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1895 G.C. Sermon #2 by A. T. Jones THE PAPACY Our lesson tonight will be the study of the papacy, as it was last
night on the image of the papacy. I would say, now as then, all that I am
doing at present is setting before you the evidence, stating the case; the
arguments will come more fully after we see what is to be built upon them. The
statements I shall read tonight will all be from Catholic authorities--Catholic
speeches and Catholic papers. First I shall read from some of the Catholic speeches in the
Catholic Congress in I will first read from an address delivered to the Catholic
Congress at The church and the state, as corporations or external governing
bodies, are indeed separate in their spheres, and the church does not absorb
the state, nor does the state the church, but both are from God, and both work
to the same ends, and when each is rightly understood, there is no antithesis
or antagonism between them. Men serve God
in serving the state as directly as
in serving the church. He who dies on
the battlefield, fighting for his country, ranks with him who dies at the stake
for his faith. Civic virtues are themselves religious virtues, or, at least,
virtues without which there are no religious virtues, since no man who loves
not his brother, does or can love God. That is in the same line, you will remember, with the statement of
last night, that "Nearer, My God, to Thee" and "Star Spangled
Banner" are "both Christian hymns" to one that understands this
thing. You can see that this makes the government wholly religious, equally
with the church. Another statement from the same speech: The church [what he means is the Catholic church] in all ages has
been the most democratic of all organizations; the church alone has
taught the true theory of the fraternity and equality of all men before God,
and to her precepts must mankind look for the foundation of their measures of
relief from present dangers. What he refers to is the present danger in social affairs, labor
against capital, and the controversies at present rife in the Page 2 Another statement from the same paper from a speech by Edgar H.
Gans entitled, "The Catholic Church in The Catholic church welcomes this bright and beautiful spirit and
takes it to her bosom, for she is its
foster mother. With tender devotion has she nourished it through the ages.
Time and again has she rescued it from the bold and impious hands of despots,
whether they be kings, emperors, or a popular majority enthroned. Within the We shall find presently from the pope's encyclical that he, in the
place of God, is the guardian and the source of this sovereignty. We now read
the closing statement of this same speech of Mr. Gans'. The statement is
identical with one which we read last night: We have among us our prophets of Israel, divinely commissioned, as
were the holy men of old, to guide, instruct, ennoble, and elevate the nation; and the American people will have achieved
their highest glory when they seek the words of wisdom and truth from their
lips--when they voluntarily submit to the
gentle ministrations of the priests and the bishops of the holy Catholic
church. These statements need no comment. Your recollection of the
statement we read last night will be clear enough to make the connection. We now read from a speech by Bishop John A. Waterson, of By his personal dignity and goodness, the practical wisdom of his
teachings and the firmness of his acts, he is giving the world to understand
that the pope is a great thing in the world and for the world. [Loud cheers.]
And intellects heretofore rebellious are accustoming themselves to think that,
if society is to be saved from a condition worse in some respects than that of
pagan times, it is from the Another statement in the Herald
of September 7 is by Katherine E. Conway. Her paper was entitled, "Making
America Catholic," and she said this: Your mission is to make America Catholic. This was Archbishop Page 3 religious enthusiasm were at flood tide, and all hearts were
willing to respond like the first Crusaders to the call of Peter the Hermit,
"God wills it." These addresses show that the aim and work of the papacy are
precisely what those are of which we read last night. Now I turn to some other statements made last fall in connection
with the then coming encyclical of the pope. A letter from The I would like to comment a little upon this as we go along. Why is
it that Leo thinks so constantly of the He is one of the choice intellects of the Old World who are
watching the starry flag of Now the fundamental ideas of the holy see are the ideas upon which
the whole structure rests, and this sympathy for This ever-ready sympathy has its base in the fundamental interest
of the holy see, in a peculiar conception of the part to be played, and the position to be held by the Church and
papacy in the times to come. This is explained more fully presently that the papacy is watching
the times to come with an all absorbing interest. She proposes to prepare
herself in every way to meet the things that are to arise, as she says, in the
times to come; and she proposes to use the United States by which, and through
