James Ireland

In a world that wants us to sit down and shut up we need to speak out for the Lord ever more so. Sometimes there can be a tendency to retreat in fear or disgust but we can not.

When the 21 year old Baptist preacher went to Culpeper County, Virginia in the fall of 1769 he was told he would be imprisoned. He would state as he went “I counted the cost, freedom or confinement, liberty or a prison; it admitted of no dispute. Having adventured all upon Christ I determined to suffer all for Him.” He would indeed would be arrested. As he stood before the magistrates they would delare that they would hear no more of his ““vile, pernicious, abhorable, detestable, abominable, diabolical doctrines, for they were naucious to the whole court.”, for they were naucious to the whole court.” He was remanded to the Culpeper County Jail. It first he became discouraged but the Lord strengthened him and he began to preach through the bars. Huge crowds would gather much to the gall of his captors. They did everything to discourage the crowds and the preacher. The African Americans coming to hear the message of hope were whipped. Ruffends attacked the crowd and even urinated in Ireland’s face. They would try to poison him, burn sulfur and pepper in a bid to asphyxiate him, and even use gunpowder to try to blow him up. Yet this did not discourage him.

In another attempt they decided to place in the same cell a big drunken Irishman. He was angry and antagonistic and initially threatened the preacher’s life. Ireland though befriended him even giving him his bed. God began to work in the man’s heart and Ireland led him to Christ. As Ireland would preach through the grates the ruffends outside would try to slam his face against them. The Irishman saw enough and declared that if the preacher would not defend himself he would. the next attempt it was not the preachers face that was against the bars. (Guess those Colonial ponytails were good for something) The abuse stopped. As James Beller would put it “God give us more big Irishmen” To which I would add- Give us more James Irelands-

The lock and key are in the Virginia Baptist Historical Society. The site is a bit more of a story- the courthouse grounds were originally laid out by a young surveyor by the name of George Washington. Later on approximately the site of the old jail Culpeper Baptist Church was built. (They later moved and the site is now an Assembly of God Church.)

Let us stand and not retreat when our world thinks that what we believe are “vile, pernicious, abhorable, detestable, abominable, diabolical doctrines” we must proclaim the truth of the Scriptures even louder no matter the political situation. And yes that goes for the forums before us- even though the political situation may make us mad our hope is not in politics but in Christ. We can not retreat- we have read the end of the book and we win.