Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-06-20
PAPAL INFALLIB-LIT>

PAPAL INFALLIB-LITY.
The opposition to admit the claims of tn
church is reducible, incline TO think, in ul
innate analysis, to a question of feeling rathe
than to one of argument. Lurking deep IL
the hearts of men there will be discovered
upon close examination, a strong aversion Il
the supernatural, which, unless due care il
taken, discolors and weakens the appeal made
10 the intellect in favor of positive religious
appointments from God. So much in the natu
raj order is left by the creator to the control o
mans own will and energies, that he leans Il
the belief that in all things, religion as well al
as other matters, he should be the master anC
designer of his course of action, and this belief
receives a ready confirmation from the innate
pride, which, despite our fearful and manifest
shortcomings, ever seeks to reign within the
human bosom. God is welcome to the priv
ilege of having created the universe, and es-
tablished Its laws, provided that, having once
created it, he is satisfied to cancel all rights
to further Intervention, and to place his work
in the exclusive safe-keeping of man. We de-
yelop in our own way science and art, we
fashion our own politics; why not make our
own religion, mark out to our own liking the
tribute which we will pay to God, and pre-
scribe for ourselves subject TO our own amend
ments, the rites and ordinances through which
we are to purify and strengthen our souls!
Tbs statement of this most dangerous tendency
of our nature is sufficient to put us on our
guard against it, whenever we are considering
the subject of supernatural revelation. 1t
is a weakness once they have noticed 1t, ra-
tional beings do not argue against II; lhey
imperiously silence its promptings.
THIS AVERSION TO THE SUPERNATURAL
is the most serious obstacle to be encountered
in bringing men to acknowledge the divine mis-
sion of Christ and it comes up with more force
though with less consistencv,when the claims
of the church as the infallible Interpreter of
his words are brought forward. The super
natural might, perchance, be suffered, when it
keens itself at a remote distance in time from
us, and allows to our own minds and
tastes the widest play in the intellect
ual apprehension of Its declarations;
but the question changes, when we are
brought face to face to it, in this very nine
teenth century, and its voice is made audible
to our ears, and its dictates provoking
" applicable to our present circumstances OF
Thought and action. The immediate impulse
of unregenerate nature is a protest, in the
name of human rights and human liberty.
This protest against the supernatural teach
ing of the church, is the same IN kind as the
protest which is heard in the non-chrlstlan
world against Christ; but it implies less con-
sstency in those who make 1t. super
natural teaching once admitted into the
worlds affairs, its supposed enduring in the
world raises no antecedent objection; indeed,
its continuous enduring is q consequence OF its
first introduction The value and power
which could have ever been attributed to it,
were due to the absolute certainty with which
men apprehended it as Gods word. But un-
less Il supernatural infallible agency exists
to perpetuate this revelation,
as supernatural infallibe
agency was needed to first introduce it, this
certainly vanfshes as years 60 by, and its pow
er and value disappear. Hence, in the words
of a recent writer of note, William Hurrell
Mallock, Il form of the Christian religion
which renounces its claim to acutual infalll-
billity, giving itself as the fallibe representa-
tive of an infalible revelation, can profess to
be a
STANDARDIZATION ONLY
at is a hybrid thing" continues Mr.. NAL
lock, "partly natural, and partly supernatural,
and it thus practically has all the qualities OF
a religion that is wholly natural. In so far
as it processes to be revealed, it of course
processes to be infallible but if the revealed
part be in the first place hard to distinguish,
and in the second place hard to Understandable
it may mean many things, and many of those
things contradictory-it might just as well
have never been made at all. To make it in
any sense infallible revelation, Or in
other words a revelation at all, to as,
we need power to interpret the testament
that shall have equal authority with the tes.
lament ITSELF"
The Catholic position is that the church Is
the infallible guardian and interpreter of
Christ's revelation, the supreme rule of Chris
tian faith
On last Sunday evening placed before you
the defence of this position. will re-state
THE LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF THIS POSI-
TIoN.
When the church teaches specific doctrine,
her word is the motive of our assent. She is
infallible; she speaks and we listen with rever,
ence. Our intellectual relation to her is identi-
cal with that of Christ's immediate hearers
to his teaching; she holds Christ's place.
Positive proofs in favor of the doctrine from
scripture or from tradition throw light on
the history of the doctrine, and crafty the
intellect; they are not needed to secure our
assent. Objections against it will hold only in
the suppostion that they show il clearly to be
in contradiction with evident principles of rea
son, undoubted facts of history, or other
doctrines of the church. The absence of all
argument against it; the church asserts that
ali that has been revealed is not written
Nor is there force in the imposslbility o.
establishing it by the light of reason; the doc
trines of revelation are for the most part super
natural mysteries, above the reach of reason
To private interpretations by her enemies o
doubtful passages in scripture, or doubtful
facts in history, she has the right to op
pose her own Interpretation of such passage
or facts; she has the right to receive in ever!
instance of doubt the benefit of the doubt
These are the logical consequences of tn
church's position; whoever does not wish Il
admit them must overthrow by direct argu
ment the position itself, which we have as
serted, history most undeniably assures her.
With the consequences of her posi-
ton before our eyes, we will censide
point of Catholic doctrine, whicl
has merited the attention for tw,
Sunday evenings of my friend, Rev. G. S. Smitl
-papal infallibility.
will explain at some length the doctrin
PAPAL INFALLIBILITY.
The commission to teach, the promise Q
Christ's abiding presence, were gwen to tn
apostles as a corporate body. "Going ye
therefore, teach all nations. 4 II an
behold am with you all days, even unto th
consummation of the world" The subjec
matter of their teaching was to be Christ
own teaching to teaching them a
things whatsoever have SAID unto you" Thi
teaching of Christ was the common law" c
the church; the apostles and their successor:
were the judges of the law within their respect
i've districts.
So long as the plain terms of the law apple
to all cases, and all the judges acted in harmC
ny one with the Others, the work of the apo
tolic corporation was nothing more than tt
ordinary teaching of its several members, tt
apostles or bishops, as they soon came TO |
called, in their respective territories, and the
teaching in this dispersed state, as far as
was the teaching of the body, the ''commo
law" was in virtue of the promises to the co
poreton infallible. You will, however, easil
understand, that matters would not alway
l.. a c.r Ia nr,a