which, to clothe Page 4 herself and prepare herself to meet successfully these things that
are to arise in the times to come. So I will read further upon that same point
now: The interest is the necessity in which Where can he get the clergy, the form of ecclesiastic through which
this scheme can be carried out and be made successful for From whom shall he be copied? What civilization, what country, what
philosophy will provide him? Would it not be hazardous to create him at one
stroke? Would it not be better to join forces with a nation which has a type in
part, where, at least, it exists in the rough? Would it not be enough to mark
the outlines boldly to finish it and make use of it? This type is the American type; it is American democracy, with
liberty, with common law, a full and exuberant life, without restraining bonds,
and without a historic bureaucracy. The foundation of all indorsements of Sunday laws in all the courts
is "the common law." Common law is the direct descendant of canon
law. When the papacy was the state and the state was subject to the rules of
the papacy, canon law was then what common law is now. And the states which
profess to have been separated from the papacy still build up religious
observances upon "the common law." And now that the whole judicial
structure of the United States is built in support of Sunday, upon common law,
the papacy steps in and is glad to find a model so ready made to her hand upon
which she can remodel her ecclesiastical forms for Europe and all the world. Another thing; I will read that sentence over: Page 5 This type is the American type; it is American democracy, with
liberty, with common law, a full and exuberant life, without restraining bonds, and without a historic bureaucracy. The papacy is very impatient of any restraining bonds; in fact, it
wants none at all. And the one grand discovery Leo XIII has made, which no pope
before him ever made, is that turn which is taken now all the time by Leo and
from him by those who are managing affairs in this country--the turn that is
taken upon the clause of the Constitution of the United States: "Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the
free exercise thereof." Leo has made the discovery that the papacy can be
pushed upon this country in every possible way and by every possible means and
that congress is prohibited from ever legislating in any way to stop it. That
is a discovery that he made that none before him made and that is how it is
that he of late can so fully endorse the United States Constitution. We all know of course that that was intended to be the expression
of the American people always, that religion should have no place in
governmental affairs and no connection whatever with it. But the papacy is
never satisfied without taking possession of everything in the government and
running it in the interests of the church and Leo XIII has found out that this
can all be done under the cover of that constitutional statement which was
intended to prevent such a thing forever. Thus the papacy in plain violation of the Constitution will crowd
herself upon the government and then hold up that clause as a barrier against
anything that any would do to stop it. And every one that speaks against this
working of the papacy, behold! He "is violating the Constitution of the That is why Pope Leo XIII turns all his soul, full of ideality, to
what is improperly called his American policy. It should be rightly called his Catholic universal policy. What, then, is his policy in the Page 6 It is in this perspective, wide as a great world, and lasting as a
whole epoch, that the coming American encyclical must be viewed. To make the
delegation [of Satolli] independent and sovereign [which he does] with a
supreme ecclesiastical tribunal. And that means a great deal more than many people have dreamed of
yet; for Satolli has already set forth the doctrine that the clergy in the To support Monsignor Satolli and make his mission permanent and
successful, to point out the means of increasing influence and liberty, to
continue the policy of moderation and adaptability, which has brought peace to
the nation, to deal, in a word, with all
the important questions of the day and to fix for good the ecclesiastical type--the model of life, which Leo XIII
wishes, little by little, to bring within the reach of the weakening peoples of
the old world--that is the sublime
inspiration of the encyclical to the Americans. Now this statement with reference to his watching the signs of the
times, this recasting of the papacy, even undoing, if necessary, the
establishments and the forms that have been in successful use for ages--all
this in view of what the papacy is to do in the times to come--reminds me of
the Jews' translation of Daniel 8:23. Where the Authorized Version says,
"In the latter time of their kingdom, when transgressors are come to the
full, a king of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences shall stand
up." The Jews' translation says, "A king with an impudent face and
understanding deep schemes." I want to know, then, if that does not point
out the papacy as we are reading it right here tonight from these documents?
