The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-02-08

soliloGuy. the dialogue between the tive
brothers is renewed. Pondering over
his defeat. the Presbyterian brother
laid it to yielding the management OF
the argument to his Catholic brother
and his not having been sufficiently on
his guard against Johns sophistry and
Jesuitical cunning. Finally James con-
Guided that if he could not define and
establish Professionalism, he might, at
least disprove Catholicity, and thus
Justify the Reformers in separatin
themselves from the GENERALIZATION
L. NJ. CT
MIL
AS soon as James had come to this
sage conclusion, an opportunity was
found of renewing the discussion This
time it was John who opened it.
Well brother" he said. have you
succeeded in finding definition of
Professionalism to your mind
Il wish to consider Professionalism
now, only as a protest against the err
rors and corruptions of popery. Here
you affirm and | deny, and consequent
ly the laboring oar is in your hands -
Not exactly. ing prudent brother.
You affirm Catholicity is corrupt You
are. then. the accuser. the plaintiff in
action and must set forth your
charges and sustain them. The prin-
ciple of law is, every man is to be
presumed innocent till proven guilty
The Church must, therefore. be pre-
sumed innocent till the contrary is
made to appear"
The Church claims to be an am
bassadOr from God. and to have the
right to command me in his name. She
must bring credentials from God
before l can be held to hear or obey
her. l demand her credentials.
All in good time. But not too many
things at once. You Shift the aues-
| ton before you get it fairly stated
You begin by charging the Church
with being corrupt and. without Of
fering any proofs of her corruption.
you proceed Immediately to demand
| her credentials as the ambassador of
| God. This will not do. Corruption inn
plies integrity; and the plea. that the
/ Church is corrupt comedies her ere
dentidlS and merely charges her with
exceeding her authority, or with hav-
{ ing abused it. This plea comedies her
authority, but the demand for creden-
/ tails denies it. You cannot. therefore.
/ plead at one and the same time want
| of authority and corruption or abuse
of authority. You must elect one or
/ the other and confine yourself to the
one you elect"
Il am no lawyer and do not under
stand special pleading"
J But you are an educated man. and
are to be presumed to understand. at
/ least the ordinary rules of logic and
therefore that the same thing cannot
be both conceded and denied in the
same breath You cannot say that
the Church IS corrupt, has abused or
misused her authority, and yet deny
| her authority. When you deny that
she has ever received authority from
Cod. you declare ner. in quantum &c
clesia, a nullity from the beginning.
and to allege the corruption of a null
lily is absurd
BE ii So The Romish Church new
err received authority from God. or, In
other words, was never diyinely COM
mssoned"
Possession is in law prima facie evil
dence of title The Church is in pos
session, and has been so from time i'm
memorial. The presumption is. there
fore, in her favor. and you must adj
nit her title or set forth good and
valid reasons for contesting it."
Prescription does not apply in the
case of the Church"
TT is admitted in law and there
fore by the reason of mankind as
general principle If you deny it's ap-
plicatiOn in the case on the Church,
you allege an exception to the gem
eral rule and must show reason for
it"
Prescription does not give an abso-
lutte title. but simply presumptive
title against adverse claimants. 1t
presupposes the existence of the es-
tate to be, conceded, the title of which
is vested in some one, and if to pre-
sumo it to be in the existence of the
estate is the matter in question, it is
idle to plead possession or prescription.
What is not cannot be possessed. The
estate, in the present case, is the di-
vine commission has at some time
been issued, possession may, L grant. be
pleaded as prima facie evidence of title
in the possessor. But 1 deny that such
commission as the Romish church
claims to have received has ever been
issued. You must prove, therefore, the
fact of such commission before you can
plead possession or prescription.
Possession implies the object pos
sessed. Evidence of the possession is.
therefore, evidence of the existence of
that which is possessed. Consequent
ly just in proportion as there is evil
dence that the church has possessed,
or claimed and exercised. with the gen.
eral consent, the commission in ques-
ton, and as her having claimed and
exercised it with this consent is pre-
sumptive proof of title against adverse
claimants, is there presumptive proof
that the commission has been issued
"Quod minis probat. nihil prObat
Your argument, if it prove anything,
proves too much A pagan or Ma
hometan may say as much
IF either paganism or Mahometan-
ism claims a similar commission and
can, as the church be said to be in
possession, the fact is, in like manner,
presumptive evidence of title till the
contrary appears, L both concede and
contend Nothing can generate moth
ing. The claim to a divine commits
sion must have had some origin, and, |
on the principle of law, that every
man must be presumed innocent till |
proved to be guilty, must be presumed |
to have had a good origin till the con-
trary is proved False religions imply |
the existence of the true religion, as |
counterfeit coin implies the genuine. |
The claim to divine commission, if it /
be really made by either paganism or |
Mahometanism, is therefore prima J
facie evidence that at some time to |
somebody, divine commission has is !
sued. If no such commission had ever ,
been given, it is not conceivable that /
it could have been claimed. No one |
Would ever have falsely claimed to be /
an ambassador from one court to an
other, if no genuine ambassador, or
nothing in the same order, had ever /
been known or heared of the send |
ing of ambassadors must have become |
a general custom, before anyone, not |
duly commissioned, could have con-
ceived the project of palming himself |
off as one, or could have hoped for
any success in the attempt to do it,
The fact of nOSSeSSiOn where IL could |