New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-18
THE AP0sTAcYg OF THE CATHOLIC
btl N u ~ n CHURCH. S@-
A Sermon Preached by Rev. j. c. Hart.
zeII, i'm Ames Methodist Episcopal
Church, sunday Evening June A, 1S7I..

Church. sunday EVENING june =, 1911
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that
day shall not come, except there be falling away
t;rst and that CT sin be revealed, the son OF
perdition, who opposeth and exalteth hifnseli
above all that is called, God or that is worshiped
so that he as God sltteth in the temple of God
showing himself that he is God,-H Thessaonians,
IL, a. .t =.
After giving an exposition of the text
and chapter in which it is found, and show
ing that the prophecy it contains of an
apostacy referred to the Catholic Church,
the speaker said: -.
| propose this evening to show that the
Catholic Church is an apostate church.
Once she was the true Church of God. Her
creed was simple and evangelical. But that
creed has been perverted and superseded
by added doctrines that are purely human
and positively blasphemous.
In entering upon this discussion, desire
it to be understood that propose discus
sing Romanism as a system of religion
processing to be the only true religion with
out which no man can be saved. make no
attack upon individual Catholics. Many of
them. are sincere and true Christians.
They are SO in spite of their Church. Men
are often better than their systems. There
never was an age so dark but that here
and there could be found the Pickering light
of some pure souls; nor SO bleak with Al
pine crags OF religious superstition and
civil tyranny that here and there could not
be found some lovely flower of Christian
virtue. Nevertheless these exceptions must
not hush the mouth of criticism, or sheath
the sword of war against every form of
error.
While the Catholic Church among us was
comparatively modest, pleading for place
among our modes of worship as need of the
foreigners who thronged our shores while
it demanded only what was granted by our
70 Il mil sod
unnotieed. 1t walked among us in diguise.
Now it is arrogant and aggressive. 1t
claims exclusive rights-meddles with bur
educational system-organizes proselytism
interviews with private liberty and falsi-
fies history. In short it is developing
among us its inherent and thorough antago-
nism to the liberties of Christianity and the
Bible. Therefore we are compelled to ex-
pose its character and falsehOods and re-
buke its paganish tendencies. @ III
If we should judge the Catholic Church
entirely by the present only, we would do
her injustice and not be prepared to appre-
ciate the good she has done in the past. The
truth once delivered to the saints has never
been more clearly defined or stated than it
has been in the standard meetings of the
fathers, who are owned as authority in the
Roman Church. The great course of this
church is that the truth which it has in
possession has been hidden from mankind,
and instead of that pure word of God after
which men everywhere hunger, it gives
rites, traditions and Pigments of its own in
shutting. -t,--..
The first creed of the church was the So
called Apostles creed, which, beginning
with 81 believe in God the Father" etc,
gives in a few brief sentences the leading
doctrines of Christ's Gospel. Early in the
fourth century the divinity of Christ was
attacked by Arius. This necessitated the
Council OF Nice, which met in 325, and re-
affirmed and explained this important doc
trine, and there was added to the Apostles
creed what was called the Nicene creed
These two creeds, combined as one, are now
held by Greek and Protestant Christendom
They formed the basis of the Reformation.
For centuries no other creed was known in
the Catholic Church. But from variety
causes-some, no doubt from the age in
which she lived, but more through the loss
of moral purity and the gaining of secular
power, and most of all by the unholy am
bition that animated her leading spirits
through succession of generations, and the
many opportunities afforded for gratifying
that ambition-the church was led into a
great variety of rextravagances, political,
social and moral To sustain and Justify
these required not simply changes in the
polity and doctrine of the church, but also
the arrogant assumption of infallibility in
the ruling pontiff and in all councils, no
matter how the latter were formed or con-
trolled The process of change and corrup-
ton continued for nearly twelve hundred
years, cOunteracted at times by pure
popes and emperors Then came the re-
formation, and to unite the hosts of
catholicism against the uprising armies of a
purer religion, a new creed was demanded
that should embody as article of religion
the dogmas and idolatrous superstitions
AlaAI Il Al. Al III
meet this demand the Council of Trent was
called, which held its series of stormy ses-
sions during period of twenty years. The
results of this council were summed up by
Pope Plus Nv. in a series of articles in De-
cember, 1864, which were appended to the
former creed of the church, and issued I'M
der papal sanction as the faith of the church.
Thus the creed stood for three hundred
years, until the present Pope called the late
council, the result of which was the formal
PRONUNCIATION of the dogma of papal infal- |
hbility, which is now doctrine of the
church. t il l-t
Such is the history of the present creed |
of the Catholic Church. First it contained |
only the pure gospel of Christ, but now that |
gospel is lost sight OF beneath the rubbish |
of despotic popery, snowy symbolism,
gorgeous ceremonies, idolatrous worship |
and multiplied sacraments. The Gospel of |
Christ in the Church of Rome lies concealed, |
just as underneath its great cathedral lie |
the bodies of real or Imaginary saints |
You enter st. Peters at Rome and |
are surrounded and dazzled by the display |
of architecture and decorative art. Wealth |
untold has been lavished in rearing the vast
structure, in covering it with splendors of
mosaic and statuary. At last you come to
the dark cell around which circling lamps
shed dim light, and there you are told re-
poses the body of st. Peter. Above, the
glory and aggrandizement of men; beneath,
n silence and gloom, the grave of an Apostle.
So 1t is that the teachings of Peter, Paul
and Christ lie buried beneath the traditions
Of Romanism.
From these general statements let us now
advance to particulars.
My proposition is that the Catholic
Church is an apostate church. Her present
teachings and usages are SO opposite in
character and effect to the simple and di-
vine doctrines of the Bible, as to brand her
the enemy of moral truth. In sustaining
his view, my appeal shall be its highest
authority, that is, its own creed.
First and foremost, we behold an ecclesi-
astical hierarchy, which, centred in the
Pope, spreads the network of its organiza-
ion over the whole world claiming absolute
ntallibility, and prOnouncing accursed for
Ime and eternity all who deny its authority
n spiritual matters.
On these points the creed saws =
al acknowledge the HOLY. Catholic. Apostolic
Roman hurch for the mother and mistress of ali
churches, q and / promise true obedience to the
Bishop at Rome, successor to st. Peter, prince of
he Apostles and vicar of Jesus Christ. i
1 likewise undoubtedly receive and nrofess all |
'ther things delivered defined and declared in the
acred canOns and general councils and particular |
Y by the holy Council of Trent. And l condemn
eject. and mathematics all things contrary there
o, and all heresies which the Church hasicopdem.
ned, rejected and mathematical l do at this
present, freely profess and sincerely hold this |
Catholic faith WithOut which M one can ha sa,aJ