New-York tribune., 1881-03-27

Lilo thot s many, of the early heretics should nave
aanounced xedlock. When old Mother Lee, spe
first Shaker set np such doctrine, perhaps sne nsu
no idea how old it was--this mouldy though nov
venerable notion of the Tatianists, the Apo'ao''o1
the Excaceati not to mention dozen othcl soo s''
Celibacy was long regarded as . Chrissian sn'uo,
and subsequently, as o priestly qnaiinca'ion -
the time of Cypran, the comparative moi''s :,
nartyrdom and celibaey were rated as onc nunu'o- ~
to sixty st. Patrick, in the fifth century ".o
elaborate classification, rates bishops and aoctors
81 IN. C,burch. monks ami single women, at one
hundred ecclesiastics in general and widows pro
fesscd at SIXTY; while the faithful laity only s'an
Mt thirty. Many of the Fathers have extravagans
notions upon this subject. ] find the Shaker doc-
trine upon this point well set forth in curious
book. entitled: The Testimony OF Chrises sesohu
Annearina. Published by order Of the Ministry.
Union Village. Ohio; 1928" In this ood work
find Martin Luther described as q daninaDio
man - q a miserable sinner and an imperious ana
persecutlnc tyrant,' his principal offence appa-
rently being that he married the excellent Casna-
rina Won Bora
An interesting history might be written OF raise
Messiahs, and especially OF Sabatat SeVi' wno
about the middle of the seventeenth century ap-
peared at Smyrna and proclaimed himselt 10 'ne
Jews as their Messiah. Evelyn says tnaS INC To
port of Sabatal and his doctrine few through sno0o
parts Of Turkey which tho Jews lnnaOlteui 'noy
were so deeply possessed of their new kineuoni anu
their promotion to honor that none OF them al
tended TO business of any kind, except to prepare
for a Journey to Jerusalem" unfortunately
sabatai was so jealous that he was locked uD IN
the Castle of Abydos, where we are told ne COM
nosed n new mode of worship" He was carried 10
Adrianople and his divinity put to singular test
The Grand Sejgnior ordered him to DO strippeu
naked and set up as target for the arcnsrs W
shoot at II his skin proved aIrow-proof MS preten
sions were TO be admitted. Upon this. SaDaeai
acknowledged himself to be humbug, ana 70 save
his life turned Turk declaring that he had long oeen
desrous of making so glorious profession. Inc
Jews who were all ready to start for Jerusalem
were much chaGrined at this proceeding-the histo-
rian saws that they were overcome with CONFUSION
and detection Of spirit"
Richard Brothers was one of the last OF the raise
Messiahs, and he made good deal OF noise ana hoS
a few converts in England toward the close Oh inc
last century lie undertook to restore the Dilnd 10
siGht; he saw visions; he emitted propnecles; ne
nnblisbed n new gospel, entitled, "A Revealed
knowledge Of the Prophecies and Times. Among
his disciples was Sharpe, the celebrated engraver
together with Dir. Halked, Mp, who IS SAID 10
have been man of considerable learning. Ihey
came enamored of Miss Cott, who had been in the
same plaee. to whom he wrote q love-lettcr OF zoo
pages styling her in it, the recorded daughter OF
King David and future Queen Of the Hebrews.
Afterward, when he became still more enamoren,
he called her tho recorded daughter OF DAVID ana
Solomon from which wo may infer that ne was
crazy indeed Richard died in Bedlam.
One last example Of religious pretension VIII
bring us nearer home. Robert Matthews, better
known as Matthias, came to New-Iork 70 WoIA DC
= bouse-cornenter. and was married in 1873 About
1900 no lepan to preach in the streets OF Albany.
He permitted his beard to grow; he wore grotesque
clothing; he was repeatedly arrested tor making
disturbance; he professed to be Jew; nc ue-
claimed against freemasonry; sometimes ho
mounted an old and half starved horse When
Matthews came to Ncw-York he found several re-
snectable men and women already half crazcd by
rel,gions delusons ready to receive him. He de-
clarea TO them that he was the Spirit of Truth; !;
that the Spirit of Truth had disappeared from the
eorth nj tho death OF the Matthias mentioned in the
New Testament: that the Spirit OF Christ had en-
tered INTO that Matthias, and that he was the same
Matthias tho APOSTLE of the New Testament, risen
from the dead" OF course he obtained converts.
Some of them were rich, and they spent their
money freely in making the knave comfortable and
in dressing bim expensyely. Among other things
he wore n rich slken scarf interwoven with gold'
from which were suspended twelve golden tassels,
cmbematical of the twelve tribes of Israel" he
denounced "swines flesh." If you eat piece OF
pork" he said, 1t will go crooked through you'
; ana the Holy Ghost will not stay in you. but one
or the other must leave the house pretty soon"
The resut of all this tomfoolcry that the prin-
cipal disciple was sent TO Bloomingdale Lunatic
ASYLUM. while tho prophet was consigned to Belle
ho ahnrn NJ his fayOrIto beard, the
loss Of which he greatly lamented. At Blooming
dale his disciple came gradually to his senses. Mat
thews was released from Bellevue Hospital, and
continued thereafter to preach with undim'nished
ensrov Some of his dupes conveyed their property
10 him. and then went into insolvency. Ultimately
he was found out and discarded; and being sus-
pected OF poisoning one OF his dupes he was arrested
and brought from Sing Sing to New-York for exam
| ination. Subsequently he was tried for swindlng
| and appeared al the bar in his richest and most
| fantastic garb, with his pink-lined green coat
crimson SASH lace ruies at his wristbands, silver
snn upon his left and stars Of the metal on the
right side OF his breast" The indictment was
abandoned. and Matthews taken to Westcnester to
be tried for the poisoning but upon this charge ht
was found not guilty. A complaint was immedi
ately made against him for beating his married
| daughter and upon this he was found guilty. ano
| sent to prison for three months
This case of Matthews made great noise in New
York at the time of these events; and the news
papers were full of it, OF the subsequent career o.
the prophet know nothing, except that he died II
Arkansas. Those who would have further in
formation concerning him ore referred to Mr.
William l.. stones interesting book, entitled
matthias and His Ilnpostures or the Progress o.
Fanaticism. New-York 1885"
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