The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-16
Dogma and Natural Evidence.

To THE EDITOn OF The SUN-Sr: In an
editorial published in THE Sun OF July IL you
say that for none OF tho articles OF faith as
serted in the Apostles Creed is natural evil
dence possible" The most important OF these
articles OF faith. or dogmas, the one upon
which the Christian rali Gion is founded and by
which. as a system OF religion. IL must stand
or fall, is the resurrection Of Jesus. 1t is the
test urged by st. Paul. who explicitly says
that il Jesus did not rise from the dead then
nll faith in Him is vain. The fact OF that res
direction. st. Paul as explicitly asserts. is
proved by natural evidence" the testimony
OF human witnesses. including himself. wit
nesses who had seen Jesus after His resur-
rection.
There is no other kind OF evidence for
that fundamental fact. How could there
be? II is evidence which Christian apollo
gsts have discussed. some of them from
legal standpoint. They are satisfied by It.
Not very lopG ago Leading lawyer OF Con
ton in an Episcopal church in this city, and
declared that from his roint OF view as law
rcction was so clearly proved by such incontro-
vertible human testimony that verdict IN it's
favor must be given by,any court Of justice:
Paul upon the truth Of the TACT Of the resur:
reecton Of Jesus that tho whole system OF
that proves Jesus to be the Bon OF God. to be
God made manifest in the flesh. and that He
must he accepted as tho Saviourof the world
That stupendous miracle must he accepted or
rejected like all other miracles upon natural
evidence"
In the Roman Catholic Church "nutura! evil
denre." entirely human testimony. after very
strict legal process sim liar to that used in
secular courts OF law, decides whether the
alleged mirac les claimed on behalf VI "andi-
date for The honor Of canonization really &C
a'T sha q the f6upH tR The ts esHd hSy
formally declared TO he saint, entitled to tho
donors OF the GtaT %hq 6 proteSSrSn ana PT9y
miraculous arparItion Of the Blessed Virgin at
Lourdes. upon which is based devotion au-
thori1"d by the Church. rests upon natural
shrine are subjected 70 tho same test The
great festival Of Corpus Christi is bSscd on
Grated wafer LleI thus giving natural evil
d"nce" in confirmation ~ the dogma Of tran
Standardization. The why. the how OF n visible
reason may he unable 10 determine, but
whether II has occurred Is question to
II Christisnity cannot sta nd such tsst aupIiesi
to it by human reason and honest. Intelligent
human beings: 70 whom their Creator has
be expected to accept II. And. as matter
OF fact. the Roman Catholic Church. while bold
ly and broadly asserting her claim to he tho
one universal teacher guide AMI ruler in things
spiritual, has throughout her whole eIiatence
appea cd to human reason and used II in de-
fence and proof Of her claims. To what have
her great doctors and thcologians appealed ?
To nam" hut one ~ them. the one whose writ
ings, Pope. leo NIL 50 earnestly commends
Tor the training ~ ~" clergy, the angelic doc
ton OF dogma by the test Of human reason. and
triumphantly demonstrates that revealed re-
ligion has nothing to fear when submitted, 10
human intelligence can devise. e. D.
BRIpGIPoRT, Conn, July Ia.