Smyrna times., 1888-10-24


read and ponder upon the plainly
stated words of our Divine Saviour on
this most important point:
Whose sins you shall forgive. they
are forgiven them and whose sins YOU
shall retain, they are retained. Cos
pei st. John XX-23 verse.
Here then is Judiciary perogatives of
tremendous power conferred unon
those whom our Divine Saviour had
Just Dreathed upon-His Apostles
happily there was one DOint on
which all sects were agreed upon. said
the speaker, and that was the regener-
aIlOn OF Baptism, or the cleansing from
the stain of original sin. Now whence
came the Executive power of the min
lSIry TO apply the Laws of Baptism. Do
they not who believe and practice in
me unseen merit Of Baptism accent bv
Ihis act the words Ofour Divine Savionr
VINO hrst instituted it. Does not If
prove His Divinity according to their
oelIet? Then why not accent g His
ministry of reconciliation " when Gin
DIackens the soul after Baptism If
Iie T! sacrament of Baptism being of
DIVINE Origin is accepted as such, what
- 10 &c sald OF the Sacrament Of Pen
ance' which also is of Divine origin if
1oly Writ is to be received. even
III the latest revisiOns. But if this he
So Judge, learned in the law. en-
powered such as no mortal Judge conId
possibly be by human invention or snb-
'eriuge, must sit to hear the evidence
ana pass upon the case. Whether this
snail be done in public or in nrivote
oeIohgs entirely to the Penitent since
aurlcular Confession must be voluntary
taking none Of the advantages of de-
Iense. Since then the Sacrament Of
tchance, or the power of forpivine,
SINS ls not OF human origin, said the
heV; speaker, its practice must belong
TO the primitive church to that ,ine
When even PrOtestants now point To as
oelng worthy of emulation. This time
was iully fifteen hundred years before
the advent Of Martin Luther. the Anos-
tate Priest of the sO-called reformation
The detection Of the Scbismotic
Eastern Churches in the third and
fourth centuries was not markad b.,
Ihem rejecting confession, which thev
Practlced while in communion with the
see OF Peter. To-day is to be seen in
the Catacombs of Rome the stone seat
ana grated window, whereat the early
Christians would kneel and strike their
breasts " IN MeG CUlpa, Mea. Quinn .
TO the listening cOnfessor. When the
crusaders Of the middle ages frightened
tneIr belts and drew their swords in
defense of the Holy Land. confession
was gone through with before start
ing on the hazardous journey. Fverv-
where, in all places, along the vista of
centuries during the rise of Emniras
Kingdoms and principalities have the
successors to the Apostles sat in Jude
mehC upon the sins of men. Had said
a'.tr Hfaf, any exceptions ever beep
maze 10 the express words of our Divine
saviour in instituting the Sacrament If
Fenance, then fault could he found and
} Justly 50 in permitting another to know
Iue state OF ones conscience. On Tho
., rary, from Leo XIII, the Supreme
oh'ih, do"h ID TIE uumblest mission |
ary priest, through Cardinals. Arch
bishops, and whatever rank, must all
60 to duly appointed Judge in "Tbe |
Ministry Of Reconciliation humbIv |
their sins, receive absolutio1 |
ana afterwards do Penance for them !
closing, Father Graf called attention |
70 70 the manifest drift of the Protestant |
Episcopal High Church into the an.
Gent fold. So closely allied is the |
ritual and Rubrics of many churches
IN Philadelphia, New York and Boston
as elsewhere that confession is now
gone through with just as do Catholics
not unhappily with Episcopal Low
Gnureh authority, but with a light
ShInlng from out the misty past.
Wlth two or three selections from
eminent Protestant Divines upon the
merits of auricular confession. Father
Irat brought his able and SCHOLARLY
lecture to 4 close.
O. ]. B. S.