AN 
 
 OPEN LETTER 
 
 TO A 
 
 Roman Catholic Friend 
 
 ul'ranshitcb from the cVrman of CV bom ILitb, 
 
 I'KdKKSSOU IN lllli Umv|:|CMTV u^ II' INN. 
 
 BY 
 
 THOMAS MACFARLANE. 
 
 I'unLisiiKn ON 'rm: occasion of thk 
 
 FoyRTii Centenhial of the bii]th of Martin Ll'thei|. 
 
 • ■**». I 
 
 * t I I 
 
 » • * 
 
 MOXTRK\L: 
 MririiKii. iv Wii.soN, Pkimi'.ks 34^ Xorki', Damk Strek'I'. 
 
 1883. 
 
P284.07 
 
 H 18 7/>n 
 
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 • • • 
 
 
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TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 l'"Mur Iiuiuli'cil \-car-> ;il;') M.\l;ri\ l.i I'liliK was hmu, aiul, 
 tliirty--^r . l!1 yi'ars aflcrwards, in !iis ailclrc^s ti> the (IciMnan 
 l'".inpL'!'()i" ami niihility. !h' set tni-th the bi-sl practical anti'lotc 
 wc pfisscvs to tlu; iiia_L;niliccnt fallac)- which fxalt-- tlic r)i>h.<»p 
 {>[ IvMinc as absolute' spiritual ruler and temporal delhrnner 
 o\ei" all C'hrisle-ndi ini. " 'I'he secular power \> ol" (iod, to 
 " ])uni''h the wicked and ])rotect tlie i^ood, and so has rule 
 " over tho whole boily of Christian^." Tlu^e arc LiTiniK's 
 w'oi-ds f.iuud.ed Upon \-. elld;ni iwn texts in Holy Scripture; yet 
 in our own d.ay. koine has. more definitely and per.-^istentb 
 than e\ei-, rorniulated its claim.-^. On ihi-, the tour hundretlth 
 aniu'\ersa:-\- of LrT!ii:ix'."s birth, and at a time whien the autlu)r- 
 itics of the Roman Catholic C'lun-jh seem <;u:te unrestrained 
 in condenmin;.;" tiiose who tlo not bow to its tiecrees, it seems 
 not ino]);)ortune to allow a \'oice to be h.eard in defence 
 of our common I*rote.>tanlisn\. These words of Pi'ofessor 
 \(iM Rath, one of the foretnost scientific men in luu'ope, are 
 of \-alue, not only because the)- ex[)ose the fundamental errors 
 of Roman Catholicism, but also for the testimony they bear 
 aL;ainst the materialistic tendencii's (^f thi.' pi-esent a;_;e. 'I"hr 
 transl.ator hopes th.at they may be of service in pointin;.^ out 
 the riL;ht middK; ]).itli between sacerdotalisi'n and a^L^nosticism, 
 and cnablinjj^ I'rc)testant Christians to ;-;i\"e, both to the super- 
 stitious and the sceptical, "a reason concerning the ho[)e that 
 " is in them, }-et with meekness and fear." 
 
 M...M:a \r, /,-:; X,,?: rSSj. 
 
 m»r^g^Of\ 
 
|ltt ©pen ^£t\Ux to a aoman Catholic <t>icml 
 
 " If vi- ahiile ill iny word ilicii arc }l truly my li-v-ipk's, and 
 '•yc -llnll kmiw tlic'tnilli, and llic ir'iiil) ^liall make yi lire." 
 
 Si. joliii '. iii. ,',l, \-- 
 
 •' \\- wi'U' 1.. nij^lit \\'u!i a piici- ; 1" nni vi- ilir >la\L-M>l mi'ii. 
 
 I ( "r. vii. 2.;. 
 
 It would indued l)e a stran.^c tliiliL;. .iiid iiiiii li lo be .K'i>lor. d, if 
 we two. wh(j build u[i()n the same tbundatioii. :,li()iiid he 'iiuiblc u> 
 attain to a better understanding and to ever increasin,:: inntual cMeein. 
 
 1 cerlainlv^exitress your inmost (oiuiilinn .i-, well as nn own. 
 when I acknowledj^e that ■• other foundation i.ui no man lav . -.h.m 
 •'that which is laid which is Jesu> Christ" d < 'or. lii. i i ). or to ex- 
 press this in ('hrist's own words ; •• i am the wa\. the truth, and the 
 -life.' (St. |ohn \iv. (>). - lle.iven alid e;M-th >li.dl |.as> awa\. but 
 "my words shall not pass awa\.' (St. M.ui. wiv. ,^5). Since we 
 know that Ciiristianits i.> tlf result ot Chn-lS own laboiu-s. the;, llis 
 words and teachiuLi, I li> exami.le. Hi.- lite and <leat!i. mu^i be tor 
 us the foundation of faith and practM e. On ihi-. i.oiiu all ChriMians 
 are of course fully a-reed. 'I'he word> ol Chri.st lia\e truly a peculiar 
 power, and are uideed \ords of e\ eriastinu- hte. .^polscu b\ the Sea 
 of ( lalile in p.trables aiul .-ermons. ei-iueen hundred _\ears a^o. they 
 still fill the roiuid world. eduiatiiiL;. sireniitheiim- and MaulortuiL; ; 
 thev i-ill t" the loM. ihe\ .-ustain tin- liying. l'ro( laiined hoiii lleaxen 
 they find an eJio m the hearts of mankind. The) are I'ull o! ihe 
 spirit of (lod. Do you remember this s.i> mu : •• wlial is a man pro- 
 •• hted. if he shall -ain the whole world, and lo>e his own soul, or 
 '• what shall a man Liixe in e\chan-;e for hi> soul .^ ' iSi. .Matt. \\i. j()). 
 l'.\erv man. who i^ not (luite entangled in the me-^he^ of error, must 
 concede to these wcjrds of Christ the highest authorit;.. The Apostles 
 have also said mm h that is glorious and imi'crish.able, but no other 
 human teaching can transcend that of Christ. We trace then. ( I 
 speak also in your name) our faith back to Clirist. Nothing that we 
 
