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Vol. XII.—No. 9.
THE CATHOLIC HERALD
IS PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY BY
M.’FITHIAN,
No. 72 North Second Street, Philadelphia.
Terms.—Two Dollars and Fifty Cents, if paid
in advance, or Three Dollars, payable half yearly.
No paper discontinued until all arrearages are
settled.
All Communications, except from Agents or
Subscribers enclosing remittances, must be post
paid, and addressed ‘+ To the Editor of the Ca-
tholic Herald, Philadelphia, Pa.”
By permission of the Post-Master General, any
Post-Mastercan frank a letter containing a remit-
tance, for a Subscriber. ,
Poetry.
From the Christion World.
CARELESS WORDS.
BY MRS.L: F. MORGAN.
Beware, beware, of careless words,
"They have a fearful power,
And jar upon the spirit’s chords,
‘Through many a weary hour.
‘Though not design’d to give us pain,
‘Though but at random spoken,—
* Remembrance brings them back again,—
‘The past’s most bitter token.
‘They haunt us through the toilsome day,
And through the lonely night,
And rise to cloud the spirit’s ray,
When all beside is bright.
... Though from the mind, and with the breath
Which gave them, they have flown,
Yet wormwood, gall, and even death, ¢
May dwell in every tones ...°, >
And burning tears can well attest,
‘A sentence lightly fram'd, :
May linger, cankering, in the breast,
"At which it first was aim’d,.
Ob, could my prayer indeed be heard—
Might I the past live o’er—
Vd guard ogainst a careless word,
E’en though [ spoke no more.
From the Catholic Advocate.
HISTORY
Of the Life, Works, and Doctrines of Calvin,
by M1. Audin. . Paris: 1843,
(Continued.)
“Tlad the Court embraced the doctrines
of Zhe Institutions, the church of Notre
Dame, converted into a Protestant meeting
house, could not have contained a single
species of each variety of sects, which have
bad their birth beneath the sun of this new
gospel. Bossuet, had he then lived, would
never have dared undertake his admirable
history of the Variations.” .
“Servetus had read, in the Instifutions,
Calvin’s explanation of the dogma of the
Trinity ; he had been but litle satisfied with
it, inasmuch as he still continued to write
concerning this mystery. . .
His eyes had fallen upon the lines wherein
Calvin teaches that the Christian goul, if for-
bidden by the church to live in intimacy with
sinners, ought in order, to reclaim them from
error; to try exhortations, mildness, Prayers,
tears, even though they should be Turks or
Saracins, and Servetus had been’ tenderly
affected, and blessed the writer. (1) |
“ Ata later period, shutup in the prison of
Geneva, lying upon siraw, devoured by ver-
min, he recalled these beautiful words of the
Institutions, and had a hope that the lips
which had: let them fall, would never pro-
nounce, against a Christian, a sentence ol
death... .. Unhappy wretch, who knew
not the heart of his judge! The Spaniard
died, and the edition which followed the pun-
ishment of the heretic, came forth, revised,
corrected, and purged of» those passages,
which might have been presented a3 a con-
demnation of the prosecutor, judge, and ex-
ecutioner. (2 7 .
“ The Christian Institutions shared the fate
of the Augsburg confession, Both, it is
known, were on their first appearance, regard-
ed as the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. At
each edition, the Holy Spirit of the reforma-
; boars
The dost. pee ee ee
2. Liche Pseudovymia Calvini, p. 27,
tion, corrected, revised and remodeled his
theme with the docility of a schoolboy ; he
listened to sage or foolish criticism of the
learned world, and with his wing now effaced
a passage which gave displeasure to some co-
religionist, now a phrase or chapter which
badly ‘understood text, one that had been
more profoundly studied; adroitly removed a
chapter; flashed out a few rays of anger, that
there might be no doubt of his having passed
that way; and left untroubled all the’ in-
sults with which he had inspired the copyist
against the pope and the papacy. The Cath-
olics amused themselves atthe expense of these
evolutions in doctrine, for example, on the
subject of the Eucharist, of Grace, and Free-
i Bot the disciples had an air not to‘ un-
derstand criticism, and’ continued to affirm,
with virginal candor, that their father had
never changed anything in the doctrines which
he delivered.” (3)
«Calvin is himself more worthy of belief,
he has recognized the* labour of the file and
stylus, + As to the first edition of this
did not expect that it was to be so
well received, as God in his inestimable good-
ness has willed; consulting brevity, I had
acquitted myself too lightly. But I have
known, with time, that it has been received
with such favour, as L should not have pre-
sumed to desire, (far less have expected). “I
have felt myself compelled to acquit myself
better and more fully, towards those who re-
ceive my doctrine with go great affection, for
it would in me be ingratitude, not to satisfy
their desire as far as my littleness will allow.
