The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-05-24
Che Cwo Brothers. f. f. 6 STs sdss
Controversial Dialogue Between Presbyterian and His
Catholic Brother, and Its Sequel.

fication of the body; they are admir-
ably adapted to that end; and the Ilgnt
of nature teaches US that the mortittca-
ton of the body is wholesome for the
soul. Moreover. to fast. as required, Is
also to fast with proper interior dis
positions. You cannot, then, say either
that in them there is only mechan-
zeal action. or that we look for effects
from inadequate causes"
But the idle ceremonies and vain
observances of your public worship
are superstitious.
Your worship is exceedingly Of
fensive''
ITO whom? To Protestants? Then
let them become Catholics-especially
since they have no warrant from Al
mighty God to be anything else
Your church is exceedingly impoli-
tic. The practices to which we object
may have been very we'll in dark and
superstitious ages, but men in this en-
lightened and scientific age demand q
more pure and spiritual worship"
THE policy you would recommend to
the church, then, is to be superstitiOus
with the superstitious. and irreligious
with the irreligiOus? If her practices
could have superstitious tendency, it
is precisely in a dark and superstitiOuS
age in which they would be dangerous,
and when it would be least proper to
insist on them. If this age be what
you suppose it is precisely now that
they are most appropriate, as being in
opposition to dominent tendencies. But
the church is not reduced to the neces-
sity of taking the advice of those who
despise her, and very possibly the age
is not so enlightened as it appears to
those whose eyes are accustomed only
to the twilight. Have you anything
more to add?"
There is no use in continuing the
discussion. Let me say what l WILL
you will dispose of it by declaring it
irrelevant, or by a sophistical distinc
ton"
do you keep your word and give up
the reformers and the refOrmation?"
You have not made me Roman
ist."
Il have not attempted to do that:
have simply demanded of you reason
why you are a Protestant"
Il have given you reasons which sat-
isfy me, and that is enough Each of
you must answer for himself and not
for another"
You pledged yourself if you failed
to convict the church of idolatry and
superstition, to give up the Protestant
cause. Do you regard yourself as hav-
ing made our your case?"
There is no use in multiplying
words. My mind is made up
My choice is made. l was born a
Protestant, 1 have lived a Protestant,
and 1 will die Protestant"
IF you choose death, you, no doubt,
can have it, Almighty God forces no
man to enter into life
Il take the responsibility; and moth
ing can move me"
Here the conversation ended. and
tbs two brothers separated. John en-
tered a religious house, where he re-
sides, devoting himself wholly to re-
ligion. James remains the minister of
his congregation. He has recently
married again and he appears to have
forgotten his domestic Affections. He
continues at the head of the Protest
ant League is louder than ever in
praise of the reformers and the glor-
ious reformation, and more violent
than ever in his denunciations of Cath
elics and Catholicity. Humanity speak
ing, there is no hope of his conversion.
1t is to be feared that James Milwood
is the type of a large class of Protest
ant ministers. 1 would judge no in
dividual, but it seems to me that the
notion many people have that Protest
ants are generally in good faith and
ready to embrace the truth if presented
to them, rests on no adequate author
ity. So far as I have known Protest
ants, they are ready to say, as said a
Protestant minister to me the other
day, Il would rather be damned than
be a Catholic"
(The End.)