The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1903-12-26
(San Francisco Monitor.)

y
they obtained power-Germany, England, Scotland,
Denmark Sweden, the Netherands-preached and
practiced the most bitter intolerance. Luther held
that the Anabaptists ought to be burned, declared
all measures lawful against Catholics, and invoked
the civil power against Carlstadt and Zwingllans.
In Saxony blaspheny was punished with death, and
heresy with banishment The Calvinists were equal
ly bitter. Calvin burned Servetus for denying the
Trinity, and wrote a book in defense of the right
Of persecution Bucer and Melancthon congratu-
lated him on his action, and also wrote to the same
purpose.
In England the history Of the penal laws of
Henry VIII Elizabeth. Edward VI, James l,
Charles !, Cromwell Charles ii, is history of
fines, Imprisonment. banishment, torture and
death for the practice of the Catholic religion.
Cardinal Moran, Historical Sketch of the Perse
cutiens Suffered By the Catholics of Ireland;
Dublin Review, Jan. 1882; W. S. Lilly, Dublin Re
view, July. 1891; Hallam, Constitutional History
of England" Vol. Ill PIP. 359, 3S1, ct seq. Gerard,
"The Condition of Catholics Under James y; d.
ALurhp, s. j.. Cromwell in Ireland; Records of
the English Catholics Under the Penal Laws from
the archives of the See of Westminster') }. Gram
mer advocated persecution, and burned many Pro-
testants the srake before openly processing Pro-
testantism himself. Ranke and Hume both call
Eizabeth's High Commission a Protestant inqui-
sition. We find the English parliament of James
/ urging persecution necessary to advance. the
glory Of God" while the Scotch parliament Of 1860
decreed death TO all Catholics. Archbishop Usher
II
grievous SIM CNeae, History of the Puritans,"
Vol H. p. 469): John Wesley the time of the Cor
don riots wrote: "They (Catholics) are not to be
tolerated by any government. Protestant Mahom-
medan or pagan" (Canon Flanagan History Of
the Church in England" vol. i, D. $50: w. j. Am
herst $. J.. History of Catholic Emancipation'0
John Knox, who deemed persecution holy and
sacred duty. strongly urged the English people to
kill Queen Mary and all her priests with her Cil-
ner, Letter Xix, The End of Controversy
There is therefore not the slightest evidence to
show that the Reformation ever upheld, in doc
trine practice, the liberation that exists every
where today by force of circumstances. Religious
federation is practical necessity, unless men wish
TO live III a state of chronic war and discord; the
common good demands it. 1t is wrong, however,
TO base If on the principle of indiferentism, which
declares that certainty in religious matters is i'm
possible, and that religion is as good as an
other.
Let me quote an unbiased non-Catholic witness
on this question, w. Lec1y, in his "Rationalism in
Europe" vol ii, PIP. 57-61:
But what shall we say of a church PROTESTANT
that but a thing of yesterday; church that
had vet service to show, no claims upon the.
the gratitude of mankind; a church that was by
profession creature of private Judgment, and
IN reality generated by the intrgues of a cor
rupt court which nevertheless suppressed by force
worship that multitudes deemed necessary for their
salvation, and by all her organs, and with all her
energies, prosecuted those who clung the religion
Of their fathers! What shall we say of religion
which comprised at most but fourth part of the
Christian world, and which the first explosion of s
private Judgment had shivered into countless sects
which nevertheless so pervaded by the spirit of
dogmatism that each of these sects asserted its dis
tinctive doctrines with the same confidence, and
prosecuted with the unhesitating virulence as
the Church which was venerable with the homage
of more than twelve centuriesl : = Per-
secution among the early Protestants was dis
tinct and definite doctrine, digested into elaborate
treatises and enforced against the most inoensive
against the most formidable sects 1t was the
doctrine of the palmiest days of Protestantism 1t
taught by those who justly esteemed the
greatest of its leaders,
There is not the slightest reason to suspect
that Catholics would persecute today l. they had
the power The Church claims no coercive au-
thority over those outside her fold She considers
faith an act not only of the intellect, but of the
will, which ought to be perfectly free when there
is a question of Gods truth. Once the pure gos-
pei of Christ has been lost BY men, nothing but
willingness 10 believe and a conviction Of the in
telect can by Gods grace give 1t back. When
Lord Baltimore started the Catholic colony of
Maryland, he declared that mo person within the
province protesting to believe IN Jesus Christ shall
be anyways troubled, molested discountenanced,
for his her religion, in the free exercise there
OF" Protestants, prosecuted in Virginia, sought
refuge in the Catholic province of Maryland Does
not this compare favorably with the conduct of the
Purians who, the accession of Cromwell dis
enfranchised the Catholics of the province: with
the laws of New England, which put Quakers to
death the intolerance of other colonies that leg
slated against Catholics! bancroft, History of
the United States" Vol l. p. 223, ct seq: "Hergen-
rother, Church and State" Vol ii. xvi par 15;
Bachus. History of the Baptsts in New Eng
land" Vol. j. 290; Yorke, '.Yorle- Wendte Contro-
versy," PIP. 1S2-205).
Is broken and contrite heart a better offer
ing 10 God than thousand repettons of prayer?
Did not Jesus rebuke repettons in prayer saying:
Use vain repettons the heathens do? Matt.
i, -
Our questioner must distinguish between two
inds of repetition. There is in the house near
ie. | write. parrot who repeats BY the hour.
18th all the different changes of infection and
ithout the slightest intelligence, "How do YOU
p!" "Bad-bad-bad boyr7 "IIello. Polly" Good
ye" etc. So it Is possible some people pray par
otlike, without thinking of God at all This man
er of praying our Lord rebukes when He said:
This people honoreth Ne with their lips but their
cart Is far from Ne" (AIatt. XIV s. Is. xxx 49,.
But there is. on the other hand, the oft-repeated
] love you" Of the mother speaking to the babe
her breast, which loses none of its force in the
apeating, but rather insensifes the love of that
lothers heart by outward expression. Such the
apeated prayer to God of the devout soul-be it a 1
rayer of praise alteration, thanksgiving. petition
sorrow for sim
A contrite heart is essential to forgiveness. both
l = ll-