The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1910-01-07
FATHER WATERS REPLIES.
Defends The Doctrine and Practices
Of The Church.

entitled The Confessional " purOOrt
ing to be fair statement ana sum-
mary OF a lecture delivered by me 70
Farmville November 29th, and further
more giving what is supposed to be
a refutation OF the Catholic doctrine
and practice of confessing sins to ssss
priest with a view of obtaining Gods
forgiveness.
The writer quotes quite accurately
what said describing how a CathcEa
prepares for confession and how he
tells his sins to the priest.
This point of my lecture was
mere detail, it lasted perhaps firs
minutes in the delivery and was Osly
a description Of a sacred ceremony.
1t would perhaps have interested me
readers OF the Herald if your ed
torial writer had given also the res
son | advanced for such a ceremony.
But he overlooks the rest of my lee
ture where gave the Catholic args-
ment and logic, and hastens to the
defence of Professionalism which he
champions. This / must say in pass
inc Is a singular position for an edis0-
rial writer OF a secular journal to as
sumo 1t also places him in the con-
pany Of many whose society he would
spurn II aligns him with atheists
and infidels, all forms ,of Protestant
ism and bad Catholics who hate the
very thought of confession.
Confession is a great preventive 81
sin. wonder that any Christian
should advocate that which makes ssh
easy. Confession brings to millioss
Of pious souls a sense of divine par9
don and the sweet assurance of hea-
ven. Is it not cruel to take awsy
rom them that which helps them W
i've Christian life? Confession re-
forms the worst sinners in the W rss
and puts them on the road to heaven.
Who could be more pleased than tAs
Demon himself to see confession de-
Your writer assumes the task of
defending Professionalism. Let him
iefend it. But to do so is it neceS-
;ary for him to attack Catholicism
Does he find that Professionalism ~
)nly the denial one by one OF Caths
ic doctrines Surveying the situa-
ion he sees how one denies this doc
rine another that, a third another and
50 on down the list till at last there Is
not a Catholic or Christian doctrine
eft which is not denied and rejected
by some Protestant denomination. Is
that your writer's idea of Protestant
sm, the denial of anything and every
thing Catholic? 1t would seem 80
from his expressed purpose of takizg
up one by one the eight lectures W.
delivered in Farmville and by refuting
them defend Professionalism.
A good answer to your writer was
the lecture itself which he failed to
report tried to be clear; perhaps
failed snd your representative could
not reproduce the argument for pub
ication.
To prepare the minds OF my hear
ers for the argument which was 10
come | quotedlMatthew 1919, I will
Iive to thee the keys of the kingdon
)f heaven. And whatsoever thou
shall bind upon earth it shall be bound
also in heaven; and whatsoever thou
shalt loose on earth it shall be loosed
llso in heaven.
also quoted Mathew 1918 where
his power Of binding and loosing first
promised to Peter is promised also TO
he other apostles in union with him.
Whatsoever you shall bind on earth
.hall be bound also in heaven, and
you shall loose upon earth
.hsll be loosed also in heaven. -
There is a discretionary power Civ
IN by Christ to his apostles, and it
certainly must have reference TO their
ieaIing with sim and sinners for the
.eason our Lord came into the world
S given by himself. Mark 217, /
anne not 70 call the just but sinners. "
This power either to bind or 10 loose
his commission of reconciling sinners
o God when properly disposed, is
oniided to the apostles as ST. Paul
caches, 2 Cor. 5IS, He hath given
Is the ministry of reconciliation
Didem 10 He hath placed in US the
sord of reconciliation These texts
II holy scripture were cited as Z
PREPARATION for the introduction of
ohm 20.2l-23 where our blessed Lord
expressly confers upon the apostles
he power 10 forgive sin or TO refuse
ardon AS the Father hath sent me
also send you. When he had said
.,is Ia hraofhad ou fhorn and he caid