Page:Delineation of Roman Catholicism.djvu/119

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IlL] ??tlvrnos. 111 not g/yen to the churches to be i?pt *iv among the learned or the priest- hood, but to be lmbhshed and spread abroad in the native language of at], and among all classes of people. Therefore in using this plea of merit the Church of Rome appears in as awkward a predicament as "the wicked and slothful servant" who boasted that he had hid his Lord*s talent in a napkin. But if we are told that because we receive Scripture upon this evi- dence, we must therefore receive a long hat of doctrines upon mere tradition sJ'ter eighteen centuries have passed, is to ? that the me- mory of things may as well be preserved for ever by general hearsay and rumour as by authentic written records. 2. As it regards the baptism of infants we observe, 1. Admitting this was established by tradition, we have the tradition of the Syriac, Greek, African, ancient Italian churches, ?c., on this subject, as well as the tradition of the Church of Rome. 2. Those who baptize children among Protestants never quote tradition as authority for this purpose. 3. We can adduce abundant Scripture evidence in fayour of baptizing children; and this has frequently been done by Prudebaptist writers, to whose writings the reader is referred. 3. Nor do we depend entirely on tradition for the observance o� the Christian sabbath, because, l. Though tradition be a confirmation of the apostolical practice in observing the Lords da?, yet that very rice and the gro'und of it are s?ciently deduced ?rom Scripture. proportion of time to be consecrated is fixed by divine authority to be one day out of seven. The seventh day* was originally appointed for the reason assigned at the institution of the sabbath, and repeated in the fourth commandment. And that the seventh part of time is intended appeam plain, because the prec? time c?_n_?ot be observed by any two portions of the human who live at any family great distance from each other east and west; and this, too, without any breach o1' the com- manclment. And that the change from the seventh to the first day of the week 'took place at the opening of the Christian dispensation, we have proof positive from Scripture, with which corresponds the testi- mony of traditions. The abrogation of the .lewish sabbath appears plainly recorded in the following passage: "Let no man, therefore, judge you in meat or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the �ew moon, or the sabbath day," Col. il, 16. We ?nd the first Chris- tians ,milotruly assembling together on the rsl day of the week for divine worship. John xx, 19, 26; Acts ii, 1; xx, 7; 1 Cor. xvi, Accordingly we find it reco?used b?' St. John, "I was in the Spirit on the ?[?-g*s d?zy*** Rev. i, 10. Here ttten is sufficient Scripture warrant to prove the chan?e of the sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week. And as far as tradition is concerned, in reference to the change of the sabbath, the evidence from t!!_st source is very small when separated from written documents and Scripture. 4. It is said, "that the process/on of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son is an article of faith, and yet nowhere told in Scripture, and consequently tradition must help to make up the rule of faith.** To this we reply, that the Greeks and Latins seem to di/l*er in this matter .only in mere words, or that their difference is not a matter of serious importance. Yet the procession of the Spirit seems plainly tv?.U?h:e ? the following text -* "Wh? the Comfot?r is come, whom I ' 1