But to continue. The Archbishop begins by putting Mr. Maskell a
question. "Are they (_i.e._, the doctrines about which he is seeking
information) contained in the Word of God? St. Paul says, 'Preach the
Word'.... Now whether the doctrines concerning which you inquire are
contained in the Word of God, and can be proved thereby, _you have the
same means_ of discovering for yourself as I have, and I have no
special authority to declare."
Did any one ever witness such an exhibition of ineptitude and
spiritual asthenia? We can conceive a man rejecting all revelation. It
is possible even to conceive a man denying the Divinity of Christ. But
we know nothing that would ever enable us even to conceive that
Infinite Wisdom and Infinite Power had established a Church which
cannot teach, or had sent an ambassador utterly unable to deliver His
message. There is no use for such Church as that. Total silence is
better than incoherent speech. What is the consequence? The
consequence is that in the Anglican community endless variations and
differences exist and flourish side by side, not alone in matters
where differences are comparatively of little account, but in even the
most momentous and fundamental doctrines, such as the necessity of
Baptism, the power of Absolution, the nature of the Holy Eucharist,
the effects of the sacrament of Holy Orders, and so forth.
Pages:
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66