The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-05-30
Lay Preaching.


ton an extract was read from letter OF
Stewart Robinson indorsiDg lay preaching"
This startling development came by tele-
gram from Richmond and was visible in
last Fridays morning issue of our papers.
It requires q new paragraph to commence
diminishing with this fact. How the world
is giving to progress, to be sure! Lay
preaching!! SO, then, we are given in this
indirect manner to understand that MI
Robinson and the Young Mems Christian
Association do sometimes hear preaching
that is not lay preaching. We don't be-
lieve it. This class of gentlemen are nos
generally willing to be seen inside of Ca
tholic church. We have nothing to say
against them; indeed, their number en-
braces some of our warm personal friends,
and we believe them to be esse ntially gen
tlemen, at least the majority of them. But
as a class they have no use for holy water
and shrink from an altar blazing with
candles in the day time as from pesti-
lence.
We may safely say, then, as general
proposition, that they never hear sermons
ITOm d pElcsb, anu VIC, thCiCioiSt 'oe ASe''S
conclude that whatever sermons they do
hear must be from laymen.
Is there any halfway place between lay
man and priest In q word, has the preach
er OF parson any power given to him by
the Founder of the Christian Church which
is not given to laymen We should be
charmed to have a definite answer on this
point. A priest claims to have certain
fixed, we'll ascertained powers. He can
confer certain sacramento which q layman
cannot confer. He claims the right to teach
and, consequently, to preach as one having
authority.
Your parson claims nothing of the sort.
the Lords supper, which is according to
him nothing but memorial and does not
depend for it's efficacy upon any peculiar
power of his. He cannot consecrate the
Host, he cannot give absolution, be cannot
confer the sacrament of Extreme Unction.
He cannot even teach. He has no..authority F.;
he claims none even for his Church. He
may communicate his ideas, but they are
only opinions. The individual to whom
they are addressed must after all, judge of
their correctness for himself. This may be
called teaching in a certain way, but any
layman can teach in the same way, and it il
a mere teaching of opinions. Therefore
it is a bubble to call it teaching at all
because teaching is properly the communi
cation of actual science, not of mere opin
ions.
What is a parson, then, If God has giver
him no special power He is mere lay
man invested by popular superstition witt
a relic of priestly functions-a relic
: however, totally emasculated of al
authority. 1t is stimulation, a sham fo
the purpose Of keeping mp some semblance
where there ia no substance, of Church
t A Church without an organized govern
r ment having power to control it, is
, fiction, a church on paper; it has NJ
r bond but that of human respect, which
r declares in favor of some kind of religion
as being highly commendable. You ma,
say every sect has an organized govern
ment with certain powers of d,sciplin
Z delegated by the people. Then, it is
, human institution, and even the disciplinar
= power may be revoked by those who CAV
@ it, Where then would be the Church ?
would be in every man for himself.
g Aud this is what the Protestant ide
i comes to ultimately. EVERY MAN is
v CHURCH FOR HIMSELF. Iu other word
the Christian Church ia dissolved, thong
n the Christian doctrine may remain in eae
is mans heart and mind as a truth. But, a
l. cording to the Apostles Creed, we mu
le believe not emily in the doctrine of Chri
10 but also in the Church of Christ.
a. The parson, then, holdiRg his power,
of any he have, from the people only, is
al mere agent of the people he can do not
,u ing but what they can themselves do.
ou is not halfway place between laym
ed and priest; he is simply laymen W
in makes profession of preaching and theI
he fore has more skill in doing it than
would have without the habit of pub
is speaking which he has formed. w
= n