Pagan Idolatry Revived.
By A. A. H.
In Waterbury, Vt., a series of meetings have been recently held by two Jesuit priests of the Catholic order, for the purpose of reclaiming the backslidden Catholics, and to bring their church more devotedly to the strict observance of the forms and doctrines of the Romish theology. The efforts put forth by the priests and church adherents, resulted in bringing together crowds of French and Irish, day after day, to the call of the priests. Among the things practiced at these assemblies, was the public sale of little crosses, crowns, beads, and jewelry of different kinds—taught by the priests to contain divine graces and supernatural power to make the purchasers holy and to keep diseases and misfortunes away from them. Many purchased liberally at these sales, and thus much money was obtained by the priests, from the poor and ignorant, probably to be spent in lustful excesses. After all had been drawn out from the people that could be in this way, another article was brought forward by the priests and said to contain all the virtues of the various other, and the people were ordered to burn all the former articles which they had purchased, and buy the one newly produced, which was something in the form of a lady’s needle-book; and so another draft of funds was made upon the people. Last, but not least, a statue of the Virgin Mary, probably of iron painted, was brought to the place, an altar built in one part of the church house and the idol seated thereon for worship. Then comes the service. The worshipers, in turn, bowed themselves at the altar and offered a prayer to the idol, at the same time making their “cross” and performing other papal rites. Such is the practice of a numerous people among us, who claim to be a direct line of descendants of the apostolic order. When we see such reckless deceptions and swindles practiced upon the ignorant and unlearned people, mingled with heathen idolatry, and behold the same spirit working into many of our Protestant churches, in the form of church fairs, levees, festivals, and oyster-suppers; with their grab-bags, ring-cakes, fishing-ponds, back-gammon, eucher-packs, and palatable wines; attended with a display of gold, jewelry, silks, and costly equipage,—“eating and drinking with the drunken, whose God is their belly”—thus worshiping fashion, wealth, popularity or some other idol of earth, we would to God there were Martin Luthers and Malancthons of modern times, who, with sword (Bible) in hand, would fearlessly wage war against these modern “Indulgences” both of Catholic and Protestant churches. Were there such, we would soon see the rising tide of infidelity driven back, and old-fashioned Bible salvation spreading and filling the land. Then would the great evils of intemperance, gluttony, adultery, and such like excesses, be permanently held in check by a divine influence that holds as naught beside can do. Soldier of the cross of Christ, arouse from thy slumber, gird on the armor, unsheath the sword, unfurl the blood-stained banner and fling it to the breeze, rend the band of formalism and with Heaven-born courage, go forth to meet, to fight, the foe; yea, and thou whited sepulchers, open thy barred doors and let the breezes of glory fan thy putrid vaults; let the river of salvation flow in and cleanse those corrupted cells, and be as thou clean. Let Zion travail and bring forth unto the Lord of hosts, and the name of our God shall be exalted among the people, and idolatry be banished from the church.—A. A. H., in Biblical Messenger.