The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1900-08-18

ter and then raised from it. Scriptur-
al baptism then requires water, much
water. coming to the water, going
down to the water, coming up out of
the water" If all these be true, we
ask how did the Apostles converts,
who were in prison, or in a bed of sick
ness. receive Scriptural baptism?
What of clinical baptism" which
means in Greek a bed? st. Peter bap-
tiHed 5000 at one time, and 5000 at an
other. st, Saturnin, when doing mis-
sionary work at Pampelune. baptized
in seven days 10000 Catechumens. In
one day st. Chrysostom baptized 5000;
st. Augustine of Canterbury, 10000; st.
Faustin. 10000 If all had to be buried
in water, and then raised from it. such
large numbers in one day could not be
baptized.
VIII the writer maintain that all
these baptisms were not Scriptural or
valid? In doing so, he must be either
fallihle or infallible. If the former we
take the practice of the Christian
Church from Apostolic times as a safer
guide then his faIlible word. AS he will
make no pretentions of infallibility for
himself that point is easily disposed Of
But the texts quoted, he claims; are in
fallible. Be it So their meaning is the
difficulty, and until interpreted by a
Supreme infallible court, the writer's
dogmatic assertion ito be Scripturally
baptized you must be buried in water,
has no weight. Their meaning is plain
and obvious, he will doubtless say. Not
more so than the meaning of the words
of Christ, when he took bread blessed
and said: This is My body" MAT |
XVI: 26), or when after His Resurrec-
ton He was consoling His Disciples
and said to them: Peace be to you. AS |
the Father hath sent me. also send |
you. When He had said this He breath |
ed on them. and He said to them: Re
ceive We the Holy Ghost; whose sins !
you shall forgive they are forgiven |
them; whose sins you shall retain they |
are retained" John XXX. 21-23)
The former text, This is My body"
plain, simple and obvious, has received
of the latter, which seems
incapable of distortion, has been so
that it means the very oppo-
site of what the Savior said. Scriptural
quotations, without a living voice, a
Supreme court, and an infallible one,
90, are in this enlightened and unbe-
ieving age so many riddles, and with
he contradictory explanations given,
nave no meaning.
In work, Doctrine and DoctrinaI
Disruption" recently published by the
Luthor, w. H. Mallock, who is neither
| Catholic nor Protestant. we find
he claims of the Catholic Church fully
md logically set forth. One sentence
hows the necessity of a living voice,
nd infallible teacher to dispel the
darkness of error, cement together the
ruths of religion and bring out of the
haotic mass of contradictions arising
rom private interpretations of the
criptures one living, unique and divine +
eligion. He writes, Rome is the only !
'hurch representing itself as an ever ,
wing and articulate Individual, which, :
t no period of it's existence, has lost 7
ny one of it's faculties, but is able 8
very day to reaffirm with a living l
dice every doctrine which it has ever I
uthoritatively enunciated in the past; :
, reaffirm it, moreover, with an ever =
eepening meaning - to reaffirm =
now in the same supernatural knowI- '
1ge. Rome, fact, in it's ca e
acity of the one infallible teacher. re- q
embles a sailor in a shipwreck. who
lone of his companions has retained Y
lie swimming apparatus with which
i were originally provided; and who +
hen derided by his companions for +
FASTING that he alone can SWIM an +
yer them by continuing on the sur n
ice whilst they, one and all, go I'M p
er it,