Latin Prayers not Fit for Irishmen/Latin Prayers not Fit for Irishmen
LATIN PRAYERS
NOT FIT FOR IRISHMEN.
Every other Christian Church has found fault with the Church of Rome for reading public prayers in a language not understood by their congregations; and while the prayers of the Roman Catholic service are read, either in whole or in part, in the Latin language, all other prayers are delivered or read in the common language of each country. In England and Ireland, in Russia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, and France, as well as in Syria and Armenia, every person that does not belong to the Church of Rome enjoys the privilege of praying publicly in his own language. And, certainly, no good reason can be given, why Latin prayers should be read to an Irish or English congregation. It is surely an extraordinary thing, when a congregation assembles to join in the public worship of Almighty God to have a Priest reading to them such prayers as not one of them can understand. And we need not be surprised to find St. Paul forbidding prayers in an unknown tongue. In the 14th chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians, he tells them, that some of them, who possessed the miraculous power of speaking in a great many different languages, used to do so, when there was no one present who was able to understand them; and that the gift of prophesying, or public preaching, was a more desirable and edifying one. The several reasons he gives to prove all he said, are so many unanswerable arguments against the use of Latin prayers in this country.
Firsts, he says, that public worship should be so odered as to edify the church. " He that speaketh in an unknown tongue, edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth, edifieth the church. I would that ye all speak with tongues; but rather that ye prophesied; for greater is he that prophsieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying." Ver. 4, 5,—" Seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church". Ver. 12.—Secondly, he tells us what is plain enough, "that any thing spoken in unknown language does not edify the church." See 4th verse.—" If I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church."—Ver 11 and 12. Thirdly, he commands that "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course, and let one interpret. But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself and to God."—ver. 27, 28.
Again St. Paul tells us, that public prayers ought to be offered up by the Priest or Minister, so that at the end the people may say Amen, So be it, signifying their assent to what has been said; and that no man can say Amen to what he does not understand. "When thou shalt bless with the Spirit, how shall be that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest."—ver. 16. Prayers in an unknown tongue are quite forbidden by St. Paul in this chapter; Latin is an unknown tongue to an Irish congregation; prayers in Latin cannot edify them, because they cannot understand them; therefore it we believe the plain meaning of St. Paul's words, Latin payers are not fit for Irishmen.
The early Christian Church understood the Apostle's words as we do, and considered, that they forbid prayers in an unknown tongue. Justin Martyr's second Apology for the Christians, and St. Jerome's Preface to his Comment on the Epistle to the Galatians, shews us, that in their days the whole congregation answered Amen at the end of each prayer: and the writings of other ancient fathers clearly prove, that in each country public prayers were in the common tongue. The Council of Lateran made an order in the year 1215, that as there were in many places mixed people of divers languages and customs, the Bishops should take care to provide fit men to perform divine service among them, according to this difference of rites and languages. Nicholas de Lyra, and Thomas Aquinas, both celebrated, and of high authority in the Church of Rome, have written against prayer in an unknown tongue; and Cardinal Cajetan has confessed that " prayer ought to be in a known tongue." Here are Christian Fathers, Catholic Doctors, Councils, and Cardinals, all declaring, that public prayers should be understood by the congregation; and therefore that Latin prayers are not fit for Irishmen.
The custom of praying in Latin was confirmed by the Council of Trent, which sat after the Reformation. Fearing that they might seem to oppose the infallibility of their church, if they made any alterations, or condemned any thing which had formely been practised; they confirmed almost every thing to which the Protestants had objected, and among other things, they pronounced a curse upon all those who should maintain or teach, that prayer ought not to be made in an unknown tongue. In defending this unscriptural custom, the Priests say, that St. Paul does not speak of ordinary and common public prayers, but of extraordinary spiritual songs, uttered by those who had miraculous gifts: we reply, that the Apostle mentions prayer, and with blessing, or giving of thanks, and it was as necessary for the people to understand the daily service, as the extraordinary effusions of inspired speakers. It is further said by them, that though St. Paul prefers prayer in a known tongue, he does not condemn the use of it in one that is unknown; but this is not true, for he does condemn the use of an unknown tongue, when he orders the speaker to be silent when there is no interpreter; and if it was true, why does not the Church of Rome adopt other model of worship which St. Paul thought the best? The notes on the 14th chapter of the Corinthians, in the Roman Catholic Testament, say, that Latin is not a strange or unknown tongue, but perhaps the best known in the world. This may be true, but cetainly the lower classes of the Irish do not understand it; to them it is a strange tongue, and therefore ought not to be used. The Priests maintain that there is some peculiar charm in the Latin language, which makes a Latin prayer more efficacious than an English one; and many of our poor people believer it is the only language which the devil does not understand. It is in vain to tell us, that the Latin prayers are all translated, and that those who have read their prayer-book know what prayer the Priest is reading. In the first place, none of them were ever translated until the Reformation; and in some countries they are not translated at all. And, in the next place, these translations are not of any use to those who cannot read, and a great proportion of their congregations are of this description.
