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Af. D. Forrest, M.S.C.

New York, N, Y.

THE PAULIST PRESS
401 We$t 59th Street



Permissu Superiorum



Why Not Be a Catholic ?
4

L—THE CATHOLIC CHURCH ALONE FOUNDED
BY CHRIST

HE inspired warning of the Prince of the
Apostles, that we should be ready to give

an account of the faith that is in us,

should be taken to heart by every Cath-

olic in the present age. There never was,

perhaps, a time when unbelief held such sway or when

doubt and agnosticism prevailed so widely. The Cath-

olic, then, should furnish himself with every possible

proof of the divinity of the Church, in order that he

may strengthen his own faith and show clearly to those

outside the Church the reasonableness and the truth of

that faith.

This does not mean, of course, that we can demon-

strate the mysteries of religion. But, if we can clearly

show that those mysteries should be believed because

they have been revealed by the all-knowing and all-

truthful God, we have achieved the purpose I have

mentioned. If, e. g., we could bring an agnostic to admit

that God exists, that God is infinite truth, and that God

has revealed a certain religion to mankind, he would, if

he were reasonable, at once embrace that religion and

cling to every doctrine it taught, even though some of

those doctrines were far beyond the reach of reason.

We suppose, of course, that in making such an act of

faith he is aided by God’s enlightening and inspiring grace.

The Vatican Council and the Reasonableness of

THE Catholic Faith

T'he Vatican Council insists upon the reasonableness

of the. Catholic Faith when it speaks thus: “In order



2 Why Not Be a Catholic?

that the homage of our faith might be in keeping with

reason, God willed to unite to the internal helps of the

Holy Spirit external proofs of His revelation, that is,

divine facts, and particularly miracles and prophecies,

which, since they clearly show forth the almighty power

and infinite knowledge of God, are most certain signs of

Divine Revelation and are suited to the understanding of

all persons/’

We may suppose three classes of persons to whom it
is necessary to prove the divinity of the Catholic Church

:

(1) Atheists and Agnostics, who do not admit the exist-

ence of God; (2) Rationalists, who are willing to admit

the existence of a Supreme Being, but who reject all

supernatural revelation; and (3) Protestants, who believe

in God and accept His revelation given to the world by

Christ, but who will not adrhit that the Catholic Church

is the one true Church,. the only true exponent of God’s

revelation to mankind.

Obviously, if one undertook to deal with each of these

three classes, he would find it necessary to write a book

in order to set forth the requisite arguments. Even to

deal exhaustively with the third class, one would require

to write a treatise. At present I simply purpose to write

a brief outline of the chief arguments which should con-

vince every unbiased and thinking Protestant of the truth

of the Catholic religion.

One or Two Misgivings

Now, in the first place it may be well to remove one

or two misgivings entertained by non-Catholics. Why,

we are often asked, are we so intolerant of other creeds,

even to such an extent as to teach that the members of all

non-Catholic denominations are lost eternally? And why

are we so desirous of extending the Catholic Church, thus

practicing and encouraging proselytism ?



IVhy Not Be a Catholic? 3

In answer to the first objection, I would say that the

Catholic attitude is absolutely misrepresented. The well-

known adage, ''Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus” (“Outside

the Church there is no salvation”), is twisted into the

statement that we condemn all Protestants to Hell. As a

matter of fact, the Church teaches nothing of the kind.

We distinguish, as all reasonable people distinguish, when

there is question of duty or obligation, between vincible

and invincible

—

i. e., culpable and inculpable—ignorance.
If a non-Catholic is culpably ignorant of the truth of the

Catholic religion, that is, if he has serious doubts as to

whether it is not, after all, the true Church, and then re-

fuses to inquire; or if he really recognizes it as the one

true Church, and then refuses to enter it, such a person

cannot be saved, for the simple reason that he is stifling

the voice of his conscience in a grave manner, or, in other

words, is disobeying the Divine command to embrace the

truth. But if a Protestant is in good faith—that is, if he
has no misgivings about his own creed, and therefore does

not recognize the Catholic Church as the Church of God

(as she truly is)—if, moreover, he has faith in God and
in redemption by Jesus Christ, and follows the dictates

of conscience, making an act of perfect contrition should

he fall into mortal sin
;
if he is so disposed that he would

embrace the Catholic Faith were it recognized by him as

the truth of God, certainly he will be saved. Thus it is

quite likely that a great number of non-Catholics, being

in good faith, will attain the eternal vision of God. Re-

garding this matter, Pius IX. spoke very clearly in the

following words : “We must hold it as certain that those

who are in ignorance of the true religion, if such ignorance

is invincible, are not held guilty of this fault in the sight

of God. . . . Those who are invincibly ignorant of our

most holy religion, and who, faithfully observing the nat-

ural law and its precepts engraven by God on the hearts



4 Why Not Be a Catholic?

of all, and, ready to obey God, lead an honest and upright

life, can, by the power of divine light and grace, attain

eternal life.” Needless to say, however, it is far easier

for a Catholic than for a non-Catholic, in good faith, to

work out his salvation, seeing that the former is enriched

by so many wondrous supernatural helps.

Proselytism

In reply to the objection regarding proselytism, we

need simply give an illustration. Let us suppose that

James and his friends are toiling hard day after day in a

mine in which there is little or no gold, while John, a

friend of James, has, through a stroke of good luck, dis-

covered a mine that is abounding in gold. Suppose that

John visits James, tells him of his rich discovery, and in-

vites James and his friends to work the mine with him

so that they may become wealthy men. Could any rea-

sonable man blame John’s friendly act? Yet this is pre-

cisely what we Catholics do. We are sure that our non-

Catholic friends are working in a mine where there is

little or no supernatural gold
;
we are absolutely certain

that we, through God’s mercy, have discovered the true

gold mine, abounding in the wealth of God
;
and because

we love our Protestant friends and wish them to be as

rich in the gifts of God as we are in this life, and as

blessed as we hope to be throughout eternity, therefore

we never tire of setting before them the truth, the beauty,

and the wealth of the Catholic religion, and of cordially

inviting them to take shares in that glorious supernatural

gold mine.

The Real Questions

Let us now come to the real questions at issue
:

( 1 )
Is

there only one true Church? (2) If so, which Church

has that grand prerogative?



Why Not Be a Catholic? 5

We answer unhesitatingly: (1) There can be only
one true Church. (2) That Church is the Catholic

Church.

(1) There can be but one true Church. It seems

strange that anyone could contradict this self-evident

truth. Yet we hear persons state that it matters not what

religion one professes
;

that one religion is as good as

another; that all forms of belief are equally pleasing in

the sight of God. These statements must logically mean

that all religions are equally true. Such a statement is

evidently absurd.

