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Show ZU two Brothers jRSSSSSo. Controversial Dialogue Between a Presbyterian and His Catholic Brother, Leading Up to Former's Conversion. A third disputant in the controversy between the MHwood brothers was introduced in-troduced last week. This was a Mr. Wilson, an old-fashion Presbyterian clergyman, making a morning call upon his brother cleric, James Milwood. John Milwood (Catholic) asked the I newcomer to define his faith, and Mr. 1 Wilson did so, quoting from Dr. Owen: Protestantism is: 1. What was revealed re-vealed unto the church by our Lord and his apostles, and is the whole of that religion which the Lord doth and will accept. 2. So far as needed unto faith, obedience, and salvation of the church, what they taught, revealed and commanded is contained in the Scriptures Scrip-tures of the New Testament, witnessed unto and confirmed by the Old. 3. All that is' required, that we may please God, and be accepted with Him, and come to the eternal enjoyment of Him, is that we truly and njncerely believe what is so revealed and .taught, yielding yield-ing sincere obedience unto what is commanded in the Scriptures. 4. If anything they (Protestants) teach be found to deviate from them, if it (what they teach) exceed in any instance what is so taught and commanded, if it be defective in the faith or- the practice of anything so revealed or commanded, they are ready to renounce It." Then, addressing his Catholic inquirer, he said: f'What do you ask more clear, brief, comprehensive and precise than that?" To Which John Milwood makes reply in the words which open up this week's chapter. Editor Intermountaln Catholic." - VI. "Did our Lord and his apostles reveal re-veal any religion which they sdld not reveal to the church, or which God doth not and will not accept?," "Of course not." "Then Mr. Owen might have' simply said. Protestantism Is what was revealed re-vealed by our Lord and his apostles unto the church." "Perhaps he might." "What was so revealed is the true religion, is it not?" "It is." "Then would he have said all, if he had said, Protestantism Is the true religion! re-ligion! "Be It so." "If you will now tell what is the true religion, you will tell me what Protestantism Protest-antism Is." "Mr. Owen tells you in his second article." ar-ticle." "I beg your pardon. He tellB in that where the true religion is, as far as needed; but not what it la." "In his third article, then." "Not in that; for in that he simply tells me, that, if I believe and obey the true religion, so far as contained in the Scriptures of the New Testament, I have all that God requires of me." "Well in the fourth." "But that simply Informs me that, if Protestants have mistaken the true religion, re-ligion, if they contend for more or for I less than is contained In the Scriptures, Scrip-tures, they are ready to renounce it; although whether by it is to be understood un-derstood true religion, the mitake, the excess, or the defect, he does not inform in-form me. So, you perceive, I am not as yet told what Protestantism is." "But .you are tpld where it is, and that Ib enough." 1 "That may or iftay not be. The cook knew where the 'teakettle was when U fU overboard, but nevertheless he could not get it to make the captain's tea." "It is the New Testament, witnessed unto and confirmed by the Old. You can gojthere and find it for yourself." "Has It any mark by which I may recognize it when I see It?", "if you seek you shall find. Our Lord himself says that, .and I hope you will not dispute hlm."l "Does he say, 'if you seek in the Scriptures of therNew Testament, you shall find?" . , "Not expressly.'.' "Do all who seek In those Scriptures And?" "All who faithfuljy study and right- ly understand them." "Do all who attentively read them understand them?" "No; some wrest them to their own destruction, and bring in damnable heresies." "You have faithfully studied and rightly understand them?" "I think so." "Lest I should be one of those who wrest them to my own destruction, suppose you tell me what is the true religion which they contain, or which I ought to find in them." "If you are one who would wrest the Scriptures to your own destruction, you would do the same with my statement state-ment of what they contain. I should do you no good by complying with your request. If you believe not Moses and the prophets, neither will you believe me." "Now, then, am I ever to know certainly cer-tainly what this thing you call Protestantism, Pro-testantism, and say is the true religion, reli-gion, really is?" "Read your Bible, sir. with humble submission, without any reliance on yourself, with sincere and earnest prayer to the Holy Ghost to enlighten you, and you will be led into all truth." "Perhaps so. But our question is not. what is truth? but. What is Protestantism?" Pro-testantism?" "Have I not told you Protestantism is the true religion? He, then, who is led to the truth must needs be led to Protestantism." "I stand corrected. But since some do wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction, and bring in 'damnable heresies,' how do you determine infallibly infal-libly that you may not yourself be one of them?" "I am accustomed, sir, to being treated treat-ed with respect, and I trust you mean me no insult." "They who are accustomed to be treated with respect are, in general, slow to think themselves insulted. If Mr. Wilson does not know Infallibly that he rightly understands the Scriptures, Scrip-tures, he cannot deny that it is possible possi-ble he may be wresting them to his own destruction." "Through God's distinguishing grace vouchsafed to me, for no worthiness of mine, I have been enabled to see and know the truth." "Is that same vouchsafed to all?" "To all whom God has preordained unto everlasting life; but those whom he has from all eternity reprobated to everlasting death, for the praise of his vindictive justice, he leaves to their reprobate sense, to their own blindness, and even sends them strong delusions, that they may believe a lie and be damned." "And these never had in their power to come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved?" "If they had willed." "Were they ever able to have willed?'" "Naturally, yes; morally, no." "But actually?" "No. Those whom God ordains to eyerlasting death he ordains to sin, that they may be damned justly." "That is a hard doctrine, Brother Wilson," interrupted James Milwood. "It was taught indeed by . the great Calvin, whom God so highly favored, but it is not now generally taught by Presbyterians. The doctrine of God's decrees is, Indeed, full of sweet comfort com-fort to the elect, but It needs to be handled with great prudence, and is to be meditated in our closets rather than made the basis of our instructions to others. Sinners do not and cannot understand un-derstand it. They only make a mock of it, and it proves of them the savor of death unto death." "There it is! The time has come when the people will no longer hear sound doctrine, when it is imprudent to declare de-clare the whole counsel of God. Hencs, the race of weak and puny saints, who must be fed on milk, and that diluted. Very Well, I must leave you to manage the discussion in your own way: but I be on your guard. The time is not far distant, if things proceed as they have done for a few years back, when you will have no Protestantism to define or defend, but each man will have a gospel gos-pel of his own. Good morning, gentlemen." gentle-men." (To Be Continued.) |