The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-02-03
PEOPLES PULPIT.
Mass Meeting No. 3
CHURCH FEDERATION
Counting the Cost
What Episcopalians, Catholics and
Lutherans Must Surrender.

would urge Christians of the other de-
nominations, especially the clergy, to
consider the advantage which would
accrue to the Federation by having all
Protestant ministers accept their ordi-
nation. They do not claim that 1t
would make them wiser or better men,
nor more efficient teachers, either of
truth or error. But they do claim that
1t would give them an authority in the
eyes of the people and give color and
reasonableness to the Federation of
many churches with discordant creeds
posing as one church in the Fedora
ton arrangement.
The argument is, 1.-THE common peo-
pie, the laity," are disposed more
than ever to think for themselves on
religious subjects and to study the
Bible for themselves. If, therefore,
as ministers. you desire to hold the
people in check so that they shall not
think for themselves you would do
well to concede the claim of apostolic
succession-that no one is permitted
to interpret or teach the Bible except
those who have received apostolic
benediction. 1t was disregard of this
claim of apostolic benediction which
led to freedom of thought on religious
subjects and ultimately led to the for
nation of the various sects. You
should now seek to restrict further in
vestigation of the Bible and further
Interpretation of it by accepting our
theory, by permitting us to grant you
recognition in some simple form of the
rights of apostolic authority through
our bishops. If you do not do SO you
will more and more lose your hold on
the people, for we are coming more
and more to time of individual
thought on every topic.
The Scriptures intimate that this
argument will ultimately prevail and
great Protestant denominations be
thus vitalized and in cooperation
with Catholicism, for short while
dominate Christendom socially and
politically, crushing out individual
thought and negativing and blacklist
ing all religious teachers outside the
.
From this standpoint the Episcopal
system will lose nothing, but even be
a gamer of prestige through the Fed
Grafton.
What Catholics Would Surrender.
For Catholics to join the Federation
would signify the surrender of a great
deal, and yet, in the light of the Twen-
tieth Century, surely much could be
surrendered without any sacrifice of
manhood-merely with the sacrifice OF
little pride. For the Church at Rome
to fcderate with the Protestant
Churches would mean that they ceas
ed to protest and that she relinquished
her peculiar claims:
Cd That she alone is the Church OF
Christ and has authority to instruct;
CO That she is more than a Church
or prospective Kingdom-that to hel
has been committed by God the ruler
ship of the world in respect to all mat
ters temporal and spiritual, hence tha
I she is the reigning Kingdom of God.
CD That her Pope is the authorized
J
commissioned of God to fulfill all th'
prophecies of the Scriptures respecting
the reign of Christ, his AIillennia
Kingdom, etc. This claim of Papac.
! that the Pope's reign is de fdctO TIL
reign of Christ is expressed in th,
declaration that he is the rice-gercnt o
Christine one reigning instead o
Christ.
a. The doctrine of trans-substantia
tion-that by the blessing of prizes
the ordinary bread and wine are trans
muted into the actual soul of Christ
(his flesh and his blood for sacridc
afresh in each celebration of the Mas;
i Whatever may have been true in tn
remote past, assuredly our Catholl
friends can no longer claim that al
the purity, all the faithfulness to God
all the sanctity of life amongst be
levers in Christ are to be found il
her communion. st. Paul declares, Il
any man have not the Spirit of Chris
he is none of his" Surely all Chris
tians admit this standard and the con
rectness of the Apostles teaching
Hence the ignoring and setting asid
of all creeds and barriers which hay
heretofore hindered the Unity of til
Church Of Christ might be possible
Thus the first Catholic objection nigh
easily be removed in favor of Federa
ton, or, still better, in favor of Uniol
AS our Episcopalian friends fail
prove that the apostolic succession I
ordination gave either greater wisdoi
or more grace to their clergy than {
} other ministers of the Gospel, NIGH
not our Catholic friends reasonabl
admit the same?
The second claim that Papacy
, Gods Kingdom, that the Popes reig
: successfully as Christs Nicegeren
should not be difficult for Catholics O
our day to lay aside. However strong
ly it was held in the dark past it
! surely little appreciated by Catholic
today. No longer do the Popes dom
, nate the civil rulers of Christendon
And no longer do the people conslde
! 1t wise that they should do so. Nor
and more the masses appreciate til
; fact that the original kingdom of cart
! was given to father Adam and tia
. mankind as his children are the ma
3 ural heirs of the Inheritance MOI
] and more the people are disposed
r consider popes. cZars. emperors an
7 kings as merely figure heads. withol
- ------------------