The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1898-10-27

ana WIN pferORatiVeS, which tne
scriptures, in nowise warrants;
and which the church did not coun-
tenance, until the beginning Of the
9Th century.
The Jews in order to discredit
the name of Jesus burdened their
traditions with the charge against
Mary that she was an adulterous
woman. Contrary to this base
work of the Jews, the Moham
medans kept their traditions In fair
unison with scripture record, and
taught that Mary was good wo-
man, a servant of God TO be the
Mother of q great prophet. Other
parties have elevated Mary to a
position, and invested her with pre-
negatives which demand that she
should be worshiped.
In book entitled "The Glories
o. Mary" (Lopdon 1882 Mary ia
called, queen of Mercy; Queen of
heaven and help; the Mediatrix OF
grace; 'the singular refuge of the
lost;' the Redeemer :'the Saviour;'
Now, of Mary, the Mother Of Jesus
was all, that, these titles imply,
then she ought to be worshiped'
and worshiped in any sense of
which the word worship may be
taken.
From the beginning of the Apos-
tolic era until now, the worship OF
Mary appears in two distinctly
marked periods. 1st, There was
the worship of Mary outside of the
Christian church among, "the
Gnostic and Collyridian hereties,"
extending through a period begin
ming with Apostolic times and con-
tinuing to the 9Th century A. d.
End. The second period begins with
the 9Th, century, and is distinguish
ed by the Mariolatry within the
church. Prominence was given to
Mary throughithe heresy of Mes
torins. Nestorins taught, that as
there were two natures in Christ,
there were also two persons; and
that the child born of Mary was
not divine. AS an ordinary human
being Christ was possessed of a
divine person some time after his
birth. This heresy was condemned
by the Council of Ephesus in the
year 431 a, D. and the title "Mother
of God," as applied to Mary was
used wrongfully TO give to her a
prominence which has no sanction
in the scriptures. Then the leading
Monastic Orders, in order the more
firmly to establish themselves in
favour with the Court of heaven,
We'd with one another In honoring
Mary and the Franciscans not to
be outdoDe by any, conceived the
tenet ofthe ImmaculateC Conception
of the Virgin Mary, whereby it was
taught, that, Mary, like her son
Jesus was born without sin.
The council of Trent, 1912, which
has been called "the watershed be-
tween Romanism and Protestant
ism" in its decree on original sin
"Neclared that the conception of all
men in state of sin does not ex-
clude the Virgin Mary" In spite
of the declaration of this the great
Romanist Council, the elevation of
Mary continued to prevail in ROM
ish circles until the year 1854,
when by bull issued by Plus TX,
declaring it to be divinely reveal
ed fact and dog ma, which must be
firmly and constantly believed by
all the faithful on pain of excom-
munication," that the most blessed
Virgin Mary, in the first moment
of her conception, by a special
grace and privilege Of Almighty
God, in virtue Of the merits OF
Christ, was preserved immaculate
from all stain of original sin."
In view of some published works
regarding worship rendered to the
Virgin Mary, it is interesting to
know what Plus said in his letter
to the Bishops inviting their opin-
ion on some formal definition of
the dogma: "You know full we'll
venerable brethren, that the whole
ground of our confidence is placed
in the most holy Virgin, since God
has vested in her the plenitude OF
all good, so that henceforth, II there
be any hope, If there be any grace,
il there be any salvation, we must
receive 1t solely from her, accord.
ing to the will of him who would
have us possess all through Mary.'
Here is adOgma, that, rests solely
on the authority of a man, that is
without the sanction of an ecumen.
icai Council; dogma that, is with.
ont any scrintursI foundation. and