If a teacher proposed a mathematical problem to six

children and received six different answers, could he admit

that one answer was as good as another—that all, in fact,
were correct? Certainly not. Yet the same principle

holds good when the question is proposed as to how many

true churches there can be. We need but the most ele-
mentary knowledge of the tenets of each denomination to

be convinced of the contradictions existing between the

respective churches. Obviously, contradictory and con-

trary statements cannot all be true.

Besides, there is only one God, and consequently there

can be only one religion revealed by Him. In fact, Christ

always speaks of His Church in the singular number,

which is a clear proof that He founded but one Church.

Nor are His followers allowed to pick and choose their

own favorite doctrines and reject the rest. His Divine

words are irrevocable: '‘Teach all things whatsoever I

have commanded you. . . He that believeth not shall be

condemned.’'

The One True Church

(2) The Catholic Church is the one true Church.

Let us calmly reflect on the chief arguments which so con-

vincingly prove this statement.



6 IVhy Not Be a Catholic?

First, all other churches were founded by men,

whereas the Catholic Church alone was instituted by Jesus

Christ. The study of the facts of history places this truth

beyond the shadow of a doubt. Well did Cardinal New-

man write : “To be deep in history is to cease to be a

Protestant.’’ It is easy to point to the commencement of

each Protestant denomination as the work of some man

or body of men.

Take, for example, the Anglican Church. Undoubtedly

it was founded by Henry VIII. in the sixteenth century.

When Henry came to the throne the whole of England

was Catholic—or, if you wish, Roman Catholic. The
English nation believed and professed the same doctrines

as we Catholics to-day; throughout England, laity, priests,

bishops and king,—all acknowledged the spiritual juris-
diction of the Pope. How did the Church of England,

then, originate ? Simply in the following manner. Henry,

who was lawfully married to Catherine of Aragon, fell in

love with Anne Boleyn, a young lady of his court, and

resolved to marry her. He appealed to the Pope for a

divorce from Catherine, which was, of course, refused.

John Richard Green, the Protestant historian, tells the

sequel: “Despair of other means drove Henry at last to

adopt the bold plan from which he had shrunk at Wolsey’s

fall. The plan was simply that the king should disavow

the Papal jurisdiction, declare himself head of the church

within his realm, and obtain a divorce from his own eccle-

siastical courts.” The infamous “Act of Supremacy,”

passed in 1534, formally established the king “as the only

supreme head of the Church in England.” This Act is

called by Green “the great statute by which the new char-

acter of the Church was defined.” So much for the origin

of the church established by the saint of six wives.

The Methodist Church is of still more recent origin.

It arose in the eighteenth century as a religious movement



IVJiy Not Be a Catholic? 7

guided especially by John Wesley, and finally became a

separate denomination.

The Presbyterian religion owes its existence to Calvin,

John Knox, etc., who lived in the sixteenth century.

Space does not permit me to enter into the details of

each Protestant denomination. I have singled out the

chief sects and pointed to the circumstances of their origin.

We can, with history as our guide, single out, in turn, each

Protestant denomination, and point to the man who

founded it, the country in which it was established, the

year in which it sprang up, etc. It is an historical fact

that all non-Catholic denominations were instituted by

men who had not the shadow of a Divine credential.

How could any individual who came into existence cen-

turies after Christ had established His Church and

ascended into Heaven claim the divine prerogative of hav-

ing authority to establish a Church ? As well might some

fanatic pitch his tent in Central Park, gather together a

few followers, and call his church the Society of Paradiso-

politans ! Then his name, too, would go down to succes-

sive generations with the names of the men we have men-

tioned, and would be held in benediction for all time by

his pious disciples.

When, however, we turn to our opponents and say to

them, “We have given you the circumstances of the foun-

dation of your respective churches, showing them to be

purely human institutions; now, please, tell us in what

country the Catholic Church was founded, by what man,

under what circumstances,” they are compelled either to

observe an inglorious silence or to admit that the Catholic

Church was founded by Jesus Christ. Yes, truly, “to be

deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant.”



8 i4^hy Not Be a Catholic?

II.—HOW THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS
FOUNDED

In order to show how the Catholic Church was

founded by Jesus Christ, we must go back to the Gospels.

All Christians admit that these are inspired records of the

life of our Divine Redeemer; but, even if we abstracted

from their inspired character, they would still answer our

purpose in the present matter, for it is absolutely beyond

doubt historically that they are genuine documents written

by reliable witnesses, and handed down in their purity and

entirety to subsequent generations. In dealing with Ra-

tionalists it is sufficient, when we wish to prove the divin-

ity of the Christian religion, to take the Gospels as mere

historical narratives, waiving the question of their in-

spiration
;
but as Protestants admit the inspired character

of the Scriptures, we shall, in showing them the truth of

the Catholic Faith, treat the Gospels also as inspired

documents.

When we read the New Testament attentively, we see

that Christ not only revealed a religion to mankind, but

also established a living infallible teaching-body to per-

petuate that revelation in all its fulness and purity. Early

in His public life Our Lord chose twelve companions who

were to be constantly associated with Him during the

years of His earthly ministry. Teaching on the moun-

tain, preaching at the lakeside, expounding His doctrine

in the temple, instructing the crowds that flocked around

Him in the desert, Jesus was ever encircled by the faith-

ful twelve, who eagerly caught every word that fell from

His sacred lips. To them He explained in private what

He had taught in public
;
to them He revealed the secrets

of His Heart; to them He even manifested His glory.

The years of Our Saviour’s public life were at the same

time the period of training for the Apostles for the great

work with which their Divine Master was to intrust them.



Why Not Be a Catholic? 9

The Office of the Apostles

The office of the Apostles was, as the Gospels mani-

festly show, and as all Qiristians admit, to go forth after

Christ’s Ascension and teach all men the truths revealed

to them. Now, in this sublime work were they to be left

to the mercy of erring human nature, so that they or their

successors could fall into error in their official teaching,

and thus lead mankind away from God? Surely it is un-

thinkable that God’s own Son, after redeeming mankind

by His precious blood, and establishing His Church to

regenerate and teach men the truths of Redemption until

the end of the world, should, after His Ascension, leave

that Church a prey to the errors of the world, and thus

undo the very work of Redemption. On the very face of

it such a supposition is absurd, and the study of the Scrip-

tures absolutely shatters it, for they explicitly tell us that

Christ endowed His Church with the gift of infallibility

or perpetual freedom from the power of teaching error.

