Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1870-01-29

into An argument with him on this point,
OF the Government, oonaiating Of the legisla-
tive, Judicial and executive Branches, aud In.
form him that this organisation had existed |
we could name the different Presidents, from |
outown time up TO the adoption OF the Con |
stitntlonl Would We not consider this res,
persisted In his view, would we not justly
look upon him As incapable OF Appreel.
ating an Argument and therefore unworthy OF
sive IL this rsneotion in favor Of visible
headship 10 the Church Of Christi How could
its venerable line Of supreme pe1tia'' eStsaai
years, have remained unbroken amidst the VI.
eiasitudes and convulsloua OF society, amid
ne Ise snG n,nt g, ipansio,,an az tSs
| Christian world, that such a spiritual head
| ship was an essential feature 10 the oonstitu-
| tion Of the Church. The Aspect presented by
the Catholic world at ths pfesent day 10 but
another stage ofhet existence from the apos.
tolie times, as q visible body, under the jurls-
spoot at least, a magnificent illustration Of the
| form or structure which visible church
ought to have, aeoording to the common sense
| Of mankind, Honee, In opening the record OF
tho words and sayings OF our Divine saviour,
| II 10 very natural TO md him intoxicating
these views Of the ,pitityal society which no
der symbols or metaphors which manifostly
suppose governing power vested 10 one per
i%s,,sSw a HiiI' ,iS Luxe IS. SO,I as sheep
foid, tJohn III ISL as a body, First Oorinth-
iSaS Siii i2 EphcslAns Iva 4, 40, l0,l and A. y
Without a Visible head It could no more sub
aiat or answer the ends Of ita Institution than
any headlesA Kingdom, bheepfold OF body Ia
10 his visible Church, that there would bs zone
fold and one shOpheIdl" Did not his apostles
always brand the infrse.ion Of this unlty by
| schism or heresy, as = grlevous crime, eN.
oludlng one from salvationi (xViiiIi aAlAtiAnI
Vi 90, &c L. not this the Idea OF the Church,
- transmitted 10 Us IRON the apostolic age to
| the present ume1 Does not all antiquity at
| test, that although the apostles were equal aa
to the proper functions OF the apostlethip, yet,
a. 81 Jerome expresses u, "one Is chosen out
the occasion Of sehism might be removedi'
| [rom. IL, Adyers, Jovin, N. 2g.l
| SO reasonable and aelf-evideht 10 the prinol-
pie which rsooEniIeI the necessity Of head
| or superior In every ofEAnlEed society, that
| our separated brethren all practically admit
lions, have a central or superior authority.
| But, Ii such an authority 10 required merely
| for thcexternal goyernment, how much more
| necessary 10 II for the internAl belief or the
| preservation Of the unity OF the faith, fot
which ChriAt especially established his Church,
II this central power hasits utility OF necessity
| In the particular Christian seotG, why should
| II not claim equal consideration, or rather ap.
| pear still more Necessary for Christeudom ~
Target II the object Of Christie Church was TO
much more worthy OF him, as the inoarnAte
| wisdom OF qod, to appoint central authority
iSdlviSusi 10 eel ap ,oSIstv' eaIIiSE n sftsg
himself, and thus multiplying ad taaalum dis,
| senslonS and divisions among OhristAnsl
are synopsis Of the argument which I'D,
dueed on former occasion, Ia order to show
that we have the strongest presumptiye, or
rather the most positive evidence, 10 fa-
vof of the proposition that Christ Sppointsd
q visible head to preside over his visible
Church; But observe, the gentlemen who have
| sether overlooked this portion OF it Though
the universal ssaamsnt SNd practice Of msn.