"A king of impudent face and understanding deep schemes." Bishop Keane, on his return from his visit to Bishop Keane talked very freely about his recent trip abroad and
especially about the great interest the pope takes in Page 7 surrounding the church are subject to equal changes. Consequently
it is the purpose of the pope to keep the temporal power and the spiritual
power from conflicting. The pope then still holds his claim to be God's agent in the
conducting of these affairs. He sets up what he declares to be God's will
respecting the church and respecting the temporal and spiritual powers and then
he is the one who, for God, is to
manipulate them and say how they are to go on together; he is the one who is to
keep them from conflicting. The pope recognizes the fact that democracy is the coming state,
and as such the most prominent exponents today are Now turn to the words of the pope in his encyclical as published in
the Catholic Standard of February 2,
1895. This encyclical needs to be read over several times before its real
purpose is caught, therefore I have read these statements that preceded it, that
you may catch the quicker what is said there upon this subject. Several points
are discussed in it, but only what is said on this subject is what we shall now
read. After addressing, "Venerable brethren, health and apostolic
benediction," he says: We have now resolved to speak to you separately, trusting that we
shall be, God willing, of some assistance to the Catholic cause among you. To
this we apply ourselves with the utmost zeal and care, because we highly esteem
and love exceedingly the young and vigorous American nation in which we plainly
discern latent forces for the advancement
alike of civilization and Christianity. Speaking of the landing of Like as the ark of Noah, surmounting the overflowing waters, bore
the seed of Speaking further of the landing of Now, perchance, did the fact which we now recall take place without
some design of Divine Providence. Precisely at the epoch when the
American colonies, having, with Catholic aid, achieved liberty and
independence, coalesced into a constitutional republic, the ecclesiastical
hierarchy was happily established among you. Page 8 That is to say, just when liberty and independence were gained and
this nation started, the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Catholic church was
also started in this country. The two things belong to the same time; that is
what he is pointing out. Another point upon that is thus made: And at the very time when the popular suffrage placed the great These expressions are not put in there without a purpose. The
papacy intends that the Catholic church shall be recognized as the American
church henceforth. Again I read: The well-known friendship and familiar intercourse which subsisted
between these two men seems to be an evidence
that the In another passage, after stating what the bishops did in their
synods and by their decrees, he says: Thanks are due to the equity of the laws which obtain in The constitution as it reads was made for the direct purpose of
opposing It is impossible for the magistrate to adjudge the right of
preference among the various sects that profess the Christian faith without
erecting a claim to infallibility which would lead us back to the church of
Rome. So to keep the people of the country from the domination of the
church of Rome, they said in the constitution, the government must never
have anything to do with religion. But Leo has discovered that that lack of opposition in the constitution is the
church's best hold, her greatest opportunity. For the church among you, unopposed by the constitution and
government of your nation, fettered by no hostile legislation, protected
against violence by the common laws and the impartiality of the tribunals is
free to live and act without hindrance. And she is acting without hindrance. Now I am not saying that the
constitution should be in such shape that Congress could legislate against the papacy. Not at all. The surest
safeguard against the papacy is the constitution as it is, but under Page 9 the circumstances she is making that the surest means to the
dominance of the papacy. Leo continues: Yet, though all this is true, it would be very erroneous to draw
the conclusion that in America is to be sought the type of the most desirable
status of the church or that it would be universally lawful or expedient for
state and church to be, as in America, dissevered and divorced. Although the church has prospered under this constitution and has
here the finest chance and prospect of any place on the earth, that is not to
be taken as evidence that it is better to have the church and the state
separate. Oh, no, because before he gets done with this paragraph, he
teaches that they shall be joined. Here are his words: The fact that Catholicity with you is in good condition, nay, is
even enjoying a prosperous growth, is by all means to be attributed to the fecundity
with which God has
endowed His church, in virtue of which, unless men or circumstances interfere,
she spontaneously expands and propagates herself, but she would bring forth
more abundant fruits if, in addition
to liberty, she enjoyed the favour of the
laws and the patronage of the public
authority. It is not enough that she shall be free and unmolested; she must be
favored and supported before she is satisfied, and although the constitution
leaves her totally unfettered, that is not enough. And although she prospers
under it, that is not enough. Nothing can satisfy but that she shall be
supported and favored by the laws and the public authority. Now as to the establishment of the apostolic delegation, that is,
the position of Satolli, hear his words upon that. They are full of
meaning, too: By this action, as we have elsewhere intimated, we have wished,
first of all, to certify that in our judgment and affections, By the establishment of Satolli's position here, he proposes, and
says by that, that America today, the United States, occupies the same place,
and has the same rights as other states, however mighty and imperial they may be--as
Austria, Spain, France--any of them, even as is said in this dispatch which
appeared in the Lansing, Michigan, Republican
of September 24, 1894. The papal rescript elevates the Page 10 encyclical also] the country is freed from the propaganda and is
declared to be a Catholic country. Yes, "a Catholic country," as much so as any other state,
"be it ever so mighty or imperial!" In addition to this we had in mind to draw more closely the bonds
of duty and friendship which connect you and so many thousands of Catholics with
the Apostolic See. In fact, the mass of the Catholics understood how salutary
our action was destined to be; they saw, moreover, that it accorded with the
usage and policy of the apostolic see. For it has been, from earliest
antiquity, the custom of the Roman pontiffs in the exercise of the
divinely-bestowed gift of the primacy in the administration of the To whom do the pontiffs send legates? To missionary countries? No.
