The Stanly Baptist
Volume 1.
BIG LICK, N C., SEPTEMBER, 14.
Number 12
THE TEACHINGS OF ROME.
A License to Steal Horses.
(By REV. L. R. PRUETT.)
The Roman Catholic Church
is both religious and political.
In this paper we are concerned
about the religious teaching of
the church. She is made the
source of all power and the Pope
is the chief executive. She is
the fountain head which makes
laws for millions of people,
claims to be holy and infallibU,
and declares that cnly through
her is salvation secured. Out
side of the Catholic Church
there is no salvation. All Pro
testants are “heretics” and are
doomed to- the bottomless pit.
Rome calls heivself “The
Church, the True Church, the
Only Chiu'ch.”' And yet the his
tory of those countries in which
she has had full sway for hun
dreds of years does not sustain
such and arrogant boast. Any
one familiar with history knows
that the Catholic Church has
failed in Mexico, South Ameri
ca, Spain, and Italy. She has
been a curse and not a blessing
in these countries. Every in
telligent person knows that the
Phurrrh of Ectoa has introduced
^‘image worship” wherever she
has existed. In order to favor
such worship of images she has
taken the second commandment
from the Decalogue, and in the
Church of Rome not one in a
thousand knows that the church
has taken away that command
ment, and hence Catholics be
lieve that it is heresy not to
bow before images. Enter some
great cathedral in Italy or in
America, as to that, and you
will see as genuine image wor
ship as could be found in India
or China. For instance, the im
age of the Virgin Mary is ven
erated in Catholic Churches.
The devout Catholic enters the
church and approaches the im
age with the prayer on the lips,
“Most loving Virgin, refuge of
sinners, you are the hope of all
in trouble, the loving object ot
all hearts. No one, 0 Blessed
Virgin Mary, can hope for salva
tion except through your aid. It
is a sign of salvation to have
name. 0 Mary, continuous-
I hereby make application for ■
a special license to steal horse.-;.
I am willing to pay liberally foi :
the privilege. 1 am embolden :d,
to make this application for rea- |
son of other special privilege.-;
petitioned for about this time \
of the year by other citizens ot
“good moral character.” The
business for which they are
.asking license produced at least
three-fourths of all the crime ^
committed in the country Iasi -
year. It has fdled our borough;
iock-ups and the county jail. It ’
has made our criminal court the
most expensive in the history of,
the country. |
The business for which I ask!
license I deem loss injurious to|
the community than the busi-1
ness of selling intoxicating li
quors at either wholesale or re
tail.
1. I pledge myself not to take
avv'ay the senses of any man, nor j
rob his purse. |
2. I obligate myself not to |
cause men to beat their wives,!
damn their children into the i
rv^rld. commit murdtr. 1 |
only want to steal hor*es. j
3. And if a man has a soul '
which most men consent to. i,
promise to do nothing to de- [
stroy this germ of immortality,;
but leave it to its own moral j
course. I only want to steal
horses.
4. I furthermore solemnly
promise that if the license is
granted I will not steal horses
on Sunday, nor on election day,
nor on legal holidays, nor afta
10 o’clock at night. I also sol
emnly promise not to steal colts,
:'icr horses that have no sense,
ncr old breken-down plugs.
5. Your honor will see the li
cense I pray for will result in
less harm to the community
than a license to sell intoxicat
ing liquors. Of course I may
damage the property of a feii
well-to-do people, but their
bodies, their minds, their repu
tations and charactei’s I am
above impairing. 1 only want to
steal herses.
6. I would further enforce
my application by reminding
the court that “you can’t run
the countiT without the license
fee;” that if “I don’t steal horses
somebody^ else will;” that “all
attempts to prohibit horse steal
ing only result in producing
sneaks and liarsthat “I ani
a liberal contributor to the poli
tical jackpot,” and that “I con
trol more votes than most ot
the other applicants for license.’’
—Exchange.
! Catholics, with a few exceptions
' both in Catholic countrie.s and
I in America, know nothing -about
salvation by' faith in Christ. An
^ Italian lady lay on her death
jbed; she said her hands and feet
; were touching Purgatory. Tiie
' priest came with his Latin, but.
ihe could not give her comfort
or help. She said: “I am dying
i and falling, and I burn as I fall.”