(1) “He that heareth you,” said Our Lord to His

Apostles, “heareth Me
;
and he that despiseth you despis-

eth Me” ( St. Luke x. 16) . Could this be said if it were pos-

sible for them to teach error ? No, for in that case those who

heard the Apostles would be listening not to Christ and His

doctrines of truth, but to erring men who were spreading

false doctrines. These words, then, show that the teach-

ing body instituted by Christ was gifted with infallibility.

(2) In addressing Peter, Christ also made a solemn

promise regarding the Church: “I say to thee that thou

art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and

the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (St. Matt,

xvi. 18). These emphatic words express a solemn guar-

antee that the Church will never be permitted by its Divine

Founder to teach error; they express a promise that He

will ever watch over and guide it, so that the powers of

darkness and error may never prevail against or vanquish



10 IVhy Not Be a Catholic?

it. Clearly, then, another promise of infallibility was

given by Jesus on this occasion.

(3) The fourteenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel also

contains a clear guarantee on the part of Our Lord that

His Church would not, after His Ascension into Heaven,

fall into error, for it would be blessed with the abiding

presence of the Spirit of Truth. And Our Redeemer

clearly states that the Spirit of Truth was to remain with

the teaching body not merely for one or two or three

centuries, so that the Church would afterwards fall a

prey to false doctrines and remain in that state until the

glorious Martin Luther should appear in the sixteenth

century to enlighten it by his infamous teaching, and his

still more infamous example, but right on until the end of

time
—

‘Tor ever.” Here are Our Lord’s own words

:

“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another

Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, that He may abide with

you for ever. . . . The Comforter, the Holy Ghost, Whom

the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things

and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have

said to you” (w. 16-26).

(4) From the fact that those who refuse to believe

the teaching of Christ’s Apostles and their successors are

threatened with everlasting perdition, we must necessarily

infer that such teaching would never be allowed to assim-

ilate any error, but would always remain absolutely un-

defiled. How could God justly condemn those who re-

fused to accept false doctrine ? The same duty is imposed

of assenting to the teaching of the Church as of whole-

heartedly believing the words of the Redeemer Himself

:

“Go ye into the whole world and preach the Gospel to

every creature” (which words refer also to the successors

of the Apostles). “He that believeth and is baptized shall

be saved, but he that believeth not shall be condemned”

(St. Mark xvi. 16).



Why Not Be a Catholic? 11

(5) Lastly, before ascending to Heaven, Jesus gave

His final commission to the Apostles. He bade them go

forth and teach all nations all the doctrines, without ex-

ception, that He had taught them, and at the same time

He gave them an emphatic guarantee that, in their office

of teaching. He would be in their midst, guarding His

teachers from error, not merely for a few centuries, after

which He would abandon His Church and allow it to fall

into errors of every kind, but ‘‘even unto the end of the

world.’' Could any clearer promise be given of the per-

petual infallibility of the Church established by Jesus

Christ? Read His words as recorded by St. Matthew:

“And Jesus coming spoke to them, saying: All power is

given to Me in Heaven and on earth. Going, therefore,

teach ye all nations, baptizing them in the name of the

Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
;
teaching

them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded

you
;
and, lo ! I am with you all days, even until the end

of the world” (xxviii. 20).

The Solemn Assurance

From all these passages of Scripture it is undeniably

plain that Christ not only revealed His doctrine to the

Apostles and commissioned them to go forth and preach

that heavenly doctrine to the human race, but also gave

them the solemn assurance that the apostolate instituted

by Him as His living and perpetual teaching-body would

never throughout the ages turn aside from that doctrine,

but would ever proclaim it in all its fulness, without addi-

tion, diminution, change or corruption.

This gift of infallibility the Apostles most emphatically

claimed. Thus they call the Holy Ghost a fellow witness

of the matters they proclaim. “We are witnesses of those

things, and the Holy Ghost, Whom God hath given to all

that obey Him” (Acts v. 32). And in addressing their



12 Why Not Be a Catholic?

disciples on the question of circumcision, they say: “It

hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us.” Evi-

dently they relied upon the unfailing promise of their

Divine Master that the Holy Spirit would ever be with

them to guard and guide them. St. Paul also insists upon

the same claim when he writes thus : “Our exhortation

was not of error, nor of uncleanliness, nor in deceit; but

as we were approved by God that the Gospel should be

committed to us, even so we speak not as pleasing men,

but God, Who proveth our hearts” (Thess. ii. 3, 4).
Again, he writes : “When you had received of us the word

of the hearing of God, you received it, not as the word of

men, but (as it truly is) the word of God, Who worketh

in you that you hath believed” {Ibid., 13). So confident

is he of the infallibility of the Church, that he regards it

as a divine pillar and foundation of truth
—

“the Church

of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth”

(Tim. iii. 15). Imagine an inspired writer applying such

expressions to an erring society!

The Church Would Never Fall Into Error

The Church, then, established by Jesus Christ, was

gifted with perpetual infallibility; that is, it received the

divine guarantee that it would never fall into error. The

logical conclusion is that the Church of the third cen-

tury taught the very same doctrines as the Church of the

Apostles
;
the Church of the eighth century, the self-same

doctrines as that of the third
;
the Church of the sixteenth

century, absolutely the same doctrines as the Church of

the eighth, the third, and the Church of the Apostles.

Yet, in the sixteenth century, when the whole of Christen-

dom was Catholic (with the exception of the Greeks, who

had finally broken away in the fifteenth century, but who

still believed practically every Catholic doctrine), Martin

Luther, a profligate monk, stood up before the world,



Why Not Be a Catholic? 13

and, by his own almighty authority, rejected doctrine after

doctrine of the Universal Church, and secured a following

in his work of destruction and dissolution. Luther’s atti-

tude was tantamount to this : “Listen to me
;

I am Mar-

tin Luther. The whole Church is wrong, and has been

immersed in false doctrines for centuries. All are wrong

—laity, priests, bishops, and Pope. I alone am right,
Follow my guidance, for I alone, a monk who have found

my vows too burdensome, and have rejected without com-

punction the solemn and irrevocable promises I made in

the presence of God on the day of my religious profes-

sion, can show to mankind the way of salvation, Pull

down the altar and abolish the sacrifice of the Mass

;

destroy all images and abrogate devotion to Mary and the

saints; reject the priesthood and the Papacy; away with

indulgences and the doctrine of Purgatory; discontinue

confession, to which you have been so accustomed
;
deny

the reliability of all ecclesiastical tradition. Listen to me

:

Take your Bible in your hands, and put your own inter-

pretation on it (though mine, of course, is the correct one,

and, under pain of being insulted by me, you must accept

it).”

