Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-10-25
THE CHURCH AND SUCCESSION.

Information ABOUT lhe pIlH'"P''
Church. Among other interesting ar
ticles therein IS ono explaining what Il
calls 1.-TWO Ideas Of the church" These
opposing ideas are stated as follows
THE CHURCH IDEA
l. 1T lisa Divine Institution with q
human mission
2. III Is an organism for dispensing
Christianity
g. ut Is the Kingdom Of Heaven
seeking men on earth
THE PROTESTANT IDEA.
!. ut Is q human institution With
divine mission
2. 1T IN an organization for the at
talnment OF Christianity.
g. N Is society on earth seeking
the kingdom Of heaven
This classification ls somewhat nova'.
Usually the Episcopal Church is ranF-
Ell with Professionalism and indeed
stands at the head Of The list Of Pro-
testant denominations. But the con-
tsast between the two conceptions q
ihe status Of "The church Is very
clearly drawn. On the one hand !,
the recognition that "the Church is a
divine institution, founded by Chrst
Himself, organized, ofllcercd and sent
firth by Him, under the influence ami
guidance Of the Divine spirit TO do IFS
work =" on the other hand It Is viewed
az merely an institution OF men, organ
lied TO promugate the views OF st.
founders rs TO religion, an earthly So
ciety seeking for the kingdom Of
heaven, The question II which Is the
correct idea?
The Episcopal theory ana also that
entertained by the dissenting demon"
nations, are based entirely on what
e found In the New Testament. Neither
Of them has any other guide. They all
mold that whatsoever Is not found
N holy scripture and cannot be proved
thereby is not to be received as m
article OF faith" In this contention thc
Episcopal church has the advantage
over It's opponents, because there is
nothing clearer In the New Testament
than the declaration OF Christ and His
Apostles concerning the character Of
the Church, It's establishment by tie
Savior In person. the communication Of
divine authority TO It's officers, the
revelation of divine truth through !,
70 the world. and the power given 10
them TO ofclate In the name OF the
Father and OF the Son, and of the Holy
Gnost in the ordinances and sacru-
ments of the Church, that which they
performed by virtue of that authority
being recognized and sanctioned 10
heaven. That constitutes II divine
organization and not a mere society
50. up by men.
We need not repeat the quotations
which we have given In these columns
several times demonstrating that this
conception OF the character of Christ's
Church Is Biblical. The New Tesla
ment abounds with references to the
Church, not only 40 body Of religious
worshipers, baptized into its commun-
ion, organized with Christ as its spirit
ual head, but with positive declarations
that It's officers were OF divine appoint
ment its ordinances Of divine estab-
lishment and its members all associated
as one body vltallzed by the Holy
Ghost. Before any compilation OF the
Bible was effected, before any such
book as the New Testament was writ
ten, the Church OF Christ as an organ
ism, was taught. directed, governed
and Inspired dvinely, and the author
ity exercised therein was not obtained
from books Of any kind but from Deity
alone. The following paragraphs from
the Leaflet might have been taken
from some discourse or article emanat.
ing from the Latter-day Saints
This Is the idea Of the Church we
| find recorded In the Bible, as II tells us
what Jesus and the apostles did. "The
very first act 0f Christs ministry" as
an able writer puts It. twas TO gather
few persons around him and form u
society. We know the names and num-
Der OF that society, the twelve disciples,
| At first they were only disciples-learn-
ers, He kept them near Him, He taught
| them by word and example. His par
ables lie explained privately to them
only. He trained them FOR their work
by snding them out two and two, TO
preach and heal There were evident
ly three ranks among these. Himself
the Head tho twelve next. and the
third the seventy. just before his As.
cension Christ raised the twelve to the
first rank. saying "As my Father hath
sent me, even SO send | you" The first
act OF the apostles after this was to
choose one TO take the place Of Judas
showing thereby that the society. or
organization was 10 be- kept ~.
Soon after this We find the Church
choosing deacons, and the apostles or
daining them by laying on of hands
Next we read Of elders, or prvsbyters.
or priests evidently differing In office
from apostles and deacons The apos-
| ties so forth To- the cities OF the world
preaching and ordaInlng elders IN every
city Thus the living society is en-
lprged and has IN Il an the germs Tor
continuance II shows that Christ's
first and great method FOR saving souls
was not to write a book or PROFOUND a
philosophy which might have been done
by some prophet hut was to found a
Church IN living connection with Him.
SELF ITS Head
So far the position taken by the
Episcopal church, as set forth in the
Leanet is impregnahle from q scrip
tural standpoint But In claiming that
there has been continuous succession
Of this authority from the Apostles to
the present dNy and calling that apps.
t0lIc succession" the Episcopal church
gives Us case away entirely 20 the
Catholic church which alone Of all the
ecclesiastical bodies IN what IS called
ChrIstondom today has any logical
claim 10 this continuance and success
sion But that claim. as we have
shown heretofore, does not hold good
from the fact that the popes are not
and have not been Apostles, DO not