Cross, Jonathan; Evangelists -- United States -- Biography; Missions -- Appalachian Region
At the close of his sermon, or tirade against the Protestant religion,
he sat down. I rose up in the window, much excited, to see if the Rev.
Mr. Q---- would not call him to an account, when I was much gratified
to see the meek and gentle form of Mr. Q---- slowly rising about the
middle of the house. Said he:
“Bishop, you said in your sermon last night that there were now two
hundred millions of faithful Catholic children in the world, against
which the gates of hell could not prevail. Will you be kind enough to
tell us where they are?”
The bishop rose with a half-courteous and half-disdainful smile, and
said, “You need not ask me such a question as that; the regions they
occupy are all marked on your own Protestant geographies; your little
boys in the streets can point you to them, where they have been marked
in black lines,” and took his seat.
“Well,” said Mr. Q----, “I would prefer you would name the countries to
which they belong.”
He rose again with a most indignant frown. Said he, “I suppose it would
be rather humbling to one who calls himself a preacher to go to the
little boys for information, so I will name some, at least, of the
countries that are Catholic: France, Austria, most of Germany, Hungary,
and Poland; and we shall soon have England, as part of the church there
is only separated from us now by name; and Spain and Mexico are ours
entirely;” and he took his seat again.
“Well,” said Mr. Q----, “do you think we should gain any thing as a
nation by changing our Protestant religion for that of Mexico and
Spain?” and he took his seat.
The bishop arose still more indignant in manner, and said, “I really
cannot understand what you mean, sir, unless you refer to your boasted
liberties in this country; but if that is what you mean, sir, I can
tell you I would rather go to heaven from Mexico or Spain, than to hell
from the midst of all your boasted liberties.”
By this time the audience had become intensely interested. Said I,
“Mr. Bishop, I want to ask you a few questions by way of gaining
information. If I understood you right last night, you said your church
was infallible; that it never had erred, and never could err.”
He replied very indignantly, “I said, sir, that the Catholic church
never had erred, and never could err.”
“Well, sir,” said I, “it was once right to put Protestants to death for
their religion, and of course it is still right.”
He replied, “That is a Protestant falsehood, sir; the church never put
any one to death.”
Said I, “Sir, I can prove what I say by the faithful records of
history.”
“Protestant authority--we could not admit such testimony, sir.”
“Well,” said I, “whether you admit it or not, the blood of martyred
millions is crying for vengeance, and the day of divine recompense will
erelong come.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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