The San Francisco call., 1895-12-28


faith, - or more popularly revelation" Now
Catholics teach that this revelation was com
plete in Christ and the apostles. With them
the telling of new truths ceased. Since theli
time no new dogma has been communicated to
man. Neither Pope nor council can add a
single jot or title to the original deposit OF
faith.
This is the teaching of Catholic theologans,
and DR.. Bovard will see that on this point we
are a unit with Protestants. The difference
between us lies in another direction. 1t is q
difference in theory rather than difference in
practice. 1t consists in the diverging answers
given TO the question:: Wherein is revelation
contained? God has spoken TO man. He has
told him several truths. Where are we to find
these truths?
Protestants answer these truths are to be
found in the Bible. Gods revelation is con-
tionary makes revelation" synonymous with
the Bible. This is only another way of ex-
pressing the famous declaration of Chilling
worth, 1.-THE Bible and the Bible alone is the
religion of Protestants."
Catholics answer that the truths which God
has revealed are 10 be found IN the Bible
and in the unwritten traditions. They do not
look upon the Bible as complete record OF
revelation. They remark that churches were
established and preaching carried on before
the Bible was written. The truths which God
bad revealed were carried to the ends of the
earth before men knew what books made up
the Bible. They appeal to the structure of the
book itself as demonstration that it was not
intended to be a complete record of revelation,
are truths which were revealed by God to man
and which have not been set down in Holy
Writ
The difference in the two answers may be ex-
emplified in this manner. In the United States
we have the statute law and the common law.
The statute law is made up OF specific enact
ments set forth in more or less plain terms in
writing. The common law is made up of en-
actments which originally were not set forth
in writing, but the tenor of which is discovered
from the practices of courts and their formal
DEGREES.
Now, the Protestant theory declares that
there is nothing in revelation but statute law.
Whatever has not been set down in writing in
Gods CODE the Bible, has no force. The Cath
olic theory contends that there is in revelation
both statute law and common law, and that
there are some things which Christ revealed to
his disciples which have not been set down In
the Bible.
The reason for the Protestant answer is to be
found in the theory of private judgment.
When in the sixteenth century the reformers
sought for theological explanation to justify
their separation from Rome, they promulgated
the doctrine that the rule or standard of faith
the reason of each man working out tor
himself religion from the Bible. They stated
that God has written a letter to his children.
This letter is the Bible. We are each OF us to
study it and from that study we shall find
what God wishes us to believe.
In such a theory, of course, there is no room
for tradition. Every man is his own Pope.
He has before him all that God has said. He
is TO interpret it for himself. Revelation lies
III the blDle ike Cullu DullQlIlS DlOChS III
their case. One man takes them and builds
one structure, another man takes them and
builds another. He has no materials except
what he finds in the Bible. He has no draw
ings, plans or specifications to guide him in
his work, and the result is the natural one,
that in the space of three centuries the struc-
lures which have been erected from the same
blocks have been almost infinite i'll their di-
yersity.
The reason of the Catholic answer is to be
found in the conception OF teaching church.
When men to-day wish 10 promulgate re-
iigious or political doctrine they find that
the most efiicacious way is to found an organi-
cation to spread their tenets. Catholics believe
that Christ acted in this manner. He wrote
nothing himself, but he organized his d1Scl-
ciples into society with a definite govern
ment and definite officers, and to this society
he gave the commission to teach his doctrines.
The members of this society wentforth and by
word of mouth conveyed to others what the
Master had told them. Their orders were not
TO write but to make disciples. He promised
to remain with his society and to oversee 1t
and TO take care that it should never change
or mutilate or corrupt or add to the revelation
which he left in its charge.
In the course of time certain members of
this society wrote books. These books were
written not as constitution and bylaws for
the society, but for quite other purposes. Four
of the books were selected portions OF the "L1fe
of Christ" strung together TO prove certain
doctrines. One OF them was a narrative OF the
doings of two of the apostles. Most OF them
were letters sent on various and oftentimes
apparently trivial occasions either to particu-
lar persons or to communities. A collection of
these writings was made and is known as the
New Testament.
Now, from the fact that there is nothing in
these documents themselves which would
show that they were intended to be a complete
record of revelation, and from the fact that
some OF them speak OF matters which were not
written down, but were afterward to be told
by words of mouth, and from the fact that for
400 years no man knew how many books were
in this New Testament, Catholics believe that
there are points in Christs revelation which
have not been set down in the New Testament,
and they believe, moreover, that the commits
sion which Christ gave to his society still
holds, and that it is from that society and not
from the written word alone that we are to
learn what things God has spoken unto man.
This theory makes room for tradition. 1t
recognizes the existence OF the common as well
as of the statute law.
stated in the beginning that the difference
between Catholics and Protestants in this mat
ter is difference in theory rather than diff
ference in practice. AS a matter of fact, with
the exception of a few insignificant sects, no
Protestant denomination acts up to its theory
of the Bible and nothing but the Bible.
Let us take, for instance, the question of in
spration. BY inspiration we mean that such
and such a book is the word of God. Now
whether any book has been inspired or not is
q fact which can be known only by revelation.
Unless God tells man that he is the author of
this volume or that there is no way for man to
find il out. In the case therefore, say of the
Gospel of st. Matthew, how are we to know
whether it is inspired or not? The fact that it
is inspired is fact of revel alton. If all revela
tion is contained in the Bible then must
find in the Bible the statement that ST. Mat
thew is inspired But nowhere do we find such
a statement. Nowhere do we find 1t said that
this book or that is scripture. The fact that it
is scripture is known some other way then
from the Bible, and thus in the very beginning
a big hole is made Ill the theory of the Bible
and nothing but the Bible. In accepting their
New Testament Protestants accept the Catholic
theory which places in the custody of the
church certain revealed truths not set down in
Holy Writ
more remarkable instance of contradiction
is to be found in the observance OF the first
day in the week as the Sabbath. 1t is beyond
all reasonable doubt that the commandments
hallow the seventh day. Yet with the excep-
ton OF few sectaries all Protestants observe
Sunday. 1t is true we can prove from Script
ure that the obligation to keep the seventh
day has been abolished; but it is just as true
that we cannot show from Scriptures that we
are bound to keep the first day. The Christian
Sunday is not Bible institution, but it is a
church institution, and when Protestants OBJ
serve it they are acting in contradiction to
their theory that the Bible and the Bible alone
is the religion OF Protes tants.
The most remarkable instance, however, is
their abandonment OF their theological theo-
ries and their practical agreement with Cath
vate Judgment. The exercise of private judg-
ment implies that each man takes the Bible
for himself reads it, studies it and gathers
therefrom the will of God In his regard.
Hence each one is free to adopt his own inter
rrata tiou of Holy Writ as his religion and his