THE PERSECUTION.
On the following afternoon, Mr. Norton preached to a larger and far
more attentive audience than usual. The solemn warnings he had uttered
and the fearful presentiments of coming evil he had expressed on the
last occasion of assembling at the Grove, had been communicated from
mouth to mouth. Curiosity, and perhaps some more elevated motive, had
drawn a numerous crowd of people together to hear him.
He spoke to them plainly of their sinful conduct, particularizing the
vices of intemperance, profanity, gambling, and Sabbath-breaking, to
which many of them were addicted. He earnestly besought them to turn
from these evil ways and accept pardon for their past transgressions
and mercy through Christ. He showed them the consequences of their
refusal to listen to the teachings and counsels of the book of God,
and, at last, depicted to them, with great vividness, the awful
glories and terrors of the day of final account,
"When the Judge shall come in splendor,
Strict to mark and just to render".
As his mind dilated with the awful grandeur of the theme, his thoughts
kindled to a white heat, and he flung off words that seemed to scorch
and burn even the callous souls of those time-hardened transgressors.
He poured upon their ears, in tones of trumpet power and fulness,
echoed from the hills around, the stern threatenings of injured
justice; he besought them, in low, sweet, thrilling accents, to yield
themselves heart and life to the Great Judge, who will preside in the
day of impartial accounts, and thus avert his wrath and be happy
forever.
At the close, he threw himself for a few moments upon the rustic bench
appropriated to him, covered his face with his hands and seemed in
silent prayer. The people involuntarily bent their heads in sympathy
and remained motionless. Then, he rose and gave them the evening
benediction.
Mr. Somers, his nephew, and Adèle had been sitting under the shade of
an odorous balm poplar, on the skirt of the crowd, at first watching
its movements, and then drawn away from these observations, by the
impressive discourse of Mr. Norton.
"What a clear, melodious voice he has!" said John in an undertone to
Adèle, as the missionary finished the opening service.
"Wait, until you hear its trumpet tones, Mr. Lansdowne. Those will
come, by and by. They are magnificent. Please listen". And Adèle
placed a finger upon her lips, in token of silence.
John listened, at first, in obedience to her request, but he soon
became enchained by the speaker.
After the discourse was concluded, the trio remained sitting as if
spellbound, quite unobservant of the crowd, slowly dispersing around
them.
"What would that man have been, Ned", at length exclaimed John, "had
he received the culture which such munificent gifts demand? Why, he
would have been the orator of our nation".
"Ay, John", replied Mr. Somers, "but it is the solemn truth of his
theme that gives him half his power".
"It is as if I had heard the _Dies iræ_ chanted", said Adèle.
As they walked on towards the house in silence, they encountered a
company of persons, of which Mr. Dubois and the missionary were the
centre. These two were conversing quite composedly, but the
surrounding groups seemed to be under some excitement.
At the dispersion of the gathering at the Grove, as Mr. Norton was on
his way to the quiet of his own room, Mr. Dubois had presented to him
the bearer of a dispatch from Fredericton. The messenger said he had
been instructed to announce that the Provincial Court was in session
in that city, and that a complaint had been lodged with the grand jury
against Mr. Norton, and he was requested to meet the charge
immediately.
Mr. Norton was surprised, but said very calmly--
"Can you inform me, sir, what the charge is!"
"It is a charge for having preached in the Province of Brunswick,
without a license".
"Can you tell me by whom the charge was brought?"
"By the reverend Francis Dinsmoor, a clergyman of the Established
Church, of the parish of ----".
"Yes, sir. I understand. He is your neighbor on the other side of the
river, Mr. Dubois. Well, sir", continued Mr. Norton, "I suppose you
have just arrived and stand in need of refreshment. I will confer with
you, by and by".
The messenger retraced his steps towards the house.
In the mean time, a few rough-looking men had overheard the
conversation, taken in its import, and now came about Mr. Dubois and
Mr. Norton, making inquiries.
Tom Hunkins, more noted for profanity, hard drinking, and gambling,
than any man in the settlement, and whom Mr. Norton at the risk of
making him a violent enemy, had on one occasion severely reprehended
for the pernicious influence he exerted in the community,--here
interposed a word of counsel. He was just speaking, when Adèle, Mr.
Somers, and John, joined the group.
"Neow ef I may be so bold", said Tom, "I wouldn't go anyst the cussed
court. It's nothin' at all, but the meanness and envy o' that rowdy
priest over the river there. He's jest mad, cos the people come over
here to git fodder instid o' goin' to his empty corncrib. They like to
hear yer talk better than they do him, and that's the hull on it. I'd
let the condemed critter and court whizz, both on 'em. I would't go
aynst 'em".
