ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Production Note
Project Unica
Rare Book & Manuscript Library University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign 2015
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN
11. J. MARSHALL, ESQ.
AND
REV. C. O’CALLAGHAN, P.P.
Killaha, Killarney,
December 8, 1855.
Reverend Sir,—I trust that the solemnity as well as importance of the subject of Christ’s religion, will be a sufficient apology for what might otherwise be considered as intrusive on my part, not having the pleasure of a personal acquaintance with you, in which case L might speak to you the sixbstance of this letter.
I have been, as you must be aware, for some time, lately residing in the parish of Bally-M‘Elligott, and I have had many opportunities of speaking to several Roman Catholics in that parish, of the things that concern the salvation of our immortal souls; and, having seen the erroneous views which they entertain on a subject of such vital importance, 1 desire to address you, sir, as the pastor of that flock, in the name of my Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, and fearlessly to warn you of the danger of their souls, as well as of the deep responsibility attaching to yourself on account thereof. I desire to invite you most earnestly and affectionately to consider this lamentable state of things, and to entreat of you to look into the sacred pages of that book of
PN.

life “ which is able to make you w'ise unto
salvation.” I have been brought myself as a
poor, ruined, and lost sinner, to the foot of the
Cross of Jesus, and it is as such that I wish to
point out to you that Glorious liedeemer in all
his finished w^ork, as the sinner’s only friend and
sole refuge, I fear that, in common with my
Roman Catholic brethren, you are trusting to
creature merit, such as the intercession of the
Blessed Virgin, herself a sinner, and saved by
Jesus alone, (Luke i. 47), to the prayers of
departed saints, and that you are believing in
the existence of a purgatorial state after death,
together wdth many other errors, which not only
are not to be found in God’s revealed word, but
are most dangerous in themselves, inasmuch as ^ . . . . * they charge Him with contradiction to w hat He
has so plainly declared. Let not this state of
things continue. Call me Heretic, or Souper, or
Methodist, or by any other invidious name if you
will, but oh! I entreat of you, my dear friend, if
you will permit me thus to address you, do stop
and pause to consider whether you are going to
heaven or not. Jesus says, “ 1 am the way, the
truth, and the life, no man cometh to the Father
but by me;” and this truth w'hich emanated from
the lips of Jesus 1,800 years ago, is no less true
at this day, and has been experienced by every
convinced sinner. Protestant or Roman Catholic
must alike bow to the w ords of the Most High
God. He has planned out one way of salvation,
corrupt human nature has devised many. And
how ? simply by departing from the written wmrd
of God, and thus losing the “ faith once delivered
UlUC



/ t
'1to tlie saints.” But will man Lg saved except by faith in Jesus?
You are a perishing sinner like me, though perhaps not so sinful; yet you are a sinner, and a great sinner, and you need a great Saviour. You cannot, nay, you dare not, gainsay this truth. It is written in letters of blood, even that of Emmanuel. If, then, you are thus a sinner, you must naturally, if you are anxious about your soul, cry out with the Philippian gaoler : “ What must I do to be saved ?” The answer is plain and scriptural, “ Believe, or trust, in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts xvi. 30, 31.)	1 exhort you to dwell strongly on this fact,
and to realize it in your own personal experience.
