The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1906-12-08
PR0TESTANT'S STRONG ANSWER.

The assertion of a Presbyterian that members If
his sect have need to subscribe to a set form Of
creed made in a recent communication to the New
Y ork Sun, has elected reply from "a Bible stu-
dent" which ought to set all good Presbyterians
thinking The writer says in part
The Presbyterian processes to be Bible teach
er and Bible follower and therefore he must admit
that CD Christ was God; (2) Christ founded
Church; CD Christ preached and taught a set form
of creed and commissioned His Church to teach
that same to all peoples; a. Christ obliges every
man to believe all those things He taught, before
He will acknowledge him as a member OF His
Church; o. Christ will condemn to everlasting
punishment any one that refuses to believe; CO..
Christ gave His Church authority to disown am un-
believer. These six principles must be admitted
by every man that ever took an intelligent glance
at the New Testament; and consequently must be
accepted by my Presbyterian friends who study The
Bible, digest its contents and follow Its command
to teach all things whatsoever Christ Himself has
taught
''As a result of these premises they must also
admit the conclusions contained in hem. The
first conclusion is that iii the mind of Christ faith
is the almportant condition of belonging tD
the Church of Christ and Of salvation. The Apos
tie Paul confirms this conclusion by his very plain
statement to the Hebrews Without faith it is ina
possible to please God. And whether Paul had
had not said this reason says it. For why does the
Presbyterian communion demand of its members
to lead good lives except it be to give unto God the
homage of their wills and their senses Why then,
omit demand the homage of the intellect by faith
since the intellect is the noblest part of man, and
lis homage the greatest he can offer to God! Any
man with grain of logic will therefore see that
faith is of the highest importance, and that with
out it please God' unless that faith
embraces all things that Christ has taught. man
will be lost
Now, then, as these premises and this conclu-
sion must be admitted by all reasoning logical and
educated students of the Bible. | desire to know
| from my Presbyterian friends why they claim To.
be followers of Christ and at the same time repu-
diate the fundamental condition laid down by
Christ for membership in His Church and for sal
walton, and leave their members free to subscribe
or not Chrst's doctrines. Is not this question
that merits honest thought and a good clear in
| telligent answer. To my mind it holds powerful
conclusion, and that conclusion is this: that a
| church that does not teach all things whatsoever
Christ taught is not Christs church, those who be-
long to it do not belong to Christ; and unless they
believe all things He taught and are baptized-that
| is, initiated into His Church-they will be as
heathens and pubhcans to Christ and will be con-
demned by Christ"
Here Is Protestant person who reads the
| Scripture to some purpose, and we sincerely hone
that he will continue; also that the effect of his let
ter will be to give many Presbyterians glimnse of
! the City Seated on Mountain-Aye Maria.