The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-06-04
MARKS OF. THE CHURCH.
DR., VaSS Pays His Respects to Pre-
latte Claims.

| ldlIG OldllllSs
His Third Sermon on the Origin and
Constitution of the Church Apos-
tolic Succession-The Various Doc
trines Discussed-The Presbyterian
Faith.
The third sermon on the church yester-
day by Rev. L. c. Vass, D. D., of the
| First Presbyterian church, was based on
! on Matthew 1920, Acts 20:2S, II Timothy
2:2, aud Timothy Ala.
In his two former sermons the princi-
pies of the church were traced from Eden
to the apostolic era. Everywhere the
| church appeared to be the outgrowth and
carrying out of Gods eternal plan to save
lost sinners, as a separated, redeemed
body, with revelation, order and rites,
and Christ as mediatorial king In
spired apostles carried on this develop
ment under clearer theology, enlarged
revelations and changed relations, with
the synagogue as model.
TESTS OF THE TRUE CHURCH.
DR.. Vass said the general marks or
| tests are four: A properly constituted
| ministry for teaching and discipline; due
| sion and teaching of Gods word, and the
manifest indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
| All involve an acknowledged of God
| as supreme ruler.
Tried thus, true church can be found
in past and present. But there are vari-
Gus theories about the church govern
| ment. They may be grouped under three
heads: Prelatic, or Hierarchical, hide
| pendent and Presbyterian.
The last claims an uninterrupted sue
| cession from the apostolic church, not by
| tactual connection or contact of hands,
but by apostolicity of doctrine and gov
| eminent.
No form of church order is fixed by
| scripture as an article of faith, as is re-
| demption by the blood of Jesus, but clear,
| general principles and order of admin
| istration are revealed. The Presbyterian
| church claims that it meets more fully
than others the divine demands in doc
| trine and discipline.
THE PRELATIC THEORY.
This is eXemplified, with notifications,
| in the Greek Church, the Church of
England and the Church of Rome. 1t
| claims to be a government by a hierarchy,
! successors to the apostles, and having the
sole right to rule and ordain. The papal
! phase is not now discussed. but the high
| church episcopal theory BY this scheme
all Presbyterian ministers, and others
who attempt to minister in holy things,
are regarded as wicked pretenders, and
whole bodies of Christians, nay, most of
! the Protestant world, are coolly turned
| into the bottomless pit. The dissenting
| teachers were only thought by some to
| be good men, like Koral, Dathan
and Abraham, until God showed them to
! be very wicked!' So a wicked, immoral
| prelatic officer would be more honored of
| God in his work than godiy Watts, or
! on, ala 90,
| Neither silence nor contempt suffices to
meet such arrogance, impertinence, and
baseless claims. The theory has no
| foundation in scripture, reason, or pro-
fame history If church order is a matter
of faith, on which the souls salvation
hangs, it ought to be clearly revealed in
| Gods word. Can three orders in the
ministry be found in the Bible2
THE JEWISH CHURCH.
Some claim bishops, priests and dea-
cons from the high priests, priests and
Levites of the Jewish dispensation.
This cannot be; for the typical high
priesthood was fulfilled in Christ and all
| Christians are a holy priesthood now
There could be only one bishop and sue
cession was by birth: ordination was by
| priests; the duties are not alike; and the
Levites were sections, singers and national
| judges, and their Office was hereditary
also.
This theory originated two hundred
years after Christ, in the foggy brains of
| allegorical interpreters, who, according
to Origen, were the laughing-stocks of
| Jewish scholars
Others say Christ is the bishop; the
twelve apostles the priests, and the
| seventy disciples the deacons. But the
Bible does not say so. There was only
one Christ, and could be only only one
| bishop. Christ never filed diocesan
| duties. The commissions of the twelve
and the seventy were identical. When
the seventy returned their commission
was not renewed and no Christian church
scholars like Stillingheet and Whitby
repudlate all such triHing claims
THIRD PRELATIc CLAIM.
Others argue that the apostolic office
was permanent, and their exclusive func-
tions of ordination and rule were trans
mitted to diocesan successors.
PresbYterians deny. The apostles were
extraordinary and temporary officers
| None could have their qualifications of
call, inspiration, or eye witness and field
| Moreover, presbyters, or bishops, or
elders, had equal ordaining power with
| the apostles, and the three terms are
Identical in meaning. The succession of
presbyters is the only apostolic succession
found in the Bible
Prelatists say that Timothy and Titus
were diocesan bishops and desiqned by
the apostles as their successors. 1t is
admitted that if this is not true, then
bishops can only stand by the custom of
the church, and without Bible warrant.
And so they must stand by man made
custom. Had Timothy and Titus been
apostles, that would not prove them
diocesan offices. Bishops had fixed resi-
dence and limited see. Apostles were
untrammeled, and temporary.
CALLED EvANGELIsTs.,
For 300 years not one word of proof
from early writers exists They are ex-