The New York herald., 1845-01-13

give me a more satisfactory meaning, or show
hat st. Paul condemned the doctrine. This con
the father Of the ancient Church. nor the Synagguere
against but that they for and we hold aud con
against us; aud think that will be very very difficult
matter. is, theo no superstition to pray for the dead
practce Much less is it-alhough the great Tlott.ou
will have ian invention for mercsnary purposes,
and intended carry out the supersous and ted
views OF the clergy. | would ask him where this
nvention was frst introdueed7 In what country
Yves it in England. among his own Anglo.sax
not for we trace it up to the days of Bede
aud from that st Augustine-the first missionary from
Rome who preached Christianity and gave light and Ii
the Seven Hlsthe centre and source OF light and
life, but once the centre OF Pagan superstition Certainly
supeTstitious practice and condemned -st Augustine
would have marked the inventor of it, il such an in
mind Of any Christian whatever. Now, in st. Angus
tines thirtysecond Sermon" de Vrbis .ap stocis" he
says 4hd recolect he Aouished in the fourth century
in what was styled the Golden Age of Christianity
by Calvin, and is respected by all the reformers, and
univ ersally practices that which she has learned
from tradtion, which IT. to make sacr fee 10 comUemc-
ration OF those who have departed in the body and blood
of Jesus Christ and declares terms that for
them she offers these sacrshcea st Augustine as re-
marked bfcre does not here give his own individual
opinonaoes not speak as theologisn-does net say II
is good ctice which may may not be abserved bu'
he explicitly says il il the universal practice Of the
Christian church in It's brightest ers must have beer
tainted ard carried away BY universal superstition 1t to
pray for the dead BE- regarded as among the super
authority to which I Tetsr-that the individual
the deadsnd so against 'p,Hs lived onsmpo
raneonsly with st. Augustine in the 4th century that
he was priest called Aerius who st. Augustine says
became saf. .ced and began to preach, among other
hereses this onethat 1t unlawful to pray for the
dead St Epphanius says that this proposition Aerius
Ii q hQrpa md ha kz no n q
Her. sizes" st. Augustine also rank In the Sad place
heresy and does st. John Damascene, in page 81
Of his work. entitled 1--WE unable to hear distinctly
the Of the work here referred toy Here then
have st. Augustine. st. Epiphanius st. John Damascene
ornaments of the church. setting their faces against this
heresy, and branding ts author hereto for preach
ing this novelty Consequently must have been regaI
doctrine must have existed before Aerus else he could
not have denied IT, We thus trace up beyond Aerius
to the days Of Trtullian and he touched very nearly
upon the Apostolic times Now, what conclusion must
arrive att not that to indulge in any sentiment
Of be from me; have great
respect for the convictions Of all only pleading
my own case and ! only claim claim for for myself IN tn
conclusive brilliant authority for every article
Of faith. Now who the followers of Aerius and
who are the followers of st. Augustine and the rest ii
be followers of Aerus and all those who believe in that
doctrine must be followers of the fathers OF the Church
munion with the primitive church. and this point of doc
trine alone quite to prove our claim to Catho
iiclty. IL TINS had been superstition IN the day.
Of St. Augustine, he would have CONDEMNED i,
the Council of Carthage would have condemnet
i, because 1t did condemn certain usurpations il
that time. but defended and vndicated the doc.
trine Of praying for the dead. There were supersti
tons then prevalent in Africa by which persons
baptized not the dead, but baptized the read. and o.
buying with the dead certain portions Of the Eucha
and the Council OF Carthage raised its voice sgsns
them and denounced them but in doing SO thai
II useful and proper to pray for the dead One grea
objection which is urged by men Of great learning
against this doctrine Is this:tha the Fathers Of the
Church mention that prayers offered up for the
dead during sacrfce butthat it not their meaning
to pray IN such way that their souls could be benefited
but merely in commamoration, and in sympathetic
membrance ofhe departed In order ascertain this fact
whether the fothers meant merely to commemorate tn
dead or to pray for them, do. in order bene
their souls in middle State, must ask the fathers
Themselves what they believed; we must quote thei
own words, and then we cen arrive at proper csnclu
sion Now there who object to the author,
Of Terulian who fourished in the third century;
Tertollian in his book" De Monsgania" has this
pressonhe recommends the widow to pray for the
of her departed husband In order that he might obtain
solace-comfort therefore he meant something
beyond making mere commemo alton for the dead.
Conclusion to morrowJ