Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-10-14
SATURDAY. OCTOBER Il, 1926.
From the United States Catholic Miscellany
LETTER w.
10 the Catholics of The United States of .america.

LIZ LIN w.
Tothe Catholics of The United States of .america.
My FRIRNps-I have disposed for the pre-
sent, of Mr.. Whites claims to ecclesiastical
rank, ecclesiastical information, youthful piety,
ordinary purity, and religious feeling ihatls,
in other words, have shewn you from has own
writings. that he was by no means man OF
theological knowledge or OF respectable rank;
/ have shewn you that he exhibits himself to
MS an insincere, youthful prof1igate, who entered
into orders with every improper disposition,
and who lost his faith because of his having
taken the most effectual means for It's destruc-
ton; have also shewn you that his mind re-
iected, not the special doctrines Of the catholic
church, but the doctrine Of the existence OF
hell, which Lsuppose is held by Bishop Kemp
and the Rev. MIR. Post, to be good Protestant,
and Presbyterian doctrine. Of course one
would now suppose this gentleman would leave
the ministry, and not pocket money for doing
that which he must condemn as imposture.-
Such would have been the advice OF ST. Paul,
and such was his practice-even this principle
regulated the practice OF the Martyrs; such is
the principle which the Roman catholic church
enforces: but il would indeed be very extrsor-
binary presumption on our parts to expect, that
Mr.. White, now discovering catholicism TO be
imposture, should act upon catholic principles.
We must not look for it.-No, Mr.. White will
aid the imposlure and take that money to which
he has no title In a catholic, this would be a
crime, but in Mr.. White, il will probably be
reckoned virtue A catholic who would con-
TESS that he acted thus, would be Obliged, be-
fore he could obtain absolution, TO refund all this
iH-gotfen psLf to the church which he had plum
dered: but as Mr. White thinks confession to
be folly, if he went 10 the tribunal, as he insinu-
ates he did, he either concealed his crimes, or
again disobeyed his coniessor: or to deceive his
superiors, he went to some infidel with whom
he was leagued, to add still more 10 his hypoc-
risy Imp %, he writes,
"To describe the state of my feelings when
believing religion fable still found myself COM
PEELED daily TO act minister and promoter Of
imposture, is beyond my powers. AID ardent
wish seized me TO f1y from a country where the
law left me no choice between death and hypoc-
y;su. But my flight would have brought my
parents With sorrow to the grave"
Upon reading this, one would at all events
say, the nan is a hypocrite OF the very worst
description by his own avowal But his love
for his parents keeps him in this state, because
of the cruelty of his government, thus at least
though weScannot justify his "ten years conti-
nuance Of daily hypocrisy" wemust palliate it.
will admit no such excuse for Mr.. White, be-
cause nothing can pallate hypocrisy. The
martyrs Of Christ that is, his tCinesSes were not
hypocrites; they laid down their lives for truth.
Mr. White, our protestant martyr, declare he
has no such disposition, and | believe him in
this.
Icannot then rank him with the ancient mar
tyrs; Mr. Whites grandfather made sacrifices
for truth, and if this priest inherited the vir-
tues Of bis house, he would not be hypocri:e,
and hypocrite who deliberately every day dur.
ing ten years was the promoter of imposture.
1t is fair principle Of commentary upon the
testimony of such man to take all his acknow-
Judgments Of guilt to the full meaning of the
words which he deliberately uses. He has "a
vowed himself to have been during ten years
in the daily practice of "promoting imposture, %
that during this time he was "hypocrlte," p
%. What degree of credit is due 10 man who
thus describes himself, il is for those who re-
ceiye his testimony 10 determine: for my own
part, il was upon jury to decide in any ordl-
nary case which might come before court,
and that one of the witnesses made such an "a
vowal respecting himself, would, in consider
ing the case, discharge his testimony from my
view altogether. Would any person give it
full credit! shall only say of Mr.. White at
present, that his testimony in his own favor is
of an extremely equivocal character, and not to
be admitted without extraordinary scrutiny and
strong confederation.
He says that he continued to be guilty of by
pocrisy and imposture, because there was no
other mode left 10 him by the barbarous laws OF
his country to save his life, excep, one which
would bring down his parents to the grave with
sorrow. In the first place this is nothing shor,
ola plain untruth. II he resigned his clerical
Office, as very many persons Of eminen. pie,y
have done, he need neither leave his parents
nor expose himself to that death of which he
stood so much in terror. lD such case he
would cease to promote wha: be calls impos
lure, and he could continue 10 soothe his pa
rents. But if the gentleman made this resigna
ton, where would he have The means of sup
Port An honest man, a man who has any feel
ing OF conscience, never asks such question
II our witness then kept has office by which h,
Was ooiiged daily to promote imposture," il
order to have the means of support, the resul
Is inevitaDiy; that our informant continued dur
ns ten years to be a-hypocri.e, and an impos