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 the truth  to  some  and  keep  others  ever  in  the  darkness of  error? Alas! as well  might  you  ask  one  why God chose  you  and  me  out  of  the  myriads  of  human possibilities — why He  creates  one  man  unto  election and another  unto  perdition. For these  are  mysteries beyond human  ken,  in  the  presence  of  which  we  can only exclaim  with  St.  Paul:  "O  the  depths  of  the riches  of  the  wisdom  and  of  the  knowledge  of  God; how  incomprehensible  are  His  judgments  and  how unsearchable  are  His  ways! "

This doctrine,  my  Brethren,  is  calculated  to  remove presumptuous  bigotry  on  the  one  hand,  and  indifferentism  on  the  other. We accuse  Protestants  of being  bigoted,  but  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  theirs  is only  a  reflection  of  our  own  unchristian  intolerance. I have,  for  instance,  a  young  Protestant  friend — the soul of  honor,  and  for  all  I  know,  virtuous  to  a  degree. Will I  cast  him  off  as  doomed  to  perdition? God forbid! For though  I  belong  to  the  body  of  the  Church I may  be  dead  to  its  soul  by  sin,  while  he,  being  a member  of  its  soul,  stands  a  better  chance  of  salvation than  I.  And  when  I  hear  of  a  Protestant  being dead, will  I  say:  Alas! another soul  gone  to  hell? God forbid! For never  a  soul  but  one  left  this  world  for whom I  cannot  pray;  so  let  me  say,  rather,  Lord  have mercy on  his  soul. Or when  I  see  Protestants  flocking into  their  churches,  am  I  to  scoff  and  hoot? God forbid! For there  are  many  there  that  worship  God with sincere  and  pure  hearts  and  so  work  out  their salvation. To whom  much  is  given,  of  him  much  will be expected. If we,  having  received  the  truth,  and