Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1894-03-15
IfCathOlic,why not Roman!

lfCathOlic, why not Roman!
We sometimes hear it asked, why do
You profess to believe in the CATHOLIC
church? What is termed THE Aros-
ties Creed in the Episcopal church has
for one Of its twelve articles the asser-
ton, II belieye in the Holy Catholic
Church, is not that an acknowledgment
that she belongs to the Roman branch
OF faith !? Not by any manner Of means;
very much to the contrary. A great
many people are deceived in this way,
by similarity of names. 1t can be
easily shown that tins declaration is one
of the clcarest contradictions Of papal
claims: and more than that, that by a
curious hardihood in the Roman branch
Of the church every time that she recltes
the Apostles Creed in her mass, she
denies the fundamental claim Of her
papacy, viz that Rome is and has been
the sole source and mistress Of all true
faith. This can be demonstrated in a
very few lines to any appropriated
thinker. The word Catholic is derived
from the Greek language and both IN
its derivation and present siSnifcatlon
it means the universal the hole, and
as applied to the church 1t s. gnliies the
complete and entire body of Apostles
doctrine and fellowship as st. Luke de
scribes It, and St. Paul more fully ex-
presses it, Zone Lord, one faith, one
baptism, che God and Father of all. :"
This belief and doctrlne, hesd by all IN
the Apostles day, taught everywhere
throughout the then known world, con.
tinuously declared from that time down
to this day tiye-seyenths Of fall Christian
be levers constitutes the Catholic or
Universal Church. This body of organ
lied believers throughout the world and
through all ages in the various different
branches of the Christ Vine, make W
that Body to which the Apostles Creed
refers. Where there is held the true
faith, true sacramento, true ministry
founded upon the true word Of God,
there is the church of Christ universal
as declared by our Lord, ego into all
tile arorld and preach the gospel. he that
beleveth and Is baptlsed shall be saved
This is the fundam entail teaching of the
Catholic church-a true ministry az of
the Apostles sent by Chrlst; true sacra.
mcnts as founded in baptism; true faith
and word Of God-the gospel preached;
such is the constitution of the Catholic
church, and all the different churches,
so called in the New Testament at Crete,
Corinth, Sardis, Thcssalonica, ETC., were
only branches OF the one True Vine the
universal Catholic church holding one
Lord, one faith, one baptism.
Such being the case can there be
more absurd declaration than that there
is Holy Roman Catholic Church.
There may be Holy Roman Church
or there may be Holy Catholic church
but she cant be Roman. Her author
lty cannot be derived from Rome.
An illustration will show the folly
more clearly. People generally know
that the federation of the states of the
union form the United States, the whole
universal body of the American States.
Suppose that New York, as the metro,
pohtan City and State, declare she was
the United States of New York, would
1t not be a Farce? Yet not one whit
more farcial than to declare there is
Holy Roman Catholic Church h,nitedN
universal.
No, we believe in the Holy Catholic
church, one Lord, one faith, one bap-
tism, one ministry and one Word of
God. This has nothing Roman. 1t is
the faith of all ages and of the whole
church of the living God.
R. WHITT1NGHAM.