Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-12-19

that in the many ages of transition and
reyo,ution and wars, but few enjoyed. 1t
was left to the clerics to cultivate letters,
while all the rest of the world went 10
arms. What wonder then that the read
ing of the sacred volume was spriyi-
lee most enjoyed by the clergy.
Now. with regard to the reading OF the
scriptures, the assertion is made that we
must believe in the bible and the Bioie
only"
salvation to -.r"
READ THE BIBLE
has not yet been discovered. Ii was not
the belief in the old law that the reading OF
the scriptures must be done by each lndl,
yidual, but ON the contrary, the lips OF
the priest were to guard wisdom, and the
people were TO seek the law at his mouth:
because he is the angel Tor messenger) OF
the Lord of hosts" Matt. ii, Z.
And in fact very few OF the children OF Is
rael. except the priests, were in possession
of the divine books. The holy manuscript
written by himseli-was rare and price
less. Now what provision did God make
that ali the people might have an opportu-
nifty of hearing the scripture? Did he com.
mand the sacred volume TO be multiplied!
No: He but ordained the priests and Le-
vites to be distributed through the differ
ent tribes that they might always be al
hand to instruct the people in the knowl-
edge of the law. The Jews were even,
forbidden to read certain portions
of the Scriptures till they had reached the
age of thirty years. Now, whilst in the old
law they were governed by written law,
which was to be read to the people in the
most solemn manner every seventh year at
the Feast of Tabern3cles, we find that our
Blessed Lord never wrote anything HIM
self. nor did He command His apostles.
Had He intended His followers TO b? direct
"a ~ lie scEis;Grcs wouiI :. not have e
hooved Him, omnisCient and all-wise as nc
was, 10 have said something ike TINS:
"All these things which you near
from Me and see Me per
form take care and register carefully
oUd nraSarye these records from all danger
and risk by multiplying and difuslng theih
among the faithful for
THEIR FCTCIEGCIDASCE;
for that which you write will form code
by which their conduct shall be regulated:
and BY which they will he one day judged.
Certainly, to have reached the point lie
would have done so: but You do not meet
in the New law anything of the sort.
There Is not a hint or intimatiOn that our
Savior intended one word TO be written
down.
We find. moreover in examining the
history OF these compositions, that
they were every one OF them
I offspring OF casual circumstance, and writ
ten for some local or personal purpose
which seemed To call them forth; that II
errors or abuses had not arisen so early i'll
the Church you would probably have been
deprived of the most beautiful writings OF
the New Testament; that if the blessed
Apostle st. John had not been preserved to
a preternatUral existence after having sur
fered what to others would have been
fatal-the tOrments of martyrdOm-
he would not have been spared
to complete the sacred volume
We find that St. Luke and st. Mathew wrote
for specific class of readers, for one par
tiCuar country or for even separate indI-
viduals: that the cpistles of st. Paul were
manifcstly directed to different churches
and were intended merely to silence doubts
or answer difficulties proposed by them,
and also to correct and amend some acct
dental or local corruptiOns and that If We
carefully examine them we will find that
the greater portion of our most important
dogmas, instead of being defined by st.
Paul, or explained by him, are only occa-
sionaly parenthetically introduced as IL
Illustrations. OF the whole number Of the
apostles and disciples there are only seven
who have written anything at all, and they
have written only fragments OF histories and
some letters. First of all st. Matthew at
the very latest six years after the ascension
of our Lord Jesus Christ begins his Gospel.
st. John does not publish his Gospel with
his letters and the apocalypse tell towards
the close of the first century; that is to say
forty years after ST. Paul had said to the
Romans your faith is spoken of in the
whole world. Romans j, 3. At the time
when ST. Lake wrote the Acts of the
Apostles there were numbCrleSS churches
in existence each governed by its own
Pastor. OF course the church must have
existed in Rome before
THE ErIsTLE To TIE ROMANS
at Corinth, before tine Epistle TO the Corin-
thians was written at ThcssalOnica, before
the Episte TO the Thessalonians
was written and 50 on. Con-
seuueutly the church had been cstab-
lished about twenty years when ST. Lukc's
Gospel was written. and about sixty years
before St. Johns Gospel For many years
after the Gospels and EpiStlcs were writ
ten the knowledge of them was confined to
the churches to which they were address
ed. 1t was not till the close of the fourth
century that the church framed her canon
Of the scripture and declared the bible as
We now possess it, to be the genuine word
of God. And this was the golden age OF
christianity. The most perfect christian
lived and died and went TO heaven before
the most important parts of the scriptures
were written, And what would have be-
come of them if the bible alone had been
their guide?
Printing was invented by Gutenberg in
14iO. What must the world have done
from the fourth to the fifteenth century
without bible?
1t was never intended then, that each
should search the scriptures for his private
Interpretation, for such thing was impos-
sible by reason of the absence OF Bibles,
and the want of learning in the people, and
besides, says ST. Paul, faith comes by
hearing" When Jesus said, search the
scriptures" He certainly did not refer TO
the New Testament, for not line OF it had
been written. II command were implied
in the text, it meant that in the Old Tesla
ment they would find many prophecies OF
the Messiah, which were accomplished in
Him and Him alone.
So, too. the charge is groundless which
, says il is curling reason and bridling the
human mind, TO make men accept the in
depreciation of the church.
1t is not to human authority we have
our reason when we submit TO the church's
Interpretation. but TO God. who has prom
Used to guide it and keep it from error.
bOu, tHcIl, Is lue dulioI vi VIC IhuISH o III
depreciation.
Then the reverend gentleman spoke OF
the love the church has always shown and
still shows for the scripture. That the
mass is entirely made of selections from
Holy Writ; that portions of the Epistles
and Gospels must he read In the vernacular
of the people at all Sundays and festivals;
that every cleric in sacred orders is bound
by the most sacred obligations to read one
hour each day his Breviary, which is
nearly altogether selected from the scrip
lures, etc, etc.
In concluding, for space precludes larger
synopsis, the speaker hoped that all would
use the reason God gave each to study out
the truth and pray to God to give them
| light to see il and will TO follow that all
might be made members of the one fold
and under the great shepherd of souls.
Occasion Extraordinaire.