The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-11-13
REV. DR.. STAHG'S LECTURE.
His Topic Last Evening Was Where
Do We Get Cur Religion ?"
Discourse Was Listened 10 by Many Per-
sons Who Are Not Catholics.

Once again the Cathedral was filed
hast evening with a -sectarlan audi
ence that had assembled to listen TO the
second in the series Of Sunday night
! lectures by Rev. DR.. Stang. rector OF
! the Cathedral. whose subject last night
was Where do We Get Our Religion?'
| DIR. Stang said in substance:
Without religion. a man cannot at
! tain his God-given destiny. Without
! faith it is impossible to be saved Now
the question rises: where Will you find
religion? How are you to know what
you are TO believe in order to be saved?
our Protestant friends proudly point to
Ghe Bible as the pure and only source
OF faith. as the only infallble rule of
faith and practice. They say the Bible
Is pam book tt is inteIEgIble by the
people and they have the right. and are
bound TO read and interpret il for
themselves. SO thar this faith may rest
on the testimony of the Scriptures, and
not on that of the church. Catholics,
on the contrary. maintain that the
Bible is not the rule of faith, nor the
only source of religion. That the Bible
Is IN Itself Incomplete, and unintelligi-
PIE 10 u great e&tent unless read and
interpreted in the light OF faith, as
taught by the church Of Christ.
What is the Bible? The Bible is one
OF the two great sources of revealed
truth from which the church derives
the materials of her dogmatic faith. We
claim that it was never intended as I,
formulary of belief or text book of
religion, Il Is unsvstematic and nm
mathematical In form Ii is a collection
~ ~ TlhffFrI rItss .sf tfsf.
ters or the Creator TO men on earth.
we reject nothing of the Bible. but ac-
cept 10 as the word Of God from ba-
ginning 20 end The church solemnly
declares that a Catholic cannot be |
saved unless he acceD, the whole Bible |
every part If IT, as the word of Cod. |
At all times. and I'm all places the |
church has practically shown her love |
and reverence for the written word OF
God. and while she always guards
against lawless and perverted transla-
tions. against arbitrary and impious in
terpretations OF the Bible she cherish
es N li.ngly, and interprets 1t fnfal-
I'VE Catholics. believe that Christ
appointed His church to be the teacher
or all mankind. The world was to be
converted by the preaching Of the word |
or God MOI by the reading OF the Bible.
10 enable the church TO fulhU her mis-
son or converting the world, Christ
promises her the assistance of the pa
raciete forever the spirit Of truth It !
is clear that lie did not commission His
apoSIeS to write. hut to preach the
word Of God If all mankind was 10
learn Ills religion from q book. Christ
hinsslf would have written that book.
the New Testament IF we ask our
n9n-lat thollc hrethLen. who profess
bDle nity-Where do won have |
YOUR Bible? From the Catholic church
that preserved it. fixed it's canon. de-
Jared us insniration? You can give no
better authority. Tho Catholic cburcb
alone received the truth Of Scriptures
IS tnat of tradition from the apostles:
Ne are comDelled TO look TO her. the
Ellaf ana ground " truth for the d.
''pe origin Of the Scriptures. she alone
an give us an authentic Bible.
Ihe question NAV rise I'm your mind ,
mar good is the Bible TO non Catho- I
cS' " The BIBLE 1lOoe will not savc J
Would Won advise them ~ give
y The Bible? Ry no means. Search
le SCRIPTURES. my nom Catholic friends
Hlrch lt d. not glance az it merely,
W study II. reflect on H. Read " fro
uent!v with reverence and canfior of
'ui In 2 prayeTful sprit. with an
'rnest desire 20 frd CHRIST and TIls
FSsed doctrine The Rihle VIII not |
ach the true religion fully and finally
~ ~ nav do what - Andrew tho
'ost,e. Ga Tor his brother, ST. Peter.
VIII bring vou TO Jesus And Won
V Catholic brethren. viii continue ,o
'erish the written word ~ Cod ne =
vine source or revelation Won ars
y ohiired 20 y on the inquiry ~ d's.
,Ver ,'.-l. me trn'h' YOU owe i'm tho fun
'Hsl N ~ ~. sew r, Won in ,hs v
o'lq of tho inmo~tal Dar,c. .t-,.,,o-
Stsment Tho o'd or now &c vours
hu I"r N.nur ru'do tho Shepherd ~ ~
i"''h' Aet THIS suffice 10 save vou.'"