The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-06-26
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
A BRILLIANT HISTORICAL DISCOURSE
ON the REF osMATioN.
fhe Rev. j. g. Wilson Talks Instructiveiy
OF THAT Period W hen the Foundations
OF True Religious Liberty Were LAID
Freeing the Mind From rnrsiidom.


course ola The struss.e Tor Religious Lib
erty, the subject being Europe on the
I've Of the Reformation The text was
Acts v. 81 and ~. And now / say unto
YOU, Refrain from these men, and Jet them
alone; Tor II this counsel or this work be
OF men, II will come 10 naught, bat II II be
OF God, We cannot overthrow ~; lest hdply
We be found even 10 hight against God.
Mr.. Wilson said
Let me suggest az the outset that the
sNugg.e for religious liberty and what Is
known az the Reformation are not IN all
respects identical movements. The Retor-
nation was a great tidal wave which swept
over Europe IN the sixteenth century, on;
of the vast and troubled sea OF the ccntul.
les whose waters We're greatly agltated 10y
the struggle for religious hoeriy. lt was
the elimination OF that struggle. IL assert
ed the fundamental principles upon which
II had proceeded, and succeeded IN laying
broad and secure foundations upon which
true religious liberty could be hallt, hu: u
lef; some of the higher standards aud finer
ideals unattained. In that respect there Is
much yet 10 he desired,
In view OF the fact that the Reformation
split Europe into two great warning reig'
ious camps. u Is necessary TO remind our
selves that up 10 that time there had been
but one Christian church in Western llu.
rope. And the ,rugg.e for religious llCcr;y
went on within that church and not Cas-.
side of IT, nor against II, after the n.,t
three centuries. Whatever glory and what.
ever shame attaches 10 that church darn :
the first fifteen centuries is shared equa.A
by Us all, Protestants and Roman Catholic
alike. The Reformation itself originated
within the Roman Catholic Church, and
was led by men bred IN her schools and
cloisters. We should also remember that
the Roman Catholic Church of the fifteenth
and sixteenth centuries is not the Roman
Catholic Church of the twentieth century
and in the United States
From n very cary age religious differ.
ences have ongendered strife and stirred
the most vlo,ent passions of men. Although
the Jews tasted the bitterness Of persecu.
tion, ;hat did not prevent them from
pressing the same cup 10 the lips of the
early Christians and, with the ard OF the
Romans, making them drink 70 20 ITS dregs
Then were written the first pages IN the
most sangulnary and thrilling story--a
story OF unutterable suffering and glim en-
durance for conscience sake-which his
tory's pages record. IL can scarcely h.,
called a struggle. IL was as impossible for
the obscure and deienseess sufferers 10 re.
slst their enemies as for fly 10 resist the
hand that crushes il. Judged from appear
ances, Il was a rcmorseless massacre. which
crushed its victims into the earth But the
real forces that were working out the prob.
lem were not on the surface The odds
against which the early Christians were
matched drove them 20 seek refuge IN the
mountain iastnessos and in the subterra.
mean caverns, known as catacombs. Here
they cherished their faith and worship un,
tll the violence of their enemies abated
After two centuries they came forth from
their hiding places, disciplined bv hard
ship, trained TO prudence and foresight hy
the peril in which they had lived and with
a compact and efficient organization. Their
leaders had improved their long secluslon
TO cultivate letters and arts, and soon took
leading places among scholars and men OF
affairs; SO that when Constantine succeed.
ed 10 the undivided possession OF supreme
power IN the Roman Empire prudence. II
not preference, moved him 20 an alliance
with them.
Then began new phase in the struggl,
for religious liberty. The desplsed and
prosecuted Christians, now risen TO places
OF power and possessing the throne in th,
person of the Emperor, did not abuse their
trust Such was the spirit of sweet rea
sonableness which animated them that tho
first Christian Emperor issued an edict o
religious liberation, known as the edict oi
Milan, which granted religious liberty with
IN the empire, on the basis Of the sacred
rights of conscience; only those religion,
rites were prohibited which involved i'm
morality, magic or sorCery. Not until III,
fatal passion for power had been aroused IN
them by It's possession did the Christ 'ans
resort TO persecution. The organization oi
the Christian church kept pace with IT,
spread IN Europe. From Rome as centre
the missionaries penetrated 10 al parts oi
Europe. They carried with them the lov,
OF the mother church from which they
went and bound the churches which they
planted 10 her IN gratitude and Christian
fellowship. The confidence and affection
which she won by her generosity and self
sacrifice IN the gospel she soon came 10 dc
mand az her right and when at length the
Bishop OF Rome secured the political pow
or OF hls city he aspircd 20 make the tTad
tlOnal capital OF the world It's ccclesiastIcaI
capital also, then. with the policy Of mill
tary Rome the Christian church adopted
also, the ambitious and relentless spirit oi
the Caesars. Ecclosiastical Rome usurped
the rights Of mankind and perverted Their
lkSTties as ruthlessly as did political Rome
through successive stages the church
mounted 20 the throne Of Its power until
II was more absolute than the empire had
ever cssayed TO be Men like Gregory the
Great, Leo III. and Hildebrand made the
most astonishing Gains. and absolute su.
premacy in all human affairs and treated
with the utmost severity all who wi.hstood
their Claims. Unavailng protests 10 their
like John Scotus, Abelard Arnold. Of Bres.
cia and Wickhf. and in the humber walks
OF life opposition showed itself in such
sects as the Alhigenscs and the Waldenses.
neither Of which desired 10 separate them.
selves from the Catholic Church, but both
OF them desired that its pretensions should
be moderated and lts abuses reformed ac.
cordIng 20 the scriptural requirements OF
apostolic simplicity and purity. These men
gfFuF.Ig ffttpHaH and thfrr hts.a
pure, but they were subjected 20 the most
remorse.ess persecution. Their heroic On.
durance and unfaltering faith has covered
their memory with halo Of glory like unto
that which surrounds the early Christian
martyrs. During the massacre OF the Abb.
genses was born the order Of the Domini-
cans into whose hands was intrusted the
institution known a. the lnqulsition, the
most diabolcal engine OF intolerance and
persecution that human ingenuity ever de.
vised
II u the fate Of all despotiuns 10 work
their own destruction by q fatal disregard
OF the limits Of human endurance, md
when the papacv added the horrors Of the
lnqmsitlon 20 the usurpation Of the mos,
sacred Of human rights. and aggravated her
ofenses by the hagrant immortality Of the
clergy, she transcended her limits and In.
voked the long slumbcrng and accumu.
lated wrath Oi centuries. which burst forth
IN the Reformation. disrupted her solid
empire and caused hsr the loss OF two.
thirds of her spiritual children.
Two great movements IN the Middle Ages
contributed 90 hasten the triumph Of re-.
ligious liberty IN Europe They were the
Crusades and the Renaissance The relig.
ious enthusiasm 81 Europe. dormant for
centuries. was kindlcd by the fiery e.o-
1uence Of Peter the Hermit A. he preached
P crusade against the 'Iphdcl Turks" iOF
the purpose % rescung the 10 Sepulrher
from their hands i was as when a dOOr
Z suddenly opened into q house where