"Florry, come sit here by me--I want to consult you."
"Is it very important, Mary? I feel to-night as though I could comprehend nothing; let me wear off this dull pain in my heart and head by walking, if possible."
"My dear Florry, it is important; and therefore you will forgive me if I claim your attention."
Florence seated herself, and as she did so, leaned her head on Mary"s shoulder, while the latter wound her arm fondly about her, and gently stroked back the raven hair from her aching brow.
"Since we broke up our school, I have been warned that we are in danger, and advised to leave San Antonio as speedily as possible; for strife is evidently at hand, and a battleground is no place for those so unprotected as you and I."
"Dr. Bryant has promised to watch over us: and surely you have implicit confidence in both his judgment and honor. What do you fear, Mary?"
"Everything. We may remain here too long--till escape will be impossible; and then who may predict with any degree of certainty the chances of war? That Dr. Bryant will do all that a friend or brother would, I doubt not; but he may be powerless to help when danger a.s.sails; and even if he should not, to travel from here in stormy times would not be so easy as you imagine."
"Who has been filling your head with such ideas? It could be none other than that dark-browed Inez."
"If she has, could aught but disinterested friendship actuate her to such a course?"
"Really, Mary, I should not have given you credit for so much credulity. Do you place any confidence in what that girl may tell you?"
"I do rely on what she confides to me. Has she ever given you cause to doubt her sincerity? Indeed, Florry, you do her injustice. I would willingly--G.o.d only knows how willingly--doubt some portions of what I have heard from her lips, but I dare not."
"Mary, can you not perceive that she is jealous of us, and hopes, by operating on your fears, to drive us from this place? The Padre hinted as much to me not long since."
"Florry, it is for you to say whether Inez speaks truth. From her lips I had the words--Your Cousin Florence is a Papist, wears a crucifix about her neck, and kneels in the confessional. Oh, Florry! will you--can you--do you deny the charge?"
The cousins stood up, and each gazed full upon the other. Mary"s face was colorless as marble, and her hands were tightly clasped as she bent forward with a longing, searching, eager look. A crimson glow rushed to Florence"s very temples; then receded, leaving an ashy paleness.
"I am a member of the Church of Rome."
Mary groaned and sank back into her chair, at this confirmation of her fears. Florence leaned against the chimney, and continued in a low, but clear voice--"I have little to say in defense of what you may consider a deception. I deny the right of any on earth to question my motives of actions; yet I would not that you, Mary, who have loved me so long and truly, should be alienated, without hearing the reasons which I have to allege in favor of my conduct. Mary, think well when I ask you what prospect of happiness there was for me a month since?
Alone in the wide world, with ruined hopes, and a long, long, joyless future stretching gloomily before me. I was weary of life. I longed for death, not as a pa.s.sport to the joys of heaven (for I had never sought or deserved them), but as bringing rest, peace, and oblivion of the past I viewed it only as a long, last, dreamless sleep. Mary, I was groping my way in what seemed endless night, when suddenly there came a glimmer of light, faint as the first trembling rays of the evening star, and just pierced the darkness in which I wandered. The Padre came to me, and pointed to the long-forgotten G.o.d, and bade me seek him who hath said, come unto me all ye who are weary, and I will give you rest. Mary, do you wonder that I clasped the hand outstretched to save me, and besought him to lead me to the outraged and insulted G.o.d? My eyes were opened, and looking down the long, dark vista of the past. I saw how, worshiping a creature, I built a great barrier between myself and heaven. I saw my danger, and resolved, ere it was too late, to dedicate the remainder of my life to him who gave it. The door of the church was opened, and Father Mazzolin pointed out the way by which I might be saved. The paths seem flowery, and he tells me the ways are those of pleasantness and peace, and I have resolved to try them. Once, and once only, I met him at confession, hoping, by unveiling my sufferings to a man of G.o.d, to receive comfort of a higher order than I might otherwise expect. He has granted me absolution for the past, and I doubt not that in future the intercession of the blessed saints in heaven will avail with my offended Maker."
"Florry, my own dear Florry! hear me, for none on earth love you as I do. Do you not believe the Bible--G.o.d"s written word? Has he not said, "there is _one mediator_ between G.o.d and man--the man Christ Jesus?"
Has not Christ made propitiation for our sin, and a.s.sured us there is but one way whereby we may be saved, repentance for our past sins and faith in the sufficiency of his atonement? Do you doubt the efficacy of Christ"s suffering and death? Tell me, Florry, by what authority you invoke your saints? Surely you do so in opposition to the express declaration of the Bible already quoted--"there is _one mediator_ between G.o.d and man.""
"The holy Fathers of our church have been in the habit of praying for the intercession of saints from the earliest periods, and none have questioned their fervent piety, or doubted the orthodoxy of their faith," replied Florence.
"In the first place," said Mary, "it would be ridiculous in the extreme to advocate all the opinions and tenets advanced by those same Fathers. St. Augustine doubted the existence of the antipodes; Tertullian emphatically p.r.o.nounced second marriages adultery; Origen denied the sin of David in causing the death of Uriah, and has often been accused of favoring Arianism, and the doctrine of transmigration of soul; while it is a well-known fact, that Jerome, to vindicate Peter from the charge of dissimulation, actually accused St. Paul of lying, and thereby favoring deceit. In the second place, are you quite sure that they were in the habit of invoking saints?"
