In many parishes there was no light, and no life or testimony in the Church; and had it not been for the chapels, men and women might have perished in ignorance and error.

Imperfect and erroneous as is some of the Gospel which is preached in chapels and rooms, there was more vitality in it, and also more saving power, than in the refined and critical teaching which emanated from many of the accredited and accepted preachers of the land.  Where the Church was rising up into energetic action, in too many cases it had a sectarian, and not a catholic object—­that is to say, it was aiming to make Churchmen and communicants, or members of guilds, instead of proclaiming the Gospel for the salvation of souls.

The sovereignty of God, the responsibility of man, and the work of the Holy Ghost, were frequently altogether overlooked, although this is the true catholic teaching.  In this I comprehend not only the bringing of souls from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive the forgiveness of sins, but also that believers might go on to have “an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus.”  Churchism, with its sacramentalism, is as sectarian as any form of Dissent, Romanism included; for it falls short of God’s object, as declared in the Word.

When the work at Golant church abated, I had more time for looking about; so I proffered a visit to the High Church rector, who had asked me to come over and tell him the secret of my success.  He readily fixed upon a day, so I went over to luncheon; after which we began to talk.  The curate, who was present, and who had heard some ranters shouting and screaming in the “shires,” kept on every now and then putting in a word of caution to restrain the rector from admitting too much; for little by little he was yielding to me.  I spoke of letting down the nets for a draught, and catching men, not to smother and kill them in some Church system, or by some erroneous teaching, but to keep them alive.  “This,” I said, “is the meaning of the word in the original;” and we looked it out in the Greek.  It was very interesting.  We then talked over the difference between the Church system and that of the Bible.  The one, I said, makes apostolic succession and the sacraments the channel of salvation; the other the Word of God, as applied by the Holy Ghost.

We had a great battle on this point, two against one; but having the Word of God on my side, I stood by my experience.  I had myself been on the other side, and was then ten times more zealous and earnest than these two were.  I said, “I used to preach salvation by Church and sacraments once, but I was not saved that way.  I used also to teach that the new birth was by Baptism; but I was not born again when I was baptized.  Were you?  Are you quite sure that, with all your faith in Baptismal Regeneration, you are born again of the Spirit?  Are you satisfied that you are now saved because you are in the Church?”