For which, I have tried todo my duty in this,
not only when said book was printed the
second time, but every time and whenever it
has been reprinted, it has been somewhat
augmented and enriched, Now, although ,I
had no occasion to be dissatisfied with the
Jabour 1 had done, yet I confess that I have
never been myself contented until [>have
brought it into the order in which you'now
see it, and Tean alledge, for good approval,
that I have not spared myself in serving the
ehurch of God in this place the most kindiy
that for me is possible; in this, that last-win-
ter being menaced with death by quartan fever,
the more my sickness urged, the less I spared
myself, in order to perfect the work, that liv-
ing after my death, it should show how much
1 desired to satisfy those who already had so
much profited by it. 1 would have wished to
do this sooner; butit will be soon enough, if
well enough. Now the Devil with all bis
band, is greatly mistaken if he thinks to cast
me down or discourage me by charging me
with falsehoods so frivolous.” !
*«'The Devil with his band, meant no othér
than the eatholic writers, who had a little too
bitterly shown up the variations of Calvin,
and dared call in question the theological
value of the book of Institutions.—The- te-
formed polemics, in traversing the Rhine to
come from Wtenberg to” Paris, have : not
changed their form of language.» At Noyon
as at Erfurt, it is a thing decided that the
Devil has covered himself with the tiara: in
the person of Leo X, or Adrian VI, and that
his imps have put on violet robes -by taking
possession of Sadolet, bishop of Carpentras,
of Petit, bishop of Paris, and of Nicolai,
bishop of Apt.” A
“Not long since, disputing against’ the
Anabaptists, Calvin said: *In fact 1 have -al-
ways avoided insulting and biting words.’
The Catholics are less fortunate: he ‘likens
them to monkeys, and/compares their mass to
the Grecian Ielen.”
“The Papistical ceremonies,” says he,
‘correspond with the thing. Our Lord, in
sending his Apostles to preach the gospel,
breathed on them.’ By which sign he pre+
sented the virtue of the Holy Ghost, which he
putin them. ‘These good, simple men. have
retained the breathing, and as if they vomited
the Holy Ghost from their, throats they mur-
mur over their priests whom they ordain
saying, receive ye the Holy Ghost. They
are so given, that they leave nothing which
they do not perversely counterfeit; { do not
say like mountebanks and farce players who
have some art and manner in their doings, but
like movkies, who are frisking about and try-
ing to ape everything, without propriety or
discretion, Also, they say ; look at the: ex-
ample of our Lord: but our Lord has doue
many things which he does not wish to be
(Wig
needed more illumination ; substituted for aj
-|sacrificators acquire by their
imitated. He said to his disciples, recejve ye
the Holy Ghost.’ He also said on the other
and, to Lazarus: Lazarus, come forth. |e
said to the paralytic: arise, and walk, why do
not they say the same to all the dead and pal-
sied? (4)
* Certes, Satan never devised a more pow-
erful machine for combating and prostrating
the kingdom of Jesus Christ. This mass is
like a Helen, for whom the enemies of truth
to day, battle with such great credulity, with
such great fury and such great rage. ‘And
verily, it is a Helen with whom they thus
commit spiritual fornication, which is of all
the most execrable. 1 do not here touch only
with my little finger, the ‘heavy and gross
abuses by which they could prove the purity
of their cursed mass to have been profaned
and corrupted. ' We should know how many
villainous bargains and trades they make;
how many illicit and dishonest gains, such
‘ir masses; with
what great robbery they gratify their avarice”
* “To day the Christian Institutions are de-
finitely judged at the bar of criticism, Itis
a factum of some thousands of pages, in which
the author desired to give a body and soul to
what was then called the reformation. To
demonstrate that Protestantism was not born
