The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1855-01-18
The Meeting ofthc Roman Catho-
Iic Presafes ut Rome.


Physicalscience, since the DAYS Of Cali
leo, and tho unholy discovery that the
earth did really move round Tie sun, nc
cording to the Pope, was too dangerous to
be attempted, SO nothing was left FOR it but
to broach new doctrine. TIE worship
of the Virgin Mary has been in peculiar
degree tie work Of Popes and of Councils.
! 1t was only in the eleventh century that a
solemn Office was decreed to her. Hence
proceeded furious controversy, in which
st. Bernard, st. Thomas Aquinis, and the
Dominicans, were on one side. and Don
Scotus and the University Of Paris on the
other The subject of discussion was
neither very decorous, nor, to profane eyes,
very important. 1t was admitted on all
hands that tie Virgin Mary was withou;
sin, else she could not have bcen fitting
mother to sinless child. The question
which has so long divided the Roman
Church world is,at what period this change
was affected? All are agreed that it was
before t. birth of the Virgin; the differ
ence is rs to the precise time. Was it at
the moment of conception, or was it at a
later period?
Several Popes and the Council of Trent
have laid down that difference on this
delicate subject is unimportant, and the
church has clnoniEel persons boiling Ell
ther opnion but it is now determined to
put an end to this sinful liberation, and to
decide tie question once for all afiirma-
lively or negatively, and thus in the inter
est of Christian chaiily. to convert venial
difference into mortal sin. In order TO
establish this doctrine the preates of the
Roman Catholic Church arc summoned
from the fonr winds to give sanction Of
their authority to this new iigment, and
the Catholic world may expect shortly to
be edited and astonshcd by the proclama-
ton ola new miracle. wrought, nobody
knows where, nobody knows upon whom,
and nobody knows when. We regard the
step, all things considered, as one of the
most extreme audaciy.
To require tho nineteenth century TO
believe, and that rs truth necessary to sal
yation, a fact utterly and ayowedly un-
known 10 the Apostles, the early Fathers
Of the Church, the Popes, the Martyrs, and
the whole calendar of Saints, and that up
on no b.tter evidence than the opinion of
the Pope and number of Bishops, is
; really stretch of presumption of which
we cou!l not have believed even the Church
Of Rome to have been capable. She is not
content with holding in her hands the Book
of Revelation, which she claims to inter-
pref at her will, and to add to from the
resources Of tradition; sic is now invent
ing and improving new facts, and requir-
- ing them to be received by her votaries
without the slightest attempts at demon
stration. Jthis claim Of The PopeJe ad-
: mittcd, Ae may as geN cancel lie wdolc BiGie,
and ieaOe tie doctrines Of Christianity to Gc
taHgM aaeW al his pleasure. No fact is SO
well established, no conclusion so logical
= and absolute, that lie cannotat lis willover.
throw it.
n Indeed, it is quite evident that this mat.
y ter off tho Immaculate conception cannot
o stay where it is. The same necessity
= which drives the Church Of Rometo make
p the immaculate concipient hersclf the Off
e spring OF an immediate conception will op
: crate with equal force upon the whole sue.
: the Virgin Mary and the beginning Of The
S world. What is true of the mother may
e be alleged with equal force of tho great
e grandmother and the more remote snceS.
tors. II will only be necessary for Pope
, in difficulties to go one step further back,
wards, in order to add new saint 10 the
e calendar, and new miracle to the annals
- i,,f l,o lNa -.
/; but Rome is rich in nomenclature, aud TIC
e same inspiration which reveals. the miracl,
5 will not withhold the name of It's object
| When this is done we may look for an in.
i crease upon authority Of tic plaques o
@ Egypt, the days of the creation, tho mum.
c Der Of the patriatchs, or any other firmly
: settled fact or number. Nothing is 80 true
] that, under this system, it may not Lccom,
e false-notling so false TIN. it may not be-
e come true.
If We shall wait with como curiosity thi;
c bold experiment on the credulity of man
c kind, and iii! succeeds, though wo shal
IS not be able to agree with Mr.. Macaulay
g !hat the teaching Of the Church is tie sam,
c in all ages, we shall certainly be disposed
II to admit to him that, after having dom
e this with impunity, no amount of absurd
o ty, however gross-no deception, liowev
It er transparent-no fraud or falsehood how
d ever glaring, can shake the empire of thc
Roman Catholic Church over the minds o
men, or teach them TO apply to her the SANE
10 canons of common sense and reason will
/ which they measure all other subjects
+ She is about TO make two immaculate con
ceptiOns out of one; if she proceed to mul
y tiply miracles at this rate, and with tn,
! facility, she may incorporate into Christi
q aniiy. in a single hour, all the lying won
q ders of tha Hindoo Pantheon. We know
L Of but two parallels TO such astounding au
, dsciiy-Mahomet, who improved chap
/, ter in the Koran to re-establish the NOR,
d than questionable character of his favorit
J wife, and Joseph Smith who ever had
o new revelation ready 10 conceal a fraud,t
9 secure mistress, or TO punish An enc
IS my.
5: Curing Pork and Hams.