Page:Pastoral letter of the first National Council of the United States - held in Baltimore in May, 1852 (IA PastoralLetter1852).pdf/6

Rh The authority we exercise has been given us by Christ. We are His Ministers; ambassadors for Him. We claim no power, and seek no influence which He has not willed us to have. It is our duty to guard the sacred deposit of the faith; for to us has it been committed, and from us will it be one day demanded by our Heavenly Master. Having vouchsafed to speak, at sundry times, and in divers manners, in times past to the fathers by the prophets, last of all hath God spoken to us by His Son; and this Divine Son,—the brightness of His Father's glory, the figure of His substance,—has made us the depositaries of his doctrine, and " has given to us the ministry of reconciliation." Man having had need that God should teach him, ever requires to receive this divine teaching through a channel in which it shall be preserved from whatever might taint its purity, and thus destroy its authority. Not only must we know that God has spoken; we must also be assured that His voice is heard throughout all time. Although no longer visible to men, Christ, our God, has not left us orphans. He has sent the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete whom He promised; He has infused into the earthly elements which He selected for the formation of His Church, the breath of undying life; and that Holy Spirit ever abides in the Church, teaches her all truth, preserves her from every error, and renders her a sure guide to the pastures of salvation, to the fountain whence springs up water to eternal life. Thus is fulfilled the word: "He that heareth you, heareth me:" thus is the Church, " the House of the Living God, the Pillar and the ground of truth;" and on this is grounded the obligation which we urge with no less confidence than did the Apostles of Christ: "Obey your prelates, and be subject to them. For they watch as being to render an account of your souls, that they may do this with joy, and not with grief."

The source of this authority is Christ. The channel through which it is communicated to the other members of the church is the Bishop of Rome. The successor of St. Peter, is the heir of the privileges conferred on the Prince of the Apostles; on him as on the solid foundation which the wise architect has