A Parish Priest’s Warning to His Flock
It was in the South District of Chile and in the village of Perquenco, where the parish priest was holding an open-air service at the occasion of a public feast. Gospel services had recently been held at that place, which apparently gave the priest an occasion for alarm. He therefore considered it his duty to warn his flock of the danger coming from contact with the dreaded heretics, and this is the way he did it. Said he: “My beloved flock, there have been some signs lately of a disease that breaks out every once in a while, called Protestantism. The men who follow this old but dying heresy are very cunning in their ways. They will come to you with arguments of their own and with a Bible of their own, wishing to deceive even the elect among you. I warn you, dear children, of this danger and tell you what you ought to do. When you see a Protestant coming to your home, do by no means begin to argue with him; he is sure to do you harm. Do not even ask him as to the purpose of his coming. When he is near your door just take a hold of the ‘tranca,’ the heavy beam with which you close your door at night-time, and hit the comer on the head with it, for that is the only effectual way of arguing with a Protestant.”—World-Wide Missions.