ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN SEPTEMBER
Saints celebrated on the 10th of September
SAINT AMBROSE EDWARD BARLOW, PRIEST AND MARTYR
Edward Barlow, called in religion Father Ambrose, was born at Manchester, in 1585, of pious and catholic parents, of the ancient family of Barlow of Barlow. His father was that constant confessor of Christ, Alexander Barlow, Esq., who made it his care to give this his son a catholic and liberal education. By these means his tender mind which had already a happy sweetness of temper, and an inclination to piety and learning, was improved, and strongly established in the true faith and the love of God. When he was twelve years old he was taken from school to be page to a relation, a person of quality.
But as he grew up, and considered the emptiness and vanity of the transitory toys of this life, and the greatness of things eternal, he took a resolution to withdraw himself from the world and to go abroad in order to procure those helps of virtue and learning, which might qualify him for the priesthood. and enable him to be of some assistance to his native country.
The place he made choice of for his studies was the university of Douay, which had been recommended to him by fame, and by the testimony of many learned and pious priests who studied there. Here, meeting with two other young gentlemen of equal age, and of the same inclinations, he chose them for his chamber fellows, and with them frequented the humanity schools at Anchin college, under the fathers of the society, as the alumni of the English seminary all did during Dr Worthington's presidency. When he had finished his humanity, he was sent by the aforesaid Dr Worthington (August 23, 1610), from the English college of Douay to that of Valladolid; where he went through his course of philosophy and part of his divinity, for before he had finished the latter, he followed his brother, Dr Rudesind Barlow, to Douay, where he received the habit of St Bennet [St Benedict]; and after making his noviceship at a house then belonging to the English congregation, near St Malo, in Little Brittany, he was professed at Douay, in 1615.
And being now thirty years old, and otherwise well qualified by virtue and learning for the apostolic calling, he was presented by his superiors, not long after his profession, to the holy order of priesthood, and sent upon the English mission, to which he found himself strongly invited by an inward call.
The seat of his missionary labours was his native country of Lancashire, where, says Mr Knaresborough, his memory is held in great esteem to this day by the catholics of that county, for his great zeal in the conversion of souls, and the exemplary piety of his life and conversation. Tis scarce to be expressed what wonderful blessings the Almighty gave to the labours of this his faithful servant, who made it his constant business to join the care of his own soul with that of his flock, and to preach full as much by example as by words.
Such was the fervour of his zeal, that, as my author says, he thought the day lost, in which he had not done some notable thing for the salvation of souls. Night and day he was ever ready to lay hold of all occasions of reclaiming any one from error; and whatever time he could spare from his devotions, he employed in seeking after the lost sheep, and in exhorting, instructing, and correcting sinners; and omitted no opportunity of preaching the word of God. But then he never neglected the care of his own sanctification: he celebrated Mass, and recited the office with great reverence and devotion; had his fixed hours for mental prayer, which he never omitted; and found so much pleasure in this inward conversation with God. (from which he received that constant supply of heavenly light and strength,) that when the time came on, which he had devoted to this holy exercise, he was affected with a sensible joy, as much as worldlings would be when going to a feast. He had also a great devotion to the rosary, which he daily recited, and recommended much to his penitents; and was very tenderly affected with the sacred mysteries of the incarnation, passion, and resurrection of the Son of God. (which he there contemplated,) and was much devoted to his blessed Mother. He often meditated on the sufferings of his Redeemer, with his arms extended in the form of a cross, and these meditations enkindled in his soul a desire of suffering for Christ, a happiness for which he daily prayed.
