St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-18
PAUL GLOBE MONDAY MORNING. AUGUST 1884

Dullt up on AnSetm doctrine OF communication
AS one drop OF blood of Christ was regarded
to atone for the sins of the world, SO the full
flow from his wounded side was regarded q
work of supererogation, that is work over and
above what the justice Of God required.
This soyerfow Of the merits OF Christ
was not wasted but for the
benefit of the church in all future ages was
gathered into a holy treasury called the treasury
of merits, u treasury which has been further en-
rched by the per-abnndant merits of the
blessed Virgin and number of superlative
saints. This treasury, so useful to the wants Of
the Roman hierarchy, was believed to be put by
divine grant into the keeping of the Roman
Catholic church. 1t was further believed that
the key to this treasury was given to the sue
cessor of that great apostle into whose hands
were placed the keys of the Kingdom Of heaven.
From these premises, by any fair logic, it
wouid seem to follow, that because Of the rich
ness of this treasury absolntion might be grant
ed for all sins ); but not so has the Roman church
defined.
Pope Leo 4, in his bull concerning indulgen-
ces, uses the following language: s.That no one
in the future may allege ignorance of the doc
trine of the Roman church respecting indulgen-
ces and their efficacy. / declare that the Roman
pontiff vicar of Christ on earth, can, for reason
able causes, by the powers of the keys, grant to
the faithful, whether in this life or in purga
tory, induigences, out of the superabundance Of
the merits of Christ and of the saints expressly
called treasure), and that those who have truly
obtained these indulgences are relieved from SO
much of the temporal punishment due for their
actual sins to the divine justice as is equivalent
to the indulgence granted and obtained The
Roman church then, according to this bull
(which presume must be regarded as an utter
ance eG cGthedfd), defines the Indulgence
as remission from temporal punishment only.
IL lays no claim to the remission of eternal pun
ishment. But let it be noticed that by temporal
Shn1Q Sha no OfriY,
Cured not only in this life but during the name
less ages of purgatory. 1t is temporal only in
the sense that it has the limitation of time.
But why does Rome limit her jurisdiction to
the confines of purgatory? Why may not the in
diligence extend TO the lower depths of Gehenna
itself! In reply it is said that the denizcns of
purgatory have already received sacramental alb
solution; that the eternal punishment due to
their sins were RENTED before they
left the earth but to satisfy the
justice of God there remains to the
absolved a certain amount of temporal pain to be
undergone either before death in this world
after death in purgatory. But again ask,
how did the church receive power to grant pur-
gatoral indulgences? and the council of Trent
answers .from Christ himself" On what
authority, we ask, ''these pardons,'' it is replied,
''are not known to us by the authority of the
Scriptures but by the authority of the church of
Rome and the popes which is greater than the
authority of the Scriptures
Here ends the cathechism In this remark
able addition to the faith, as in every other which
has no warrant in Holy Scripture. we
are at last driven back for authority
to the infallible voice of ssIIo}v Church,
But we may still be permit, to ask
as thing may be judged by its fruits, what
practically has been the effect of opening this
treasury of merits upon a sinful world? Says
Dean Hook:
"a table Of fees, payable to the chancery of
Rome, was published by authority. The pardon
of hereto is fixed at e36 9s, whilst marrying
one wife after numbering another may be COM
muted by the payment of So IS Cd. A pardon
for perjury is charged at 9s; simony, los Cd ;
robbery. 12s.' l use Dean Hooks language,
but, of course, it will be replied that these sums
only committed the temporal punishment Of
these crimes, after the eternal punishment had
been RENTED in virtue of repentance and by
means of the sacrament of pen
ance. But still, however, the seeming
impiety may be mitigated by ingenious explana-
ton. Does not this traffic Il use no other word
than Trent authorizes), does not, | say, this
traffic in lndugences undermine the moral sense
and, in the minds of the ignorant, at least, does
it not make sin seem less sinful and crime less
criminal? 1t was the shameless sale of indul-
gences, in the days of Leo x, which was one of
the chief causes of German schism. And who
shall answer whether the usurpation of Rome or
the lndlyidualism of Luther was the more cup-
able: The bargain and sale be came so abomin-
able that ''the sacred and holy synod" of Trent
was obliged to advise ''that all evil merchandise
ings (paroos quaestus) be wholly abolished"
But l turn with sense of
relief from the fungus growth of the
middle ages to gaze upon the Holy Catholic
church as she appeared to the world in her ear
Hest and purest life. Then she was one in form
as well as in life. For more than six hundred
years the sees of Rome and Antioch of Alexan-
dria and Ephesus lived in blessed communion.
During this time the church spread throughout
Gaul and Britain, but wherever the gospels were
read or the creed was chanted it was always rec
ognized ''there was one body and one spirit, as
there was one hope, one baptism and one Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ" When, 0, when ask
shall these blessed times return to the world?
When shall the prayer of our dear Lord be an
swered and his mystical body be once more seen
in the unity of the spirit and in the bond Of
peace? God grant that the dawn of this millenial
blessedness is already near, appearing it may be
in the threatened fall of bigotry and the earnest
Something's, everywhere discoyerable, for Gods
own truth.