St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-28
WHAT Is ORTHODOXY
The Westminster and the Catho.
lie Catechism Contrasted Fore.
iblY,

The Westminster and the Catho-
lie Catechism COntrasted Fore
IDLY.
Rev. 81. M. Sim mons, at the First
Unitariap church yesterday, preached
on the question, 'What Is Orthodoxy?'
and answered it chiefly by quotations
from the confessions and other declar-
ations. now used as authority by the
various eyangenlical churches. In
closing, he REQUIRED once more to the
Catholic question, and, comparing these
statements with the common Catholic
catechism, thought the latter more rea-
sonable, reverent and humane. The
widely used Westminster catechismS,
for instance. declare that all mankind
are under Gods wrath and curse"
and that Christ underwent "the in
finite wrath OF God;' but the Catholic
catechism says nothing about Gods
wrath. The Westminster catechism
declares that man is by nature ''wholly
inclined to all evil, and that continu-
ally;" but the Catholic says much more
temporarily that the fall ''darkened our
understanding, weakened our will and
left in us strong inclination to evll.'
The Westminster confession declares
if not elect, lean not be saved;
much less can men not protesting
the Christian religion be saved in any
way whatsoever, be they eyer SO dill
gent to frame their lives according to
the light OF natures" but the Catholic
catechiSm is much more merciful, and
simply says on this point that ''he who
knows the church to be the true church,
and remains out of it. cannot be saved"
The Westminster catechiSm teaches
that all except elect Christians are to
suffer '.moSt grievouS torrents in soul
and body without intermissiOn in hell
fire forever but the Catholic says
nothing about hell fire at all. The
pages, find no room for the Beatitudes,
and do not even quote one Of these in
all their hundreds of proof texts; but
even the smallest Catholic catechism
contains all the Beatitudes, and much
similar teaching. All the Protestant
confessions agree that sinners are justi-
fed by faith alone," and that good
works count for nothing toward sal
vation; but the Catholic catechism
emphasizes good works. Even in its
chapter OIL the much censured "COnfes-
sion," instead of teaching that a man
can get his sins forgiven by fee to the
priest as FrOCeStantS suppose, OF ny
faith in Christ as Professionals teach; it
calls for almsgiving and works OF mercy,
and specifies among these Ito feed the
hungry, to clothe the naked, to visit the
sick, to instruct the ignorant, to COM
fort the sorrowful, to bear wrongs pa
tiently, to forgive all INJURIES" 1t
would seem that an unbiased man. if he
had to choose between these catechisms
for his children, would choose the Cath
Ollie, as teaching higher thoughts of God
and man and human duty; and if Prot
estants and Catholics faithfully followed
their catechisms, he would prefer to be
Catholic.
But people do not faithfully follow
their catechisms, and this way of judg-
ing them by paper is not always just.
PrOtestantS abound in those good works
which their confessions make light of,
and are far better than their. creeds.
But if they are so much better, why
should they suppose that Catholics are
worse than their own catechism? This
comparison ought at any rate to make
us more charitable TO the Catholics.
being forced by the attack upon them to
speak in their defense; and [ do not
pretend to have treated the question
comprehensively or judicially. But l
trust | may have led some to approach
the question more impartially, with
broader thought and more charitable
cnIrit