Daily Republican., 1878-11-18
For the Daily Republican.
eatIl On B1shOp Heck er's BermO On.

| for the DAILY hepuDiicah.
siiIl sn Bishop Becker's Sermon
| MEssRs. EplroHs:--With your per
mission, | will reply to the article In
your paper Of thr 10th inst, signed
More Anon, assailing Bishop. .Becker's 3
vindication Of his church against Ger
tain charges made by y shop Lee. |
may admit that have not much hope
to succeed In changing the mind .f
More Anon. M. who claims to be a
sincere inquirer after truth, says he
was pleased to learn that Bishop Becker
would confuts Bishop Lees assertion
that Roman Catholicism is q soul crush
ing despotism and went therefore to hear
the Bishop, but instead Of being relig-
i0usly edited b. twas amazed at the
amount Of mere assumption and want
Of argument exhibited by Bishop Beck
er."
As Bishop Lee had offered no proofs
in support Of his first charge, viz, "ioul-
crushing dsspotis,n," Bishop Becker
was limited, in his direct reply to
showing that his church, being
the church Of Christ, 1t was not,
therefore, and could not be, a soul
crushing despotism. He showed at
much length. not by mere assumption,
but by sound argument that Chris, who
is God our Savior founded the Catholic
chi urch on an immovable basis--one He
Himself made by His infinite power,
Matt. Is that He prepared His Apostles,
teaching them His doctrines ior three
years and a half, to take His place in
teaching, John 20, q, that He assured
them, that Es who heard them heard
Him, LUX" 10, Is and Matt 2s: Is, 10
and 20 He told them tina. all power was
given TO Him in heaven and on earth
and then he gave them their com
mission in these words: go ye
therefore and teach all nations,
teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever | have commanded you,
and behold | am with yon all days
even TO the end of the world" Will
NJ. A. persist in calling all this a,naz-
ing assumption. Now let US take a
plain dispassionate view Of the giving
Of this commission. Jesus Christ and
His eleven Apostles We're together face
10 face for the last time He was to be
with them on earth, Believing Jesus
Christ to be God, as presume NJ. A.
does, and remembering that there Is
not with Col, as with us, any past or
future, but that al time or times are
only one eternal now, that therefore
Jesus saw them as clearly and as fully
as He does now, the whole hHtoryof tn.
church He then founded from that day
to this, would he lave given to the /
Apostles commission, secured by the
pledge OF all his infinite power to 20 10
all nations and teach them all things
with the additional pledge OF his own
perpetual presence, II he saw that that
church was to become and would be-
come what Bishop Lee now considers
is a soul crushing despotism. Are
not all men trihing with the words of
God and with God himself, who now
look on the Catholic church in any
other light than the one in which she
came into existence oyer 1850 years
ago from the hand and word of God.
All sects admit or seem to admit
that God has or ought to have a church
on earth to teach men the way to
heaven. Naturally we would suppose
that Jesus while on earth would es-
tablish His church. Consulting the
We find by the passages al
ready quoted and others, that He did
actually before leaving the earth, found
His church, with a Charter extending
over all nations and through all time,
with all His power and presence pledg-
I'd for her success. A charter given to
certain men to establish bank, rail
'oad, &C., does not give to Tom, Dick
'r Harry power to start another bank
'rrail road &C., on or under that char.
.er. In earthly or human things men
ire wise. 1t is only in heavenly or
livine things, that they easily become
md show themselves fools. Now God
$ as Jealous Of preserving the unity !
md the integrity of His church az com
,anies OF men are of preserving all
heir rights and franchises. Men
.lways when able defend their rights a
nd punish any infringement of them. c
IND this is universally admitted to be- I
nst, and will not God act according to a
ustice in defending His chartered |
'hurcl, I? If any man, restless under
he strict rule of government, picks up a
he constitution and cons 1t over to
nd some line or section, where he can .
how, or thinks he can show. that the |.
overnment Is failure--that the off Il
ials or many of them are corrupt, and II
buse their authority, and that he v
herefore should set them all aside, and o
hat he and his pure friends should set h
% another pOvprnmpnt that wnuld a