He had a great contempt of the world, and its vanities; and a very humble opinion of himself, joined with a great esteem, love, and veneration for the virtue of others. He was always afraid of honours and preferments, and had a horror of vainglory, which he used to call the worm or moth of virtues; and which he never failed to correct in others, and sometimes in a jocose way, at others seriously, according to the temper of the persons. He industriously avoided feasts and assemblies, and all meetings for merry-making; as liable to dangers of excess, idle talk and detraction. He had no regard for temporal interest; and refused, (though desired by many,) to live in great families, where he might be well accommodated with all things; choosing rather to live in a private country-house, where the poor, to whom he had chiefly devoted his labours, might have, at all times, free access to him to whom also he plentifully imparted both spiritual and corporal alms, according to his ability. He would never have a servant, till forced to it by sickness; never used a horse, but made his pastoral visits always on foot. His apparel was mean; neither would he ever wear a sword, or carry a watch. He allowed himself no manner of play or pastime; and avoided all superfluous talk and conversation; more especially with those of the fair sex, how virtuous or qualified soever and when the business of his calling obliged him to make any stay in such company, he kept his eyes fixed on the ground, and would not look them in the face. Being asked one day by a lady of quality, why he so much avoided the company of women, since he himself was born of a woman? He replied for that very reason I avoid the company of women, because I was born of a woman: signifying that the corruption of concupiscence, which from our very birth is entailed upon us by original sin, was what made him look upon himself obliged to use those precautions.
He boarded with an honest country farmer, where his diet was chiefly whitemeats and garden stuff; for he seldom eat flesh, unless by occasion of company that came to visit him. He drank only small beer, and that very sparingly; and always abstained from wine: being asked the reason why he did so he alleged the saying of the wise man, Wine and women make the wise apostatise. He was never idle, but was always either praying, studying, preaching. administering the sacraments, or (which he used sometimes to divert himself with.) painting pictures of Christ or his blessed Mother. He was sometimes applied to, to exorcise persons possessed by the devil, which he did with good success.
He had a great talent in composing of differences, and reconciling such as were at variance; and was consulted as an oracle by the catholics of that country in all their doubts and difficulties. He feared no dangers, when God's honour, and the salvation of souls called him forth and has sometimes, when engaged in such expeditions, passed, even at noon day, through the midst of enemies, without apprehension. And when some people would desire him to be more cautious, he would turn them off with a joke; for he was usually very cheerful and pleasant in conversation; so that they who knew him best, thought he was, in this regard, not unlike the celebrated Sir Thomas More. Yet he was very severe in rebuking sin, so that obstinate and impenitent sinners were afraid of coming near him. Nothing more sensibly afflicted him, than when he saw anyone going astray from the right path of virtue and truth, more especially if it were a person of whom he had conceived a good opinion, or had great hopes upon these occasions he would, at first, be almost oppressed with melancholy, till recollecting himself in God, and submitting to his wise providence, justly permitting evil, to draw greater good out of it, he recovered again his usual peace and serenity.
Some months before his last apprehension, (for he was several times a prisoner,) hearing that some persons, whom he loved as his own soul, were in a resolution of doing something very wicked, which was like to be the ruin of many souls, he was so strongly, on a sudden, affected with it, that it flung him into a fit of the dead palsy, which took away the use of one side, and put him in danger of his life what added very much to his cross, was, the fear lest his poor children, whom he had begotten to Christ, should now be left destitute of spiritual assistance. And, whereas, his convulsions and pains seemed to have brought him to death's door, he had this additional affliction that no priest could be found to administer the holy sacraments to him. In these extremities, God Almighty was pleased to comfort him; and being in a manner out of himself, he broke forth into these words: Lord, thy will be done; a due conformity of our will to thine is to be preferred to the use of the sacraments, and even to martyrdom itself. I reverence, and earnestly desire thy sacraments; and I have often wished to lay down my life for thee, in the profession of my faith but if it be pleasing to thy infinite wisdom, by this illness, to take me out of the prison of this body, half dead already, thy will be done.
Whilst in these dispositions, God was pleased to send him a priest of the Society of Jesus to assist him; as he himself had, twelve years before, exercised the same charity to Father Arrowsmith, in prison, before his last conflict: at which time, that confessor of Christ is said to have foretold, that he should be the next to follow him.
At least this is certain, by the testimony of Mr Barlow himself, in a letter to his brother Rudesind, (who quotes it in his manuscript relation,) dated out of prison, May 17, 1641, that Father Arrowsmith the night before he suffered, when as yet, Mr Barlow had not heard of his suffering, came to his bedside, and told him I have already suffered: you shall also suffer; speak but little, for they will be upon the watch to catch you in your words.
