North American. [volume] (Swanton, Vt.) 1839-1841, 1841-04-16


oG the good. For so is the will of Cml.
As Tree aud mt as making liberty q. malice
but as the servants ol God, honor The king.
Servants, be subject 10 your masters with
aii lear; not only ioshe good and gentle,
bui also 70 the ifowafd. For this is thanks
worthy, II for conscience towards God, a
man endure sorrows, suffering wronrfuIly.
LIST. 81. Peter. C. 2, v.I3. ID. Is, i6, II,
rs, 10.
Such, Dear Brethren, are III. orscles III
ihe holy ghost, as we find them in the sa.
cred volume; such thr docsrinr Of Jesus
Christ, as the apostles Peter and Paul Ind
learned il from the mouth Of their divine
master Bot clear as these words may be
10 themselves. christian does not inter.
~pFet the wor,i of God by his own private
Judgment; he knows that it ia lunda
mental petit ol his faith, that the sacred
Scripture as ~ Peter assures MS, Cd Ep |.
ID, are not in be understood according 10
each ones priyate Interpretation ard that
il belongs TO our mother the Catholic
Church alone 10 expuund them 10 Us, ac-
cofding 10 The decision of Jesus Christ in
the gospel " II he will not hear The
Church, lei him be To thee as the heaihen
and the pubcsn." ST. Mat. IS. II. Now
his presen, Holiness, Gregory XVI, has
expoanded from his ponlifcal chair, these
passages in Scripture. He has interpreted
The passages which we have cited from The
sacred volume, according 10 the doctrine
OF the Holy Fathers, and the perpetual
tradition Of the Church, from It's establish
ment down 10 The present day he has die
| tated their true meaning 10 the Christian
world, in his Encyclical letter, addressed
in the beginning Of his pontfca;e, to the
Bishops in every part OF the word. Not
solitary Bishop since that period has
raised his voice against the doctrine Of
that letter, so that il has received at least
the tacit consent Of the great body OF
Pastors, and consequently, il mus; be
looked upon as an authoritative decision in
point Of doctrine.
As I'VE have learned,n says the Holy
Father, (it is not our voice that yoo are
now going to hear, but that OF the Vicar OF
Jesus Christ /" as we have learned that
writings disseminated among the people
proclaim doctrines which shake the fidelity
and submission due 10 Princes, and cause
the standard Of revolt To be raised OH all
sides il becomes necessary 10 use every
precauton 10 prevent deluded multiiudcs
| from being drawn out oc the line Of duty.
Let all bear in mind, according to the adj
vice of the Apostle " that there is no pow
er but from God and therefore he that
resisleth The power, resisieth the ordinance
Of God : and they that resist, purchase To
themselves Examinations !" Both human and
divine laws rise up in condemnation oi
those, who, by schemes of sedition and re-
volt endeavor TO shake allegiance TO Prin-
ces, and hnrl them from the throne. Ii
was for this reason, md in order u avoid
sullying themselves with such a crime, that
the frs, Christians, amidst the fury Of
persecution, remained faithful 10 The En-
perors, and sought, as il is certain they
lid, the interests Of the empire. or this
they give abundant proofs, not only by
faithfully executing every order that aras
mol contrary 10 religion, but by shedding
their blood on the field of battle The
Christian soldiers, says St. Austin, Cn
Psalm I23, No. y served Heather EN-
pire but when there was question oil the
cause of Jesus Christ, they acknowledged
only Him who reigns in Heaven. They
d,sting uished eternal from their temporal
! Lord and vet Tor the sake Of their eter-
nal Lord, they were submissive IN their
temporal one This it was that the irwin
chile Martyr, ST. Mauri,ius, commander
of the Thebau legion, had before his eyes.
when, as ST. Eucherius relates, he answer
ed the Emperor We are your soldiers,
Prince, but we are at the same time the
servants OF God and now, even the dan
ger Of losing our lives, with whlch we
are threatened, does not induce Us to re.
volt. We have our arms in our hands, and
we resist not because we prefer 70 suiier
death, rather than to iHfliet il. This H.
deity of the Christians Of old acquires new
lustre, if we remark with Teriullien, that
they were deficient neither in number nor
in power, had they chosen TO declare them
selve enemies 10 the state.
These spieodid examples Of inviolab'e
admission To Princes, which we're ihe ne
eeSsaty consequences oil the preeepis OF
the Christian religion, concemn the error
of those who, infatuated with the love oi
unhridled liberty, direct all their efot's a.
gainst The rights Of authority, whist up
on The people, they entail onlv slavery un-
der the mask of liberty. Such was The
tendency Of the evil designs OF the wal
denses, OF the Beguafds, and OF The " iek-
Efites. and OF Others against whom the
.nsahemas OF The Apostolic See have bcen