yesterday, the writer has recourse, first, to
the bible, which he bends to his own cap-
tices, then he has recourse to the Catholic
fathers; so thatif you listen to him, his. word
should be nothing but an echo of that of the
Treacuses, the Photius’s, ‘the Augustins, the
Cyprians, and even of Jerome, whose soul
was, by Luther, valued at so little, that it is
well known, he would not give six goulders
for it. (6.) ~ + > - ~
‘Is it not strange, to see Calvin seriously
maintain, that our fathers of the primitive
Church professed the same opinions as him-
self, with regard to the symbolical presence,
whilst Luther, with all the Greeks and all the
Catholics, avails himself ofthe same doctors,
to prove, against the Sacramentarians, that the
dogma of the real presence has always been
taught in the Chare! Where then is the
falsification to be found?’ Calvin also pre-
tends that his ideas concerning predestination,
works, grace, and justification are those of our
great Catholic writers, But why then does
not he vindicate’ their memory outraged by
Luther?) Why does he not open the gates of
heaven to them, in place of Jeaving in: those
cwellings of fire in which’ they were buried
by the aposile of Germany, Lis father in Jesus
Christ, as he calls him? This church then
was notso miserable as hie said, inasmuch as
therein were taught the dogmas which he re-
suscitates in order to reproduce them, by the
sound of his voice? Thanks, then, Calvin!
thanks to thy book, we may acknowledge all
the glories of our religion, given up, as th
had been, to the ridicule of ‘the drinkers of
‘Thorgau beer, » Cyprian, Augustine, Lactan-
tius, and’ you, Jerome, you all enjoy the
sight of God! ‘It is Calvin himself who ho-
nors you with the name of Saints,”
“There is nothing new in this much vaunt-
ed book of the Znstitutions:' All the disputes
excited by Eck, Prierias, Miltitz, and’ Caje-
tan, are here again agitated, but without life,
without ‘impulse, without’ eclat, “Calvin
resumes the discussion concerning the Pope’s
supremacy, atthe point where Luther left it
in his duel with Eck, and without ‘rejuvina-
ting it by the power of his word.’ Ivis per-
ceptible thathe has only studied 'it under one
of its places, in the very terms laid down by
Luther, without concerning himself with the
logic of his adversary. It was not thus he
should have proceeded ; the * learned’ world
expected ‘something ‘else from the pulpils of
Alciati.” Sometimes tie excites the curiosity
of the reader by setting forth in magnificent
terms, anobjéction which ‘he is about to r:
solve and pulverize: for example, when there
is question concerning the double will in God,
the one, in virtue of which he’ orders, by
secret counsel, what by the other, the public
law, he has forbidden.”’ (7
‘The reader rouses himself and is moved;
then suddenly this master of christian” doc
trines lets fall words of impotence, and can-
didly confesses that one would not beable to
conceive this phenomenal quality.”’ (8
+1, 4, ¢. 10,}p. 1221, ed, Lyon. 1565. °
. page 1196, ed. de Lyou. 1165. :
Talk...
we
3, Beza Vita Calvini.
Whole Number 581r
'“ Tlowever,{as a literary ‘production, the
Christian Institutions merit some praise. _ If
the’ theologian loses himself amid the ,ob-
securities | of his augmentation, the. writer
gives out some beautiful corruscations. “We
must go back even to Calvin to understand
the transformdiions of our idiom.—Though
separated from the catholic church, one may
still belong to the republic of letters and’ the
hetrodoxy of Calvin should not prevent: us
from lauding in him the writer’s skill, and the
Rhetoricans phraseological faculty. » One is.
at times; in admiration, while reading the de-
dication to Francis the first, and some of the
chapters of this treatise, to behold with what
ocility the material sign obeys the caprices
of the ‘writer, Never dues the proper word
fail him. Le calls it and it comes. It is Job's’
horse, which runs and stands in obedience to’
the least impulse of the rider; only the scho-'
lar’s caparison never frisks or emits flames.!
