The Portland daily press., 1901-02-25

| give impulse 10 returning 10 the teaoh-
inRs OF Jesus. He asked for the co-cpsra-
tion Of all who were interested In order
that q wide hearing might be secured.
IL was his privilege. and be believed
it to be his duty. 20 preach the sermon
for today on "Tne Oath OF Edward VII,
and the Philosophy of Catholicism"
Ths texts were taken from Luke XII,
81: .'Yea, and why even Of yourselves
Judge ye not what is rightf'' ana John
vi. ,6s: "It Is the spirit that auickeneth
the flesh pronteth nothing; the words
that speak unto you, they are spirit
and they are life."
Drawing a vivid picture Of Edward TAX
ing the oath as rscited to him by the
Lord Chancellor amid the ministers Of
peeresses In sombre gowns in mourning
for Queen Victoria, aud reciting the
| cath itself In which Edward attested
his disbelief in transu substantiation. DIR.
Blanchard gave q brief history Of the
need OF such an oath Edward must have
spoken these words. The law compelled
The Roman Catholic peers protested In
the Times the next day against the oath.
The philosophy OF Catholicism com pellsd
the protest Edward knows history. lie
knows, therefore, that equivooation and
mental reservation had to be guarded
against. he knows that In 1869 an arti-
Gle was framed containing formal
Reputation OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Hooker said; 1.-THE real presence OF
Christ's body and blood is not In the
sacrament, but in the worthy receiver"
that the Prayer Eook In 1901 restored
| the words: "That the natural body and
blood of our Savior are In heaven and
not here, 1t being against the truth OF
Christs natural body to be at one time
in more places than one" He knew also
that his Roman Catholic peers would
be disturbed by his oath.
| In that scene and oath and protest,
we In America are to be interested. The
Roman Catholic church hopes to win
large mem bers In the United States.
Let us see then what Catholicism is. We
can do this as friends Of Roman Catho-
lies and as relentless enemies Of the ho-
man Catholic system which is that OF
monarchy.
DIR. James Freeman Clarke, In his
steps OF Belief. page 20b, says; 1.-THE
Roman Catholic principle of authority,
on which all else Is founded, may be briefly
summed mp in these three principles; /.
| 1.-THE Christian church Ii an out
ward, visible organization, founded by
Christ, who made st. Peter its head, who
transmitted his authority TO his success
sors, the bishops OF Rome. The Christian
church consists of all those who are In
communion with Rome and acknowledge
the papal primacy, and Of no others.
"II.-The Christian church, thus un'
| derstood, is infallinle, and protected
against all errors by the Holy Spirit.
Its voice, therefore. when uttered, Is the
voice of God.
| "III,-As no one can be saved except
through Christ. and as no one can COM
mune with Christ except through his
onurch. it follows that outside of the
church there is no salvation"
What logically foIlowsl First, that the
Pope is sovereign Of all the earth. Seo-
ond, persecution whenever the church has
the power. Third. denunciation OF sol
enoe Fourth, the suppression of free
though. On these points illustrations
we're given and reference H.ade to Leeky's
History OF RationAlism, and Thompson's
Footprints Of the Jesuits.
Shall we then hays a panicf BY no
means. There are forces at work that
work against the Roman Catholic church
and. ultimately, will destroy it. The first
Is knowledge. The doctrine OF evolution
overturns Catholic and Protestant bases
alike. The second is patriotism. Men
will draw their swords for their conn
try. even against the Pope. No Ameri-
cans are more patriotic than Roman Ca
tholic ones. The third is the spirit Of
ths age. That dethrones authority.
That enthrones reason. DIR. Amory IL.
Bradford and DIR. Lyman Abbott are
prophets yoicing the spirit OF the age.
In Bradford's Age of Faith, in the intro
lduction, these words appear: 'Ths days
of authority are gone. No one any long
er believe anything simply because 1t
was formerly believed. Is it reason
abIes Even revelation is brought to this
test. The truth for an age or faith must
be venerable. Whatever oontradicts rea-
son and moral sense cannot be Of God. "
DR.. Abbott, in last weeks Outlook,
read by thousands of readers, says; "The
church is not a nnal authority; the Bible
Is not final authority; they are coun-
sellors; but they cannot for any man take
the place OF his own reason and his own
conscience; that reason anu that con-
science he must cultivate by every means
In his power: but that reason and that
conscience he must follow, for they ara
his ultimate guides; 90 his own Master
every soul must give account for him
self at last-no church can render the
account for him.
Let Edward, then, try to have the oath
abolished for his uccessors. Let him not
fear the patriotism OF his Roman Catho-
Ito subjects. Let us in America have no
faar or pona or ohurch, Logically they