Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-09-26
DEsERET EVENING NEWS, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER ae.

have added that the Roman victories"
were too often won by the very method
the pagan dragon had employed
against the followers OF Jesus that &C.
clesiastlcal Rome clothed itself, In
more than one sense, in pagan scarlet
The reverend doctor does not forget
| this fact. He admits II, but excuses IT,
| lie admits that Rome substituted ply
steal force for moral influence. but"
| he asks, what other church can cast
| the stone at her for this fault? II Is a
common fault OF them all" he adds.
| After this excuse, he ventures the fol-
| lowing statement, THE greatest move
ment now going on In the world Is the
| Catholic reaction; Il is too great a
movement TO be guided by or control
led by any leadership. Gods Holy
Spirit is breaking the way for the re-
| yival, the REHABILITATION and reunion
| OF Chrlstendom in holy love"
The burden OF Or. Briggs article Is
that the Roman church comes pretty
near being the. true successor Of the
Church founded by the Apostles OF
| our Lord. The term Catholic, he says,
| means the Vital unity OF the Church
| In Christ" the geographical unity Of
the church extending throughout the
world; and the historical unity Of the
church in Apostolic tradition" This
triple unity, he maintains, the church
OF Rome comes nearer 10 possessing
than any other sect
DR.. Briggs is perfectly correct IN this.
No other division OF Chrlstendom has
any claim 10 historic or geographic
connection with the primitive church,
equal to that OF Rome. When this is
admitted the important inquiry:
where Is Christ's church," is mar
rowed down considerably. II amounts
really to this; HAS Rome kept the
trust that was handed down by the
Apostles OF our Lord? Has she re-
tanned the power and authority the
gifts and graces of the first church?
Has she retained the doctrine pure and
undefled? OR, has she lost the Priest
hood, and substituted the fables of men
for the doctrine OF Christ ?" 1t shoulk
not be difficult for scholar to find the
reply to these questions.
Is It not fact that the church, with
which Rome is historically connected
traitorously deserted her divine Master
and gave allegiance to a pagan emper-
or, long before the supremacy OF the
bishop OF Rome was generally acknowl-
edged? Need we be reminded OF the
proceedings Of the council at Nice, 1885,
which was called by Constantine and
charged to settle the Arian dispute
about a doctrine? What did that con-
Germ a pagan emperor? And such an
emperor! And yet, the prelates OF that
time, from all parts OF the world, after
disgusting quarrels and wranging
adopted creed, and submitted 1t to
the heather ruler, who, by the way,
paid the expenses of the council. He
ratified It. The Lord does not appear
to have been consulted. Constantine
branded Arianism as heresy, banished
Arius and his friends. though he be-
| lieyed the latter to be right and thus
| inaugurated the persecution that later
| appeared In the Infamous form of the
holy Isomon intfuishiSis iIf this was
| not general apostasy, a perfdious de-
| thronement of Jesus from the seat of
| power in the church, there never was
| any apostasy, And from this church
| which at Nice, aud other places, deliber-
ately changed masters, Rome descends
| I'm uninterrupted succession, The con-
| neotion with the Apostolic church was
as effectively interrupted, as was the
connection between this country and
| Great Britain by the revolution that es-
tablished separate and different gov
eminent on this side of the ocean.
Rome has officers and offices different
from those OF the Apostolic church.
Even the names are mostly changed,
and the functions are entirely different.
The doctrine is also changed, until it
can no longer be recognized as New
| Testament doctrine. The god OF Rome
| Is different from the God revealed by
Jesus. II has another baptism, an
other Lords supper, both in form and
significance. II Is all innovation Its
fundamental teachings are Innovations
There was no universal bishop until
600 years after Christ The Apocrypha
and traditions were not declared to be
articles Of faith before the 10th century.
Reconsideration dates back to the
sth century The mutilatlon OF the
Sacrament belongs to 18th century,
and In the following, the sacraments
were declared TO be seven. The power
of granting indulgences seems to be a
18th century thought, The celebacy for
the clergy was suggested az early as
the Attn century, but was confirmed by
Gregory VII at the end OF the nth GEN.
tury.
| A careful study of such facts should
convince any scholar that the true sue
cessor OF the church of Christ is not
to be found In the direction OF Rome
The apostasy, predicted by Paul was
general For centuries the church as q
divine organization, did not exist on
earth. II was again established through
the Prophet Joseph in this age.
II Is true. there is great movement
In the world back to Rome, And this
is not surprising, For 1t is to be OK.
pected that the forces of the enemy
will again be gathered and concentrated
In am effort against the Church o
Christ. II win not succeed. however
For the church has this time been es
tablished, never again to be overthrown
Man proposes but woman supposes,
| -------=--------s
The British cabinet is still undergoing