RELIGIOUS ZEAL IN AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 15, 9 August 1873, Page 13

RELIGIOUS ZEAL IN AUCKLAND.

AttcklaiO), to its credit be it said, is a very religious place. We see* advertised every week a notice of the subjects to be " expounded and explained " on the coming Sabbath by certain popular Protestant preachers. I notice by the papers of this week that the " pulpit drum ecclesiastic " is about to be beat by tho Rev. Mr Wallis, a Presbyterian minister,, against popery next Sunday. The old stereotyped fallacies and misrepresentations will of course be repeated, and poured into the " greedy ears " of willing listeners and denouncers of " popish, superstition." Yet this is a healthy sign. It shows thot our opponents — I will not say our enemies — are alarmed at the "Papal aggressions," — in other words, at the numerous conversions to the Catholic faith which are taking place on every hand, and even in tha land of John Knox. Horrible to tell, it is even reported that a society of Kirk ministers iv Scotland are engaged in studying and preparing for publication the lives of the old fathers of the Catholic Church. Now, this is a most dangerous work for any honest and truly devout Protestant to take in hand. He is almost sure to catch, the Catholic spirit by reading what the old fathers said and did. The late learned Bishop Hay, who by his popular' writings has done so much to advance the Catholic cause, was once a Kirk minister, or Presbyterian at least. No 'loubt he once on a time used to thunder against " popery," as Mr Wallis and other honest Kirk ministers now do, and as i)r Newman and his friends use-l to do also, while tho eye 3 of their understanding were blind to Catholic truth. The time ma/ not be far oft' when the eyes of Mr Wallis and his good friends too may . be opened by the same divine hand which caused Bishop Hay to- sec. ' It is a significant fact that a complete edition of Bishop Hay's worksis advertised to be published by one of the most respectable and oldest established Protestant publishers in Edinburgh. This " canny "' bibliopole must see how the wind now sits in Scotland as to popery, and would not be likely to bring ouc a word of the kind unless he saw a prospect of remuneration,- that is a large sale for it. N-v wonder' Mr Wallis and other sincere Presbyterians beat the tocsin of war, aacl cry aux armes (to arms) against the Papists under" such circumstances. They must see that the times for them are critical in the extreme. But we must all respect their zeal and . sincerity, however we may regret their invincible ignorance of Catholic truth. Far better an honest though mistaken Protestant bigot than a Christian so " liberal " that he regards truth and error on religious subjects with a philosophic indifference. We have even not a few Protestants among us who in spirit are far more Catholic than many nominal Calholhs themselves. It is from the ranks of such devout and sincere Protestants as- these that converts- to the Catholic Church now come in au-oh numbers. Au«kland. J. W.