Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1845-02-08

Mount Gerizim, or before the Holy Coat at
Treves. Know you not-as Bishop you must
know-that the Gospel expressly forbids the
worship Of any picture or any relic that the
Christians of the time of the Apostles and of
the first three centuries permitted neither pic
ture nor relic (and Of these they might then
have been many y in their churches,-that the
worship Of images and relics is heather, and
that the Fathers of the first three centuries de-
rided the heather on that account! For exam.
pie div. inst. II. C. 2;) Images should rather,
il they had life, worship men, by whsm they are
made, not the reverse. (Nec intelligent hom.
mes inebtissimi, quod 81 sen,ire simulacra ct
rnover possent, adoratura hominem fussent a
quo sunt expolita.)
Finally, know you not-as bishop you must
know this ,co--,hat the strong healthy spirit OF
the German people first degraded itself to the
worship Of relics in the 18th and l4th centuries
through the crusades, after the high idea which
the Christian religion gives of the Deity was OBJ
scured by all sorts of fables and legends brought
from the East Look You, Bishop Arnold o
Trcves. this you know, and probably better thar
! Gun tell you, you see the consequences which
superstition and the idolatrous worship of relic
have brought upon us, namely, spiritual an,
temporal servtude, and yet you expose you
relics for public vcneration. But even if yo
did not perhaps know all this, if you have sougt
only the good Of Chrlstendom by the exhbi,io
Of the relic a, Treves, you have nevertheless
laid double guilt on your conscience, at wAic
you cannot clear yourself. In the first place,
is objectionable in you, il IA healing virtue a
tualy dwels in the above mentioned piece
cloth, that you have withheld il from sufferil
mankind until the year 1874. Then again
is objectionable that you take offering PENN
from the hundreds OF thousands of pilgrims
it not objectionable that you, bishop acce
money from the starving poverty of our peopl
Especially as you have seen, have you not, h,
some weeks ago hundreds were driven by wa
10 rioting and death Deceive yourself no lon
er by the tlocking around you of thousant
when, while they hasten full of pious ardor
TO Treves, millions like me are filled with
deepest shame and Indignation at that unwort
drama Of yours. This indignation is felt not
one another class, by this or that party,
by all classes, aye, and by the Catholic pri,
hood itself. Therefore, Judgment wl overtu
you sooner than you suppose. Already the h
torIan SEXES the peIi, and gives over your nan
Arnold, to the contempt OF the presen, gen
aton and of pos'eriry, and distinguishes you
the Te,zel Of the l9ih century
| But you, my German fellow. citizens, whe'l
| you dwell at Trevcs or a, a distance from it,
Dor to the uttcrmost that such disgrace 81
no longer attach to the German name.
| have your various corporations, municipal
! thoritIcs and representatives. Act thror
them. Strive every one according TO his a.
! ty, once for all to meet and check the tyra
cal power Of the Romish hierarchy. For
only in Treves is the modern trade in in
! cences driven you know tuli we'll that in
East and West, in the North and South,
nies are collected for roSares and masses
absolutons and burials, and the like and
spiritual night comes on apace. Go toV
ALL whether Catholics or Prutestants, our
nor is at stake, our freedom, our happr
Anger not the shades of your fathers, who's
tered the Capitol of the Papal power, when
tolerate the reign of that ppwer in Germ
Let not the laurel- of a IlusS, llutten an
Luther be diShonored. Give your thou
words, and let your will pass into action.
And you, my associates in office, you whc
sire and seek the veal Of your 1ocks the ho
the freedom, the happi 1ess Of your German
ton, keep silence no more for you sin aga
religion, against your fatherland, against
calling; fyou remain silent any lnnger, if
any longer hesitate TO act according to
better convictions. | have already adore
another word 20 you, therefore lei these
r. lines now suffice. Show yourselves true
plies of Him. who sacrificed all for truth
light snd freedom; show that you have inh
ed, not his coat, but his spirit.
JOHN RONGE, Catholic Prn