Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-04-25
Rev. Mar. Gilbert's Discourse.

At the Congregational church, Sab
bath morning, Rev. Mr.. Gilbert, a re-
turned missionary from Chill, officiated
in place of Mr.. johnson. now absent in
New York.
A native of the neighboring village of
Pittsford, and a graduate of the Univer-
sity of Vermont, it was with peculiar
satisfaction that he now occupied pull
pit where, twelve years ago, he was or
dained to the Gospel ministry, and where
in imagination, he now called up three
gentlemen then present-Rev, DR.. Kirke
of Boston, now debarred by blindness
| from active work, Rev. DR.. Charles
Walker and Rev. DR. Aiken, the last two
gone on before, but the memory of
whose benefcent lives, freighted with
wise counsels and good deeds, is still
with us.
While yet pursuing his theological
studies, and before he had determined
his future, the question presented itself
Do Roman Catholics possess the Gospel?
not whether their doctrine is founded
upon the principles of Christianity, but
whether they really have the pure, I'M
diluted, unperverted Gospel We be-
lieve only in one mediator, the ever liv-
/ ing Son of God ; they in a countless
number of dead saints where one
prayer asCends from their lips to the
Savior, a dozen are addressed to the
Virgin Mary. Having decided they were
vet cropping in the dark. he dedicated
himself to the missionary work Be
lieving his field of labor to be upon this
continent, he went to Santiago, Chill. in
1861, under the auspices of the American
/ and Foreign Christian Union. The sec
/ Ond missionary to 90 there, he was the
first to preach in the Spanish language.
Although his progress was at first slow,
at length the numbered those who re-
ceivcd instruction from him became so
numerous that his house would no long
er hold them, and the government law
having been somewhat modified, they
were enabled to build a church, and
have now very fine one, costing S14, =
900. all paid for.
An occurrence which materially adj
vanced the cause of Christ in Santiago
was the burning of an immense Jesuit
church there in 1868, some two or three
thousand people perishing in the con-
tiagratiOn. This great loss of life was
mainly attributable to the fanatiCism of
a priest, who urged the audience to re-
main in the church, until finally despair
ing of the intcrposition of the Virgin
Mary. he made good his own escape
through the robing room, locking the
door behind him that he might save its
contents. The church had been twice
destroyed 10y an earthquake, this being
its second destruction by fire. The in
dignation of the people WAS aroused.
many thought ii Judgment from IIeav-
en-. and after IOUg petitionimg to the
government, its walls were lcyrlcd with
the ground. and a bpautiiul park now
marks its site.
He had seen for sal" in the stores of
Santiago belts Of iron Wire with blunt
points, made to cucircie the body. and
whips armed with sharp points, with
which good Catholics scourge themselves
in cxpiltion Of their sius-t5r even the
priests cannot wholly cleanse the drtiled
soul som" remnant of the worlds i'm
purity still cliugs to them. only to he
shaken off in purgatory, through masses
bought and paid for Even Il deceased