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Show Cbe two Brothers. ffi8SSS5I. Controversial Dialogue Between a Presbyterian and His Catholic Brother, Leading Up to Former's Conversion. ' i James Milwood, Presbyterian cler- gyman, discussing the Scriptures, admitted ad-mitted that there was a disagreement among Protestants as to what the word really is, but it was an honest disagreement. John Milwood followed j : this admission up by directing ques- j tions which elicited answers from j James that the orthodox party was the honest party, "the party which believes be-lieves what, and only what, is clearly and manifestly revealed." "So say all j parties," replied John, "but which is that party?" The clergyman helpless- j ly fell back upon this answtr: "The Scriptures must decide." -The next question is directed by the Catholic brother. Editor Intermountain Catholic Catho-lic "But the dispute is as to what the Scriptures teach. They, by the very terms of the supposition, have already been appealed tor and each party has obtained a decision in its own favor. The question now is, which is the true answer? What is the decision of the court?" ''Let the Scriptures be appealed to ag-iin." "That avails nothing; for they decide de-cide always in precisely the same terms, and the dispute remains always the same." ! "But the dispute is not honest." I ."Be it. so. But who is honest, who dishonest, you or your opponents? Tou charge them with dishonesty, and say the matter is clear and manifest as you believe; they retort and say it is clear and manifest as they believe. WhicH am I to believe?" "Neither; but read the Scriptures and decide for yourself." "And surpose I decide against both of you? There will then be three sects instead of two. Why shall I be counted count-ed the honest party rather than you or your opponents, they rather than you, you rather than they, either of you rather than I?" "But the matter is clear and manifest to all who do not willfully close their eyes to the light." "With all my heart: but who are they who willfully close their eyes to the light?" . "The Scriptures " "They have given their decision, and pothing is decided, for the dispute is as to what they decide." "Evidently they cannot be good orthodox or-thodox Protestants who teach doctrines doc-trines repugnant to those of the Fro-testant Fro-testant reformation." "Do you abandon the sufficiency of the Scriptures, then, and call in the aid of Protestant tradition?" "I do not abandon the sufficiency of the Scriptures, but I maintain that I what is clearly and manifestly repugnant repug-nant to the doctrines of the reformers cannot be clearly and manifestly re-venled re-venled in the Scriptures." "Your rule of faith, then, Is the Scriptures undestood according to tin.' reformers?" "I hold the Scriptures alone are tb rule of faith, but I compare my understanding under-standing of the Scriptures with the teachings of the reformers." "And if it coincide with what they taught, you hold that you rightly understand un-derstand the Scriptures, and believe what is clearly and manifestly revealed?'" re-vealed?'" ' "Very well." "If the Scriptures alone are the rule, this appeal to the reformers is, if ad-missable, ad-missable, unnecessary; if it is necessary, neces-sary, and you cannot say that you rightly understand the Scriptures till you have brought your understanding of them to the test of the reformers, yod cannot say the Scriptures alone are sufficient, or are alone your rule of faith. You then make the reformers, reform-ers, not the Scriptures, the test of the word." "I do not make the reformers tho test of the word. I love, honor and re vere the reformers as great and good men, raised up by. God in His providence provi-dence to deliver His people from the bondage of Rome, to arrest the tide of papal corruptions, roll back the dark-tss dark-tss which was gathering over the world, restore the preaching of the word, and save the Christian religion from utter banishment from the face if the earth; but they were men. subject sub-ject to the common frailties of our nature, na-ture, and I follow them only so far a. ihey follow Christ, who bids me call no man father upon earth, for one i my master in heaven." "In order to ascertain when and where the reformers follow Christ, you bring the reformers to the test of the Scriptures?" "Precisely. I am to obey God rather than man." "So you subject your understanding of the Scriptures to the test of the reformers, re-formers, and the reformers to the tesc of youi understanding of the Scriptures. Scrip-tures. If you agree with them, you are right; if they agree with you, they are right. Thus you prove your understanding under-standing by theirs, and theirs by yours!'- . "I do no such thing. The Bible is the religion of Protestants, the Bibl alone, and I am not obliged to consult the reformers In order to ascertain what is clearly and manifestly revealed." re-vealed." "Then you have nothing to do with the reformers, and may at once dismiss dis-miss them to their own place." That is, you would say the reformers, reform-ers, those great and godly men, are gone to hell?" 