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Show ' j .EATING HIS OWN WORDS. i We arc very glad the sterling Catholics of Bi- loxi have administered a castigation to the Rev. W. I A. Roper for his unfounded assertions in relation , ! to their church and themselves. Writing for the ; Baptist Reeord a report concerning the revival in f that town he ended that report with these words: 'I "Our growth is slow down here. There are many things against us, chief among which is the predominating predom-inating influence of Catholicism, which has ruled ! here for more than two centuries. Catholicism does not stand for the Bible nor for personal responsibility, responsi-bility, nor for moral living. Do as you please, only : make your confession to the priests and look to ihcin for salvation. It is but little removed from I heathenism and is less excusable, for it is sin I; against the light. The standard of morals is very low here, as is always the case with priest-ridden districts. A pure gospel and a high standard of , moral living, therefore, have not but little welcome ' among such people." ( ; Mr. Roper is evidently a disappointed man. That revival of his must be like those other revivaLi that we read so much about in the newspapers till sound and fury signifying nothing. He must ; ; show something for his money, something that will I ; hatiate the intolerant, and bigoted appetites of those who furnish the cash and not being able it seems to drag many wayward ones into his net, he breaks out , into vetuperatinn against the Catholic church. "Our growth is slow down here." Wc would be surprised. Mr. Roper, if it were otherwise. The people now adays will not have the chaff, especially your chaff. I ' they must have the grain, the truth or nothing. (iivc them Christ's doctrine, preach to them the ; truth about baptism and penance, the sanctity of marriage, the eternal truths, they will receive them, for they are wise and educated enough nowadays to know that there is very little truth indeed if any in the minister who preaches himself, a minister who choses as his subject a lying tirade against ' the Catholic church. "Catholicism does not stand for the Bible nor for personal responsibility, nor for moral living." We are Catholics, Mr. Roper. I and 'we confess that we are taught and were always taught that Catholicism stands for the Bible, in fact that every doctrine which we profess today I i has its foundation in the Bible. Ah! Mr. Roper, if. you turned the phrase the other way about and said Protestantism docs not stand forthe Bible you would have just placed your finger on the r damning spot of the Protestant faith. Whisper. ; Mr. Roper, is there anything in your Bible about penance, confession, the sacraments, especially the xinity and sanctify of marriage one church, its indefectibility. its unity, apostolicity, the eternal truths, the hollowness of faith without good works, ' above all the qualities of that queen of virtues ' Charity. We think there is but like many more of your kidney, you close your ryes to those truths and take out of the Bible just what suits yourself. Be consistent, Mr. Roper, and accept the whole Bible or nothing, for we see no reason why you hug ; special lines in the Bible to your breast and reject many weightier and graver lines, but we forget ''you are one of those who go in for personal re-f re-f sponsibility," that's the rub. Did you ever hear, Mr. Roper, what Volture said to the young man who with a satisfied smile assured him that hell was a myth of weak minds? "Ah! my dear young fellow," Voltaire an-j an-j swered, "I wish I could think so." ! We, Mr. Roper,1 if we consult our natural incli- v nations, would like very much to brush aside cer- ' tain texts, but we cannot consult our convenience, l we cannot each of us form a little church ofour own with our own easy doctrines. God's word is in i the Bible and God's word cannot be set aside 'to suit our every whim, it is the whole or nothing. The Catholic church accepts the whole and is con- I eistent, the Protestant church accepts part and is f inconsistent, and hence its followers are constantly . ; moving in a sea of doubt without any pillar of ; j . . . ' . truth to moor themselves to. Yes, Mr. Roper, we make our confession to the priests, whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven and whose sins you shall retain they are retain. Christ left the power of binding and loosening to the apostles and their successors. suc-cessors. We make our confession to those appointed appoint-ed by God to forgive us our transgressions, and though we are a little removed as you say, Mr. Roper, from heathenism, still we venture in all humility hu-mility to -say that our heathenism is more reasonable, reason-able, has more truth, more light in it than that pure gospel of yours which those poor benighted souls of Bilori have rejected. Catholics in all parts of America welcome the sterling action of the Catholics of Biloxi in nailing those base, soulless soul-less assertions of Mr. Roper, it was certainly a beautiful example of the Roper Roped. They have wrung a public apology from Mr. Roper and taught others of his kidney to be careful about assertions that have not one atom of truth. |