River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-04-12
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Letters from a Layrnan.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS,


es, viz: the Grecian Catholic and
Roman Catholic. The former is es-
tablished in various parts of Asia
and in Russia, etc. The latter
through various parts of Europe
and in America. We often call it
the Catholic" when to speak more
proper we should say, perhaps, the
Roman or Roman Catholic. That
branch of the Catholic church which
had its start at Rome and from
thence spread to other countries
where it exists to-day.
But am now ready to speak of
the mother of most of our sectarian
bodies, viz: the Anglo-Catholic. l
did not say in my first letter that
there were two ONLY, but that there
were at least two. AS to the Anglo
Catholic l was not quite ready to
say for a surety just where it stood
But have been long since aware
of his true history. 1t is, of course,
too we'll known to repeat. 1t is old
er than the Roman branch of Cathol-
icism, for it had its beginning in
the year So A. D. But you say what
is that Anglo-Catholic Church? 1t
is called in America by the words
Protestant Episcopal" In Eng
land and Australia, and other Eng
fish provinces it goes as the Church
of Eng" In America, as Ameri-
cans, we take great pride in her po-
sition because she is the church out
of which some of the leading schis-
matte churches Congregational,
Methodist, Presbyterian, and Bap-
tist) have sprung. Each one of the
above named sects are to-day
preaching the doctrines, more and
more copying the liturgy and other
offices" of the church, their
Mother"
Why is it called Protestant" if
it be Catholic church? is a ques-
ton that l have sought truthfully to
answer. 1t has been asked many
times. 1t is easy to see if one will
open history: The word means
protest, TO protest against
thing. What did they protest
against? 1t was the Roman gov
ernment,-a pope with infallible
power, both temporal and spiritual;
not against the Catholic part of the
church. Why then do they hear the
word Episcopal" That means that
it is church that has kept the Gus
tom of the Apostolic church (church
of the first Bishops or Apostles) that
of having in a line of succession
men, worthy of the high and holy
Office, elected to the Episcopate and
then duly consecrated. We can't
find that there was any other kind
of church than one having Bishops
or Apostles until about 800 years
ago. Then, Calvin, with his theory
of "predestination, Generalization
and infant damnation" was thrust
upon helpless laity. The bishops
would not, nor could not-be Cath
Ollie (universal) -enforce such un-
scriptural5 illogical stuff upon the
laymen of the Anglo or English
church. So a government was
handmade" and "man-made" to
carry the doctrine, which, if could
only truly believe in, would cause
me to cease from any anxious care
one way or the other. Why need
one care if he believes in foreordi-
nation and predestination? If God
Intended that we go to hell or heav-
en-, could we change his plans?
So Episcopal" means bishop"
An Episcopal church is one that has
bishops. And no man can be made
a bishop by either of the two other
orders of the true church; that is,
Priest, or Deacon. Hence in our
religious society (Methodist) we
don't have bishops; they are gener-
al superintendents. Though many
people call them bishops. l sug-
gested to friend the other day that
we ought to call them "popes, be-
cause that is not an Apostolic office,
but it is quite an old office, of course.
So to call the general superintend-
ents by this name it would not be
so sacriligious, and it would be
more in keeping with the "Infallible
Power" that they have. Brother
Johnson must go to Smithville,"
and he goes or gets out of the
Methodist Society,"" as John Wes-
ley called it.
If our laymen would dig out few
of these facts now and then believe
we could see to it that Christ's
prayer for perfect unity would be
realized.