"Certainly, Mary; for it is undeniable that St. Augustine in his Meditations calls on the Blessed Virgin, and all the angels and apostles in heaven, to intercede with G.o.d in his behalf. Father Mazzolin pointed out the pa.s.sage no later than last week, to remove the doubts which I confess I entertained, as to whether it was proper and in accordance with the practise of the Fathers to implore such intercession."
"And does your conviction rest on so frail a basis? Hear what the Rev. Dr. Milner says on this subject, in the first volume of his Ecclesiastical History;" and taking it from the shelf, Mary read:
"The book of Meditations, though more known to English readers than any other of the works ascribed to Augustine, on account of the translation of it into our language by Stanhope, seems not to be his, both on account of its style, which is sententious, concise, abrupt, and void of any of those cla.s.sical elegancies which now and then appear in our author"s genuine writings; and also, on account of the prayers to deceased saints which it contains. This last circ.u.mstance peculiarly marks it to have been of a later date than the age of Augustine. Frauds of this, kind were commonly practised on the works of the Fathers in the monastic times."
"And why, Florry, does it peculiarly mark it as spurious? Because, had he entertained these views on so vital a point, the expression of them would most certainly have occurred in his other very voluminous works.
I have searched his Confessions for instances of this invocation, either from himself or anxious mother, and had he believed, as the Catholic prelates a.s.sert, in this intercession of the dead, it would most a.s.suredly have been sought in the hour of his suffering and fear, lest he should be given over. But I find none. On the contrary, these two pa.s.sages occur in his Confessions: "I now sought the way of obtaining strength to enjoy thee, and found it not, till I embraced the mediator between G.o.d and man, Jesus Christ, who is above all, G.o.d, blessed forever, calling and saying I am the way, the truth, and the life." And here, Florry, is another extract from the same book still more conclusive--"Whom shall I look to as my mediator? Shall I go to angels? Many have tried this, and have been fond of visions, and have deserved to be the sport of the illusions which they loved. The true mediator, whom in thy secret mercy thou hast shown to the humble, and hast sent that by his example they might also learn humility, the man Christ Jesus, hath appealed a mediator between mortal sinners and the immortal Holy One, that he might justify the unG.o.dly, and deliver them from death." Yet in your manuals you are directed to say "Mother of G.o.d command thy son;" and one of your prayers, Florry, is as follows: "Hail, Holy Queen! Mother of Mercy--our life, our sweetness, and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished sons of Eve, to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in the valley of tears. Turn thee, most gracious Advocate, thy eyes of mercy toward us." And at vespers you say,
"Hail, Mary! queen of heavenly spheres, Hail! whom the angelic host reveres!"
Florry, in all candor, let us investigate this subject; we will consult both the Bible and the Fathers, or, if you prefer it, by the words of the latter only we will decide; for truth we are searching."
"Mary, let me read a second time those pa.s.sages from St. Augustine.
Strange I should have been so deceived," she continued, as, having perused them, she returned the book to her cousin.
"Florry, can you perceive any encouragement there given to the practise of invocation? Does not St. Augustine expressly denounce it?"
"There can be no doubt of his sentiments on this point; but, Mary, this is only one decision, when I have been a.s.sured that the united voices of many Fathers established it without a doubt, even supposing there was no authority in Holy Writ for such a custom--which, however, we have, for did not Jacob wrestle with an angel and did not his blessing descend upon him?"
"But Christ had not then died; neither had the Christian dispensation succeeded to the old Jewish rites and customs. If you will turn to Jeremiah, you will also read how the curse of G.o.d was p.r.o.nounced against the idolaters who offered incense to the Queen of Heaven: yet you do the same. Still, by the tradition of the elders, we will judge.
Hear the words of Paulinus on this subject--"Paul is not a mediator; he is an amba.s.sador for Christ. John intercedes not, but declares that this mediator is the propitiation for our sin. The Son of Almighty G.o.d, because he redeemed us with the price of his blood, is justly called the true Redeemer," Again, the great and good Ambrose--"We follow thee, Lord Jesus, but draw us up that we may follow. No one rises without thee. Let us seek him, and embrace his feet, and worship him, that he may say to us, Fear not. I am the remission of sin, I am the light, I am the life. He that cometh to me shall not see death; because he is the fulness of divinity." One more, Florry--"Come to yourselves again, ye wretched transgressors! Return ye blind to your light! Shall we not believe G.o.d, when he swears that neither Noah, nor Daniel, or Job, shall deliver one son or daughter by their righteousness. For this end he makes the declaration, that none might put confidence in the intercession of saints. Ye fools! who run to Rome to seek there for the intercession of an Apostle. When will ye be wise? What would St. Augustine say of you, whom ye have so often quoted?" Such, Florry, are the words of the celebrated Claud of Turin; but as he is regarded by your church somewhat as a reformer, I will just read one pa.s.sage from Anselm, whose orthodoxy no Papist ever questioned. Speaking of the intercession of Christ--"If the people sin a thousand times, they need no other Saviour; because this suffices for all things, and cleanses from all sin." Florry, we have jointly admired the character of one of the earliest martyrs, St. Cyprian.
