Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1914-05-18
FATHER HARNEY
ENDS LECTURES
Throng Attends Final Service
for Non-Catholics at Lo-
cal Edifice.

St. Bridget's Church, Plane street,
was thronged to the doors last night
at the closing exercises of the non
Catholic mission, given by Rev. john
B. Harney, c. S. p.
Father Harney leetured on Why
I Am a Catholic" The priest said i'll
part:
MY purpose this evening is to
state side by side some basic prin-
ciples of Professionalism and Catho-
licity and to examine them in the
light of both reason and scripture.
To my first question, a most neees-
sary and important one, What are
the means provided by our Lord TO
make His gospel known to men;
what Ia the last and supreme court
on earth for the deciding of religious
questions Professionalism gives me
the answer that our Lord intended
to teach men by means OF holy
book. This book was to be the sole
authority in matters of religion. Its
decisions were to be given and the
truth learned, not through diYinely
constituted court made up of special
ly chosen and authorized men, but by
each and every man through his own
study, prayer and Interpretation. so
far as the value and authority of the
Bible Is concerned, there is almost
perftct unity between Catholic faith
and the best Protestant thought, but
there the harmony comes TO an alb
rupt end.
"The Protestant affirms that Christ
has not appointed any authoritative
court for the Interpretation of His
scriptures, the Catholic asserts that
our Lord established church for
that very purpose, endowing 1t not
only with authority. but also with in
fallibility. The Protestant atfirms
again that each and every man has
the God-given right to interpret the
Bible for himself; and the God-given
power of laying hold on the truth it
contains; the Catholic unhesitatingly
denies both assertions.
Methods of Christ.
Our Lord Himself, as we all know,
preached His gospel only within the
narrow limits of a small State and
for only a few short years. II was,
however, His will that what He
taught should be made known to all
the nations of the earth, through all
ages until the contamination. Neither
time nor space were to raise eftectual
barriers between His revelations and
the souls of men, Before His de-
parture from the world, He would
provide wisely, efficaciously for the
continuation of His work.
What will He give? 1 ask. Pro-
testantism, in reply, affirms once
more its fundamental principles-'the
Bible and the Bible alone'-'the divine
right of private Interpretation
Reason, looking carefully at the
mighty throng for which Jesus Is
about to provide, asserts that He does
not intend to teach the people in this
way, for the vast majority of that
crowd is made up of those who have
no Bibles to study; who are unable to
read; who have neither time, educa-
ton, nor ability sufficient TO read and
understand.
Reason asserts again that private
Interpretation of the Scriptures was
not in the divine plan, the final, de-
cisive way of teaching revealed truth,
for that method has utterly and
wretchedly failed to bring about the
unity of faith for which He prayed;
it has produced, on the contrary, dis
sension, doubt, indifference, infidelity
rs there, then, on earth, a supreme
court established by our Lord for the
deciding of religious questions? A
court to whose judgment we must all
submit? Reason answers, 'Yes! 1t
tells me that Christ was not less wise
than the founders of our government.
You remember how, when l ques-
toned the Protestant as to the means
Christ was going to give His people
for their instruction in the gospel, he
replied: The Bible, and nothing but
the Bible That the holy book records
something very different. Calling to-
gether the twelve Apostles. He gave
them power and authority, and He
sent them to preach the Kingdom of
God. And Jesus coming, spoke to
them, saying: All power is given to
Me in heaven and on earth. Going,
therefore, teach ye all nations. teach
ing them to observe all things what
so ever I have commanded you The
things that thou hast heard of Ne
by many witnesses, the same COM
mend to faithful men, who shall be
fit to teach others
when I asked him how men were
to find out the meaning of the Bible,
ne told me that each and every man
had from God the right to interpret
the Scriptures for himself, and could
in that manner learn its true
/ teaching.
Holy Writ does not agree with
| him: It tells me that no prophecy
of Scripture is of private interpreta-
ton. 1t tells me that in st. Paurs
/ apiS+Ies. Are manv things hard to