

                        Yours most respectfully

                                     John Ryland

Mar. 26.

1821.

[Attached to the letter is the following account by Ryland]

Extracts from Sutton’s Journal.

1820

Augt 23.  Was out to day as usual, but there being a grand holiday for the worship of Krishnu, they were not so much at leisure as usual; but some heard, and replied, If the English Gov.t did not consider the Ganges as a goodess, why did they require people to swear by it, in their courts of Justice?

July 13.  Preach’d at a large fair, near Gysabud.  This fair is the anniversary of drawing the [?] of Jaggernaut, the Moloch of the East.  How different from the religious anniversaries of England.  Here the people assemble to behold the most obscene paintings, to hear the most filthy songs, to have the mind corrupted, and the [heart] hardened in vice.  Even females croud [sic] to see paintings on which I was ashamed to look.

At this assembly I was much pleased with the attention wth wch many heard.  They all ackn.d the vanity of their worship.  I told them, they had now for many years been searching after God, but they had not found him.  They had taken water and called that god.  They had taken stones, & after fashioning them after the likeness of man, they had said these were god; and to day they had piece of wood wch [they?] called Jaggernaut, or the lord of the world, but God was different from all these. In short they had sought into all the works of his hands, but they had not found him: and the only way to find him, and to worship aright was to learn the Gospel of Christ, where they w.d find the knowl. of God, and of Jesus Christ whom he had sent.”

I transcrib’d the first paragraph, tho’ I think Sutton might have replied, “You are so foolish as to disregard the true God and yet think yourselves bound by the waters of the Ganges, and therefore the English are obliged to bind you in the only way in which you can be bound to speak the truth.”However, if they will not take the Oath of a conscientious Deist, all oaths administerd to Hindoos must be weaken’d in proportion as superstitition & idolatry are weaken’d – 

Our Missionaries in Jamaica are reaping a plentiful harvest – A poor slave wished his owner to give him permission to attend with God’s people, as he called them to pray.  His ans.r was, “No.  I will rather sell you to any one who will buy you.” “Will you sd he, suffer me to buy myself free, if me can?’ “If you do, you shall pay dearly for your freedom, as you are going to pray; 250£ is your price!” –  “Well Massa, it a great deal of money, but me must pray.  If God will help me, me will try and pay you.” After working hard a long time, at last he sold all which he & his wife had, except his blanket to purchase liberty to pray in public, & meet wth those who love the Savior.  

Text: William Wilberforce Papers, David Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Duke University,. Durham, NC.