The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-12-23

and the reasons given for Ia adoption, ar
important. II declares that the Church
ought not TO be under one supreme hu,
man governing authority, but that, on the
contrary, every independent civil State d
entitled 70 have an Independent ecClesias.
teal government OF Its own, II Ia also
clearly shown by this canon that the
privileges till then exclusively enjoyed by
the Church Of Rome we're granted only on
account OF the Imperial rank Of that city,
mistress Of the then civilized world, and
Tor no other reason. The Church In the
nth century knew nothing Of any partiCu.
lar authority belonging TO the Bishop Of
Rome as 81. Peters successor, nor Of any
Of the other inventions adduced by that
Church as reasons for the supremacy she
persists In claiming.
The refusal Of the Church OF Rome TO &C.
cept this auo In no way affects It's
authority, M efforts could induce the
Council 10 reGede from the principle II
established, and from that time the East.
ern Church has been lawfully separated
from and independent Of home. The
schismattc determination .oi Rome to in.
sist on her supremacy, in defiance OF the
ruling otthe Church, gave q fatal blow %
Christian unity, and the Councils on
which Rome relies for many Of her errors.
such as the Councils Of Constance and
Trent, were not Councilso Of the Universal
Church, but oil Rome only, and cannot
therefore, be properly acknowledged to
possess Catholic authority.
The right to an independent ecciesias.
teal constitution given by the Church at
Chalcedon to Constantinople. founded on
its Imperial rule, is, Of course, applicable
to all other States under similar condi.
tons. The Churches OF the Anglican
communion In England and the Colonies,
10 Scotland, Ireland, and the United
States OF America, are independent ma.
tional Churches in accordance with the
principle then established. Their indie
pendence in church government in no
way prevents unity Of faith, while II is o
great protection against the adoption Of
new doctrines.
Was the Church wise in determining
against allowing one supreme ecclesias.
tic authority to continue, and become a
necessary Christian institution, TO which
all ought 10 submit? This supremacy ia
what Rome especially contends for; and
there is something in it which to many,
who consider the matter specifically, is
particularly attractive. Do not the mat
tiers opened in this paper show that the
ruling Of such a supreme authority has
led to the adoption OF false doctrines.
which under q wider principle OF church
representation could never have occur.
red? II all Christian nations in the Fiji.
tenth Century had had independent
church governments, and the Council Of
Constance been a Council OF the Universal
Church, communion in one kind could
never have been carried in direct opposi.
ton to Christ's words and ordinances
and it is hardly possible to conceive that
any one Of such independent Churches
would have dared to make such a promo.
sal. The desire to show that n supreme
ecclesiastical authority could rule any
thing 1t pleased was the reason for that
decision at Constance; and the
followers Of the Church Of Rome, kept
generally in ignorance Of the ruling OF the
Council OF Chalcedon, and being taught
that their church is supreme and cannot
err, are too ready to accept whatever she
chooses TO teach. Ii the churches OF the
several nations OF the Christian commune
ION had been Independent, aud the Coun.
Gil Of Trent been q General Council, would
its DEGREES have been such as were then
agreed to? II Roman supremacy was not
to be commended for, there would be no
%Jesuits, and now, in the Nineteenth Cen
fury, a any one believe that, under a
representative church system, such strange
doctrines as the immaculate conception Of
the Virgin, or Papal in~iallibility, could
ever have been even submitted to the de-
faith?
Is not the refusal to accept what the
church decreed at C~halcedon, which re-
tusal has rendered the assembling since
then Of any General Council OF the Uni
y;ersal Church impossible, a reason for
doubt in the Church Of Rome?
REDEsDALF.