i; 
 
 bclifv •. "I* in \\lii(h \\c iia\c rMnliilciUL'. il.irc conllict y-'nh Christ's 
 <-!(.'ar .ill'! ili^tim t tf.u hin... 'Hk- \vi.>r<ls ot' (.'liri>( imiit In. U) us tlic 
 liiulii -I nMiuIu'i!. in \vhi( h ium' wc vhal! In.- alt'.c ti> ('[ipD^j th(i-<-,' wIki 
 makr iiM- "if the Icttfr of >( ri|itiiiv citliLT Air the ])ur]in^ • nf iK iid)- 
 in,i; ' 'hfi-'tianiu , or in nnlrr ic (icpriw reason rnliii'lv of its |i(i\\xt. 
 It i- Miu 'hat t iiri>t's \<ti\\ I'ltrm uiil al\va_\s app^'ar to ii- >int'ui nien 
 to ji.t >c-> xmiciliini,'' \\hi(h wi- t, •lot urasji. sonnthin.; cntir-lv in 
 cnniiiri.'l.i.'risii.K' li i> ohIn (crtain ;nias(."^ ot' Hi-, ( haiai iri, (.■•.j't.' iall)' 
 siu h a-, ate turufil to\wiril«> siiiVcrinL: huinaniiy, uiiii:li apiiLar iiLTlcclly 
 disiir.'t I" >'ur coiisiiiuisiu'^-s. •• ( 'onK- unto int'. all \\- that lal)oi:r and 
 "ari- hi.-a\y l.dm.'' (St. M itt. \:. :X». 
 
 'I'lum' ail- two t'catniv- \\lii( h I ^liould hkr to fimiha-i/r \i :\\\ as 
 s]iL'ii.!l'\' .ui>''"i"ii-' ''1 < hri'.i '^ \\ord> and doctrinrs : du- pi-rfct; /<rr 
 \vhi( h etiu'r'i^-^'.'d l.ini. and u Iii' h he '.njoincd i'|ion a^ a-, a (h;ty. and 
 and li I.' /'/•"/< w whii ii he \\i->(i'd to ((intY'r ii|a)n us. rnic low and 
 true lih.a'i}. ihcsr .irv the t\\" aidestructihK' corni-r —tono iipon 
 \vhi< h ( hri-t lnundcd hi> \\'orld c oni|UfriiiL; (iospcl. " i.o\e \onr 
 •• L-nera.irs. l)le>> thcni that (.uim- you, do ^'"od to them tiia! hale \ou. 
 "ami I'V.iV ior thi ni w lii< h despitenilly u>e you ami |.i im.i uie } oii. dial 
 '•\'. uiae !e die < hildivn of your lallicr whieli i:i in iiia\en." (Si. 
 Matt ■> . n- ■'5'- "I'ho'i shalt love d)y nei-hltou;- as ihxsell'.' (St. 
 Malt. \Nii. j'l). " \\\(.\'^v not and \e shall iioi he indeed; eondtann 
 *• uu! .aid \esh.ill not he ( iindrnnied : t'or^nxe and \e .-.hall he lor 
 '•<;i\en.' Si. i.i'.ke \i. 57'. " .\s }e would that nieii .•-hould do to 
 '•voa. do ye a.lso to them likewise." (St. laike\i. _; i ). 'I'luse and 
 numerous other sayinL;s ot" Christ, uiu\ersall\- known and ae<eiiled. 
 \no\'- iiU(W!testal)Iy that he made it our diit_\ to e\erc:i.->e the most 
 untirinu, lo\e. the widest toleration, and the hiuhest esteem towards 
 our neiL;hl)Our. Nothin,L^ which is ( 'hristiaii in its chaiaeter, can coiv 
 ni( t Willi thi.^ (lute. I'",\en the <on\i( lions of our lellowmeii, however 
 nnicii they ma)' he o[)jiosed to our own, nuisl he res[)ected by us if 
 the\ are or.I\ ii|a-iL;ht and candid. And it is especially in lliis matter 
 of reli.Ljious oelief that it becomes our duty to extend love and toler- 
 ation to our nei.uhbour, if wo are to be reL,'arded as Christians in i!ie 
 true -leiise. '" liim that is weak in the faith recei\e \e. but not to 
 '• douhitui disputations.' sa\s the Apostle. ( Romans .\i\-. i.) " Wlio 
 "art lliou that jiidgest another man's servant? to his own master he 
 ''standeth or fiilleth. ^'ea. he shall be holden up, tor Cod is able to 
 "make him stuul. One man esteemeth one day aboxe another: 
 "another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully per- 
 "suaded in hi> own mind." (Romans .\iv. 1-5.) So mu(di maybe 
 
said rc.i;.udinL: the (•oiiiiiuiiKliiiv.ni >>\ Ic. c. wliii h is tlicixinti' iiutst 
 fsiK'ciallv ihr fiiiKlaincntal i.r!nci].Ic of every syslcin uf triif Cliris- 
 
 limiiy. 
 