The Blasphemy That Martin Luther Was Right

Now, who will dare utter the blasphemy that Martin

Luther was right, and consequently that the Universal

Church, which had come down through the centuries,

teaching, in obedience to the unfailing promises of her

Divine Founder, the very doctrines revealed to the Apos-

tles, was wrong? To say that the doctrines of the Mass,

the Priesthood, the Papacy, Purgatory, Indulgences, Con-

fession, Devotion to Mary, etc., are false doctrines, which

had crept into the Church and remained in it for centuries

until Luther appeared to extirpate them, is certainly noth-

ing short of emphatically stating that Christ repudiated



14 Why Not Be a Catholic f

His most solemn and repeated promises made to the Apos-

tles, and that the Church instituted by Him, and paid for

by the price of His Precious Blood, failed most miserably.

It is, therefore, equivalent to saying that “the gates of

Hell have prevailed against the Church”; that “he who

heard the Apostles and their successors did not hear

Christ”; that “the Spirit of Truth has not remained with

the teachers of the Church for ever”; that “Christ has

not been with the teaching-body of His Church all days”

;

that “the Church is not the pillar and the ground of

truth,” etc.

No, we cannot assent to such plasphemy if we are

Christians
;
if we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, or

even a divine ambassador
;

if we believe in the inspiration

of the Sacred Scriptures, or even admit—what no reason-
able person can deny—that the Gospels are genuine his-
torical documents. The doctrine of the Catholic Church,

then, in the sixteenth century was as pure as when that

Church came forth fresh and unsullied from the Heart

of God Incarnate
;

and the teaching of the Catholic

Church of to-day is absolutely identical with her teaching

in the sixteenth century and in the age of the Apostles.

She will live on until the end of time, ever guarded by

her Divine Founder; ever blessed with the guiding pres-

ence of the Spirit of Truth; ever triumphing over error;

ever shining before the world as a divine institution, as

the one true Church, the Church of Jesus Christ, un-

changed and unchangeable, unconquered and uncon-

querable. Substituting the indicative mood for Lord

Macaulay’s subjunctive, we may say, “She will still exist

in undiminished vigor when some traveler from New

Zealand shall, in the midst of a vast solitude, take his

stand on a broken arch of London Bridge to sketch the

ruins of St. Paul’s.”



Why Not Be a Catholic? 15

III.—THE NOTES OR TRAITS WHICH CLEARLY

CHARACTERIZE THE CHURCH AS A

DIVINE INSTITUTION

Our second argument to prove that the Catholic

Church is divine may be thus stated : When Christ insti-

tuted the Church He adorned it with certain notes or

traits which clearly characterize it as a divine institution.

Amongst these characteristics the chief are unity, holi-

ness, Catholicity and apostolicity, to which the Fathers

who assembled at Nice in the year 381 so distinctly refer

in the profession of faith which they drew up: “We be-

lieve. . . . one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.” When

we attentively read the prophecies regarding the Church

of God, when we carefully read the Gospels, when we

exercise our reason as to the nature of a Church divinely

instituted to apply to a fallen race the saving truths and

graces of Redemption, we easily see that the true Church

must be endowed with these four properties.

Now, only the Church of Rome blends in her consti-

tution those divine characteristics, and therefore she is

the one, true Church. Other churches may enjoy to some

extent one or other of those qualities, but not one of them

combines the four together, nor possesses even one in its

fulness.

(1) The Church of Rome (I use this title at present

because I have presently to demonstrate its claim to

Catholicity) alone enjoys true unity. It is a sheer impos-

sibility to have unity in a church which is not only not in-

fallible, but does not even lay claim to infallibility. Hence,

on their own supposition that they are quite liable to err,

the various non-Catholic denominations must say good-

bye to unity. Just put into practice the glorious privilege

of private judgment. Thomas takes one meaning out of

an important text of Scripture, William another, and



16 Why Not Be a Catholic?

Richard quite another, and each clings tenaciously to his

respective doctrine. How can they decide which of the

three is right? It is impossible, so each goes on in his

own sweet way. “Tot sententice quot capita” (“As many

opinions as persons”), should be the logical motto of

Protestantism. Even in the Anglican Church, with its

recognized Book of Common Prayer, there is hopeless

division. There is the High Church, the Broad Church,

the Low Church, etc. They even boast of their “com-

prehensiveness.” Their own ministers cannot agree on

vital doctrines and practices, and have no effectual means

of settling their differences. Witness the controversy be-

tween the Fundamentalists and the Modernists.

A Marvelous Unity

But in the Church of Rome a marvelous unity of doc-

trine, government and worship flourishes with perennial

vigor. Wherever the Church defines, discussion ceases.

The words of the great intellect of Hippo, “Rome has

spoken, the cause is ended,” have become an axiom. In

whatever matter the Church has lifted her infallible voice,

from the days when the Bishops assembled at Nicsea in

the twilight of the ages long gone by, until recent years

when their successors assembled in the Vatican Council,

all the members of the Church, irrespective of nationality,

of interests, of ability, have bowed in whole-hearted sub-

mission to her teaching. In hundreds and hundreds of

matters she has laid down irrevocable decisions, and each

definition is accepted by her children as the very voice of

God. Even in less important matters, when she leaves

her children free to discuss, their eyes are ever turned

towards their unerring mother to follow her guidance

loyally should she see fit to intervene. On any matter of

dogma there is no room in the Church of Rome for two

opinions. Go to a Catholic school child in Japan, to a



Why Not Be a Catholic? 17

feeble old woman in Ireland, to a Catholic Bishop in

America, to a Catholic philosopher in France, to a Car-

dinal in Rome, to a priest in Australia, to a Catholic young

man in India, and then to the Pope himself, and ask:

“Should we pray for the dead?” “Is the Eucharist a

sacrifice
?” “Ought we to honor Mary and pray to her ?”

“How are we to get our sins forgiven?” “Is Baptism

necessary for salvation?” “What is the Blessed Sacra-

ment?” “Who is the visible head of the Church?” etc.,

and you will invariably receive the same answer. Oh,

there is true unity—hundreds of millions of men, women
and children, differing in language, in nationality, in polit-

ical interests, all uniting in believing and professing the

same doctrines, in offering to God the same spotless sacri-

fice, and in giving whole-hearted allegiance to the same

divinely appointed ruler, the Bishop of Rome. Even if

we had no knowledge of the Scriptures or history, this

striking unity alone would convince us of the divinity of

our Church, for such unity is, as the learned Balmes says,

a supernatural phenomenon.

