Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-05-14

denounced; the Pontifx Maximus
Christendom declared to be anti Christ. and
men everywhere sang of liberty, progress,
enlightenment and development Germany
was free. God hung His rainbow of peace
and hope in the pathway of the storm, and
the sullen thunders which lately shook the
land died away. Germany was freed No
more lndulgences; no more papal nuncios
debating terms of submission TO a war like
people; no more martyr fires or inquisition
dungeons; no more senseless professions
or imposing idolatries. The Germans were
free. They had the Word of God, faithful
pastors, learned doctors and warrior
princes. Protestant bishops governed
Protestant sees; Protestant professors and
Protestant students thronged the universe
ties, and mighty thoughts which have since
become engines of power throughout the
civilized world were sown broadcast among
the people.
The spirit of professionalism went forth to
redeem the world. England shook off the
yoke of Papal allegiance, the Bohemians and
the Netherlanders awoke from their slumber,
France made an effort to regain her ancient
liberties, and the mountain solitudes and
cantons of Switzerland echoed with the cry
of liberty and religious freedom. Every
where the Church of Rome, supported by
the prestige of hoary antiquity, by immense
wealth, by crowned princes, crafty prelates,
fanatical zeal, and the dread powers of the
Inquisition endeavored to stay the tide, to
suppress the REBEL Gus spirit that dare
question her ancient authority, but all 10 no
purpose. God Numbered in the heavens;
the spirit of truth through, a thou
sand throats, denounced the spirit of false
hood Rome was attacked; ages before the
Cloths and the Vandais, the fierce ancestors
of these Germans, destroyed the metropolis
of the world, now their descendants enter
the list with Catholic Rome and before the
astonished gaze of nations despoil her of her
trumperies, of her arrogant assumptions,
over the lives and consciences of men. What
if she had been utterly destroyed! Who is
bold enough to declare what the present con-
dition of the world would have been. What
would Spain, Portugal South America and
Mexico have been? What would Ireland
and Italy have been? But Rome was des-
tined to revive. Unaccustomed to breathe
the rarified atmosphere of liberty, the I'M
manageable masses became intoxicated with
conscious individual power; they called no
man master SO that in breaking away
from ecclesiastical tyrannies, superstitious
tradition and corruptions. freedom became
anarchy, progress, revolution, and develop
ment destruction. Counter defamation set
in and Professionalism lost one-half of
Europe. Immediately on the downfall of
the Papacy thus sprung into existence re
igious order which gave battle to the world
in defense of Rome The members of this
order surrendered all allegiance to the
church, to her they devoted their time,
their talents, their wealth, and life itself,
and went forth to combat the principles of
Al, 10,
the sway of the Papacy TO every cline.
How can present to you the accounts Of
their sacrifices, their labors and
their triumphs in support of
an idea which was corrupt
in its conception. Time would fall to tell of
thei1 exploits in Germany, north and south,
in Italy, ia Switzerland, in France, in Hol-
land, in England, everywhere they went
they were filed with the same ides OF allie
glance to Rome, and of the subjugat'on once
more of the whole world to its sway. This
thought was the inspiration of their lives,
the sole impelling power which drove them
forward in their conquests, and with this
inspiration they began the counter reforma-
ton in the age after Luther and restored
Romanism to nearly all Europe
We now ask, has history no teachings for
us who live in this age of conflict in this
age of doubt and reconsecration. when
the world is teeming with pernicious doe
,rines; intoxicated with conceptions of its
own glory, with It's mighty achieve
ments in the illinitable domains
of physical science; when the Church
OF Chri is draining her Golfers of the last
cent, contesting every inch of ground with
the hosts of sin, and crying aloud for reap
ers to enter the harvest fields of the world /?
The Church of Christ of to-day,
i f meaning thereby evangelical
resemblance to the Roman Church of
have seen, was opposed for its unrighteous-
ness, for its betrayal of the gospel of the
Lord Jesus Christ for deposing Christ him
self, and usurping his authority as King of
the World The Church of Christ is in turn
now attacked by the Church of Rome, and by
foes on every hand. Never in the history
of the church was such conflict before her
as at present, and never was such victory
gained as will be if all the forces OF the
church are made available.
The gates of the East and the West, of
the North and the South, are thrown wide
open and all pationalities and civilizations
"a multitude, which like populous North,
Poured rivers from her frozen loins, to pass
Rhene or Danaw,"
flow in upon our shores every year. They
come with their old traditions, feelings,
creeds and superstitions, and are incorp ora
ted in the mighty mass already welding
the power of the ballot, for veal
or for woe. That same order, the
Jesuits, which in the fifteenth century
restored one half of Europe to the sove-
reignty of Rome, assert now, in the face of
Professionalism, ''that the most glorious en-
terprise for the church to engage in is the
conversion of the United States" There is
now in progress in this country a revival o.
Catholicism. In 1855 there was but one
Roman Catholic bishop in the United States,
fifty priests and twelve churches. They
were without schools, colleges, converts and
monasteries. They have now sixty three
bishops and Papal legate, 5000 priests,
S,54O churches, 500 converts. 700 col
leges and seminaries, and 1000 par
ish schools. 1t has been supposed
that we could assimilate the mighty
mass, but such has not been the case
They have been granted the franchise and
employ it under the direction of their spir-
ituaI guides whenever the interests of the
church are at stake. Lately they held, at
Cincinnati, their Fourth Provincial Council,
and once more asserted there in antagon-
ism to evangelical efforts for the salvation
of men, and to the Constitution of these
United States.
Again, this age is characterized by untir-
ing opposition to the religion of Jesus.
Nature has even invited her children to ex-
plore and dig and think; she has spread
out in wanton abundance her bright glories
on sky, sea and land, and men have studied
the sciences of the universe, and have
delved into the secrets of nature with
wonder and admiration like modern tourists
in an ancient castle, but in many instances
with the avowed purpose Of ignoring the
Eternal, should they discover His foot
prints.
"They drill and bore
The solid earth, and from the strata, then
Extract a register by which we learn
That He who made it, and revealed its date
To Moses, was mistaken in its age"
and if they should condescend to acknowl-