Daily Republican., 1878-11-04


rogativs OF the Roman Church with al
the scriptural promises made by Chris
that she IL "to teach all nations; teach
ing them to observe all things, whatso
ever I have commanded that ther
are coDfessedly "many things Jesus i'd
not written In the Scriptures: st. John
XXI, Is, and which the perpetual teach
ing body had to explain to the world
Go teach all things, whatsoever
have commanded, and behold am will
you always, even to the consumation o
the world" St. Matthew, XVIII, 20
He admits that they (ths Anglicans) DE-
not possess infallibility. Very well
then they possess fallibility, that is
they may err; they may teach falseh ood
and soul. destroying doctrines. The cor
relative Of teaching is to listen, to hear
to obey. But God cannot put an obliga
ton ofobedience on man 10 hear or obey
what is confessedly false. They admit
that they are fallible. So do We admi,
their fallibility. Hence God canno,
without contradictin Himself, oblist
any one TO hear or obey them. They
have no right to teach they cannot
teach with absolute certainty that the
opposite Of their teaching may not bs
the truth. Or, let MS put 1t In this
form let them come out from behind
their constant protestations of fallibili.
ty, which no one denies them TO pos
5 .ss, and let them say without any
n-gation "Goi has placed men in the
world and given them church which
may and probably will lead them as.
tray, and teach them false doctrines
which they are, nevertheless, bound to
obey They dare not do it, and do
not. Only isolated men like Bishop
Lee attack the authority Of the Catholic
Church which logically must claim to
teach the whole of the deposit of faith,
At all times, as a living body, ready to
declare the whole word Of God in due
season. This is simply the exercise Of
the prerogatlve of infallibility, which
is not by any means impeccability.
Moses, the inspired law-giver, David
the original psalmist, were far from
sinless, yet they were infallible and in
spired writers. The lack Of claim
proves the want of ownership. do not
claim the ownership OF all the lands OF
Wilmington, for have no title; had |
q title, would make good my claim
thereto. Yet the Protestant Bishop OF
Delaware pot only attacks the authori-
ty of the lawful successor of St. Peter
and sits in judgment here upon the
Church Of Rome, which he admits to oe
that immense body which owes allie
glance to the Roman Pontiff; body
which coinprehends nearly one-half Che
might have said foursevenths, or two.
tlirds) of the nominal Christian world"
but he derides, very properly, "the
numerous divergent and discordant
bodies and sects (having)apparently no
end to this process of division and sup
division" He admits, quite truly,
that the Church of Rome stands com
pact, well-organized and with serried
phalanx, yet evidently implores her
to break ranks, and with all the sects,
come to heavenly pastures of oneness
and uncertainty Of the Anglican estab-
lishmsnt, at whose breasts he has Just
now drawn new draaghts of charity for
his brethern! 1t is inetfably more alb
surd than that Delaware should seek to
rdle the universe, or that a part (and
a small portion at that) is greater than,
or controls,t the whole.
Bishop Lee is an old man, presuma-
bly, sincere in his views, as | do not
doubt many others are, but, like tn.
ant in the fable, mounted upon his
pebble; and having taken in survey
around him, he probably thinks that
he has seen all that is worth seeing,
and that the world was attentively
awaiting his report of the proceedings
of the gathering at lambeth. We are
not unaware OF what were the boun-
daries set by the Queen as Head Of the
establishment; what the Court Of
Arches is; and We know very well that
the respectable body Of pensioners upon
her bounty, gathered together with
others, had simply no right, and claim
ed no inherent right to teach, or defn-
authoritively anything whatever. How
strikingly different from the words of
Christ: go ye into the whole world
and teach all nations, (not the Anglo
saxons alon-) teaching them to observe
all things, whatsoever | command you"
How very striking the admission made
by the speaker when he says, ''his
church knows no legislation in which
the laity and clergy have not an equal
voice with her Bishops What
then is the use of Bishopsl If all are
teachers who are the taught' 1t is
simply absurd to say that the obliga-
tion and duty of teaching does not
place correlative obligation of being
taught.
But Bishop Lee asserts that "the
Church of Rome has substituted spu
rious faith" etc. Now we would not
willingly pain the feelings of any sim
cere man. but we characterize the above
as a falsehood. When could such sub
stitution have taken place Has Bishop
Lee ever read the Councils of Trent and
the Vatican have every reason to
suppose that he has never read either
of them. What does .e mean by the
phrase Faith of the Lord Jesus
Christ :" 1t is rather late in the day
for those who but for the su ublime teach.
ings of the Catholic Church. would
never have Knosn of the Lord Jesus, to
cry out that she substitutes aught els.
for Him. Not once does Bishop Lee
rise above mere imprc ssion or sentiment
when speaking of faith; and with him
it is Il matter of doubt, becau.e it is
confessedly subject to the views he or
another, equally able to read, may OBJ.
tain concerning Jesus Christ. Now the
Catholic Church in her Apostolic Creed.
in that of Nice, and in that of Constan-