the Catholic Church . " The Constitution of the United States guarantees liberty of conscience . Nothing is dearer or more fundamental . Pope Pius IX , in his Encyclical Letter of August 15 , 1854 , said : `The absurd and erroneous doctrines or ravings in defense of liberty of conscience are a most pestilential error--a pest , of all others , most to be dreaded in a state .' The same pope , in his Encyclical Letter of December 8 , 1864 , anathematized `those who assert the liberty of conscience and of religious worship ,' also ' all such as maintain that the church may not employ force .'
" The pacific tone of Rome in the United States does not imply a change of heart . She is tolerant where she is helpless . Says Bishop O ' Connor : ' Religious liberty is merely endured until the opposite can be carried into effect without peril to the Catholic world .'. . . The archbishop of St . Louis once said : ' Heresy and unbelief are crimes ; and in Christian countries , as in Italy and Spain , for instance , where all the people are Catholics , and where the Catholic religion is an essential part of the law of the land , they are punished as other crimes .'…" Every cardinal , archbishop , and bishop in the Catholic Church takes an oath of allegiance to the pope , in which occur the following words : ' Heretics , schismatics , and rebels to our said lord ( the pope ), or his aforesaid successors , I will to my utmost persecute and oppose .'" --Josiah Strong , Our Country , ch . 5 , pars . 2-4 .
It is true that there are real Christians in the Roman Catholic communion . Thousands in that church are serving God according to the best light they have . They are not allowed access to His word , and therefore they do not discern the truth .[* Published in 1888 and 1911 . See Appendix .] They have never seen the contrast between a living heart service and a round of mere forms and ceremonies . God looks with pitying tenderness upon these souls , educated as they are in a faith that is delusive and unsatisfying . He will cause rays of light to penetrate the dense darkness that surrounds them . He will reveal to them the truth as it is in Jesus , and many will yet take their position with His people .
But Romanism as a system is no more in harmony with the gospel of Christ now than at any former period in her history . The Protestant churches are in great darkness , or they would discern the signs of the times . The Roman Church is far-reaching in her plans and modes of operation . She is employing every device to extend her influence and increase her power in preparation for a fierce and determined conflict to regain control of the world , to re-establish persecution , and to undo all that Protestantism has done . Catholicism is gaining ground upon every side . See the increasing number of her churches and chapels in Protestant countries . Look at the popularity of her colleges and seminaries in America , so widely patronized by Protestants . Look at the growth of ritualism in England and the frequent defections to the ranks
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