Catechistical instructions on the doctrines and worship of the Catholic Church - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1841 Excerpt: ... 7. Do you adopt that name? We glory in our communion vith the see of Rome, but call ourselves American Catholics. to be called Catholics. The separatists, however, soon experienced the inconvenience to which St. Augustine has alluded above. How could they protest against the doctrines of the Catholic Church, while in the creed they professed to believe the Catholic Church? To escape from this difficulty, some Church of England divines have maintained, that they (the Protestants) are the real Catholics, under the ingenious pretence that they teach the doctrines originally established by the apostles in the Catholic Church. But this cannot avail them; for two reasons: 1-The word Catholic has no direct reference to the truth or falsehood of doctrine. It points out universality: it designates "the Church spread over the whole habitable world,"--a designation to which they can have no claim. 2-If their reasoning be admitted, we must concede the title of Catholic to every heterodox sect that ever had existence. For all these sects believed that their peculiar doctrines were true; and of course they might thence infer, as the divines in question do, that they were the doctrines of the apostles, and gave to them a right to the appellation of Catholics. As long as the creed is true, there must exist a Catholic Church, infwhich the reciters of the creed may profess their belief. There was then such a Church when the Reformers, as they are called, were born. By Catholic ministers they were baptized; in Catholic doctrines they were 8. Why not Roman Catholics? Because that name implies what we cannot admit, that a man may be a Catholic, without being in communion with the centre of Catholic unity, the see of Rome. 9. Has the Church of Christ any other marks besides holi...