St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-18
DIR. THOMAS SERMON.
"The Holy Catholic Church. +"

his sermon defining and discussing ssthe
Holy Catholic church, Below will be found
the important sermon in full:
"Endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit
IN the bond of peace. f-Ephesians iv-3.
The purpose Of my discourse this morning is
to answer the frequent question: ''What dc
| Episcopalians mean when they say, i believe III
the molly Catholic church?'n First, negatively,
| reply: BY the holy Catholic church they do not
mean the holy Episcopal church, the holy
Anglican church, or the holy Roman church, OF
the holy Greek church. They mean something
broader and more truly catholic than either OF
these appellations imply. BY the CATHOLIC
church they mean the whole mystical body oil
Chrlst-a body, unfortunately, broken into many
parts, but whose soul is one and
indivisible They mean that vast multitude OF
every nation and every age and every name who
have been baptized in the name of the Father,
Son and Holy Ghost. If this be trme, the ques
ton naturally arises, why do Episcopalians de-
fend so strongly, and love SO ardently that par
| ticuiar branch of the one Holy Catholic church
which they denominate protestant Epscopal?''
answer, for the plain and simple reason that,
in their opinion, this branch is modelled more
nearly after the church of the first three cen
$500 SNAN
most apostolic in doctrine. discipline and wor-
| ship.
Upon the cause Of divisions in the church ]
cannot dwell.
The reasons may be assigned: First, jealousy
between the sees of Rome and Constantinople, re-
sulting in the separation of the Greek and Roman
communions; second, usurpation Of authority by
the Roman See third wilful private judgment
| ori n6Jxy HroJtc
where the greater blame rests, whether with
Greek or Roman, Roman or Lutheran, Anglican
/ or Methodist OF one thing am sure and any
| fair minded theologian will confess it, that the
| whole history OF division in the Catholic church
is sad and painful one, such as no true lover OF
unity can read without blush of shame. Nei
Their the church nor any branch of the church
should be held responsible for the sinfulness OF
| individual members. In the net are 'sgood fishes
and bad, in the field there are both s'wheat and
| tares. In an argument with Rome
it is no more becoming for the Protestant to cite
the atrocities of st. Bartholomew; the prosecu-
tons of bloody Mary and the "evl merchandise
ing of Titzel than it is for the Romanist to cite
the lustful divorces of Henry VIII, the burning
of heretics and witches by the Purtans or the
rash, coarse utterances of Martin Luther. Nor
| is it any true or proper defense of these things
| to denounce them all as stale calumnies.' His
| tory cannot be unwritten in this way. The true
defense, if indeed they are at all capable of de-
Tense, is to say of them as ST. Paul said of him
self, when he prosecuted the church of Christ,
through Ignorance" they did it. The days OF
| the reformation were days of intense conviction
| and numberless crimes and atrocities were COM
mitted by men who thought they were doing God
service. TWAS an age when not only the
Romanists but many Protestants believed that
| the end sanctifed the means.
| The question so often asked why our ear
Lord has allowed the body of his church to be
torn almost limb from limb, especially when He
promised to be with it through all days, cannot
answer. Neither can answer why sin and Sa
| tan and death were allowed to deform that crea
ton ton which Tho he n,a pronounced osans very
evil is just as inscrutable to-day as it was al
the dawn of human philosophy. Hegel and
| Spencer throw more light upon it than did
| the apostle who exclaimed, ''Thy judgments are
unanswerable, and thy ways past finding
out.'' But thanks be to God
while the mystical body is broker
into many parts, the life flow of the Holy Spirit
| does not follow any single artery. The flame oil
Pentecost did not rest upon Peter alone. The
/ note of holiness may be found alike and almost
| in equal degree in every intelligent communion.
| Italy has her saints, and so has Greece and Ger
many, France and England There would be nc
task more congenia to my feelings than to tell
| the good deeds, the victories for Christ which
| have been wrought by rival communions, and
especially would delight TO dwell did not the
| breadth of my theme forbid upon the graces and
virtues and truths Of that great church, whose
untruLhs and faults and aggressions it has been my
| lot and seemingly my duty to proclaim. Were
| Icalled upon to enunciate the points of agree
ment between the Roman and Anglican commun.
ions they would far outnumber the points of diff
| ference.
| We have one Godfather, Son and Holy
Ghost. We have one e1barring the addition
| of the Apocrypha) differing only in questions OF
translation and critical scholarship. We have the
same Lords prayer, the same ten commando
ments (only divided differently the same Apos-
ties creed, the same symbol of Mecca; we de-
fer to the same early fathers for help in the in
depreciation of Scripture. We both believe in
the historic continuity of the church. in the three
orders of bishop, priest and deacon. We re-
| ceiye into the church both adults and children,
| by the some formula of baptism and in the same
diverse modes. We both practice confirmation
and invite the faithful to the supper
of the Lord We mutually believe in repent
ence, which is not only sorrow for sin but the
forsaking of sin; in faith, which lays hold of the
promises of revelation in obedience without
! which faith avails not. We have within our
| communions the same diverse theories of inspi-
ration and the atonement, and wide range of
| speculation i'll regard to the eternal DEGREES of
| God We believe in life beyond the grave, in
| an intermediate state, in an everlasting home of
bliss and an everlasting abode Of misery.
The points of doctrine in which we differ are
! comparatively modern. Some of them, though
| held by individuals from an early date were de-
! fined and decreed within our own memory. The
| chief errors OF Rome in our belief are
| l. Auricular confession decreed at the fourth
Lateran council in the year of our Lord, 1915.
2. Transubstantation, The word was coined
| au6 hp nuthOritntiycly Tod az
the same medieval date, 1915
3. Purgatory. Regarded possible by St.
Augustine, probable by Gregory the Great This
doctrine was first urged upon the Greeks, who
listened to il as new article of faith at the
Council of Florence. A. D. 1897.
A. Indulgences. Not known or used SAYS
Clemintins. for 1900 years. This doctrine was
elaborated by the schoomen and formally en-
! dorsed by the Council of Trent, A d. 1863.
] 3. The Immaculate Conception of the Virgin
! Mary. This doctrine was first promulgated to
the Roman Catholic world by Plus TX. The bull
was read before an assembly OF cardinals and
| bishops in ST. Peters church. Dec s. 1854
6. The infallibility of the Roman pontiff de-
creed b. the Vatican council A. d. 1850.
Now why does the Anglican church reject
1 these dogmas of Rome? | reply:
| First, because they cannotbe proved by reason,
whose authority we acknowledge as supreme up
| to the full measure of competence.
| Secondly, because they cannot ne proved from
! holy scripture, whose inspiration and authority
j are acknowledged by the universal church.
| Thirdly, because they contradict the teachings
| of the anti Nioene fathers, who as nearest the
source of authority. best express tie belief OF
/ the Apostolic church
1t viii be noticed with surprise, no doubt, by
| many that the six dogmas which / have enum-
Grated as Distinguishing most widely the Roman
and Anglican eommunions are comparatively
modern. But in justice to Romauism, it must
! be said that the old defenees of these dogmas.
such as the .'dsscipi;aa areaai" and the theory
of Development have been abandoned as unsat-
/ isfaetory and a new claim set up which com
pletely meets the controversial need, however ii
may square with the historic verify. We are told
| over and over again, without qualification. with
/ ont apy sauSa NJ fouhf ffaoa dorn1as h ua koa,,