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Show I SILLY OBJECTIONS ! m Churches Discarded Contrary to the M Teaching of Christ Church Catholic 3 in Time and Space Faith Necessary r) for Salvation Demands of Reason g Christ's Commission. ra f Kii; Intomiountam Catholic: The letter of : ' Andi'';i'..u- and your reply suggest to my mind some ij ! difficuI:i- which I would respectfully ask you to I , slnr. il)There heinp so many and eontradic- ,i l-.ry Ckri-Tinn churches, why not dispense with all i fl; tb'j,!' (- Faith contradictinp faith is useless. 3 ,:;) ' u- produce order out of chaos If All know ') tiiiit religious warfare is as old as the history of the 1 v. ,rl'l- r.ii'l will last till the end of time. The issue j always he doubtful. Why then worry about i - t..ra,.thinir m uncertain ? A LAWYER. U Sill; J-:ilo City, June 7. 190S. I ; 1 We i i v.- -pace to ibis correspondence, not know- ; i ! -:x what its object is. There is no point to the ' ;-ier. If its aim is no church, no faith, no re- i i 'inu-- guide, it is clear that the writer has no con- r?ti"!i of Catholic unity which is the basis of j (:riti;ii'i!.v. Unitarians, who reduce Protestant 3 - to their lopical conclusions, do not be- iwe in any church. With them, as a substitute for ; j church, it is a voluntary association of men and mvx-n i"r devout and relipious purposes, like a s Diw? or Temperance society. Tin1 vo.ni "church" is not entirely discarded, but ; f: icniticane and worth are entirely lost. It is in 1 -; liicvith this the lawyer asks: ''Why not dispense I ! ;:h fill of them 'P 1 1 Tin- ri'.-isim is hi'cmisp Ghri;t cairl ''Anil f lm j Fill not hear the church, let him be to thee as a '1 I scathen ii'td a publican." This command is cm- 1 :.Isa:ic. It demands submission to the teachinp of 4 I , :;ur h. The church, which is defined the con-' con-' ry-zation of the faithful united under Christ, the i I iral. in the true worship of God, must always have rx;-,"-i i:: time and in space. In this sense, that is, i I'lai i ? :io limit, the church commissioned by God t- tench truth takes in the synagogue which pro- 5 I li'h:if"l the law piven by God to Moses: also all the j :i faithful hack t the very root of the human fam- ily. In this .-ense also, namely, in proclaiming the triir- v or-lii j of God, there has been only one church from :hp beginning of time, and self-interest de- riaii'l- that our correspondent should sincerely and ! b'i::5:!y investigate, and if possible find out this j divinely commissioned church instituted by God to j tc-aeh the 'ruth and prepare his soul for heaven. "To h ar the church" implies a twofold oblipa-'.i oblipa-'.i u, namely, (J) to learn from her the true faith, ir:d to put in practice, as taught by her, God's iftrs. lie re comes the second question. FAITH USELESS. All arc bound to learn the true faith (1) be-WHiairJi be-WHiairJi is necessary for salvation. "Without . Pawl said, "it is impossible to please God," ii) it must be the true faith: "Be ye true j rs ef God in spirit and in truth." lias the L-Tr-r fv..r taken in consideration his future des- If so. lie should know that without faith it I iaposihle for him to attain it. "lie that be- jj-'vn iij.l is baptized shall be saved, he that be-I be-I ';'f'-:h ludl be condemned." Viewinp the ques-I ques-I 1 r. , f u li-jon in its broadest sense, the conclu- i iv.' vitable that before man can be acceptable I Or.fi ;r, must believe something,, and i - thing is the truth or true I " 1:- It is repupnatt to reason that i 1 1 by believing in error, for God I - 1li i !;. and could not be served, worshipped J "" " : i- -1 i v believing in falsehood. As there is a- -Hi- God, there can be but one true faith, I 1 nains the same. Truth never changes, I . ;. 'tnanded under pain of unendinp woe, 1 1 - irtue by which one firmly believes all I ! " f -i na- laujlit. It excludes all doubt. It I ' ' " - :: !' matter of opinion or feelinp. Faith ) 1 v. and that certainty must be founded , ' r when one doubts -what is proposed to Ib" i,v ; : ; rt :( of faith, he does not believe. jL-' ': ;, :ih excludes doubt. When one only , ' 'i--.-.n. it i simply sentiment and not faith, 5 - ' ..- I.- rational. . r . !:!- faith and that under a very severe I 1 i ;, i! God. as a loving Father, is bound to ehf-rs. who will teach that faith with 1 r.r .. ;, .. ,, , . .. , IT 5 . ' n.-i ,od apj)ointel tcacners, ana u so, I V " . v 1,, l,f. found? That he established a 1 u: be no doubt, for cue who believes j . 11 ' e,Vi! word. "He that will not hear the l r 1 ' 'ii, ilo thee-as a heathen and a pub- !! aNo apj.ointed teachers whom all are I ?U!"1 " l-ar. ' He that heareth you," he said to J 81-st i. -h.'.Mreth me." If our correspondent I VMni-t a svllogism on these premises, the j '' . ilj'that God established a church, 1 -i that he commissioned teachers in that 1,1 1'-oeh the faithful all truth. Did not ia;- .ay (o tho eleven disciples who went to the jrli,;'::;Ti Galilee to witness his ascension into ". power is piven to me in heaen and j' Goinfr therefore teach ye' all nations: "iznij them in the name of the Father, and of a:,. f.f the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to U i'm v 'i:'tM,f'vr 1 "av? commanded you: and '! 1 hi! w'th you all days even to the consum-.'.r,, consum-.'.r,, '("' 'Ii" world." Order is heaven's first law, ' oh 1)0t 1,-avp his church in chaotic state, c., .Vl,1H'f-'! it on firm and orderly basis, safc-2 safc-2 "-z " mnnt all danger of shipwrccck. That ,,; ,K s". "ihere 'is -aue for worry." Assuming il'-'iiv "V ,'"I'nl,0,1dont is a Christian, he will not -' ll'e iniu.c origin and authority of Christian- J . ' ity, and that Jesus is the only name "given under heaven among men whereby we must be saved," then how will he consistently "dispense with all Christian churches?" If he holds that the Gospel of Christ is the only law of life, and that obedience to it is necessary for salvation, why say that "faith is useless?" , 1. D. |