The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-02-05

decllne TO be parties tC the federation
unless their special claim be in some
sense or degree recognized. Pride says
1T would never do to retract now all
that the denomination has stood for
| in separation for centuries. They
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 it
would make them wiser or better men,
nor more efficient teachers, either of
| truth or error. But they do claim that
| it 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 federation
arrangement.
The argument is, 1.-THE common peo-
| pie. the laitv," are disposed more
than ever to think for themselves on
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 consider the claim of apostolic
Esuccess1on-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 seets. 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
1 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 tc time of individual
fhO11Uhf fnnir
The scriptures intimate that this
argument will ultimately prevail and
great Protestant denominations be
thus vitalized and in cooperation
dominate Christendom socially and
politically crushing out individual
thought and negativing and blacklist
ing all religi JUS teachers outside the
federation and its Catholic ally:
From this standpoint the Episcopal
system will lose nothing, but even be
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 TWEEN
tieth century, surely much could be
surrendered without much sacrifice of
manhood-merely with the sacrifice of
little pride For the church at Rome
| to federate with the Protestant
WOuQ IlOdA that lAiCy CCcoOo
to protest and that she relinquished
her peculiar claims:
Cd That she alone is the church of
| Christ and has authority to instruct.
ca That she is more than church
or prospective kingdonl-that to her
has been committed by God the ruler
| ship of the world in respect to all mat
| tiers temporal and spiritual, hence that
| she is the reiening kingdom of God.
CD That her pope is the authorized
representative of Christ, anointed and
commissioned of God to fulfill all the
prophecies of the scriptures respect
| ing the reign of Christ. his miilennial
| Kingdom, etc This claim of papacy
that the pope's reign is de faeto the
reign of Christ Is expressed in the
| declaration that he is the vice gerent
| of Christ-the one reigning instead of
Christ.
Cd The doctrine of transubstantia-
tion-that by the blessing of a priest
| the ordinary bread and wine are trans
| muted into the actual soul of Christ
| (his flesh and his blood) for the sacri-
| fee afresh in each celebration of the
mass.
| Whatever may have been true in the
| remote past. assured1y our Catholic
| friends can no longer claim that all
/ the purity, all the truthfulness to God,
all the sanctity of life amongst be-
| levers in Christ are to be found in
| her communion. St. Paul declares, eff
any man have not the Spirit of Christ
| he is none of his Surely all Chris
| tians admit this standard and the COR
rectness of the apostles teaching.
/ Hence the ignoring and setting aside
of all creeds and barriers which have
| heretofore h;ndered the Unity of the
Church CT Christ might be possible.
Thus the first Catholic objection might
easily be removed in favor of fedora
] ton, or still better, in favor of union.
AS our Episcopalian friends fail to
prove that the apostolic succession to
ordination gave either greater wisdom
or more grace to their clergy than to
other ministers of the gospel, might
not our Catholic friends reasonably
admit the same?
The seconfs claim that papacy is
Gods kingdom, that the popes reign
successfully as Christ's vice-gerent,
should not be difficult for Catholics of
our day to lay aside. However strong
" it was held in the dark past 1t is