The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-06-13

AaAsN& RQssELp said:- =,
49, - I, Some of my
Catholic friends declare that I am
more Catholic than Protestant, but 1
have never acknowledged this. l do
say however,. that If compelled to
choose between the Protestant thought
that all except the elect, sanity few
will experience eternal torment. and
the Catholic proposition that many
besides the saints will be saved, by
passing through purgatoriai expe-
riences, would sooner believe the
latter And while I cannot accept the
Catholic Purgatory as Biblical, I do
find certain threads of Bible truth in
the purgatorial theory. can even fan
cy how those Bible truths gradually be.
came distorted during the many cen.
turtles styled "The Dark Ages
- During that time, not. only were the
common people illiteFate but printing
had not been invented, and Bibles were
costly. That. was the period dur
ing which Councils Of bishops from
time to time met and decided for the
people what should and what should
not be believed. In other words, they
formulated the creeds. We do not
question the sincerity Of those spirit
ual leaders Of the darker days. but we
do challenge their conclusions and,
comparing them with the Bible now
In the hands Of the masses, we know,
accepting the Bible as true, that we
must necessarily condemn many of
their conclusions as false, and when
we speak Of the Bible, we include the
Catholic as well as the. Protestant
TRANSACTIONS Of It In various languages.
-, The Voice Of tho Church:
Many, both Catholics and Protest.
ants, tell us that we should receive the
message of Councils-the creeds which
they formulated-as Of equal inspira-
ton with the Bible because, say they,
these Councils were composed Of Dish.
ops of the Church and, under the law
or Apostolic succession, these bishops
had equal authority with and Divine
inspiration equal to the twelve Apos-
ties. Hence the theory says that if
any conflict exists between the Bible
and the creeds the latter should have
the greater weight in our minds, as
being later production.
From this I dissent, and am glad to
note that I am in better accord with
the views Of the present Pope, Plus x,
whose recent proclamation urges upon
all Catholics loyalty to the Bible and
Its study. If all Christians. Catholics
as well as Protestants, would accept
this suggestion, / believe that the re-
sultant, untrammeled study would soon
bring to Chlistendom in general the
one unity and harmony which all de,
sire and are striving for
, Whatever the Pope may have once
believed respecting the doctrine of
Apostolic succession, and the equal In
SEPARATION OF the bishops Of today with
the twelve Apostles appointed by our
Lord, he sees that the people have not
full confidence that the living bishops
are Inspired to the degree Of infallibili-
ty, as were the twelve Apostles And
I would say that to my understanding
this Is. the right thought. The Scrip
lures everywhere recognize the twelve
Apostles Of the Lamb--no more, no
less. They recognize the fall Of one Of
these, and that another took his place
st. Paul. But there were to be no
more additions.
The choice Of Matthias by the Apos-
ties, before they themselves received
the Holy Spirit, was invalid and with
out authority. Jesus, In His last mes
snge to the Church, pictured her as q
woman" having "a crown Of twelve
stars" And again He symbolically
represents her future glory IS the New
Jerusalem with but twelve foundation
stones, and in those the names Of the
twelve Apostles Of the Lamb--no more.
The more thoroughly this Scriptural
fact Is dscerned the more surely will
Gods people turn reverentially to the
inspired words and interpretations Of
the Divinely appointed Twelve, re-
Hpecting whose teachings Jesus said,
Whatsoever We shall bind on earth
Gas necessary, obligatory will be the
same that are bound in heaven. And
whatsoever We shall loose on earth las
not necessary shall be the same that
are loosed in heaven" No other teach
ers In the worlds history were so thor
oughly set apart to be the oracles of
God; and their testimony is one-har-
monious.
IT, Not Present but Future,
We remarked a moment ago that