 It !■■ iv't l''ss icrt.»in th.U ("iirist \vi>»liv.'i! tn iu.iIm.' m-- lU'ir, 
 Ircc iVom ^iii. iVlx' iV'iiii >i>iiiti!al l)>in«lam.'. I lis wi'i'ds aii.' '• I'hc 
 " truth shall make y.ni five." (St, John viii. ;,:.) Read. 1 i.ray 
 vou. the saviiii-s ot" ( liri^i attentively, ami yua will he iilieil uiih the 
 I oiiviitioM that this divine 'I'eaeher appeals iKJt only to the ( on-^. iem e 
 hat to the reason of ea<h individual. < 'hrist teat lu-s antl per'^ lades. 
 w.ikens and stirs up to earnest thinkinu'. He is anxious nm only 
 dial we should hear tlic (losjiel, hut under--i.iiui it. In '.rdir that 
 voU ni.iy not entert.un the f'.iintest tlouln on ihix point. I shall hring 
 up (irtain passai^cs of .-si fipiiire in sup'port "t" it. ("hrist says, 
 '• Win II .mv one heareta the word ot' 'he l\:n;,d«)ni. an<l i!Miier-;.uuletli 
 '• ii not. then eonieth the wieked one. and eatch.eih awa\ that whieh 
 •■was sown in iiis heart, 'i'his is he which reeeived seed hy the 
 ••way-side.' (."•>t. .\hiit. xiii. i<;.) luriher. •' lie thai ivi l ;\ed seed 
 •• into the LCO(xl ground is iie that heareth the word, and uniler>t.u'.deth 
 ••it: which also he;'r"'' ♦•■'lit." (M. M:'U. xiii. .;;,.' '• I le.n- .Mid 
 ••understand.'' (St. Nhill. \v. to.) •• .\re \e -.1 wiiii' mt iuide;-^;,uul 
 •• inu als(.)?"' says Jesus to His disciple-. w!un ihey do nut ander.^;.nKl 
 His parables, (,'^t. Mark vii. i S. ) He says. t'ur'Jier. to Hi- disciples, 
 •• ['ereeive \e not vel. neither understand?" (••'i. Mark \ ii. 1 S. ) 
 (Jin-ist's whole method ot' leaciiing is designed t(j .luaken ihouuht on 
 the part of the listener, lur this reason he speaks in p.u-ahle:^. •.Ml 
 " these things spake Je.-us unto the multitude in parables, and u :lliout 
 '•a p.ir.ible spake he not unto ihem."' (>t. .Matt. \ii. ;,.j. 1 •" l'ni\e all 
 •'thiniis; hold fast that wiuch is ^ood.'' (I ■|"hes>. \. _m . j The 
 Apostles also insist upon the same thing. I'aii! says. •• The Lord 
 ••give thee understanding in all things." iH 'J'im. ii. 7.) l-'urther, 
 ■'that ye may pro\e what is that good, anci acceptable and perfe* t 
 •• will of (lod. ' l'"urther, "Wherefore my deaa-ly l)eloved. tlee from 
 '• idolatry. 1 speak as unto wise men : Jutlge >e wiiat I .■i.i\. '- 1 ' 'or. 
 \. 15, If).) " lirethren, be not children in uridersLuuhn,-. howbeit. 
 •• in malice be children, but m understanding be men." (1 Cor. \iv. 
 .'o.i It is therefore undeniably true that, according to the teaching 
 of Christ and the Apostles, the recei)tion of the Cospel must not take 
 place without the application and exercise of the understanding. 
 '' V'e are bought with a j)ri<e, be not ye the slaves of men,'" says the 
 Apostle. 
 
 That then is the freedom which is an essential characteristic of 
 
ihf teat hin;; i»f (.'liri>l. 11' a|)|'i.al> u» (uir (onscieiicc and reason, 
 antl iloiii^ this is tlic Inundation and t onu-r-stoiu' of the (".ospcl aiul 
 " \vhos(»c\i.T shall fall on this stone shall be hrokon." (St. Math. .\\i. 
 4.4) I tht'ivfort- inainiain that, if I .unto he a ('hristian, 1 must neither 
 siUnti- un ( cinsifnc*.- n<»r stillc iu\ undcistandinj;. Hut, althis point 
 I lu.ii \nu sa\. how is it tht-n wluMi faith and ri'.ison tonic into eon- 
 tliii with each otluM :* wliidi of these heavenly powers is then to 
 tiive wav ; \\hi< li U> < on(|uer the other? My reply to these (|Uestions 
 is thi- l',\ainine tiie iJihIe and i.-when- in it will you find this 
 t ontr.idictiiiu which our misled .i^'e looks upon as irreconcilable. It 
 is jusi this freiiuent reference to a su])posed conflict betwixt know- 
 iedire Mul laiih. whi( h is such a bad si^'n of our times, a certain 
 proof that the .^spirit of true (!hristianity has departed from us, and 
 also th.u reason has gone widely astray, l-'-very man sound in heart 
 and lualthy in spirit, must agree with Paul when, in his l-'.pistle to the 
 Romans (i. 20), he proves the existence of (lod " His eternal power 
 aiul ( 1. (Ihe.i 1 fmni his works and esp'-cially iVom the Creation of 
 tin wdild. l''-\er\ iiiH- niust admit that'th^ I'niver.se /. c. the Kos- 
 i\h». ihe well orvlered. organized world, pre-supposes a Creator, It 
 is ()iil\ a (juite dis(»rdereil mind that « an ' :)ok upon the world as the 
 result of act idem ; a world which, to use the expression of the great 
 mvesti^ator, llelmhoU/, is so constituted '"as if the wisest wisdom 
 "had put it in order. ' Long ago Socrates taught that it is folly to 
 assimie the evisten* e of reason in man, and not also in the great 
 unit) (if nature. Kven in that early age. he, exactly like I'aul, dis- 
 covered, in the c onsideration of natural things, the foundation for 
 belief in the existent e of ( lod : of an "all governing, all guiding, 
 omnisi lent, and just IJeing." In all this, where is the disagreement 
 betwixt science and taith ? 
 
 1 1 is !i(i doubt the case that we believe and must believe much 
 of wiia; we never c:^n comprehend and of what lies far beyond our 
 reason l!ut there is an essential difference betwixt that which is 
 s!//>r(i .nil that which is ivntrn nitionein. I remind you here of the 
 words of .in excellent theologian of the sixteenth century (Ostorodt): 
 " Kor it is one thini: not to comjjrehend a matter, (because we 
 '•are ready to acknowledge that a Christian ought to believe many 
 "things whi(h he cannot understand with his reason) and another 
 " thing it is when (jiir reason argues, points out, proves and main- 
 •' tains that a < ertain something cannot in any manner be or exist." 
 No doubt we are bound to believe much that we cannot behold, and 
 of which our minds tan f(;rm no picture. lUit nowhere are we com- 
 
n 
 
 mantled to ri'nard .i> tun.' iliat .iL;.iin-<t ul>i< li «nir mulcrstaiulin.u bears 
 witness, revolts and [)rotests. Sm Ii a faith would lie deail o\ itselt" 
 and alt(»;;ethei unworthy ol a reasonable being. It it were uur ditty 
 to believi' that w'uc h is (ontrar} tn reason, we should no doubt llnd 
 a roniniand to that efl'ei t in tlu' hol\ Si ripiuies. Instead of that we 
 lind csa« tly the opposite. < luisi exait^froui u-. an luiderstanding 
 of the < ios])el. 
 
