The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-04-30
Che Branch Should Be
United Witb The Uine

| NNrIJten IOr Inc lDtermOuntaIn CathOIcl
| 10 stem the tide of infdelity and retain re
ligious belief, are momentous questions. Promrer-
churchmen give their opinions as to the cause of
the decay IN religion. They suggest variety Of
methods for revival of religious belief The
opinions very divergent and how to get straight
IN the confused ideas that are suggested Is the
problem of the age.
The Bible the great palladium, of Proto.+ar+
ISM Is now considered insufficient by its strongest
adherents to preserve religious unity or impose
an authoritative religion. And. as religion with
out divine authority is merely matter of opin-
ION, adherence to churches becomes a matter of
taste or preference.
Canon Henson's article on "The Future of the
Bible" has brought down upon him the most So
we're criticism Because he said: I'VE want to sup
plement the canonical Scriptures by the Christian
compositions which have secured the approval Of
general acceptance, just as in the worship Of the
church the Psalter has been supplemented by
hymns and anthems" His critics say that the canon
us bundling the Bible out of the church"
NJ. Sabatier, another Protestant divine in a
book recently published on Authority in Religion
says: The days of religious authority are
numbered but the Papacy is likely to last the
longest" After experimenting with the Bible for
three and half centuries the principle of pri-
vate Interpretation, and deducing from the IN
spired word all shades of belief, from the High
Church of England and rigid Calvinism down to
agnosticism they now realize the necessity of su-
premacy in governing and infalibility in teaching
the truth. Without these two unity and catholcity
cannot exist. Both attributes of the Catholic
church. and claimed by her ever since the Church
was founded and built by Our Lord on Peter With
out these attributes, namely, Peters successor as
supreme governor and infallible teacher the his
tory of the Church for the past twenty centuries
not easily explained It dates back to the days of
Peter, who commissioned to feed the lambs
and Sheep" and, without interruption has been ex-
flo -
the objections urged by the pagans against the
Christian Church early as the second century,
and, whilst reason and common sense still demands
its necessity, it is the bone of contention today for
those who seek for it in vain outside the Catholic
church.
"Ihe days of religious authority are numbered"
for all who separate themselves from lawful au-
hority Spiritual power" writes St. Thomas. rs
wofold-one sacramental, the other jurisdctiona."
Suarez adds: "The pontifcal power is as it were
he primal example of all spiritual power of juris
fiction, for one will deny that that is true
power of active jurisdiction; nay in that order is
he highest that can exist in mere man." He then
hows how bishops share in this spiritual power.
The proper power of jurisdiction Is granted to
ther bishops by election or simple concession not
" conservation the episcopal being
'ut a certain participation of the Papal power.
70 be united with the Church and participate in
is divine lfe all the faithful. like the members
f the body, must be united with the head. A limb
evered from the tree cannot share in the sap that
ONES from the roots through the trunk to the other
mbs. Gas the branch cannot bear fruit of itself.
Mess 1T abide in the vine so neither can YOU,
,ss you abide in me-"
In the sixteenth century the reformers erred in
evering all connection with the vine and starting
new the work of the Savior. Whatever the laXlty
hat may have prevailed at that period the evils
Mould have been reformed, as they had been IN
ne past, through a general council. in which the
ranches remained united with the vine. Il am the
ne you the branches he that abideth IN me,
nd in him, the beareth much fruit for with
ut you can do nothing" But in attempting to
smedy the existing evils they did not abide with
le vine; nay, rather they Topped off, and to-
ay their work is fruitess and run to seed. III
ny abide not iii me, he shall be cast forth
a branch, and shall wither." John XVI
Whether within the Church or out of it. there
an be no spiritual growth, no lively active taltl
ithout intimate union with the fountain and
urce of divine authority A branch receive
sustaining power (the juice from the root only
trough the trunk, and any attempt to sustain IT.
If independently has always proved failure Ihey
ay remain stationary for a time, nay, even may
ow more life for brief period than the trunk
it eventually they wither away and become dry
All this we now sec verified Hence the dole
cry of many honest, sincere and enlightened
nisters of the Gospel over the decadenee OF re-
ion, and their inability to revvify the faith. ne
anch must be united with the vine, i. E., the sue
ssor of Peter and the other apostles, or 1T can
t bear fruit of itself" If this command, when
divine, is not adhered to- the results, which are
erring, will be the same.