(2) The Church of Rome is endowed with holiness

in a far more eminent degree than any other denomina-

tion. We do not claim that all the members of our Church
are saints or that all live up to the ordinary standard set

before them, nor do we deny that, outside the Church, a

certain number of holy persons are found, for fortunately

the various Protestant churches have retained some Cath-

olic doctrine and some Catholic practices, by means of

which those who are in good faith are sanctified. What

we mean when we say that the Church of Rome is en-

dowed with far greater holiness than any other church,

is that it furnishes its members with far more effective

means of acquiring holiness, and actually produces far

greater fruits of holiness. Its doctrines and moral code

are the purest and sublimest the world has ever known;



18 Why Not Be a Catholic?

in fact, it is sometimes urged against us that our rule of

faith is too high and too exacting; that the divine law as

propounded by us, especially in regard to marriage,

divorce, purity, justice, charity, self-sacrifice, etc., is too

rigid, and is almost impossible of observance; that our

ecclesiastical precepts, particularly those regarding fast

and abstinence, attendance at Mass, reception of the

Sacraments, the celibacy of the clergy, etc., are so severe

as to be almost unbearable. Such teaching regarding faith

and morals, we reply, is the glory of our Church, for it

manifestly characterizes her as the very Spouse of In-

carnate Purity and Holiness.

As to the fruits of holiness produced by the Church of

Rome, we might distribute half of them amongst the

other Churches, and even then, with that increase given

to their own fruits, not one of them could show an amount

equal to what we would still retain. Space does not per-

mit us to outline the wondrous manifestations of sanctity

that have shone forth in the lives of the countless chil-

dren of the true Church; the inquiring reader may enter

any Catholic bookshop and glance through the different

“Lives of the Saints.” Then consider the resplendent

works and institutions that have blossomed, and still blos-

som, as unfading flowers of holiness in the garden of the

Church, under the fostering care of the Spirit of God

—

orphanages, hospitals, homes, schools, etc., which are

maintained, not with Government aid, but by the super-

natural spirit of self-sacrifice on the part of the faithful,

and are attended to by men and women, who, without any

earthly remuneration or inducement, have immolated

themselves as victims of love on the altar of the Heart of

Jesus.

The Holiness of Rome and Other Denominations

I would point to one fact, especially, which strongly



IVhy Not Be a Catholic? 19

contrasts the holiness of the Church of Rome with that

of other denominations

—

viz., the work of evangelizing the

pagan nations. What did Protestantism do during the

three centuries which followed the so-called Reformation

to further this work? In recent times they have, indeed,

taken up this work; but their labors and fruits compare

most unfavorably with those of Catholic missionaries.

Down through the centuries the Church of Rome has un-

interruptedly carried on the Christlike work of evangeliz-

ing the heathens. Macaulay, who was certainly not biased

in favor of the Church, has, like many another Protestant

writer, given testimony to this fact. “The Papacy,’’ he

writes, “remains, not in decay, not a mere antique, but

full of life and youthful vigor. The Catholic Church is

still sending forth to the furthest ends of the world mis-

sionaries as zealous as those who landed in Kent with

Augustine, and still confronting hostile kings with the

same spirit with which she confronted Attila. The num-

ber of her children is greater than in any former age.

Her acquisitions in the New World have more than com-

pensated for what she lost in the Old. Her spiritual

ascendancy extends over the vast countries which lie be-

tween the plains of the Missouri and Cape Horn, coun-

tries which, a century hence, may not improbably contain

a population as large as that which now inhabits Europe.”

But Protestantism, after three centuries of lethargy, be-

gan the work of Christianizing the infidels
;
yet, although

it is greatly assisted by natural resources (it is estimated

that the Protestant missions receive over eight times as

much money as the Catholics), they convert fewer pagans,

and, as Canon Taylor admits, also fail to raise them to so

high a level of Christian life. Another Protestant writer,

Cust, holds up the Catholic missionary spirit as the exem-

plar: “A life service, a whole-hearted service, a self-

sacrificing service is required. The Church of Rome has



20 Why Not Be a Catholic?

for three centuries exhibited this amount of self-sacrifice,”

(3) We come now to the question of Catholicity.
The other denominations profess, in reciting the Apos-

tles’ Creed, that they believe the “Holy Catholic Church,”

and so convinced are certain denominations that the true

Church must be Catholic, that they object to the word

“Protestant” and desire to be called “Catholic.” But

names do not change realities. If a Church is to be called

Catholic, it must naturally be Catholic. Let the various

sects call themselves as they will; let them apply to our

Holy Church what name they will, the stern fact remains

that the Church of Rome alone can rightly claim the title,

“Catholic.” In fact, many Protestants seem content to

designate our Church by that name.

What Does Catholic Mean?

What does “catholic” mean? It simply means “uni-

versal,” “belonging to every nation,” “international” or

“supernational,” etc. A church, then, which is a purely
national organization governed by a temporal sovereign of

some particular nation, or a church whose membership is

practically restricted to one nation or people or language,

cannot claim to be catholic without becoming guilty of a

most glaring contradiction. Thus, on the most elementary

principles of logic, we must disqualify the Anglican

Church, the head of which is the Sovereign of England,

a church which is confined chiefly to the English-speaking

peoples
;
the Methodist Church, which is in great part also

restricted to English-speaking countries; the Presbyterian

Church, which exists chiefly in Scotland and amongst peo-

ple of Scottish descent; the Lutheran Church, which finds

scarcely any adherents outside Germany and people of

German extraction; and so on until we have exhausted

the whole catalogue of Protestant denominations, as well

as excluded the Greek Church.



Why Not Be a Catholic? 21

But when we turn to the Church in communion with

the See of Rome, we behold true Catholicity. The mem-

bers of that Church, as Protestants are forced to admit,

outnumber not only those of any particular denomination,

but even the members of all the Protestant denominations

combined, and probably those of the Protestant and

Greek churches combined. In the Church of Rome we

see a glorious catholicity; there we see over three hun-

dred million Christians of every nationality—English and
Germans, French and Austrians, Italians, Spaniards,

Americans, Hindoos, Japanese, Arabs, Portuguese, Aus-

tralians, Danes, Syrians, Scottish, Irish, Swiss, Papuans,

etc.—all uniting in believing and professing the same reli-
gion and in manifesting unswerving loyalty" to the Bishop

of Rome. Truly, there, and there alone, we discern the

divine mark of the true Church, catholicity'.

(4) The fourth mark of the true Church is aposto-

licity. From what I have already said when treating of

the foundation of Christ’s Church, it is evident that the

Catholic Church alone is apostolic. How can any de-

nomination founded by mere men lay claim to that gift?

