Latest / The Uncensored Catholic / Episode 12: The Authority of the Church Part 6 - the Church Fathers

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Episode 12: The Authority of the Church Part 6 - the Church Fathers · The Uncensored Catholic

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Hey, y'all, welcome today's show. We're going to continue our series on
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the teaching and governing authority of the Catholic Church. Today we start on the
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early Church fathers. You know, the fathers of the early Church were those
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who learned directly from the apostles and were ordained by the apostles or their immediate
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successors. I'm looking at no more than say, the first two hundred years
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of the church. Now, if, as you know, Martin Luther would
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have said the apostles had authority, but those who came after him wandered away
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went astray, you would think that the church fathers would have said, you
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know, I was ordained by Saint Peter or Saint Paul or whomever, and
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he had the authority to do this. He could cast out demons, and
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he could raise the dead, and healed the sick and give valid orders and
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ordained new priests. But I don't have it. Well, no, they
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didn't say that. They didn't say that at all, And if they had,
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that would have made a liar out of Jesus Christ, who said the
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gates of Hell would never prevail against his church. He would be visible for
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all ages of shining city set upon a hill, and that would mean that
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Jesus wasn't God, because God can't lie. So let's get right into this.
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Saint Pope Clement of Rome was actually ordained by Saint Peter. He was
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the third pope. Actually, well, he was the second generation, you
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know. I mean he was just a few years younger then Saint Peter and
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Saint Paul, and Saint John and all of them. He said, every
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kind of honor and happiness was bestowed upon you, and then was fulfilled that
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which is written. My beloved did eat and drink, and was enlarged,
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and became fat and kicked. Hints flowed in hints, flowed emulation and envy,
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strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war in captivity. So the
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worthless rose up against the honored, those of no reputation, against those who
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are so renowned, the foolish, against the wise, the young, against
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those advanced in years. For this reason, righteousness and peace are now far
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departed from you. Inasmuch as everyone abandons the fear of God, has become
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blind in his faith, neither walks in the obedience of his appointment, nor
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acts a part becoming a Christian. But walks after his own wicked lusts,
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resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy by which death itself entered the
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world. So in literally the first generation of the church opposed apostles. Actually,
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Saint John would have still been alive at this time. You know,
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he didn't write the Gospel John Book of Revelations somewhere around seventy a d.
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Somewhere between seventy and ninety. You know, we're not quite sure. Here
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he is. He's now the pope, and he is chastising those who are
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no longer following the teachers, teachings of the apostles and the authority of the
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bishops. He said, let us, then, men and brethren, with
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all energy, active part of soldiers, in accordance with His Holy commandments.
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Let us consider those who serve under our generals, with what order, obedience,
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and submissiveness they perform the things which are commanded them. All are not
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prefects, nor commanders of thousands, nor hundreds or fifty, nor the like.
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But each one in his own rank performs the things commanded by the King
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and generals. The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without
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the great. There is a kind of mixture in all things, and thence
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arises mutual advantage. Let us take our body, for example, the head
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is nothing out the feet and the feet or nothing out of the head.
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Yea. The very smallest members of the body are necessary and useful for the
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whole body. But all work harmoniously together and are under one common rule for
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the preservation of the whole body. Very much echoing Saint Paul, to everyone
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is given the same office. The huge one of the biggest product of mistakes
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is picking up the Bible and reading it and believing each word pertains to each
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individual, as if God did not set up officers in his kingdom, as
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if there is no authority and no varying of duties and offices. There absolutely
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is. Not everyone is called to be a priest. Certain men are called
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to be priests. Not everyone is called to be a nun. Certain women
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are called to be a nun, or to teach. Not everyone is called
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to teach. It's very very clear, or actually in the New Testament,
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Saint Paul goes into quite a bit of detail to some of these have these
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gifts, or some have these gifts. Not everyone is of an equal office.
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Some have more authority than others, some have more holiness than others.
