C hristian
herald ,
FRIDAY, FEB. 16, 1883,
The Blessed Virgin Again.
was r
conde
vere t
On another page will be found
the second article of the Catholic
Sentinel, of Portland, on the Blessed
Virgin. Although the Sentinel per
sists in refusing to let his readers
see what we write in reply to his
supercilious attacks on Protestant
ism, yet we will do him the simple
act of justice to give him the full
benefit of what he has to say about
us and in defense of Romanism. In
this way we may be able also to
impress him with the difference be
tween the contracted and selfish
course always pursued by the
Catholic church and the justice and
fairness of the principles which we
plead. When we get afraid to let
our readers see what people have to
aay about the doctrine we preach,
then we will be afraid to attempt
any reply. This we regard as hon
orable controversy ; nothing else is
worth the name.
The Sentinel accuses us of
misstating the question.
Let
us see.
Is it not a fact that
the Fathers, as quoted by the Sen
tinel himself, speak of the mothei
of Jesus as the “ Blessed Virgin,”
the “ Mother of God, pure forever,”
a “beautiful virgin, incapable of
sin,” a “ virgin, through grace, free
from all stain of sin,” etc.? Now in
order to show the absurdity of such
language we qudted the words of
Jesus himself in which he simply
placed his mother among his other
disciples and declared that whoso
ever shall do the will of God, the
same is his mother, his sister and
hia brother. Then in our last, after
stating that we quoted this passage
for the single purpose of showing
that instead of making bis mother
an object of worship, Jesus placed
her on an equality with the rest of
his disciples, we asked, “ Is it blas
phemous fur us to speak of her as
did Jesus ?” “ Shall we follow his
example, nr that of the superstitious
fathers?" Remember, brother, that
thia is what Jesus said in talking
about hia mother. There ia no quea-
tion about thia fact, whatever may
have been the meaning of hia lan-
guage. Hence, shall we follow the
example of Jesus in speaking and
writing of her, or that of the Fath-
era I Thia is the question before
us.
Tbe Fathers call her the
way of making effectual fights ; but
i still there is no question about the
» fact that all must fight. Then let
us see to it.— Christian Herald.
The Herald does not put the case
fairly. This temperance fight has
passed the stage where Christian
professors can ridicule it or call it
fanaticism. It would be very un-
. dignified and unfriendly to Chris
tianity for a temperance advocate
to express a sarcastic hope that to
engage in the Christian warfare, one
is not expected to join the Roman
and Greek, the Lutheran, the Bap
tist, the United Brethren, the Ad
ventist and the Mormon Church
and all the Sunday schools, or to
become a fanatical Episcopalian and
partake of the communion. But
that would be only a parallel to
what the Herald has given us.
no more to
There is not a particle more fan-
us in the settnng of this quë^7" ~by one of his venerable
aiirtsnt inbemg »-thorough.„prohi
tion than the extravagant tales of clearly against him.
bitionist than there is in joining a
church or helping to build one, or
being a communicant. A temper
ance man who is not an uncom
promising prohibitionist stands to
the cause just as a Christian stands
to the church, who says he believes
in it, but dont go near it, dont help
it or support it in any way, even by
his example. The Christian or tem
perance man who is not a prohibi
tionist is not fighting the devil or
resisting him or his works. The
Christian who is not actively en
hopeless case. We have pressed
gaged in the destruction of the li
him to the point where he is com
quor traffic is not on the Lord’s side
Ministers Must Fight.
pelled to choose between the lan
nor his country’s side in the war be
guage of Jesus and that of
Many of the preachers would do tween Heaven and Hell for the
the Fathers, and this accounts well to call to mind often Pres. C.
kingdom of this world. But we
for his attempt to * make the L. Loos’ earnest talk to the Lexing
don’t put thè case as forcibly as the
traditions of the latter equal ton Convention about playing “fast
Rev. Mr. Loos did. That would be
in authority to the positive and loose in the temperance work."
The traffic is the deadliest foe of treason for a temperance advocate.
statements of the former. Here is the church. The minister who re
—The Rescue, San Francisco.
where he finds his catalogue of un fuses to enter this fight with all his
REMARKS.
warranted practices in his Church. consecrated power and talents for
It is not found in the Bible. Then God and humanity, is a betrayer of
There it is. A finer illustration
his
trust,
a
Benedict
Arnold,
a
Judas
let him plainly acknowledge this
of temperance fanaticism without
Iscariot, a traitor to his country
and put an end to this controversy, and church. Unite and tight a com either logic or common-sense would
till we settle this authority of his mon foe and the best agent of the be hard to find. When the Rescue
“ Tradition.”
devil, with half the zeal that the intimates that the H erald has ridi
The Sentinel fails to answer our dogmas and doctrines of at least culed the temperance fight and call
questions. We asked him to define moral and conscientious people are ed it fanaticism he shows plainly
idolatry, and then tell us the differ fought and the end of the traffic in that he has read the above para
homes, hearts and souls, will come
ence between it and the honor they like the “ crack of doom.”— The graphs to little profit. If this is
do to the B. Virgin. Also to tell Worker.
not his meaning, then what point is
us exactly in what the honor they
We say, amen. But we don’t un there in his remark ? According to
derstand
Bro. Neal to contend that the Rescue, in order to “ engage in
He
pay to the. Virgin consists ?
rnwUrfoix
minister to enter this
says they “adore” and wo
-the Christian warfare ” one must
great fight he must necessarily don
God and Christ, and “ venei
all the blue, red and yellow ribbons join the Roman Catholic, the Greek,
the Virgin, saints and angels,
of the day, join all the temperance the Lutheran, the Baptist, the Unit
let him harmonize the utter
organization that are set on foot, or ed Brethren, the Adventist and the
that he must even become a fanati Mormon Churches and all the Sun
and practices of his Church
cal prohibitionist. The one point day Schools and finally become a
this distinction, and it will be
before him is the fact that all min
ipfactory. But in what lan$
isters must fight, ■ Good men may fanatical Episcopalian and partake
and acta is this “ veneratior
differ as to the manner of attack, of the communion. Our opinion is
Mary expressed ? This is the]
aigl there is indeed, more than one that by the time one would get