The Catholic Church alone, dating back, not to Martin

Luther, or Henry VIIL, or Calvin, or John Knox, or

John Wesley, who lived in comparatively recent times,

but to our Divine Lord Himself, Who founded it on the

Apostles, as I have already shown, can make the proud

boast that she is the Apostolic Church. And we can point

to the long, unbroken line of Roman Pontiffs, from Peter

to our present Pontiff, gloriously reigning, Pius XL, thus

showing the truly apostolic succession of the Catholic

Church, which is also apostolic, as I have already shown

in the second chapter, in the doctrines she teaches.

Thus it is as clear as the light of day that the Church

of Rome alone is one, holy, catholic and apostolic. There-

fore. she is the one, true Church.



22 Why Not Be a Catholic?

IV.—THE MARVELOUS STABILITY OF THE
CHURCH

One of the most striking characteristics of the Cath-

olic Church is her marvelous stability. This trait might

be included in the notes of the Church, of which I treated

in the last chapter, but I have preferred to consider it as

a distinct proof of the divine institution of the Church.

The argument comes to this : No merely human institu-

tion can, in spite of the severest persecutions of every kind,

continued with unabated fury for ages, remain intact, un-

changed and perennially vigorous, when it is absolutely

void of earthly power and means of resistance, unless such

an institution comes from God. When the Jewish Coun-

cil were holding the trial of the Apostles, Gamaliel ex-

pressed this self-evident truth. “And now, therefore, I

say to you, refrain from these men and let them alone;

for if this council or this work be of men it will come to

nought; but if it be of God you cannot overthrow it” (Acts

V. 34). Now the Catholic Church has, during nineteen

centuries, been attacked and persecuted in every possible

manner, yet she still stands before the world with a smile

upon her heavenly face—the smile of triumphant defiance.
Was ever any institution attacked as the Catholic

Church has been throughout the ages, and is still in an

age that boasts of enlightenment? Physical force in the

crudest and most powerful degree has been used by

earthly tyrants to extinguish the light and life of the

Church, but the blood of martyrs has but served to ferti-

lize the Kingdom of Christ. ''Semen Christianorum san-

guis martyrum'' (“The blood of martyrs is the seed of

Christians”) has become a proverb in the Church. Intel-

lectual arguments, or rather sophistries, of every descrip-

tion have been employed against her by proud philosophers

and conceited writers, but her children have ever dispelled



Why Not Be a Catholic f 23

such reasoning as the sun dispels a mist. Slanderers

have raised their voices against the Bride of Christ; they

have sadly distorted her most cherished doctrines and most

sacred practices
;
they have reviled the Mass and the con-

fessional; they have striven to drag the virginal veil of

the cloister and the resplendent robe of the priesthood into

the mire in which they themselves grovel; unprincipled

writers have spread abroad the basest calumnies against

her; but still the Spouse of Christ stands forth in all her

pristine purity and splendor. Governments have refused

to recognize her God-given rights, have trampled upon

her dearest privileges, have enacted the most iniquitous

laws against her
;
and yet the Church continues to flourish

with amazing vigor.

The Church the Despair of Her Enemies

Protestants themselves seem to despair of the possible

overthrow of the Church. Allow me to quote Macaulay

again. “We often hear it said,'’ he writes, “that the world

is constantly becoming more and more enlightened, and

that this enlightening must be favorable to Protestantism

and unfavorable to Catholicism. We wish that we could
think so. But we see great reason to doubt whether this

be a well-founded expectation." “She saw," he again

says, “the commencement of all the governments and of

all the ecclesiastical establishments that now exist in the

world; and we feel no assurance that she is not destined

to see the end of them all." “Four times," he continues,

“since the authority of the Church of Rome was estab-

lished in Western Christendom has the human intellect

risen up against her yoke. Twice that Church remained

completely victorious. Twice she came forth from the

conflict bearing the marks of cruel wounds, but with the

principle of life still strong within her. When we re-

flect on the tremendous assaults which she has survived,



24 Why Not Be a Catholic?

we find it difficult to conceive in what way she is to per-

ish.” Speaking of false prophets who are constantly fore-

telling the death of the Church or declaring that she is

already actually dead, Monsignor Benson, himself a con-

vert from Protestantism, says : “Yet it is remarkable that

these philosophers do not seem to reflect that the dirge

has been sung over the Church of Rome not less than ten

or twelve times already, in almost universal chorus, in

the history of the past, and that every single time it has

somehow died away—that the same things have been said
again and again and again, and that each time all predic-

tions have been completely falsified. Nero said it; Arius

said it; Henry VIII. said it; Voltaire said it; and now

Viviani, Mr. McCabe and Mr. Fawkes take up the chant

with undiminished confidence. And yet, somehow or an-

other, the body lives. Oh ! I acknowledged that it ou^ht

to have died
;
that it is clean against all precedent and all

experience.”

On this matter Cardinal Newman wrote thus on the

eve of his reception into the true Church: “It is true,

there have been seasons when, from the operation of exter-

nal or internal causes, the Church has been thrown into

what was almost a state of deliquium
;
but her wonderful

revivals, while the world was triumphing over her, is a

further evidence of the absence of corruption in the system

of doctrine and worship into which she has developed. If

corruption be an incipient disorganization, surely an abrupt

and absolute recurrence to the former state of vigor, after

an interval, is even less conceivable than a corruption that

is permanent. Now this is the case with the revivals I

speak of. After violent exertion men are exhausted and

fall asleep
;
they awake the same as before, refreshed by

the temporary cessation of their activity: and such has

been the slumber and such the restoration of the Churcn.

She pauses in her course, and almost suspends her func-



Why Not Be a Catholic? 25

tions; she rises again, and she is herself once more; all

things are in their place and ready for action. Doctrine is

where it was, and usage, and procedure, and principle, and

policy; there may be changes, but they are consolidations

or adaptations
;
all is unequivocal and determinate, with an

identity there is no disputing. Indeed, it is one of the

most popular charges against the Catholic Church at this

very time, that she is ‘incorrigible’—change she cannot, if
we listen to St. Athanasius or St. Leo; change she never

will, if we believe the controversialist or alarmist of the

present day.”

The Catholic Church has, despite the unceasing perse-

cutions of nineteen centuries, lived on unchanged and un-

changeable; she will likewise live on until the end of the

world, no matter through what persecutions she may yet

have to pass.

A Famous Cartoon.

