Regeneration and Degeneration.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3306, 26 July 1879, Page 1

Regeneration and Degeneration.

-; ?The fishermen of Gimiessiret planted iGhristianity, tn'd «nany-« winter and mtiny asnmmerha»e since rolled or6r it. - More

tb*u twee ithasyfeh^d its leaves and .seemed to lie dying, and when the bads »ta3hW Df^Jf?!o^!o^ tU. **i*%* was cnangea. . , t r> Centuries' >' g"rj ] by IJI and f Christianity becomes the religion. _Qf tbe Roman Empire.,^ The Umpire "divides, and the Churcli ifl divided with it. Tbe power of tbe : Wefctern Caesars breaks in pieces, but the Western ChatcbJ»stands erect, makes its way into the hearts of the fte»q»eror«, , penetrates . <the< German forests, opens /a path into Britain and Ireland?'. Byihe noble Gothic I'nations it is wplrotried wftß passionate enthusiasm. The fiery passion!l'^f'na'tidnsl are not tamed in a generation or a, century, bat a new copcep'tidn pf'w,Hat r was praiseworthy and ex<seljenttr^ad. fske,n hold' of their imagination and tinder utand jng. The supreme object of reverence was no longer the hero ,of; .the battle^eld, but the,barefopj> missionary, who was carrying E the,, .Gospel, ijimong the i tribes that were 4ti}J .nought*, So, vast were the rfal ,O|iracle» iwhichf ithcy were .working on ;men'snßoals that >wonders of a "more f ordinary were assigned to them ail a .tomttfr!»df > course. They : were said to rail© t-** Te>d«id; heal the sick, and cast <*m&°4«*tii~ with -m word ~ur with the sign of the cross. # x^lajp, facts were too poor for the enthttstasm<of German piety. The Eastern branch of tbe divided

Church experieti(ted ft less happy fortune. ffß/tbv&fe wift&e iWiffAo- rii^iii soil like "the jcifeats noble- Teutonic'ptsdples. <h Aiia forfii %r«ge/!'on«^nieK drama ■•ftfSft ' bMd'rf Bia!;bee^ placed, a*)d played out. k La.ngu!a^lp!kutiy!;,btily f mm ■■:■ faßnion~th^ fJ be ( J^ c M<|ifte, f ijtt v ..its pleasures and "its sins;"tne Church tele* gatea to opinion," with free liberty to sphb doctrinal hairtf ,tp ihefend of time. All that Christianity;. was meant to do in making life simple and habits pure was le^ng^afi'*y]e; Jwit|i^lfew exceptions. fh^ifatelle<Sti4al*iiferiy ifP/ its buhopa and ieabliers' was oxlVaurstea in Bpinnin K endless§obwebT:oosl s!m%(apnyßical tnebio^y. ' Human life at the best is enrelpped jin datknisss ;'we know not what we are, nor wtitliet we are bonnU"' !liß^ "Ti^EFIBt which we. are r to see our way along' tne 'moral pathways without straying into the 'brake;or the morass. We are njprijto, look at religion it,self,^,utlat : Burrojanding things with •lhe(]helpiJof j rejjgipn. r Jf. Wejfasten pur attention, npon ithp{light .itself, analysing,jtscpmpipn#iit

t rftys.capecpiajtiajg J oa ri t|^ji&ipn.anrt^pjm« ..position-of the substances of which it is comppsjEidl, np.t onlywill{jt;/i;o longer serve jis.lco: :^uide,..huJt our,duzzled.sense& lose tlieir* natural""yoweifs"^'"'^^^©^^"'^^©^^. our wly{rmore/ Bafely! 'in^cq'ii's.Cjious darkness. ''Wh^nth^ Ifj[ht within you i« ;faarktf?ssi ?iftißw great"is tfoiV^ftAmiss'." In the place, of, the! biHy^'brlii-idplatry D^fas^. „ Our,, duty; ( jur,no; longer,, to. and purj^bjjit. Jo be ? exa,ct.in;ouf formulas, to hold accurately gome nice;and ,curious prpppsjtipn, tp place damnation in straying a hair's breadth from some *ymbol. whiciierultß in being unintelligible, and salvation in the skill* with which/ the ♦mind can• balance: itself oh some' intellec-tual.ffeigh'lferbrie.-v»-fjh'-; ,io,{f,.-i i . ( ;.r !M \ $ t #,v.<:'> *l .!.".# ■*; ' # While" 'GliristinUy degenerated in the Easl with extreme" rabidity,''in the West it retained its former 'characters. It *4»ee»ine*'the«*'^itaHsinu spirir of-a new organization of society. But by the side of the healthy influence of regeneration evil to come. All living ideas from the necessity of « thipgs,, take up into their constitutions 4 ' 'wbatever forces 1 are already working round them. i The infest ardent Aspirations 1 after truth. 1 will not anticipate knowledge,' and the I errors of the ltnagitiationvbecome consecrated as surely as the purest impulses of the conscience. So tang assthe laws of the physical world remain a mystery, the action of all uncomprehended phenomena, the movements ot the heavenly bodies, the winds and storms, famines, epidemics, are ascribed to the voluntary- interference ot supernatural beings." ''The belief in witches and fairies, in spells and talismans, could not be dispelled by science, for ,BCienpo then did not «xist. The Church therefore entered into competition with her;evil rivals on their,own ground. The Saint came into .the field against the enchapitors,'/ ,'J.jhe power/ of charms and amulets were eclipsed by martys' relics,

