Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-03-14

Our Divine Master gave commission to
his disciples which had for it's object the
; advancement of divine truth and all truth,
and he declares that in order that it may
never lead men astray, that he will not
| leave that divine truth the wisdom OF
! the learning of the apostles or their sue
cessors, but thai He Himself will be with
them, so that whoSoever hears them hears
Him. Now. having found Gods Voice 10
the World, there is one great principle
| that must be our guide-and that's, Gods
voice in the world Can never utter any
thing but Gods ruth. 1t cannot teach
men error. Suppose a doubter had come
to Jesus and addressed him thus: divine
Lord, thou sayeSt that thou art the truth.
but cannot you make mistake Suppose
that man was present on the day when Our
Lord gave that command to his prophets
and said: Il heard you say that man
must forever hear and believe what they
tell US, but may they not lead US estray!"
The question would be absurd. And any
teacher that does not claim to preach with
out error is not Gods voice, and it is not
the guide and teacher in divine things
that mems souls can trust. Suppose feel
in my heart the need of divine truth of
which have been speaking, and some one
comes and says: Il will teach you divine
truth But don't think [ am Invaluable.
[ might lead you estray." Why, he throws
me back to the same uncertalE state was
before. (The Bishop here diSclaimed any in
tention to wound the sensibllity Of any one
but said, as an honest man. he must look
facts in the face Where among all
Christian bodies is that church, that teach
er of divine truth which claims to teach
infalliability. 1t is to be found in the
CATHOLIC CHURCH,
and that church bases it's claim upon the
commission given TO the apostles and upon
plain historical facts. She is the church
which our Lord established. There are
two other churches that claim Apostolic
succession-the Greek and the Anglican
or Episcopal Churches, but they never
have claimed to teach Gods. truth in
fallibly. The Episcopal Church claims
Apostolic Succession. and it would be in
teresting to know how much foundation
there is for the claim. 1t never has claim
well it does not, tor its members differ as
to the fundamental principles of its doc, |
trines. In recent church convention IN
England the members. upon the recon-
mendation of the Times and other pa
pers, decided not to discuss or decide doc |
trinal points and, after l5tle Idle bab
bling. separated. With regard to the |
evangelical denominations, none OF them
claim Apostolic Succession. Some men
think it is mental thraldom to belong to
church from whose decisions there is NJ
appeal. 1t is a mistake to term this |
mental thraldom, for it is mental freedom
to follow an infallible guide. They say
the authority CT such church is intoler-
ant. Truth is necessarily intolerant-it
admits of no doubt. No one would say
the multiplication table or Euclld'S prob
lens are intolerant and tyrannical because
they admit Of no argument.
Last night the Bishop had a large and
very attentive audience His subject be-
ing the middle Ages, their Light and
Darkness" AS we went to press while he
was speaking we are unable to give re-
port of it.