It will be of little proiit to know that Christ is your neighbour’s Saviour, unless you know that He is your own individual Saviour. It is an individual application of Jesus, by the Holy Ghost, that constitutes true and personal piety, and which endears the name of Jesus to His believing and ransomed people. He is everything a poor sinner can desire. For instance, are you desired by the law of God “ to repent and be converted to God ?” What are you to do ? You are to go to Jesus for that repentance and conversion. Are you desired to have faith and holiness, and to abound in every good work? You are equally to go to Him for these things. Always bear in mind that the sinner is nothing, and has nothing in himself, but that he is invited, with all his poverty, to come just as he is, without any previous recommendatory good dispositions.to tlie fountain of living waters, viz., Jesus Christ, and to receive out of that fullness all he needs, and “ grace for grace.” You see this in the Saviour’s address to the Laodicean Church, in third chapter of Revelation. This is gospel, a message of glad and not sad tidings. Look to Jesus as the author of his people’s sanclijication, as well as the great atoner of their oifences. Another pointât which your parishioners stumble is, the erroneous idea of justification by tvorks. This is not only antagonistic to the express declaration of scripture, but is opposed to reason itself. St. Paul, in Romans, beautifully exposes this, and if you or I think to justify ourselves by good works, we shall be lost,for ever. Faith it is, and not ivorks, that justifies us. How can lost sinners attempt to justify themselves by good works, when our state was so helpless that it required God to die upon the cross for us, and to make atonement for those very sins with which our very best acts are at all times intermingled ? The idea is absurd, and the argument is foolish. One little sin, however venial in man’s eyes, would have crushed us into the blackness of despair for ever, had not the Redeemer borne it in his agony in Gethsemane, and it is to that great Redeemer alone (emphatically a Redeemei'), that the sinner can flee and be accepted before God. Acceptance with the Father is in Jesus. If you build on this truth, your foundation is firm as a rock, and wall stand the test of time, death, and eternity ; but if you build on your goodness, or the goodness of others than Jesus, you will build on sand, and willperish. This faith will produce love to your Saviour, and when you love,Him you will do good works. But do not invert the order of things, do not put the effect for the cause. Faith is the cause, good works flow as the effect of that cause. And now. Reverend Sir, in conclusion, I trust that you will give me credit for a hearty desire to benefit your immortal soul. I know you are ignorant of the gospel plan of salvation. I have placed the gospel before you, such a gospel as the hible alone can offer to a lost sinner, and which ought to send you on your way rejoicing. But all will be in vain unless one thing takes place; the Holy Spirit must touch your cold heart, and make you “ born again.
I pray my Heavenly Father, as one that must give account, that it may be so, and that you may be a follower of the Lamb. In the name of my Redeemer, I address you most solemnly. His servants must not be ashamed of Him, and though the offence of the Cross will never cease till His second advent, yet, for all that, we must witness a bold confession for the name of Jesus. I have found Him precious to my own lost and once darkened soul, and I obey Him when I proclaim to you, in His name, the words of eternal life. We shall soon stand before His judgment seat, and then we shall know, face to face, the truth of these words.
In my Master’s name, I remain. Yours faithfully,
R. J. MARSHALL.
Rev. C. O’Callaghan, P.P., Bally-M‘ElUgott.EEV. MR. O’CALLAGHAN’S REPLY.
Clogher, 22d January, 1856.
Sir,—I received your letter of the 8th of December, 1855, with which I am not at all pleased, because you assume to yourself the right of religious teacher, and that in opposition to the Catholic Church, with the plenitude of Divine authority for teaching all Divine truths to the end of time. Our divine Redeemer, as you are aware, was pleased to explain the economy of salvation to his apostles, and entrust to their safe keeping the deposits of faith, endowing them at the same time with the prerogative of infallibility for the purpose. These great primary principles (*. e.) the authority of teaching all divine truths to the end of time, and an infallibility in doing so, which always belonged, belong, and will belong to the Catholic Church alone. The successors of the apostles should always be kept in view, and admitted, otherwise 1 would not have any hope for the salvation of any body however great his learning or respectability.
The Archangel Gabriel in saluting the Blessed Virgin Mary, said, “ Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women.” And Saint Rlisabeth, at an interview with the Blessed Virgin, said “ Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy ivoinh," in which divine passages you can easily perceive that the Archangel and the Saint never said that she was a sinner, and, surely, we must humbly admit that they are our superiors.


Some of the great prerogatives of the Blessed Virgin Mary are the followingShe is mother of God,—she was always free from original sin, —she was never stained with actual sin, she was always a virgin,—up to 200,000,000 of Catholics all over the world, from his Holiness the Pope on his throne, the successor of Saint Peter, to the poor Catholic beggar, praying for alms at your charitable door, unite in believing and in acknowledging these prerogatives, and, though great our numbers, I assure you in all sincerity, we would be very glad if you were pleased to become one. But that is your own affair.
Signed,
CHAELES O’CALLAGHAN, P.P.,
Bally-M‘Elligott.
