Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-11-07

Constantine called himself Christian.
and from a vain Imagination Ut pfomot.
ing the Christian caiisc thereby heapgd
riches and power and honor upon Christ
ians IN general, bat IN particular upon
the Christian Clergy. From This time
they the spiritual giilsl almost totally
ceased; vcry lew Instances Of the Kind
were found. The cause VI this was not
las has been supposed because there
was no more occasion for them, because
all the world was become Christians.
This b. a miserable mistake, not a
twentieth part Of Il was then nominally
Christian. The real cause Of It vas the
love OF many. almost all Christians, So
called. was waxed cold The Christians
had no more OF the spirit o. Christ than
the other hcathsns. The Son Oi man.
w1cn h. cams to examine His Church,
could hardly iind faith upon cait1. This
was the real cause why the cNtfaofdn-
airy gifts Of the Holy Ghost were no
longer to be found In the Christian
church-becausc the Chngiars were
turned heathcns again and only had a
dead form LETT, (Nesley's works. vol.
va. sermon -, pages %, al
II the Chfiaulns we're tuned heather
again, and only had a dead form OF a..
ligion lsh, Ike the other heaihcns, IL
will be extremely difficult Tor the follow.
cfa OF Mr.. Wesley. and those who have
received whatsoever oi authority they
possess from him, TO point out lust
where their divine authority came from
since their great leader pfoclaims THIS
entire corruption OF the Christian church.
II on tue one hand the Catholic church
denies to Protestant Chfistendom the
possession OF divine authority, aud II on
The other hand Pfoicsiants declare the
universal corruption and apoNasy OF
McdlIval Chfistianity In order To Justify
the religious revelation Of the sixteenth
century, aud their own existence a. so.
called reformed churches, then there Is
no possible channel through which they
can claim that divine authority to adj.
minister the ordinances OF the Gospel
has come down TO them. unless they
shall claim that the heavens have again
been opened and new dispcnsatidn OF
the Gospel. including as II would divine
authority, has been committed to them
Not one OF all the Protestant sects claims
that such a new revelation has bccn
given, and % every other source IRON
which divine authority could come is cut
"a by them. there Is left but one con.
ciusi0n TO come 70 and that "a that they
are without divine authority, and hence
their administrations Of the Christian
sacrtmen,s are vain.
The position OF the Catholic church Is
| logically more consistent than that OF
Pfotesianis; for she insists that there has
| been an unbfokeu line OF authority and
mission divine through the succession OF
her bishops aud more especially through
the succession oil the bishops OF Rome
from ST. Peter to Leo XIII. But the
church OF Rome Is asking rs TO believe
too much when Il demands that We shall
believe that Gods authority has come
down 10 modern times through the cor
rup,cd line Of the Catholic Priesthood.
Ole has only TO become acquainted with
the melancholy history OF the Roman
| pope8 to he convinced of the impossi.
bility OF God acknowledging them a,
the line down which he has transmitted
the power to speak and act In His name