Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1843-04-26
1NFAIIIp1L1T1 OF THE CHURCH.
A CORRESPONDENT, from Hadly wish

DOCK OF ESurdS. DIS OOOk udS never
been received by the church as canOnicat
and does not present evidence of being an
inspired book, sufficient 10 warrant its re-
ceplion as such. Again, we regard the
Bible a sufficient rule Of all necessary for
use to know respecting scripture truths
To give an exposition Of Esdras would
therefore be relying on something besides
the plain word of God.-Signs OF tie
Times
After all, then, it has always been de.
cided By The church, as TO what is to be
received as canunical, and what is not so
10 be received. This is it. Ii is so. II
ever has oeen so. Canon is Saxon
word Ii signifies a rule. Noah Web
ster defines it 10 be" in ecclesiastical af.
fairs, law, or rule of doctrine or disci-
pine" He says" canonical books. or
canonical Scriptures, are those books of
The Scriptures which are admitted, by the
canons Of the church, to be Of divine orr
GIN" see no reason why these de6ni-
lions should not be depended on. All
then depends on the JaLlibitity or intaIA-
billy ofhe church! That is to be re-
ceived as good scripture, which is decided
so TO be "by the canons Tor rules or de-
cisionsl of.the church.! And that is mol
good scripture which the church has de-
cded not 10 be. ESdras aud the other
books are not authoritative, because the
church says they are not At what time
the church says they are to be received,
they will be as good scripture as any
Now, according to the Encyclopedia of
Religious Knowledge, the Council OF
Trent, which probably had as much 10 do
by way of overhauIing the Scriptures as
any other cabal that ever had the work in
hand, decides that all the books of Scrip.
lure, canonicaI and apOcryphal, not er-
GLIDING that Of Baruch though wanting
in the old catalogues, which are contained
in the Laun church version, commonly
called the VuIgate, are possessed of tile
same dirias authority" Again, this
council says: =" No person shall pre-
sumo, in reliance on his own Insight and
wisdom, to pervert the Holy Scriptures,
10 make them favor his views of faith and
morals, and contrary to the sense arhick
The CHURCH has received, and still re
ceres WHICH ALONE CAN DETERMINE
Uhat IS the true meaning and iaterp, Ella
ton; or to explain them contrary 10 the
universal consent of the fathers" This
iunto of papal monks, it will be seer, had
the same views now held 10 b. the ortho-
dox, as 10 the power Of the church to de-
termine what shall be canonlcal, and what
shall not be. At the same time - assum-
ing itself 10 be the church in the matter
upon which il was now assembled, OF
course = it recognized the apocryphaI
books as possessed Of the same divine
authority" with the other Scriptures
Either, then, it is not true to say that the
apocryphal books have never been receiv-
ed by the church as canonical, or else the
Council Of Trent did not speak the voice
OF the church. Now it is for those who
deny, If there be any who will deny, that
the Scriptures were transmitted through
the hands of that Council, to show lhroug
what other channel they have been OBJ.
tanned.
Is the Church LtalLible? The Bible.
it has been seen, is what the church has
made it TO be. 1t was written by church
members 1t has been rewritten, revised
re-revised, compiled. construed, translated
, transmitted transferred, overhauled, fitted
up, fixed up" shaped, commented en-,
interpolated, garbled. twisted, turned, OBJ.
scured, explained, enforced, made canonl.
cal, made authoritative, = in word, made
the instrument of the church, By The
: church, TO do the church's work Ii
: therefore, the church be infalible, the
l Bible is ofcourse to be taken for what the
church has declared il TO be, without ex
animation. II on the other hand, the
/. church be not infallible, the Bible is 10 bt
IF scrulinlzed and brought to the ordeal o
investigation. Every thing in the cast
6 turns on the fallbility or infalibiirv 0
) the church. If the church be fallibIe
Al there is liability to error and imposition
r The final question then comes:-
- Who is prepared TO admit the intallibiL
ity of The church? For one am not