Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-05-29
Correspondence Of the Free Press.
Letters From Europe.
NO. Xxx.

sensations of devout and intelligent Roman
Catholic even from our less superstitious Western
world when he visits Rome. lie sees so much at
every turn to make him feel the glory and honor
and dominion and power of the religious system
in which he believes, and whose superstitons and
dcusivc traditions and fabrications he can over
look more easily than we can, because he can so
easily sec that, as they do him no harm,--as they
are to him not the substance Of his religion,
but NEE obscrvances which those who are wiser
in such matters and perhaps boiler than he have
through all later ages of tho church thought useful
in preserving the faith of the faithful so he need
not presume to crticiso either the ostentation
and luxury of the scarlet eccesiastic, nor the
humber worship and the implicit and uni
vcrsal filth and obedience of those simpler and
perhaps moro pious souls, for whose crcduity no
miracle or superstition, or tradition or SAGE rdota
mpostdrc is too gross to DO believed. In many
of these traditions his cultivated mind finds the
most interesting historical truth, and in and about
Rome he cannot fail to recognize, not literally
the footsteps of the Lord, but liter
ally those of the most distinguished Of
his sacred family, of those who were with him
in his wsnderings In the flesh and who saw him on
the cross. Here the proudest empire the world
has seen bowed down in deep humility and
worshipped Jesus Christ and Him crucifed and
made the instrument of his ignominy the ensign
of his triumph. lie died in Jerusalem but he
triumphed in Rome. The crucifIion was on
Calvary, but it was at Rome that the cross was
painted in tho sky to the eye of Constantine as
tie standard under which he must win his
triumphs. Why should we say that the vision of
the first Christian emperor any more phren.
zy of delrious extasy than that of Paul I Where
more than here. was the blood of the martyrs tho
seed of the church The reasonable Roman
Catholic does not see any moro grounds to doubt
the truth and reality of the sacred relics and loca
tiles which abound in Rome than we do those of
the English and French prosecutions. Tho Roman
Empire was christian 800 years after the cruci6x
ion, and during those three centuries and even
after, the intelligence of ruler and people and
priest anl lay christian quite equal to that Of
tho time of Cranmer and Latimer and
Ridley. We do not doubt IN,
knowledge of the place where they suffered How
many hundreds of pilgrims now visit annually
the houses where such as they and Knox and Cal.
vim and Luther lived-tho pulpits whero thew
preached, and the graves where they lie. win
there ever be any reason to doubt the interesting
relics and localities of the American Revolution Z
and as our country shall extend md our principles
prevail, will they not make tho assurance of
these interesting memorials dou5ly sure. How
much more surely would religious affection and zeal
perpetuatc religious memorials. Every thing in
religious Rome must greatly strengthen the con-
fdonce ofthosc who believe in that religion, and
it is tho highest catholic wisdomwhich requires
the higher Roman Catholic ccclcsastics to visit
Rome from time to time
1t is because there is 80 much that is true and
much-cnough even-that we can not bring
ourselves to doubt hbout-that we are surprised
and chagrinci at the miserable fabrications and
pious frauds that have been made to cover nm
and di'hslre religion wherever the Catholic sys.
TEN exists. free from the eye Of cultivated pro-
teStahtlsm' Inc old Pagan Romans were an es-
oeedingly religious and weakly credulous and su.
perstitious people, and from them have dc scended
by ordinary generation, the same qualities which
are equally characteristic of the Chris.
tan Romans This Roman instinct is not enough
considered nor the homogeneous state of religion in
Italy, when we treat, as we usually do. all that we
see at Rome as a proper part of the Roman Ca
tholic religion. Tho Roman Catholics of Pari,
take to be quite as true and regular and Jealous
catholics, but much less credulous, superstitious
and ridiculous than the Romans Outside of
forms and vcstments and traditions and relics
however, there is much in the Roman system,
which, it seems to me. can cease to shock
all right minded Observation-Disclosures confession
and human absolution-who can forgive sin. but
God only !-thc total absence of Christian char
ity-there is abundance of Roman Catholic char
ity. Sects and errorists may exist in their own
communion and parties of various faiths may be
may be Jesuits and Jansenists
and what not, and the church wrap them all in
her ample bo.om-but &" out of the church thers
is salvation is ono of her cardinal truths and
inquisitorial courts and fagots and tortures and
dungeons and death are the charity she extends
TO the worthest and purest outside of her
pale, whore there is no Protestant influence and
secular power to keep her in check-ungodly in
tolerance and narrow and malignant exclusive.
ness stain her history for hundreds of years. The
Pope as the grand autocrat of the priesthood We
IAN tolerate-but his assumption of divine attri-
outes seems to me to be blasphemous. " HOLY
holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty" then
now is shorn priest " His Holiness :" Thou
halt worship the Lord thy q cd and Him only -
hen how shall we dare to adore the Pope and
'urh incense before him and inplore his blessing
IS our holy Father Let him be the Bishop of
f'me and the King Of the Roman
states, but let him not arrogate |
o himself the authority of the King of Kings a,
he vi,egerent of Heaven and the vicar of Christ,
lisposing of earthly thrones and crowns and Prin-
qualities and powers, and declaring that by him
Kings reign and Princes decree, granting Dispen-
ation' from Divine law and indulgences to sin,
md scattering blessings and curses as a
surper Of GOdlike intalIibility. from the day
he Roman See assumed its temporal power and
eeame secular Monarchy, the Paplcy has pro-
anod ITS religious oiiice and polluted its priesty
estments' and Ee'er TIL! .aas Pope shall lose the
orm as he has already Loot tho substance Of royal
uthority, in becoming the subordinate of one or
mother secular power, can the Roman church go
ack to its primitive character Abolish the
emporal power of the Pope, make him only the
rimate, the Bishop of Bishops, the arch Bishop
Canterbury Of the word-the spiritual earthly
- $50 N''''NHi ouPloilcu W It's Contributions |
4 such pontleal splendor as you please, but
thout dungeons or prisons or tortures or maui.
ions or thunders or terrors except ecclesiastical
mot iorbidiing to marry-not compelling auri-
liar couiession-and how long would il be before
le Greek church and very considerable portion I
all protestant prelatica churches. would quietly
knowledge him as the Shepherd and Bishop Of
loir folds In my opinion not fifty years.
found here much admiration for Archbishop
ughes of New York. Indeed, Mariana, nv
'lct, who had been for months also the vale, of
Re Archbishop during his stay at Rome, said that 6
10 Archbishop was great fayorite of the Pope I
msef as well az Of the people-his Holiness 7
wing once sent him fine fish from the Tiber for 5
5 table and having shown other secular eviden-
s-it may SO say-of his friendship for him,
lch of course werc exceedinpIy ac,can,oIIa 4.