To Protestant countries or peoples? No. To heathen countries or peoples
and nations? No. to "Christian
nations and peoples." How did the papacy find out that this was "a
Christian nation" to which she could send a legate? Why, the Supreme Court
of the Legates. . . . who, supplying his [the pope's] place, may correct
errors, make the rough ways plain, and administer to the people confided to
their care increased means of salvation. . . . His authority will possess no
slight weight for preserving in the multitude a submissive spirit. Then telling what he will do with the bishops and how he will help
them and preserve their administration and diocesan affairs, it says this is
all done that all "may work together with combined energies to promote the
glory of the American Church and the
general welfare." It is difficult to estimate the good results which will flow from
the concord of the bishops. Our own people will receive edification, and the
force of example will have its effect on
those without who will be persuaded by this argument alone that the divine
apostolate has passed by inheritance to the ranks of the Catholic Episcopate. Another consideration claims our earnest attention. All intelligent
men are agreed and we ourselves have with pleasure intimated it above, that You see he is watching Page 11 Now it is our wish that the Catholic Church should not only share
in but help to bring about this prospective greatness. We deem it right and
proper that she should by availing
herself of the opportunities daily presented to her, keep equal step with the Republic in the march of improvement, at
the same time striving to the utmost, by her virtue and her institutions, to
aid in the rapid growth of the States. Now she will attain both these objects
the more easily and abundantly, in proportion to the degree in which the future
shall find her constitution perfected. [That is, the Church's
constitution.] But what is the meaning of the legation [that is, Satolli's
position] of which we are speaking? or what its ultimate aim, except to bring
it about that the constitution of the Church shall be strengthened, her
discipline better fortified? There is the whole situation laid out. The church sees herself in
need of a new formation, a new molding of machinery and of the framework by
which she carries forward her work and imposes her doctrines and dogmas upon
the peoples of the earth. The Now to the mind of Leo XIII so receptive to the broad and fruitful
ideas of Cardinal Gibbons, of Monsignors Ireland and Keane, I must read a few more statements and make a few more comments. I
read from the Catholic Standard of
November 3, 1894, as follows: There is an awakening, a metamorphosis, uneasiness and hope. The
tradition is that in ancient Page 12 The idea is suggested there that nobody knows what the answer will
be. Now he tells: What we do know is that a world
is in its death agony. Is it not time that Seventh-day Adventists knew that thing full
well too? The papacy knows that the world is in its death agony. do you know
that? If you know it, is it not your place to tell it to the world, as well as
it is the place of the papacy to tell it to the world? What has God given us
this message for all these years but that we may show that the world is in its
death agony and that we may tell the people so, that they may turn to the
Author of life and be saved when the agony brings the last result? The papacy
knows this, and she is acting in view of it. I will now read the rest of the
sentence: What we do know is that a world is in its death agony, and that we
are entering upon the night which must inevitably precede the dawn. Of course we are. "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what
of the night? The watchman said. The morning cometh, and also the night." Continuing I read: In this evolution, the church, in the eyes of the pope, has a
mission to fill. This is in view of the times to come. What is she looking for? A
world in its death agony. All nations uneasy, society racked, everything
going to pieces as it is. The papacy sees all that is going on and expects it
to go on until the finish, and out of the agony and the tearing to pieces that
comes with it, she expects to exalt herself once more to the supremacy over the
nations, as she did of old. And she is going to do it; we know that. The
Scriptures point that out. She sees precisely what we see. We see the world in its death
agony. We see society racking itself to pieces. We see thrones trembling. She sees
that too, and she proposes to exalt herself upon what comes through all this at
the end. We see that coming. We know she is going to do it, for her triumph
comes out of this death agony. She gains new life herself and then glorifies
herself upon it, living deliciously. . . .saying in her heart, I sit a queen
and am no widow and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in
one day. Death and mourning and famine. And she shall be utterly burned with
fire, for strong is the God who judgeth her. Are we not, then, in the very whirl of events that brings that
thing before the whirl shall stop? We are in it; the whirl is going on. What
are we here for but to tell the Page 13 people that the world is in its death agony and to call upon them
to flee to Him who is the life of all? Has not the papacy had experience in just that thing? Has not the
papacy seen, practically, the world once in its death agony? The |