The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-01-31
A LATTER DAY SAINT TO
THE REV. FATHER BEISSEL
The Catholic Champion Replies to MIR. Doves
Sidelights on lnfallibility---Mrs. Prescott
in the Lists.
Rev. James C. Beissel.

you apparently consider your own YER
sion TO be the conclusion of the matter.
Permit me to state few reasons why
must dissent from your learned opin-
ions
In my fourth question L asked, in
substance, if a church today without
Apostles would be pleasing to the
Interchangeable God who anciently was
pleased to appoint a quorum of twelve
Apostles in His church,
Your answer to that question was:
Stood did not change by creating IN
the beginning, nor when He made men,
nor when they die, nor even when He
created and called Apostles, never mind
their number"
j infer from this answer that you
were seeking to show justification for
the absence of the apostolic office from
the Roman Catholic church; your in
tention being, apparently, to convey
the impression that God was respon-
sible for the creation of the Office of
oyerseer or superintendent, commonly
called bishop, as a substitute for the
apostolic Office; and that His attitude
in the creation of this new order of
things did not initiate against His
attribute of uncflangeability. Now, I do
not say that either Solomon or you
are wrong; but you have both reached
different conclusions on this subject.
The former in the third chapter of Ee-
clesiastes, verses Il and 10 says: q
know that whatsoever God doeth, it
shall be forever; nothing can be put
TO II nor anything taken from it: and
God doeth it that men should fear
before Him. That which hath been is
already been: and God requireth that
which is past - The Bible distinctly
says that GOD set Apostles in His
church; and that He set them there
for specific purpose, viz: 'HFor the
perfeeting of the saints for the work
of the ministry, for the edifying of
the body of Christ: till we all come in
the unity of the faith, and of the |
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a |
perfect man, unto the measure of the |
stature of the fullness of Christ
Until that work has been fully ae-
eomplished there is No warrant or
justification for the abolition of the
apostolic Office The limitation placed /
upon that Office by the Catholic Church !
and the substitution of that of bishop, /
together with the introduction of the /
Offices of pope, cardinal and archbishop !
constitute n change in the organiza-
ton that obtained in the early ex
istenee of the church. It amounts TO
q rejection of the divine pattern given
At that time and the substitution of
human appointments The quorum of
Apostles consisted of twelve members
although not limited TO any particular
set of men, as others were called from
time to time to fill vacancies occurring
by transgression or death Christ chose
twelve Apostles mot thirteen) for the
|
he commissioned them When Judas
fell by transgression and destroyed
himself, it left an incomplete quorum
which had to be filed by one of two
candidates, Joseph and Matthias. Mat !
thias was CHOSEN; but as both were
would it not have been cor !
rect procedure to have elected both If {
the quorum was not limited TO the
strict number Of twelvef 6
In reading the 18th chapter OF The {
Acts I discover that Herod killed with {
the sword, James, the brother of John, :
who was one of the Apostles. In the I
following chapter I read that IN the v
church at Antioch the Holy Ghost
said: ''Separate NE Barnabas and !
Saul for the work whereunto l have s
called them - These men we're forth |
with ordained 10 their respective Of :
fees, and although there Is no refer O
snee TO what these offices were, there h
is nothing elsewhere TO prove that Paul :,
was ever ordained TO the Office of :
Apostle al a period anterior to the 3
Heath of James. 1t may be true that L
he name Apostles" means, ines =
'engers" just as the word Gospel q
means good news; but it does not D
follow that all good news =
; the Gospel" or that every mes ir
enger is an Apostle P
You charge that have 'uniawfully =,
my own opinions into the es
scripture by making distinctions and b
which 1t does not positi We -
give How about the introduction
title by little by your church of the NJ
tile OF overseer or superintendent in -
tesd OF that Of Apostle, this name -
eng applied to those who you claim u
We're no longer sent as the first lot ri
Tas, by Jesus in uersouf'S Matthias q