P S. For any difficulties you may have in your mind relative to Catholic doctrines, or the Catholic Church, I refer you, in future, to the Right Reverend Doctor Moriarty, or the Very Reverend John M‘Ennery, Tralee.
R. J. Marshall, Esq.
ME. MAESHALL’S ANSWEE.
Killaha, February 4th, 1856.
Reverend Sir,—I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, bearing date 22d January, in reply to mine to you (,)f 8th December last. You certainly have taken a long time to answer it, however, in this, as in many other matters, “ better late than never.”i

You must permit me to reply to your letter, and not to receive it in silence. But before answering it in detail, as I purpose doing through Divine assistance, you must bear with me while I again invite you, as 1 did in my previous communication, to come to Jesus; to that blood which alone can cleanse your rui?ied soul. I again invite you to “ come without money and without price.” You are a sinner by nature and by practice, and not the least of your sins consists in teaching immortal souls soul-destroying error. But even you are welcome to Jesus. He waits to receive you, and to give you the joys of adoption on this earth, and a seat at the marriage supper of the Lamb hereafter. Will you still refuse to come? Do not delay. It was sinners such as you and me He came to save, and He cannot, nay. He will not, cast you out. Come, then, to the Saviour once and for ever. I must now proceed to answer the remarks contained in your letter, in detail.
First. As to the objection on your part that I have assumed the office of a religious teacher, I beg to refer you to that portion of God’s word where it is mentioned that “ Aquila and Priscilla (both of the laity) expounded unto Apollos the way of God more perfectly,” (Acts xviii. 26), and Saint Paul calls Aquila and Priscilla his helpers in Christ Jesus (Romans xvi, 3, 4), and do you not think it the duty of every member of the Catholic (or Universal Spiritual Church of Christ) “ to give a reason of the hope that is in him,” and to endeavour to bring souls by exhortation and spiritual advice out of darkness intolight? To understand scripture aright, is it not necessary that the Holy Spirit should enlighten the understanding ? And has not the Lord Jesus Christ most unmistakeably promised the gift of that spirit “ to them that ask it?” (Luke xi, 13). How, then, do you dare, in opposition to this promise, to assert that the right of recommending the gospel is exclusively confined to any particular caiie You do not understand what the Catholic Church is. That church is not, as you suppose it to be, a particular body of men, united by a system of church government, instituted by man ; but the Holy Catholic Church is the entire regenerated, justified, and saved body of God’s own beloved people, and as a member of that church, I am personally invested with authority to speak to others “ the truth as it is in Jesus.” Permit me to tell you that if you think the Pope, Bishops, and Priests of Home are the church, you are grossly in error; for even supposing them, for a moment (for the sake of argument), to be true ministers of God, yet they are the servants only of the church, and not the church {ecclesiaihe called out) itself. Mark well the difference.
^J'he Church of Rome had no existence when our Lord said He would be with His church to the end of the world. In eleventh chapter of Romans 20, 21, St. Paul tells the Roman Church that they would not be spared if they fell into unbelief. God’s grace is not continued to any visible church, such as that of Rome, England, or Russia ; if it departs from the faith, God will remove his candlestick.
Secondly. I desire to ask you how you can
b7
10
prove to me that the present church of Rome has succeeded to apostolic infallibility ? I challenge you, on the subject of justification by faith, to show me any agreement between the epistle to the Romans, on this head, and the present Roman Church. Why you are at war with each other on this most essential and important point, viz., the justification of a sinner before God ! (Romans iii. 28.) How can you assert the infallibility of your church when you oppose St. Paul himself? The spiritual church of Christ is injallible, for God teaches by His Spirit all needful and fundamental truth to His own people, but not to any particular body united by a system of human canons, laws, and church government, as the Roman Church. I must tell you fairly, that I have no hopes whatever for the salvation of any body however great their respectability, or however eminent their attainments may be, unless he be a humble, spiritual, and heaverdy minded follower of Jesus, one “ born again of the spirit,” one who is washed in the Saviour’s blood.
