By REV. JAMES MACLEOD.
THE Romanist bases his faith on an infallible Church, and an infallible Pope. He speaks and addresses this man as “his holiness,” when he refers to the Head of his Church. He is to him in the place of God! The Pope would frown with the utmost disfavour on any of his subjects if they should otherwise think, or speak about him. The symbol of his authority is in his three crowns, which indicate to his subjects that he rules not only over them in the place of God, but that he is sovereign lord over heaven, earth, and hell. If any of his numerous family questions his authority, power, and dominion over their persons, souls, and property, his agents in any part of his vast Empire will immediately put his “Majesty’s” pleasure into execution. He claims absolute obedience from all human beings, and the divine prerogative to rule, and govern them all according to his kingly office upon this earth. When Protestants reason, and argue with this Italian regarding his claims and rights to govern their lives, they often forget that the Pope’s claim is
universal. His church is “infallible,” and all outside his church must be either brought in or for ever crushed and destroyed, and in one word, annihilated. That is the common and universal doctrine of the Pope. He alone can open, or shut the gates of heaven, or assign all who dare oppose his sovereign pleasure to a lost eternity! This creature with the three crowns is an Italian! Can Roman Catholic scholars define what is to be understood by what they call “the Catholic Church”? The Italians place “infallibility” in the Pope, which would seem to mean that the Pope is the “Church,” for without a Pope, the “Church” would die, or cease to be! This “Catholic Church” must therefore have a Pope to be its head. It is then clear, definite, and positive that the Pope is the “Church,” and that what is called the “Catholic Church” is the Pope. The men called Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, and the Laity cannot constitute what is called the “Catholic Church” without the Pope. Does that mean that every time a Pope dies the “Church” dies with the Pope? That must be the only meaning that can be construed from the “infallibility” of the Popish teaching. Is then the “Catholic Church” dead till another Pope is appointed? It must be! Who appoints the Pope? The Cardinals. This Popish infallibility is the greatest farce, falsehood and blasphemy that ever took possession of the minds of men. It is so utterly unreasonable that sane men should believe it, that it must be “the masterpiece of Satan” to deceive the “very elect” if that were at all possible! It was clearly the work of Satan to pick out a woman called “Mary,” and baptise her as the “Mother of God,” the “Queen of heaven,” and the “Lord Advocate,” etc., etc. This Roman Catholic “Mary” is not to be found in the whole range of the Word of God. It is the Great Day that will reveal what has been going on in the “Convents” for hundreds of years! The priests must have night and day access to this compound as “visitors,” and as “father confessors.” The Officers of the respective Governments of the world are not allowed to enter within the precinct of the “Convent” as the place is supposed to be so “sacred” that ordinary mortals would pollute the very soil of the “Convent” ground. The Virgin Mary, the wife of Joseph, and the mother of our Lord, in our human nature was a poor sinner of the race of Adam, like the rest of us, and in need of the saving grace of God to save her precious soul from guilt, sin and death. That she was a beautiful, meek, humble, and a sincere believer we do not for a moment doubt, yea, before Joseph betrothed her to be his wife. That she continued in that same faith to the end we believe, but that she was saved in any other way than as all God’s people, the Word of God does not warrant us to believe, whatever Jesuits and raving priests say to the contrary. Their “toy-Mary” is not the Virgin Mary of the Word of God. Their “Mary” is an inmate of the Convent for bachelor priests to admire. Why did they raise up to their imaginary heaven their “toy-Mary”? The only reason that can be given from past records, and present events, is to maintain a full complement of silly, deceived women in the “Convent” for the service of the “church.” The priests, like the Pope, cannot sin as long as he remains faithful to “mother church,” however criminal and wicked his actions may be. His “father confessor” can in virtue of his office pardon the erring priest. This infallible church can forgive all sins and crimes as long as it is to the advantage of the church to do so. If one of the sons of the Pope should murder a king, prince, the Head of the State, or for that matter of it, any person who might be in the way of the “church,” the priest (the Pope’s agent) can forgive a Hitler or a Mussolini all their sins and crimes committed against humanity. It is not a matter of law, justice, righteousness, truth and equity. The Pope and his priests are above all laws, human or divine, as they can engage the “Queen of Heaven” to justify their felony! In recent times the miserable people of Spain made a bold effort to rid themselves of the yoke of Rome. Franco, Hitler and Mussolini were all engaged to murder hundreds of thousands of the poor people, virtually defenceless. They filled the prisons with those who in any way opposed the “church” and the priests, to rot and die. The Pope (the present Pope) thanked Franco for his crimes. That is popery! The “Queen of Heaven” would be meekly approached to bless the dastardly crime. The same thing would have happened if Hitler had conquered Britain—if millions and millions of our people were murdered. The Vatican