Antiquityis reflected in the Jnstitutions. From -
Seneca, Calvin has stolen a numerous period;
from ‘Tacitus, certain rudenesses of style; from:
Virgil, frequently a honey quite poeuc.. ‘The
study pf hes Roman‘Jaw has furnished. him
with the severe forms of language, a clear and,
precise expression, but unforwnately one also.
too ofien dry and barrea. It is a defect, ;
which he candidly acknowledges, when speak-,
ing of Saint Augustine, whose prolixity dis-;
pleased him, and, as he said, obscured the,
streams of light which the doctor spreads over.
his writings.” (9) ened
We shall have further occasion to estimate »
the author of the Christian Lnstitutions, as.a
writer.*, . .
+’ 4 CALVIN AT FERRARA, 1536, Loe
The reformation has, at all times misunder-
stood the. genius of nations... When Luther,
for the first time, entered Rome, his soul
thoroughly, German, he saw nothing in its ,
wonderful spectacle of festivals, churches and
museums, but the revival of the follies of Pa-
ganism.”: He thought himself transported ito
the Rome of the Cesars. Child of the north, ,
in his Euey he contrasted the splendours of .
the Italpan ritual with the ceremonies of his .
own charch of All Suints, and he believed that
truth should be clad in coarse cloth, and not |
vested with stuffs, glittering with rubies. He»
was not far.enough initiated into the sci-
ence of. ABsthetcs, and did not svficieatly
cowprehend the mysterious and antique har.
monies of the Latin liturgy, with the bright :
skies which served asa pavillion for Rome,
A land, whose suns are sv ardent, whuse aus |
roras 80 brilliant, whose perspective are so,
transparent, and whose aunosplere is so lumi- ,
nous, must have, temples of marble, altars of ,
porphyry, chalices of, gold, and sacerdotal ,
robes sparkling with precious stones. A, peo- ;
ple, marching upon the Appian way, amd —
mausoleuins, temples, trophies of sea fights, .
baths, acqueducts, works of the Greek and,
Roman chisel, will never consent to place»
their God beneath a roof of suaw. ; ‘To com- ;
pel them. to renounce .their gorgeous ‘ritual,
you must first do two things, you must give ,
them another nature end other skies, ‘The ,
seductions of the Saxon word would have suc- _;
cumbed before these obstacles, At a Jater ,
period, Luther was at Jast_ able to understand,
that ‘truth could not exact the sacrifice of the ;
material inclinations of a people, and he plead-, ;
ed very eloquently in behalf of images, against
Carlstadt, that undiscipliued .soldier, of the .:
reformation, who desired their. banishment ,
the voice of Erasmus, in tones of wrath, had;
enouoced to. Germany thisgassault upon mat. |
ter, idolized by the hand of man. (lu) |,
Calvio had not. yet heafd him when be .
composed his institutions, in which he devo- ,
ted images, to the indignation of the Christian i
soul, ) He was under the douinion of, Carls-.;
tadian ideas, althe epuch of his, deparlure ,
from Bale for Fetrare, towards the , end. of ;
Marehy 1536.(11) oe oy sy eens
Ferrara was acity of monks and literati, ,
from the midst of which- arose a marble pay ;
of, gardens, embellished or created by Her-
cules; d’Est. It was the habitation of the.
muses, the asylum of the, learned, the) ren-
dezvous of arusts, attracted from all quarters
by the, repujation of ,Atiosiv. | Happy land {
) Farelle..,
10 £ toll passin.. Erasmus called
the, books of Carlsdat, insusosissime libros. Ep.
Ai Gen. Cal, aSep .
adv. eainist.
from: the Christian temple. ; 11. is true, that ,”
lace, which had received the,tile of the palace - ~
of diamonds.; It was enveloped in anenciosure , ©
Arg. ; .. .
1I-Paul Heary, 1, ps 153, . QS
Le , . .