1917_The_Finished_Mystery_Text

the name of religion."— William Hogan, aprominent southern lawyer, formerly a priest, onpage 172 of his book, "Popery."Stealing is authorized by Popish ecclesiasticism:"A servant has the right to rob his master, a childhis father, and a poor man the rich. The poorman who has concealed the goods and effects ofwhich he has need, may swear that he hasnothing." In Romish theology it is ordinarily amortal sin to steal two pieces of gold; but, "Ifany one steal small sums at different times, eitherfrom the same or from different persons, nothaving the intention of stealing large sums, norof causing a great damage, his sin is not mortal.If several persons steal from the aims master, insmall quantities, each in such a manner as not tocommit a mortal sin, though each knows that allof these little thefts together cause a considerabledamage to their master, yet no one of themcommits a mortal sin, even when they steal at thesame time. A son does not commit a mortal sinwhen he steals only twenty or thirty pieces ofgold from a father who has an income of 150pieces of gold."— "Saint" Liguori.Ecclesiasticism, the dominant power of theGospel Age, authorizes murder: "A man whohas been excommunicated by the Pope may bekilled anywhere, because the Pope has anindirect jurisdiction over the whole world, evenin temporal things."— Dens, a Roman Catholictheological authority in his "TheologicaMorales" Pope Gregory VII (alias "Saint"Hildebrand), 1020-1085, pronounced that it wasno murder to kill an excommunicated person."This rule has been for 700 years and continuesto be, part of the ecclesiastical law.One of the later popes has declared that themurder of a Protestant is so good a deed that itatones and more than atones for the murder of aCatholic."— Lord Acton in the London Times,July 26, 1872. Says Dr. Isaac J. Lansing in"Romanism and the Republic;""Every person who had anything to do with theassassination of Abraham Lincoln was RomanCatholic. John Wilkes Booth was Roman