 The teaching ot t hrisi iherelort [)lainl\ i ondenuis those who de- 
 mand tVom a believer that he should deny hnnself the use of reason. 
 \ nuHt take up the hol\- Scripture with enlightened reason, and ap- 
 proj)riate it ; I nuisi m.ike use ot reason in order lu judge whether 
 that which is called Christian accords wiili. ui is in opixjsition to, the 
 Word ofdoil. It I hear the commatui .iddres.-,e<l to me that I am to 
 Nacrilit e my reason, or, as it is expressed in the language of Koine, the 
 connnandment of the Sdcrifizio dell iiitelflt<.'. I jierceive at once that 
 su( h a demand is not only im onsistent with the spirit of (.'hristianity, 
 l)ut ( oiitrai) to tlu e>press. distim t. simple words of Christ himsell. 
 Here there is uo choice. It is either with ( iiri-! or with Kome ! 
 Well I remember the iii-.( riptioil on the obelisk of the \'atican, 
 " Clu ii/iis :iiicif, Ciiiistiis rfi^naty Christ u.\ iinf'cnjl.' (" Christ con- 
 '|uers. Christ is King. < 'hrist governs.'; In full ww of the i'apal 
 palace, these words are m their proper place. Christ will also coii- 
 i|uer the I'ope. Thus ihe choice i^ easy : neither can it be dilticult 
 for you. 
 
 Christ ancl 11 is ( ,(l^pel ought to gosern anil penetrate the whole 
 man. It is impossible to renounce the e.xercise of our reason if we 
 desire to be preserved from falling into the gravest errors. And rea- 
 •son, or sound conmion sense must be continually made use of to stir 
 up and purify the conscience, if we are to make ,iny progress on the 
 steep road towards piuit"icaiion and |)erfection. The .\|)Ostle writes. 
 '• Beloved, i)elie\e not every spirit, but prove the .spirits whether they 
 '• be of (iod. ' (I b-'hii iv. i.). Krom this we see that, even at that 
 early time, when the remembrance of Christ and His teaching must 
 still have been tresh and vivid, voices and views arose, against which 
 the .Apostle felt constrained to w.irn the Church : lalse prophets who 
 abused the name of Christ. .\ye. if He. the divine leacher, were to 
 come again today, and were to enter into the midst of the Koman 
 Church, He would surelv call out " Woe unto you ' Has my teach- 
 '' ing come to this.^ Depart iVom me ! " In what way tould we i)0S- 
 sibly ex( use ourselves ? It could not be done, because we pos.sess 
 His words, the words of everlasting life, by which we are commanded 
 
10 
 
 to test the spirits that aro IVmiii I liin. W'c should he unable to escape 
 His iniuleinnation hy interposing; some one else, whose opinion we 
 had adii|ited. (hri.-^l acknow led'^e^ no mediator hetuixi 1 1 inisdl' ami 
 men, i'.ath indix idual iiiu^t enter imo per.->(jiial relalion>hip with llini, 
 it' he wishes to he partaker ot His sa\ing truths. 1 am (|uite willing,' 
 to aL;ree with vou, if \()ii sa.y with, respei't to the ('hri.<tian laith. titat 
 it shouhl, h'ke ae( tiiiiulaletl >avinL;s. hear interest. ;ind in no ])()«<sible 
 way remain a dead letter. In like .manner you will ai^ree with me 
 tlKitthe truths proceedin.;, in the course of" a^es and with L,M-eater ami 
 ,j;iea'i'r di^tin(!ne.--s. from the accumulated treasure of fiilh. cannot 
 and dare not conilict with the distinct words, or with tlie spirit of the 
 leachiuLT of ( 'hrist. Here the text applies " }e shall know them by 
 "their fruits.'" Now. voii call xourself a Roman ('atholic. and ac- 
 knowledi^e _\(iius(_'|f to be ^uch ; \ou know i;o ( 'athi:lii'it\' w ithout 
 subjection to Kome, in matters of laith and morale. With ret"erence 
 tf) the pretension of Ivome t(j be regarded as the true heir i)f .Apos- 
 tolic ' "hristianitx. 1 >hall have more to say bye and l)\e. Here 1 
 take the libertv of doubtiiiL; whether your submission to Rome is 
 comi)lete. .\i cordin:;- to the declaration of infallibility, the I'ope alone 
 can de< ide as to which of his utterances are to be regarded as infallible 
 rules 111 what concerns fiith and morals. 'I'his matter is no longer 
 dependent on the subjeitixe interjjretation of the individual. It is 
 (liiite certain thai the Pope ccjiisiders the propositions in his so ( ailed 
 Svllabus as inf'allible rules, to wliich the faithful have humbly to siil 
 mit themselves. On this point there is no doubt whatever amoi. 
 consistent Romish theologians. Ry his dec laration of infallibility, the 
 I'ope has ( aused the propositions to be regarded as truths of the 
 highest inijjoriance, v,hit:h every Roman C'atholic is bound in con- 
 science to believe. I'or instance, the 17th i)aragraph forliids anvone 
 to entertain the belief that those who are not Roman Catholics can 
 attain everlasting salvation. The Pope, the \'icar of Christ : aye, 
 the \'icar of Cod, as the Archbishop of Cologni lately expressed it, 
 prohibits ycui from believing that Nour departed mother can ever 
 attain to heaven. Therefore, 1 take the liberty of contradicting your 
 words : you cannot be an Ultramontanist. Vou cannot submit your- 
 self to the Popes ruling. It is im[jossible for you to do it. Vou 
 are not an IHtraniontanist and not a thorough Roman Catholic, 1 
 myself entertained for many )ears an aft'ectionate reverence for the 
 Pope. I'Aen now I well remember the time when he placed himself 
 at the head of the movement for Italian freedom. I had seen him 
 .so often and heard his voice in chant and sermon. In the midst of 
 
