The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-01-13
THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH.

Father Wyman Reviews Points Pertinent to
the Controversy,
The Rev. Father Wyman, superior of the
Paulist Fathers, scholar and preacher of
recognized ability, delivered a sermon at
st. Mary's Church last evening that is
pertinent to the great religious contro-
versy now being carried on in THE CALL.
His subject was the "Apostelate of st.
John, the Evangelist" Father Wyman
said:
ST. John was rightly called the beloved dis
ciple OF the Savior. He was one chosen to wit
ness the manifestation OF Christ's glory in his
TRANSPORTATION on Mount Tabor He was the
favored apostle at the last supper, and was
worthy on this occasion to recline on our
Savior's bosom. At the cruciixion he was the
only one of the twelve who remained faithful
to Christ, standing at the foot OF the cross. To
him Christ committed his blessed mother as
he was leaving this earth. Every true man
loves his mother above every one else, and the
fact that Christ when dying recommended his
mother to the care of st. John Is enough to
show tnat John was his beloved disciple
When the apostles early on the resurrection
morn heard the good tidings that the Savior
had risen, st. John eagerly ran with st. Peter
to the sepulcher, and such was his love and
ardor for the Lord that he outran Peter and
arrived first at the tomb. Peter, however en-
tered the sepulcher alone, John in his humility
giving place to the Prince of the Apostles
In the work Of propagating Christianity st.
john lOOh d ulOSL I'LL pOTIhul part. lie lived 10
a greater age than any OF the other apostles.
He founded the seven great churches OF Asia
and during his lifetime ruled over them, in
structing them in the doctrine and discipline
of Christ.
At the request of the Bishops under him he
wrote the first of his epistles in the New Tesla
ment and in which he teaches the necessity
of adhering to the doctrine which he had first
received from Christ, at this time there
were those who disputed the divinity of the
son OF God.
He wrote at the renuest of tho Risbone NJ tho
churches which he had founded the celebrated
fourth Gospel of the New Testament. Unlike
the other evsngelists. he begins by declaring
the divinity OF Christ. He also speaks of the
vocation of the Apostles, and calls special at
tention to the fact that Christ changed the
name of Simon, the son OF Jonas, to Cepbas
which means Peter. because, no doubt Peter
was to be the foundation of that visible church
in which was to be preserved for all time the
doctrine of Christs divinity and the full and
complete message which the Savior had deliy-
cred to the world.
st. John is the connecting link between the
apostles OF Christ and the hierarchy of the
church. He lived to see the authority of St
Peters second successor, st. Clement, exer-
cised and obeyed by the church at Corinth
BY some OF the most learned among Protest
ant historians OF the early church the origin
of Episcopacy is traced to St. John. Among
these l may mention Professor Harnack of
Germany, who, although nationalist, has
done great service to Christian science by
bringing the controversy respecting the origin
of the Catholic system of dogma and discipline
within limits which almost border upon the
apostolic age.
He has shown at what an early period Catho-
licism universally prevailed and he says that
the Catholic system OF dogma and discipline is
implied in the acceptance of the creed and the
Bible as authoritative rules of faith. In short,
the controversy to whether or not Catholi-
city represents apostolic Christianity is re-
duced 10 the question as to whether or not
Christ WAS the son OF God, made man, and re-
deemed the world by his death upon the cross
This question is sufficiently and easily deter
mined by a careful study of the teaching of st.
John the evangelist