, 1876-12-02

B J. h Inu Dlr,m

tire has passed from his hands ; his SOW.
crcgnty has departed. He has been a
royal master in his day but we must
leave him with the nations that are in
eternal peace. Still, we shall claim the
right to draw what succor for mankind
we can from his history his good Ic-
suits may be praised the evil may he
condemned that it may be avoided and
his high handed misdcmcanOrs may re-
crivc faithful exposition at the hands OF
the historian, that they may no longer
awe by their authority, or attract by the
splendor of their assumption, or hy their
plausibiIity
We are asked If this king has left no
successor. He has. TOlcratiOn has been
duly announced from the balconies OF
the old palaces Of power rs the lcgiti.
mate sovereign TO rule in his stead. The
people have acknowledged him, and his
throne is set up in their midst The pa.
geant has passed, and the paths OF com.
merce, industry, science, the arts, and lit
crature are pursued with lighter heart,
Il clearer brain, and tirmer tread of
mankind.
Infinite assertion (pardon the phrase
was the only authority of the ancient
Catholicism. The decree of thc Pope
was the voice of heaven, and no power
on earth could say nag and be heard.
Such presumption, in thousands OF re.
corded historical instances, was reward
cd with the rack and the stake. No
matter how natural it was for man to
reason, to question the sacrcdness Of that
which did not seem sacred, he must not
reason, he must not question. If he did,
death was held up as the penalty. The
word Of the Church was not TO he doubt.
ed or reasoned upon, because, if permit
ted to reason, the right of doubling was
conceded and with the right of doubling
the right of believing the evidences that
compelled to conclusion antagonistic
to that maintained by the Church. The
reasoning must he left to the Bishop; the
laity was only to exercise faith and wor-
ship God according to the decrees of a
Council of Bishops.
This made Catholicism military sys-
TEN, with all the rigors OF military law in
the discipline OF the Church. 1t was the
exact opposite of individualism it de-
MED to man the privilege OF worshiping
God according to the dictates of his own
conscience. 1t stood between man and
his God as a sacred and authoritative me-
diator, pretending to receive the will of
God from heaven, and interpreting that
will to man. 1t cut man off from God /;
it cut him off from communication with
his own conscience and reason it denied
to him the use of these faculties in sac
red matters it reduced him to the po-
sition Of the unreasoning animal; it de-
prived him Of all high prerogatives of
human intelligence in the most import
ant and sacred interests OF his existence.
Such power was the natural enemy
of intellectual advancement, of the nat
ural exercise of the reason in all its legit.
innate functions. Whenever thought com.
menced, there the power of the Pope and
the authority of the Council of Bishops
were shaken. II men, would think, il
reason would operate in human affairs in
the world of faith as well as the world
OF physics, the authority of this tyran
nicle dogmatism must be disturbed
From this necessity for the preparation
Of the human reason to work, investi
gate, satisfy itself, Luther appeared, ant
the doors of Rome were sealed. Th,
real work Of Luther was not to intro
duce another infaIhblc faith into til,
world than that promulgated at Rome
but to introduce greater freedom OF re
ligious thought, to break the old despot
ism that had long oppressed the nations
Still, Luther did not complete tn
work he commenced. His work orl
substituted another despotism for on
that had passed away, yetnot so sever
and completely intolerant. His despot
ism was tempered by greater liberalism
il the element of liberalism can besaid I,
enter into despotism. It could not b
expected that Catholicism, which ha
contributed SO much to the education @
rSh hn l.. v