Thirdly. I wish to prove to you from God’s word that there is nothing remarkable in Gabriel or Elisabeth saluting the Virgin Mary as “ blessed” or “ highly favoured.” If you do not know this, you must be, as I expect most of you priests are, lamentably ignorant of God’s word. In Judges 5th chapter, 24th verse, the expression is used, “ Blessed above women shall Jael the wdfe of Heber the Kenite be : blessed shall she be above women in the tent;” and, again, in Ruth 3rd chapter, 10th verse, it is written, “ Blessed be11
thou of the Lord, my daughter ; and in Daniel, on two occasions, he is styled “ A man greatly beloved,” and of St. Peter it is said, “ Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona,” so that the expressions “ blessed art thou,” and full of grace," “ the Lord be with thee," are applicable to every advanced believer. We find it thus wiitten in Luke xi. 27, 28. “ A w'omanof the company lifted up her voice and cried out, blessed is the womb that bare Thee,” and Jesus said, “ Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it.” Thus it would seem that our Lord gave this as a suitable text for the present apostacy of Rome ; does it not ? And you may remember how, on another occasion. He said, Whosoever shall do the w ill of my Father the same is my mother, and brother, and sister,” (Mark iii. 35.) Believe me. Reverend Sir, that if ever you reach heaven you will not cast a blood-bought crown at the feet of Mary, but at those of Jesus. If you ever expect to join the redeemed hosts above, and to sing the song of the Lamb, you must know something of it here below first. No A ve Marias wall then greet your ears, but one harmonious song, “ Thou art worthy to receive glory and honour, for thou hast redeemed us to God by thy blood.” I believe that it is only quite lately that your church has advanced the doctrine of the Virgin having been immaculate, that it is only quite recently that this doctrine has been required to be believed in, and that in former ages it was an open question, rather ^®nied than believed in by th€ heads of your
j12
church. So that in tliis we have another notable instance of the fallibility of the supposed infallible church. I challenge you, however, on this matter. I defy you, or any man on this earth, to prove to me by God’s word that the Virgin was free either from actual or original sin. 1 refer you to her own words in Luke i. 47, where she says, “ My spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Now, how can she be said to have been free from actual and original sin, as you, in ignorance and infidelity assert, when she calls Jesus her Saviour ?
Why a child would not argue in so weak a way. From her own words on this occasion you must either charge her with saying what was not the case, or else you must admit that she was in earnest when she called Him her Saviour, and that she did need a Saviour. For what is implied by the word Saviour ? Is it not to save from the guilt, power, and consequences of sin ? So that your argument is untenable.
Fourthly. It is blasphemy to say that God can have a mother, for such an assertion would tend to make God a creature, whereas “ He is the creator of all things living, and blessed for ever.” Were you to say that Mary was the mother of the manhood of Christ, who is “ God as well as man,” no objection could be made to such an assertion, but for you or any one to affirm that she is the mother of God is absurd, it is in fact pure atheism. To dilate on this subject would be offering an insult to your understanding. He is the Ancient of Days by whom all things were
Af
13
made, and among them both the sow/ and bod^ of the Virgin, as the Redeemer of both, so is He the Creator of both. Do you see?
According to your notions on the subject, Mary and not the Lord Jesus was the first immaculate person in human nature, and “pari argumento,’^ she, and not Jesus, was the first “holy thing born of the Highest” (Lukei. 35). Truly, popery deifies the creature, yea, she worships it above the creator!
