The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1904-09-03


are face to face with undoubted facts. man tull
of prejudice ignorance and error may think hlm-
self free to believe many calumnes against the
Catholic Church. He may believe that Catholics
adore the saints and worship their images; sell IN
dulgenceS pay money for confession and the like.
He may believe that they teach that the end Just1-
fics the means that 1t Is lawful To lie to heretlcS.
that the Pope can do no wrong. But surely he Is
not to be congratulated for this freedom of bccv-
ing what is not So Such liberty of thought Is not
a blessing, but curse. to be done away with a.
soon as possible by knowledge OF the truth.
We can readily see how none athoics. whose
religion disclams infallibility and rests on the
shifting sands of private judgment, should quarrel
with any certain teaching in religion. They cannot
agree among themselves about the most funda-
mental doctrines OF Christianity and their belief,
resting on mere opinion. logically Is uncertain,
hcsitatine and questioning The result with those
who carry matters to their logical conclusion Is
sceptcism, indifference and unbcliet.
The Catholic, however. believing in Church
authority which, like Christ, is divine and initial
ibc. speaking in His and with Ills authority
gladly welcomes the revelation OF God she VOICES
with a certain. unhesitating assent. The Church to
him is Christ speaking: lie that heareth you
hcarcth me- Cuke y, 16), and, therefore. he knows
she cannot deceive nor be deceived. y Catholic.
therefore, would question the doctrine OF
auricular confession, transubstantaton. the Irln-
ity, eternal punishment than Mathematician
would the fact that two sides OF a triangle are
greater than the third
The submission Of the Catholic to the Church
is not "a blind degrading obedience to 4 mere
human authority, but the assent of faith to divine
authority which he can prove procalms to the
world all the teachings of the Savior. He knows
by reason that God hath spoken: he believes by
faith all that God has said. because He Is the In
finite Truth. IF we receive the testimony OF men,
the testimony of God is greater" q. John Y, 81.
The Catholic is not hampered III his search tor
truth any more than the scientist Is hampered by
any ascertained principle fact of science In
deed, the certainty of called truth gives him
greater confidence and freedom III the pursuit Of
new truths Many things are left open to specula-
ton, outside the domain of defined dogma With
All nfallibc guide. he calmly views the progress OF
science. carefully distinguishing opinion from pr1n-
ciple, hypothesis from fact and does not change
his doctrines to meet the shifting views of I'M
proven scientific theories.
Infallibility, therefore, is the corrective of g-
norance and error and the foe to uncertainty about
the dogmas revealed by God. As Cardinal Newman
wrote at is q supply for need, and 1t does not
90 beyond the need. Its object is, and It's effect
also not to enfeebc the freedom vigor of human
thought, but to resist and control its extravaganza
("Apologa,' p 253, Longmans Green Co., 1870.
And the Protestant writer Mallock sit (thc
doctrine of infalibihty) is not fetter only; 1t l.
support also and'those who cling to it
ture fcarlesslv, explorers into currents of specu
lation that would sweep away altogether men who
did but trust to their powers of swimming
CTS Life Worth Living?N ch. xii. p. 319).
Is not your Church spiritual despotism in which
men must surrender their private judgment in re-
ligion to men like themselves?
If the Church we're Nero human authority
that undertook to give its views of Christs
teachings. like Luther, Calvin Wesley, Fox, Soc-
nus, Mrs. Eddy, Dowie a rational thinker might
indeed call it a spiritual despotism when 1t at
tempted in the slightest degree to command in
matters of faith or morals
But the Catholic Church is divine teacher,
commissioned by the Almighty Sou of God to teach
all nations till the end of time in His name and
with His authority and guaranteed "the pillar
and ground of the truth" by His abiding presence
and the Holy Spirits Matt. xviii, 1920; Mark
xvi, 15-16 John xiv, IS; xvi, IS; Luke IS; |.
Tim. iii, -, etc.) There can, therefore, be
question of any intellectual or moral slavery for a
man to submit to her authority, which is Gods.
Gle that hearcth you heareth me" Ouke X, 49,.
at is not the Church that established spiritual
despotism it is she who saves us from it. Spiritual
despotism is that which subjects us, in spiritual
matters, to human authority. whether our own
or that of others-for our own Is human
others-and the only redemption from il is having
in spiritual matters divine authority. Protestants
themselves acknowledge this when they call out for
divine authority; in submitting to her we submit
to God and are freed from all human authority.
She teaches infallibv; therefore i'll believing what
she teaches, we believe the truth, which frees us
from falsehood and error, to which all men with
out an infalliblc guide subject and submission
to which is the elemental principle of all spiritual
despotism Her authority admitted excludes all
other authority, and therefore frees from
heresarchs and sects the very embodiment of spir-
itual despotism in its most odious form" co. A.
Brownson's Works, vol y, p. 1881.
Indeed, what is the fundamental reason today
of the downward trend of Protest antism toward
infdeity! Is it not the fact that intelligent men
arc beginning and more to realize the slavery
of being subject to a sect's human and fallibe
sion of Christianity! How many Protestants to-
day. for example, hold to the original doctrine of
Luther or of Calvin! Very many deny the essen
tal dogmas Christ taught, viz. the Trinity, the
DIVINITY of Christ, eternal punishment, and the
like a pretty conclusive argument this that either
there is in the world today teacher divine, in
fallible and authoritative even as Christ namely,
the Catholic Church, or no man living can be GER
tain that he possesses the complete gospel the
Savior taught.
Ii was noon hour and quite number of work
men had dropped into the SUBWAY tavern. He was