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Show I. Kburcb and. tu Mhte. I I Early Christians Knew Religion Long Before I the New Testament Was Written. - ' - ( (Written for Intermountain Catholic.) The Catholic Church has always taught that the Bible, which is the inspired and authoritative word of God. is not the Church's constitution or charter, because as a corporate body her existence is prior to the Scriptures of the New Testament: The Christian religion existed in all its plentitude before the first line of the New Testament was written. It is historically his-torically certain that the apostolk Church, commissioned to teach, baptize bap-tize and save swuls, had entered or its misRionlong before the New Testament Testa-ment wan written. It is equally certain cer-tain that the books composing the New Testament were addressed to the Church already existing. All the epis-ties epis-ties of St Paul were addressed to Christian churches which had received the faith from those divinely commissioned commis-sioned by Christ In person to teach. The Church, then, was not founded on the Scriptures, did not receive her charter from the Bible, but was Rinded Rind-ed immediately by tne Savior, ho save her commission and author ty through the apostles, and which m to remain with her all days to the consummation of the world. Without her prior: existence, divine authority and official teaching the Scriptures wculd be valueless for the propagation r tTi rhrtsti.n faith. i The conversion of a athen nJi by simple perusal of the Scriptur has not been ever effected. Hence the IrSifnclencyjof the Scriptures Hence too. it is that Bible sodetles who circulate cir-culate Innumerabl copies Jf': ble. realize this ct L?aI Riomrles-to pagan lands with tetrm al tracts to explain their cre. Ev3 1 then at the very threshold of his mw slonary labors, wft&out a ar in ry authorized au-thorized church, .how is the zealour missionef able to prove that the Holy Scriptures are inspired, and are presented pre-sented by him exactly as dictated b the .Holy Ghost? Before he succeeds, the heathen mast-take'it for granted i or on the fallible word of the misslon-er, misslon-er, that the Bible which - he presents is God's finspired word. Even then th neophyte is not free to select his owr interpretation of the Scriptures, bu' must square his faith with the creed of his instructor. The wisdom "of the Catholic Church, which they condemn, is followed namely. o read the -Bible under the light of her teaching, after being- firs irstructed in the principles of Catholic belief. Then will the inspired word be found the best of all book3. con ducive ;to good morals and both instructive in-structive and inspiring. Another very significant fact regard Ing the. Catholic Church's attitude towards: the Holy Scriptures is that she always encouraged the reading of the Bible as good and desirable. Sh-has Sh-has always approved of its use., anc' objected only to its misuse. Sh- has defined, its inspiration and holds. at the same time that when properly understood under-stood It is profitable to teach truth t reprove evil doing:, to correct error, and Prepare man for every grood work. She does not. however, teach that the Bible was the original medium of revelation or that It is in itself sufficient suffi-cient to teach the Christian faith with- out primary instruction in that faith. Placing it in the hands of an infidel or pagan and asking them to search its pages and learn from its contents their sublime vocation and relation to God, would be like asking a pupil who has not learned the first rudiments of arithmetic to begin the study of The same principle that governs the ' Church's policy extends to all denominations. denom-inations. A Presbyterian. .Methodist or Congregational pupil reads his Bible only in the light of-the serts' tradition. Hence, they naturally profess that creed. The Catholic pupil reads the Bible or studies his religion in the light of Catholic tradition, which dales back to the days "f the apostles. The accusation made against the Catholic Church of ignoring wr neglecting the Holy Scriptures is borh false and slan-dercus. slan-dercus. She teaches no article of faith that Is not expressed or implied in the Bible. Everything relating to faith and morals and which is a part of the deposit of faith will be found in harmony with holy writ. There is no straining of the plain, obvious and natural meaning of texts of Scriptures to make them conform to her dogmatic , i teaching. For twenty centuries she has. without traditions, harmonized her teaching with the written word', and In that long length of time never changpd one article of her creed to suit the spirit of the age. nor mutilated a. text of Scripture to make It conformable to; her teaching.. f Nor does she interfere with her mem- j bers in interpreting the Scriptures. I provided their interpretation, harmon- i izes with, sound doctrine. This same restriction is placed on all its members mem-bers by every Protestant sect, which allows no freedom to impugn sound dortrine or the cred of the Church. The same cannot be said of the contradictory con-tradictory doctrines of different churches, and sometimes of the saw church within a decade of years, drawn from the same texts of Scripture. " How explain this Inconsistency when both churches, or the father and child, members o ffhe same ihurch, cjaim'nir the Holy Ghost as thei--."- inrt-utor,- v" when they read "prayerful';.-" th" holv Scriptures. take entirely dif-crt views? Taught bv the r rd, and yet interpreting them ;n c-nf. dictory senses is so pra J,','i( 1 th it ft needs to be explained. The r-rlr.: of the r?fho!ic Church ar r.lain". r'.-' pie and' in accordfincr- vjth c.-n-- n sense, as well as the actin! f.cts in ''" i case. She teaches fhit Hod I-) tl;? ho- pinning- revealed Him-tf, not jr, writ- r " ing. but orailv, to m?m.. Ch-it r"-vealed r"-vealed Himself to th niotles. in turn communicated God's word to others. oth-ers. . The early Christians believe, nn-1 ' I knew the Christian . relicion nubtan- tfally long he for th efi'-st line at the -A: New Testament was "written. . This flth, orally taught by the npos- f ties to their successors, was. has been, f and is the lierht by which the Scrip- f tures wer and are still expounded. I This light is obviously needed, and serves as a kev to unlock the treasu-v j of God's word. Without it , the Bible i. becomes an apple of discord, full of I apparent contradictions.' and meaning-- I less, ultimately leading earnest and I intelligent searchers after truth on to I the threshold of infidelity or agnostf- clsm. if : f |