would exult over it for hundreds of years. This is popery! This is the “holy catholic church.” All opposition, all institutions, Governments, colleges, schools, science and learning must be destroyed if not obedient to the Pope and serving the church. The children must be taught to hate all non-Catholics. It is no sin to steal from Protestants as long as the culprit can serve the church, and pay the priest his money fees for marriages, burials, masses, etc. The priest pays no income-tax to the State although he would collect two thousand pounds sterling per annum. The Protestant minister must pay to the last fraction that the State imposes—not so Mr. Priest. He is a free man. He must pay his Bishop, and the Bishop must pay the Pope—an Italian, who may be thousands of miles away from the seat of the Bishop. The priest is the “collector of taxes” for “mother church.” The priest is armed, and thoroughly trained to rob the poor, while the Jesuit priest is authorised to rob the rich, and especially wealthy ladies. If the dupes shall pray to the “Queen of Heaven” all will be well on the other side, so decides “father confessor,” provided the dying patient made his or her will in favour of his “church” and party. The Nun is employed for this work as well as the priest: to get the dying to leave all their estate with “holy mother church.” This is the Church of Rome! This is the “masterpiece of Satan.” No tongue can describe, no pen can write the curse of Romanism. What is modern Communism, Modernism, Atheism, and Infidelity but the off-shoots of Romanism? The Church of Rome is non-Christian. She is the mother of harlots, and the abomination of the whole earth. The Vatican is the seat, head and fountain of all the woes of Europe since the year 606. How long will it last? May God hasten the end of this awful curse from among men!
As we have pointed out elsewhere, many Roman Catholic priests are leaving the “church,” especially in Canada, North and South America, Italy, etc. Communism in Eastern Europe is virtually destroying the Pope’s church. Let it be noted that it is Roman Catholics that are destroying “mother church.” This is the result of the diabolical tyranny of Romanism for centuries. The Church of Rome is the breeding-ground for Communism, as well as the Greek Church, for the last fifteen hundred years. France and Italy are proof of this assertion, as well as Russia. There are many millions of Communists both in France and Italy, two Roman Catholic nations, and no doubt if the people of Spain were set free from the tyranny of the Church, there are millions of Communists among them as well as in France and Italy. There are a few scores of thousands of Communists in Britain, and the most, yea, the vast majority of them were baptised “sons and daughters” of the Pope of Rome. It is a positive fact that Romanism breeds Communism. They are the children of this false, crude and wicked religion. Let us bear in mind that the Greek Church is on a par with the Roman Church in idolatry, deceitfulness, cruelty, murder, rape, immorality, and is permeated with the very spirit of persecution, as was quite recently revealed in Greece against the few Protestants that live in that country. It is not on political grounds that Greece is fighting Communism, but on religious grounds, as she would fight against Protestantism within her borders. Britain and the United States of America are not supporting Greece for her political freedom, but in order to retain her religious idolatry intact: as they would defend Romanism in this country against Communism. Here we are faced with two of the most vicious systems—Communism and Romanism—that ever visited our troubled earth. We, as Protestants, must not tolerate Communism, and on the other hand we must not tolerate or give any quarters to Romanism. The politician in Protestant nations will support Romanism against Communism, with the motive and purpose that he hopes to get the vote of the Romanist to keep himself in power. He is not concerned about religion, conscience, principle, truth and righteousness. His motive is to have power! The Roman priest and the graceless politician are brothers in this respect. The Communist must have power otherwise he could not live. The Pope says that there is no “church,” but his “Catholic” church, and the Communist says that there are no politics but his own; and if opposed, both the Romanist and the Communist will destroy, persecute and murder every honest man that shall oppose them if they have the power to do so. Protestant Christianity says, let every man alone, free, with his God, Bible and conscience. Franco in Spain, Pope in Italy, Stalin in Moscow, say “no, man cannot be free but according to our philosophy, creed and politics.” If he dares to oppose he must suffer the consequences of his opposition. Stalin orders his policemen at dead of night to take the man who opposes him out of his bed, from his wife, family and friends, and no more is heard of the father, husband and friend! When the Pope had the power, he, by fire, sword, prison, torments untold in their diabolical cruelty, crushed all opposition, as Stalin is doing to-day. Romanism and Communism are twin brothers in this respect. Both systems are from hell. The only difference that can be drawn is that the Papal Church is the mother of Communism—we mean the Eastern Church as well as the Western Church—one called the Greek Orthodox, and the other the Roman Church. They both worship images, saints, angels, “Mary,” rags, bones, stones, wood, altars, candles, confessions, wafers, and all sort of things. This is not the gospel, but a mixture of heathenism, Judaism, ancient Roman paganism, all the bits joined together to form a religious system.
