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Show tU two ErotUrsA'.Bn Controversial Dialogue Between a Presbyterian and His Catholic Brother, and Its Sequel. In closing the debate last week John shows his brother, James Mihvood, the nature and efficacy" of the sacrament of baptism. He corrects the erroneous iriea that water and the words "I baptize bap-tize you in the name of the Father :ond of the Son and of the Holy Ghost" were the efficient cause of regeneration, since none but the Holy Ghost can regenerate re-generate the child. In this week's dialogue the brothers apply their reasoning rea-soning powers to the "cultus sanctorum." sanctor-um." which means the worship of the saints. James opens the controversy by seeking for more light on John's explanation ex-planation of the regeneration of the, scul by the Holy Ghost, He asks the question: "If it is the Holy Ghost which regenerates, regen-erates, why can he not regenerate without with-out the water and the words, as well as with them?" "That is a question which does not fall within the jurisdiction of the law of nature. You and I have no right to qall Almighty God to an account, and to ask him. Why do you so?" "But how does the church know that the Holy Ghost regenerates in baptism?" bap-tism?" "That is a question which pertains to positive revelation, and not to the natural nat-ural law. The revelation is her authority au-thority for what she asserts, concerning concern-ing which, if it do not contradict nat-'mal nat-'mal reason, the natural Jaw enacts nothing." "There arc other sacraments?" "Certainly; but all are founded on the same principle, and are not the efficient ef-ficient cause of grace, but the media through which the Holy Ghost communicates com-municates the graces which our Lord, by his own infinite merits, has par-chased par-chased for us." "But anybody can receive the sacrament, sacra-ment, whatever his internal disposition; disposi-tion; and the efficacy of the sacrament does not depend on the recipient." "Anybody can receive the sacrament externally; but nobody can receive any spiritual benefit from it, unless he receives re-ceives it with proper internal disposition. disposi-tion. He who should approach the sacrament sac-rament of penance, for instance, without with-out all you understand by repentance, would, instead of receiving the fruits of the sacrament, only profane it, and add to his guilt. In the sacrament of the Eucharist, he who eats or drinks unworthily eats and drinks condemnation condemna-tion to himself. The efficacy of the sacrament does not, indeed, depend on what the recipient may experience in j its effects, or that it may operate its j effects in him, he must take care that be interposed by his malice no obstacle to its operation." "But what is the use of your saint worship?" "That is not precisely the question." "The worship, if useless, is idle or vain, and, therefore, superstitious. You must, then, prove that it is not useless, or you do not clear your church of the charge of superstition." '' "You must prove from the light of nature that it is useless, or you do not sustain your charge, against her. You bring, the action ,and the burden of proof is on you." " "I accuse the church of superstition; and I adduce as proof of my accusation the worship of the saints, which she a ULiionzes. "But you cannot Adduce your accusation accu-sation in proof of 'your accusation. The cultus sanctorum Is conceded to be authorized au-thorized by the church, and the very point in dispute is, whether that is or is not superstitious. It is only on the assumption that if is, that you can conclude from it tha't the church is superstitious? su-perstitious? .To assume that it is superstitious su-perstitious is to assume what is in question, which you. are not permitted to do. You must, therefore, since the point is denied, prove that the cultus sanctorum is useless." "Reason can see no use for it." "That, if conceded, were not enough. You can conclude nothing against the church from the inability of reason. Reason must be able to affirm its infallibility, in-fallibility, or it can a,frirm nothing to your purpose." "But I must have affirmative proof that it is useful, before I can reasonably reason-ably assent to It." "Nothing more true; but the authority author-ity of the church suffices for that, unless un-less you can divest her of her author ity. You are attempting to convict the church of superstitiou, in order to be able to conclude against her authority. You must, then, prove that she authorizes author-izes superstition, as the condition of setting aside her authority, and, therefore, there-fore, that what she authorizes is superstitious, su-perstitious, as the condition of proving prov-ing that she authorizes superstition. It is, therefore, not for me to prove that the cultus sanctorum is useful, but for you to prove that it is useless, and, therefore, superstitious." "It is an undue worship." "That is the point you must prove." "Any worship which God forbids, does not exact, or approve, what you term the cultus sanctorum?" "Your memory is apparently very short. Let me ask you by what authority au-thority that you assert that God forbids for-bids it, or does not exact or approve it?" "In find no authority for it in the Scriptures." "That is not certain; but you cannot appeal to the Scriptures, for you have no legal possession of them and are not authorized to interpret them, and because you bring your action, not on the revealed, but on the natural, law. Besides, the fact that you find no au thority for the cultus sanctorum is not sufficient for your purpose; you must have authority against it, and you can conclude nothing against it, unless you find it prohibited by the law of nature." na-ture." "I know, by the light of nature, that God does not exact or approve, but forbids, all idle and vain worship." "Undoubtedly; but what is idle and vain worship?" "That is begging the question, or making your accusation the proof of the truth of your accusation the ordinary or-dinary Protestant method of proving what they assert against the church. But proceeding, in this way, we shall never be able to come to any conclusion. con-clusion. Is not any worship superstitious super-stitious in which the worshiper looks for effects from inadequate causes?" "Perhaps so." "Thus it is superstition to fear bad luck because we have seen the new-moon new-moon over our left shoulder, or because be-cause we have done a piece of work, put to sea, or commenced a journey on Friday; to expect to discharge what we owe to God by paying divine honors to what is not God, to please him by vain observances, or to obtain blessings bless-ings by means of prayers to inanimate or senseless objects objects which can neither bestow the blessings nor intercede inter-cede with God for them: for in these, and all similar cases, the causes are inadequate to the effects. On the contrary, con-trary, in all cases in which the effects feared or expected are feared and expected ex-pected from adequate causes, although there may be error, there is no superstition." super-stition." "Be it so." "Then in order to convict the cultus sanctorum of superstition, you -must show that the' effects we expect from it are expected from inadequate causes." "That can easily be done. The saints cannot atone for our sins and be our mediators." "Granted; nor do we expect anything of tho sort from them. All we ask of them is their prayers." "Even that is superstitious, because the saints have no power to hear your prayers or to pray for you." "How know you that?" "They are no longer living." ' "In the flesh, conceded; but the church assures us that they still live In the presence cf God, and if they do, then can hear our prayers in heaven, and do for us all we ask of them; and how can you, from the light of nature, say they do not so live?" "Your veneration of relics is superstitious, super-stitious, for you acknowledge that they have no life or sense to help you." "We do not expect them to help us." "Then the veneration is idle, and, therefore, superstitious." "In the respect we pay to the relics of a saint, it is the saint we honor, find whatever we expect from the intor-cession intor-cession of the saint, and through that intercession we expect from God, who ,is honored in his saints, and who himself him-self delights to honor them." (To be Continued.) |
