The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-03-23

universal in teaching because teaching
! all the truths which God has revealed:
ana all men must believe this church OF
!, God.
THEY MUST BE HOLY.
This body Of teachers and their follow
/ crs must be holy by right and I'm fact:
/ teaching them to observe all things
Whatsoever | have commanded you.", IL
must be apostolic by legitimate success
selves. To them alone did Jesus give the
charge of teaching; to them alone did He
promise His assistance. This body OF
teachers will be clearly known by their
| unity OF doctrine: teaching them all
things whatsoever I have command
you" 1t will be infallible in its teach
ings; for. Behold. am with you" teach
| ing Its infallible ministry will be per-
| petual. ''even to the consummation of the
world" not only perpetual. but also in
! defectible; Il am with you all days"
! This teaching body instituted by Jesus
! Christ will ever enjoy the special Divine
! appreciation, proven by miracles: these
signs shall follow them tina, believe"
! This body of teachers. Catholic. holy in
/ itself and sanctifying its disciples. apos-
| tolic in Its succession. one in its faith
and communion, infallble in its teaching,
! perpetual in its duration, indefectible in
| i,s ministry AMI constantly ratified by the
/ Divine testimony of miracles, musi he the
! rule of faith.
This rule of faith was not merely for
the days of the apostles The guidance.
| as the teaching. was to continue "eyen 10
! the end of the world" The apostles We're
men; they would die. then others We're to
| succeed them. our Lord instructed them
| how their successors We're to he chosen
! and how His teaching was to be contin-
! ued. The commission given to them was
| To he handed down to others even till the
emu of time. They We're sent to teach ami
I rule I'm His name and with His authority:
| ''lle that heareth YOU hearcth Me, ana he
that despiseth you despiseth Me. and he
that despisieth Me despiseth Him that
| sent Me-" All men must listen to them
| AS il they We're listening to Him. and all
| must receive and believe their teaching
| as they would receive and believe Him.
Acting on this commission We behold the
| apostles in their first council in Jerusalem,
| speaking with Divine authority. "it hath
seemed good TO the Holy Ghost and to
| u.s. that Is, 1t hath seemed good to the
| Holy Ghost. speaking through us or to Us
| speaking in the name of the Holy Ghost
| God became man to redeem and save us
| lie established His church to continue
the work of His incarnation, lie Is the
| head of all the children of God. He isS ,ie
Supreme Legislatur.~bf the church which
lie purchased with His precious blood. Its
firm foundation is His Divine authority.
| lie Is its corner stone. that stone which
the builders rejected the same is become
| the head of the corner" No one can lay
| another foundation but that which is laid
which Is Christ Jesus. lie Himself pro-
| Nided for the continuance of His Divine
| authority until the end of the world. lie
makes Peter the visible rock of His
| church. Having received from Him the
| profession of faith in His Divinity, AMI
| therefore in His supreme authority. lic
| gives To him the promise of the plenitu ie
of power and authority in the church He
| was instituting: II say to thee. that thou
| art Peter and upon this rock ! will build
my church and the gates of hell shall
not prevail against 1t: and ! will give to
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven
and whatsoever THOU shalt bind upon
4 I,a al N he
! and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon
earth it shall be loosed also in heaven"
FULFILLED HIS PROMISES.
What He promised He fulfilled during
the forty days of His risen life. which H.
devoted to the formal ion and the goy-
| ernment of His church. Three times lIe
| delegated TO Peter the sovereign author
! ity, intrusting to him the care of His
| whole sheepfold: Feed my lambs he
I shepherd of my Sheep Feed my sheep"
| Peter Is made the shepherd of the whole
| flock of Jesus. of both lambs and sheer,
of pastors and people His rights AMI
| duties are those of the shepherd to his
| flock. To Peter Is committed the ordi-
| nary immediate. universal and supreme
| power of teaching. ruling and sanctifyiis
| the whole flock of Jesus Christ. lnfallihle
! he must be in mat ters of faith and morals;
! the supreme legislator in the church, with
! power to enforce his laws the supreme
guardian of the sacraments and the means
of sancttication. 1t will be his duty 10
! q
Simon. Simon. behold. satan hath
! sought YOU talD. that he might sift you as
wheat. but | hath prayed for thee that
! thy faith fail not; and thou being once
| converted confirm thy brethren" That
| prayer OF Jesus was cficacious. Although
| Peter fell through weakness and human
respect, he never lost his faith. and once
ne was changed by that look of Jesus. he
! in his turn hepceforth confirmed his
| brethren.
The penitude of authority thus given to
| Peter and his successors in the primacy,
| for the sake of unity, was afterward COM
municated to the apostles and their sue
cessors, the bishops of the church
Whatsoever you shall bind ON earth
shall be bound also in heaven. and what,
soever you shall loose on earth shall
<be loosed in heaven" "Go preach the Cos
pei to every creature" Such was the
design of Jesus Christ and He is Cod
| His eternal wisdom framed the church
lie was ever to remain its invisible head
His Holy Spirit was to abide with it for
ever and teach 1t all things whatsoever
Jesus had revealed. Peter and his sue
| cessors were to be its visible head. the
! chief pastor the rock of strength, its un-
| failing faith. The apostles and their SUE
cessors in the episcopate were to be ITS
| founda tions. That glorious hierarchy Cf
pope. bishops and priests. who constitute
! the teaching body of the church. all par
take of the Divine commission to carry
| on the work of the Redcemer, for the
| sanutiiication and salvation of souls, un-
| til the end of time.
The history Of the church begins with
! these words: "But they going forth
preached everywhere, the I.ord-co-operlt-
| ing with them and confirming the worl
| with signs that followed OF all the
| facts of history. the one most striking is
the existence of this Catholic church. con-
| stantly and from the beginning governed
by an authority of Divine institution.
| That principle of authority, as We behold
| il today, has ever been the same-in the
| apostolic age. in the prosecutions of the
| first three centuries, in the conflicts with
oriental heresics, in the struggles with
| the arbitrary power of kings. and now
! i'm its war with iniiielity and Socialis!ic
| rationalism. Submission TO its Divine
| authority. This is the touchstonc OF
| Catholicity. without this submission"