Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-02-01

pectiye kingdom-that TO her has been committed
10y God the rulership of the world In respect
10 all matters temporal and spiritual hence that
she is the reigning Kingdom Of God
81 That her pope is the authorized represent
alive Of Christ's anointed and commissioned OF
God to fulfill all tine prophecies of the scrip
lures respecting the reign of Christ HIS miller
NAL kingdom, etc. This claim OF papacy that
the pC9es reign il de facto the reign OF Christ
f. expressed in the declaration that he is the
viee-gerent Of Christine one reignlng instead
s(4j Thc doctrine Of trans -substsntiatiOn-that
by the blessing Of priest the ordinary bread
and wine are transmitted into the actual soul
of Christ CHis flesh and His blood for sacrifice
afresh in each celebration of the mass.
Whatever may haze been true In the remote
past assmedly Catholic friends can NJ
longer claim that all the purity, all the ialtl-
fulncss-to God. all the sanctity OF life amongst
believers in ChEst are to be found In her COM
nunon. 81. Paul declares, IF any man nave
not the Spirit of Christ he is none Of His -
Surely all Christians admit this standard aud
the correctness of the apostles teaching. Hence
the ignoring aud setting aside of all creeds
and barriers which have heretofore hindered
the unity OF the cuurch of Christ might De
possible Thus the first CaunOlic objection might
easily be removed in favor OF federation. or,
still better. in favor OF union. As our Epls-
cOaalian friends tail 10 prove that the apostolic
succession 20 ordination gave elmer greater
wisdom or more grace to their clergy than 10
other ministers OF the gospel, might not ouf
Catholic friends REASONABLY admit the same
Zee second claim that papacy Is Gods king
dom, that the Popes reign successfully AS
Christ's vice regent, should not be dirflcuit
Catholics OF day TO lay aside now
ever strcngly it, was held in the dark past
il l. surely little appreciated by Catholics tc-
daS. No longer do ale popes dominate the clTll
rulers OF ChristendOm. And no longer do the
More and more the masses appreciate the fact
that the original kingdom of earth was given
to father Adam and that mankind as MS eh'i-
dr-n are the natural heirs Of the inheritance
aAIore and more the people are disposed TO con
sideTs poles. cZars, emf errors aud kings as mere
y figure-heads. without any real title or au-
I heaven
pesQle. More and more the masses demand e0I-
grssses, pariiaments. ieichstaehs and doumds
And mo-e and more do they demand that these
shall reflect the sentiments OF the people IN
civil and religious matters. The day OF DARK
ness and Ignorance In which the people .belleVe9
I that pOpes and kings were Divlnely appointed
10 rule them with Divine authority has gone
By General intelligence has taught mankind
that il + a mistake to suppose that one toll
pointed 10 wipe another Divinely appointed king
and kingdom bff the face OF the earth. Hence
pOpes and kings now admit that they reign by
q popular sufferdnce, and their appeals Tor
money. for armies and navies, Is no longe: on
the score that they we're Divinely Instructed
10 "hliterste each other, but on the score Of
1hIs claim. however. wholly destroys the ar
suanent tnat we nOw or ever In the past
huve been Under Clirists kingdom. either direct
oT through the popes. Neither now nor at airy
other time Ia the worlds history has there been
n reign Of righteousness ucn rs the Scriptures
declale ChFist's Kingdom shall be- May we
not. then. with good grsce-Catholics and Prot
cStaI tS-admit that neither cur Catholic popes
emperors ami kings, noI our Protestant kings,
cmIerors and heads Of churches are reigning
with a5iy Divine authority manifest TO human
judgment. Let Us humby admit the nonsense OF
the legends ON cur coins, Catholic and Protest
ant. 20 thu effect that kings and popes reign
by the grace Of Colby Divine appointment.
Let rs rather say that they came into power
( through the exercise OF brute force and in a
time. OF common public ignorance. Nor by this
to We mean any disrUSpoct 10 the governments
90 sDday-rather have shown that today the
rUrIle are ruling through their congresses, pa
hnrcents. rcicistags, etc, and that the kings
AMI enuerorS are mere figureheads Of pOwCr,
more less useful and dependent upon the good
VIII ~ their people.
II il be asked how we shall account for the
period Of the dark ages and autOcratic and
10 the apostles words. lie declares that Satan
IS the gOd ruler OF this world who now
OOperatcs through the dsobedient-through those
5 not i'm. harmony with God, who constitute the
vast mGjority in Christendom and elsewhere. And
remind you that our Lord Jesus also spoke
Of Satan as being the prince of this world OF
age. John 1881 And Of himself as the
I Prince or Ruler OF the coming age, the mil
( lennlal nge.-John 1855.
/ All. yes: the sooner both Catholics and Protest
ants admit what they and all the world now
SEQ. the better-namely. that for a long time
OCr great adversary held US in bondage of
ignorance and superstition. in getting free from
which many bright minds have reacted towards
infidelty, because they did not see that many
q the teachings Of the past. both Catholic and
/ Protestant were not only irrational but most
/ positively unscripturaI teachings Of men. and
J - ST Paul declared doctrines Of demons =
: 1 Tim 81.
! NOT vICE-REGENT CHRIST.
/ In view Of the foregoing-in view of the fact
/ that the divine titles of all kings aud emperors
are now abrogated. papacy need feel no special
| disgrace TO her cause in similarly abrogdting
! the elsim that the pOpes reign as representa-
I tives Of Christ or have authority so TO do In
I deed such claim is safely denied than
| held. for in the light Of day papacy's best
friends cannot look into the past and point with
pride 10 any achievements properly represents
. ing the reign Of the Prince pf Peace-Immanue
! In tie light of the present all Of Gods people,
/ Catholics and PrOtcstants of every shade. should
rejoice TO join in the Lords prayer-''Thy king
I dom come; thy viii be done earth ID Is
done I'm heaven Surely this is what all saints
OF all denominations should desire and pray for
and labor for.
Not that we can hope to bring it to pass OF
ourselves, however. Nearly nineteen centuries
OF efforts show to the contrary. Even our last
century OF great missionary endeavOr. Catholic
and Protestant. proves this. United States sta
tistics show that in the year 1900 there were
GO 000 90 Of heathens. and that I'm the year 1900
their numbers had doubed-there were LOO
loo Of heathens. While continuing our ex.
ertions behalf Of the heathens abroad and
at home. let tie faith to the apostles
words and wait for Gods Son from heaven. -
Z a Thess.. I:10.l
fication Of His church. Ills elect" Ills
. saints gathered from all denominations. Cath
ole and Protestant land some from outside OF
all Of theml-only then will the glorious reign
Of Christ and the church begin. Only then will
the spiritual seed of Abraham be complete and
4 the work Of blessing the unregenerste world be-.
gin-the millennial Kingdom work--the overthrow
Of Satan and his empire-the scattering of dark
ness. ignorance and superstition which he fos
tered-the flooding OF the earth with the light
/ Of the knowledge Of the glory ~ God-the res
= tora tion Of natural Israel 20 divine favor-the
bringing Of everlasting righteousness through a
mental. physical and moral uplift. Whosoever
! then shall refuse all those blessings and privi-
I legss viii be destroyed from amongst the PEG
pie Thus eventually I'm the close Of the mil.
lcnuium Gcl's will shall be done on earth even
= IL f. dsUe in heaveh''-as fully, as complete
/ y. This is the Kingdom Of Gods dear Son
for which We wait and pray. And however good
or bad other kingdoms temporal or spiritual,