The Irish standard., 1897-02-06
Protestant church his

the Catholics. Protestant church his
tortans that try. to deny this are thus "
rebuked by the honest protestant Hall
lam: 'The proof of Manicheeism among
the heretics Of the twelfth century is 80
strong. that should never have thought
of arguing the point, but for the con-
f1dence of some modern ecclesiastical
writer's. .-
"The tenets ascribed to them by all
contemporary authorities coincide 80 re-
markably with those held by the Paul.
clans and in earlier times by the Mani
cheeans that do not see how we can
reasonably deny what Is confirmed by
separate and uncontradictory testimo-
MES"
Hosheim, too, has note which, as In
the case of others of his notes, for rea-
son that is pretty evident, his English
translators have preferred to suppress:
Certain writer's who have accustomed
themselves to entertain a high idea OF
those who in the middle ages separated
themselves from the church of Rome
suspect the inquisitors Of having false
ly attributed impious doctrines to the
Albigenses But the suspicion is entire
ly groundless. Their shocking violation
of decency was a consequence of their
pernicious system. They looked upon
decency and modesty as marks of inward
corruption Certainly enthusiasts among
them maintained that the believer could
not sin, let his conduct be ever so horri-
BILE and atrocious."
These then are mediavel Manichee-
ans, better known to us under the names
Of Albgenses and hardly otherwise re-
ferred to in English literature than as
the innocent and heroic victims of papal
intolerance and of the inquisition.
They held that thee are two gods, a
god of darkness coeternal with, and of
no less nay indeed greater, power than
the god Of light; he is the creator of the
world, and the Jehovah OF the Old Tes-
lament. This the larger part of the Holy
Scriptures they not only rejected but
Knocked at at the storming of Beziers
they threw the Bible from the walls
with disgusting circumstances of ILL.,
usage, saying, Here you rascals, take
your law" They rejected all the dog
mas, mysteries and sacraments of Chris
tianity, baptism especially being with
them the "snare of the devil Indeed
they required for full membership an
solemn abjuration of the Christian re-
ligion. They denied the reality of the
existence of Jesus Christ. They form
ally worshipped the devil.
Their principal religious rite was the
"consolamentum, administered by the
laying on of hands. This was the great
turning point in life. BY receiving it
the believers became "consoled," or
titled, perseverirg SO. to eternal happi
ness. 1t is true that they were supposed
to be also thereby dedicated to great
abstemiousness, abstinence from animal
food and absolute confluence But it
was quite lawful, if not even matter of
merit, to cut short the ascetic time thus
inaugurated by the "Endura, that is by
wilful violent death, inflicted by ones
self or another. Thus parents exposed
their own children, and children their
own parents, to the "Endura," in order
to hasten them to a happy end. But
com paratiyely few chose to be of the
"consoled," and the rite was generally
postponed until the near approach of
death. Rainier, who was for 1e years
member Of the sect, says that the whole
sect in his time did not count 1000 Of
the "consoled", but whole legions Of
the lower rank, the "believers" He
says he never knew a believer to be
troubled about any infamy that he
might commit, whilst many of the Con
soled" regretted that they had not lived
more freely while in the lower grade.
Not but that, if the "consoled" did sin.
they might have the rite repeated. Their
lives of rapine, usury, murder, adul-
terry and incest would end In saliva
ton, if only the believer" received the
final rite before quitting this world.
The several independent accounts of
them as they appeared in one place or
another, agree in showing, as Moshel1n
and Hallam testify. that they gave
way freely to the most licentious, indie
decent and immoral practices. And this
quite consistently with their principles.
They held acts of Christian virtue to be
superflrous, and deeds OF voluptuous-
ness in no danger of being punished; all
the desires of the soul after it's union
with God were operations of God him.
self, and therefore, though apparently
criminal, really good and holy; that, as
one of them, Margaret Parrette, wrote,
"The soul thus absorbed in God might,
without sin, crafty every propensity"
To them incest was no more than mar
riage. Their religious meetings were
wound up by putting out the lights, and
a revel in promiscuous orgies of lust.
If child were born in consequence, it
was to be burnt on the eighth day, and