; The Pope pardoned her sins;
i but when the pardon was car-
: ried to her, he had failed. She
still burned. In spite of prie.stly
i interference some one entered
^ the room knowing the living
Christ and read to her, “Th.;
bleed of Jesus Christ, Kis Son,
■.’le'anseth from all sin.” “Read
it again,” she said. “Is that in
uic Bible?” Again it was read,
“The bleed of Jesus Christ, His
Sen, deanseth from all sin.”
“Oh,” she said, “that’s it. The
bres are out new and I am saved
bv the Christ.”
REVIVAL AT SdlYRNA.
replied, “Yes, pure and simple.
Perhaps the more intelligent
make the distinction between
image and that represented by
it, but thousands fix their
thoughts on the image alone, ;
and actually pay their devotions;
to the piece of wood or stone-
which is before them.”
All through the history of
the papal system idolatry has
been the most marked charac
teristic. Romanism and pagan
ism are not very far apart.
Along with the spread of Ro
manism in America we expect
the reign of paganism among
Catholics. It is the old Roman
paganism revived under a Chris-1
tian name only. Catholics
claim to be followers of Christ,;
but Christ has very little room
in a Catholic church. The Pope,
the Virgin Mary, Saints and the
relics have not place for Christ.
The Roman Catholic church
teaches that grace is given to
the soul by an outward ordi
nance or “sacrament.” In II
Peter 1:2 we read: “Grace to
you and peace be accomplished I
in the knowledge of God and ot !
Jesus ChrLst our Lord.” To-
know God in Christ is to be a
partaker of grace without an
external ordinace. According
to Catholic teacring a man can-|
not be saved without baptism |
and partaking, in preparatio.n j
for death, of the Lord's Supi>er. i
Not even an infant.can be saved
without baptism (sprinkling).
The Christ of Papacy is repre
sented by the Pope. The claim
of Papal infallibility and vice-
gerency makes it impossible foi
the soul to hear the voice of
Chri.st only as he speaks through
the Pepe. Christ is only what
the Pepe represents Him to be.
When the Papal Bull bellows it
is accepted by the Ciithclics as
the voice of God. The Christ of
Salvation is a living Christ: the
Christ of Papacy is dead. The
death of Christ is one thing, the
dead Christ is quite another. By
the death of Christ we are rec
onciled to God, but there is no
hope or help in the dead Christ
and the Roman Catholic church
is the sepulcher in which this
dead Christ is buried and guard
ed by Popes, bishops, cardinals,
and priests. The Christ of our
! salvation is an all-sufficient .Sa
vior and Mediator. The Christ
of Papacy must be supplcnient-
ed by the merits and mediation
of Mary and the saints. The
I angel said to Mary, the mother
! of Jesus, “Thou shalt call His
name Jesus, for He shall sa^'e
his people from their idns.’
There is no Saviour in the Cath
olic church. The Catholice in
mass are yet in their sins. They
depend on the church and the
priest for salvation.
It is sad but true that Roman
I The most gracious revival
j Smyrna church has enjoyed
! since its organization closed
, last Eriday noon.
Rev. E. M. Brooks, of Nor
wood, aided the pastor and while
his sermons were plain and
practical they were also deep
and inspiring.
Interest was manifest from
ihe first yet there was no great
! excitement and display, even
Though the presence of the Holy
i Spirit was manifest. No great
T-esuits were seen, only four ad-
, ditions, but doubtless much
i good will result.
- On Thursday the audience
. was delighted by a most excel
lent sermon by Rev. C. C. Bur*-
ris. This was his first etfori
‘ and he chose for his them.-,
: “The Love of God,” as |cund iri
John 3:16. An older and moit;
experienced minister could not
have hadled his subject with
greater familiarity and ease.
Mr. Burris had not fully de-
Icided as to his vocation until a
few days ago and cn making this
known, the ministers, knowing
his ability, pressed him into ser-
I vice at once and also liberated
I him to exercise his talent when
ever and wherever he desired.
He graduated with high hon
ors last term from Wingate and
will leave soon for Wake Forest
to fit and prepare himself for
the work to which he is called.
Aware of his capabilities his
friends are delighted with his
late decision and stand ready to
help by their sympathy and
prayers. , M. S.
Rev. A. Marsh, the pastor,
closed a meeting at Benton’s
Cross Roads church last Friday.
Nineteen were added to the
membership of the church.—
Monroe Enquirer.
' If