I have heard of a famous cartoon that appeared in a

certain leading paper during the time Bismarck was perse-

cuting the Church. A puny man was represented in the
cartoon, standing beside a rock-built tower, round which

he had fastened a piece of rope. The tower represented

the Catholic Church, and the puny man Bismarck. Bis-

marck’s friend, the devil, had just come on the scene, and

is shown in the cartoon. The following conversation then

takes place : “What are you doing, Bismarck ?” asks the

devil. “I’m trying to pull down the Catholic Church,” re-

plies the ally of Satan. “Give it up, my friend !” answers

the Prince of Darkness; “I’ve been trying in vain for

over eighteen hundred years.”

In speaking of the persecutions of the Church, I might

have mentioned that the very fact that the Church is so

persecuted is a mark of her divine character. “If the

world hate you,” said our Divine Lord to His Apostles



26 Why Not Be a Catholic?

after the Last Supper, “know ye that it hated Me before

you. If you had been of the world, the world would

love its own; but because you are not of the world, but

I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world

hateth you. Remember My word that I said to you : The

servant is not greater than his master. If they have

persecuted Me they will persecute you.”

As long as the world lasts, the Church will be perse-

cuted in every manner. She will be slandered, reviled,

misrepresented, assaulted, ostracized and hated; but such

persecutions, far from lessening her vitality, will only

cause her divine origin to shine forth with greater clear-

ness and more radiant glory. There is a beautiful pas-

sage, in Newman’s Development of Christian Doctrine,

regarding this matter. As it is a classical passage, and

would be weakened or spoiled if curtailed, the reader will

pardon me for quoting it at length. “On the whole, then,”

writes Nev/man, “I conclude as follows. If there is a

form of Christianity now in the world which is accused of

gross superstition, of borrowing its rites and customs

from the heathen, and of ascribing to forms and cere-

monies an occult virtue; a religion which is considered to

burden and enslave the mind by its requisitions, to ad-

dress itself to the weak-minded and ignorant, to be sup-

ported by sophistry and imposture, and to contradict rea-

son and exalt mere irrational faith; a religion which im-

presses on the serious mind very distressing views of the

guilt and consequences of sin, sets upon the minute acts

of the day, one by one, their definite value for praise or

blame, and thus casts a grave shadow over the future; a

religion which holds up to admiration the surrender of

wealth, and disables serious persons from enjoying it if

they would; a religion the doctrines of which, be they

good or bad, are to the generality of men unknown
;
which

is considered to bear on its very surface signs of folly



Why Not Be a Catholic? 27

and falsehood so distinct that a glance suffices to judge

of it, and that careful examination is preposterous
;
which

is felt to be so simply bad that it may be calumniated at

hazard and at pleasure, it being nothing but absurdity to

stand upon the accurate distribution of its guilt among its

particular acts, or painfully to determine how far this or

that story concerning it is literally true, or what has to be

allowed in candor, or what is improbable, or what cuts

two ways, or what is not proved, or what may be plausibly

defended
;
a religion such that men look at a convert to it

with a feeling which no other denomination raises except

Judaism, Socialism or Mormonism, viz., with curiosity,

suspicion, fear, disgust, as the case may be, as if some-

thing strange had befallen him, as if he had had an ini-

tiation into a mystery, and had come into communion

with dreadful influences, as if he were now one of a con-

federacy which claimed him, absorbed him, stripped him

of his personality, reduced him to a mere organ or instru-

ment of a whole
;
a religion which men hate as proselytiz-

ing, anti-social, revolutionary, as dividing families, sep-

arating chief friends, corrupting the maxims of govern-

ment, making a mock at law, dissolving the empire, the

enemy of human nature, and a ‘conspirator against its

rights and privileges’; a religion which they consider the

champion and instrument of darkness, and a pollution

calling down upon the land the anger of Heaven; a reli-

gion which they associate with intrigue and conspiracy,

which they speak about in whispers, which they detect by

anticipation in whatever goes wrong; a religion the very

name of which they cast out as evil, and use simply as a

bad epithet, and which from the impulse of self-preserva-

tion they would persecute if they could—if there were
such a religion now in the world, it is not unlike Chris-

tianity as that same world viewed it, when it first came

forth from its Divine Author.”



28 tVhy Not Be a Catholic?

So far I have given three chief arguments to show

that the Catholic Church is the only true Church
;

( 1 )
All

the other churches were founded by men, whereas the

Catholic Church was founded by Jesus Christ and has

come down through the ages unchanged and unchangeable

;

(2) the Church of Rome alone bears upon her brow those

four glorious traits of divine institution—unity, holiness,
catholicity and apostolicity

;
and (3) the Catholic Church

has, throughout the bitterest persecutions which have been

unceasingly directed against her, manifested an uncon-

querable stability which most clearly points to divine guid-

ance, divine protection and divine intervention.

The Truth of the Papacy

A fourth argument is derived from the truth of the
Papacy. The Scriptures show that Christ appointed Peter

head of the Church, with full jurisdiction over all its

members, and willed that headship to continue for ever in

the Church. History clearly tells us that the successor of

Peter in the office of Supreme Ruler of the Church of

God is the Bishop of Rome. Therefore the Church which

is in communion with the Roman Pontiff is the true

Church. I shall not, however, develop this argument at

present, as the Papacy is really the subject of a special

treatise.

Lastly, I wish to give a very strong argument of fact.

Have you ever known a Catholic to drift away from the

Church and attend some other place of worship? Probably

you have. Have you ever known a member of another

denomination to enter the Catholic Church? Such cases

must have come under your notice, as conversions to the

Church are quite frequent. Now, just contrast those who

drift away from the Church with those who enter it, and

you will see that the former are invariably led by earthly.



Why Not Be a Catholic? 29

sometimes base, motives to barter away the supernatural

birthright they acquired by Baptism, whereas the latter

are practically always actuated by genuine supernatural

motives. In fact, very many converts have made heroic

sacrifices in embracing the true faith. T. W. Allies,

though an illustrious Anglican minister, left his calling,

quitted his dearest friends, broke ofif his sweetest associa-

tions, and entered the Catholic Church to labor as a lay-

man (for he was married and therefore could not become

a priest) in the lowly trade of a carpenter. John Henry

Newman, the greatest intellect the Anglican Church has

ever had, snapped asunder the tenderest friendships and

left the Church which smiled upon him with the greatest

affection and admiration, to enter into a region whither

the “Kindly Light” had led him, though the inhabitants of

that new region were absolute strangers to him. Robert

Hugh Benson, the son of the Anglican Archbishop of

Canterbury, after a distinguished career in the Church of

his father, while the members of his Church idolized him,

left all to follow the “Call of the Eternal King.” It was

not sentiment
;

it was not desire of honor
;

it was not love

of wealth; no, it was no earthly motive, but sheer con-

viction that led him into the Church of Rome. He tells us

in his beautiful work. The Confessions of a Convert, how

little a part emotion played in his reception into the

Church. There was no pleasure, no sentiment, no emo-

tion, but simply downright conviction and whole-hearted

following of conscience. “I do not suppose,” he writes,

“that anyone ever entered the City of God with less emo-

tion than mine. It seemed to me that I was utterly with-

out feeling; I had neither joy nor sorrow, nor dread nor

excitement. There was Truth, as aloof as an ice-peak,

and I had to embrace it. Never, for one single instant,

did I doubt that, nor, perhaps it is unnecessary to say,

have I ever doubted it since. I tried to reproach myself



30 Why Not Be a Catholic?

with my coldness, but all fell quite flat. I was as one com-

ing out of the glare of artificial light, out of warmth and

brightness and friendliness, into a pale daylight of cold

and dreary certainty.”

