The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-12-29
For the Central Presbyterian.
Rome and Sacred History.
PETERSBURG, VA, Dec. ed, so.


he is an American, now living and min
lstering in Baltimore, so that he may be
considered as representative of the latest
and most enlightened thought of the
Church whose teachings he expounds !;
the other, that his writings have not only
passed under the scrutiny of the best the
ologians and highest dignitaries OF his
Church In this country so as to receive
their impr1mat1r, but they have the
highest encomiums of the most competent
Judges in the Roman Cotholic Church as
sound, solid, and orthodox" and are
commended to the faithful every where III
the most extravagant terms of praise
The utterances of these books then are
not to be looked upon simply as the ut
terances of an individual, but as the au
thoritative teachings of the Church which
places Its sanction upon them, and of that
Church at this present moment, and i'll
this enlightened country in which these
Archbishops and Cardinals who endorse
Father Muller" live.
Now make bold to say that nothing
would astonish one unacquainted with
the genius of Romanism more than to SET
the GOODNESS and quietness with which
Scripture narratives are embellished, ex.
aggerated, and interpolated to suit the
fancy OF the writer, without single
word to intimate to the reader that he
has passed from the realm of fact to that
of romance, or that what he is reading as
inspired history is the sheer coinage OF
the authors fancy, or the day dream OF
some old mystic whose legends have been
canonized by the Church.
Let us take just single instance from
this work of Father Muller's," "The
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass" He has
chapter on 1.-The Mass as a renewal OF
Christ's passion" and in this connection
gives detailed history of His trial and
crucifxion. Now certainly if there is
any place in all history where we have
right to demand that historian shall
contine himself in statements of fact to
the records, and where our whole nature
should rise in revolt against any exagger-
alton of the facts in the case, or any in
terp ,lation into the record OF facts that
never existed, tits in this sorrowful his
tory of the cruclfxion of our Lord. And
yet let any reader take the CHASTITY, sick
ening, horrible details, painted by the
morbid imagination of this writer, and
contrast them with the tender reserve OF
the sacred writer's, and his Indignation
will scarcely know any bounds.
Let me give you a single quotation
from the narrative of our Lords arrest
and trial:
The soldiers who had witnessed or
heard of Christ's miracles, thinking him a
magician, feared lest he should escape
from their hands; therefore they bound
strongly his sides, arms, and neck with
two long ropes and heavy chain which
had been used to open and close the
prison-gate. At the end of this chain
were manacles wherewith they fastened
his hands behind. After binding him
thus cruelty they set out from Mount
Olivet with great noise and tumult, some
dragging him forward, others backward
so that he was cast violently to the ground
They vented their rage by inhicting blows
upon his face, head, and body. They
tore his garments, plucked his beard
dragged him by the hair, and forced the
points of their sticks into his sides, struck
him on his shoulders, and dragged him
from one side of the street to the other
The Lord fell many times striking ns
face against the ground with great pain
having his hands chained behind HI
back his divine face becoming covered
with wounds. X They conducted hin
to the tribunal of Annas. 1t was there
that Jesus received on his virginia. face
that cruel blow from the ungrateful, bar
barous hand of the servant whose ear he
had miraculously restored in the garden
of Gethsemane. So cruel was this blow
that it broke all his teeth, and caused the
blood to flow profusely from his eyes,
nose and mouth. Sometime after mid
night it was decided by the Council that
while they would retire to rest, jesus
should be thrown, bound as he was, into
a dungeon used for great robbers and
murderers, so obscure that scarcely ray
of light could penetrate its darkness, and
80 loathesome as to be insupportable
Thither they dragged the Son of God by
the cords and chains with which they had
bound him in the garden. Then they
chained him in such a manner that he
could neither lie nor sit. + + For the
scourging they chose six young men, re.
markable for their strength and barba
rous cruelty. They led Jesus into the
court, where there was a pillar, and re-
moved the handouts, chains, and cords.
Thav tore off hia o,arroepts 1oa,,;rc, l.; M