Roman Catholicism is a system the principles and doctrines of which are infidel to the most precious and fundamental truths of Christianity, and as to the authority of the Word of God.

It does not deny the fact on which Christianity is founded, but it denies their value. It gives God the lie as to this in every case.

The Word of God tells me that, "By one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified" (Heb. 10:14), that, "The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin" (1 John 1:7). Romanism says, "Not so, the sacrifice of the Mass is needful, and purgatory after death."

God's Word says, "Without shedding of blood is no remission" (Heb. 9:22).

Romanism says that the "unbloody sacrifice" of the Mass is efficacious for the remission of sins.

God's Word declares there is no more offering for sin since Christ died on the cross (Heb. 10:18). Romanism says there is, 1:e., the Mass, penances, pilgrimages, indulgences and what not. Romanism is, therefore, infidel as to the foundation on which Christianity rests, namely, the efficacy of the sacrifice of Christ. This is denied utterly. And it is just here that room is left-by that denial-for the whole machinery of Popery.

Romanism is infidel as to the nature of God. God is light (1 John 1:5), and only the death and blood-shedding of the Son of God could meet the sinner's need. Romanism says that the Mass and Purgatory effect this.

God is love (1 John 4:8), but Romanism knows nothing of this; all her assertions are to the contrary. Where in all her paraphernalia does John 3:16 find a place or an echo? Nowhere.

Scripture says, "There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus" (1 Tim. 2:5).

Romanism says, "Not at all, there is a host of mediators." Chief amongst these is the Virgin Mary, then Rome's thousands of "saints" (real and imaginary), and then her priests, through whom, she says, we must approach God, and even Jesus Himself must be reached through Mary!

Then Romanism tells me I cannot know that the Word of God is the Word of God, and I am unable to receive it as such without the authority of the Church. That is, Romanism either denies it to be the Word of God, or asserts that it is not of itself binding upon me-it is not sufficient to bind my conscience. The authority of the Church is needful in order to my believing the Scriptures and receiving them as God's Word, thus making the Church the more competent, and its authority more obligatory than that of God Himself!

The Bible, the Word of God, has no authority over me, so says Romanism, unless upon the testimony of the Church.
This is simply infidelity as to the authority of God over my soul through His Word.

God may speak to me, but unless the Church sanctions the Word spoken, it has no authority over me. This is infidelity, and infidelity of a blasphemous nature.

As a consequence, the Bible is denied to the people, while what the Church says, what the Popes and councils under their authority say, is enforced.

To be found reading the Bible has brought millions to prison and death, while what the Church authorities -often wicked men-said and wrote, is made the rule for belief. This opens the door to every species of wickedness, till even the natural conscience of men rebels, shocked at the Church's enormities; and men become atheists in consequence.

Romanism thus became, and is, a vast system of horrible corruption.

The apostle wrote (2 Cor. 11:2), "I am jealous over you with a- godly jealousy, for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

In contrast to this, let us see how the Church of Rome is pictured in the unerring Word of God.

Revelation, chap. 17, gives us this picture in awful detail. The name written large upon her is "Mystery, Babylon the Great, The Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth."

The "beast" she sits upon is easily identified. It is the Roman Empire, and she herself, we are informed, is "that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth." How the Popes did rule-and still try to rule- over the kings of the earth is too well known.

She is the false bride, having her seat at Rome. She professes to be the bride of Christ, but Christ describes her to John in Patmos, through His angel, as "The Great Whore." The true Bride we read of in chaps. 19:7; 21:9-22:5.

Satan has his counterfeit bride and city (Roman Catholicism and Rome). The Lord Jesus has His Bride and City in blessed contrast. On earth the false has horribly persecuted the true. John saw the woman (17:9) "drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus."

It has been estimated that millions of confessors met their death in the dungeons of the Inquisition alone, not to speak of the uncountable numbers done to death in other places, including many thousands in our land (Great Britain), of its best and most godly. How terribly true is the prophetic description, "drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus."

Why did she put these to death? Because they stood for the authority of the Word of God as against her authority, her superstitions. Is she not infidel and anti-christian?

Rome is the same today as ever. "Semper eadem" is her motto. She lacks the power to do as she once did, but not the will.
Let us turn again to Revelation (17:2) to get a prophetic summary of her moral character:"Babylon the Great … has become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."

She will be the object of the most severe of God's judgments, and her fall and destruction the theme of heaven's praise and thanksgiving (Rev. 19:1-4). Let us beware of having anything to do with her.

The Pope is not the antichrist, but he and the system of which he is the head are anti-christian-the devil's great counterfeit of the Church of the Living God, of which Christ is the head (Col. 1:18), and of which the Holy Spirit alone-not the Pope-is Christ's Vicar on earth (John 14:16, 21; 16:13).

The Pope's system, Romanism, will be destroyed by the ten-kingdomed confederacy-the revived Roman Empire (Rev. 17:16,17), of which the "League of Nations" is the prelude. The antichrist will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus when He comes in glory (2 Thess. 2:8-10; Rev. 19:19, 20). F. L. Harris