ROME'S PROOF OF INFALLIBILITY.
ROME'S proof of the infallibility of the church, the Roman Catholic Church, if you please, is in herself wholly. She is the only, sole witness. Here it is, stated by the editor of the Catholic Mirror, in his issue of April 29, 1899. Replying to a question as to whether Catholics do not reason in a "vicious circle,"—proving the church by the Bible and the Bible by the church,—the editor replies by quoting three expressions from Matthew relative to the church of the Lord, namely, Matt. 16:18; 18:17; 28:19, 20. This testimony of what Christ said the editor takes as only human testimony, but assumes, merely assumes, that it applies to the Roman Catholic Church. He then concludes the Roman Catholic Church to be infallible, so that "if she fails to teach the truth, it is the combined failure of the Holy Trinity, of the Father, who sent His Son and Holy Spirit to create her and establish her, and of the Son and Holy Ghost, who, in case of her failure, would have falsified all the pledges and promises made by the Son of God for Himself and the Holy Spirit. The infallibility of the Deity is therefore her infallibility, so that whatever she teaches they teach." The editor thus states his conclusion:— We have availed ourselves of the writers known as evangelists as contemporary witnesses of what they narrate, as mere men, as we would any thoughtful profane historians in their narration of facts when fully accredited as such. Through them, presupposing our common belief in the divinity of Christ, we reach with infallible certainty the existence of an institution created and formed by the Son of God, endowed with attributes which, if the Son of God speak the truth, place her above the possibility of even teaching falsehood, thereby betraying the purpose of her existence. We here accept her as God created and endowed her. We feel convinced that the abiding presence of her Creator and the Holy Spirit with her, while time lasts, precluded the possibility of her even being smirched by contact with error. Hence we glory in the discovery of an infallible guide and teacher, whose deliveries are to us the teachings of the Son and Holy Spirit. But this newly-found, infallible teacher now informs us that the historians whose truthful narration of the Son of God are not only truthful historians, but were inspired by the Holy Spirit to furnish the world with what they have written as the amanuenses of the Holy Ghost in the premises. Thus, after we have reached the church of Christ with all her divine prerogatives, through human writers endowed with the attribute of truth, we now learn from the church, as the mouth-piece of the Holy Ghost, that these writers were not actuated by merely human motives in their biographies of Christ, but were under the direct influence of the Holy Ghost in the prosecution of their narratives. Through them, as truthful human historians, we reached the infallible church of Christ, who, in turn, by virtue of the permanent abiding of the Son of God and the Holy Spirit within her, pronounces the (to us) human writers as under the divine influence whilst inditing . . . Hence the charge against the church of reasoning in a vicious circle has no foundation, when she proves the infallibility of herself from contemporary human, but fully accredited veracious historians, and then the inspiration of the same historians from the authority of an infallible tribunal, viz., herself. We have no particular interest as to the "reasoning in a vicious circle," one way or the other. The editor has doubtless to his own satisfaction proved that he does not so reason. What we wish to point out is this: According to the editor's own showing, the Roman Catholic Church has only her own "infallible" (?) testimony that she is the church of God; for the testimony of the apostles or contemporaries of Jesus merely speak of a church, or the church of Christ. A mere claim of being that church is not sufficient evidence. Mormonism claims that the true church is that of the Latter-day Saints; the Orthodox Church of Russia makes the same claim; and so with the Church of England. The claim is, of itself, apart from other absolutely conclusive evidence, worthless. Matthew may declare that Christ spoke of a church, a church which should endure, which should not be conquered, with whom the Lord would be to the end, but Rome's claim to be that church must, to stand, have a more substantial basis than a mere claim. Moreover, the above basis of reasoning, or proving, reverses the divine method. God has substantiated all His Word in the Word itself. That is, by that Word and in that Word God will prove its infallibility to any one who will comply with its conditions, conditions so simple that any or all may put them to the test. God's witness is twofold at least. "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established." In other words, God writes His Word at least twice concerning everything of which He has spoken, in fiat, command, or promise, and again in fulfilment; and the second proves the first. Jesus Christ did not say, "The prophets as mere men spoke of Me, and predicted My coming; and now I am that One they predicted." His claim would have been worthless. Jesus gave the two witnesses. One of these witnesses was the written Word, covering a space of over a thousand years, and repeated even down to John the Baptist:—"Ye search the Scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they that bear witness of Me." This witness had been recorded for centuries. The Man Jesus could not have given it or altered it as written in the scrolls of the prophets. He could not, nor did He wish to, interpret that witness to fit Him. He came to do God's will, and God would supply the second witness in Jesus Himself. "For the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me." Here are the two witnesses: God's Word written in Moses, the Psalms, the Prophets; God's Word written in the life, the character, the works of Jesus Christ. The two witnesses, thus testifying, are absolutely unimpeachable—God's Word first, and then the witness which demonstrates the second writing of that Word. John bore witness of Christ and His work. Yet in prison the faithful servant grew doubtful whether Jesus was the One to come, and he sent his disciples to ask Him. In reply, Jesus went on with His God-given work, and told the disciples of His faithful forerunner, "Go and show John again those things which ye do hear and see." This was sufficient. God was writing John's testimony again in the works of Jesus Christ. Two hundred years before Babylon reached the height of her glory, the prophet Isaiah predicted both her rise and ruin. Two centuries later God in His providence wrote the words of the prophet again in Babylon's greatness and magnificence, and her utter overthrow. On the Mount of Olives Jesus foretold His second coming, and said that previous to that event the sun and moon should be darkened and the stars should fall. Eighteen centuries later God wrote that same word in the darkening of the sun and moon, May 19, 1780, and in the falling stars of Nov. 13, 1833. So, also, God has spoken through Christ and prophet and apostle concerning His church. He has shown her origin, her character, on what conditions she should remain His, the vicissitudes through which she should pass, how she would be spoiled, led away captive, persecuted, almost lost sight of by the world, go into Babylon, and yet come forth a glorious victor through His power and grace. He has written all of this in prediction and promise many times in the Bible; He has written much of it already in the history of His church during eighteen long centuries; and the last is soon to be fulfilled. Now the question is, Is what God has written in the Bible concerning His own true church and her character and history to the present time true of the Roman Catholic Church? Has He providentially or directly written the prediction and character again in that church herself? Has He made her a second witness by making her the living Word repeated? We believe not, and our belief is founded, not on Rome's claims, but on the twofold witness of the infallible Word. "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them." Study the Word, reader, and the Word's methods of finding out.