The Penn's Grove record., 1922-02-17
RELIGION OF DEMOCRACY
The Christian Church Founded on
Peters Confession, Not on Peter
The Bible The Sole Standard of Faith
and Morals

IN IHe duJOitluR dItlClt Ol bHe COiO
nation of the Pope it will be seen that
the Italians and Austrians who have
comprised a majority of the Roman
Catholic bishops and cardinals for
centuries held councils and issued
ukases which all the adherents of the
Roman Catholic Church were compell-
ed to obey turnout the world. The
common people had no say and the
Bishops of other countries little say.
Many Churchmen have held councils
in Germany and protested against
the claim that they should obey the
Pope's DEGREES, because they were too
expensive and had no foundation In
the Bible. Martin Luther was their
most famous leader.
Churchmen in other countries liz
the same and others had the same
right. For France and Switzerland
read in encyclopedias about John Cal
win. 10
In Great Britain the most famous
Church council was the Westminster
Assembly, in London, from 1913 to
1854. July 1, 1913, the Long Parlla-
ment appointed the Westminster As
sembly which had a personnel of l2O
Divines, 10 Lords and 20 Commoners.
They were from England, Scotland,
Ireland, Wales. You see the common
people were represented and haG a
vote. The divines did not wear the
long black gown and cap, but black
cloth coats more like citizens. Their
most fundamental resolution was to
declare the Bible the only source of
religion and the sole standard of
faith and moral conduct.
1.-THE Holy Scriptures are the Word
of. God and the only rule of knowing
him savingly and living unto him in
all holiness and living in the holiness
of righteousness"
The Westminster Assembly formu-
lated and emphasized the doctrine that
all men stand with God in equal
rights; that God alone is Lord of the
conscience mot the priest, bishop nor
pope) and the Church has nj power
either to ave or to damn. They claim
the right of private judgment and
held for the personal relationship be-
tween Christ and the individual-no
priest, bishop nor pope needed as a
mediator.
st. Paul wrote to Timothy, 2:5:
""There is one God, and one media
tor between God and men, the man
Christ JeSuS.
No hierarchy at big expense to sup
port was recognized. The Importance
of worship was emphasized, claiming
that, worship was the vital thing with
repentance, cody sorry for sin, and
not paying penance, temporal punish
ment by paying money to the priest,
bishop and pope for ~absolution.
The form of worship was of no vital
importance.
All catechisms of Protestant
Churches contain Scripture proofs of
doctrines believed in.
Peters Confession, Not Peter
Matthew 16, 1928, is in part as
follows: Jesus asked his disciples:
Whom do you say the Son of Man is =?
Peter said: Thou are Christ the Son
of the Living God. Jesus said: Flesh
and blood hath not revealed it to thee,
but my Father ii heaven. Thou are
Peter, and upon this rock | will build
my Church, and l will give to thee
the keys of heaven.
The Greek word for Peter is petros,
a piece of work, cut out of a large
quarry. He said thou art Peter-or a
stone-and upon this rock-thy on
fession that Jesus was the Christ.
Peter became part of Crock of Ages
which cleft for me-"
Nowhere in the Bible is found that
Peter overestimated his Importance
prerogatives-as a pope. 1t was nan
ufactured from traditions. Nowhere
in the Bible is found that Peter was
in Rome, was a pope and was cruel
fed with his head downward.
In | Peter "a we read, "To whom
coming, a living stone, disallowed in
deed by men, but with God, elect,
precious, We yourselves, as living
stones are built up a spiritual house."
All Christians become a part of that
rock like Peter of which Christ being
the chief cornerstone. Ephesians 2:20.
The Church Consists of Christian
Believers
Not Pope and Hierarchy
Martin Luther defined the Church
as follows:
81 believe there is on earth through
the whole wide world no more than
one holy, common Christian Church,
which is nothing else than a congre-
cation or assembly of saints, that is,
the pious, believing men on earth,
{ who are gathered, preserved and
ruled by the Holy Spirit and daily in
creased by means of the sacraments