The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-22
A Catholics Reasons for Renouncinp
His Faith.

A Catholics Reasons for Renouncing
His Faith.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
| wish some OF your Catholic readers may read
It. think over, and, If they see their way OF dong
So answer It, ! was a Catholic. | am not now for
the following reasons FIRST, l began TO think
that the doctrine OF the efficacy OF one persons
prayers TO save another's SOUP was incredible.
For II Peggy's prayers saved Paddy's SOUL clearly
one must acknowledge that Peggy holds in her
hands power God dive sted Himself OF when He
granted man Tree WILL the power of deciding
SOULS eternal fate Second, then that horrible,
Ierocous doctrine, "that children who die before
baptism are shut out INTO outer Darkness" dis
gussed me. Think, mothers, think OF those millions
OF little babes all in the dark, for all eternity. And
what is the crimef Adam and Eve eat apple
Where then must these latter abominable crimi-
nails beS In heaven Tor all eternity side by side
with David, Joseph, Mary, &c. | often imagine that
very Adam stopping his celestial harp playing to
pick his robe oil glory" into Int To stun ears,
ing OF the little ones. Ban From the bottom Of
my heart honor those noble priests who sacrifice
Thing IN the hope Of saving the to SOUS Of
II met them at their work would fall on my
knees before them as beings whose equals were
not. But, oh what waste or energy Third
came 10 the conviction that the Catholic or any
other Church was wrong IN booming all out Of its
pale as food for hell lire. 1ney would make God
punish terribly millions who loved Him because
they did not love Him just When doomsday
comes the Judges first question Will not be- 'What
church did you attends' but DID you act up to
your honest convicuonsy" Fourth, wnen l took
INTO consideration that If all unrepentant sinners
were damned many could not be happy in Heaven
uor who would not rather be annihilated than TO
exist knowing those we love are terribly, irremed
ably surferingO, and that nearly all the sin OF the
world is due to outside causes acting on the soul
to poverty. the great crime breeder TO education,
to constitutional defects, to hereditary twists OF
the brain, &c.-I was forced to the conviction that
there could be no everlasting hell Fifth 1t is alb
Enrn m lfu MARI lrI. 1
GOD OF the Hebrews with the divinity developed IN
Jesus Chnst's teachings Sixth, as 10 the Real
go my way, choosing not to believe It, But will
say chat abuse OF 'heathen idolatersn comes III
from those who worship bread Tor neither has any
stronger proof OF his belief than II believe 1t
Is 500
heartily, for love the Catholic Church, lot be-
leve by its very nature it brings forth myrlads
OF the heroically good where others produce cou,
pies. Then, TOO. am an lrishman and hate the
name "turncoat" BALBUTUS.
Hard Scriptures Ell piained for a Doubter.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
While perusing last Sundays issue Of your paper
read the startling words lone instance Of Gods
failure to answer prayer" Ny attention was
rIveJed the letter. asking the help OF the Chris
tan community regarding some passages OF Scrip
ture, which, the correspondent states, have given
him much trouble. In reference TO the first passage
quoted Genesis l., 81, @And God saw everything
I
man had Just been created and had not as yet by
his disooedience caused the Almighty's wrath to
rise against him. lie was living happily in the
beautiful world which God had created Tor him.
hence the quotation. AS regards the second, third
fourth and fifth passag es-namely, Genesis vi, g.
jeremiah. xxxiL, II; Matthew, XIX, 20; Isaiah,
Xlv they are all answered In Genesis, i'll, %,
''4ind the Lord God said Behold, the man is be-
come as one of u.s. to know good and eviL' Thus
mans hands to decide right from wrong,
and when we do wrong He looks only with
great mercy, He could, by one word, plunge
! where "hope never enters" l come now to the
last passage quoted Numbers, XIII, 49,, God
is not man tnat he should lie, neither the son of
man. that he should repent" The answer given
to the four previous questions might be applicable
III tns also; but think the word repent" used
in the sentence Is so used to emphasize the first
clause-thus "God is not man that ne should
le;i and thus TO point out things relating to the
future: not to the past.
II | have not In the above thrown light enough
tue subject to please correspondent | would
commend him when he prays to bear in mind that
he should DO so nothing doubling" but with per-
feet faith, believing the Lord VIII give what he
asks for. Let HIM Try this and see how he sue
ceeds. A. j. ..
Rev. Mr.. Knapp, OF Paterson, y. j., Not
an open Communionist.
PEBRuARY Il, 1874.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
Yesterday my attention was called to para
graph in last sundays edition. clipped, doubtless
from some religious journal, in relation to myself
Permit NE, therefore, TO set you and thousands Of
readers right. NY name is not III. W." Knapp.
1t is true, as you state, wonderful work of grace
is being wrought in the willis street Baptist
church." OF which am pastor-a work dating from
the 90 OF last December. The number of CONVEX
sions is known only TO God and the angels 1t GER
talnly is not 300. We never ask a convert to unite
with u.s. aud IN TINS your rep ort is correct Nor do
we permit member 70 do It, In Tact, We question
every candidate to see If they have been
persuaded to JON, believing one volunteer
10 sfmn De worth ten pressed men; We are
TO see the converts gold, and leave them TO re-
ceive the imprint OF any mint they may prefer.
COD is goid' whether gls;enlng on frame OF
bearing the eagle. We claim no grace in this,
because IN CHARITY We are bound to believe some
men are consttutionaly 'Methodists," 'EpiscOpa-
hans" DC, and, YOU know, good. loyal men would
not be unconstitutional. You say brother Knapp
baplzes all who Deeven Would GOD 1t was
sol / should need several suits OF 'baptismal
pants before mad finished that contract. That
all who believe should be baptized is sound Scrip
tural truth worthy OF the theological editor OF the
NEW YORK HERALD. But, you know, some will be
sprInkled-,Aye, there's the rub"-and TINS pre-,
vents the desired consummatlon, zone fold and
one Shepherd You furthermore af1irm, ne in
vtes all baptized Christians TO the Lords SUPPER
let me say we invite .'all members of sister
churches OF he same faith and order IN good
standing az home and none others. feared my
good friends OF my native city might think since
my emigration into New Jersey, mad departed
from the 'oid Baptist faith, +" ana hence explain
fully, That there are open communion ministers
III our denomination see reiterated IN journals.
New Jersey Baptsts are not, however, so sentl-
mental or tender footed. II professed believer
IN Christ VIII turn his back upon Chrlsts baptism
New Jersey Baptsts Will softly shut the door in his
face when they surround the table OF their Lord.
We are perfectly willing Rome and other churches
should sprinkle instead OF DaptZe. but we Will not
furnish Two legs 70 the one-legged stool OF ira
diton. :. J. KNAPP,
Pastor Wills street Baptist church. Paterson, " J.
Revival Sensations.
1t is known that revival OF remarkable power
- in progress in Lee avenue Baptist church,
Brooklyn, and scarcely Sabbath passes without
the immersion OF few or many converts. Last
sunday evening sixteen young converts were thus
baptized into the Christian Church by the pastor,
Rev. j. Hyatt Smith Mr.. smith had been cate