The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-12-16
DE COSTA JOINS ROME.

| 7
Organ of the Latter-day Saints)
! 1t is now announced that Rev. Benja
min F. De Costa has identified hirleel
with the Catholic Church. Some time
| ago he created a sensation by leaving
the Episcopal church because DR.
Briggs, the famous higher critic" wa:
given fellowship there.
DR.. Costa, in explaining his change oil
faith, says he has no apology TO offer
! Standing in the midst of modern re-
ligious systems topping TO their fall
like columns in the temple of Karnac
no defense need be offered for accepting
d firm and mistaken Catholic faith. .
He declares that the Catholic Church
stands before the Notwithstanding peo-
pie and Professionals everywhere as the
unique and solitary defender of the
Bible in its integrity and entirety. He
adds:
The Church never changed her meth
cd of dealing with science In this
city a scholar should not allow his mind
to become befogged. The issue is not
simply one of science or simple inter
probation. Primarily, it is the mystery
of the incarnation that criticism puts
on trial. Tie case is dogmatic. 1t
means a revision of the Bible. This the
Holy Catholic Church will never APP
prove
One would think the doctrine of papal
infallibility would be highly objection
able to one accustomed to the Protest
ant way of thinking, but the reverend
doctor meets this point as follows:
1T is time for candid non-Catholics
to learn that the notion that it dnfalli-
bility) interferes with individual liberty
is as true as that a mariners compass
renders the sailor an abject slave
1t is no great wonder that thoughtful
ProtesUants seek refuge in the out
stretched arms of Rome. 1t is true
enough that in Austria, where religious
life is not especially verdant, no less
than 5000 conversions from Catholicism
to Professionalism are reported recently;
but in Great Britain, which for CEN
turtles has been noted for religious ac-
tivity, there is a steadily increasing cur
rent toward Rome. In fact, some of the
most prominent English clergymen
have espoused the cause of papacy, and
the life-work of Manning, Newman and
others has not failed to bear fruit.
There are numerous causes for the
Romeward movement. But one of the
most conspicuous is the Protestant de-
NAL of visible church. They have
all abandoned the Scripture idea of
zone body with zone Lord, one faith,
one baptism" as we'll as the position of
the early fathers who knew of no
church except an association of elect"
or faithful Saints. They have set up
a theory about a mystical, invisible
body as the only true church. "On this
theory" Dr. Costa well remarks,
christianity has failed; the empire
that triumphed over the Roman empire
has persisted. Reformed religionism,
therefore, offers no moral or intellec-
and leaves the world forced at last to.
choose between rationalism and the
Catholic Church
This, we believe, is the secret convic-
ton of a great many Protestant theo-
logical scholars, and if they were free
to follow their own convictions, they
would abandon their pulpits. But what
can they do? With their locks shorn
in the lap of Delilah and their feet tied
with a salary, no wonder if the mighty
Samsons are found grinding grain in
the home of the Philistines!
The movement toward Rome, how
ever. is one of the signs of the times.
That. too, will hasten the day when,
according to the Divine word Zion
shall flourish, and the glory of the Lord
shall be upon her. and she shall be an
ensign unto the people, and there shall
come unto her out of every nation I'M
Ter heaven