The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1881-04-13
For the Central Presbyterian.
Rome and Relics.
PETERSBURG, VA, March 30, 8

er in Richmond, DR.. Hoge quoted the
words of the Psalmist, Precious in the
sight of the Lord is the death of his
saints" and then added, "precious also
in the sight of the Lord is the dust of
his saints" In the next issue of the
Catholic Nsitor the editor quoted the
remark OF DR.. Hoge as to the precious
ness OF the dust of Gods saints, and then
added, this" q quote substantially ais
the reason of the generation which the
Catholic Church pays to the relics Of
saints"
These two statements, that of Dr. Hoge
and that of the Catholic Visitor, thus
brought into juxtaposition, naturally
suggest some thoughts as to the differ
ence between the generation paid by
Protestants to the remains of Gods
saints who have departed this life, and
that paid by Roman Catholics.
AS Protestants we give great venera-
ton to the bodies of Gods sleeping saints,
though 1T is not of the same kind with
that paid by Roman Catholics. Ours is
tender, loving regard, tinged with
feeling of reverence for structures which
the Holy Ghost has been pleased to in
habit as His temple, and which, though
destined for a time to return to their
kindred dust, will one day, under the
power of this inhabiting spirit, be re-
habilitated, and fitted in incorruptible
and fadeless beauty to become the dwell
ling places of glorifed spirits forever.
The Roman Catholic worships this sleep
ing dust as truly as the Chinaman wor-
ships the spirits of his departed ancestors
or the Hindoo his idol gods. For while
in theory the highest form of Worship
that of adoration-is to be paid only to
few relics, such as the wood of the true
cross, the nails and other instruments of
crucifixion, the crucifxes and other eff
figies of our Saviour in wood or metal or
stone; yet in fact, as any one who has
visited a Roman Catholic country has
but too painfully witnessed these subtle
distinctions of Latria and dzaIlSa are prac-
tically broken down, and the poor de-
voice before the shrine which contains the
skull of some medieval saint, bends the
knee and offers devotion that belongs
of right to the worship of God alone
But 1T is not my purpose to discuss at
any length the difference in the nature
of the veneration paid, though that is
worldwide reverence paid by the
Protestant being Scri plural and whole
some-the worship paid by the Romanist
being snperstitious and degrading. l
wish rather to call attention to the diff
ferent manner Of expressing this venera-
ton in the two cases. And for this pur-
pose the incident commented upon by
the Catholic Vlsitor-the burial of the
revered and lamented DR.. Plumer-fur-
| nishes most admirable illustration on
the Protestant side.
A great man in our Protestant ranks
had fallen. After sanity life, filled to
its full measure of more than three-score
years and ten, with labor and with
honor, this grand old patriarch had
gathered his feet upon his bed and had
given up the ghost, as we might conceive
Abraham or Jacob or Job to have done.
Then, when solemn and impressive re-
ligious services had been held, and hun
dreds had looked with fearful eyes upon
the face which once beheld could never
be forgotten, devout men lifted the bier
which contained his mortal remains and
bore them silently, solemnly, reverently
out to beautiful Hollywood. There,
in one of the loveliest of all earths Gem
eteries, by the side of the beloved wife,
the almost lifelong companion, with I'M
covered heads and with fearful eyes we
laid the sacred body in the ground, to
sleep undisturbed in it's quiet repose un-
til the morning of the resurrection.
Thither fresh flowers, the emblems of the
resurrection, are constantly borne. There
reverently tread the feet of those who
loved and honored him in life, those who
revere and love his memory now that he
is gone. May the turf that is above his
head never be broken. May the sanctity
of his tomb never be invaded. Palsied
be the arm that would disturb the
sacred shrine where, under the guar
dianship of the Holy Spirit, the dust is
returning to the dust as it was. There
we laid him: There may he lie in the
arms of eternal love, and upon the pill
low of immortal hope, until the trumpet
shall sound, and he shall come forth to
meet his glorifed Lord in the air.
[ turn now to the Roman Catholic
method of expressing veneration for the
dust of Gods saints And the editor of
the Visitor will not object, am sure, to
my looking forward to the honors which
his Church may yet have in store for
him. Let me suppose, what is not at all
impossible that, through the promotion
of prelates that are now over him. and