All Articles For Contending for the Faith

In his attempt to control the affairs of European states, he met with less success than failure, and in Philip the Fair of France he found his match.  In Sicily, he failed to carry out his plans to secure the transfer of the realm from the house of Aragon to the king of Naples.

There is something concerning God’s eternal decree of predestination, and particularly the decree of reprobation, which seems immediately to arouse the ire of man. Mention election or reprobation, and man closes his ears. Send to him material on such a subject, and he will return it with the acid comment, “I don’t want such stuff in my mailbox.” Even John Calvin, that noted Reformer and champion of the truth of predestination, is reported to have called reprobation “that horrible decree” (a deliberately poor translation of his statements). Why such opposition? Is it possible that the reason is that this Scriptural...

Quoting from “Radio Replies by Fathers Rumble and Carty,” Volume III, paragraphs 285-298, setting forth the Romish conception of the Church, we were quoting Answer 294 which is an answer to the question whether there are any references in the Old and New Testaments to any definite religion of Christ. And we had quoted that part of the answer which referred toIsaiah 2:2-4. We will now continue with this quotation: “The correct sense of that passage (Is. 2:2-4 —H.V.) is as follows: When the Christ shall come, He will solidly establish the religion of God in a visible form which all...

Its purpose was not to deny feudal and freewill offerings from the Church. In cases of emergency, the pope would also be ready to grant special subsidies. The document was so offensive that the French bishops begged the pope to recall it altogether, a request he set aside. But to appease Philip, Boniface issued another bull, July 22, 1297, according thereafter to French kings, who had reached the age of 20, the right to judge whether a tribute from the clergy was a case of necessity or not. A month later he canonized Louis IX, a further act of conciliation. 

The humiliation of Boniface (a certain writer relates that Boniface fell into a rage and, after gnawing his staff and striking his head against the wall, hanged himself) was the long-delayed penalty of the sacerdotal pride of his predecessors and himself. He suffered in part for the hierarchical arrogance of which he was the heir and in part for his own. presumption.

The Transfer of the Papacy to Avignon. 

Views During the Third Period (750-1517 A.D.)

The interdict at once took effect, casting a deep gloom over the whole nation. The church bells remained unrung. The church buildings were closed. The usual ministrations of the priesthood remained unperformed. The great doors of the monasteries were left unopened, and worshippers were only admitted by secret passages. Penance was inflicted upon the innocent as well as the erring. Women, after childbirth, presented themselves for purification outside the church walls. The dead were refused burial in consecrated ground, and the service of the priest was withheld. 

In Germany, Innocent became the umpire of the imperial election. The electors were divided between two aspirants to, the throne, Philip of Swabia, the brother of Henry VI, who was Crowned at Mainz, and Otto, the son of Henry the Lion, who was crowned at Aachen by Adolf, archbishop of Cologne. Otto was the nephew of Richard Coeur de Lion and John of England, who supported his claims with their gold and diplomacy. Both parties made their appeal to Rome, and it is not a matter of surprise that Innocent’s sympathies were with the Guelf, Otto, rather than with the...

ng attention to the doctrine of a common grace as set forth in the writings of John Calvin, we concluded our previous article by noting that Calvin does not only speak of a common grace which is shown to the entire creation, without any distinction, but he also speaks of a common grace of God to mankind in distinction from the creation, and also this grace must be viewed only as relating to the realm of nature.