The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-01-20

in the fifth century the primacy of the
Pope was universally received in the
whole world This statement set the
young man athinking, and it proved to
be his first step in the journey he made
from plymouth Rock" as it has been
/ called, to ''St. Peters Rock
You challenge me to prove to you
| three propositions, and the platform
| you stand on is rather high. 1t admits
| as evidence nothing short of the ex-
plicit and unequivocal words of our
Lord.
| If this be the standard for you to
measure and weigh my arguments
with, you must accept this very same
measure to be applied by me to your
argument, and if your propositions do
not stand it, down and to pieces goes
your high platform. Consequently, be-
fore 1 answer your propositions I will
challenge you first also on three prop
ositions:
Proposition l. Prove your right not
to admit any other evidence on the
primacy of st. Peter, except the ex-
plicit words of our Lord. You are the
first instance 1 ever came across which
lays these narrow limits to the Biblical
argument, consequently 1 question
your privilege until you will have
proved it.
Proposition q Please apply the same
rule of evidence to the famous Protes-
tant principle, the right of private
judgment, which seems to attribute to
every individual man something like
the privilege of infallibility which the
Bible gives only to the sovereign pontiff
of the Church. Prove it first and after
that we can believe it.
Proposition g. How is 1t that the
Protestants keep the Lords Day in
stead of the Sabbath, the first day Of
the week instead of the seventh, which
in Holy Scripture the Lord claims en-
phatically as His day?
Our Hawaiian missionary fathers
have tried to save themselves out of
this difficulty before their Hawaiian
followers by wrongfully counting the
week days. They put the number one
on the Monday, Poakahi, which, in
fact, is the second day of the week.
This brings, then, of course, the num-
Der seven on the Lords Day, the SUM-
day, and pau ka pilikia. 1t was smart,
perhaps. but was it right? Is it not a
white lie"?
Proposition /. Our Lord conferred on
Simon Peter true primacy not only
of honor. but of jurisdiction.
Answer-This proposition I have
proved conclusively to be true in my
article of the Hawaiian Star, Janu-
airy s proposition a.. Here are the
words pronounced by the lips of our
Lord:
% blessed are thou. Simon Bar
iona, because flesh and blood hath not
revealed it to thee. but My Father
Who is in heaven. And I say to thee
that thou are Peter Irock], and upon
this rock L will build My Church, and
the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it, Matt. xvi, 1919
CD To Peter was promised the pow
ct of the keys. And 1 will give to
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:
whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall
be bound also in heaven, and whatever
thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed also in heaven" (Matt. xvi, 49,
80 St. Peter is charged and empow-
cred to feed the entire flock of Christ
For after His resurrection Christ COM
manded him: Feed My lambs; feed
My sheep" John xxi, 15-17)
These words from the mouth of our
Savior, commented on more Iengthily
in the Star of January 8. give, indeed,
to St. Peter extraordinary power and
privileges. which exclude the possibility
of any usurpation. This has been ac-
knowledged and recognized all over the
Christian world to the fifth century.
If you had studied the Fathers of the
Church you would have met with
proverbial expressions as this: ''Ubi
Petrus ibi Ecclesia,' - Roma Iocuta res
finita,'' but you do not profess any
patristic learning.
Now comes the separation of the ORR
entail Church. Where is the Spirit of
God at this occasion and where the
power of hell working? You may
choose as You please; for myself stick
to the one whose title is proved by the
plain words of our Lord and protected
forever by the promise that over the
Church built on him as a foundation
stone, the power of hell shall not pre-
vail.
If you prefer to admit that the spirit
of God went over from the universal
to the then new, national, Greek or
Oriental church, you assume the obli-
cation of furnishing unequivocal proof
to this effect, because melior est con-
ditto possidentis- The new conner on
any premises has to show a title of
more value if he will drive out a for
mer occupant. And remember no mere
inferential guesses are accepted.
After the separation of the Oriental
church, that of Rome continued its
mission; the Pope as supreme pastor
feeding sheep and lambs, l. e, the
whole flock, with unquestioned author
ity to the XVIII century. In espous-
ing their cause it is your obligation
to prove the right of rebellion of the
founders of Professionalism against the