The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-04-21

| essentials and non .eS6eHtutS, opu Anee'
| that the Holy Ghost would certainly en-
tighten any sincere student of the bloie
upon "essentials." BY Essentials" they
meant the Trinity, the Divinity of Chriet, the
existence and eternity of He'll, etc. Inc
principle difficulty always was az to the
| "and 40 forth" There was whore the
uncertainty came in.
This theory was unsound at both ends
its origin and it's application. The assump'
ton that the Holy Ghost would eertd'Sty
illumine sincere seekers upon even limit
| cd number of subjects, was clear claim
of infallibility within these limits. The
Church of Rome does not claim, and never
did claim, any other kind of infalIbility
than that which proceeds Immediately from
the Holy Ghost. 1t was manifestly absurd
to say that the whole Church could not Dc
infallible while admitting that each indi-
| vidual member was.
When it came to the other end of the
theory-its practical application-the ao-
surdity was still more manifest. Immense
bodies of men, calling themselves Churches
wonld differ entirely, not only AZ to the
existence of doctrine, but as to whether
the doctrine were "eesential" or not. And
vet all of them claimed to be sincere, devout,
prayerful Christians. Baptists believed
baptism to be Essential 5" Presbyterians
, did not. Presbyterians believed predes-
tination to be "essential;" Methodists did
not, Methodists believed the Trinity to
be an "essential" doctrine Unitarians did
not believe the doctrine at all, much less
that it was "essontial." All these believed
in He'll as an Essential" doctrine; the
Universalists did not. And 30 it is now in
a more aggravated form than ever.
1t ia, therefore utterly impossible for a
number-say fve or six-of the leading
sects to agree upon any one doctrine, ex-
B cent that there is a God. And it is impos-
> sible for any two Of them-say the Meth
. odists and Presby teriaus-to agree upon
any list of doctrines as being those which
% are "essential" or "orthodox," without
admitting that the Holy Ghost has failed
y to epliehten all the other sects on some OF
those points.
~ No wonder, then, that the Protestant
~ champions of an imaginary orthodoxy
O. "cannot agree on what ground to defend
y it." In the first place they cannot even
10 agree as to what is orthodox, and in the
next place they cannot find logical pre-
mise on which to base the pretence OF or
~ thodoxy except that of infallibility either
70 aggregate or individual. Still, we insist
S' that Mr. Froude has discovered no novelty
On here, for the same assertion has always
wv been predicable of Protestant sectarians
~ though perhaps less manifestly so formerly
than now.
ou The rest of Mr.. Froud's intimation!
- must be received with more respect
n0 Msterialiem is really injecting immens
sections of European society, and YER
naturally 80. Arguing from Protestan
premises, it is impossible to escape Ma
terialiem. The same reasoning whic
rejects the claims of the Church to author
'o ity, inevitably rejects the claims OF revela
o' tion to authenticity. If there is no hVin
fS' authority to set forth the doctrines
ase Christianity with absolute certainty, the
MY the very fact of revelation ia NO longs
certain, for after all, is only one doctrir
HS' like any other. For all that man ma
know, he can be mistaken in supposir
o'o that the Bible claims to be fully inspire
D'0 1t may not really mean to set up
claim to more than semi-inspiration,
,eIv occasional passages of inspiration, Or
'eak fact, to any higher rank than that of
sTGi srS mAjestic poem or an unequaled system
re- philosophy.
the And 80 it is that Materialism is rapid
ture succeeding Protestantlem IN Europe l"
CON- ooonD,ir0 tho Reld once dominated by tE
and ooNHPI1"o ~ -. g., A., .
t NO heresy. ana IL all coneS AoA WIG BA>
ant. and revolt agoint authority. Take away
pass thority from religion end there is no me
tself religion. Man falls back upon the natu
With law, which ought, indeed, to be sufticie
will to regulate his conduct, but is not. +
mo- ligion destroy ed, charity fees, justice d
r to appears, and anarchy comes, bringing af
that it an era of slavery.
;tv Those are not the ''infnitely moment'
80 issnesn which Mr.. Froude probably anti