Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-04-07
.LENTEN LECTURE.
Continued from First Pdge.)

has been questioned Dy men verseu IA
the Oriental languages, who tell US thai
the Syriac reading has 1t, "and they,
not sin that they" The Bereans were
not more noble, because they read, &C.
Hut il is a received axiom in logic that
"wbat proves too much proves nothing.
Ia not that the case here? For II TINS
massage proves anything at all in favor
of the Protestant theory, 1t proves tnat
the Bereans subjected, and that they
are praised for subjecting, the doctrines
preached to them by the Apostles 10 the
test of a private examination OF scrip,
tures. So that not even the inspired
Apostles are to be believed until We
proye. not their mission from
God, but the truth OF tieir
doctrines, by searching tne
scripturesl And when the Apostles put
their doctrines in writing, we must see
if they accord with the Old Testament.
which alone the Bereans could nave
searched! Then the New Testament Is
not 10 be received until by private ex-
amination,we find.;it harmonizes with
the old. Our Protestant friends can
hardly push their principles to these
their legitimate consequences. Preach
inc 70 those who already believed in the
Old Testament, the Apostles appealed
IN il. and their hearers, as was eminent
" proper, verified their references, and
were thus led to accept the mission OF
the Apostles. But once disciples-once
believers in the divine mission and au-
thoritv of their teacher, they were no
longer at liberty to doubt or question
their word.
Without further comment, concluded
the Bishop, submit that these or any
other texts flor these are the strongest
do not sustain the Protestant theory
OF the Bible being the only witness and
teacher of religion; much less are theyoi
such sufficient force to justify Christians
in casting aside the authority OF the
Church which Christ so expressly con-
stituted AS the medium between HIM
self and mankind in the presentation
and diffusion of divinely revealed truth.
Here the bishop passed to the subject
proper OF his lecture, that IN religion we
must have a divine teacher, and that the
| Catholic Church is that teacher.
.. When our Lord Himself claimed
mems obedience He first proved His
mission; He sought first of all to con-
vince them that He was divine teacher.
They understood His claim very well,
"Because being man. thou makest thy
self God" The proofs He gave of His
character and mission, l need not
here rehearse. But no other
motive OF credibility was laid before
men; no other reason given them why
they should believe, except the divine
authority OF the teacher. He never
reasoned on the intrinsic nature OF the
doctrines He taught. He seems often
to have pu posely shrouded his teach
ing in mysterious language, which lie
explained to the Apostles Mark w 3il.
He does not appear over-anxlous 10
make many converts by his own preach
ing. His chiei aim would seem to be to
establish the divinity of his own mis-
sion, and to prepare and qualify the
| Apostles to preach the gospel. lie Is
comparatively lenient towards those who
reject his own teaching; but he pro-
| nOunCes the seyerest condemnation on
those who reject the teachings OF his
| Apostles "And whosOever shall not
receive YOU, nor hear your words: going
| forth out of that house or city, shake
| off the dust from your feet. Amen
saw to YOU, it shall be more tolerable
! for the land of SodOm and Gomorrah in
the day OF judgment than for that city.
| Matt. X. ii, l5). Eternal damnation is
declared to be the deserved portion OF
such as will not accept the preaching OF
the apostles. Mark xvi, l6). Now
this body OF apostolic teachers or wit
nesses TO the faith was constituted OF
| two-iold element. They were men;
therefore human, and in their outward
or human character, they We're subject
to change, decay, and death; but they
were Gods witnesses, systematically
| sustained; divine in their origin aJd in
their inward, animating and illumina-
ting principle, which was the Holy
! Ghost, the Spirit Of God. Christ
Himself was so closely identified with
them 40 teachers OF His truth, that lie
laid down this principle: "lle that
heareth you, heareth Me; and he that
| despiseth you, despiseth Me" When
He withdrew His visible presence, lie
still remained invisibly with them bear
ing testimony to the truth, as they
were empowered and commissioned to
do; end so too the Holy Spirit
of the constant, abiding presence with
them OF the Holy Ghost, making them
no longer human, but divine witnesses
! of revelation, the apostles were fully
conscious, as may be plainly seen from
repeated declarations in the Acts and
Epistles. Hence st. Paul describes the
church rs zone body and one Spirit. T"
! Now that Holy Spirit mas not aban-
! doned the church: He must be still
with the witness and teacher Of reyela-
ton, to qualify that teacher TO give tes-
iimony Of the truth. For the Gospel
| will continue TO be taught-to be
preached till the end of the world. The
teacher or preacher OF that Gospel, the
| divine witness to the truths OF revela-
ton, it surely cannot lie 30 difficult 10
discover. We maintain that it is the
! Catholic Church and no other. To the
enquirer, we adduce TIE proofs OF her
| claim: Of these proofs he must be salts
fled, ere he can seek, or at least expect
! admission into the Catholic Church.
| But once convinced that the Catholic
Church is the guardian and interpreter
| Of Divine revelations; that she is the
| Divine teacher-then must men accept
! her testimony and believe the truths
/ she teaches As early as the year 325,
| in the first General Council, .Ield at
Nice, these four marks or essential
properties Of the Church, were inserted
in the Christian creed: 81 believe in
the on, holy, Catholic and Apostoiic
Church" BY these marks We are will
ing to test the claims of our Church 10 be
the Church founded by Christ TO teach
all nations. They can have little faith
in the Savior's promises who, in order
to escape tie force Of this argument,
teach that even at that early day the
! Church Of God was 80 sunk in error and
corruption as not to know, or not cor
rectly TO preach, her own prerogatiyes.
The first note or mark ofthe true Church
! is unity.
Ii would be a waste Of time to re-
hearse the many Scripture proofs Of
the oneness Of the Church Of Christ so
clear and so manifest is the evidence in
I Il 81. q O. -