The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-10-10

4
hours. At times the hot flush of ex-
element swept over our faces. The
respective merits of our religious con-
captions were marshaled-much as
generals wage war. To casual OBJ
server, it might appear that there was
preponderance of evidence on both
sides. fear l became little too
impatient. AS far as know the mat
ter ended in smoke.
In desperation, l became somewhat
aggressive. Abbreviated, my talk was
something like this: do you believe
there is a God?" yes" "Jehovah?"
| Yes" DO you really believe that
this God has made any revelation to
man." yes" do you really believe
that God is the protector of the Chris
tian church," YES" and "No."
Nov what do you mean by that?"
l queried. "Why, God founded a re-
Hgion and not church." I'm glad
you said founded it gives me some
! thing to build upon; then, how many
religions did God found?" "One."
"One! Then that must have been the
Jewish, for you cannot deny the
Jewish priesthood was directly insti-
tuted by God?" eve are not talk
ing about the Jewish; we are talk
ing about the Christian religion"
agreeable conclusion, that the mission
and person of Christ was Divine. i. e.
He was "of the substance of the
Father" and that He came, taking
upon Himself our human nature in
order to accomplish the salvation of
mankind; through the Atonement-
Redemption and sanctifcation of men,
But, we could not agree as to the
means established by Jesus-True
God, True Man-for the contamination
of His work.
Continuing, I said: "Then you
protector of the Christian church,"
| NO"
Excuse my intense manner; but,
fear you are not in good faith. So,
then, the New Testament account of
the rise of the Christian church is
fabrication?"
Nothing in the Bible is false. God
founded Religion not a Church"
Nov! Say yes or no. Do you be-
lieve that Jesus Christ founded a
church? My Church as he termed
| it,"
eyes, but not the way you look at
! it. You don't seem to comprehend
what His viewpoint was. Jesus never
founded brick and mortar arrange
ment; His is a spiritual Kingdom and
within the hearts of men,"
Il am quite willing to admit that
| His teachings have conquered the
hearts of men; but, you said He found
ed a church; and if you will read
carefully st. Pauls advice to Timothy
and Titus, | believe you will agree
with me, that it was an organic in
stitution that they belonged to- OF
course, | presume, your intuition as to
what viewpoint Christ had, when he
uttered the memorable words of in
stitution, recorded in Matthew 28:18
cannot be accepted as certainty any
moro than the dreams of such vi
sionaries as Smith, Southcott, Lee,
Yardley, Eddy, Miller, Brown, Sweden
borg, Irving, Fox, or your own Yves
| ley; or a hundred others that | could
name"
You are a cynic," was his tart
reply.
Pardon me, if have said anything
amiss; but, to me it is very plain
that it was the intention of the Christ
to establish a means to an end; or,
medium of conveying to the hearts
of unborn men His doctrines with
certainty, and teach what He COM
manded, as necessary condition, if
they desired to enjoy the fruits of
His redemption, and the instrument
He chose to form to convey His gifts
to mankind, was of an unfailing Gin
fallible character"
81 can hardly imagine an All-Wise
God providing a fallible guide; and
Gods method was to deliver His gifts
to men through man (Matthew 16: 18)
an ever living voice in perpetuity,-
all days-through one Church, one
Lord, one Faith, one baptism for the
remission of sin"
That's all very good; but, | cannot
see why you people should interpret
one part of Scripture literally, and
another part vaguely; and then con-
denim in us what you yourselves do. .
Nov! ! must retort; you don't
seem to understand the viewpoint that
l thought l had explained, viz: that
the church, being Gods foundation is
the only reliable judge in such mat
tiers; an infallible guide. This should
be plain to you, as sectarians can
hardly agree on anything, even bap-
tism. Do you feel that God has given
you prerogatiye on the interpreta-
ton of the Biblical Writings?" NO"
But you do think that Christ left
only a chimera upon which you should
build a precious something, called
faith. Christ's foundation is ambigu-
GUS if your idea is right: for no sane
man can hold that Quakers and
Baptists; Swedenborgians and Nor
mons; Adyentists and Episcopalians;
Unitarians and Trinitarians; Trac-
tarians and Methodists; Rollers and
| Jumpers, ct al, ct. al, hold one faith
Except on one thing-they are Prot
estants'
Il said | doubted your faith" With
II