'Tf that is their own place, not otherwise." other-wise." "This, is too bad. You know I love, honor and revere the reformes, and it ! no more than what vou own as a gentleman, not to say a Christian, while conversing with me, to treat them and my own feelings with some little respect." "Very well said, my most courteous and gentlemanly brother. Happy is he who practices as well as preaches. You know I love and revere the Holy Catholic Cath-olic church, the immaculate spouse of the Lamb, and the joyful mother of all the faithful; and yet you have not hesitated hes-itated to call her the 'Mystery of Iniquity, In-iquity, 'Anti-Christ,' 'The whore of Babylon,' 'A cage of unclean birds,' etc. Where was your regard for my feelings?j And what right have you to complain if there be meted to you the measure of mete?' But you will not receive re-ceive such measure from Catholics, for they have studied in the school of Christ, and learned, when reviled, not to revile again. I said nothing against the reformers, offered no opinion as to their final doom. It is not mine to judge them. But if they, Judas-like, betrayed their Master, rebelled against the church of God. and refused to obey the pastors the Holy Ghost has set over them, and died unrepentant. I need not tell you what is and must be their doom, or that of all who partake In their evil deeds, if they die unreconciled unrecon-ciled to God. It is no pleasant thought, but you called it up, not I." "So Catholics send all Protestants to hell?" , "All good Catholics do all in their power to .prevent -r-their Protestant friends and, neighbors from- sending themselves there. But. suppose we waive questions of this sort for the present. We shall, be better able to fllscus" th'-m after we have determined what Protestantism is, and when in quiring whether it is true or false, from ! heaven or from hell is a safe way of j salvation, or only the way that leadeth j to perdition. It is no idle question, my bi other, we are discussing. It involves eternal consequences. If Trotestants be not of God, if it be not that one, true, holy religion which hj? revealed from the beginning, which He has commanded com-manded to be taught to all nations, and which He has promised to be with, to protect and to biers all days unto the consummation of the world, I need not tell you what must inevitably be your doom, if living and dying where and as you are, or what you have but too much reason to fear is the doom of those, you have nursed in your bosom, so tenderly loved, and for whom your tears are still flowing." "Ave you a priest? You talk like one." , "Perhaps nearly as much of one as yourself." "Singular! I never thought of that before. Upon my word, I believe you are a Romish priest, perhaps even a Jesuit." "If either, you must believe me able to keep my own counsel. It is enough at present for you to see in me plain Jack Milwood. vour elder brother, who. maybe, knows a great deaL more about you than you d.j about him." "I wish, John, you would give me the history of your life since you left home. It must be full of Interest, and I should really like to hear it." "Rather than exert all our wit and skill in denning Protestantism? But when we have disposed of Protestantism, Protestant-ism, perhaps but at present we must return to the question." "No, no; I Insist on the life and adventures ad-ventures of John Milwood. eldest son of the late Jeremiah Milwood" "And brother of the distinguished James Milwood, the reverend pastor I of , and chief of the Protestant League for the Conversion of the Pope and the Suppression of Popery, and who, when uestioned. could not tell what he meant by Protestantism. No. no, brother, let us finish our definition of Protestantism first." "I have given you definitions enough, and more than enough, already, and you ought to be able to suit yourself with some one of them." "But it is not what suits me, but what suits you. Which of these numerous nu-merous definitions do you finally settle down upon?" "Protestantism is what, and only what, is manifestly revealed." "And what is that? Is it what you teach, or what Mr. Silvertone teaches?" "Mr. Silvertone is a Scinian." "What, then? Does he not believe all that is clearly and manifestly revealed?" re-vealed?" "No, he does not." "He says he does: and why am I to believe you rather than him?" "Read and decide for yourself." "Then the word is what is clearly and manifestly revealed to me rather than to you, or to you rather than to Mr. Silvertone?" "Mr. Silvertone, I tell you, Is a So-cinian, So-cinian, and denies what have always and everywehere been held to be the great fundamental doctrines of the gospel." gos-pel." "If you say that you appeal to Catholic Cath-olic tradition. Is your rule of faith incomplete without Catholic tradition? But if you allege Catholic tradition against you; for the same tradition that condemns him condemns you. You cannot say he errs because he teaches what is repugnant to Catholic tradition, tradi-tion, without condemning yourself and all Protestants." "But the points on' which he is condemned con-demned are fundamental points; those on which we are condemned, if we are condemned, are not fundamental." "You forget Toby and his dog." "No more of Toby and his dog." :"Honestly. brother, have so-called Protestants ever been able to agree as to .what is clearly and manifestly revealed?" re-vealed?" "In truth,' they have not." "And are as far from agreeing as ever?" -Apparently so. "Then, in point of fact, they have never been able to agree among themselves them-selves as to What Protestantism really is? "Sudh, it must be owned, is the fact." "The great reason, then, why you have found it so difficult to tell what it is, is that what it has never yet been determined?" "Possibly." "Since I would rather relieve than aggravate your embarrassment, allow me to suggest that you define Protestantism Protest-antism to be what all who assert the sufficiency of the scriptures, and main tain them to be the sole and sufficient rule of faith and practice, agree to accept as clearly and manifestly revealed." re-vealed." (To Be Continued.) |