ROMANISM. 



the imagination -and obedience of 

 its followers, notwithstanding the 

 clouds of witnesses moral and in- 

 tellectual, historical and biblical 

 that surround it, and question, dis- 

 pute and disprove all its peculiar 

 dogmas. It is then no wonder that 

 Romanists should remain Roman- 

 ists (for a religion of some kind, 

 coming to them from without, they 

 must have) when men of the great- 

 est candour, diligence, and capacity 

 have had to undergo a struggle 

 somewhat like a convulsion in na- 

 ture, before they could break the 

 spell that bound them, and a similar 

 struggle in acquiring a new faith, 

 both taking place at the same time, 

 and frequently leaving the person a 

 roaring infidel. Little chance, there- 

 fore, is there of such impulsive and 

 illogical, and, in some respects, weak- 

 minded men (to say nothing of wo- 

 men) like Waterton, by their own 

 efforts or the assistance of others, 

 being apt to renounce the faith in 

 which they were carefully reared 

 before their earliest recollection, 

 under the impressive influence of the 

 absolute submission of their parents, 

 and the ghostly nature of the priests' 

 instruction and ceremonial, and em- 

 brace another which holds as an 

 abomination that which they for- 

 merly worshipped, in the face of the 

 wonderfully efficient means used by 

 the priests in looking after their 

 " sheep/' and guarding them against 

 the " wolves," which, of course, in- 

 clude everything outside of their 

 fold. 



Here we have the most absolute 

 obedience and belief in THE 

 CHURCH, whatever it may teach, 

 and the consequent safety in the 

 other world, by virtue of paying 

 dues, and discharging easily per- 

 formed duties, and making confes- 

 sion and receiving absolution from 

 time to time, and especially at the 

 hour of death, at the hands of the 

 visible, audible, and tangible being 

 with whom the devotee has to do, 

 perhaps his own child or near rela- 



tion. Romanism, by captivating 

 the senses, with its seductive music, 

 incense, and gorgeous ceremonial, 

 j and forms of worship generally, and 

 ' particularly the mass and confession, 

 and absolution, that enthrall the soul, 

 becomes part of his nature, which 

 he will not and cannot doubt any 

 more than he would his own exist- 

 ence, or that of the amulets on his 

 person to keep him constantly re- 

 minded of being a " son of the 

 Church;" but if such a thought is 

 entertained it becomes a heinous 

 offence, that requires a correspond- 

 ing penance before it can be for- 

 given. The very essence of his re- 

 ligion is to believe and receive 

 everything taught by his Church, 

 and close his ears against everything 

 to the contrary. In short, the wor- 

 shipper is passive in the hands of 

 the priest, who undertakes every- 

 thing for him on his yielding im- 

 plicit obedience to his commands, as 

 those of the Church ; and the priest 

 becomes to him the door-keeper of 

 heaven, without whose permission 

 there is no admittance. 



On the other hand, we have the 

 priest so far raised above every dig- 

 nity known to man that even kings 

 in secret grovel at his feet, and re- 

 ceive from him pardon and a pass- 

 port to purgatory, or have them 

 withheld, or rendered of no ef- 

 fect even if given, according to 

 the intention or inattention of 

 the priest when pronouncing them, 

 or the quality, reality or com- 

 pleteness of the confession ; * and 

 there they remain till released 

 by the alms and suffrages of the 

 faithful paying for masses for their 

 (deliverance ; which masses will be 



* The following passage of Scripture 

 should have some meaning in connec- 

 tion with the every-day confession of a 

 %Romanist to his priest, on the strength 

 of which he is absolved, and placed in the 

 position of never having sinned : 



" Godly sorrow worketh repentance 

 to salvation, not to be repented of; but 

 the sorrow of the world worketh death." 

 2 Cor. vii. 10. 



