The Irish standard., 1892-02-20

soning, I could not resist the conclusion 7
that, if 'sall churches have erred" as
Professionalism teaches, then the promises
Of Christ have all failed, therefore He
was not the Messiah, and if He was mol
the Messiah. then the Christian religion
is mockery and deception, Thus, IL
logical Professionalism leads logically to
skeptic1sm and inddelity.
Christ commanded His Church. in the
person of His Apostles and their success
sor5. to "teach all nations" to the end of
/ time, and all men are correlatively COM
mauded "to hear the Caurch." It this
Church is not infallible she is liable to
err. Then Christ commanded her to
teach what may be false, and made the
command obligatory On men to believe
it. To deny, then, the Instability of the
Church of Christ, as existing in the per-
son of the apostles, in the first century,
or, as existing in the person of their law
full successors in the nineteenth century,
for if she was infallible in the days of
Peter, she is infailible in the days of LEO.
say that to deny as existing in the
Church in the first age, this prerogative
Of infallibility, while admitting her divine
| commission, is to impeach the veracity
of Christ and the wisdom of God. But
Professionalism tells me, in answer to all
! this reasoning, that "the Bible is the in
| fallible rule of faith; that while all
Churches may err and have erred, the
Bible alone in the unerring Word of
J God and therefore the only infallible au-
thority.' II this be true, then, my
| bounden duty is TO inquire which one of
the many conflicting creeds and con-
tending Churches of Professionalism is in
faith and infaIlible authority? The
Episcopa'iau says: cit is evident unto
all mon, reading Holy Scripture, that
| there have been in Christ's Church, from
the beginning, three orders Of the minis
try, bishops, priests and deacons. y The
Presbyterian says: "It is evident unto
| all men reading the Holy Scripture, that
there has been in Christ's Church, from
the beginning, but one order of the
Christian ministry, and therefore the
prelacy of Episcopalianism is an arro-
CANT assumption OF prelatical powers un-
warranted by the Word Of God. And
| whilst these beloved brethren are quar-
re)ing about their prelates and presby-
tors, Baptist brother, addressing them,
says; lit is evident unto all men, read
| ing Holy Scripture, that immersion Is
the only form Of Christian ba -,tism, you
are, therefore not baptised, as you, gen.
tlenaau, have never been immersed, and,
consequently you are neither ministers
nor members Of Christ's visible Church,
which consists only Of baptised bejiev
ers.' Thus, I might 60 OH through the
different denominations Of Professionalism
and learn from their Interpretation OF
| the Bible that each contradicts the other
to such an extent, that by the time had
emerged from the Babel Of discordant
scots would have but few doctrines OF
| Christianity left for my belief. What
does this prove? 1T proves plainly that
| God never intended the Bible to be the
! Christian rule Of faith Independently of
the teaching authority of His divine,
and therefore, infallible Church J have
renounced Professionalism for the reason
! thai, although the Church Of Christ is
| declared to bs infalible by every promise
of Sacred Scripture. yet Protestant
Churches lay 40 claim to Instability, but
on the contrary, repudiate it, and admit
that they may err, as they allege that
call Churches have ecred." [ have re~
nouncsd Professionalism because by ad
hitting fallibility as q principle underly-
ing the whole structure there can be 10
GERTRUDE of faith that it's teachings are
the truth. I have returned tn the Cath
clio Church for the reason, that the
Church of Christ is infallible, and, there
fore, an unerring teacher Of Gods reyela-
ton to man, that this prerogat;ve OF in-
fallibility still exists, and must continue
to exist, in an organized body, possessed
of a divine life and teaching with divine
authority, that the Catholic Church
alone, amongst all Christian communions,
exercises the divine prsrogatlve Of infal-
lbility in her teachings, therefore, the
Catholic Church is ".he Church of God,
the pillar and ground of truth"
[ have endeavored, ladies and gentle
mon. to give you, within the limits of a
lecture my reasons for returning to the
! Catholic Church. have told you how
a false system Of religion had taken me,
when child, from my mothers arms,
and nurtured me 10 hatred of that
mothers claims to my love and venera-
| ton. have explained to you how that
system educated me in false doctrines
and deadly error, and how in my mature
manhood, after patient and painful in-