The record-union., 1896-06-30

manner the duty of accepting and pro-
Tossing all that is thus taught is also
perpetual and immutable.
There is nothing which the church
founded on those principles he has been
more careful to guard than the integrity
Of the faith The fathers of the church
are unanimous in considering as out
side the Catholic communion any one
who in the least degree deviates from
even one point of the doctrine proposed
by the authoritative magisterium of the
church
Wherefore Christ institutes in the
church a living, authoritative and last
ing magisterium, He willed and COM
manded under the gravest penalties
that its teachings should be received as
if they were His own. AS often, there
fore, as it is declared on the authority
of this teaching that this or that Is con-
tanned in the deposit of divine revela-
ton, it must be believed by everyone
as true. The very nature of divine faith
makes it impossible that we can reject
even one point of direct teaching, as
this is practically rejecting the author
ity of God himself. Christ commanded
the men present and future to follow
Him as their leader and Savior, and
thus not merely as individuals, but as
forming a society organized and united
in mind He established in the church
all those principles which necessarily
tend to make organized human soci-
cites, and through which they attain
the perfection to EACH that in the
church founded by Christ all who
wished to be the sons of God by adop-
ton might attain to the perfection de-
manded by their high calling and might
obtain salvation.
The church is mans guide to what
ever pertains to heaven. This is the
office appointed to it by God: That it
may watch over and may order all that
concerns religion, and may without let
or h1ndrance exercise according to it's
Judgment it's charge over Christianity
Wherefore they who pretend that the
church has any wish to interfere in
civil matters or to infringe upon the
rights of the State know it not, or
wickedly caluminate it. Beside being
the guardian of faith, the church must
afford the means of obtaining the sal
walton purchased by Christ.
The dispensation of the divine
mercy was not granted by God indis-
criminately to all Christians. but to the
apostles and their successors. and in
this way, according to Gods provi-
dence, duly constituted society was
formed out of the divided multitudes
or peoples one faith, ONE in end. one in
the participation of the means adopted
to the attainment of the end. and one
subject to one and the same author
lty AS no true and perfect human So
c1ety can be conceived which is not
governed by some supreme authority,
sc Christ of necessity gave to His
church a supreme authority to which
all Christians must be obedient. For
the preservation of unity there must be
unity OF government jure divine, and
men may be placed outside the one fold
by schism as well as by heresy.
The nature of this supreme author
lty cannot be ascertained from the pos
tive and evident will of Christ on the
matter AS He ruled that His king
dom should be visible. Christ was
obllged to designate viceregent on
earth in the person of st. Peter. He
also determined that the authority
given to Him for the salvation of man
klnd IN perpetuity should be inherited
by ST Peters successors.
IL cannot be doubted from the words
OF molly writ that the church by the will
OF God rests on ST. Peter as a building
on It's foundation. st. Peter could not
Iulilu thls duty without the power of
commanding, forbidding, Judging.
winch is properly called Jurisdiction r.
Is py the power of Jurisdiction that ma
tlons and cOmmonwealths are held to-
gether A primacy of honor and 4be
shadowy right of giving advice and ad-
monitor which is called direction could
never be unity or strength to anv So
ciety Of men
The metaphorical expressions of the
Keys and of binding and loosing indicate
the power of making laws of Judging
ana punshlng-a power which our Lord
declared to be of such amplitude and
lorce that God would ratify whatever is
decreed by it. Thus the power of ST
feter is supreme and absolutely indie
pendent, so that having no other power
upon earth as its superior, it embraces
the whole church and all things com
mltted to the church. AS the governing
authority belongs to the constitution
ana formation of the church as the yerv
principle of unity and stability, it was
cearly intended to pass to st. Peters
successors from one to another. Con-
sequently, the pontiffs who succeed him
In the Roman Episcopate reserve the
supreme power in the church under i,,r
lsdlctlon divine, and this is declared
fuily by general councils. and is ac-