Quote 4
"It is a trial for us, I am sure of it. Because of His great love for us, He is giving us here an opportunity that He offers to very few upon this Earth." (2.6.14)
Mompellion sees the plague as a test sent by God, which makes it the villagers' duty to accept its reign of terror with open arms. Of course, staying put in Eyam has some practical benefits as well: it limits the spread of the disease. We doubt that ol' Mompellion is thinking about science, however.
Quote 5
"How easy it is to feel the goodness of God on such a day!" he whispered. "Sometimes I wonder why we shut ourselves up in churches." (2.4.11)
Mompellion sees the natural world as a deeply spiritual place. As we'll later learn, this belief can be traced back to his former life as an outdoor laborer. That, of course, is an unusual background for a minister, which might explain Mompellion's generally unusual disposition.
Quote 6
"On your knees, sinner!" He took a step towards us, a looming black figure. (2.12.53)
Mompellion seems like a swell dude for most of the novel, but he tends to flip out whenever he catches wind of sexy times. As we'll see, there's a fascinating reason for this.