The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-09-08

Just one question more! How did he
reconcile this Interpretation of his with
that public profession of the orthodox
faith, " which, in obedience to the Bull Of
Pope Plus ", (Canon. ct Deer. Conc.
Trid. Tauchnitz Ed. page 226) he was
required to take at his conservation, in
which solemnly made oath, "nor will 1
ever receive and interpret the Scriptures
except according to the unanimous con-
sent Of the Fathers 2" misl .j'trta unani-
mem conSenSatna Patauna. Now as Plus
" in that Bull warns all concerned
that for any one to "go contrary with
rash adventure" to this engagement un-
der oath is to 'incur the Indignation of
Almighty God, and the blessed apostles,
Peter and Paul, it was reasonably to be
supposed that he would first ascertain
whether his Interpretation was according
to the unanimous consent of the fathers
Was it? Well do not know what Bish-
op Keane would consider aI1,animats con-
sent, but certainly his Interpretation and
that of some of the fathers is very con-
hicting-and if only one of them differs
with him, he brings down the judgment
upon him denounced by the Pope, for a
consent is not unanimous if one voice is
lifted against it. Now st. Chrysostom,
one of the chief of the fathers, interprets
this passage as referring to an altar in
heaven. He says in his Homily on the
passage, (In Heb. HON. XII 1--WE have
our victim above, our priest above, our
sacrifice above, therefore we offer such
sacrifices as it is impossible to offer on
that altar" explaining that the sacrifices
are prayer and praise, the only ones that
we can offer on an altar in heaven. This
breaks up the unanimous consent as it
seems to me. But further, St Ireneus,
(Adv. Haer. ", "a, says, God wills
that we should offer gifts at his altar
without ceasing There is therefore an
altar in the heavens, for thither are our
prayers and oblations directed" So here
is another serious break. Then St. Cyril,
of Alexandria, Ode Adv. L, 81 "He
| (Christ) is the altar, He is the incense,
He is the Holy Priest" So we'll was it
understood during the first three centu-
ries of the church, that there is but one
altar and that one in the heavens, that
the church edifces then, like our Protes-
tant churches now, had no material al
tars, and it was standing reproach
against the Christians by the Pagans that
they had no affairs. SO that as late as
the time of Arpobiu the Elder, "a. D.
about 300) we have the following declar-
alton, (Arnob. Adv. Gentes,) "You Pa
gans (Gentes) are accustomed to accuse
us of impiety in the highest degree, be.
cause we do not make altars" If they
had lived in this day they could have
brought this accusation against Protes.
tants, for we now, like Iren@us, and Cyril
and Chrysostom, and Arnobius, have ou1
altar in heaven; but they could never ac-
cuse Roman Catholics of not making
affairs, since they could say like the
makers of the silver shrines at Ephesus
(Acts xix 25,) "Sirs, ye know that by
this craft we have our wealth"
wonder that the Bishop with all this
array of the fathers against him, and
with the Interpretation of ST. Thomas
Aquinas, the Magnus Apollo of Catholic
Doctors, who says, expos. in Div. Ap
IN LOcO), "This altar is either the cross OF
Christ on which he was inundated for us,
or Christ himself in whom and by whom
we offer our prayers to God and that OF
Lyra, another eminent Catholic exposi-
tor, who interprets, We have an altar,
that Is the cross on which Christ was Of
fered, and with the denunciation of Pope
Plus ~ hanging over his head-should
nevertheless have spoken so confidently
about the material altar which is want
ing in Protestant churches. Would it
not have been safer for him, as well as
more modest, to have followed the learned
Bellarmine, the Coryphoeus among the
Jesuit authors, who says, (De Sac. Euch.
L. V. Cap 13), "Some grave authors think
not improbably that the table of the Lord
is expressly called an altar in Heb xiii :
but since there are not wanting Catholic
authors who understand by altar in this
passage the cross of Christ, I do not urge
It,"
And now as Bishop Keane took the
liberty of suggesting to his hearers at
Jarratt's Depot, most of whom were Pro-
testants, a question for Protestant minis
ters, hope he will not decline to answer
the questions have asked him, so that I
may transmit to those same Protestants
his reply. Will he tell us where that
one altar in the days of Paul was kept?
and what finally became Of it? and why,
as one altar sufficed for the whole Church
in Pauls day, it is necessary to have one
or more in every church edifice now? and
how the Mass was celebrated in the first
], r ~