On the eves before the principal festivals of the year, whilst Mr Barlow was in health, the catholics resorted to him from distant places, and passed the night, after the manner of the primitive church, in watching, prayer, and spiritual colloquies; whilst, for his part, he was employed almost all the night in hearing confessions.
On the next day, he treated them all with a dinner, where he, and some of the more honourable sort of his flock, served them that were poor, and waited upon them, and then dined off their leavings. When he sent them home, he gave each of them a groat in alms; and when all had dined, he distributed what remained, to the poor of the parish.
His zeal had made him as well known in all that neighbourhood, as the very parson of the parish. Some reprehended him for going about so publicly; to whom he replied, Let them fear that have any thing to lose, which they are unwilling to part with which was not his case, who had set his heart upon nothing in this world and was even desirous to lay down his life for God's cause. He could not be persuaded by his friends to retire farther off from danger, to a house of a kinsman of his in Cheshire, being desirous, if it pleased God, to shed his blood at Lancaster.
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| Lancaster Castle |
He was beginning to recover of his illness, but was as yet very weak; when he was apprehended, on Easter Day, 1641, in the following manner, according to the account which he himself sent out of prison to his brother Rudesind:
A neighbouring minister, who had with him, at church, a numerous congregation, instead of entertaining them on that solemn day with a sermon and prayers, as usual, proposed to them as a work more worthy their zeal for the gospel, to go along with him to apprehend Barlow, that noted popish priest, whom they would now be sure to find in the midst of his flock; whereas were they to stay till church time was over, they would miss the opportunity. They relished the proposition, and being about four hundred in number, armed with clubs and swords, followed the parson, marching in front in his surplice to the house where Mr Barlow having finished Mass, was making an exhortation to his people, about one hundred in number, on the subject of patience.
The catholics that were within, as soon as they perceived the house was besieged, would have persuaded the man of God to hide himself, there being more than one private place for that purpose in the house, but he would by no means consent to secure himself, and leave his sheep to the merey of these wolves: wherefore, exhorting them all to constancy, and putting them in mind, that these light momentary tribulations would work in them an eternal weight of glory; and telling them, withal, how ready he was, for his part, to suffer all things for Christ, he ordered them to open the doors. The mob immediately rushed in, crying out, Where is Barlow? Where is Barlow? He is the man we want! and laying hands upon him, they secured him, letting the rest go, upon giving caution for their appearance. In the meantime, they searched the whole house, and broke open Mr Barlow's chest in hopes of finding money - but see the wonderful providence of our Lord! though there was a considerable sum of money there, which had been lately sent him by some charitable gentlemen to be given to the poor; and though they rummaged, and turned over all his clothes, and other things, yet they could not find this bag: for which providence, Mr Barlow was very thankful, and gave
proper orders afterwards, for the disposing of the money according to the intention of the donors.
Mr Barlow being now in the hands of this mob and their minister, (who, it seems, had acted in this whole affair without any warrant,) was carried by them, the same day, before a justice of peace, who sent him, guarded by sixty armed men, to Lancaster castle.
Some of his flock would have attempted to rescue him in the way out of their hands, but he earnestly entreated them not to think of it. He was carried to jail in a sort of a triumph by this armed mob, who insulted over him, and treated him with contempt, which was to him, a subject of joy; though at this time he was yet so weak, that he could not sit on horseback without one behind him, to support him.
He was kept in prison from Easter till the summer assizes: and in the meantime, instead of being weakened or cast down by his sufferings, he wonderfully recovered his strength and health. He would not hear of the proposition made by his friends, of using their interest to have him removed up to London, or sent into banishment, as many others had been: but desired them to be easy, and not to concern themselves about him; for that to die for this cause, (viz. for being a catholic priest) was, to him, more desirable than life; that he must die some time or other, and could not die a better death. To some also, upon this occasion, he imparted in confidence, the vision which he had of
In prison, he often entertained himself with the book of Boetius De consolatione, which the jailor taking notice of, took the book away at which, Mr Barlow smiling, said, If you take this little book away, I will betake myself to that great book from which Boetius learned his wholesome doctrine, and that book, you can never take away from me and this is what he continually practised, by mental prayer.
