The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-12-02
o @@G~~@@H~~@~@@~@& 9 8 % o .
DENVER.
. Q q % o 8 8 % . o g % o
A QUESTION OF FAITH.

believe he is a Methodist; but no ma
ter what he is, I think he is in earneE
about his soul. The other day he mt
me in the street and said: ''Ohi
have a little book / would like you
read, viii you read it?'' l answere
yes" ''Will you really read Pro
testant book?" queried he. Certain
ly," said l.
He brought in his little book. I care
fully read it. / believe the title wa
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth.
] found il to be as like as two pea
to many others / had read. The rea
essence of the work was to have Jus
iificatiOn by Faith The next day
returned his little book to him wit
the following note:
Denver Colo, Nov. 10, '99.
Dear Charley.-T have read your lit
tie book with great pleasure. L have
during the past fortnight read a worl
by a Second Adventist who predict
and tryS to prove that the coming o
Christ is due Sept. 20, 1900 or 1901 {
forget which,) but that matters littt
as the same predicted this event fol
1894. I have also read a lecture de
livered in Boston by one Judge Ewing
on the Christian Science Standard"
Truly Professionalism, in its many ant
varied forms is a complex study.
cannot understand it. 1 think it most
ly comes from the poor foundation II
is built upon viz: the private interpre-
tation of the Scriptures, and this
against the direct statement Of the
word itself that mo scripture is Of a
private Interpretation"
There is no doctrine, however damn
able. that cannot be backed up with
texts of scripture. A man may study
and study the Bible until he becomes a
Taving maniac, and yet know nothing
OF 1t, without the right foundation,
Millions have gone to heaven ETho new
er saw Bible To me, the Bible is
the inspired word of God. If it is so to
you, let me ask you to prove your au-
thority for SO believing.
Il shall only notice two chapters in
your little book, viz: Those on the
Church and on Faith, because, as you
know. faith is the foundation, With
out Faith it is impossible to please
Cod and without the Church we can
not have a right faith. Now let us
examine and see what the church and
what faith really are. On page seven
Mr.. S. speaks with great force on the
church. One Church. One Body he
reiterates, and if you will turn to first
Corinthians 1925, you will find that
this one church is to be whole and
sound; that there shall be no schism
or division in it. 1t must be one in
faith Il. z. doctrine.)
Now get your dictionary and your
Bible; but before you do so, let me say.
compleXity of doctrine will never save
your soul. You must begin Alright.
Faith, hope, charity, is the starting
point What is the good of you carry
ing your Bible around with you, to be
continually worrying out a lot of badly
selected verses, and then put them to-
gether Cor divide them as you choose)
to try and prove some point, and, after
all, prove nothing; and even worse,
q
in mind?
What is the New Testament? 1 have
Jewish Scripture and turn only to the
new, he says. Let me ask you, what is
it? l. of course, must answer, but it's
the right answer. THE original ac-
count Of the rise of Christianity" Am.
Enc, Vol !. page 3O9.
II was compiled in about its present
form somewhere near A. d. $50; au-
thorized by the Catholic Bishops of the
Christian Church about 40S Cfifth cen
tury): declared to be the only author
lied version and inspired Word of God
IN the fifth century by the Council of
Carthagena. l believe; corrected of
about 10000 errors (the whole book
by the twelfth century; put into chap
ters by q Cardinal in the thirteenth or
fourteenth century; done into verses by
Monk in about the fourteenth or fif-
teenth century; given to the world at
teenth century, and millions can't read
1t today. This is all from memory, but
it's about correct. That is what the
New Testament is. Now, then what
is the Church? The general or COL
lectiye body Of Christians throughout
the world (Worcester). The Church is
undoubtedly one (Wheatley). The
Church is the religious society that
was founded by Jesus Christ in the year
SO, in the city of Jerusalem: when
Christ gave his apostolic commission
TO the Apostles: Thou are Peter, and
on this rock 1 win build My Church.
and the gates Of hell shall not prevail
against her" He established a relig-
lous society Of which Peter was the
head: a real. perfect society. THE
kingdom of heaven on earth" He
gathered around Him men, twelve of
them. He called them Apostles (means
senp. He created them priests and
bishops. and gave them power to elect
Others TO succeed them. He gave them
power 10 loose and to bind, and made
Peter their leader. (Read Matt xvi:
John xxi, 15) But it was not such an
incorporation as you have in your
mind, say you? Why, Charlie, you
might as well tell me the H E Mining
Company that you organized a few
years ago was not d real incorpora-
IiOn; that the president and board of
stock you sold was not stock but only
symbolic Of stock; and l would accept
it much easier than ] would believe
that when Christ said to His Apostles.
Go" and when He said Receive Yei
the Holy Ghost; whose sins ye forgive,
they are forgiven, and when he said
Upon whomsoeVer you shall lay your
hands, they shall receive the Holy
Ghost" we're mere empty words
This matter you must admit. if YOU
read your Bible, is not honestly put by
Mr. 5. ] would advise you to put away
your helps to reading the Bible and
turn to the book itself Begin at Mat
thew. Ask yourself. What is 1t? What
am ! going to read? The history or
memoirs Of Jesus. written by Matthew.
Ut might not have been written by |
Matthew, but that matters not) When |
was it written, Several years after
Christ's resurrection. Read it straight |
through. Don't pick out bit here and |
bit there. Get a scTibbling pad and
make memorandum of things as
they turn up. Any command or in
struction. Notice how Peter stands
Make heads; Doctrine. Church. Apos-
ties. To Whom Said. Time. Condi-
ton, etc. When you read anything re-
ported to have been said by Jesus nut
before it: At that time Jesus saw So |
and-so. Let your inquiries be governed |
by good judgment and common sense
BE honest in your dealings with God
and He will give you grace Gracei |
Now. what is grace? The supernatur-
al gift OF God TO the soul. 1t is by the
grace Of God that / hold the Catholic
faith
Faith-let US understand that Alright.
Faith is to believe without doubling
whatever God, has revealed. Now we
come To the parting of the ways But
how has God revealed this truth? How
made His revelation to us. In one vav
tv1, &c