Richmond planet., 1894-03-17
RICHMOND. VIRGIN

| ipating certain objections proved this
| in the affirmative, from the words of our
| Saviour. "Amen, i say to you, whatso-
ever you shall bind upon earth, shall be
| bound also in heaven; AND whatsoever
| you shall loose upon earth. shall be
lOoeed also in heaven" As the only
thing that can bind US aud keep us out
OF heaven is sin, it is clear that in these
words our Saviour promises the power
\ to loosen those bonds: that is to absolve
from sins. Readerl did you see how my
| truthful(2) opponent answered tkis? AS
usual, not one word. Now ask: what
can be thought of man, a minister of
the gospel, who shows such utter disre-
gard for Gods word as not even to
notice il? In the second place adduced
/ the words fI ON John 20:2t-23: Gas the
Father has sent me, SO also send you.
Receive We the holy ghost; whose
sins you shall forgive they are forgiven,
and whose sins you shall retain, they are
retained" Can anything be clearer than
these words2
HIS FALSE AND RIDICULOUS NTERPREFA-
11oNs.
If had to teach class of Sunday
school babes, could not say it palmer
than Christ did in those words. We sre
| told that our Saviour meant: "whose
| y IL
I are forgiven or retained" / say: il
Christ had intended to say declare he
would have said so. This interpreta
ton is false and ridiculous on the face of
/ it, aud an insult to our divine Saviour
as if he did not know how to express his
meaning. Our Lord does not use here
what is called figurat;ve language, hence
that text must be understood in the lit
teral sense. What are the arguments
brought against this2 Just this: the Ap
poedes understood by this that they
were to announce the condition on
which pardon was TO be granted. ask
| ed my opponent who knows so much
| more about the Bible than the "untutor-
| ed neOphyte, Ito show Us one, only one
text from the Bible to prove that the
Apostles really did understand the words
of oar Saviour iu this way. Apart from
the Bible, how does he know what the
Apostles understood by these words of
John 20:21-23? "Has he a more accur
ate book? Ii 80 he does not need the BIZ
bic at ALL" We are still waiting, and
shall have to wait forever for that text.
Thus | have proven to evidence again
and again that those words mean exact
ly what they say.
am asked TO show one whose sins the
Apostles torgave. ] answer there is no
need for this as long as those words of
John 20:21-23 stand. AS a Catholic
and priest have too much respect for
the word of God as that could pass
over 20 clear a text. ] had no desire TO
pass to another point before my oppo-
nent had shown from the words of the
text itself that they cannot mean what
we say. This he has not done and can
not do. Therefore it has been proven
that Christ gave to his Apostles the pow
er to forgive repenting sinners; therefore
my point is gained and Messrs. Lewis
and Co. must take a back seat. AS a
proof that the Apostles had not the pow
er to forgive sins, we are treated 'usque
ad naus eam"-till we get sick of it, to
the case of Simon.
THAT CASE OF SIMON
ST. Peter, he nla;z es1ios ,f's' noe S,aagfve
osmon's sins because he could not. Read
the words of the man who prides himself
on his knowledge. when Simon discov-
cred his mistake etc" fine mistake
when st. Peter says, Acts S:23: II see
thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in
the bonds Of iniquity." Readerl who is
right the great Apostle, or this ill-bred
DuhoonH de quotes st. Peter as saying
| Il have not the power to forgive sins"
| open your Bible and you will in vain
look for thess words. To make q point
he falsifies the scriptures. Has this sac
religions manipulation of Gods word
ever read the following? eff any man
shall add to these things, God shall add
upon him the plaques written in this
book. Rev. 2I:1S. IL st. Peter then
did not forgive the sins of Simon, it was
because he was in the''bonds of iniuuity."
because he had no sorrow or desire to be
forgiven and this is attested by history
which tells US that Simon died impeni-
tent.
Let us see If this paragon of veracity
is more fortunate with his case OF the in
| cestuOus Corinthian, so far from being
against our Interpretation of John 20:-
2l-23; it is rather an excellent proof for
| it. St. Paul--and remember it well, not
the church-had ordered the expulsion
Of the man for time. 81 Indeed
have already judged = him that has
so done, In the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ" Oor. 5:3-4. 1t is a quite nat
ural that he should exhort the people to
shun that man, because otherwise his sen
tence could not have all the eeffect in as far
as 1T was punishment. In III Cor. 2:IO
st. Paul clearly says that he has pardon
| ed, absolved the same man who now
had shown his sorrow: "To whom YOU
have forgiven anything, also: for what
| forgave for your sakes have |
done it in the person of Christ" This
will turn the tables completely on our
learned Doctor Holdforth.
That the Apostles claimed the power
to effect a reconciliation, / concluded
moreover from the effects of Baptism.
To show that the first pardon for sin
is ordinarily given in Baptism and
through Baptism,k adduced four plain
and explicit texts from the Bible. Evil
IDENTIFY they proved too much for our
learned B. D., for he thought it wiser to
pass them over without even noticing
them. Reader again appeal to you
and ask is this fair
FORGERY OF 0oD's WORDS.
he seeks to extrieate himself by an
other forgery of Gods word when he
makes st. Peter say. that we are not
born OF water" as we'll as the HOLY
Ghost. Look in your Bible l Peter az.
and see if this same B. ID. did not tell a
lie He seems to have learned to per
fiction the rule of Voltaire ''Mentez
mentez toujours," Gle, lie, always"
Faith, of course is necessary, II adults
did not believe, what good could bap-
tism do ? Faith and repentance are ne
cessary and this is all of which st. Peter
speaks. Again we fully believe that "the
blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from all
sin," John IL. By his blood Christ
redeemed US, and if the water of baptism
is able to cleanse our soul, it is simply in
virtue of the blood of the aviour. The
water in the pool OF Bethsaida could moi
J heal by it's own power but God sent az
angel to communicate to it that power
Thus 1T is with the water in baptism.
I With sDeer our "Rev." Doctor telll