PASTOR CHINIQUY'S LECTURE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1203, 24 February 1880, Page 2

PASTOR CHINIQUY'S LECTURE.

Pastor Chiniquy delivered a lecture in St. Paul's Church last evening, on "Why I left the Church of Rome, with 25,000' of my countrymen." There were about 600 persons,.present, and . the chair was occupied by the Rev. A; B. T°dH, The proceedings were opened by singing, the < fchoir being -led . by- Mr. jjD., Booth.r The Rev. Mr. Summers, of Hampden, then engaged in- prayer. vv: g : -. Pastor Chiniquy introduced himself by : handing his to' the Chairman, who read them..to the/meeting: as follows " Board of French Evangelisation, Presbyterian-Church in'; Gana'da. —Montreal, 6th July, 1878. —The Rev. Charles Chiniquy has for iria,hy yearsbeen ;ah honored., iminister of the,. Presbyterian Church in Canada, laboring chiefly in connection- with--tb'e evangelisation:; of. : the French-sp_ealfing people; Q,f Ooffiinion, By the' blessing of God, he his been ingtrumental- in bringing jarge'. numbers' of his fellow-countrymen, to the,.knowledge of the truth, as well as in leading several prigsts" :to" withdraw-from tjie^Romish .communion, and to past in. their .lot with the Presbyterian Church'. Owing to ;iriHealth-, " Mr. - obtained- ;a: yeau-S i -leavje,-. .; .of; q absence from the General Assembly. The Board of . French Evangelisation, to whose care is committed' this department of the* Church's work, commend their honored brother- Y.ery : - warmly to the sympathy .and., fellowship of the Lord's people in the" distant colonies' he is about to visit, and pray that he rtiay speedily be restored to his wonted health, and be'enabled to return in renewed vigor of body and mind to prosecute his: arduous work among the Trillion and a quarter French Romanists in the Dominion. (Signed) D. H. MacKear, L.L.D., Chairman ; Robt. H. Warden,. Secretary Board of French Evangilisation Presbyterian Church in Canada."

The" Chairman said that through the Press he had been intimately acquainted with Mr. Chiniquy and his work for over 20 years, and he was happy to welcome him to their midst. He concluded by reading the following address :—" To the Rev. Charles Chiniquy.—Dear Sir, —We, the representatives pf Protestant churches and of the Young Men's Christian Association in Oamaru, have great pleasure in according you a hearty welcome to our town and neighborhood. We have watched with interest the unflinching manner in" which you have in your lectures' expounded and maintained the great Protestant principles of liberty pf the right of private judgment, man's: personal responsibility, and the all-sufficiency of the Bible as the rule of faith and practice. We trust that the faithful proclamation of these truths in the lectures you are to deliver in Oamaru may be made a blessing unto many." [The address was signed by the Revs. A. B. Todd and C. E. Barley, Mr. Mirams as President pf the Yonng Men's Christian Association, and Mr. Milligan as Secretary to the Committee.] ■ Pastor Chiniquy said lie was pleased to be welcomed by such a large number of people. He then propeeded with his lecture, saying that his hearers had heard? how David, in the sublime 66th Psalm,-: had said, " Come and hear all ye that: fear God, and I will tell you what God has done for my soul." He, like David, had invited them to come and hear? what God had done for his soul. He dud-he was born in Canada, that 46 years ago, he was ordained a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, and that he priest for 25 years. During that tinje H£, had sincerely believed that the itoman Catholic was the only true he loved the Church as sincerely j as; believed in it- He studied the books of.i his Church and the proceedings pf the councils in order that he might fft him? self to fight the battles of his Church against all enemies. Here he learn id that Protestants were damned : he learn 3d arid' taught that out of the Qhurch of Rome 4 there was no salvation. He read that it was his duty to qurse all who did *wsgo to confession, who did not bplipve in the Virgin Mary, who did not believe in

Purgatory and the power of priests to release souls when paid for it. He had I tried to save Protestants, and had per- ! suaded in five years three Protestant clergymen to turn to the Church of Rome, but he had since brought them back to. the Gospel. He then referred to the manner in which he had studied the Scriptures in his ambition to meet Protestant ministers, and they were a band of ignoran t anddeceived men. He studied the Scriptures;>in iorder ';so strengthen his faith, and as he<studied i the Scriptures a small voice whispered to his soul that his church was not following the word of God, but the traditions of men. This he thought the voices of Satan, and he struggled hard against it. He now pitied the priests, because he ,knecw the conflict, they had to maintain and the "Strength of the chains with which they were bound. He then spoke of haying one day in Montreal, in the great cathedral, preached a sermon on the Virgin Mary, and argued that, as men were rebels against God, they must seek an intercessor ; that as man would always grant-the. petition .of his mother, thej Virgin Mary ' was the best intercessor.: The Bishop had complimented him at the conclusion of the sermon, but that;ey6ning he chanced _'to_read Matthew xii., 46 to 50, and- the thought struck him that : Jesus had notanswered any petition or com-' pliedvwith any request of his mother, after entering upon his_minist ry. He searched' •further through the Scriptures, ajid the facfc; was niore : firmly. impressed upon him. It /appeared to him that the Saviour had spoke'tfwith'a view to prevent :■ the elevation of Mary into an intercessor, and a powerful voice told him. that he had preached a lie. After passing a night of great mental' agony, he had a long discussion with his bishop upon-the- subject, and he then told the bishop that he would' never again l pray to-the Virgiii .would invoke the name of he was not converted, though he was shaken. After.' speaking of the comparison occasioned in the minds of Roman Catholics by the difference's: arid dissensions of the. Protestants, he said he believed them to be a band of fools. He did not theri uhderstandthe ; words of the Saviourj, 'M am the vine, ye are the branches."... After, dwelling jupon this subject at some length, the lecturer said that another subject that caused him great mental suffering" was the making of . wafers and pronouncing at the altar words oyer ; them, and be--lieving them to be. the actual human body of Jesus. After performing; this ceremony one day he read the 20th chapter of Exodus, and a voice told him that he was an idolater, and bade him leave a Church wherein it wag deemed right to make a god out of dough. The-conflict was again renewed, and on his scruples becoming fixed and known, his Biship ordered him to sign a document of absolute submission;. This he declined to do. He determined to leave the Church for ever, but could not tell whither to turn, He went back to' his colony, and on Sunday met his peoplo. -He explained his change of views, and the ; whole congregation ~agreed to follow him... The number of had gone on increasing, until now there'were 25,000, including 18 priests.- He desired his hearers to thank God for what had been dope, If they remained firm, the •Roman''Catholics would see that they were truly of Christ's'flock, and would say to each otherj " Let us go into , the midst of these people because: the Lord is their Saviour. ; The pastor then • mentioned .that his mission was to obtain funds for the founding of a home for those priests who had left the Roman Catholic Church, of whom they were 800, though they were not yet converted. The pastor was frequently applauded during his disoourse, and especially so at its close. ' '.

The Chairman took the opportunity of testifying that he ivas exceedingly pleased at the manner in which the pastor had expounded truths, and bore testimony that he had done so in love,

The proceedings were closed : ; with the singing of the Doxology and pronouncing of the Benediction by the Chairman.