Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1878-02-01
CHURCH HISTORY.
Religious Denominations Of
Wood County.
INTRODUCTORY.


which will appear in the oolulnns Of this
paper from week to week, concerniag the
religious denominations Of Wood county.
the writer deems It proper 10 state that it
has cost him no small pains on account of
the large number Of works lie has fonnd 1t
necessary to refer to for facis, doctrines,
and statistics,
The writer is also under obligations TO
ministers of the different denomina-
tons for epistolNry and Oral information
in regard to the number of individual mem
bers comprising their ptstorates, and Ns
he intends TO furnish the readers Of this
paper with the fundamental principals up
on which they rest, together with their
origin and progress, he hopes that these
articles will be found valuable to those
who have n desire to learn of the rise,
progress doctrines and the usages Of these
various religious societies.
Before entering Immediately upon this
undertaking it will be necessary for the
writer TO say that no particular form Of
ecclesiastical polily is Of divine prescrip.
ton. Therefore, the mode Of governing
the church Is left to its own individual dis
crctlon and the exigencies OF time and
place, and 10 form Of polity can plead an
exclusive charter, for such a claim would
have a tendency to seotarian bigotry and
intolerance.
A full enunciaton of the officers to
whom the government OF the Church was
committed is found in Eph. ~. IL. "And
he gave some, apostles; some, prophets
and some, evangelists; and some, pastors
and tenchers." .t .as.l fg
The Church universal comprises within
itself all who profess the Christian doc
trines; but rs all Christians cannot ngrce
respecting doctrines and forms OF worship,
it is natural, and we may say proper, that
those who do agree in these respects should
enter into an intimate connection with
each other. Hence there have arisen par
ticulnr Churches, differing according to
time, forms and belief, aud entitled the
African, Papal, Lutheran, Calvinistic,
American, etc. H. I
As we Intend to dwell only upon the
history, faith, government, statistics and
literary Institutions OF the individual re-
ligious denominations, represented in our
c,unty, in a condensed form, we invite the
reader to perusAl OF our first chapter.
ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
ITS HISTORY.
This large body OF professcd Chris
tians claim to have originated with Christ
and his apostles and to have been perpet-
uated through the Pope, in every age and
century since the commencement OF the
Christian era.
The Introduction of Catholicism to this
continent is coeyal with the discovery Of
America in 1892 and its introduction to
the United States dates back to the period
when the Province of Maryland was set
tied by Lord Baltimore and body of Ro-
man Catholic emigrants in the year 1888.
The first Catholic prist whs offered mass
il America was Father Althano.
While the colony OF Maryland was in
creasing in population, several Catholic
missionaries penetrated to the interior, and
planted the doctrines OF their Church in
the east and west, north and south and
from that 10 the present time their Church
has augmented in numbers.
[ The increase of this religious sect in the
United States, has arisen principally from
immigration, large portion being from
France, Spain, Germany, Ireland and other
portions OF the old world.
ITS DOCTRINES.
FIRST. They claim to be the Church, and
the only Church of Jesus Christ on earth
They employ the term Catholic, to signify
the unity OF all the particular parts OF the
Church in one body, unity which em-
braces doctrines, worship, discipline and
language.
They employ the term Roman, ns pre-
fix to Catholic, to signify their acknowl-
edgement OF the Pope, as their ecclesas-
teal head rs the legitimate successor OF
the apostles Peter and Paul and the vice
gerent Of Jesus Christ on earth.
SECOND. They believe that Jesus Christ
died for the whole world OF mankind, aud
that through his blood all men may be
saved.
! THIRD. They believe that faith is the
condition OF Justification, yet not SO as to
exclude the merit of good works, which
latter however are the effects of Gods
grace and mercy through Christ.
FOURTH. They believe that tradition, OIL
oral and written sayings OF the apostles
and primitive fathers, are of coeqnnl va
ldity and authority with the canon o
scripture; and that the latter is not tn,
only rule of faith and practice.
FIFrH. They believe that the Church a
whole, is ipfa!iible in its teachings in re
E gard to matters OF faith and cannot posi-
bly, err.
SIXTH. They believe in seven sacramento
}, viz: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharis
: Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Order
e and Matrimony; the i've former being con
0 mon to all, the sixth to the priests, an
e the seventh to the married persons.
e SEVENTH. They believe in the utilit
d and propriety Of invoking the prayers {
e saints and angels in behalf OF the livin
i on earth hence, the Virgin Mary, III
!. apostles, and others who are saved, are col
e sidered proper subjects to whom invoci
s. tions may be made, aud of whom nterce
;. sion may be solicited, on the same prime
!. pie that we invoke the prayers Of OF
friends on earth.
p EIGHTH. They believe in an informed
Df ate state between heaven and hell, callS
n purgatory, where those who having con
10 miited sin in this life OF venial chnra
,r ter and died without forgiveness may
N punished, reformed, and purified, and th
TT be prepared for heaven; and as a neee ssaI
as adjunct TO this article OF faith they bcIiet