American union. [volume] (Morgantown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1855-1859, 1855-10-27

Its IN vain for Catholics to reply
that this will never happen, because
they cannot know whether it will hap
pen or not. If, indeed, the clergy are
inspired of God, it viii never happen. =
If they are not, it probably will; and as
we by no means feel satisfied of their
supernatural wisdom and righteousness
we must act upon our own theory, and
guard against the danger. Oar Catho.
lie friends must remember that we are
the,very schismatics to be extirpa,ed,
and IT Is natural that we should regard
with Jealousy the claims of the extirpa-
ting power TO govern tho conscience and
consequently The conduct, Of millions
who are mingled with us.
il is the boast ofthe Catholics them
selves that their Church being infalli-
hle, is ever consistent, and they will
MOI consider us unreasonable if we iuaue
the fntnre hy the past, .arid make pru-
dent use "f the lessons Of history
factions speak louder than wotds."-
Indeed II seems to us e,ypresump,u
GUS io' individual Catholics to proclaim
Opinions at all upon matters cnncerning
which, by the very fact of being Cath
olics, they have surrendered all right to
think. Submission, subservience, hum.
bic, devout, nnquestioning obedience,
now and forever, is the creed of Ca
thoic. Christ abides with the clergy,
directs their Judgment, sanctions their
acts, and enforces their authority. No
man dares say what Christ will do in
his providence to bring about the tri-
unphs of the Church--what states he
will overthrow, what political iustitu-
tlons he may subvert or prosper. All
that Catholic knows il, that whatever
sacrifice is reqniled Of him 10y Christ,
(the Church, he must cheerfully make
it, though 1t be as dear as right eye, or
fright arm.
/ There never wasso complete and tho
Frou9h despotism as the sovereignty
ofthe Catholic Church. God, when yis-
| IDLY enthroned in the Holy of Holes,
lhe Theocrat of Israel. never commands
ed snbservience scarborough. He ne
yer established among the Jews Il per-
petuai eorporation, armed with all his
authority to "bind and loose" When
he sent a prophet among them. he fur
nished him with miraculous powers, b-,
which his authority should be ascertain
Eed with indubitable certainly. This
4proPhet could not transmit his au,hori.
81 which III iteslf was always exc6ed-
ingly limited, and was in no case exren-
dedto the utterance Of "dogmas," or de.
cisions upon questions of "faith;'' vet
here we have in the Catholic clergy a
succession of men who, without any Wis.,
ible accompaniment of supernatural pow.
er, claim to themselves the right to
speak for God in all matters Of faith &
morals-not only to expouud revelai ion,
but to declare it. They not only claim
to speak for God, but to act for him
to hold the keys Of heaven and hell
80 that obedience to their utterance is
necessary to salvation.
In short, the corporation of the Rom.
ish clergy fully claim all that Paul pre-
dicted of the Man of Sin: That he as
God should sit in the temple Of God -
showing himself that he is Cod We
ask any Catholic whether, if the pre-
.e"''oi'S ,e' ~ . ms cnuIe'i oe ,a'S,' they d"
~ .u'n' t"'S P'co'c''o"' ANA laise
NY "'e' .. ....n
That we have not erred in consider
ing The behet ~ the Church the only
creed OF Catholics is plain from reason,
and is admitted by Bossuet in bis de-
fence Of the authority Of The Council of
,la. -, ..h;oL ,i d9'"S Nv" ON ''I''G'-
@ r";' ~ m",D" 80. ,,,r, T'ao'''S''," - :" "e
anr.. ,, -, ~ '"'o. "Do0 WI" wiz ""'
b,,' 5oo c ~ .",'o p''",P'rS "'S"' never ."
;"GI,;h;,;'y & r'I"', ,p rL M"" vs.: because '',e
.n,;d m,;,, - -" e Ir,n'en Gn, 's 'ng s'"s'e
Rasaoorr. rJe'p,o pn', w. G",''',a' 1 o"'"''--
0'',"' ,,' . 1''I,'9 - ~ 'l""f"S' .""#