The Chosen People: A Compendium of Sacred and Church History for School-ChildrenYonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Religion
The Chosen People: A Compendium of Sacred and Church History for School-Children
Yonge, Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary)
Bible -- History of Biblical events; Church history
There were many other differences. The Greeks and Latins reckoned the
time of keeping Easter in different ways, and had not the same way of
shaving the heads of their clergy. Besides, the Greeks thought that when
St. Paul said an elder might be the husband of one wife, he meant that a
parish priest _must_ be married; so if a clergyman's wife died, they put
him into a convent, and took away his parish. The Roman Catholics said,
on the contrary, that the clergy were better unmarried; and by-and-by
they forbade even those who were not monks to have wives; and in process
of time a far more serious evil gradually arose in the Western Church.
The clergy said that there was no need for the people to partake of the
Cup at the Holy Eucharist, so they were cut off from that privilege,
though our Lord had said, "Drink ye ALL." The clergy said it was all the
same whether the people drank of it or not, since Flesh and Blood were
one; but this was thinking for themselves, and over explaining, and so
by-and-by they lost the real spiritual devout way in which they ought to
have reverently spoken of that great and holy mystery, and thought of it
in a manner that answered better to their mere human understanding.
LESSON XXXI.
THE MIDDLE AGES.
"Surely the isles shall wait for Me."--_Isaiah_, ix. 9.
It is not easy to make out exactly the ten kingdoms to which the Roman
dominion was said in Daniel to give place, because sometimes one
flourished, sometimes another; sometimes one was swallowed up, sometimes
a fresh one sprang forth; but there can be no doubt that the ten horns
mean the powers of Europe, which have always been somewhere about that
number ever since the conquest by the Teuton nations.
By the time the first thousand years had past, the "little leaven" had
thoroughly "leavened the whole lump;" and the ways of thinking, the
habits, laws, and fashions, of the western people, were all moulded by
Christian notions. The notions were not always really Christian, nor did
the people always act up to them; but they meant so to do; and though
there was some error, yet there was also the sincere saving Truth, which
made those who followed it holy, and led them to salvation. Perhaps the
greatest mistake was the craving to see, instead of only to believe;
and this led to peoples' putting their trust in many things besides
the Merits of our blessed Lord--in relics, in images of saints, in
the intercessions of the blessed Virgin, and above all, in the Pope's
promises.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account