New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-03-22

That sound so grand on
The peasant waters
OF the river Lee.
Religious Emancipation.
At the usual weekly meeting of the
Liberal Club in Plimpton Hall yesterday
evening an address was delivered by Rev.
w. R. Alger, of Boston, on "The Steps
Toward Religious Emancipation in Chris
tendon" The small audience room was
closely packed, and the lecturer was fol
lowed with the closest and most earnest
attention. The substance Of Mr.. Alger's
lecture was as follows:
For the 500 or 600 years called the middle
ages ChristendOm presented an unbroken
unity. The authority of the Roman hierarchy
was unquestioned, supported by the pure
morality it taught and the self-will of the
priesthood. The resistance met by the
Church came from the ignorant and vicious
who hated its restraints, from the struggles
of secular rulers against Entertainments on
the prerogative. and the protests Of think
ers against the doing OF their thinking for
them. All were peremptorily and quickly
suppressed. Philosophers bowed before
monks; gOwned canons revised the Roman
law; kings kneeled to lift to his stirrup the
foot of the vicegerent of God. The submis-
sion was not as complete and dramatic as it
has been painted, but its effects were none
the less real and far-reaching. After nine
centuries of holy toll and sacrifice Christen
dom, as full of crime and horror as of purity
and religious inspiration, presented front
of universal submission. This imposing
spectacle of uniformity, scarcely conceived
and never attained before or since. was the
product of natural and artificial causes
what may be called the will of Providence
and the self-will of an imperious priesthood.
To separate the spiritual life and the ex-
allied morality of the Church from the bigot-
ed tyranny of its spiritual rulers was for
long time a hopeless problem. This had
been so because behind the unity was COM
mon acceptance of doctrinal faith. Briefly
outlined it was belief that the fiat earth,
embracing the three continents and sur
roanded by ocean, stood solitary in space,
while around it swept the sun, moon and
stars; above it was heaven, with the etiquette
and ceremonial of an Oriental court; under
it hell the penal prison of the devil and
his angels; around the human race, heirs
of Adams guilt and redeemed by an in.
carnate God. centres the drama of the uni
verse. The Bible was mysterious book
inspired by the spirit OF God and interpreted
through the supernatural commission of the
church. which offered immunity by confess
sion, baptism, mass and penance. To be-
lieve this was salvation, not to accept it was
damnation. The faith of the medieval
church repOsed on two pillars, abject
and ignorant superstition and the unscru-
pulOus use OF power to suppress free
opinion. With murderous ferocity monks
and soldiers, bishops and kings, popes
and emperOrs Wed in extermnating
heretics. The outward union that sprang
from inward belief and outward cere-
mony obtained at such cost was an in
evitable stage in the evolution of history.
To think otherwise were to discredit any
thinking unity in historical progress. How
this conformity, protected by such dreadful
weapons, faded is an inquiry which can not
fail to throw light on our present condition
rs well as our future and our duty to both.
Whatever tended to dispel belief lessened
the power of enforcing this uniformity.
Swiftly flies the element Of power, belief
from all faith hallowef by lie. Three
causes lessened bigotry and increased sym
PATTY among them. The contests of ruling
powers gave the people an opportunity to
nforce their rights. The study of the Greek
literature, independent and outside of the
church, and the Bible liberalzed and refined
The narrow dogmatic minds of the Christian
world. An aggravated sense of the folly of
their fellow Christians arose among sensible
men prosecuted for opinion and moderated
their zeal in after hours of triumph. Chief
Of the higher priesthood. Culture produced
variety and freedom. Differing opinions
without hostile divisions brought about
tolerance and liberty. Each party was
forced to allow what it demanded. The
flashing rights of the secular and spiritual
arm in their perpetual conflicts, conflicts
which will terminate only when the secular |
shall absorb and assimlate the spiritual.
shook the faith of the people. When the |
1lvine right OF kings met the divine right |
IF the Pope, both suffered in the efforts |
each made for supremacy.
The first great step was toward spiritual |
emancipation, free sonship IN Christ. |
Arnold of Brescia, Sayonarola, Wyclitfe
,ried out for freedom in vain. but Luther |
'Ose in revolt, with third of Christendom
vt his back. Yet his theology was more
lbsurb than the Pope's. He did not com. |
,lete his work, it is still advancing,
Austrlas broken cOncOrdat, the German |
evolt, disestablished Irish Church, |
italy emanclpated as by miracle are events |
whose nearness hides their magnitude. The |
econd great step was settling the canon of |
scripture. dogmatic theology can not rest |
N supernatural foundation alone, it must |
AVE an inspired volume. Warning sects |
estlng their claims on authorized interpre- |
alton meet an overstrOng citation by deny |
ng its authenticity. 1t is found that this |
vi important rule has itself been decided |
y ridiculous triaes-by the bare majority |
# council, by the within, the accident of |
ecclesiastical power. Its biography, its |
acts. and its authorship are now found to
re matters OF no consequence whatever. |
ts morality and it's spiritual life no crit. |
ism can alter or change. single text in |
revelation was held in THE first ten cen.
uries to fix the day of judgment in the |
ear 1000. When the cum rose clear on the |
rst day of 1901 pail of dread was rolled |
rom the landscape, but the dogmatic unity |
I Christendom never recovered from the |
hook. The application of the reasoning |
the Cosmopolitan Academy to the thee,
les Of the cloister led to another forward |
tep: The school Of Aquinas gives us ex-
uisite profound speculation vitiated by |
oregOne conclusions. ScOtus, Kant and |
'oleridge well-nigh destroyed the system Of |
ogmstic belief, leaving only its words, in |
inning to reconcile faith to philosophic |
ormula-an useful as q mental gymnastic
training the mind for independent pro |
rees. The old doctrines IRE translated into |
,edeFn terms and no longer believed in
heir original forms. = -.
This tendency 10 aided BY the study Of