Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-11-07
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1926.
from the United States Catholic Miscellany
LITTER VII

To the Catholics of the United States Of 4'asraeG
My FRIENps,-We have seen Mr.. WHITES
account Of his loss of the Catholic tain. lie
next presents us with history OF his CONVEX
sion 10 the Professionalism of the Church OF Eng
land. When he arrived in that country IN me
wear 1910, he was thirty hve years oil age.
He informs us that he expected 10 nnG no
niety or religion in England, and pays me Eng
fish people compliment by stating 'ha' as 'hey
were enlightened, and as the French phlioso-
,,hers led him 20 believe, that m the ratio OF his
Information. man was irreligieus, therefore
Fnpland must be very irreligious. But provl-
dsnI;allv. he in London met good and pious
friend. and he afterwards found many excellent
men Of the same description. He found the
protection of British liberty, and was ashamed
Of being thought Roman catholic. BY the
i've. ;f he was a Roman catholic he would In
ENGLAND have felt the benefit OF penal lntlcuon,
and he was very wise as he had no religion, not
10 subject himself to persecution by continuing
70 no = hvnocrire. The soreness arising from
,be endurance of his ten years sublecuon TO
scrutiny began 10 heal. Processing himself an
,afdL. he was received with mildnesS and tole-
ration. There is nothing strange in this. The
law of England does not punish man Jor oe'ng an
infdei; il Furnishes him seriously only Jor oetng
n Catholic. Thus it is not against the con-
science of an atheist TO swear that he does not
believe i'm transublantiation; 1t Is not against
the conscience OF pagan TO swear that no TO-
reign prelate hath or ought 10 have any eccie-
siasticai or spiritual authority within the realm
of England. 1t does not in lure the conscience
of any person, but of a catholic, to swear all or
any Of their oaths. White might indeed say
they were mild and tolerant 10 him, lnhdel as
ne was. but neithersSir Thomas Moore, nor the
,,resent Duke of Norfolk could say the same OF
themselves. But Of course Mr.. White calls
cberishing himself, federation, and ne calls the
noliiical incarceration of the noble Duke, be-
rause he will not become member OF some
one nc the new religions, or an inhdel-tolera-
tioo! MIR. White found then for the hrst time,
he saws. Gtbat christian is not necessarily
h;qot," have vet to learn that this writer
tnows either what a christian or bigot is.
-.hau olive nv own statement of what they are
a christian is a person who steadily and upon
,r;nc;nle believes all the doctrines which Christ
has taught, and adheres to the institutions OF
Christ. However vague the meaning which Is
usually given to the phrase may be, It's true
meaning is precise and definite; that man VINO
has no, fixed principle OF belief, who DOUBTS
TODAY, what he believed yesterday, ana VINO
knows not, and cares not TO know, What Gou
has taught and established in the christian law,
is not a christian, in the proper meaning o. lhe
word What would be thought OF me, were l
70 assert that man was good American cltl-
yen. who neither knew nor cared Tor what were
the principles of our constitution, or our rules
al law. and would as soon take them from the
sx,lana,ion of an inhabitant Of Hayti as from
the decision of the Supreme courG Revealed
rs,;o;on consists in that collection OF doctrine
G.1A hos made
christian religion is that body of doctrine and
,h., code Of law which Christ has given. What
T~hr;s, gave was not contradiction; but cohe-
rem, ruth, consistent in all its parts; and IT IS
Interchangeable. for if it be changed 1t ceases to
ha What il was before the alteration; 1t ceases
chem 20 be the institution of Christ, II becomes
sometbing different from christianity; CHRIS
lion 6rmly adheres to what Christ has taught
aud established, he avoids changes; he cannot
call erro: truth, nor change the old institutions
Tins christian firmly and reasonably adheres
IN truth. and refuses to call recent changes the
ORIGINAL institution. Bigotry is unreasonable
= obstinate adherence to religious opinion,
comb,ned with hatred Of those who are OPP
nose3 ,hereto.-The christian does not adhere
10 opinion, for il is not upon his own OPINION
be rests. but he receives the testimony OF that
church 10 which Christ originally gave his
doctrine, that what she now teaches is what she
originally received: he believes the doctrine
upon her testimony, not upon his own private
on;n;on. That she is an infallibly correct and
eompetent witness we shall afterwards see; thus
his adherence to doctrine is not unreasonable,
for il is holding to public known truth, not to
nr,xa,e opinion, s his steady adherence to 1t IS
no, obstinate attachment. He has no hatred a.
gansI those who err, he is full OF charity and OF
sfirction for them, and if he informs them of
their error, i, is not for the purpose OF woundng
their feelings but of enligh,enlng their minds,
and inducing them to serve God, that they may
be happy The bisot is known 1y ms ransoGr'
by his obs,nacy, by his personal yindlc,ive ais-
position, by his vague rhapsody; the CHRISTIAN
is known by his steady calm adherence to doc
trine, by his plain declaration by his hrm ex-
pos,alation, BY his precise definite enunclatlon
OF VIVA, he knows 10 be true. Ii MI. White
had written truly, he would not have asserted
that he had to journey from Seville to London,
and to wait during upwards of thirty years un-
ill he met with pious protestant. TO find "tha'
achrisuan is not necessarily bigot." My