Fifthly. 200,000,000 Roman Catholics prove nothing in favour of that system which they follow. The other bodies of Christians (including the Greek Church), who differ from Rome, outnumber the Roman Catholic Church, and while I do admit that there is a great development of popery in the world, I think that such a development instead of being any proof of the superior nature of your faith, is quite the reverse. I see therein the strongest evidences of Christianity. The system has been foretold, power has been prophesied equally with its fall. You must indeed be blind if you cannot trace in your religion the signs of the apostacy mentioned in God’s word. And, furthermore, I wish to remind you on this head that the majority in this wicked world are against God and His truth, and not in favour thereof. You may as well say that sin is right and must be so on account of its prevalence. Thesame argument appliesto both cases. “Few,” says Christ, “ there be that enter the gate that leadeth to eternal life” (Matthew vii. 14.) In the end of your letter, “ that it is my affair” as to entering your church, do you mean by this to14
say that it is not your’s? as such is generally understood to be the meaning of such an expression. What a {faithful) ^ninister of Christ you must be when you are thus indifferent to the salvation or damnation of my soul! shame on you for such a doctrine! Such plainly shows ymu to be a faithless pastor and an uncharitable man. You refer me to your superior clergy. How comes this, Reverend Sir! Is it possible that you, a priest of the infallible church, cannot instruct me yourself in Catholic doctrine, or the principles of the Catholic church? You, to whom is entrusted the care of so many souls, for each of whom you will have to give an account before God one day. Where lies your infallibility then ? It is plainly not in the Rev. Charles O’Callaghan. Is it in the Pope? No; for Popes contradict Popes. Is it in Councils ? No ; for Councils are opposed to Councils. Is it in the Notes of the Rhemish Testament ? No; for they often give three and four different interpretations to the same verse.
The conclusion is that there is no infallibility in Rome.
I can, in conclusion, assure you. Reverend Sir, that I have no intention, wish, or desire, to enter the portals of your apostate church. I know plenty already concerning it. I have seen it as few of my equals have seen it, not as it is seen in this poor country, but I have been behind its scenes (where perhaps you have not been), even in Roman Italy. I have seen Popery beside kings and the great men of the earth, yea, even before one of your Pontiffs. I have seen your so-r
15
called miracles performed, the execution of which could be effected by a neophyte in the science of chemistry. I know popery well, 1 have seen it, I have tasted of it; henceforth let no man talk to me of its being ^ pure doctrine.
Perish the thought!
It is an impure emanation from Satan himself. Tell the Right Rev. Dr. Moriarty, Dr, lM‘Ennery, and all their Jesuitical attendants in every country (whether Popish Priests, or Protestant Tractarians,twin-brothers) that I challenge them to prove the truth of their religion according to God’s word. 1 challenge the Pope of Rome, and even Satan himself to prove it. You cannot accept the challenge, nay, you dare not. 1 throw down the gauntlet of defiance at your feet; gird up your loins like a man, and answer.
1 have had conflicts with Satan, and if 1 can defy him through the blood of Jesus, surely 1 can do so with you. I have passed through deep and dark convictions of sin, and I know that in such a state of mind, Jesus, and not false Rome, is the refuge.
You refer me to your superior clergy, I refer you to God’s word. You may abuse me, you may curse me, but you shall hear from me my opinion of popery, and 1 will oppose it where-ever I go. 1 love the souls of those who follow it, but 1 hate the system itself: mark well the difference. You cannot touch my soul, you cannot take away Jesus from me, an?T,with Him on my side, 1 laugh at you; yea, I defy you. As He said of old to the founder of all false systems of religion, I say to you “ Get thee hence, Satan,/or it
m
16
is written' (Matthew iv. 10). Ah, Rome, Rome, thou canst not answer, the bible is thine enemy, thou art the great apostacy, in thee is föund the blood of the saints. Rbvd. Sir, I am ready (as was your great successful antagonist, Martin Luther) to confess my Master’s name before your bishop and his clergy. Tell them 1 defy them. I was born and bred in England, where men speak their opinions freely andKipenly. 1 have been in the army where men command and are commanded, and, like a man of candour and sincerity, name the day and place where a free and open discussion on the relative merits of our respective creeds can take place, and I will bring three Protestant ministers to meet three Popish priests in open controversy. Do you accept,-or do you shrink from this ? Be a man and come forward, and bring your bible with you.
I will go farther, I offer you £50 to prove before a public meeting the existence of purgatory, according to the bible. £50, to prove before the same meeting the fact that Mary was immaculate; and £50 to prove the existence of the Roman Catholic religion of 19th century in the Roman Catholic bible. Prove each or all of these things according to God’s word, and I will pay you the money.
Undaunted by you, or any priest of Rome,
I remain, in my Master’s name,
11. J. MARSHALL.
P.S. 1 do not Mend to address you as “ P.P.” because you are not the priest of the parish, but the priest in the parish ; you have no right to be there.
i