Compromise with Infallible Fallacies.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Fisher, addressed the Convocation of Canterbury on 14th October, and made statements highly critical of the Church of Rome. One press sub-heading to his address was—”Oppressions and denials of just liberties lie at the door of the Roman Catholic Church, said the Archbishop of Canterbury yesterday.” Then later Dr. Fisher announced that a booklet entitled Infallible Fallacies would be published shortly, and added, “In this new booklet our people will find a reply . . . to some of the arguments of Roman Catholic propaganda.” So far so good, and if the Romish fallacies are exposed, this booklet will do good. But the Archbishop follows the reference to the fallacies of the Papacy with compromising language. This is what he said, “It is the desire of the authors as of all of us, that this booklet may encourage the search for a better understanding with the Church of Rome, evidences of which, happily, in some other ways are not lacking.” And so the Archbishop, like multitudes of others outside the pale of the R.C. Church, does not appear to understand or discern the real character of Anti-Christ as exemplified by the Church of Rome.
The Effrontery of the Pope on Marriage Question.
During the month of September a delegation of experts in the science of genetics, who were attending a world conference in Rome, were addressed by the Pope on diverse and delicate matters regarding marriage. The press gave the following heading to its report: “Pope condemns checks to marriage.” He condemned the forbidding of marriage except in cases where a person “is unable to behave himself in a human manner.” By this expression he was understood to be referring to madness. Of course, the Pope well knew that the delegation he had the boldness to address after this manner would not challenge his own and his Church’s practice as to marriage. It is more than likely the members of the delegation were Roman Catholics. Yet here was the man, whose ecclesiastical organisation (falsely asserted to be built upon the Apostle Peter, who was a married man) forbids thousands of men called priests and thousands of women called nuns, throughout the world, to enter into the Scriptural bonds of marriage. And marriage is designated (falsely, of course) a sacrament by the Papacy. We are well aware of the basis and hypocritical argument upon which Rome forbids marriage to her priests, monks and nuns. They are by the way to be separate from the world and to be exceptionally “holy” men and women. Much of the hidden activities of the “holy” orders of Rome, as far as revealed down throughout their history, are a revelation of unholiness to a great extent. The Word of God, in this, as in other matters is not consulted, viz., “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled; but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge” (Heb. xiii. 4). Then the Scriptures, referring to those who depart from the faith, are fulfilled by the prohibition of the Pope’s Church, relative to priests and nuns not marrying. For Paul writes to Timothy, “Now the Spirit speaketh, expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils . . . forbidding to marry,” etc. (I Tim. iv. 1-3). And yet the Pope in face of this iniquitous situation, calmly tells the world at large that none have a right to forbid marriage to their fellow men and women, but in the case of insanity. None but the dupes of the Pope are taken in with this tangle of talk. Of course let our readers note, that in these observations we are not handling the question where a contemplated case of marriage may arise and not be condoned or thought expedient from the Christian point of view.
Reactions of Roman Catholics to Church of England Pamphlet.
In another COMMENT in this issue we have referred to remarks by the Archbishop of Canterbury upon a pamphlet Infallible Fallacies, issued by the Church of England Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge. The pamphlet is said to be a straightforward statement of the Church of England’s position with regard to the Roman Catholic Church. At any rate, it aroused the opposition of R.C. leaders in England, according to press reports at the end of October. Cardinal Griffin of Westminster had his attention drawn to it, and Jesuit preacher, Joseph Christie, intended to reply to the “offending” pamphlet in a morning service sermon at an R.C. Church, Kensington, London. On 16th October this protagonist for the fallacies of Rome said of the pamphlet, “It is a poor thing, with really very little in it.” Such a statement to the press is a “poor” rejoinder by this Jesuit. It was also reported that the R.C. Bishop of Leeds, Dr. John Heenan, was to publish considered answers in issues of the Universe and Catholic Herald, Roman Catholic papers. So Dr. Heenan did not seem to agree with the Jesuit as to the poverty and emptiness of the said pamphlet. All copies were soon sold out and another 5,000 were to be printed. Indeed, it is high time that something of this sort emanated from official quarters of the Church of England, if only to give a pause to Romanisers within that Church. But the cause of Truth and Protestantism will, we hope, be the better of publicity of this kind, being given to the fables and fallacies of the Papacy, such as the infallibility of the Pope and dogma of the Assumption of Mary. In many respects the pamphlet gives a place to the Roman Catholic Church which we certainly would not give, yet it does expose quite a few of Rome’s “unscriptural speculations” and obvious falsehoods. And although not an out and out Protestant document as we view Protestantism, it is nevertheless calculated to give much-needed information to an ignorant and misled public.
Her Majesty the Queen’s Departure on World Tour.
Her Majesty the Queen and her husband, H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh, left London by air on Monday, the 23rd November, on the initial stage of their journey principally to New Zealand and Australia. Their journey will continue by sea from Bermuda in the liner Gothic. They are expected, the Lord willing, to reach New Zealand on 23rd December, and to spend February and March in Australia. We trust and pray that “the Keeper of Israel” will preserve Her Majesty and her husband in their travels and bring them safely back to the shores of Britain. It is also to be hoped that in all their engagements abroad the professed Christian principles and practices of our nation will be regarded and upheld by Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh.