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"Take
Heed" Ministries
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Cecil Andrews, PO BOX 13, Ballynahinch, BT24 8AL, Northern Ireland. Telephone/Fax 028 9756 5511. E-MAIL - takeheed@aol.com WEB-SITE - http://www.takeheed.net |
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Irish Presbyterianism: ‘Then
and Now’ |
After
my beloved father died and went to be with the Lord in 1995 I was sorting
through some small booklets in his desk and one in particular caught my eye. On
the front of it was a map of
on
ROMANISM
and EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY
‘Several years ago a number of Presbyteries expressed
the opinion that one of the urgent needs of our Church was a Catechism
dealing with Romanism and Evangelical Christianity. In answer to that request
the Youth Committee of the General Assembly issues the present Handbook’.
The Preface goes on to
state that most answers contain quotations from official Roman Catholic sources
and references for each quotation are listed near the back of the booklet. A
bibliography listing other sources is also given and the Preface ends with this
statement –
‘It is the hope and prayer of the Youth Committee that
this handbook will supply, through the blessing of God, the need of our
Church: and they issue it, believing in the declaration of Jesus Christ,
the sole King and Head of the Church “The Truth shall make you free” (St John viii, 32)’.
I want now just to quote a
few examples of the questions and answers contained in this little booklet.
Question 4: What is the Church?
The Church is the company
of those who believe in God, in Christ as Lord and Saviour, and, living and
working together in His Spirit, seek to win the world for Him. This is the true
Catholic, or
Question 5: What is the Presbyterian Church?
The Presbyterian Church is
that branch of the Catholic Church which bases her form of government upon that
of the
Question 10: Does the
Church of Rome give the Bible to all her members to read?
No: the Church of Rome has
placed the Bible on the Index of Prohibited Books. [Ref: Index de Lib. Prohib: reg 4; Catholic
Doctrine on Use of Bible (Wiseman)]
Question 11: What does
the Roman Index of Prohibited Books say concerning the reading of the Bible?
The Roman Index says “It
is manifest from experience, that if the Holy Bible, translated into the vulgar
tongue, be indiscriminately allowed to everyone, the temerity of men will cause
more evil than good to arise from it”. However written permission may be given
by a bishop to certain individuals. [Ref: Index de Lib. Prohib: reg 4]
Question 12: If a
member of the Church of Rome possesses a copy of the Bible without such written
permission, what is the penalty?
“If any shall have the
presumption to read or possess it without any such written permission, he shall
not receive absolution until he have first delivered up such Bible to the
Ordinary
[usually the local Bishop]” that is, his
soul is damned. [Ref:
Index de Lib. Prohib: reg 4]
COMMENT Whilst nowadays Roman Catholics are
allowed to possess and read a copy of the Bible they are not allowed to
privately interpret the meaning of what they read. The 1994 ‘Catechism of the
Catholic Church’ states in paragraph 100 ‘The task of interpreting the Word of God
authentically has been entrusted solely to the Magisterium of the Church,
that is, to the Pope and to the bishops in communion with him’. In the
1960’s the Roman Catholic Vatican 2 Council reconfirmed the teachings of
the 16th Century Roman Catholic Council of Trent, which declared ‘No one relying on his
own judgment shall, in matters of faith and morals pertaining to the
edification of Christian doctrine, distorting the Holy Scriptures in accordance
with his own conceptions, presume to interpret them contrary to that sense
which holy mother church, to whom it belongs to judge of their true sense
and interpretation, has held or holds, or even contrary to the unanimous
teachings of the Fathers, even though such interpretations should never at any
time be published’.
Question 19: Did Jesus
Christ appoint an earthly head to His Church?
The only King and Head of
the Church is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Question 20: What does
the Church of Rome claim with regard to the Headship of the Church on earth?
The Church of Rome claims
that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth, and therefore, the supreme head
and infallible teacher of the Church
and that to believe this is necessary for
salvation. [Ref:
De Synod (Benedict X1V lib ii. Creed of Pius 1V art. X: The Catholic Faith
(Pius X) pp21-24:
Question 34: How did
the Popes in the Middle Ages attempt to establish their claims?
The Popes in the Middle
Ages frequently attempted to establish their claims by the use of certain
Decretals [A
Decretal is a letter of the Pope determining some point or question in
ecclesiastical law] which have since been
proved to be forgeries. [Ref: The Church and the Papacy (Jalland); The Evolution of Latin
Christianity (Heron) pp125-180; Romanism and Evangelical Christianity (Paul)
pp358-369; The Infallibility of the Church (Salmon) pp447-454; The Latin Church
in the Middle Ages (Lagarde)].
Question 45: What does
the Church of Rome teach concerning Baptism?
The Church of Rome teaches that Baptism
regenerates, inasmuch as it “confers the first sanctifying grace by which
original sin is cancelled and actual sin also, if there is any”. {Ref: Council of
Question 50: What is
Confirmation according to the Church of Rome?
Confirmation according to
the Church of Rome is “a sacrament instituted by our Lord by which the
faithful, who have already been made children of God by baptism, receive the
Holy Ghost by prayer, unction or anointing with oil, and the laying on of hands
of a bishop”. [Ref:
Council of
Question 51: Why do we
reject Confirmation as practised by the Church of Rome?
We reject Confirmation, as practised by the Church of Rome, as a sacrament, because no such rite was instituted by Jesus.
Question 53: What is
the doctrine of the Church of Rome with regard to the visible signs of bread
and wine?
The doctrine of the Church
of Rome is that the bread and wine are changed “truly, really and substantially
into the body and blood, together with the soul and divinity, and the bones and
sinews of Christ”. This is the doctrine of Transubstantiation. [Ref: Council of
Question 87: What are
the ends for which Mass is said according to the Church of Rome?
“The sacrifice of the
Mass” according to the Church of Rome “is offered to God…to appease Him
“to give God honour and glory, to thank Him for His benefits, to obtain
pardon for our sins, and all other graces and blessings through Jesus
Christ” and “to continue and represent the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross”
[Ref: The
Catholic Faith (Pius X) p81; Council of Trent sess. xxii; Convert’s Catechism
279; Maynooth Catechism p51]
Question 89: In what way does the Church of Rome contradict the
teaching of the New Testament concerning the priesthood of Jesus?
The Church of Rome contradicts the teaching of the New Testament by
asserting that Jesus Christ has appointed on earth a special order of men to
succeed His priesthood in the work of offering sacrifice for sin; and by
asserting that the Mass is a repetition of the sacrifice of the Cross through
the miracle of Transubstantiation. [Ref: Council of
Question 93: Name the
superstitions and abuses which have arisen out of the doctrine of
Transubstantiation
Some superstitions and
abuses, which have arisen out of the doctrine of Transubstantiation are – (a)
The worship of the consecrated bread or host, which gave rise to the feast of
Corpus Christi
[Body of Christ] (b) Revolting ideas
concerning correct procedure should a fly or spider fall into the consecrated
wine or a mouse nibble the consecrated bread. [Ref: Romanism and Evangelical Christianity
(Paul) p149; Has
Question 99: What is an
Indulgence according to the Church of Rome?
By an Indulgence the
Church of Rome means “the remission, through the power of the Church, of the
temporal punishment due to sin which sometimes remains after the sin itself is
forgiven”. [Ref:
Council of
Question 104: Does the
Church of Rome issue Indulgences for the dead?
Yes: the Church of Rome
issues Indulgences for the dead for the relief of their sufferings in an
alleged Purgatory. [Ref:
Creed of Pius iv, art. 6; Romanism and Evangelical Christianity (Paul) pp241,
246].
Question 105: What is
Purgatory according to the Church of Rome?
Purgatory according to the
Church of Rome “is a place where souls suffer for a time after death on account
of their sins” and “those souls go to Purgatory that depart this life in venial
sin; or that have not fully paid the debt of their temporal punishment due to
those sins of which the guilt has been forgiven”. [Ref: Creed of Pius iv, art.
6; Convert’s Catechism 106-107; Maynooth Catechism pp25-26].
Question 108: What does
the Church of Rome teach concerning the assistance which may be given to souls in
Purgatory?
According to the Church of
Rome “the souls therein detained are helped by the suffrages of the faithful”
which means they are helped by “the sacrifices of masses, prayers, almsgivings
and other works of piety performed” on their behalf. [Ref: Council of
Question 109: To what serious sin and superstition do the Roman
doctrines of Indulgences and Masses for the dead lead?
These Roman doctrines lead to the belief that a wicked man can, by
money paid by himself, or by others on his behalf, obtain release from
punishment for sin. [Ref: Romanism and Evangelical Christianity (Paul) p261]
COMMENT The
words of Psalm 49:6-7 seem most appropriate in this context “They that trust in
their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of
them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him”
Question 116: Why did
the worship of Mary and of the Saints arise?
One of the main reasons
why the worship of Mary and of the saints arose was because the all-sufficiency
and approachableness of our Lord and Saviour were not taught. [Ref: The Evolution of Latin
Christianity (Heron) pp280-301]
Question 120: Why is it
wrong to worship Mary and the saints?
It is wrong to worship
Mary and the saints because the New Testament teaches that worship is to be
given to God alone and that the ONLY MEDIATOR between God and man is the Lord
Jesus Christ. [Ref:
St Matt iv:10; 1 Tim. ii:5; Heb. Vii:25; 1Jn. Ii:1-2; Rev. xxii:8-9]
Question 121: What does
the Church of Rome teach concerning images?
The Church of Rome teaches
that “Images are representations of Christ, of His Blessed Mother, or of the
saints” and members of the Church of Rome are encouraged to pay them homage and
give them votive offerings [a votive offering is given as the consequence of a
vow] In practice this leads to the
worship of Images, that is, idolatry, which is forbidden in the second
commandment. [Ref:
The Catholic Faith (Pius X); Creed of Pius iv, art. 8; Catechism (Cafferata) p84;
Maynooth Catechism pp31-32; Good Friday Service of Adoration of the Cross in
the Roman Missal]
Question 123: What does
the Church of Rome mean by relics?
Relics, according to the
Church of Rome, are the dead bodies, or bones, of the saints, or many other
things which belonged to them in this life. [Ref: Council of
Question 124: Name some
relics which are displayed and honoured by the Church of Rome
The Church of Rome
displays and honours among a great many other things the following alleged
relics – “the hair of St Mary Magdalene, stones thrown at St Stephen, hay from
the manger in Bethlehem, the tail of Balaam’s ass, a tooth of St Paul, parings
of St Edmund’s toes” and it is said “that there are more heads of St Peter than
one or two”. [Ref:
Is Roman Catholicism of God? (Pollock) p40; Romanism and the Gospel (Scott)
pp153-155]
Question 125: What is
the Rosary?
The Rosary consists of a
string of beads, and is a Roman mechanical device for saying certain prayers,
which must be regularly repeated. [Ref: Is Roman Catholicism of God? (Pollock) p40]
Question 126: Is the
use of the Rosary liable to abuse?
The use of the Rosary for
the saying of prayers tends to become a “vain repetition” such as was condemned
by Christ. [Ref:
St Matt. vi:7]
Question 128: What was
the reason for the Reformation?
The reason for the
Reformation was that the Church, dominated as she was by
Question 131: What is a
“Protestant”?
The term “Protestant” has
a negative and a positive aspect, because it involves not only protesting
against error, but the asserting of truth. A Protestant, therefore, is one who
not only protests against the errors and abuses of Romanism, but also bears
witness to the fundamental principles of the Gospel. [Ref: Institutes (Calvin);
Confession of Faith; Shorter Catechism; The Scots Confession; Any Statement of
Reformed Doctrine is a proof of this]
In these
extracts from this little Catechism, the unnamed editor rightly identified the
following errors and abuses contained in Roman Catholicism:-
(a) The false Papal claim for the Pope to be the Church’s
‘earthly head’
(b) The exposure of Papal power based upon forged
documents
(c) The heresy of ‘Baptismal Regeneration’
(d) The heresy of Roman ‘Confirmation’
(e) The heresy of ‘Transubstantiation’
(f) The heretical claims made for The Mass
(g) The scripture-contradicting Roman ‘Priesthood’
(h) The heresy of ‘
(i) The heresy of ‘Indulgences’
(j) The heresy of obtaining forgiveness for those who have
died
(k) The heresy of ‘Purgatory
(l) The heresy of worshipping ‘Mary and the Saints’
(m)The
idolatry of ‘image’ worship
(n)
The deceit of ‘relic’ worship
THIS WAS
IRISH PRESBYTERIANISM “THEN”
WHAT ABOUT
IRISH PRESBYTERIANISM ‘NOW’?
I think the sad decline of Irish Presbyterianism from its stated position in the little Catechism about what constitutes a “Protestant” namely – ‘A Protestant, therefore, is one who not only protests against the errors and abuses of Romanism, but also bears witness to the fundamental principles of the Gospel’ is best illustrated by the stated intention of the Irish Presbyterian Moderator for 2004-2005, Ken Newell, to invite the Roman Catholic Primate of Ireland, Archbishop Sean Brady, to be one of his ‘personal guests’ at the opening night of the General Assembly on 7 June 2004.
Alf McCreary, the Religious Affairs correspondent of the Belfast Telegraph and an elder of the Irish Presbyterian Church, who very publicly abused his journalistic position to conduct a personal campaign to influence the election of Ken Newell to the post of Moderator, wrote in ‘Perspectives’ [Belfast Telegraph 22 May 2004] –
‘It is blindingly
obvious to anyone with even an ounce of ecclesiastical and political wit that
it makes sense to invite the other Church leaders to the Assembly. To do so is
to underline their joint mission and to symbolise the work being carried on by
their respective flocks, often in the face of difficulties…Whether the
anti-ecumenists like it or not, the main Churches are going to continue working
together and to show that Christians can inspire and challenge our increasingly
secular world…The Presbyterian Church, in practice, is much more tolerant and
broad-based than some of its conservative backwoodsmen would suggest…Ken Newell
has shown leadership in sending out the personal invitations and he should be
respected and supported for doing so’.
Ken
Newell and his ‘spin-doctor’, Alf McCreary, represent all that has gone wrong
within Irish Presbyterianism, for they perceive that there is a ‘joint
mission’ to be pursued in co-operation with a Church that still unashamedly
and doggedly holds to –
(a) The false Papal claim for the Pope to be the Church’s
‘earthly head’
(b) Papal power based upon forged documents
(c) The heresy of ‘Baptismal Regeneration’
(d) The heresy of Roman ‘Confirmation’
(e) The heresy of ‘Transubstantiation’
(f) The heretical claims made for The Mass
(g) The scripture-contradicting Roman ‘Priesthood’
(h) The heresy of ‘
(i) The heresy of ‘Indulgences’
(j) The heresy of obtaining forgiveness for those who have
died
(k) The heresy of ‘Purgatory
(l) The heresy of worshipping ‘Mary and the Saints’
(m)The
idolatry of ‘image’ worship
(n)
The deceit of ‘relic’ worship
and
the perception is that those, who like those who drew up the little HANDBOOK on
ROMANISM and EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY, are to viewed as merely ‘conservative
backwoodsmen’.
This is a time for God’s people to pray very much that God will give wisdom and direction to His people within Irish Presbyterianism as they face a year that will no doubt stretch their Biblical convictions almost to breaking point.
In closing, I think I can do no better than quote in full C H Spurgeon’s ‘Evening Meditation’ for this very date – 29 May – with this thought that “he being dead yet speaketh” [Hebrews 11:4]
This evening's verse:
"Cursed be the man before the
Lord, that riseth
up and buildeth this city
Since he was cursed who rebuilt
Cecil
Andrews – ‘Take Heed’ Ministries –