11 
 
 tilt; iVii^^lufiil worldlincss ;i:iil corniplion of llic Ruinisli Church, th-j 
 venerable form of l'iu> the Ninth was toiichini; and urateful to lu;-. 
 Ihit a ,L;real clKU^e has ( onie o\er him since the time \s-hen all the 
 ftrorls toward:! j.olitu'a! and spiritual lilieriv ( omhined liieiiiselves 
 under his name. \\'!\' -oon, indeed, the darl; shadows were j)er- 
 reiwd in advaiii e of the e\ents whiih weu. to I'oilow. I'll'.-;, once 
 su mild and beneficent, fell a pre)' to the must terrible iniluences. 
 .\e\er did there live a Pope who has so often and so continuously 
 been occupied in cursing ami c(jiidemnii"i.;'. " IWes.-, tiio^e w1k)i in>e 
 " yoti.' .says (.'!n-isi.. In >[iiie of all this, 1. still conlinued to entertain 
 a certain amount o\ reverence lor the vener.ible old man. .\t la>t, 
 I wo years at'ter the Italians had taken [)v>s^e-^sion i;f Rome. 1 read 
 the well auihenticated wor(l> to which I'ius L;a\ e lUterance when 
 describing the condition of Rome aher ilie occupation. In caie of 
 the great audiences held by him, the I'oi)e used these wards: '• in 
 ■■ this liol\ city houses o( ill-fame ha\e arisen, and what is slill wcjrse, 
 ■• I'rotcstant ( lunches." In this way did J'ius e\;iress him.^elf re- 
 garding the places of worship of my co-religionists. 1 will not dwell 
 upon this be' anse my imnosl soul n'\-olls indig.'ianliy to hear duis 
 described, tiie o^uiet. modest <'hui''hes oi I'.vangehi al (.'hristians and 
 of the so perseciUed and niart}'red W'aldensians uf Italv. who were 
 thrown down from high towers and preci|/itous rocks al the command 
 of the Romish imiuisilors. I know the>e unembelished houses of 
 worship, and can testify that true Chrisianitx- is taught in them. Chris- 
 tianity strictly in accordance with the New Testament. Dear triend, 
 you call yourself an ultramontanist, and yet, as 1 belie\'e, y(ni were 
 never on the other side of the mountains, and do not know the con- 
 dition of the Romish ("hurch in Italy from personal obser\ation. 
 With your deep religious feelings, your love of truth .ind faithfulness 
 to convicdon, who can say that you would call yourself an ultramon- 
 tanist if you actually knew, by autopsy, the Romish Church in Italy, 
 and the jjitiable and even desperate condition of the people ? When 
 you walk into the celebrated church Ara Cceli at the Capitol, there 
 you read the inscription " By every mass said at this altar a soul is 
 freed from purgatory." The altar ten stei)s distant will not do this, 
 and of course the fee at the first altar is four or five times as high. 
 This is the way in which the Pope localizes the power of the Divine 
 grace and pity. 
 
 Who, but the Roman Catholic Church, l)ears the essential part of 
 the blame for the pitiable religious condition of the Italian people ? 
 Catholic Christians like yourself are not to be found in Italy; the 
 
n 
 
 people i\o not understand why we Germans have such interest ir> 
 religion as the highest good of man. How you would be astonished 
 and indeed most painfully affected, if you were to hear (as I have 
 heard (|uite generally in Italy), cultivated men, worthy of all respect 
 in other particulars, express absolutely irreligious views I I have still a 
 lively recollection of the terrible way in which celebrated and learned 
 men in Italy expressed either anger or contempt when the conversa- 
 tion turned upon the Church and its officials. A man like X — , in 
 Rome, for whom I entertain the greatest respect, a man much 
 visited by misfortune, was unable tc find words to express the way in 
 which he from his deepest soul abhorred the Papal rule. You would 
 be horrified if I were to repeat to you the opinions which I have heard 
 generally expressed by the cultivated men of Italy regarding eccle- 
 siastical institutions. 
 
 Perhaps the most frightful result of the religious condition of Italy 
 is the manner in which family life is poisoned and destroyed, and 
 that, too, in a certain respect by these very institutions. W'hile the 
 wife cannot give up the church, the husband relapses into irreligion. 
 " My wife may go to church if she cannot leave it alone, but I will 
 " never put my foot there, and no priest shall dare to cross my thres- 
 "hold." Such and similar expressions on the part of the men are 
 fi-equenily heard in Italy. The priest |)OSsesses the heart of the wife, 
 the husband only her outward form. Man and wife sit together at the 
 same table but are inwardly separated. The Romish Church has ex- 
 ercised the most withering influence on the religious conciousness of 
 the Italian people. In my minds' eye I place opposite to, and com- 
 pare with each other, Roman Catholic Calabria and Evangelical Nor- 
 way, Catholic Sicily in its horrible social and moral degradation, with 
 Protestant Iceland and its virtuous population. I might elaborate 
 such comparisons, but my letter would be endless. The Church, 
 bears, although not exclusively, yet principally, the blame. 
 
 How has the religious life of the Romanic nations, the noblest 
 and most gifted of the globe, been developed under the rule of the 
 Romish Church ? The Church, which should bind men together as 
 brothers, does the opposite among Roman Catholic nations. It 
 separates the cultivated from the uncultivated. The latter relapse 
 into superstition and fanaticism, while the cultivated part of the 
 population turns aside from the Church and religion and too often 
 embraces materialism. Look at the ecclesiastical pageants in the 
 Komish churches, or the pilgrimages in France and then remember 
 the words of Christ, " God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him 
 
"must worship Him in spirit and in truth." (St. John iv. 24.) If 
 you do this then will you become aware of the wide difference be- 
 tween the teaching of Christ and that of the Pai)al Church. To 
 *' worship in truth" ! the touchstone of a church, the educator of the 
 human race is truth and truthfulness. Well, what is the character of 
 the utterances of the highest authorities of the Romish Church ? 
 Not lies certainly, nor truth either, but ambiguousness. This Komish 
 art of speaking begets cLceitfulness, and undermines veracity among 
 the faithful. 
 
 We frequently hear the view expressed that the Romish Church, 
 with its form of worship, captivating the heart and feelings, is more 
 adapted to the peculiarities of the Romanic peoples than the simpler 
 worship of the Evangelical Church. But no opinion could be more 
 erroneous and unjust. I^ook at the glorious beginning which the 
 Reformation had in Italy, France and even Sjjain. In France alone, 
 millions of men embraced the new faith, and, three hundred years 
 ago, liberty of conscience and the exercise of their religion were con- 
 ceded to them. How ver) different would have been the develop- 
 ment of the Christian church if the Reformation among the Romanic 
 nations had not been suppressed with fire and crushed in blood I 
 
 Many stupendous deeds of wickedness stain the histor) of hu- 
 manity, liut it describes nothing more terrilile than those deeds by 
 which the Romish Church and the governments under its influence 
 rooted out our co-religionists from the earth in those fair southern 
 countries. Do you remember the deed of horror by which, on St. 
 Bartholomew's night (1575), five thousand Protestants were sacrificed 
 in Paris. In Rome a Te Deiim was celebrated when the news arrived 
 of the consummation of this terrible crime. Have you perliaps heard 
 of the Cevennes war in which thousands of Protestants, who had 
 taken refuge in the Cevennes mountains in order to preserve their 
 faith, were hunted and killed like wild beasts ? 
 
 In France the Protestants were opposed in great wars, which cost 
 the kingdop ver a million of its best citizens, but in Spain the new 
 faith did not rise to such power. There the Reformation was not 
 suppressed by massacres, great sieges (such as that of La Rochelle 
 in 1528), or by hunting human beings. In Spain the Incjuisition did 
 its awful work in silence. Over thirty thousand of the best and most 
 innoc t persons were burnt alive in Spain alone, and probably 
 nearl} .1 hundred thousand in the Spanish and Portuguese lands on 
 this and the other side of the ocean. Not less is the number of those 
 whose mouldering bones were disinterred and publicly burnt, in 
 
14 
 
 order that their heresy, discovered after death, might be expiated. 
 'I'he Court graced with lis presence these exeiiitions, to witness whidi 
 was considered a good work. At that time, there were tlnis pro- 
 duced in Spain a numerous class of persons dishonoured, destitute 
 of rights and outlawed, who M'ere correctly des* riberl in the language 
 of the officials as the ".-.ons ot the burned"' {//ijos t/os gucinados). 
 
 Does it appear wrong in "\e thus to remind you of those frightful 
 deeds, which we would fain wipe out of hum:in history with our 
 tears? Js ii wrong to !)ear wiuiess .igainst the Romish Church, 
 which claims to be al)!e to make disposition of the treasure of mercy 
 betjueathed by Christ? Xo I No ! 'I'lie memory of these martyrs 
 '~f the Christian faith must not be allowed to die. 'rorcjuemada 
 .V. s approved l)y the Romish Pope as chief judge in matters of faith 
 in Castile, l.eon, \'alencia, and Arragon. He performed his duties 
 in such a fearful manner, that during his fifteen years activity (1483- 
 r498) eight thousand eight hundred human beings, the images of 
 their Creator, were burnt alive l)y his orders. I beg you to reflect 
 a moment on what it means to burn a human being alive. If there 
 is really a devil, he could not contrive anything more devilish than 
 this. At the thought of it the genius of humanity covers his face. 
 
 Just as in Spain and Portugal, the reaction raged in a similar way 
 in Italy. Thus were the Latin nations filled with fear and horror, 
 their religious life poisoned and annihilated, and that which we 
 mourn to day, fanaticism among the masses, and indifference among 
 the educated, is the harvest from that terrible seed of blood and fire, 
 sown by the Romish Church in the i6th and 17th centuries. 
 
 A milder age has replaced those centuries of woe. The State 
 stretches out a protecting hand over tortured humanity. But still the 
 infallible Pojie Pius in one of the paragraphs of his Syllabus con- 
 demns anew the opinion that physical inmishment ought not to be 
 inflicted on heretics. 
 
 ^Vell I know, that you mourn and deplore with me all the inno- 
 cent blood of pious christians thus shed and which still cries to heaven. 
 Ikit I hear you say " That is only the frail human exterior of the 
 "Catholic Church which you have described, subject to all the 
 " changes of the times, ^^'e cannot make the Church responsible for 
 " all the crimes which have been committed in its name ; it is the 
 " evane.scent exterior which so frequently occasions prejudice and 
 " deep misunderstanding." But you must remember that you are 
 not allowed to form a subjective opinion as to what is suiierficial and 
 what es.sential to the Romish Church j in that matter the only judge 
 
15 
 
 is llic Ivomisii 1 upo. llic inriillihlc I'opc, Ik- who ( ;iiioiii/cd the S[)nnish 
 in([ui.sil()r I'ctcr Arhiics, another uf those wlio were concernt'cl in 
 hurninj; tlieir fellnwiiKn. 
 
 It ai)[)cars ihcrcforc that the Roman Calhuhc (Church reveres as 
 a saint, a man. a »le\il in the shaj^e uf a man, who burnt to ashes 
 man)- of tlie hest nt! nmsi iiUKxenl hi. !ny>,. Tliis saint is regarded 
 as ])ossessing works of supererogation, and as an intercessor with the 
 ali-mercii'ul (iod. Exercising his infalHI)le autliority, Pius the ninth 
 pronounc ed the canonization of this saint. The same Pope conferreti 
 the same honor on a king whose only title to saintsiiip consisted in 
 his haxing. witli his own hands, hiid a billet of wood upon the i)ile 
 at the slake where it was intended lo burn a man oii account of his 
 f.iith. And this same Pius, he wno so uninterruptedly hurls iiis ana- 
 themas against those of other religions persuasions and es[)ecially 
 against those who do not believe in him, is to-''av, bv the silent con- 
 sent of more than a hundred million persons, regarded as the \'icar 
 of (Iod and Christ! of Ilim who says "Come unto me, all ye that 
 '■ labour and are heavy laden, an.d 1 will gi\e you rest. Take my 
 " yoke ujjon you, and learn (jf me, for 1 am meek and lowl}- in heart, 
 '•and ye shall fmd rest unto your souls. l''or my yoke is e.i.sy, and 
 ''my burden is light." (St. Matt. \i. 28-30.) 
 