My author adds, that when anyone came to visit him in prison, he would not suffer the time to be lost in vain or worldly talk; but entertained the party with such discourses only, as were for his instruction and edification.
After above four months imprisonment, his trial came on, on the 7th of September, before Sir Robert Heath who is said to have had instructions from the parliament, if any priests were convicted at Lancaster, to see the law executed upon him, for a terror to the catholics, who were numerous in that county.
The indictment being read. Mr Barlow freely acknowledged himself a priest, and that he had exercised his priestly functions for above twenty years in this kingdom. The judge asked him, why he had not obeyed the king's proclamation, commanding all priests to depart the realm before the 7th of April last past! Mr Barlow answered, that several persons there present, and especially they who had brought him to prison, very well knew, that he was then so weak, by a long and grievous illness, that he was no ways in condition to obey the proclamation.
The judge asked him, what he thought of the justice of those laws, by which priests were put to death? He answered, that all laws made against catholics on account of their religion were unjust and impious: for what law, said he, can be more unjust than this, by which priests are condemned to suffer as traitors, merely because they are Roman, that is true priests! For there are no other true priests, but the Roman; and if these be destroyed, what must become of the divine law, when none remain to preach God's word, and administer his sacraments? Then said the judge, What opinion have you of the makers of those laws, and of those, who, by their office see them put in execution? Mr Barlow replied, If, my lord, in consequence of so unjust a law, you should condemn me to die, you would send me to heaven, and yourself to hell.
Make what judgment you please, said the judge, of my salvation; for my part, though the law has brought you hither as a criminal and a seducer of the people, I shall not pass so uncharitable a sentence upon you.
I am no seducer, said Mr Barlow, but a reducer of the people, to the true and ancient religion. The judge, as he afterwards acknowledged, was astonished at the constancy of his answers, and his intrepidity, and put him in mind that his life was in his hands, and that it was in his power to acquit him, or condemn him and don't you know and acknowledge, said he, that I sit here as your judge!
I know said the prisoner, and acknowledge you judge, but in such causes only. as belong to the temporal court and tribunal; but in spiritual matters, and in things belonging to the court of conscience, be pleased to take notice, that I am judge; and therefore, I tell you plainly, that if by that unjust law, you sentence me to die, it will be to my salvation, and your damnation. Upon this, the judge directed the jury to bring him in guilty; and the next day, pronounced sentence upon him, in the usual form. Mr Barlow heard the sentence with a cheerful and pleasant countenance, and said aloud, Thanks be to God! and then prayed heartily to the divine Majesty, to forgive all that had any ways been accessory to his death. The judge applauded his charity in this, and granted him what he petitioned for, viz: a chamber to himself, in the castle, where, for the short remainder of his time, he might, without molestation, apply himself to his devotions, and prepare for his exit.
On Friday, the 10th of September, he was brought out to suffer according to sentence, and laid upon the hurdle, on which, he was drawn to the place of execution, carrying all the way in his hand a cross of wood, which he had made. When he was come to the place, being taken off the hurdle, he went three times round the gallows, carrying the cross before his breast, and reciting the penitent psalm, Miserere. Some ministers were for disputing with him about religion, but he told them it was unfair, and an unseasonable challenge, and that he had something else to do at present, than to hearken to their fooleries.
He suffered with great constancy according to sentence, and so passed from short labours and pains to eternal rest and joy, in the fifty-fifth year of his age, the twenty-fifth of his religious profession, and the twenty-fourth of his priesthood and mission.
From two manuscript relations, kept by the English benedictines at Douay, one of them being a letter of his brother, Father Rudesind Barlow, to the abbot and monks of Cellanova, dated January 1, 1612.
Source: Bishop Richard Challoner, Memoirs of Missionary Priests, Volume 1
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