GLEANINGS FROM SOUTH AMERICA.
By John M’Carthy
In these days of “advanced theological views,” we hear much talk about the “liberty” of the Church of Rome, and the wisdom of seeking shelter beneath the covert of her ecclesiastical wings. Those who reside in Protestant countries, we assert without fear of contradiction, know nothing of the “inner workings” of Romanism. The writer can well remember, only six years ago, during “holy week,” a great Roman Catholic procession, composed of the archbishop, different other prelates, priests, and orders of the Catholic Church. A great cross and a large image of the virgin Mary preceded the “host,” or body of Christ. As soon as the archbishop sounded a gong, some thousands of people knelt down in the streets (as in the plain of Dura) to worship the “wafer god” as it passed. Some few there were, however, who absolutely refused to bow the knee to Baal. But a zealous policeman, anxious (as our Maryland and Tennessee friends are) to make the people religious by law, went up to a small group of Englishmen and knocked off their hats. They promptly resented this Dark Ages method of enforcing obedience, and things were made somewhat uncomfortable for the policeman. Some people maintain that the days of papal tyranny are now in the past, but permit me to inform them that they occur but too frequently for the comfort of dissentients, as some thousands can testify. Go to Sucre, Callao, La Paz, Lima, Quito, and other cities throughout Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, where people are imprisoned for even purchasing the word of God. One friend of ours, a faithful servant of God, was cast into prison (a former pigsty) for nine months, being reckoned as a criminal of deeper dye than murderers or thieves, because he was guilty of the outrageous crime(!) of selling Bibles in Peru. If it had not been for the diplomatic intervention of England and the United States, he undoubtedly would have met with the fate of his Bibles, namely, that of being publicly burned. Truly “Rome never changes.” That diabolical spirit of tyrannical ages still burns within her bosom; and now and again (as in the case of a volcano) there is an eruption, and the “heretics” fall victims to her revengeful enmity. Only three months ago, in a city of Ecuador, a colporter’s Bibles were sequestrated, and, pending the judgment of the bishop, who is also minister of state, he ordered the books to be publicly burned as indecent literature. Not content with this punishment of the “heretic,” one of the leading priests led on a rabble, “to lovingly chastise” the erring one who had dared to beard the lion in his den. Of course when the more liberal papers stood up for tolerance and condemned this action, it was urged that the priest had acted in his judicial capacity—being also a judge—and only desired “to correct” disturbers of the peace. Thus it is that Rome deceives the unwary. But any person with but an ordinary faculty for reasoning can see that the one object of papal prelates in seeking these high governmental offices is to severely punish all who dare dissent from Roman Catholic dogmas, and then boldly aver that such punishment was inflicted by the “civil authorities” upon disturbers of the peace. Yet there are thousands of so-called Protestants who are blinded by the dust of Rome, and forget the past black records of the Catholic Church. They solace themselves with the thought that “Rome is more liberal now than ever before.” How false the hope, and how false the foundation of such hope! Let us come a little nearer home to demonstrate the intolerance of the Papal Church. The Methodists of the different conferences here have petitioned the governments to exempt their young students now studying in their colleges and theological seminaries from military service. This privilege has long been granted to the Catholic Church. But as soon as it came to the ears of Rome that the Methodists claimed equal rights with them, a most bitter article appeared in La voz de la Iglesia, the organ of the Catholic archbishop, which said, among the other harsh things, that it was greatly surprised at the imprudence of Protestants claiming equal privileges with them (the Catholics) in Roman Catholic countries. Of course this aroused the Methodists, who, in a well-written article in the Estandarte, reminded the archbishop of the pope’s last encyclical letter, which urges the Catholics to treat the Protestants as brethren, and not as enemies. This is causing a great deal of discussion; but it will have but one result long foreseen, namely, that Rome will carry her point. Let us return to Peru. That country is looked upon as a model daughter of the Church of Rome, being held up as exemplary and worthy of imitation. In this delightful republic no marriage is recognized as legal unless contracted according to the canons of the Council of Trent, by the “Holy Catholic Church.” This means to indicate that if one is married by a Protestant minister, the marriage is not only invalid, but that such an one would be unable to claim any property that might be forthcoming, because he is unable to produce the legal marriage certificate. To obtain such a certificate one is first required to go to the auricular confession, do whatever penance is appointed, and then pay an enormous sum to the priest for the legalization of the marriage through the required ecclesiastical ceremony. This is but another specimen of Romish intolerance. In Costa Rica, where the priests are looked upon as gods, 200 men, armed with stones and sticks, headed by the priest, caused a great disorder, threatening to burn a Protestant mission house, while the missionaries were pleading for their lives. Eventually the missionaries were compelled to flee to the capital. In Temuco, Chile, a Protestant chapel was attacked by the fanatical members of a Catholic Circle, who broke all the windows and lamps, while the service was being held. In the Argentine House of Congress a bill has been passed augmenting the salary of the archbishop from $600 to $1,000 per month. The bishops in partibus, that is to say, of the dioceses of Asia, instead of $150, now receive $200 per mensem. Also, the $5,000 which has been formerly given annually for the construction of churches, has been augmented just recently to $10,000. It appears from the discussion of the municipal proposition, that it is proposed to give $67,000 to different sisterhoods of the Catholic Church. Thus we see that Rome is advancing on every hand. Theologians, and others of the optimistic turn of mind, declare that Adventists are too pessimistic, and are always in search of the unlucky star in the social horizon; but we need scarcely say that such is quite void of truth. The more one studies the prophecies from the standpoint of advance truth, the more resplendent is the light which enables us fully to grasp the fact that every word of God is true. Despite man’s assertions to the contrary, the prophecies must be fulfilled, to the upheaval of man-devised theories and vain philosophies. All the world will yet worship the beast, except those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Altho Protestants declare that Protestantism is gaining ground, we must take our stand upon the immutable word. That and that alone can pilot us through the creeds of creedism, formalism, and dogmatism, into the ocean of truth. Let us beware of compromising principle, and seek not unity with men, but unity with Christ.12Then we shall have no difficulty in knowing what is right, neither shall we lack the courage to step out upon the promises of God.