The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-12-01
: : .snIng Star and Catholic asesssager.
TST 0TLEAgs. EprDAY, DECEMBER /, ie7s.

eat q piece of bread--snd that given by HE
ministers at future indefinite times, they
would bave no life in them-they would be
damnedi When He asserted with the form OF
an oath that His flesh was meat indeed-that
His blood las drink indeed" using the strong
adverbial phrases we find in the gospel, was it
bread and q little winef
What possible grounds were there for insiet-
ing 80 repeatedly on the necessity of faith,
where there was nothing hard or diff ,ult,
which oonfessedly both His bearers among the
Jews and His own disciples nevertheless
found J For He asked the latter will you also
go awsyf Simon Peter answered and said {:
words of eternal lifei We believe and know
that thou art Christ, the Son of the living
God" 81. Peter admits the Incarnation, with
possibility of the fulfillment of the promise.
Oar Lord responded, Have not chosen you
twelve. and one of You is q devilp Or when
the fulfilling of His promise came, and He said
"Take ye and eat ye all (the apostles presently
of 1t, for this is My body which shall be deliv-
cred for you, ." did He mean that what He gave
then then, ws' only piece 6 Of bread and that
for the Gins of the world would be only. a
piece of bread : Or that it should not be
His real body that was nailed on the
crossf Could he at the last moment of His
life. during His last act, when plain simple
words are required and used, have acted as in
caprice, and applied words calculated to mis-
lead hundreds of His immediate disciples and
always the vast bulk of Christianity
This would be the blssphemous conclusion
if transabstantiation were not true, or il His
real absence were true, which our sdverssries
and those of Christ, ASSERT against His real
presence al ways held by the Catholic Church.
1know that the doctrine OF the Real Presence"
is d fiji BOLT to grasp, hard TO the mere sense
Of mankind, but it is indefinitely harder for
me to believe the opposite dilemma, and think
that the Son of God deliberately misied man.
kind, or that He. who was wisdom iteelf, did
not know the whole import of His words. Oa
the other hand, it is quite easy to believe
trsnsnbetantiation to believe that the Son
of God wss natfsd upon Cross between two
thieves, or to admit the Disgrace of His passion
and death. In either case SO see no pagauism,
although il " as q sacrifics which is the essen
tial and only essential act ef religion, and no
idolatry ostensbly in tho name of Christ. Faith
in any of the m1 steries is not result of hum an
study, but requires concurrence with the Grace
of God. Right reason will find no contradiction.
but be aided by grace from God, and perfect
must no " conclude the duty which have
had to perform, aud hope the friends of Bishop
Lee both see and admit that had no personal
endeavered to treat him with due courtesy. I
have not -ahoXn any-ill- -feeliege, and if any
word may have escaped me, which mi iebt seem
disrespectful, or be SO ir terPreted by advised
persons, or the uulearned, it was only used to
express my deep sense of the religious import
ance of subjects of difference between ns, diff
ference upon which the eternal salvaton of
myeelf and Others depends 1 may also add,
that in this defence of the Church against tho
gratnitous and, aS think,
UTTERLY UNCA1LED FOR cHARGRB OF BISHOP
LEE,
had and have in view not 30 much the interest
of the Catholic Church in Wilmington Della
ware, Hs the benefit of those who unhappily
know neither the Catholic Church nor her doc
trines. unless through distorted diums, and
who, becauSe Of the respect in which they hold
the venerable gertlemen, might, If there were
no answer mnde, be confirmed in their errors.
The refntation we have made goes on general
theological ard ecriptural grounds. and to say
the least, we have as good right to our teach
iugs and doctrines as he has and it cannot be
fairly denied by him or any oLe e!ss. Bat we
have infinitely more; we have the constant |
gates of bell shall never prevail" (st. Matthew
xvi. 1S). The Catholic Church can never be
by anything said or done against
her by individuals, whether they be high or
nations. The Supreme Pontiff is indeed infal-
lihle in his teachings, bot he does not add to,
but simply declares the faith. There is no new
revelation. He simply does for the teaching
Of Jesus Christ what the Supreme Court does
when, other things being equal, it declares
The law. The Pontiff in the last resort does no
more for tee Church than every Protestant
lares to do for himself without the shadow of
namely,
WHAT Is NECESSARY FOR SALVATION, |
Every Protestant necessarily declares bim4elf
for himself infallible, and thus stakes his i'm
The Suprems Poutiff, besides the unohang geAble
promise of Christ, which is ample-"I have
prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not" (St.
Luke xii. 81, 32), and II cay to thee that thou
.rt a rock, and upon this rock will build Ny
1hurch, and the gates of He'll shall not prevail
Igainat it," est. Matthew xvi. 16), and II will
sive to thee the keys Of the Kingdom of Hea
zen, and Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth
hall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever
hou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in
lenyen," (St. Matthew, xvi. 1s); or, sgain, feed
Ny lambs, feed Ny sheep" feed the whole
lock (John xxi. Is, 16)-has the laws of the
Church in the past as precedent, and the immu-
able syste m of theology as q guido, and the
Holy Ghost q director, and cannot fail to
cad the flock to salubrious pastures. Private
have none of these, and the P ontif
.as them only as the supreme and visible head
# the Church with which Christ promised to
70 always even to the end of time. The Church
;, therefore. founded on an immovable rock, |
y Him who made the world, aud He has
promised that SO long as the world shall last ;
ie will stand by her and protect her with all :
His power in heaven and on earth.
HE r. (I1Trpcr1 ~ | I