The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-04-11

Pope That there a human element III scrip
ture as there was human element IN EccieslaS
teal Tradition, a fact evaded by the REFORM
ers Who reduced the several contributors TO the
Bible to mere formal instruments used by the holy
Spirit to convey His message to mankind by
placing the Church and the Bible in antagonlsm'
the English Protestants dealt Christianity severer
blow than it had received fro mthe fury of heather
persecution and the insidiousness of former here
sizes.
Professionalism in its conflict with Rome cast
the whole burden of the proof of Christianity on
the Scriptures, insisting on it so loudly and 50
long that the opinion became thoroughly en-
grated on popular sentiment that Christianity
rested its claim on the Bible, unsupported by au-
thority and explained by the individual.
Again. the Reformers gave justification by
Faith Specification it had before borne. At
one fell swoop they abolished the sacramental sys
TEN and substituted for it a system of their own'
opposing the method of sanctifying peculiar to ST.
Paul and the Faith of Christians. After a rest
from the conflict of the Reformation and the heat
of battle, the same causes which produced the re-
volt and irreligious upheava began to operate once
more That Private Judgment which Professionalism
and is now engaged in demolishing its ancient
ally.
After 800 years of repose minds have reawak-
ened to the momentous character of the struggle.
The new elements and the yeast introduced at the
Reformation have had time to work. the positions
carried have been cleared of the dust and smoke of
battle, and the havoc wrought is being exposed. 1t
has now become evident that Professionalism took
its stand on ground logically untenabe. The Bible,
on which, unsubstantiated by authority, Protest
antism took up its position, is book composed of
sixty-six compositions of various dates. by nearly
forty different authors written in two three
languages. These compositions are of varied
character, historical legislative poetic and didac.
Why, it is now being asked by English thinkers,
does our religion or Professionalism claim inspiration
for only sixty-six books and not for seventy! Why
does it accept as canoncal certain books when
criticism rejects! Why, for instance. does it
knowledge the "Epistle to the Hebrews as divine
ly inspired, and refuse to accept the "Epistle of
Saint CLEMENT" On what authority does it claim
inspiration for Solomon's "CantcIen and refuse
it to the Book of Wisdom." Why does it quote
the Epistles of Saint Paul as canoncal and re-
iect the EpistIes of his fellow laborer Saint Bar
nal : To these questions Professionalism has alb
sou, ~ no answer to make.
The fact is. the Professionalism of the Reforma-
ton is dead Early in the last century Charles
" almesley, the author of curious life of Luther
limited the life of the Reformation to three centu-
'ies and half. In this country discussion on the
religious Revolt of the Sixteenth Century has
ceased to be active factor in controversy. 1t is
coming to this-that between the postivism of the
catholic Church and the negation of the Super
natural, there will soon be no neutral territory.
All the same. Father ODonovan has given very
eadable book. and the mechanical work done by the
}enzigers is credit to their firm,
HOME RULE.