The Oskaloosa herald., 1902-06-05

NdhOhlLONt b1AOtN 49,
people would bow and present their
offerings.
Relics were invented whose touch
would restore health to those who
were able to pay for it. The Greek
and Roman Catholic countries today
are full of these machines for filching
money from the priest-ridden people.
One church has the stairway up which
the Savior went on his way to Pilates
Judgment hall. Devotees must crawl
up on their hands and knees. / saw
a poorly clad oma and a man
crawling up. A priest stood at the
top to receive their offerings. An
other church has the Bambino. This
is a life-sized doll baby. st. Luke
was an old bachelor and had 70 child
rem. so he amused himself by whit
Ting one out from a piece of olive
wood. 1t is now in the possession of
a priest, who keeps it dressed in the
finest silk, and decorated with gold
and diamonds. On certain days it is
exhibited to the public and M sick
person who can touch it will be healed.
Only the rich can receive the blessing
as the charges are very high. 1t is
Sdlu 10 GeCSiNt HlOIe lees IMAM any
doctor in Rome. When / saw it there
were such crowds that / failed to get
within fifty feet of it. When the En-.
glish people broke away from the
Catholic church they dropped some OF
the denominations, but still retained
many of tie foolish forms and cere.
monies, together with tn e hireling
ministry.
There vas a poor boy, named Geo.
Fox, who became deeply convicted for
his sins, and in his ignorance he knew
not what was the matter. So he went
about from place to place, trying to
get light from the ministers, and in
all England there could not be found
one preacher who could diagnose his
case. One told him to smoke tobacco;
another to get bled; and another to
marry a wife. No wonder when Fox
had received light direct from the
Holy Spirit he should cry out against
the hireling ministry.
In the first two hundred years OF
the early church. there is not one in
stance where a church paid their min
lister a regular salary. In fact the
preacher was expected to engage in
labor and business as other men. Let
us see what some of the early church
fathers say about it.
P~olycarp, the disciple of ST. John
charges the ministers to provide fol
that which is becoming before Goo
and men. The Apostolical Constitu
ton emphasizes the scriptural in
junction, "If any would not work
neither should he eat"
And again, "Let the young be dill
gent in their business, so as to have
enough for their own support and t.
bestow on the needy. For We our
selves, besides our attention to the
word of the Gospel, do not neglect gu
inferior empioyments. Some of us are
fishermen, some tent-makers, some
husbandmen; for none of us who are
dedicated to God ought to be idle"
Eusebius says: Does it not ap
pear to you that the scripture forbid:
any prophet to receive gifts oil
money!" Even so late as A. d. 1913
the Council of Carthage directs thai
"Clergymen, however learned they
may be in the Divine Word, should
provide themselves with food anC
clothing by some handicraft or agri
cultural labor" Chrysostom abour
the same time, in speaking of the
clergymen around Antioch says
"They are engaged in agriculture-a'
one time following the pillow, at an
other time taking their turn in thu
pulpit, at one time hedging or cutting
thorns with a bill-hook, at another
time sowing the seeds of the word.
DR.. Hatch, the greatest of church
| historians, says: There is 10 early
| trace of the later idea, that buying
and selling, handicraft and farming
were in themselves inconsistent will
the Office of a Christian minister. Or
| the contrary, the bishops and presby
| tiers of those early days kept banks
practiced medicine, wrought as silver
| smiths, tended sheep, or sold goods
in the open market. They were likt
the early preachers of the Wesleyan
| Methodists. They were men of thu
| world, taking part in the ordinary
business ofLlife."
The first salaried preacher wa
| Natalius, who was bishop of a sect o
heretics. He received about three
hundred dollars a year. This was a
the end of the second century.
At lne end of another century
| salaried ministers were almost uni
versal. Although a few of the faith
full ones stood out against it, it wa
to no effect, and in a few more year,
it was not safe for any man to say HI
thought a preacher ought to work.
Along with the hireling ministry
! was revived the ancient custom o
tithing, and that not being sufficien.
to support the hordes of men whc
wanted to live by preaching, they laiC
ten thousand other burdens OF tn,
people. They charged a fee when
man was born and when he died
when he sinned and when he was sanct
flied. In fact he was bounded by tn,
priests for money at every turn il
life. Sins were forgiven for money
Hands were laid on for money anC
blessings were pronounced for money
And If a man refused to bow his necl
curses and accommodation anC
finally all the horrors of the Inquis
ition were hurled against him. Ii
order to overawe the people and keel
them in subsection, gorgeous para
~phernalia were invented for tn
churches. The priests clothed then
selves in costly robes and hundreds o
needless and foolish ceremonies wer'
adopted. There are several hundred
big. lazy priests at the Church of thu
Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem who d.
nothing but change their robes ant
chant prayers in an unknown tongue
And in any up-to-date Catholic Church
to day the services consist principall,
of the priest changing his clothes
little boys ringing bells under hi
coat-tails and other foolishness tina
would shame a South African Hotten
tot.