The Church of Rome has reasons for continuing this antiscriptural and absurd practice, which perhaps she dare not confess. Reading prayers in Latin was a great convenience to those foreigners who were sent by the Pope, before the Reformation, into England and other countries, to get bishoprics and parishes, not knowing the language of the country into which they came, they could never have read prayers, or said Mass, if the custom of reading in Latin had not been kept up, and therefore, it was the interest of the Pope to maintain and continue it.
In the next place, reading Latin prayers makes the ignorant people think more highly of their Priests, and leads them to continue in that state of subjection to them in which they have always laboured to retain them. The service in the Chapels seems like some thing done by the Priest for the people, not a service in which the people are to unite with him from beginning to end.
Again, if the prayers were not in Latin, the people would soon come to see that some of them were foolish, and some of them were wicked. What would any man think of such prayers as the following, if the were asked to say them in plain English:—"O St. Mary, who dost enlighten the whole world, who dost illuminate hearts, who art the Fountain of Mercy, from all evil, good Lady, deliver us." "O holy Dorothy, a clean heart create in me." "O St. George, save us from our sins, that we may rest in heaven with the faithful for ever." Most of these prayers to saints ask from them what God alone can bestow; and we need not wonder at their wishing to hide such blasphemies under cover of an unknown tongue.
The evils which arise from forcing Latin prayers upon Irishmen are very many. In the first place, God's name is taken in vain by every congregation that joins in Latin prayers; they do not understand what is saying, and how can they unite in supplication? or how can their hearts be affected with contrition, by a confession they do not know, or with gratitude by a Latin thanksgiving? They repeat the name of God without hallowing it; they transgress, the third commandment; and they fall under the rebuke which the Jews received from our, Lord, "This people draweth nigh to me with with lips, and honoureth me with their mouth, but their heart is far from me" In the next place, how can they pray in faith, when they pray in an unknown tongue? Yet faith is required in prayer "Let a man ask in faith, nothing wavering; for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed; for let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." St. James's Epistle, 1st chap. 7th verse. Further, such congregations cannot tell, what is asked for; prayer in English, the Priest may be reading another one in Latin. Now, since all these things are plainly contrary to the nature of true prayer; since God has taught us, he must be worshipped in spirit and in truth; since St. Paul has said, "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding;" and since no poor Irishman can understand the Latin prayers at Mass, he neither prays with the understanding, or worships God in spirit, or in truth; and, therefore, we cannot help believing that Latin prayers are not fit for Irishmen.
How differently do all the Protestant Churches act; they follow Scripture and common sense, in having public prayers offered up in a language which all present understand; there is not a word in any Protestant service that is not intended for the edification of the people. Portions of the Scriptures are read, and sermons are preached to explain the doctrines; and enfore the practices, contained in the Bible. How careful ought all Protestans be to enjoy these advantages; and while they reject Latin prayers, which they do not understand, to attend the public service, which is in their own mother tongue.
From all that has been said in the foregoing pages, we may learn that the Protestants, by having prayers in their own language, prefer and choose,— First, the practice of the ancient Christian Church, before it became corrupted, rather than the practice of the Church of Rome after it had departed from the truth of God's Word. They prefer and choose, Secondly, true devotion rather than ignorant superstition.—Thirdly, they prefer what spiritually, comforts the soul, rather than unmeaning and untelligible ceremony.—Fourthly, they prefer a rational service, rather than one that is a mere mockery; more fit to amuse children than to edify the church.—Fifthly, they prefer what affects the understanding and the heart rather than a service which affects only the eye:—and lastly, the Protestants prefer and choose to follow the wisdom and Spirit of God, rather than the blindness and folly of men; therefore they believe, that Latin prayers are not fit for Irishmen.