Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-09-14


tended circulation, in order to correct wrong impress
siOns. Yours &c.,
j. McGILL, Bishop OF Richmond.
To The EplToR or TIE N,TIoyAL AMERICAN:
Dear Sir:-SU. being personally acquainted with
YOU, do hot know whether or not am asking too
much from your sense of justice, when request you
10 insert this communications You have nssnlled me,
the report Of third party, with the grave ac
ciisatlon 6t dcsccr0ting thanksgiving day with Il
''politlcul hargnguc.' Would i, not have been
consistent withna laws uf charity, first To ascertain
if YOU had received correct nfornation' | deny thar
intended, really delivered, "a political harangue
on the day designa;cd and ! maintain, that
have never attempted, or delivered. Il 'poitcnl ha
rnngue' since | united my lot with the ministry
which you affect 10 dcsplse.
The discourse which ! delivered in the Catholic
Church on "hank- -giving dny" was dciurcd from the
2ith chapter OF the Second Book of Kings where
the sin of David i'll numbering the people is set forth
and the prophet announces 10 him, the part o Cod
TINT he shall be punished either by seven years of
famine, by war, defeat and flight before his ndver-
rrics for three months, b. "ihrce days Of pcsii
lcnce in the land and the prophet gave him his
choice Of these three aiiiicons David chose, in his
great strait. to fail into the hands of Eud rather
than into "thc hands OF mem" and he selected pest!-
ience, which III the three days. destroyed ',cvcny
thousand men from Dan To Brrsabee.' When the
King humh!el hmsel, and built M altar I" the Lord
and offered h0locausts and peace offerings the Lord
became meciiul to tic land, and the plague was stay
ed from Israel
your readers the task nj reading this discourse, nor
infict upon myself the trouble of writing II ont but
will show its plan aud substance, that YOU may Judge
If the grnleInan whusc Zeal supplied yuu with Inor-
nation, an attentive hrarcr or n Just reporter.
| announced that the affections which humanity
has 10 endure, are the punishment N SR, by which
death and all those evils which prcccdc il, entered
into the world. That i'll the economy OF Gods pro-
yidence with respect 10 his favored people, temporal
rewards and punshmcnis more frequently
awarded than now, under the Christian dspensation,
in which spiritual pnn:shments and rewards for the
chnsti.emen of sin and the encouragement n virtue,
are more commonly dispensed by Almighty God;
that nevertheless, the history of the Church ana oi
the world since the ,lays Of the saviour Inanests nr-
nerous examples like those recorded in the old tcs1n-
m.it, where God has sent upon individuals, cpmmu.
mites aud nations de-o!ating affections, proving hs
displeasurr, md consequently showing that he had
been offended By sin.
And vet, argued, that in these vsitations of his
anger which were doubtless provoked by sin, it was
not always upon the offenders only that the blow fell
rs was plain from the passage OF scripture Wtich
came especially under our consideration, and IN
which we behold seventy thousand men struck with
dcnrh, because OF the sin of their king, who Is thus
humble and chnsled in the mistoruncs Of the peo
pie over whom he is placed as shepherd and guar
dian. Hence, when we see communities afflicted by
terrible viSnpi, Ike that which Is d"s"la'lug SIS
ter cities ni our State, while we cannO. infer that tn"
victims of the plague rhr guilty persons, may
suppose ihnt somewhere there exists sin which hns
prnrokrd Almighty God 10 anger, and which He has
resolved 10 cLastise. That these dispensanns are
from his providence and that He holds the sc"ursc i'll
his hund seems 10 be recognized by tie net of our
municipal authority, in setting apart this day ms day
of for favUrS tn ourselves and Of prayer
that He would in his mercy stay tho plague from :hr
communities which are afflicted As M one can pc
nctrate the couisrls of the Almighty or know his
udtrncnts il would not be lawful for III to attempt IL
say what sin wns here punished or b. whom committed
whether bv the people themselves or by their rulers
nv the particular portion Of the country afflicted or
by the whole country. But, if l were allowed Ia d
vine what sin it is which. in our day particularly has
provukeG Gods displcasu.c should be iRci'ncd 10
desipnatc ne sin 0t h aow Nobinsism; because hold
inc as do th. Catholic Church to be divine and the
rue church Of Christ, consider secret conspiracy
orranizcd for its destruction is sin, which. sauncr
or later, will be visited with Gods dspleasur", and
he punished by him. But against my inclination To
designate this rs the cause of this terrible calamity
which our whae State, and even sister States in
sympathy suffering, find other places much more
criminal in their efforts against the church, and gully
of boodshcd and violence, is for instance, L0"srWe
the chief city of the State III which i was reared
where the most horrible deeds have been perpetrated,
deeds which cry TO lIeuven-and YET they are spared
from any such visitation. go,
A.. il must have been distorted version ot the
passage which your infnrncr carried I" you, ana
which has elected from you 'the severe reprobalon
with which YOU have been pleased 10 speak of my
DISCOURSE need not proceed furt her i'll my statement
of il. but may be permitted to ask your attention TO
these facts.
First. should consider it presumptuous in me TO
attempt To define the cause ot Cod anger! anu did
mt do so in my discourse, nor have IN my private
Judgment allowed my mind 10 come TO this conclu-
SION I felt then, rs | feel now, that II ] lad the
r,ht 10 iudpc should, among the sins of our day,
select the sn of know Noth'nctsm aS the one most
likely to bring down vistations OF Gou dSl'e"Sure
upon our country.
fSccondly did not in my discourse, and do not
here sneak of Know Nothiussm rs poi"'rn' h'org,
or of the legitimate objects which those WHO DelohS
to this party may seek 10 secure by legitimate means
hut spoke of il rs organized and secret coilspi.
racy against what | believe me true reilsoh VI
Christ, and the true church of God, and hence I'M
moral and sinful. Immoral, because hold II 10 De
immoral TO take au oath before man knows 10 ~hat
his oath will bind him aud whether The ihlng be a"iui
or not and MntN, because opposition 10 the church
of God is opposition 10 God. ,,..:,,
DISPUTE nv conclusion, but | presume you are too
good logcium to say, that with convcll"i! "i the
truth Of my premises, could come To any oher con-
cusiou. You certainly 90 not now, Tor thc hrS te'
leurn that consider professionalism SINFUL oecau'e
heresy and vet must tell you that do not regard
as soreprehcnsIbe ne Know othn2sm
in its features of secrecy and bosy 10 CntnoHciy'
Pr0trstnntiSm is an open adversary, aia nS'l's OUT
Church in the name o religion anu WIFE PtlVale III
Of the Bible kn0r. NoLhing'$m wages
yvor rpou our Church, under the shelter of secret
Oas %aI Wrapped p 1 in the folds of the flag Of
try, for which our people in common with other cl'
zeps expended their treasures aud blood ana III tne
name Of American Freedom, that Is OF the rgnts OF
man and of COINCIDENCE or Of civil and religious ber
ty. w M suppose yon do not consider the Catholic Bis
cp or Priest as delivering political harrangues,'
when he defends his Church and religion against tue
assaults of professionalism, and why should he be con-
sidered guilty Of turning his pulpit 10 political uses,
when this new attack upoa the Church is made by adj
versaries, the more dangerous, because masked and
in Heaven thnn ~ .naves and fishes here, TO houurs
and offices, and influence, distinction and success
You are pleased to sheer at cur regard for images,
and msrepresent Inc veneration we have for them as
substitution of them for God; but il is more 10 be
feared hut others than ourselves should fall into that
service Of idols" spoken of by the Apostle in their
veneration for the images they love and
vensrate ss they see them gittering on inc top ot