fasrameEts, and holy water. The inacician with the devil at his back, was made to yield to the divine powers, imparted to priests by spiritual descent in the imposition of hands.

Tlnis a gigantic system of supernaturalism overspread the entire western world. There was no deliberate imposition. The clergy were as ignorant as ■ the people of true relations between natural cause and effect. Tl\eir business, so far as they were conscious of their purpose, was to contend against the work of ..tli c, devil. They saw practically that they wereabiovtb covert meafrom violence and impurity to piety and self-restraint. Their very humility forbade them to atiribtite?such wonderful results' to their, own teaching. When it was universally believed that human beings could mako .covenants, with Satan, by signing, their name in blood, what more natural than that they should assume, for instance that the sprinkling of water, the inaugurating ceremony if the purer and better 1 life, should exert a mysterious mechanical iniluence ut>on;the character ? -

If rerre'n;eration by baptism, however, '; with its kindred imaginations, was not true, innocence of intention could not prevent the natural consequence of false- < dvopdj Tinle v went on : ' knowledge incroased; doubt'Stol> in, arid with doubt the passionate determination to preserve

at nil hazards beliefs which had grown too dear to superstition to be parted with. la the^elfth'century the mystery cjlled traiisuiVstantiation had come to be regarded

with widespread misgiving. To encounter scepticism',.there tlieni ,arose for the first time what have been called pious frauds. It was: not perce'ved that men who lend > themselves —consciously to lies, with ■■ however excellent an -intention, will'be-' , come-eventually deliberate rogues. ..The; clergy doubtless believed that in the'conse-, cralion of the elements, an invisible change ' was really, and truly effected. But .t° ,prSdueeiari* effect k>& the sWular*mind tne "iqvisible,ihad to . be made, visible'..-.vAi practice sprung.up to 1 pretend thHt. in the breaking ofitherwafer: real- blood had gushed put,, that real pieces^ of flesh; were' fdi/nd between the fingers. The; pjeeious things thus produced werej awfully preserved,, and with <the Pope's' blessing we*e dsposited in^shrines for the strengthening of faith and the confutation the presumptuous When once a start has been made on the road of deception, the after progress is a rapid; one. /The desired effect was npt produced. increased! Impbsture ran a race with; .unbelief ift'the' vain; hope of silencing inquiry, and, with-imposture all .genuine Jove for spiritual or moral truth disappeared. I.< 'You all know to what' condition the Church had sunk at the beginning of the sixteenth century. "An insolent hierarchy, with- an?'army r:bf priests behind them,

dominated every country in Europe. The Church was like a hard iiutshell round a shrivelled kernel. The priests in parting with, their sincerity had lostr the control oveis their o.w.'b appetites - which only sincerity can give. Profligate in their own lives,; they Extended'to the laity: the same easy latitude which-they asserted for their C|wp conduct. 'Beligiousduty^ no longer consisted in leading a virtuous life, but in

purchasing.immunity for self-indulgence by one of the thousand remedies .which church officials were eren ready to dispence at an adequate price. The pleasant arrangement came to an end—a sudden and terrible one. Christianity had not* been upon the earth fcr nothing.. The spiritual organization-of tho Church was corrupt to the core ; but in the general awakening of Europe it was impossible to conceal the contrast between the doctrines taught in the Catholic pulpits and the creed of which they were the counterfeit. Again and again the gathering indignation sputtered out to be savagely repressed. At last it pleased Pope Leo, who wanted money to finish St. Peter's, to send about spiritual hawkers with wares which were called indulgences—notes to be presented at the gates of- purgatory as passports to the easiest places there—and then Luther spoke and the whirlwind burst.