The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-12-04

ta'h"'"l VI tub LUpN. 1nol QhNl
passed Il by IN allent contempt. otheEI
nave answered 10 Language which
ought 20 make the Pops's ears tIngle
The following 10 from the answer Of The
bishops OF the church OF HIGHLAND.
Thou. our most holy Lord; thou The
Vicar OF Christ, the Bishop OF Bishops
Tue Supreme Judge Of the Faith, and
Arblter ot all controyerslea; THOU, thl
lead Of the, Church, the Light OF the
nations, let us humbly ask Thee, cansI
Thou show rs even d single copy Of
the original Hebrew Old Testament
printed In Thine own city, Rome, 'The
Mother and Mistress OF all Churches y
NO. not one. Oue edition OF the New
TESTAMENT ID Greek, printed there the
DINER uay-about four hundred year,
after the Invention OF pTlutinR-from
the celebrated Vatican MS, we have
now gratefully hailed; after long and
anxious delay. But we apprehend that
the flock committed 10 thy pastoral care
has still 10 wait for an edition from the
Roman press, In their own tongue, OF
Ihe Old or New TeStauient.'
The following are the reasons as
aligned by the Presby terIAns OF the
United States and written in An official
letter Of the late Moderators OF the GEN.
esal Assenhli TO the Pope In answer
10 ma GALL II Declares I'VE eAunbt 40.
cept fyourrtnvltatian. because We still
hold the principles forWhIch our faith
ere were pronounced Rccursed by the
Council o. TIsnt, representing the
Church over which. you preside. The
most important Of these aEe. /. That
the word Of God Is the only, 10 iallIblo
rule OF faith and practice. 3. ThetIRht
OF private Judgment. 8. The universal
priesthood OF believers 4! A denial OF
the peTpetnity ofthe apostleahlp.
We cannot, therefore, recognise mod.
ern prelatea DC SuccassorS TO the A pos
ties. Mach less can We aclSno wledRe
the Bishop Of Rome 10 be Ohrlsl,s vicar
upon earth, possessing supreme rule, b
The only Head Of the Church "a the
Lord Jesus Christ, laHsy'l.i A5ll5T-
I"As the Church OF Rome excommunI.
Gates all who hold these principles,
while God appears to have glvon his
seal and sanction TO them, the barrier
between Y and you - a present inSnr.
Thus you perceive that this Council
at Rome 70 In no sense universal. 1t
represents but section OF ChrIsten-
dom. Taking Into consideration the
gross errors by which The Romlsh
Church 10 characterized, we might
question It's right even 10 be called
Christian. But Rpart rom this, Il IB at
the best q body which by no means
represents the whole Christian world.
THE SANCTION OF THE POPE.
In the third place, In order that this
may be truly ecumenic0l council, 40.
cordtng to Romanlstg, It must be called,
presided over, aud lls decisions ratified
by the Pope. We have already seen
that Peter, whO.is supposed TO be the
predecessor Of the Pope, performed
no such part In the synod az Jerusas
lem. But there Is another thing which
l wish you TO notice In connection With
this essential. Il iss thstIf II ,is neoes.
sary In order that a couhcll should be
and It's discussions binding,
that 1t should be conducted by, the
Pope, then the Romlsh Church Is 10 or.
ror In admitting number OF councils
10 be ecumenlcal which II now receives
as such. The first eight Councils, US
the Roman reckoning IB,-irom 1875 70
S69-we1s not called by the Bishop OF
Rome, bat by the emperor. [See the
Roman Historian Hefeie, vol. I.p.7:
Schatf vol. HIP. 1856 ;also note. For
long list Of authorities see Edgar's Va
rlatIons, p, Al,l42 ] In all but two OF
these, also, they, were presided over,
not BY this bishop, but by the emperor
or his commissioners TSchAff, vol. II,
p. SS6-838. For long list OF authorities
see Edgar's Variations, p. 1A2, 143; also
note. The DEGREES ofthe frat three OF
them, too, were ratified by the same
civil dignitary. Not until after these
was papal confirmation considered me-
cessarys [Schaf. vol. II, p! 8SS, I Dn
Pin (RoEnlsh). 1857. All this can be es-
tablished beyond contradiction from
official documents. Protestants think
that the decisions Of such bodies owe.
whatever claim 10 accsptatloh they.
may have. to the sanction neither.
OF the Pope nor the emperor,
but 10 their conformity to the
truth. But inasInuch rs Roman Gath
Ollcs consider this element 10 be OF vi.
tHl importance, we leave II to them TO
decide how they shall escape from the
dilemma In which they are placed. II
the sanction OF the Pope ID essential,
then the first councils which they re-.
cetve as ecumenlcal are not such. II
the sanction Of the civil authorities Is
requisite, the present council Is not
ecumenlcal. ,Il
LIBERTY OF DISCUSSION AND VOTING,
In the fourth place, according 10
Romanists, freedom OF discussion and
OF voting ia essential. Rarely, how.
ever, has this privilege been actually
enjoyed. In the earlier councils the
emperors exerted an influence which
often amounted practically to con.
straint. In later ages The Pope has ex.
erted an influence which has been OF
the same character. We have an In
stance OF the liberty conceded Ia the
case Of john HusS and the. council OF
Constance In l4l4 At the request OF
the Emperor Siglsmund he went, fur.
nished with o fe-conduct, to appear
before that body, which was to pass
upon his doctrines. No soohsr did he
arrive than In the face OF The solemn
guarantee which he had received, be
was committed to prison. For seven
months he WAS tortured by private ex-
Aminallons. AT length a public audi.
ence was granted 70 him, but he was
not allowed 10 discuss controverted
points. The council insisted npon aim
pie and unqualified retrsction. With.
out a hearing upon his doctrines he
was condemned as a hereto, and he
was handed,overlto the secular power,
and as a hereto he was burned under
the very, eye OF the council, and hIs