recognize the necessity Of a visible governing
| power In every community; though the grand
est illustration OF ChristiSnity In our own day
| proves that such governing power was always
admitted and always existed In the Church;
though the same idea 10 distinctly confirmed BY
the descriptions glyen OF It in the sacred vol
umo, my opponeRtl have not eondeSeended 10
face this argument with a aingle word OF re-
ply, and yet It must be admitted that the
whole soiH.ioa 81 me 9GeatuI9h ~ issue tetnt
| for, II Christ 90 constituted his Church az 20
require a visible head, very little dlseussion
| would be necessary TO phow the uhdoubted
claim OF Peter and his successors TO this pFi-
macy OF Jurisdiction, Instead Of answering
this argument, the AdyersaTles Of the Church,
claimed for Peter and his SUCCESSOR in once
10 mon1trous dogma and the greatest Of
fAllaeies, have appealed TO the scripture and
| to the Testimony OF the ancient fathers, for the
| purpose Of inVAlidating the reasoning which
| dedueed from the same sources. j shall now
/ proceed 20 snow mat mere hiio they have
| eFAded the great question, which alone pre-
| aents itSslf for the consideration OF the Chris
| tiAn who 10 sincerely inqutTing after the truth.
| 2. with the Christian who IL in earnest
about the salvation Of his soul, and who sin.
| oerely desires to learn the truths which he IL
bound to believe, aud the duties he hiss TO fuI.
aS SS tS sfS GpOn he IHs SSl,
according to their peculiar Interpretation Of
the scripture, but what was the teaching Of
CHRISTI What are the doctrines that he
revealed to his apostles, and that he COM
mSnded them 10 ann ounce to mauEindl "Ifany
says our blessed Lord "but he who beiIevcih
| not will be lAmned.r AZ the ProtestAnt BibIe
hSsit. MARI, xTi!i0.I But Whist are we 10
believed we cannot belIeVe doetrines which
We DO not know. or OF which We have only an
nnesrtain opinion, for The m Ind oannot rest
upon or be satisfied with such uncertainty, II
subject, our religion would DO moro Skepti-
| ciGm; II would make US lust as liable 10 deny
the truths Of revelation as 10 admit them, /
therefore contend, as remsTksd on pTeyI.
| Gus occasion, that the certainty Of faith which
IL so Necessary 10 place the mlnd at rest on
be acquired from the SeTIptuTes, NaIptrrpTeted
by private Judgment, or without the lnterposI.
tion of living and authoritative tribunal. The
Scripture 10 a dead letter. II does not sneak
for itself aud MISUNDERSTANDING, a. II does
a revelation in regard to matters inanitely
above the reach Of human lntslligeneci for
mysteries OF the HInity, the iaosfnatioS' he
trans mission OF orig AL sln, aud other similar
I 4 "A n mari IN al
nIiyyip h. ths nind M, ~ it.y1o,', 'dpt
mi mat lssd ~ ~. ~ " " 49, Jul hent,
anu must ieea 70 an endless variety OF error
ahd speculation. HAS not the truth OF this
LemNk oeen Hetihed on stupendous scale
Nhee 'he telotmAtloh 10 we alAteenth century
| Nheh hlther proclaimed the right OF each
lndiFldnM 10 lnterpret the scripture Tor him.
ssin Whist was ne Prsetlesi Application OF
THIS Fulel IL resulted Immediately In an tn-
nnite variety OF contradictory and oontending
sectH, not one Of which poaaolaed any certainty
In regard TO the doetrtnea oi OhIat; Ehete
was an immenae number o. these aeeta In the
ntenme o. Luthet himself, amonE when were
me mnunLtetansi.heA naosptl,ts ,the has mites
| N hhNe DemonlASs ,he Oom monholae.s, the by
| WMe -Pe,s hhS 10y sahsst., me ApnnnohlAna,
w h tns SAesnuo'slai &C, lhoeh o. we
ouuIoh, IVY, 1850, ~, hom many hundteI
| V tI uNt WI. 'tht DC nenuoneu inlo Whleh
S.hInn,i MS ooSn SnuDseIuenty spnt oy
suyeSB eSaIIeu Noiume 70 ptlate inter
psssVhI ~ iho carney Penod OF the
tsios.natlS9 M, thefe were nor less lhan two
nSnIrea uiustent NpiAhatiohI o. those words
I I'M ny p1"uy,, IeItoneIf IGieei'
III y y, IL, ~ y I'm,
~ ,hfns, ~ is.s,Ia utueItn' 1Rinh,1us oh
suuyest " t ~, ioI hn. lolu,l Anu
~ ~ not oeholu the ahme oonluhon anu eon-
uAuleuoh amohs the seon ~ the present. uAy,
I ut n p