Mexico weekly ledger. (Mexico, Mo.) 1855-1956, 1886-03-04
Chicago l. Alton Ry.
GOSPEL LESSON.
No. 9.

Week before last I concluded to
invade the enemy's country and to
that end put several questions to Mr..
GalIaher. He has kindly promised
to answer, and as an evidence that he
to comply he ventured to
give an outline of one of them. You
see he has been all along charging
me and my brethren with getting
certain customs from the Romish
church which he styles hesotted Cath
olics. 1t occurred to me that was
clear of the charge but that probably
he had raised the cry of ''stop, thief,"
to divert attention from himself, and
perhaps when the truth should be
told he had much more of the smell
of Rome on him than we had. On
the point of church officers having
power to retain and remit sins he
says, quoting from the Westminster
Confession of Faith: ITO these of
fcers of the visible church the keys
of the kingdom of heaven are commit
ted by virtue whereof they have
power respectively to retain and re-
NIT sins.'' He says they get this
power from the 18th chapter of Mat
thew. Now they plainly affirm thai
these officers have power to retain
and remit sins and as a reason fol
this they say they have the keys o'
the kingdom of heaven.
Now this is claiming all the powe
that the Pope Of Rome ever claimed
and he only claimed it by reason O.
the assumption that he, by virtue o
his office, was successor to the Apos
tie Peter. No other one ever claimed
such power but the Pope, and if al
the elders in the Presbyterian churcl
are successors to Peter and have th
keys of the kingdom then there is
conflict of jurisdiction between then
and the Pope.
Now let the reader turn to Mat
thew, 10th chapter, 18th verse, wher
Iyou will find that after Peter ha
confessed the name of Christ, Jesu
said unto him, Thou art Peter an
upon this rock I will build my church
and the gates of hell shall not pre-
vail against it. And I will give unit
thee (Peter)the keys Of the kingdol
of heaven; and whatsoever tho
(Peter) shall find on earth shall /
found in heaven, and whatsoever tho
shalt loose on earth shall be loose
in heaven" This was a direct pc
sonal gift to Peter and to no Oh
else as surely as was Jesus the son
Mary. Hence the only way the POI
: could consistently claim such pow
= was to become the successor to Pete
which he claims to be. The ca
4 then is made out by MIR. Gallah
bimself ald he kindly furnishes Il
Quotation from the Confession !
a Faith that just states the fact in
many words. Now then turn to M
thew, 18th chapter, 18th verse. whe
s. he says they (the church officers) G
= their power. Now hear it: If t
2 brother trespass against thee 60 a
= tell him his fault between he a
thee alone. If he shall hear th
thou hast gained thy brother. But
]. Ihe will not hear thee then take W
/, thee one or two more that in. |
mouth of two or three witnesses eve
F. word may be blished. And if
shall neglect to hear them tellit III
- the church; but if he neglect to b
1.-THE church let him be unto thee
an heather man and publica
Nothing said there about the k
of the kingdom. Neither is th
anything said about building on ca
or building in heaven, or loosing
|earth or loosing in heaven. Its.
i a vile assumption and was borrow
d d bodily from popery.
n, Peter had the keys to open
IS door into Christ's kingdom to
Jews, which he did on Pentee