The Irish standard., 1913-05-03
Rt. Rev. Bishop John Vaughan of
England Gives Experience
With Converts.
No Member of True Church Ever
Wants to Change His Creed
in Circumstances
Of Special Solemnity or Danger
Never Become Protestant
on Deathbed.

During the course Of my ministry,
says the Rt. Rev. Bishop John Waugh
an of England, which covers a period
of over thirty years, 1 have known Of
thousands who have given up hercsy
and entered the fold Of Jesus Christ.
Indeed, have had the happiness Of
receiving some hundreds myself. In
those thirty years 1 have known Of
some few who, to my sorrow, have
given up the faith. My experience ex-
tends to Australia, Tasmania and the
United States, as we'll as to Great
Britain, for I have travelled much.
The result of my observations are
as follows: ..
First. have never known, nor can
/ recall a single instance OF really
practicing Catholic ever giving up the
faith.
Loaves and Fishes.
Secondly. l have never known Of
any Catholic, not even a negligent and
careless one, giving up the faith un
less there We're some tangible tenn
poral advantage to be gained by it. So
far from making any sacrifices, such
piissiffsons Sfr6m woi1dYfy; point of View
have had nothing to lose and every
thing to gain. 1t is well known that
in Protestant countries a Catholic is
always at disadvantage. Whether
he be servant, q tradesman, u menl-
Der of one of the learned professions
or country squire, he will always find
that he will make his way better In
the world as a non-Catholic than as a
"benighted Papist;" though things are
not as bad, perhaps, in this respect
as they were. On the other hand the
sacrifices convert has to make are
as a rule, very considerable and in
many instances such as call for abso-
lutte l1eroism. Hence, it stands to rea-
son that a Protestant who becomes a
Catholic must have special grace and
courage, whereas a Catholic who be-
comes Protestant has merely to let
nature take it's course and follow the
path of least resistance.
Thirdly. Anglicans and other non-
Catholics who submit to the authority
of the Church do so, as a rule, at a
tremendous cost. They are often
heartlessly treated even by their near
est relations, and frequently have to
begin their life all over again. In
many cases, if they are clergymen,
they have to give up an assured posi-
tion, a fat living and perhaps a beau
tiful church and other emoluments and
face not only poverty, but obloquy as
well-a true test of sincerity. If, as is
usually the case, they are married men,
not only must they grieve over the
Impoverished conditions in which they
have most unwillingly placed their wife
and family, but they have not even the
satisfaction of entering the priesthood
but are compelled to take to unaccus-
toned and uncongenial work, merely
to keep the wolf from the door. Yet
In spite of all this there are hundreds
and hundreds who readily make the
sacrifice. Further, the Catholic reli-
gion itself demands many things
which are hard and disagreeable to
Aesh and blood and which Protest.
ant escapes. The abstinences and
lasts, the strict obligation of candid
profession, the renunciation of ones
own private judgment, the frequent
mortal sin, and many other obliga-
tions are binding upon the Catholic,
but not on the Protestant. In short
In order that Catholic should be-
come a Protestant, he has but to
throw off his burdens. On the other
hand, in order for a Protestant to be-
come Catholic he must deny him
self and take up his cross daily" as
our Lord Himself declared.
The change in the one case is nat
pral, and in complete accordance with
poor weak human nature; in the 9TH
err case it is supernatural and con-
Eary to inclination, SO that we are