The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-02-03

gTpSSeS, lHrlluDeUIS, helCHSluBS anu
Doumas. And more and more do they
demand that these shall reflect the
sentiments of the people in civil and
religious matters. The day Of dark
ness and ignorance in which the peo-
pie believed that popes and kings were
Divinely appointed to rule them with
Divine authority has gone by. Cen
eral intelligence has taught mankind
that 1t is a mistake to suppose that
one God-appointed king and kingdom
were Dlvinely appointed to wipe aDoth-
er Divinely appointed king and king
dom off the face Of the earth. Hence
popes and kings now admit that they
reign by a popular sufferance, and
their appeals for money, for armies
and navies, Is no longer on the score
that they were Divinely instructed to
obliterate each other, but on the score
of self-defense.
This claim, however, wholly de-
stroys the argument that we are now
or ever in the past have been under
Christ's Kingdom, either direct or
through the popes. Neither now nor at
any other time in the worlds history
has there been reign of righteousness
such as the Scriptures declare Christ's
Kingdom shall be. May we not, then,
with good grace-Catholics and Prot
estants-admit that neither our Catho-
lie popes, emperors and kings, nor our
Protestant kings, emperors and heads
Of Churches. are reigning with any
Divine authority manifest to human
judgment? Let us humbly admit the
nonsense of the legends on our coins,
Catholic and Protestant, to the effect
that kings and popes reign by the
grace of Colby Divine appointment.
Let us rather say that they came into
power through the exercise of brute
force and in a time of common public
ignorance. Nor by this do we mean
any disrespect to the governments of
today-rather we have shown that to-
day the pbple are ruling through
their Congresses, Parliaments, Reich
stays, ETC., and that the kings and
emperors are mere figure heads OF
power, more or less useful and de
pendent upon the goodwill of theil
people.
If it be asked how we shall account
for the period of the dark ages and au
tocratic and devilish misrule, our re
ply would be to point to the Apostles
words. He declares that Satan is the
god or ruler of this world, who now
operates through the disobedient-
through those not in harmony will
God, who constitute the vast majority
in Christendom and elsewhere. Ant
we remind you that our Lord Jesu:
also spoke of Satan as being tn,
Prince of this world or age John xii
3D. and of himself as the Prince Of
Ruler of the coming Age, the Millen
NAL Age John xviii, 36).
All, yes! the sooner both Catholics an(
! Protestants admit what they and al
! the world now see, the better-namely
that for long time our great Adver
sary held us in a bondage of ignorance
and superstition, in getting free from
which many bright minds have reacted
towards infidelity, because they die
not see that many of the teachings o
the past, both Catholic and Protestant
were not only irrational, but most posi-
lively unscriptural teachings Of men
and, as st. Paul declared, doctrines o
demons" q Timothy iv, y.
Not Vice. serent Christ.
In view of the fore going-in view o
the fact that the Divine titles of al
kings and empcrors are now abrogat
ed, papacy need feel no special dis
grace to her cause in similarly abrc
eating the claim that the popes relg
as representatives of Christ or hav
authority so to do. Indeed such
claim is more safely denied than held
for in the light of our day papacy'
best friends cannot look into the pas
and point with pride to any achieve
ments as properly representing th
reign of the Prince of Peace-Immar
uel. In the light of the present all O
Gods people, Catholics and Protestant
of every shade, should rejoice to ioi
in the Lords Prayer-"Thy KingdoI
come; thy will be done on earth as 1t
done in heaven" Surely this is wha
all saints of all denominations shoul
desire and pray for and labor for.
Not that we can hope to bring it {
pass of ourselves, however. Nearl
) nineteen centuries of efforts show
the contrary. Even our last centur
of great missionary endeavor Catholi
and Protestant, proves this. Unite
States statistics show that in the yea
1900 there were six hundred million
of heathens, and that in the year 19C
their numbers had doubled-there wei
twelve hundred millions of heathen
While continuing our eXertions on b,
half of the heathens abroad and {
home, let us tie our faith to the Apo
ties words and wait for Gods So
from heaven q Thessalonians i, 10).
At the second coming of Christ az
the glorification of his Church. III
: elect" "his saints" gathered from a
denominations. Catholic and Prote
tant (and some from outside of a
of them)-only then will the gloriol
reign of Christ and the Church begi
Only then will the spiritual Seed (
Abraham be complete and the work
blessing the unregenerate world beg
the Millennial Kingdom work-tl
: overthrow of Satan and his empire
the scattering of darkness ignoran'
, and superstition which he fostered
the flooding of the earth with the ligl
of the knowledge of the glory of G(
J the restoration of natural Israel
) Divine favor-the bringing in of eve