We may contrast not only the motives of those who
leave the Church and those who enter it, but also their

subsequent lives. Our converts are amongst the glories

of the Church; they glisten in her crown as precious

jewels; they are as choice trophies which she prizes as

some of the richest fruits her ministry has gathered in.

Often, indeed, our converts surpass in piety and holiness

those who have been Catholics all their lives. Those con-

verts, especially, which Rome has gained from the An-

glican Church since the beginning of the Oxford move-

ment, have added wondrously to the Church’s glory.

They were the pride of their own Church, on which they

shed a supernal lustre by their upright conduct, their holi-

ness of life, their spirit of religion, and their ardent zeal.

In their lives no one could point to the slightest blemish

of character. And these men of keen intellect and saintly

piety came with the simplicity and humility of children to

the grand old Mother-Church, looked up with faith and

trust and love into her tender eyes, and asked her to take

them as her own. Then she stooped to them, kissed

them, and took them into her arms, while they, in turn,

laid their laurels of learning upon her queenly brow. The

very names of those distinguished converts send a thrill

of delight and admiration through our hearts—Cardinal
Newman, Cardinal Manning, Father Faber, Father Dal-

gairns, William George Ward, T. W. Allies, Monsignor

R. H. Benson, etc.



Why Not Be a Catholic? 3i

The Lives of Those Who Drift

But when we consider the lives of those who drift

away from the true Church, we can only pity the de-

nominations that have been so unfortunate as to have wel-

comed them. No wonder Dean Swift exclaimed in de-

spair : “I wish that, when the Pope weeded his garden,

he would not throw his weeds into the Church of England.”

To make this argument of fact more forcible, let me

ask two simple questions
:

( 1 )
Have you ever known a

Catholic, on his or her deathbed, to send for a Protestant

minister in order to be received into a Protestant denom-

ination? (2) Have you ever known a Protestant, on his

or her deathbed, to send for a priest in order to be re-

ceived into the Catholic Church? A decided negative will
be given to the former query, while an emphatic affirmative

will be given to the latter. This fact alone shows where

the truth lies, for, when men are face to face with eternal

judgment, then, surely, they act from pure, supernatural

motives.

My task is now completed. I have undertaken to

prove that there can be but one true Church, and that this

Church is the Catholic Church. I have striven to set forth

the chief arguments which occurred to me, with the great-

est possible fairness, avoiding any subtlety or sopiiism.

Should this booklet fall under the notice of a Protestant

reader, I ask him to read it carefully, without bitterness

or prejudice, and to consider it well in the presence of

God, praying that the '‘Kindly Light may lead him on,

o'er moor and fen, o’er crag and torrent, till the night is

gone.” And, if he becomes convinced that the Catholic

Church is the one, true Church (as she really is), then

let him shrink from no sacrifice in order to embrace the

faith of Christ. Let him remember especially the words

of our Divine Lord: “The kingdom of heaven is like a



32 Why Not Be a Catholic?

merchant seeking good pearls
;
who, when he had found

one pearl of great price, went his way, and sold all that

he had, and bought it.”

To one who is resisting God’s call, no more appro-

priate words could be addressed than that sublime appeal

which burst forth from the heart of John Henry New-

man when his long reasoning had at last brought him to

the threshold of the Catholic Church, and he was about

to take the irrevocable step : “Such were the thoughts

concerning the ‘Blessed Vision of Peace,’ of one whose

long-continued petition had been that the Most Merciful

would not despise the work of His own Hands, nor leave

him to himself
;
while yet his eyes were dim, and his

breast laden, and he could but employ Reason in the things

of Faith. And now, dear reader, time is short, eternity is

long. Put not from you what you have here found; re-

gard it not as mere matter of present controversy; set not

out to refute it, and looking about for the best way of do-

ing so; seduce not yourself with the imagination that it

comes of disappointment, or disgust, or restlessness, or

wounded feeling, or undue sensibility, or other weakness.

Wrap not yourself round in the associations of years past;

nor determine that to be truth which you wish to be so.

nor make an idol of cherished anticipations. Time is

short, eternity is long.’'



Answer that challenee tn vnur

Rev. Bertrand L. Conway, C.S.P.

flERE is the one book that will give at a mo-
ment’s reference a fair, concise reply to any of
the one thousand most pertinent objections to
the history, belief and practices of the Catholic
Church.

The author is to . be commended. On eyery
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Faith, a valiant protector of its orthodoxy aiid a
courageous champion who never compromises or
minimizes his beliefs.

Me writes in the popular question and answer
style, with deep scholarship and painstaking re-
search characterizing each page, and makes every
honest and careful effort to avoid intentionally
offending those not of the Faith. Yet his state-
ments of Catholic doctrine and its reasonableness
are clear, frank and complete.

Published by

The Paulist Press, 401 West 59th Street, New York, N. Y.

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Catholic Radio Hour Talks by

REV. JAMES M. GILLIS, C.S.P.

Seven addresses on the Moral Law—Morality, Old
and New; Conscience; Religion as an Obligation;

Parental Authority and State Authority; Crime and

Warfare; Immorality; Honesty in Business and
Politics*

An answer to the challenge of those
who would question,the authority and
binding power of the Commandments.

. . . die man whose mind has been unsettled and whose
heart has been tom by the confusions and contradictions
of modem ethics, confesses that he doesn’t even know
good from bad, right from wrong. There can be no cure
for this dismal condition unless there be a Moral Code

having authority not from man but from God . . . And so
the Lord speaks directly to the soul, but lest the still small

voice he inaudible or misunderstood, God thunders cor>
roboration from the Mount. But whether He whisper or
whether He thunder, the message is the same, the infallible,
everlasting moral law, in brief

Commandments

Beautifully and substantially bound ^1.00
(Carriage extra)

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