The Table of the Lord was changed into an “altar,” the Presbyterian into a priest, and the first among equals into a Pope, or Patriarch, or Archbishop! From the bowels of this monstrosity Communism appears both in the East and West. From the seventh century of the Christian era to the present, all the wars (or almost) of the Christian world can be traced both in Asia and Europe, to the cursed paganism of the corrupters of pure Christianity. In 1950 this religious monstrosity is holding the generation at war and hatred, with such a rapacious appetite for power and world dominion, that it seems to right-minded, thinking men that both Romanism and Communism must be destroyed together! It is the same thing under different names. “Gury’s Doctrines of the Jesuits,” by M. Paul Bert, is one of the most damaging indictments that ever appeared in cold print about any body of men or society in the long and painful history of the human race! The most damaging books ever written about the Church of Rome were written by Roman Catholic priests, historians and laymen. The Protestant historian or churchman could not enter into the inner life, history and doctrines of this abomination. The ex-priest Vinet of Winnipeg, wrote a book recently on “I was a Priest,” that, with all its painful revelation and information, is evidently chaste in comparison to what could be put into cold print if morality and human decency would allow it! Chiniquy exposed Romanism as no other man did from the times of Luther. “The Priest, the Woman, and the Confessional” bears the mark of the beast on every page, the practices going on to this day in that sink of iniquity called the “Church of Rome.” Dr. Lehmann, of New York, of the present day, did the same thing in his books, “The Soul of a Priest,” “Out of the Labyrinth,” and “Behind the Dictators.” Lehmann is an ex-Priest. Another ex-priest, Joseph McCabe, wrote the “History of the Popes,” and what a revelation of the lives of the Italians—the Popes! This is all hidden from the Roman Catholics by lying priests, and that in the name of God, the gospel, holiness and truth! The Mass is another god that must be worshipped along with the “Queen of Heaven,” their “Mary,” and many other minor gods. Communism says, away with the “Mass, Saints, Mary, Pope, Priests, altars, candles, holy days and evil days, confessions, Nuns and Monks, and let us set up a “Government of the People,” and gather under our power and might the nations of the earth, to rule them all from the Kremlin. The Pope rails and howls at this, and calls for fire and brimstone to come down on the Kremlin from Washington, Canada, Britain, Australia and South Africa to fight Communism in defence of Papal Christianity! The time-serving politician thinks that of the two great evils (Romanism and Communism) it is better to support and defend the Papal Church. The Pope must look to the Protestant nations to defend and protect him against Stalin! The Roman Catholic nations cannot protect and defend the Vatican against the might of Russia. Protestant London and Washington must defend Popery, and the Protestants of England and the Children of the Pilgrim Fathers must forget (at least for a time) the “Smithfield Fires” and the privations of the Pilgrim Fathers! The Pope is very humble, pious, and deeply concerned about the British Royal Family, and Mr. Truman’s Government. Hitler and Mussolini are dead, France weak, Spain poor, Italy divided, Austria in fragments, Germany in chaos, Poland lost in the meshes of Mr. Stalin, Jerusalem in the hands of the Jews; and at any rate the Vatican sent their gold to Washington, and at all events the Protestants and Free-Masons are not so cruel as the gentlemen of the Kremlin! The gospel will abolish Popery, Communism, and all other false religions from the face of this earth, and the friends of Christ may be content and satisfied that He must reign: “Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations,” (Ps. cxlv, 13).