The New York herald., 1850-05-22
The Lecture Of the Rev. Michael Welch on
ROmnniSm.

VIEWS OF CONVERTED ROMAN cATHoLic-scEN
|. AT BAPTIST CHAPEL, AND GREAT EXCITEMENT
The following advertisement appeared in one O
the city papers on Saturday =
RomANsm.-The Rev. Michael welch, a convortet
day. evening, in the Yreewill Baptist Chapel GranC
street. one door east of Broadway, the subject o
Romanism, giving some account Of his own conversion
He will speak part Of the time in Irish; and iryite
ms own ooqntrymsn, a. % well as the public generally
afternoon, at the usual hours.
In consequence of the foregoing our reporter at
tended on Sunday evening, and found the building
well filled with both scxes-about one half being
| Proestants and the other half Cathol lcs-prncj-
paly Irish or Of Irish descent. The lecturer was a
pale faced, demure looking individual, with green
! spectacies, and appeared TO be anything but an
lrshman, except in his Munster brogue, which he
still retains after an absence of twenty-three years
from his native country. lie commenced by asking
If there was any person in the room who under
stood Irish; and being answered in the affirmative,
he proceeded to speak in that language, giving a
history of his life. He said the Bible was pro-
bbited book in his fathers house in the county of
Waterford-that he never it till he came TO thi.
country-that in the county in which he was born
he feared TO look upon the face of Protestant for
he was taught 10 hate and fear all Pro,estants
He came to America when he was nineteen years
of age, and spent Sl20 in a way that he was
ashamed to relate. He was very wild and wicked
character; but he found the Bible in the United
States, and that made new man of him. lie had
been always told that the Protestant version was
false; but he found, 10 his astonishment, on COM
pairing 1t with the Douay, that in the most important
passages they both agreed. The lecturer then
went on TO speak in English and quoted Rich
Rev. Or. Hughes Lenten Pastoral. from the Free
mans Journal; and, as if to show how much he
understood of the subject he was treating, he pro-
nounced the word collation." coalition; upon
which.
Mr.. LYNolf arose and said, there is no such word
as coalition in The pastoral.
The lecturer insisted that coalition was the
word.
IRISH PEAsANT-lIe is pretty lecturer who does
not know The difference between collation. and Il
coalition.
The lecturer then quote passages from the Bible.
TO show that forbidding to marry, and ordering to
abstain from meats, was heretical. The eXplana-
iion given in the notes of the Douay Bible, was
that the persons referred to were the ancient Gnos-
ilcs but if was heretcal on their part to abstain
from meats and forbid TO marry, il is equally hereti-
cal now for the Catholic priests to initiate them.
The reverend lecturer then proceeded to relate some
OF his experience. lie said, when he was in Con-
necticut, he was sent for to Pennsylvania, in re-
ference 10 some iron works; and being asked one
DAY what place oil worship he would go TO, he said
nSId made no ,h ioT they were @ all alike lie
his text from Luke, 10. lie said he wanted
vNa OF religion, and that now was the accepted
ime--now was the day of salvation. The words
OF the preacher went TO his soul. He (Mr.
Welch,) went TO his boarding house, and
hesltated whether he would bow his knee in
prayeT--ior he was not accustomed 10 pray. lie
did pray that night, and felt some hope up TO that
night he was one of the most prophane biasphe-
mers on earth. lie went next to a love feast,
where DR.. Sloan told his own experience, which
exactly described the case of the lecturer lie
tried several times 10 clasp the man in his arms-he
so loved him. Ee went home, and that night,
when he lay awake in bed, he heard Il voice as
distinctly as he now heard hs own, saying to him:
"Ihy sins are forgiven thee" lie jumped out of
bed, end cried, g ''Haelujoh, glory, glory y a
peal OF "Amens," and much groaning ia the spirit,
from one corner of the room.) His wife asked
replied Rev. Mr.. Welch al have only fallen in
went through The room) The lecturer then then con- con-
tinued have been called a turncoai Oh, it was
a happy turn for me. They have told me, even, that
the devil got into Inc. said TO of them one
day, 'The Bible has made me reformed character;
you go 10 mass, and then go TO drink brandy,
and swear prolane oahs. You are under the
guidance of the priest, according TO your story
therefore the priest Is worse than the devil" (Laugh-
er from one part of the audience, and indignation
rom the rest) The komish church hates the BIZ
he, and put a veto upon it al the Council of
Trent. And why Because II 10 opposed to purga-
tory, masses, and such other doctrines. A mass in
Ireland re costs " .. Ii cost, altogether, about
he sorl OF my poor old mother. In the same
place, there was a poor woman died, whose
friends had no money 10 pay for the masses, and
Father kearney was sent for; but he would not
come, because he was not. either before or after
death, paid, and the poor wonan died without
beneht OF clergy. Purgatory was ratified by The
council OF Trent, and purgaiorymeans place where
those who die in yenial sins are purgcd and fitted
for heaven. There is, also, the Limbo Panuni-
the repository Of all the faithful who died free from
sinfIom the time Of the fall OF man. Till The death
Of Christ; and, according 10 Catholic doctrine, no
person was admitted TO heaven till after that event
This was rcfuted, by the fact tina, Elijah taken
up TO heaven in chariot of fire. Lastly there is
place called Limbo Infgnfum--a dark place, in
which there IL no light, and where all unbaptized
infants 60. am sure you don't believe any such
dociIince as that.
The lecturer then proceeded TO take from his boz
som sting Of beads, the use OF which he ex.
planned 10 the audience-the Lords Prayer was to
be said when he came to the big one. There were
ten prayers 70 the Virgin Mary, for every said
10 Christ. II, he continued, the Virgin Mary can
hear my prayers here, and the prayers Of my re-
laiiyes in Ireland. she must be ornnipresent. Plus
~, according 70 the Freemar's Journal, claims
that the Virgin Mary was born clear of original sin.
Through what channel We all know Christ was
born free from original sin, for he was conceived
by the Holy Ghost. But the Bible has never told
from the original faint The Pope says she must
be worshpped with pure and fervent worship.
MnEsfAs-Thlt Is a falsehood
Here there were cries Of" Shame. y and much
excitement, and several ladies went out.
Rev. Mr.. WELcu-l find il here, in the Feman's
Journal
IRisnMAN-Can you find II in the Prayer Book
We only invoke the Virgin Mary.
This seemed 10 be poser TO the reverend lee
turer, as he did not answer IL, and some OF his
friends cred out against interrupting him IA that
way.
Mr. LYNCH here rose and said I'll wish 20 say a
few words IL the audience will permit me. The
gentleman who has lectured here this evening, has
made three statements in reference 10 the Catholic
religion in Ireland, which are no, true. (Sensa
uon) am Roman Catholic but | see here
respectable Protestant gentleman who lived in the
same city with me, in the old country, and appeal
to him whether II is true that Catholics afraid
to look upon Protestants there, ~ Mr. Welch said
was the case in Waterford, where he came front
II is also untrue thar Catholics do not read the
Bible, for have distributed many copies Of il with
my own hands. (Appause from one part Of the
audience. aud Interpretation from the other)
a koiCE-WIihout notes
Mr.. LINcIi-No, with notes There Is third
point.
Here the excitement increased a number of per-