 With deep emotion and from the dejith of my conscience, I 
 must express to you, dear friend, my (onviction that among the mys- 
 terious things which God has permitted in this world, the develo[)- 
 ment of the Roman Catholic Church ai)pears to be the most incom- 
 prehensible. If anything could shake my faith in Providence and in 
 the Divine (Government of tile world, it would l)e the existence and 
 activity of this church. 
 
 Allow me now to say a w^ord regarding the dogma of infallibility 
 in which, according to your belief, the Catholic faith has found its 
 most pregnant expression. Inse])arably connected with it is the doc- 
 trine of the Universal Episcopate regarding which Poi)e Cregory the 
 Great (A.D. 590-604) pronounced the following judgment ; lie said 
 it was "born of vanity: a scandal in the Church; a wicked undertak 
 " ing against the commandment of (iod, against the Gospel, against 
 " the laws of the Church, against the Church constitution, against 
 "the di'-nity oi the bishops : an injury to the Church as a whole and 
 "a llasphemy." These are the \ -ords of the Great Po^jc Gregon. 
 0//i/,y riij/:um in sc' Hlvlsiim dcsolabitiir. (l-lvery kingdom divided 
 against itself shall fall.) 
 
 The history of the Vatican Coimcil lies wide open before the 
 
■eyes of every searcher .ifter truth. All the n'rciinistnnces connected 
 with it are well known. There, the most ( elebrated bishops in the 
 world, the representatives of the largest dicjceses solemnly protes- 
 ted a.^ninst the i)roceedings of the Council "in order," as they wrote, 
 "that we may in this manner, before men as well as before (lod's 
 ••judgment seat, disavow the responsibility for its disastrous con- 
 •• .M.i|uenres. Of this the ])reseni writing shall be an everlasting proof." 
 TniK a certain school of thought in the Roman Catholic Church has 
 found its expression and conipletion in the new dogma, but its renun- 
 ciation of true Christianity is also complete. In view of such pro- 
 Hcedings and ads on the part ot the Roman Catholic Chinch, the 
 e\angelical Christian remembers that at the Reformation certain |)arts 
 of the Apocalypse. — I will not quote them — were interpreted as 
 having reference to '-'(jme and the Pojjes. 
 
 Nevertheless, it i^ the case that besides the fiital influences which 
 have gained the mastery under I'ius, and which threaten to divide 
 and destroy our dear regenerated Fatherland, there exists another and 
 miU'.er current of thought which is truly Ca'holic without occasioning 
 the frighthil conse(iuences, which, bringing ruin on the Church, came 
 lo light in 1S70. 1 am utterly unable to persuade myself thar the 
 tJatholic Church is identical with the Papal Church in the form which 
 the latter has assumed before our eyes. Is it possible that so many 
 ]>i()us and enlightened men and ecclesiastics (suffice it to mention one 
 of them. Bishop Diepenbrock) should have been completely in error, 
 when the\ looked upon themselves as faithful and obedient servants 
 anil i)atrotic citizens of a State in which religious eipiality ])revailed, 
 without, on that account, doing violence to their religious convic- 
 tions? No.no, they were and are good Catholics, faithful and 
 (jbedient officials and honoured citizens. They certainly held the 
 o]jinion that the State is obliged to acknowledge the equality of the 
 ^ari()^s confessions, and they did not give up the hope that even their 
 evangelical and hcbrew fellow-citizens might be saved. But anyone 
 who now acknowledges the Romi-^h Poi)e as supreme judge in mat- 
 ters of faith and morals, and is conseipiently ])reijared, in obedience 
 to orders, to sacrifice to him his leason and even his very conscience, 
 such a man must consider tne principle of religious equality as 
 "• madness," and look upon his fellow citizens of other persuasions 
 as doomed to eternal perdition. At the same time I cannot under- 
 stand how a man, entertaining such convictions, can be a good ser- 
 vant and citizen of any State in which religious e<iuality exists. 
 
 1 now revert to the claim of Rome to be regarded as the only true 
 
17 
 
 Apostolic Church. 1 do not here speak of evanjrelical Christians 
 such as I am ; we stand tjuite on one side ; we do not acknowledge 
 Apostolic succession, lor possess authority to teach and preach ; we 
 have (»nly the New Testament, particularly the words of Jesus " This 
 " is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as 1 ha\e loved 
 "you." (St. Jolin xv. 12). "These things I command, that ye may 
 " love one another. (St. John \v. 17.) " This is life eternal, thai they 
 " should know Thee, the only true (iod. and Him whom Thou didst 
 *' send, even Jesus Christ.'' (St. John, xvii. 3;. We interpret these 
 words according to our conscience, which we strive to stir uji ;ind 
 purify by means ol our reason. Moreover, we build upon these words 
 of Christ, " ^A'hen two or three are gathered together in my name 
 " there am I in the midst of them.'" ^St. Matth. -.iii, 30). Xot of 
 ourselves, but with reference to the Greek Church, the orthodox and 
 Catholic Church of the East, I would like to say a few wcjrds. ( )n 
 my last journey I passed through countries in which this (!hurch is 
 established, and came into intimate contact with its clergy and laity. 
 Even in my first conversations with them 1 learned (and my heart 
 was filled with joy at the thought) that, in the countries of ihe Creek 
 Church, no one has ever been burnt on account of his religious b .-lief. 
 For such a Church ; for a Christian religious association, whose mem- 
 bers have never burnt each other alive, we must certainly entertain a 
 a very lively symi)athy. 1 heard a great deal about the (]uiet 
 and ])eacefulness that reigns in this C'hurch f'rom the White Sea to 
 Egyi)t ; from Hungary to Persia. No new dogma " disorders the 
 conscience."' Such a thing must neither be taught nor believed. " If 
 "any man shall add unto them, (iod shall add unto him the plagues 
 "that are written iu this book"' (Rev, xxii, 18). This Church rejects 
 ]nirgatory, indulgences, the supererogatory merits of the saints, and 
 the adoration of the host, (in tne manner of Roman Catholics). It 
 allows the marriage of priests and glories in its unfalsified traditions. 
 It has never exercised any worldly ))ower, and conse(|uently has re- 
 mained faithful to the words of Christ, " My kingdom is not of this 
 " world, " words which so loudly condemn the temporal power of the 
 Papacy. The Popes have often cursed the Catholic Church of the 
 East, but this does not i)revent nearly eighty millions of men from 
 living a Christian lib . and devoutly dying in it pious faith. The curses 
 on the part of the Komish Popes are answered by the Creeks j)ro- 
 ducing proof that the Latins have distorted dogma and tradition by 
 the introduction of forgeries. This proof certainly seems to be 
 incontrovertible. 1 was further gratified by observing that, in this 
 
