The San Francisco call., 1896-03-05

lie. If the church claims to define the limits
of its jurisdiction it is plain that she recognizes
that her authority is limited.
Manning's arguments are so simple that
will merely quote what he has to say in full.
After speaking OF the obedience due the CIVIL
authorities he says:
mo Christian Of sound mind will deny that
these two distinct and separate powers have
distinct and separate spheres ana tnat nat "iinin
power from God. Where the limits OF these
spheres are to be traced it is easy enough to
decide in all matters purely civil or in all
''The conflict arises over the mixed questions.
And yet here there ought to be no real
olmculty. Nobody can decide what questions
are pure or what questions are mixed except
judge who can define the limits of these two
elements respectively, and therefore OF the re-
spectlye Jurisdictions In any question as TO
the competence of the two powers, either there
must be some judge to decide what does and
what does not fall within their respective
spheres, or they are delivered over to perpetual
doubt and to perpetual conflict.
But who Can define what is or is not within
the jurisdiction of the church in faith and
sphere of faith and morals contains and how
far 1t extends? And surely it is not enough
that such Judge should guess or opine, or
pronounce upon doubtful evidence, OK with an
uncertain knowledge. Such sentence would
be not an end of contention, but beginning
and renewal OF strife.
"It is clear that the civil power cannot define
how far the circumference OF faith and morals
extends. If it could it would be invested with
one of the supernatural endowments OF the
church. To do this it must know the whole
deposit of explicit and implicit faith, or, in
other words, 1t must be the guardian of the
Christian revelation. Now no Christian nor
any man of sound mind claims this for the civil
power and If not, then. either there is no Judge
to end strife, or that judge must be he church,
to which alone the revelation of Christianity
in faith and morals was divinely intrusted.
"And if this be so still, unless the church be
divinely certain of the limits of its commission
and of its message, no doubt or controversy be-
tween the two powers can ever be brought
to an end. But If the church be certain with
. divine certainty as to the limits of Its juris-
diction its voice in such matters is final. But
an authority that can alone define the limits OF
Its own Office is absolute because it depends on
none, and infallible because it knows with q
divine certainty the faith which 1t has re-
ceived in charge.
decide the limits of the spiritual power, and if
the spiritual power can define with a divine
certainty its own limits it is evidently supreme.
with dyne csrtainty the limits OF It's own
Jurisdiction, and 1t knows, therefore, the
limits and the competence OF the civil power.
sIt is thereby in matters OF religion and con-
science supreme. do not see how this can be
denied without denying Christianity. And if
this be 80 this Is the same doctrine of the bull
imam sanctam, and of the syllabus and OF the
Vatican Council. 1t is in fact, ultramontan-
Ism, for this term means neither less nor more.
The church, therefore, is separate and su-
preme.
sLet us, then, ascertain somewhat further
what is the meaning of supreme. Any power
which is Independent and can alone fix the
limits of its own jurisdiction, and can thereby
fix the limits of all other jurisdictions, is ipsO
facto supreme. But the Church of Jesus Christ,
within the sphere of revelation, of faith and
morals, is all this or is nothing or worse than
is, 1t is Christ or anti-Christ. II it be anti-Chrst
every Caesar from Nero to the present day is
justified. If it be Christ it is the supreme
oAv,s &hof 10 fn
"Q) 1t holds its commission and authority
from God alone.
"(2) Itholds in custody the faith and the law
"{3) 1t is the sole interpreter OF that faith and
the sole expositor of that law. 1t has within
the sphere OF that commission power to legis-
ali mem born again al D in e the BAPTISM
of Jesus Christ. It alone can fix the
limits of the faith and law intrusted
own jurisdiction; it alone can decide in ques-
tions where its power is in contact with the
civil power-that is in mixed questions. for it
alone can determine how far its own divine
Office or its own divine trust enters into and is
implicated in such questions, and 1t is pre-:
cisely that element in any mixed question of
disputed Jurisdiction ct Nv, which T., belongs to
Manniug's reasoning is unanswerable and
was recognized by those who framed our laws
and constitution. p1 These s;, laws and eonstitu;
where they are compelled to touch them, thev
do so by granting privileges instead of making
| comm ands. Thus in the case of marriage the
| state is compelled to deal with it, but it does
| SO in such manner as to leave the rights OF
| the churches untouched.
| One may believe in divorce with the Uni.
| tarians or reject divorce with the high church
men and the state does not compel US to take
| sides. It provides divorce for those who do
believe in it, but it refrains from forcing
divorce on those whose consciences cannot
acceptit
Here was the wisdom of the fathers shown.
Hence it is that in this country we have no
conflicts between church and state Where
the church's spiritual rights are violated she
is quick enough to protest. The fact that she
Loyalty accepts the American constitution is
to any honest man proof that her rights are
safe-gua rded, but then no one imagines that
D. Ross is honest Yours truly,
P. C. YoRKE.