The Irish standard., 1903-06-13
A FINAL FAREWELL.
Touching Passages from the Letter
of Convert.

OF a Convert.
We copy, with special pleasure and
rdilicHtion. the following beautiful and
touching passages fom Il letter sent
by Il former Anglican Clergyman. now
II Catholic. 10 his dear friends of the
tAn@lican, congregation OF Christ
Cathedral and ST. Mary the Virgin,
New Maryland, New Er,lnswicll
Tho time has come when. With
great pain to myself. must take of
you Il final and aifcrtionatc farewell.
or my reception into the Catholic
Church YOU are all. doubtless, Well
aware. 81 :" TO give you the ren
sons in full which prompted my pres
cnl action would fill II volume. not Il
letter. ! will only say that prominent
among them has been the distressing
sense of imposSibili,y, us it seemed,
and still seems. to me. of arriving, in
the Anglican communion. at anything
like IL certain faith. The liberation
within its pale of schools of thought
opposed to each other; the consequent
party strife; the fierce controversies
often raging round holy doctrines;
the spectacle of men ever learning,
but never seeming to arrive at Il
knowledge of the truth; bishops,
clcrgymen and laymcn differing from
one another, but each proclaiminy his
own view or opinion to be the true
one; the absence in the Anglican COM
muniOn of amy tribunal whose dcci-
sons would be accepted by the whole
body; the ultimate necessity therefore
of resting Gf one could resi- in such
Il war; upon the basis of mere private
Notwithstanding and confusion
such us this. | felt. could not he of
God. The conviction, therefore. was
Irresistible That flowing from our
Lords promise. there must somewhere
exist Il divine source. Which | MUST
seek, and from which. according to
our Lords words. the truth might be
fully and infallibly drawn. This
source, dear friends. not in the Anyli-
can communion, and still less in the
other many forms of Professionalism,
| have, by the mercy Of God, after long
and weary searching. found. 1t is
| that 'onc Christian body, which, claim
ing to teach upon authority, exercises
| the authority she claims The
Church. With it's visible head IL center
of unity, to which ali questions and
disputes of faith and morals may be
referred, and of whose decisions there
has been, through all Christian ages,
no reversal; II Church, therefore. in
which the pride of sclf-opinon cannot
long find place; which has, moreover,
a fixed and certain faith, unfoldcu
through the ages, from the first coun-
sci to the last, unchanged and I'M
changeable us the God Who gave and
| Who protects ito hear which
| Church, as being the living body of
Christ is to hear Christ Himself: to
refuse which through willful or care.
less ignorance. is to risk the danger Of
refusing Him that spcakcth; a Church
which is cmphatically that of the
saints, and which, though in many
ages and lands that the learned and
rich. is emphatically also the Church
of the poor. Such, dear friends. are
Il few among the many marks of the
one Catholic and Apostolic Church
into which the great mercy OF God has
now received me. My doubts at
length are at an end. Temporarily. the
step l have taken has ruined me. The
loss to mo is that Of home. friends,
means of livelihood cherished associa-
tions-of most things. indeed, which
make life dear; the gain, ineXpressibly
blessed to me. has been wholly spirit
ua!. While ! was with YOU. l loved
YOU with a strong love; absent from
YOU. l shall love you no less. Had it
been possible should have wished tC
remain with you to the close of my
life: but God has wllcd otherwise.
can never sufficiently thank you f0l
the exceeding Kindness and friendship
you have ever manifested towards me