18 
 
 Church, use is made of the comnion tongue in public worship, and 
 not of a dead lant^Hiage. as is ahnost exclusively the case in the 
 Romish Chun h. It therefore ai)pears to nie that the Catholic CInirch 
 of the F.ast, wliich is founded upon unfalsified tradition and Apostolic 
 succession, has \ery essential advantages over the Romish Church. 
 No doubt science ar.d art have not been so nuich cultivated in the 
 lands of the Creek Clnirch : it has not produced an Albertus Mag^ 
 nus or Rafael, but on the other hand, the spirit of primitive Christian- 
 it}' iias ufit departed from it. 
 
 In the Armenian Cliunh a more cultivated and scientific life was 
 devLlo|)e(l. It is also an Apostolic Church and possesses the con- 
 tinuity of tradition. Ii reJt.Hts purgatory, administers the sacrament 
 in both f'orms and prescribes the marriage of priests. Its visible head, 
 the " Katholikos," dwells at the foot of the holy Mount .Ararat sur- 
 rounded by e.\( ellenl schools and seminaries. He is the successor 
 of Gregory '"the Knlightened," and of the Apostles. .\o other Church 
 among those called orthodox h '< been fated to trt-ad the path of 
 suffering to such an extent as the .Armenian. If uninterrupted con- 
 nection with A])Ostolic lini av.O. the ])reser\ation of the pure Cospel 
 is a proof of truth and genuineness in a Church, then the .\rmenian 
 is in these respects e-;'!al to the Creek and superior to the Romish 
 Church. 
 
 Therefore, to every candid entpiirer, the pretention of Rome to 
 be considered chiefly, and even e.xclusively, Catholic and orthodox 
 must api)ear inex]ilicable. If the history of the development of the 
 principal ( 'Iui-,'Jan Chart hes were more generally known, this unjus- 
 tifiable claim would find no support among the peojjle. In that case, 
 the oft repeated terrible curses launched by the Romish Popes, not 
 only against us, the heretics, but against the Apostolic Churches of the 
 East, would be powerless agninst the s])irit of true Christianity. 
 
 In the Church of St. Peter, the Basilica of the Vatican, when the 
 eyes are raised to the immense arched dome above, there are perceived, 
 written in gigantic golden letters these celebrated words of Chri.st : 
 Tit es Petrus et super hanc pdmni, aedicaho ecdcsiam meam et tibi dabo 
 daves regni caclorum. (Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will 
 build my Church, and I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom 
 of heaven.) — Upon these uncertain words the i)rimacy and pai)acy 
 have been built, in the course of subsequent centuries. Again, the 
 command of Christ to Christians to understand the Cos[jel must be 
 obeyed. If we seek to understand the meaning of these indistinct 
 words by comparing them with other of Christ's sayings, and consider 
 
19 
 
 the denial of Christ liy Peter, the rehxtions of t!u. Apostles to each 
 other, and the history of jirimitive Christianity, we come to tiiL- con- 
 rhision tlin*. nevur was there a greater or i iore destnutixc misuse 
 made of Christ's sayings than in the tounding of tlu- Popish primacy 
 by means of these words. ()ppf)site to them we plate the [)erfectly 
 clear, uneqnivocal, command wiiich Christ gave to the people and 
 his diciples---" l>ut he nt)t ye called Rahhi, for one is your master 
 even Christ, and all ye are brethren.'" (St. .Matt, xxiii. 9.) These 
 words of Christ pronounce an annihilating judgment n<jt only against 
 the Primacy but against the whole hicran hy. Therefore, wc evan- 
 gelical Christians know no hierarchy, but beHcvc in a i unnnon priest- 
 hood established by Christ, " wiio lovcth us and loosed us from our 
 "sins by his blood ; and he made us to be a kmgdom, to be priests 
 "unto his (iod and Father."' (Rev. i. 5, 6.) 
 
 And now, my dear friend, let us trust in Cod ; l.et us rid ourselves 
 of the fear that scientific research may destroy religion and (Christ- 
 ianity and dis.solve everything in Atheism and Materialism. Such 
 epidemic diseases of the S])irit are subject to the same laws as other 
 ])lagues ; they r'se, spread, attain a maximum and l)econie extin- 
 guished of themselves. Let tis hold fast to these truly Catholic, to 
 these old Catholic words. /// i/i'trssariis //////as. in ihibiis libcrtas, in 
 omnibus cariias. (In things necessary, unity : in things doubtful, lib- 
 erty ; in all things charity.) l>ut Christian freedom of belief will 
 become greater in the same degree as we give room to Christian love 
 " to the love of Cod shed abroad in our hearts "' (Romans v. 5.) 
 
 (i. V(;.M RATH. 
 
 IJONN, 
 
 F.asler, .'S'jb.