Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-04-16
REV. NJ. +. DRYDEN.
CONTINUED from Fourth Page !

she is hard pressed, and exhibits degree
Of spiritual degenerscy that is truly ap-
palling. It is also equally fallacious TO
argue that because certain things are be,
lieved and taught by large number, or
even majority OF people many given age,
therefore, they must be true. And yet
this is the rule set up by many Of the ad-
vJeates of the corporal presence" An
eminent Catholic divine of our city re-
Gently said: "Of all who profess to believe
in Jesus Christ, over four-ffths admit the
doctrine of the Real Presence. His
conclusion is, that, therefore, for the mi
nority TO brand the teaching of the major
i'y "a heresy is indeed presumptupus.
Nov, if the principal laid down here be
true, then it would seem that the truth
or falsity Of doctrine depends upon
the number OF persons that happen
TO believe or reject il. And fthis be true,
then the Jews were justified in rjectirg
the tsaehiog Of Christ and his Apostles,
for they were largely in the majority. 1t
also follows, that wien the master de-
uouuCed their traditions, it was the beighth
Of presumption on his part, because he was
plainly in the minority. Bot this assump-
lion bears on its face the absurdity of the
whole Argument And in order to get this
yerwhelming majority, he informs us that
there are fifty millions of Lu;herans who
still believe in the real presence" and
these be counts in with the members Of his
own church. Now, | ask, what was tbs
purpose in view? Would he have US TO
understand that the terms, real presence"
aud "trauSubstantiation are synonymous?
Did he really believe this, or was it an
other effort 10 misrepresent and deceive?
Certainly, one who boasts so arrogantly OF
his great knowledge of "dogmatic and pa.
tri,:ic theology, OF ecclesiastical history
apd dialectics" should not be guilty Of
such bsrefaced and infamous caiOlery.
What will the Lutheran brethren say to
this? Are they willing to he thus
counted III; / think not. If | anu
not mistaken, like Martin Luther their
founder, they reject the teaching OF the
Rnmish Church. They do not now, nor
have they ever held the dogma OF transub-
sanitation. And this is the point at
issue. Aristotle defined ''dislectics" TO be
1.-THE method Of arguing with probability
on any given problem, and of defending n
tenet without Inconsistency" Plato said
il was ''the method OF investigating the
truth by analysis" But Romanists differ
widely from both Plato and Aristotle in their
understanding OF dialecticS. With them it
is "the method of cOncealiug the truth
and Of presenting error in the most plaus-
ib!e light" But we return to the point
at which we have already limited. Andin
oder to get il clearly before your minds,
shall cite here the language used by
Roman Catholic prelate OF our city, while
attempting TO establish the antiquity o.
the dogma of transubstantistion. He said:
There are millions and millions Of Caris.
tians scattered over Asia and Africa, es-
peeially the HISTORIANS and various
branches of the Eutychians, who have had
no communion with either the Greek or
the Latin Church since the fifth century"
Then be adds: "Yet they all profess TO be-
lisve in the Real Presence and transub-
sanitation" And bis conclusion is,
therefore, these dSctrints were taught
and believed by the whole Christian
Church as early as the fifth century,
Nov against this wholesale, shameless as
sertiop, offer the following declarations
Ill4lc w cNuJAAlS bPOAA lhlo
jsct. Elliott, in his work on Romanism,
Vol /, page 2I5, says Roman Catholics.
10 get nd OF their difficulties connected
with the doctrine Of transubstantiation,
employ the expression real presence as q
convenient mode OF avoiding some Of their
difficulties. They refer 10 the Greek
Church, the EntychiRrs, the JacObites,
&c, who hold to the doctrine of the real
p4esepCe of Christ in the Eucharist. BuS
The adds the real presence ofChrist in the
Sacrament is not the point IN question.
Protestants in general believe 10 the real
presence of Christ III the Eucharist, not as
corporal, but spiritual" / now offer the
following quotations frcT the 9th Vol. of
MClintcck and StroHG's cyCloppdia,
'.Moncthelism, it will be perceived, then,
Is nothing more nor less than mOdihca-
ton Of Eutychiauisrn. The author then
adds, After the Crussdes in 1921, and es
pecialIy after 1896, they began to grad
ually go over TO the Roman Church, al
though retaining the communion under
both kinds" Again, during the pontifi-
cate of Eugenius ". in l4i5, number
OF HISTORIANS residing in the
island of Cyprus, were induced
nV the I'D lSclOEdIN AAulSao W
Join the Romish Church" The author in
speaking OF the HISTORIANS, Of st. Thomas,
10 Iadis, says: "rdpll emissaries-
namely, Jesuits--were sent to them, who
sought TO subject them to the Pope by yio-
lerce ard cuDniGg" And he adds: The
Archbishop of Goa, AlexiuS Menez,
Obliged them to recognize the decisions Of
the Synod held in 1899, at Diamper, so
that but few commGnitiesr and those lost
ia the mountains, remained true tn the
faith Of their iorefathers" Aud let j. -
remembered, it was at this tins ihat they
first heard of the infamous dogma "i iran
sUhstsntist;op. when cunning JesultS, ny
shameless triGJAs and impOsturrs, forced
un,p tbs,h thS mGnstrous teachings Of
Pcms Now let au Intelligent pnblic
lite these facts beside the declarations of
our learned Catholic prelate and deter
mine whether he has proved the antiquity
OF tic chsrisbei dogma of his church
AnI row ask can he Furnish us the uuGn-
imous ccaSeut OF the early isthers2 THIS
he IL bound 10 do and il he cannot &c
coDplsh It then his Casa IL utterly hope
less Nos the word 'unauimons." as We
u' kU0w. means the agreement Of all,
WllDOt Inc CONTRADICTION on dpS. hUu
IL il can ne shown that one or more Of the
fathers Cap;rcdicis the teaching of Roman
ists upon THE subjec:, then their claim
must tall 10 the ground unsupported by
either Scripture or tradition. And before
adduciUg this class Of evidence, We shall
premise lev things. The first is that
some of the early fathers were accustomed
TO uss tbs game 6guratiye style when
speaking aud Whiting on the Sacrament of
the Eucharist rs WIZ employed by the
Jews in speaking Of their siS.emelts
And if the Scriptures abound 10 figures
OF speech, we might expect to fnd the
same in the writings of the fathers. And
M n literal Interpretation would lead rs
away from Scripture truth, ana misrepre-
sent in many cases the inspired wTiters, so
a literal Interpretation Of the writings Of
many OF the fathers would mshA And Wa
teach the most glariug. SssFr ,bs F,,Lars 49,
aus, slso res' thas many Of them wrote
,ait = .s.cYcre papal infsl!ibiiity vas Known.
The fathers used the term Real t'rts-
epce," hot not as it is employed and un-
deratOoi hy the Church Of Rome. Roman
lists mean ~ this term, that mysterious
- e - III, - he