American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-05-24

God.
Another Of tie reasons which prevent
me from returning to your church is. the
burdens which it places on my conscience,
which crush, without correcting it. II in
sti;utes kind of q ceremonial law which
restricts where God has given liberty; and
which licenses where God has prohibited
indulgence. With your Fast and Feast
days, who can keep up without an almanac
in bis hand? And how many Of your peo-
pie can read il? Should | blunder in count
ing the days Of the week, and, mistaking
Friday for Thursday, eat meat, my CON
science is wounded. lin performing pen
ancc miseount my beads, and say less
number Of Pater Nosters than required,
my conscience again suffers. II. ignorant
of the Laws Of Lent" which have been
j1st published by you, l should eat three
meals on day between "Ash Wednesday
and Easter Sunday" or should eat meat
on the Thursday next after Ash Wednes-
day" Or on "any day in the Holy Week."
my conscience would be again bur1ened.
And these are but specimens of the thou
sand and one ceremonial regulations Of
your church, as burdensome as they are
unmeaning, which fret and crush the con-
science without directing or Strengthening
il. And whilst thus restricted in things
Indifferent, am freely INDUCED in things
which the divine law prohibits.
Now, sir, who las given you authority
10 make laws where God has made none?
Where is the law IN lbe Statute Book for
your Lents, your Feast days. your Fast
days, your Easter days? Why fast or feast
al one time more than another? Who has
given you authority 10 say what | shall eat,
or how often, many one day of the year,
What unutterable arrogance to tell me
cannot eat fish aud flesh at the same meal 4;
what priesty intolerance TO tell me, with
my Bible open before me, that if trans
gress these laws l sin against my Cod
You know that the gospel is law of lib
erty, you know that if man eat meat he
is the worse, and that if lie refrain he is not
the bctter-you know that the Bible teach
es that man is deiiled, not by that which
entereth into him, but by that which cometh
out of him. And why burden souls and
fetter consciences by silly enactment about
things in themselves Indifferent, and about
which God has made no regulations? o,
sir, like the Scribes and the Phariscs Of old
you are busted about the mini, the annis
and the cumin, forgetful Of the weightiel
matter of the law. And / deeply regre
that man who has forced himself up t.
station and influence against so many ad
verse circums ances, had not force enough
left to break the the chains Of early relrgi
Gus prejudice, TO rise up 10 the region 0
Intellectual, and moral. and religious free
dom! You are too much of man to stool
to such nonsense. would leave sucl
things TO those who know no better.
On these subjects, dear sir, your churcl
! must return 10 The standard of the Bible
and of common sense, before can return
to it.
Another Of the reasons which proven
my return is, the distractions which YOU
church raises between me and my God
Ny Bible, that lated book by pope, pre-
lite, priest and papal peasant, teaches m,
that it any man sin lie has an Advocat
with the Father-JeSus Christ. 1t ever,
where teaches me, that ! may have frc,
access 10 God through Jesus Christ, tha
if sin, | may go for rdon directly tC
the throne Of God, through the mediation
Of Ills Son. And this is a precious privi
lege; privilege which may be enjoyed 10y
all, ''withOm money and icithout price. -
Now what do YOU ask of me to do in orde
to receive the forgiveness of sin, and 10 b.
restored 10 the favor of God? You sent
me 10 Peter or Paul, or some other sain
on the catalogue, who may have neve
known me; and who may never hear me
if | pray 10 them. Or you send me t.
Mary, whom you blasphemou>ly call tn
mother of God, to ask her to intercedc 70
me. Now will this suffice. must go L
your Confessional, and tell you all my sins
incurring the fearful penalty of refusal @
pardon If withhold cne. Thus you tax
from me the privilege of going to God 70
myself, privilege purchased for me b.
the death of Christ. You tell me | mus
@ to tie priesI and from the priest to III
saint, or 10 the Virgin; and the Saint @
I virgin VIII so lor me 10 tne saviour; AM
he will go for me TO the Father! And the
when pardon is granted, it goes from th
Father to the Son-from him to the Sain
of Virgin-from him or her to the prizes
and when in the hands of the priest, lie wi
give me absoution, If IpoyJ for ia Wi
you say, dare you say, that this is carl
cature of your teachings upon this matter
Would to God you could, with truth
Why send me TO the saints TO ask them t
ntercede for me, if this is untrue? That
am a sinner, know and feel. That ther
is pardon for me through the atonement a
Jesus Christ, on my repentance and faith
is precious doctrine Of the Bible, and o
my creed. That pardon l receive the mo
ment | sincerely exercise the graces OF re
pcntance and faith;--yes, and not whl
the less freely, if all of you, pope, patti
archs, prelates and priests, were witt
Pharaoh and his chario;s.
And why turn me away from the doc
of mercy, and compel me TO speak of NJ
heavenly Father by proxy? Why call m
away from the cross, and send me to
priest. or saint, or virgin, to ask ther
to do for me what can better do for my