American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-06-14

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Though The Mass III Latin, ofwhich may
know nothing. Was this the way Peter
and Paul did? Then come out boys in
white frocks, with their censers, Offering
incense to the priest, and filing the church
! with the odour. Were Peter and Paul
thus incensed? The priest goes through
tue service, .b9wing, and kissing the altar.
/ now Lifting up b.is hands, now lis eyes;
NOW speaking ina whisper, now in full
voice, according to the rules laid down
Now, Sir, where did you gel these things?
And alter the ceremony is over, again
cross myself with Holy Water and retire.
This is your public worship Of God every
where, and from age. To age; save, that in
Ibis country there is sermon, on sticking
to Mother Church, sometimes added
Have you the most distant idea that il was
~ this way the first Christians worshipped
God? The manner Of your public worship
lspot scriPtural, or Christian; it is heath
en-, and was originally adopted for the Sc
ducing of the bealben to Christianity. If
Peter or Paul coull be introduced to
SAINT Patrick S when you were going
through High Mass, and were told that
you weleone Of their successors, what would
be their astonishmenu What! you sue
cessor OF the men who lived by catching
fish, and mendin9 nets. and making tcnts!!
And that iarcein which you are a chief ac-
tor every Sabbath, the exact counterpart
Of the worship instituted by the apostles! !
Your manner Of public worship is not only
unscrlptural, but in direct opposition to
scripture; lit wants nothing Of hcathen-
ism but the name. And how far all this
bears upon the question, whether YOURS is
church Of Christ, submit to your can
did decision, 3-
The Bible is God's revealed will TO teach
us what we should believe, and DO. This
Bible your church has corrupted, and la
bours TO suppress. You mix up with the
pure word OF God, the Apocrypha, which
lays no claim 10 inspiration, aud whose in
! ternal evidences are fatal TO such a claim.
need here only mention the recommen-
dation Of The Angel, in Tobit 10 make smoke
out Of tie heart and Hocy Of a.fsk, 10 scare
derils ont cfmeai And yet this Apocry-
Pba is Of more use TO you than all lhe Bi.
bic besides! You mutilIate the ten Com.
mandments written on stone by the finger
of God! You mistransla;e tie Scriptures
in passages innumerabie, to bring Out your
peculiar doctrines; or 10 conceal its testi-
mony against item. And where the point
of Scripture cannot be broken or blunted,
You put noie at the bottom in explana-
ton. And what noies! Take the follow
ing as an Illustration, appended to Rom.
Al. Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered"
That is, blessed are those who, by doing
penance have obtained pardon and rems-
sion of their sins, and also arc covered; that
is, newlyIcoyered with the habit of grace,
and vested with the stole of charily."-
Nor is the work of corruption yet DONE
5You spperadd 20 all this your traditions,
which like piece of Indian rubber you
can stretch or contract TO suite your pur-
pose. Nor can the Bible, when all this is
done, be put into promiscuous circulation,
lest, with all these additions and corrup-
tons, some might understand it as teach
ing some things in opposition to popery!-
You tell the poor Irishman that his spade
and hod are better suited TO him than the
Bible; and the poor Irish woman that she
had better keep at her broom, and wash
tub, than trouble herself about the Gospel!
When you corrupt the Bible to the extent
of your ability; when. you, add to it every
thing you can, or darc;-even then you
keep it from the people! Why thus fear
ful of the Bible?
Now, sir, how far all this bears upon
the question whether yours is church of
Christ, | submit TO your own decision.-
As far as you can, you strive to supplant
the Bible as the only rule of faith; and as
far as l am concerned, l would as soon
strive to grope my way 10 heaven by the
Koran, as by that which you give me as a
substitute for the Bible. But Iwish not 10
forestall your decision.
The Sacraments, Instituted in conde-
scension to our weakness, are outward and
sensible signs of inward and spiritual
grace. These, ike the Bible, you have
enlarged and corrupted, Christ and HE
Apostles left US but two;-you multiply
them by three, aud carry one. only
wonder how your ingenuity permitted you
to stop a: seven. Here you have allowed
DR.. Deacon, a dull Enslishman, and. l
believe, a Protestant in the bargain, TO sur
pass you! He adds, ,e.eorcism. Tie white gar
ment, taste Of milk and Aoney, dc. How
easily you might have gone on to seven. or
even seventy times seven! But in addition
to multiplying, you have most grievously
corrupted the two that ale taught us in
the New Testament. In baptism you dip
or pour three times; where IS this taught?
Ordinarily you permit it only to be ad-
ministered in churches which have fonts,
the waterof which is to be blessed every
year on the vigils of Easter and Whit Sun
day! Where do you getthis? Where is
your warrant. for the absurd practice Of
godathcrs and godmothers? The priest
blows three times upon the face Of the
person to be baptised, saying Depart out
of him or her, o uncleah Spirit, and give
place to lhc Holy Ghost" where did you
get ibis? Hethen puts grain of blessed
saIt,i into the mouth ;-thenhe exercises the
unclean spirit, because the devil must go
out, before the person is introduced into
the church,! Then he wets his finger with