Will you hear him on this subject?--"Christ, if it be possible, let us all follow. Let us be baptized in his name. He opens to us the way of life. He brings us back to Paradise. He leads us to the heavenly kingdom. Redeemed by his blood, we shall be the blessed of G.o.d the Father," Yet you say in your prayers, "We fly to thy patronage, oh!
holy Mother of G.o.d!" And again--
"Hail sacred gate."
Florence, you have cited the Fathers: by their own words are you not convinced as to intercession?"
"Mary, I was asking myself if vital Christianity could exist in any church which allows such a system of deceit on the part of its clergy: for deceived I a.s.suredly have been."
"You should remember, Florry, that the promulgation of Papal doctrines, and the aggrandizement of the Romish church, is the only aim of its priesthood; consequently, all means which conduce to this great object are unscrupulously employed. Even crime is sanctioned where the good of the church can be promoted."
"Surely, Mary, you cannot mean what you say? Crime sanctioned by the Romish clergy! Impossible! How dare you make such an a.s.sertion!"
"It doubtless strikes you, Florry, as strangely uncharitable and unchristian; yet, if you will consult the records of the past, I venture to say you will think very differently. What memorable event occurred on one of your saints" days--the 24th of August, 1572? At dead of night the signal was given, and the Papal ministers of France perpetrated the foulest deed that stains the page of history.
Thirty thousand Huguenots were butchered in their beds. And what distinguished the murderer from the doomed victim? A white cross on the hat of the former. How did Imperial Rome receive the tidings of this ma.s.sacre? The cannons were discharged, the Pope ordered a jubilee and grand procession, and caused a _Te Deum_ to be chanted. I ask you, Florry, was not this sanctioning crime? Again, how died the great Henry IV? The celebrated edict of Nantes sealed his doom, and the infamous Ravaillac, for the good of the Romish church, conveniently forgot the commandment of Jehovah, and meritoriously a.s.sa.s.sinated him.
Florry, I have myself heard a Papist say, "that whatever her priest commanded, she would unhesitatingly perform." Shocked at the broad a.s.sertion, I replied: "You surely do not know what you are saying.
Obey the priest in all things! Why, you would not commit murder at his command?" "Certainly I would, if my priest bid me; for if I obey him, I cannot do wrong." I know this to be true; and I ask you what is the inference? You admit that you have been deceived. Pious frauds were committed in the time of Ambrose and Chrysostom; yet hear what St.
Augustine says: "Lying is the saying of one thing, and thinking of another;" and in all cases, even for most pious purposes, he excludes lying as unchristian and anti-scriptural."
Florence was leaning with clasped hands on the table gazing intently at her cousin; while Mary knelt on the other side, her hand resting on the large family Bible. The light fell full on her pale face as she knelt; her chestnut curls half veiling the pure white cheek, and the dark-blue eyes, earnest, and yet almost angelic, in their gentle, loving expression.
"Oh, Florry! need I implore you in future to look to Christ alone as the author of our salvation?"
"One more question, Mary. Is there not a pa.s.sage in Revelations substantiating the doctrine of intercession? Father Mazzolin a.s.sured me the testimony was conclusive in favor of that practise."
"The pa.s.sages to which you allude are these: "And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censor; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it, with the prayers of all saints, upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before G.o.d out of the angel"s hand." No word of intercession occurs here; and are we not as free to suppose that the prayers so offered were in their own behalf as that of their friends?
Had it been as the Padre tells you, would not St. John have said intercession or prayers in behalf of others?"
"Mary, can you have mistaken the pa.s.sage? This cannot be his boasted testimony."
"I know that these two verses are highly prized by Papists, as establishing the doctrine in question; yet I cannot see them in that light--can you?" "No, no; and if these are the strongest arguments they can adduce in the defense of invocation, I reject it as a remnant of the dark ages, during which period it certainly crept into the church."
"If you do this, Florry, you cause the whole fabric to totter, for on this doctrine, as a foundation, rests the arch, of which confession is the keystone."
""Confess ye your sins, one to another," is very strong in our favor, Mary?"
"Florry, we are searching for truth, and let us in all humility and candor investigate this particularly important point. It seems to me that St. James"s meaning is this--when we have offended or harmed our fellow-men or brethren, we should make all the amends in our power; confess our faults unto them; implore their pardon, and abstain from offensive conduct in future. Do you not think that if he had intended us to interpret it differently, he would have said--"Confess your faults unto your priest, and he will give you absolution." Setting aside all bias, do you not think this reasonable; the more so, when we call to mind those words of our Saviour in his sermon on the mount: "Therefore, if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee, leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." If our Lord had intended the ordinance of confession, would he not have said on this occasion, "First confess thy sins unto thy priest, and when he has absolved thee, then come with clean hands and offer thy gift." Mark the difference, and ask your own heart if there is any encouragement here for confessing to your Padre?"