Danger in the Dark - ZseZse

44 DANGER IN 'filE DAIUC.
it is one and identical in spirit, doctrine and practice,
in every nation-and that it hath been such, and will
be such in every generation. Infallibility, with them,
is a cardinal doctrine; if right in that, it of course
follows, there can be no reform, no improvement; and
it follows too, that the church has never been in error,
nor committed a wrong. To be consistent, papists
must justify all the church has ever done and defend
the bloody Inquisition, and all the revolting cruelties
enacted in the middle ages. If the persecution and
slaughter of heretics were right centuries ago, why
not still so 1 But why refer to the past 1 Romanism
to-day, wherever it exists, is intolerant, proscriptive
and persecuting to the extent of its power. What
might we not apprehend, should papists ever become
strong enough to control this government 1 We need
no prophet, nor the son of a prophet, to predict the
result. To exterminate the opposers of the faith,
would be but carrying out the principles inculcated by
the church."
, "Right or wrong, I 'm one to stand up for the
Catholics so long as they're persecuted."
"Yes, yes, we are cruel persecutors of the poor
Catholics-because, forsooth, we will not allow t~em
to put their feet on our necks! A pure and genuine
sympathy, I like to see; it bespeaks a good and noble
heart; but there is such a thing as false sympathy:
and we have some examples of it, in the profusion of
tears poured out by a certain class of Protestants, in
this country for the moth r church, e pecially just