Gibbons Shows that Only the Catholic Church Can Claim Title of Apostolic. To show that the Catholic Church is the only lineal descendant of the Apostles it is sufficient to demonstrate that she alone can trace her pedigree, generation after generation, to the Apostles, while the origin of all other Christian communities can be referred to a comparatively modern date. The most influential Christian sects existing in this country at the present time are the Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians and Baptists. The other Protestant denominations are comparatively insignificant in point of numbers, and are for the most part offshoots from the Christian communities just named. Martin Luther, a Saxon monk, was the founder of the church which bears his name. He was born at Eisleben, in Saxony, in 1483, and died in 1546. The Anglican or Episcopal Church owes its origin to Henry VIII of England. The immediate cause of his renunciation of the Roman Church was the refusal of Pope Clement VII to grant him a divorce from his lawful wife, Catherine of Aragon, that he might be free to be joined in wedlock to Anne Boleyn. In order to legalize his divorce from his virtuous queen the licentious monarch divorced himself and his kingdom from the spiritual supremacy of the Pope. There is a close relationship, says DAubigné, between these two divorces, meaning Henrys divorce from his wife and Englands divorce from the Church. Yes, there is the relationship of cause and effect. Bishop Short, an Anglican historian, candidly admits that the existence of the Church of England as a distinct body, and her final separation from Rome, may be dated from the period of the divorce.[History of the Church of England, by Thomas V. Short, Bishop of St. Asaphs, p. 44.] The Book of Homilies, in the language of fulsome praise, calls Henry the true and faithful minister, and gives him the credit for having abolished in England the Papal supremacy and established the new order of things.[Book of Homilies.] John Wesley is the acknowledged founder of the Methodist Church. Methodism dates from the year 1729, and its cradle was the Oxford University in England. John and Charles Wesley were students at Oxford. They gathered around them a number of young men who devoted themselves to the frequent reading of the Holy Scriptures and to prayer. Their methodical and exact mode of life obtained for them the name of Methodists. The Methodist Church in this country is the offspring of a colony sent hither from England. As it would be tedious to give even a succinct history of each sect, I shall content myself with presenting a tabular statement exhibiting the name and founder of each denomination, the place and date of its origin, and the names of the authors from whom I quote. My authorities in every instance are Protestants. Anabaptists: Germany, Nicolas Stork, 1521. Baptists: Rhode Island, Roger Williams, 1639. Free-Will Baptists: New Hampshire, Benj. Randall, 1780. Free Communion Baptists: New York, Benijah Corp, 18th century. Seventh-Day Baptists: United States, General Conference, 1833. Campbellites, or Christians: Virginia: Alex. Campbell, 1813. Methodist Episcopal: England, John Wesley, 1739. Reformed Methodist: Vermont, Branch of the Meth. Episcopal Church, 1814. Methodist Society: New York, Branch of the Meth. Episcopal Church, 1820. Methodist Protestant: Baltimore, Branch of the Meth. Episcopal Church 1830. True Wesleyan Methodist: New York, Delegates from Methodist denominations, 1843. Presbyterian (Old School): Scotland, General Assembly, 1560. Presbyterian (New School): Philadelphia, General Assembly, 1840. Episcopalian: England, Henry VIII, 1534. Lutheran: Germany, Martin Luther, 1524. Unitarian Congregationalists: Germany, Celarius, About 1540. Congregationalists: England, Robert Browne, 1583. Quakers: England, George Fox, 1647. Quakers: America, William Penn, 1681. Catholic Church: Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, 33. From this brief historical tableau we find that all the Christian sects now existing in the United States had their origin since the year 1500. Consequently, the old body of Christians among us, outside the Catholic Church, is not yet four centuries old. They all, therefore, come fifteen centuries too late to have any pretensions to be called the Apostolic Church. Source, James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers.
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 23:58:26 +0000
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