The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-03-22

W ARt, ne meant 70 say Wt6--AAi seSSss -
wished to observe-as long as they had the
Word they wanted nothing else. Heknew,
indeed, that Dean Primitive and Archdea-
con Chasuble preferred authority TO Scflp-
ture-as long az they could keep the f0rmer
entirely in their own hands Dut No na0
Invariably remarked that they refused 70
their bishops and superiOrs the obedience
thew required from their cuIates and psrish-
toner's. But Englishmen, hefelt convinced,
were not to he cajoled by aspurious PoPery;
and If they must renOunce their liberty, 1t
would not be to those who used that liberty
themselves to resist the very Church they
copied in every thing but their obedience.
which Mr.. Kids resumed his seat with the
air of one who had delivered solemn and
s,litable prot6st.) qcest. 80 tfSfssai q. $
Z, Dean Blunt regretted that Mr.. Kidds had
SO abruptly terminated his discourse. He
respected every conscientious opinion, but
feared that Mr.. Kidds had failed to grasp
the real point under discussion. The reY-
erend gentleman need only refect that the
Interpretation Of Scripture texts was, even
still more variOns and homogeneous than that
of the Articles, in order to convince hiMself
that if authority were wanted to determine
the one, it was at leasta essential to ex-
pound the other.
It was evident that Mr.. Kidds did not
perceive chat every BODY had the Bible 1s
well as himself, but that everybody drew
a different Christianity out of 1t, from the
Socinian, who denies the divinity of the
Lord who bought bin; up to the Puseyite,
who believes in every thing Catholic except
in the Catholic Church all were Bible Chris
tians. But this was only another way of
saying that Bible Christianity Is, of all fall
lacies, the most transparent; the fallacy
consisting in this, that no prDfessedly Bible
Christian ever really takes the Bible for his
authority. What he always takes is his
own Interpretation of the Bible, that is,
himself; so that 1'the Bible and the Bible
only y meas really my Interpretation Of
the Bible, xT not yours" Hence, the Bible
and self were synonymous terms in the
mouth of the Bible Christian. For example,
continued Dean Blunt, with a candor which
appeared to startle the convOcation, if Mr..
Kidds takes text of the Bible as meaning
one thing, and take the same text as
that neither Mr.. Kidds nor myself take the
Bible for our authority. What we take is
ourselves; but as nobody has sufficient sin
cerity to say openly, my only authority
is myself" therefore Mr.. Kidds calls his
opinions % the Bible ;" and call Mr.. Kidds's
opinions "unscriptural."
He Dean Blunt) would only detain the
house to suggest to Mr.. kidds the answer
he must give to the question proposed by
DR.. Easy. Assuming Mr.. Kidds's theory
that mans conviction Of the truth is the
the same with truth itself; in other words,
that heresy becomes the truth to every one
solution of Dr.. Easy's question was as fol-
lows: "Let a man be sure that the Bible
teaches that there is God, and then he is
n hereto if he deny it but let him have
the smallest doubt upon the point, and then
he is q hereto If he asserts it."