The New York herald., 1871-03-19
TO OUR SEPARATED BRETHREN"

iV UuA ShpAMATED BRlThAGM."
~~>~>>~.~~~~>~>>e~,c~~-~~-.-
The Living Word of God--Which Is Its Ex-
FOUNDER, the Bible or tho ChurcE e. = ermon N
by Father Damer.
The following discourse was delivered by the Rev.
Father Damen o. The Order OF Jesus at the Catholic
Church OF st. Laurence, Eighty-iourth street, on
Thursday evening last, at a 'mssonn there IN pro-
gress. According to invitation large number OF
Protesiants came to listen. He said
Man must adore God, His infinite Justice
His Infinite wisdom. l worship Him by will
and intellect. In VIII, because l must con
form myself to Gods wIl; and in INTEL
lect, because ! must believe what God has
taught. IT. as lattudnaraEs say. they are at
liberty to reject or believe what they please where
is the use of God teaching at allS why, send forth
the Apostles, telling them TO preach Christ crucIaed
and bapiize in the name Of the Father the Son ana
the Holy Ghosts Where, separated bre hren, is the
Protestant who disputes thatS lie must be-
hege the revelation, which Is the teaching of
Goa, You VIII recall The pregnant phrase.
ale that heareth you heareth me: who
despiseth You despiseth me-" This belief III the
Word OF God Is the true faith. and without it there
can be no salvation; in resisting it eternal damna-
ton rs the cost. Gods Word must then be heard.
Now, GOO is just, and cannot ask man TO attempt
what he cannot comply with. lie must have given
the means To know wnat lie has taught. ana these
means must have been within the reach OF all peo.
pies and at ali times, for all men have right TO
salvation. II The means pc above our reach
or If they be fglhDle. they means
at ali. They must, rhen, be within
our grasp, and, above all, infalble, anu must be
adapted 10 all capacities and all intellects. Has he
given US such means, and If so, what they? Our
separated brethren say il is the Bible; Catholics
say it Is the Church of the living God. viii speak
OF the PlDle contend, in the irst place, that it Is
not within the reach Of all; in the second place. IT
is not adapted TO all capacities and all intelects
and il tue third place. that
TIE BIBLE is NOT INFAILIBLE,
because Il has led millions INTO all manner of absur.
dites and errors. My separated bretnren, 40 not
attack the Blbe, but the abuse of the Bible.
On the first point it was not at all times within our
reach. The church existed seven Years before a line
OF tne New Tesument was written. ST. Matthew
wrote only III the eighth year of Lord, at the
time whom the Gospel OF Jesus had been
preached over the known world. Now, were all
these men who accepted The GOSPEL in
these elgnt years Christians? Our separated
brethren answer .yes;n they were the model
Christians. let they never saw the Bible, because
II yet unwrtten. The second book OF the
Gospel was that BY st. Mark, who wrote ten years
after the Lord had lett the eartn and then at the
request OF the Christians OF Rome Were 1t not for
this il is pr onabe ST. Mark would never have written
at all. s.. Luxe the third, ana he wrole twenty
fve years after Christ, and dld il one Individual
as al! protestan;s know, named Theo slilus, ST
John, me last OF All. wrote his Gospel
sixty three years after the death Of Lord, and
me books winch Irotestants call Inc Reyea,ious
ald we, Catholics the apocalypse, slxty-Bve years
aiter CHRIST. Thea the Church HAD existed sixty
hve years before tue gospels were Completed Were
these Clrls iaris WHO believed IN Christ ali lime
our separated brethren say yes. Bur, no bible no
Christians. Then were the Apostles no Christians.
all no MAJ yrG1 ffAa nj nI. ttaI
and he completed 1t. II God. If Jesus, intended
that God shonid have the world taught his re-
ligon from the Bible he would not nave left
HIS Church sixty-fve years without II. But more
tdan this tor over trres hundred wears the Church
OF COD hau no Biole. IN me Apostles days--and
afterwards there were many spurious scriptures
eXtant. There were The gospels OF Simon. OF Nico
demus. OF Joseph OF Arithmea, OF Mary, and OF the
infancy of Jesus. Even many OF the bishops and
clergy could not decide between these gospels, 10
whether they were inspired or rot. IN the fourth
century, the Pope OF Rome called council which
decided that the New Testament, we have
IL, and the Old Testament were
INSPIRED py Cod and re eected the others. But more
than TINS unt. the lnventon OF printing in the nf-
teenth century. Bibles were not within the OF
any save the extremely rich: they were rare and
costly. writer OF tie eevenh century say tnat 1t
took lifetime TO write Bible on parchment IN those
DAYS wnen there was no paper no gold Or steel pens
dollar day. that would Cost nearly $1,000. Were
poor Protestant told thai he musi read the Bible
MS soul or 90 to ne.l fire, and then ofer him
Bible lor S. 900, he would probably say,
II GUESS MUsr 60 TO HE'LL
4
man had a Bole. 1t is certain that not half OF the
woru could read IT, suppose every one could read.
The bibles were written in Hebrew and Greek. Tne
transactions! Yes put centuries passet before sucn
thing was attempted. Again, how 40 you know
your translation Is correct one The most learned
among Protestant bishops say that King james,
Bible Is full Of errors; one man, n learned PreSDy-
terlan, computed them at thiItg thousand, and
the English Parliament for sum e" Of
money 10 procure new and better trans
laiion My separated bretNren that is a sandy
every man had a correct Bbe, and could read it;
sill say, private Interpretation Is not guide. 1t
has produced 35z contradictory Protestant denoml-
nations and yet men get out OF the duiicuty py sag
ing they all mean wel That is not enough. We
learned, honest, sincere, Wei-neanng ana prayer
1ul men. The low Eplscopalan Is accused OF beng
cut OIL too much; the Methodist insists that
one must feel the spirit working in. him:
The Baptist J. SCOTS az the baptism OF The
Dciag dipped M the rN er. Tne Quaker says, live
in peace and never nina baptism, and The Hickslte
VIII baptise only tue men, leaving tne women TO 20
TO heaven unbap cd. The Unitarian calls the rest
idoators because they believe 10 divine Jesus, and
says hey will 20 TO he'll The Cniyersalst says,
Hell there Is no evidence OF he'll the Bible.
Now, who is right9 The BIDle does not decide, and
is lbe teacher God has given to Tue Bible is
Inc Word o. Gol we ad iit, but your UNDERSTANDING
O IL Ia TINS respect Is neither inspired nor iniapc
You must have the one only true meaning OF the
tie constitution or the United states an admirable
documentS IT, when 1t Came from the hands OF its
IL ana let every man make government 90 himseir,
we know that anarchy, confusion and division
would result. To ooviate this supreme Court and
q supreme judge were appointed, wno would rightly
interpret the constitution When Christ SAID, Hear
the Church, ana he who turns away his ear let MIN
be unto thee as a neatnen anu a publical,h here
l. the appointment 0 the Supreme Court oi CHRIST.
1t IS the Cnurcn. What Church Is thats Tnc nai,
libe, unchangnR CnHrch. In my next lecture
shall prove ii 10 be the Catholic Church.
POVERTY AND POss0y.