The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1880-02-19
Faith.

That faith is necessary to salvation,
is fact conceded by Christians of all
shades, no matter how little or how
much they may accept of the funda-
mental basis. Faith may be exagger-
ated into superstition, as when q man
would believe that an image, the work
Of his or other human hands, should
hsYe any inherent power of saving his
soul. 1t may degenerate into unbelief,
as when one picks and chooses from the
great depository believing this and re-
jecting that, according to his own pri-
vate views of some unauthorized teach
er, who has no more right of discrimi-
nation than himself.
As faith is necessary, surely 1T must
haYe some definition. If it have but
the vagueness of opinion, il ceases to
be faith, and its saving virtues cease
with it. The necessity of some assured
guide ID so important a matter appears
to be above question. We know that
some say the Bible is the Infallble
guide, but when we look over the dis
coTdsnt and contradictory doctrines de-
rived from the sacred text, the fallacy
of the assertion becomes obvious. In
human law there is supreme tribunal
for the set lement of obscure questions,
and IN Divine law, where the impor-
lance of q right understanding is so
infinitely greater, the necessity for in
fallible decision would appear to be also
infinitely greater.
Tbs Bible, moreover, nowhere asserts
itself as an infallible guide, but it does
speak of 1.-THE Church as the pillar and
ground of truths" as that oracle which
must be heard by those whe would be
other than the heather and the publ
can.
To hear the Church, and to obey Its
speaking through its appointed pastors,
is specifically Djoined in the Bible; and
so far from the sacred text suggesting
or demanding for itself the fulhess of
authority, all-sufficient for sill men, It
positively declares that unguided read
ers are always in peril of constituting it
to their own perdition. The pretence
OF taking the Scriptures for sole guide,
resting upon supposed injunction,
"Search the Scriptures, carries no finsl
authority with il. What we under
stand by the Scriptures was not IN ex-
istence when that declaration was made
but furthermore, it looks more ike
Teproof than Injunction. Suppose the
language to read, "Ye search the
Scriptures, for We think We have therein
the words Of eternal life, the apparent
injunction would cease; and who can
prove thst this is not the true construc-
ton of the tex,l 'ScrNtamiRi is the
word used in the text Of the Valgate
in translatisg the original languages,
and means equally, Ssiret or &c search,
snd the very context seems TO make the
latter construction the proper one.
THIS is not meant IS any objection
to the duty OF sesrchag the Scriptures,
= duty 50 emmently approved by the
chief and other bishops Of the Church
the difference between the seaIchers
being net IN studying the words of the
text, bu IN the means oil o ,isinlBg the
true sense CT passages, which mAy ad-
mit Of doubtful or adverse cOnstTuc-
tons.
There can be no staple faith without
A infallible authority towering far
away above privafe judgment, and issu-
ing fual DEGREES on an points Of Chris
tan doctrine. = Catholic NFr0r.