"But Mr. Hunkins", said Mr. Norton, "I must attend to this matter. I
am exposed to a fine of fifty pounds and six months' imprisonment, for
breaking a law enacted by the Assembly of His Majesty's Province".
"I'll tell ye what ye can do, parson. I'll take and put ye right
through to Chartham this very night, and ye ken take a schooner that I
know is going to sail to-morrow for Eastport. That 'ill land ye safe
in the State of Maine, where ye ken stay till the Court is over, and
the fox has gone back to his hole, and then we'll give ye a lift back
agin and ye ken go on with yer preachin'".
"I thank you for your kind feeling towards me, Mr. Hunkins, but I must
go to Fredericton. The case is just this. I knew, before I came to
Miramichi, that the government was not particularly favorable to
dissenting ministers, and also that the Assembly had passed this law.
But I had heard of the condition of this people and felt constrained
to come here, by my desire to serve Christ, my Master and my King. By
so doing, I took all the risks in the case. Now, if I, for
conscience's sake, have violated an unjust law, I am willing to pay
the penalty. I have not wittingly done harm to any of His Majesty's
subjects, or endeavored to draw them away from their loyalty. I will
therefore go with the messenger to Fredericton and meet this charge. I
am not afraid of what evil-minded men can do unto me".
"That is right, Mr. Norton", exclaimed Adèle, who had been listening
attentively to his words. "Will you not go with him, father?"
After a moment's meditation, Mr. Dubois replied, "If it is Mr.
Norton's wish. I have a friend who is a member of the Assembly. A
favorable statement of the case from him, would doubtless have much
weight with the jury".
"Thank you, sir, thank you. Such an arrangement would doubtless be of
great service to me. I should be exceedingly grateful for it".
Micah, who had been hitherto a quiet listener to the colloquy, now
gave a short, violent cough, and said, "Captin', it's kinder queer I
should happen to hev an arrand reound to Fredericton to-morrow. But
I've jest thought that as long as I'm a goin' to be in the place, I
might as well step in afore the jury and say what I know abeout the
case".
"Thank you, Micah. I believe you have been present whenever I have
discoursed to our friends, and know precisely what I have said to
them".
"Well, I guess I dew, pooty nigh".
The affair being thus arranged, the party separated.
Mr. Norton informed the messenger of his intention, early in the
morning, to depart with him for Fredericton.
He then retired to his room, spent an hour in reflecting upon the
course he had adopted, examined faithfully the motives that influenced
him, and finally came to the conclusion that he was in the right path.
He firmly believed God had sent him to Miramichi to preach the gospel,
and resolved that he would not be driven from thence by any power of
men or evil spirits. He then committed himself to the care of the
Almighty Being, and slept securely under the wing of his love.
In the mean time, there was a high breeze of excitement blowing
through the settlement, the people taking up the matter and making
common cause with Mr. Norton. He seemed to have fairly won their good
will, although he had not yet induced them, except in a few instances,
to reform their habits of life. They ventilated their indignation
against the unfortunate clergyman of the parish of ----, in no measured
terms.
There was, however, one exception to the kind feeling manifested by
the settlers, towards the missionary at this time, in the person of
Mrs. McNab. She informed Mrs. Campbell, as they were discussing the
matter before retiring for the night, that it was just what she had
expected.
"Na gude comes o' sech hurry-flurry kind o' doctrenes as that man
preaches. I dinna believe pussons can be carried into the kingdom o'
heaven on a wharlwind, as he'd have us to think".
"Well", said Mrs. Campbell, who had been much impressed with Mr.
Norton's teachings, "I don't think there's much likelihood of many
folks round here bein kerried that way, or any other, into the
kingdom. And I shall always bless that man for his kindness to the
children when they were so sick, and for the consoling way in which he
talked to me at that time".
"His doctrenes are every way delytarious, and you'll find that's the
end on't", said Mrs. McNab.
To this dogmatic remark Mrs. Campbell made no reply.
Sitting in the Madonna room, that evening, John remarked to Mr.
Somers, "I have a growing admiration for your missionary. Did you
notice what he said, in reply to the man who counselled him to fly
into Maine and so evade the charge brought against him? Small things
sometimes suggest great ones. I was reminded of what Luther said, when
cited before the diet of Worms, and when his friends advised him not
to go. 'I am lawfully called to appear in that city, and thither I
will go, in the name of the Lord, though as many devils as tiles upon
the houses were assembled against me.'"
"Ay, John. There are materials in the character of that man for the
making of another Luther. Truth, courage, power,--he has them all".