DARK CLOUDS ARISING

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 19, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 46.

DARK CLOUDS ARISING.

ABOUT a century ago, La Fayette, a Roman Catholic, said that, "if the liberties of the American people are ever destroyed they will fall by the hands of the Roman clergy." Bishop O'Connor, of the same church, said: "Religious liberty is only endured until its opposite can be carried into effect without peril to the church." "When the Catholics," says Archbishop Kendrick, "shall here be in possession of a considerable majority, . . . then religious liberty will have come to an end in the Republic of the United States." In speaking of those who are opposed to Catholicism, he says, "They know how the Roman Church dealt with heretics in the middle ages, and how she deals with them to-day wherever she has the power." In a speech at Rome, 1882, Archbishop Ireland said, "We can have the United States in ten years."

These men, and multitudes of others, are simply living up to the oath they have taken. A priest in his oath says: "I do further declare that I will help, assist, and advise all or any of his Holiness' agents, in any place wherever I shall be; and do my utmost to extirpate the Protestant doctrine and to destroy all their pretended power, regal or otherwise." They do not only "denounce and disown any allegiance as due any Protestant king, prince, or state," but will tax themselves to the utmost to destroy regal or other power.

A bishop's oath says, "Heretics, schismatics, and rebels to our said lord or his successors, I will to my utmost persecute and oppose." A cardinal's oath binds him to "seek out and oppose, persecute and fight against, heretics, schismatics who oppose our lord, the pope of Rome." The canon law of the Catholic Church says, "The goods of heretics are to be confiscated and applied to the church." Ablegate Satolli has declared that "what Rome has done for other countries she will do for the United States."

Rev. 13 : 15-17 portrays a scene soon to be enacted by those who have the seal of God. But God says, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Rev. 2: 10.

—W. M. Adams, in Workers' Bulletin.

[As regards the well-known policy of the Roman Church, in all ages and in all countries, the saddest feature is the coöperation of apostate Protestantism. The National Reformers, years ago, declared their readiness to "join hands with the Catholics" in furthering their pet schemes of a religious amendment to the Constitution, and a national Sunday law. And the experience of the past ten years, together with the present outlook, indicates that enforced Sunday observance is to be the mainspring of religious persecution in this country. Whatever Protestants do toward the legal enforcement of this papal institution is just so much in the line of helping Rome to do for the United States what she has done for other countries. All compulsory observance of religious dogma or religious institutions is of Rome. It is Roman, no matter if it is under the guise of Protestantism.

—W. N. G.]

"I CHARGE thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry." 2 Tim. 4: 1-5.