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Dad is actually one of the aspects of predestination. God knew us in the
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womb, He knew us before we were born, and he gives to some
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people certain gifts and duties and not everyone. You know, it's really quite
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sacrilegious actually for someone to just like pick up the Bible and read it and
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say, I'm going to start my own church by what authority? By what
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authority do you call yourself a preacher? Okay, you went to some Protestant
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divinivet school of divinity, By what authority do they have the ability to say
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you can be a minister? God gave that authority to his apostles, who
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ordaining those who came immediately after them, who are dained, the next generation,
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who are dained, the next generation continuing in perfect succession, unbroken for
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about two thousand years. Now. Pope say Clinic goes on to say,
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these things therefore being manifest to us, and since we look into the depths
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of the Divine knowledge, it behooves us to do all things in their proper
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order, which the Lord has commanded us to perform at stated times. He
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has enjoined offerings to be presented in services to be performed to him, and
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that not folicy or irregularly, but at appointed times and hours, where and
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by whom he desires these things to be done. He himself is fixed by
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his own supreme will, in order that these things be piously done according to
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his good pleasure may be acceptable to him. Those therefore, who present their
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offerings at the appointed times are accepted and blessed for inasmuch as they follow the
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laws of the Lord. They send not for his own peculiar service. For
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his own peculiar services are assigned to the high priest, and their proper place
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is prescribed to the priests, and their own special administrations devolve on the levites.
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The layman is bound by the laws that pertain to layman. The priests
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that a role. The layman has a role, they're not the same.
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And just as he's referencing, essentially comparing the New Law and the New Sabbath
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of the Christians, the day of worship of the Christians, which is Sunday,
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to the law Law of Moses, which was for the Jews, which
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was Saturday, he's saying God actually does pick out certain days and times,
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and choose certain people to do certain things. It's that you know the whole.
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You know the whole. Idea that religion is not supposed to be organized
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has no biblical, biblical foundation whatsoever. God begins as the creator and then
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shows himself again as the lawgiver. Creation is ordered. Disillusion, disease,
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disunity, disorganization is of the devil. Organization and order and law is very
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much of God. Let every one of your brethren give thanks to God in
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his own order, living in all good, conscious with the gravity of not
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going beyond the rule of the ministry prescribed to him. Not in every place,
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brethren, are the daily sacrifices offered, or the peace offerings, or
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the sin offerings, or the trest best offerings. But in Jerusalem only,
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and even there they are not offered in any place, but only the altar
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before the temple, that which is offered being first carefully examined by the High
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Priest and the ministers already mentioned. Those therefore, who do anything beyond that
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which is agreeable to His will or punished by death. You see, brethren,
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that the greater the knowledge that has been vouchsafed to us, the greater
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also the danger to which we are exposed to suppopes that Clement of Rome.
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He is making an allogy to the Jewish religion in Jerusalem, emphasizing the offices
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given to various peoples. Don't go beyond your authority, your ministry, he
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says. Then the apostles have preached the Gospel to us from the Lord Jesus
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Christ. Jesus Christ has done so from God. Christ therefore was sent forth
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by God, and the apostles by Christ. Both these appointments then were made
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in an orderly way, according to the will of God. Having therefore received
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their orders, and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ,
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and established in the word of God the full assurance of the Holy ghosts,
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they went forth, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God was at hand,
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and thus preaching through countries and cities. They appointed the first fruits of their
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labors, having first proved them by the spirits to be bishops and deacons of
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those who should afterwards believe. Nor was this anything new, since indeed many
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ages for it was written concerning bishops and deacons. For thus saith the Scripture.
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In a certain place, I will appoint their bishops and righteousness, and
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their deacons in faith again officers of the Christian Church, people with authority,
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the authority that comes from God through the apostles. And what wonder is it
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if those in Christ who were entrusted with such a duty by God appointed those
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ministers before mentioned, when blessed by Moses, also a faithful search servant in
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all his house, noted down in safecred books all the injunctions which were given
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to him, And when the other prophets also followed him, bearing witness with
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one consent to the ordinances which he had appointed. For when rivalry arose concerning
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the priesthood the tribes were contending among themselves as to which of them should be
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adorned with that glorious title, he commanded the twelve princes of the tribes to
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bring them their rods. I believe I've already read this to you. That's
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the story of when the other Jewish tribes, the Hebrew tribes coming out of
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Israel, said, well, why is Moses so special, We're all the
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same family. Moses said, let God pick them. You know, he
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chose the ones who are to be priests, and those are rebelled against Moses,
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God actually killed struck dead, the earth opened them and swallowed not only
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them, but their families and all their possessions. So again, God is
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not a god of disorder. He is a god of officers and offices in
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his kingdom, he says. Our apostles also knew through our Lord Jesus Christ,
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there would be strife on account of the office of the episcopate. For
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this reason, therefore, inasmuch of this had obtained a perfect foreknowledge of this,
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they appointed those ministers already mentioned, and afterward gave instructions that when these
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should fall asleep, other approvements should succeed them in their industry. In other
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words, when the apostles died, they had appointed ordained others who would carry
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on the authority and teaching, preaching ability, and the ability to enact the
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sacraments. We are of the opinion therefore, that those appointed by them,
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or after them by other eminent men, with the consent of the whole Church,
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and who have blamelessly served the flock of Christ and all humble, peaceful,
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peaceable and disinterested spirit, and have for a long time possessed a good
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opinion of all, cannot be justly dismissed from the ministry. For our sin
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would not be small if we eject from the episcopate those who have blamelessly and
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holy fulfilled its duties. Blessed are those presbyters who, having finished their course
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before now, have obtained a fruitful and perfect departure from this world. For
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they have no fear unless anyone deprived them of the place now appointed them.
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But we see that you have removed some of these men of excellent behavior from
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the ministry, which they fulfilled blamelessly and with honor. So again he's giving
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the authority of the priests and bishops and the Pope and the full Catholic high
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and chastising a church that tried to replace those who were ordained rightfully through the
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authority of the apostles with others who perhaps preached an easier gospel or maybe one
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that was even a little more difficult to understand. When we at some point
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we'll get into like the nastic heresies and such, people can be very fascinated
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by, you know, like you know, the old say. It's like
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they don't want you to know these hidden truths that people come out with,
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Like I mean, you see it today even now you'll see a commercial and
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it's hidden health secrets they don't want you to know, or you know something.
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People really fall for that stuff. Okay, that's gnasticism, that's hidden
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knowledge, and it's an absolute heresy. It was paganism masquerading as Christianity,
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thoroughly condemned by the Church. But it was Yeah, it probably was.
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We getting to get a foothold in some of the Greek speaking churches about that
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time. That is really a big part of what so the seeds which would
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become the schism that led to the Orthodox Church differings in opinion about the divinity
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and nature of God, not just language, and yeah, it's it's a
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it was an utter heresy and saying ignacious wrote a great length when it was
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incompatible with Christian doctrine and theology. We get to Polycarp. Polycarp was a
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great martyr. He was the Bishop of Smyrna from sixty nine to one fifty
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five a d. He said, knowing then that God has not mocked,
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we ought to work walk worthily of his commandments and glory in like manner.
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Should the deacons be blameless before His righteousness has been the servants of God in
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Christ, and not of men. He must not be slanderers, tongued,
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or lovers of money, but temper in all things, compassionate, industrious,
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walking according to the truth of the Lord, who was the servant of all.
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If we please him in this present world, we shall receive also the
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future world according to him, as he has promised to us that he will
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raise us again from the dead, and that if we live worthily of him,
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we shall also reign together with him, provided only that we believe in
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like manner. Let the young men be also blameless in all things, being
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especially careful to preserve purity, and keeping themselves in as with a bridle from
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every kind of evil, for it is well that they should be cut off
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from the lust that there are of the world. Every lust warth against the
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Spirit. And neither fornicators, nor the effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
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mankind shall inherit the Kingdom of God, nor those who do things inconsistent and
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unbecoming. Wherefore it is needful to abstain from all these things. Being subject
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to the presidents and the deacons as unto God in Christ. The virgins must
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also walk in a blameless and pure conscience. See but Saint Natan, Saint
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polycarp said, be subject to the presbyters and deacons as unto God and Christ.
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He goes on to say, and let the presbyters be compassionate and merciful
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in all things, bringing back those that wander, visiting all the sick,
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not neglecting the widow of the or from the poor, but always providing for
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that which is becoming in the sight of God, and man of staining from
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all wrath. Respect He's exercising his authority over the church of which he was
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a bishop. He's teaching them as with the authority of God, which is
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exactly what Jesus said they were to do. I mean that, I mean
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I know a lot of people these days, a lot of Protestants, a
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lot of perhaps even Catholics, would freak out when and says the bishops and
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the priests who are under their authority, their teaching is on par equal,
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so long as you know it's an agreement with the teachings of the Catholic Church,
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which are always in agreement with the Bible, with God's own Holy Word.
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But that is the authority that Jesus gave his church when he said,
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those who hear you hear me, and those who reject you reject me.
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He gave them the ability of binding the loose. The teachings of the Catholic
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Church, even especially many, are not included in the Bible, because the
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Bible says all it's written here is what's necessary for you to believe. The
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teachings of the Catholic Church had the absolute authority as if they were the very
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word of God himself, because they're guaranteed by the Holy Spirit, which is
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God. And he goes on, say, let us then serve him in
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fear and all reverence, even as he himself is commanded. And as the
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apostles who preached the Gospel to us and the prophets who proclaim proclaimed beforehand the
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coming of the Lord, have alike taught us, let us be zealous in
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the pursuit of that which is good, keeping ourselves from causes of offense from
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false brethren and from those who, in hypocrisy bear the name of the Lord
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and draw away vain men into error. So again, we're only a few
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years after the death of the last Apostle, and they were already people drawing
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away vain men into errors, starting their own churches, essentially trying to cause
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schisms and divisions and rejecting the authority of the apostles, which you cannot do
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and actually believe the words of God. You cannot believe that Jesus is God
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and reject those to whom he gave his authority. The Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp
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was written by Saint Eusebius, and it makes clear the role of Saint Polycarp
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in the Catholic Church. Eusebius wrote at length, when those wicked men perceived
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that his body could not be consumed by fire, they commanded an executioner to
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go near and pierced him through with a dagger, And on doing this there
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came forth a dove and a great quantity of blood, so that the fire
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was extinguished. And all the people wondered that there should be such a difference
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between the unbeliever and the elect of whom this most admi admirable Polycarp was one,
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having in our own time been an apostolic and prophetic teacher, a bishop
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of the Catholic Church. Guesst. Eucus in only about what are we up
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to? About one fifty says specifically a Bishop of the Catholic Church, which
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is in Smyrna. For every word that went out of his mouth either has
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been or shall yet be accomplished. So many projets will say, well,
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nowhere in the Bible does it mention the Catholic Church. Well as because there
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only was one church, you know, if there was only one thing,
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there's nothing to differentiated against. But at least by one fifty one sixty somewhere
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in that era, the Catholic Church have been a have a gun to identify
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itself as officially Catholic. We'll find this again in other writings of the early
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church fathers. That means, before the Bible was even really finished and published,
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the Catholic Church was the Catholic Church. This, then, is the
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account of the Blessed Polycarp, who, being the twelfth that was martyred in
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Smyrna, reckoning those also of Philadelphia, yet occupies a place in his own
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the memory of all men. I guess I should point out it's not Smyrna,
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Georgia, or Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I hope you all know that,
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but you know, some people might not. Some people might not realize that
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these cities in America were named after these old cities in the ancient world.
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You know, got to be clear on things, because people can get the
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wrong idea and go off on weird ideas. A play yet occupies a place
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of his own in the memory of all men, insomuch that he is everywhere
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spoken of by the Heathen themselves. He was not so he even impressed the
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Heathens, is what he's saying. Essentially, he was not merely an illustrious
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teacher, but also a pre eminent martyr who's martyred him all desire to imitate
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as having been altogether consistent with the Gospel of Christ, for having through patience
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overcome the unjust governor and thus acquired the crown of immortality. He now with
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the apostles and all the righteous in heaven rejoicing, glorifies God, even the
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Father, and blesses our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Savior of souls,
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the governor of our bodies, the shepherd of the Catholic Church throughout the world.
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I had to include that because it's just such a beautiful statement about the
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death of a martyr who is one of the greatest saints in his Saint Ignatius
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had authority over several churches. He was a bishop of many churches between thirty
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and one oh seven a d. Was what I believe when he lived.
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I don't believe he was bishop for the whole time, obviously, but he
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lived between thirty and one oh seven a d. And he made absolutely clear
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the command of Christian unity and obedience to the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.
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He said to the church at Ephesus, I have become acquaint him with your
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name, much beloved in God, which you have acquired by the habit of
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righteousness, according to the faith and love in Jesus Christ or Savior. Being
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the followers of God, and stirring up yourselves by the blood of God,
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you have perfectly accomplished the work which was beseeming to you on the other Aunt
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four. On hearing that I came bound from Syria for the common name and
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hope, trusting through peer to be permitted to fight with the beasts of Frome,
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he wanted to be a martyr himself at this point, so that by
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martyrdom I may indeed become a disciple of Him who gave his life for us,
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and offering and sacrifice to God. Ye hastened to me. I received
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therefore your whole multitude in the name of God, through an Issimus, a
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man of inexpressible love, and your Bishop in the flesh, whom I pray
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you by Jesus Christ to love, and that you would all seek to be
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like him. And blessed be he who has granted under you being worthy to
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obtain such an excellent bishop. He makes in all his letters to the churches,
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he makes very clear the role of the bishop and the duty of obedience
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of all Christians to their bishops. You know, it also says in the
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Bible all authority comes from God. You know, we kind of think of
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that, as I said, as civil authority. But civil authority is subject
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to religious authority. And when you reject God's Church and his bishops, really
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violate the word of God. There are times when we have to rebel against
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civil authority when it becomes unjust, when it becomes ungodly. That's, you
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know, that's a part of render to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God
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what is God. But to rebel against the authority of God's Church is to
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imitate Satan, who rebelled against God. As to my fellow servant, Burus,
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your deacon. In regard to God and blessing all things, I beg
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that he may continue longer, both for your honor and that of your Bishop
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and Crocus, also worthy both of God and you, whom I have received
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as a manifestation of your loves. All things refresh me, as God the
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Father, our Lord Jesus Christ also refreshes him, together with Onesimus and burl
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Us, and you plus in fronto, I'm probably mispronouncing all these names.
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By means of whom I have as to love beheld all of you. May
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I always have joy of you. Indeed, if I be worthy of it.
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It is therefore befitting that you should in every way glorify Jesus Christ.
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To have sclorified you by that unanimous obedience, Ye may be perfectly joined together
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in the same mind and in the same judgment, and may all speak the
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same thing concerning the same thing, And that, being subject to the Bishop
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and the presbyters, ye may in all respects be sanctified. I did not
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assume to issue orders to you as if I were some great person, For
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though I am bound for the name of Christ, I am not yet perfect
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in Christ for now I begin to be a disciple, and I speak to
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you as fellow disciples with me. For it was an evil for me to
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have been stirred up by you in faith, exhortations, patience, and long
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suffering. But inasmuch as love suffers me not to be silent in regard to
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you, I have therefore taken upon me first to exhort you that you would
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all run together in accordance with the will of God. For even Jesus Christ,
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our inseparable life, is the manifest will of the Father. As also
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bishops settled everywhere to the utmost balance of the earth, are so willed by
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Jesus Christ. Wherefore is fitting that you should run together at accordance with the
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will of your bishops, which things you also do for you just for your
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justly renowned presbyent or worthy of God is fitted as exactly to the bishop as
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the strings are to the harp. Therefore, in your concord and harmonious love,
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Jesus is sung as the strings are to Jesus is sung. And do
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ye man by a man become a choir that, being harmonious in love and
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taking out the song of God in unison ye may with one voice sing to
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the Father through Jesus Christ, so that He may both hear you and perceive
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by your works that ye are indeed members of His Son. Is profitable therefore
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that you live in unblameable unity, that ye may always enjoy His communion with
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God. It's pretty durn clear, but you know, it's a really good
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point to point out. The harmony of music. Music is said to be
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the language of the angels. Disharmony again is incompatible with Christianity, with the
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true religion. Harmony being in kindcord, working together, being of the same
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mind for the same goal, is again a reflection of the nature of God.
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One of the things I love most about music, and I play a
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lot of instruments. Harmony is sort of my thing, accord geek, Really,
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for if in this brief space of time I have enjoyed such fellowship with
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your Bishop, I mean, not of a mere human, as a spiritual
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nature, how much more do I reckon you happy, who are so joined
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to Him as the Church is to Jesus Christ, and as Jesus Christ is
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to the Father, So that all things may agree in unity. Let no
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man deceive himself if anyone not be within the altar, he is deprived of
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the bread of God. For if the prayer of one or two possesses such
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power, how much more of that of the bishops and the whole church.
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He therefore, that does not assemble with the Church, has even by this
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manifested his pride and condemned himself for his written God resisteth the proud. Let
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us be careful, then, not to set ourselves in opposition to the Bishop,
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in order that we may be subject to God. If you don't obey
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your bishops, you don't follow the teachings of the Church, excommunicate yourself.
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You're cut off from the altar, the table of God. Not to receive
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the eucurus or the bread of God, that is pride. That's the first
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sin. Thou should have no gods before me. We discussed that yesterday.
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Now the more anyone sees the Bishop keeping silence, the more ought to revere
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him. For we ought to receive everyone who has, everyone whom the Master
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of the house sends to be over his household, as we would do him
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that sent him. It is manifest therefore that we should look upon the Bishop
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even was we would look upon the Lord himself, and adeed Onisimus as great
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as an. Indeed, Onisimus himself greatly commends your good order in God,
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that ye all live in according to the truth, and that no one has
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any secret dwelling place among you, Nor indeed do you hearken to anyone rather
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than to Jesus Christ speaking the truth. Stand fast, brethren, in the
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face of Jesus Christ and his love, and his passion and his resurrection.
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Do ye all come together in common and individually through grace in one faith,
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God, the Father and of Jesus Christ, has only begotten son and the
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firstborn of every creature, but of the seat of David, according to the
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flesh, being under the guidance of the comforter, in obedience to the Bishop
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and the Presbyter, with an undivided mind breaking one and the same bread,
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which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote which prevents us from dying,
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but a cleansing remedy driving away evil, which causes that we should live
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in God through Jesus Christ. Even though he wrote many similar things to the
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Church in Magnesia, to the Church in Trillies trillies I don't know, to
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the Church in Philadelphia, I have pages and pages at this in my book.
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I'm gonna leave it here because I think that last Smyrna. Yes,
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he wrote great deal to church in Smyrna. He wrote actually to Saint Polycarp,
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the bishop of Smyrna. So these two saints had a correspondence. This
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is all in my book, The Confirmation and Autobiography Autobiography of Faith. Let
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me see if I get that right, Confirmation and Autobiography of Faith. I
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don't think I have any need to read it here because those last few lines
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sum it up completely. When one separates themselves from the one Holy Catholic and
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Apostock Church, one can no longer see a valid Eucharist, the body and
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Blood of Christ. Only the Catholic Church has the authority to turn physical bread
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and wine into the spiritual body and blood of Christ. By disobedience to the
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Church, whether it was Martin Luther walked away, whether it was when the
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Greek Orthodox said, now we're not going to do it anymore, whether it
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was when King Henry the Eighth want divorce and the Church said, no,
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you can't divorce anymore wives or cut off anymore of their heads. Because he
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was a murderer and a horrible person. Whether it's when a modern church like
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oh Any just put it out there says, you know, we don't believe
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in the teachers of the Catholic Church. We believe in this doctrine and believe
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this is true, and what they believe is false. And of course it's
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what about fifty thousand denominations do some into greater extents than others. Some are
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actually in fairly close communion or in closer communion, while others who deny that
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Christians should go to church on Sunday and say the popes of anti Christ and
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all that are completely out of communion with the Catholic Church, having very little
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in common. I mean like the Jehovah's witnesses who don't even believe in the
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divinity of Christ. Okay, they don't even believe that Jesus is God,
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or the Mormons who have a completely different gospel to cut themselves off from the
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Euchras. And Jesus said clearly, unless you eat of my body and drink
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of my blood, you have no life in you. So it is very
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important to examine these writings because, as is famously stated, salvation is through
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the church that has been said by great saints and writers and thinkers throughout time,
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where even if you deny the role given to the Catholic Church by Jesus
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Christ, you have to admit that if you put your full faith in the
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Bible, the Bible was written by the Catholic Church. Anyway you look at
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it. Salvation comes through the Catholic Church. And the closer you are in
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accord to Catholic doctrine, the better off you're going to be, the better
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chance you have of get into heaven. And the greatest chance of getting into
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heaven is being in communion with the Catholic Church and able to receive the sacraments
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through which God intended that man be saved through the you, of course,
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through confession, etc. Baptism, etc. So as always, y'all,
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let's leave with the words of Saint Padre Pio, pray, hope, and
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don't worry. Now have a go on. I'll talk to you mor