The
Protestant
Trilemmaby Elder J. R. Graves (SB) The protestant religious societies face a
three-edged dilemma when it comes to
explaining their origins and history as
they relate to the Roman Catholic
"Church." In 1855, Elder J. R. Graves
wrote an essay addressing this matter
and the manner in which a Presbyterian
General Assembly had attempted to
address it. His observations are as
applicable to the protestants of our day
as they were to those of the last century.
-- Pastor Wilson (CB)
A little history connected with the last
N. S. Presbyterian General Assembly,
which held its session in Buffalo, May,
1854, . . . ought not to be allowed to
pass without improvement.A query was introduced into that body
to this effect:--Are Romish baptisms
and ordinations valid? A committee of
junior and senior patriarchs, was sent
out to report an answer. They failed to
agree. The majority reported negatively.
But there were sundry gray-haired doc-
tors who saw the logical conclusions
behind such a decision, and indeed any
decision they as Pedobaptists could
make; and those consequences would
certainly be precipitated upon them by
their Baptist friends and Catholic foes.
The reports were read in the assembly,
and a warm discussion ensued. Unfortu-
nately, very little of that discussion has
been given to the public; but the posi-
tions taken by the two parties were sub-
stantially these:The majority reported that all ordi-
nances at the hands of Romish priests
were invalid, because the Romish
Catholic Church was no Church of
Christ, and no part or branch of Christ's
Church; but manifest Anti-Christ--the
scarlet harlot riding on the beast with
seven heads and ten horns, drunk with
the blood of saints; the baptism and
ordinations of such an apostate body are
null and void; and to pronounce them
valid, is to pronounce the Romish
Church the Church of Christ; and more,
to involve Presbyterians and all Protes-
tant sects in the guilt of schism, since
they rent the body of Christ when they
came out of Rome!But the party who sustained the minor-
ity report, or were unfavorable to a deci-
sion, urged on the other hand:--If you
deny the Church of Rome to be a true
Church, and decide that her baptisms
and ordinations are invalid, then do we
to all intents and purposes unchurch
ourselves, unless we can baptize the
ashes of Luther and Calvin, from whom
we have received our baptisms and ordi-
nations! If the baptisms and ordinations
of Antichrist, of the Man of Sin, and
Son of Perdition are invalid, then Luther
and Calvin were unbaptized as were all
the members that composed the first
churches of the Reformation! Then
were they unordained, and consequently
had no authority to baptize their follow-
ers, or ordain other ministers to follow
them; in a word, all Protestant societies
are unbaptized bodies, and conse-
quently no Churches of Christ, since a
body of unbaptized persons, however
pious, cannot be considered a Church;
all Protestant ministers are both unbap-
tized and unordained, and consequently
unauthorized to preach officially and
administer the ordinances.Thus we see the trilemma into which the
query precipitated them.1. To decide that "antichrist," the "man
of sin[,]" "THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS" is a
true Church of Christ, would be a
monstrous solecism. But this would
convict all Protestant sects of sin, and
destroy at once every claim they could
set up to be churches of Christ; for they
confess themselves Schismatics.2. To decide that the Romish apostasy is
not the true Church of Christ is to decide
that all her ordinances are invalid, and
consequently that all Protestant societies
are bodies of unbaptized persons, and
therefore not churches of Christ, and all
Protestant ministers are both unbaptized
and unordained, and consequently
unauthorized either to preach or admin-
ister the ordinances.
3. To say that we cannot decide a ques-
tion so manifest, will arouse the atten-
tion of the people, and awaken their sus-
picion, at once, that there is a great
wrong and a great failure about Protes-
tant churches somewhere.Finding that they could not extricate
themselves from this labyrinth of fatal
consequences, they moved an indefinite
postponement of the question! Their
membership which they have led into
their societies, and the world which they
are now using every possible effort to
entice into their societies, should loudly
and constantly demand of them to
decide whether the Romish apostasy is
a true Church of Christ or not, for let
Protestant societies decide it affirma-
tively or negatively, according to their
own admissions, they equally cut off all
their own claims to be considered Chris-
tian Churches!
This is the continuing trilemma of ALL
protestants, including the so-called
Reformed "Baptists" of our day.The similarity of this Protestant Tri-
lemma, with that faced by the opponents
of the Lord in regards to John's baptism
will not be lost to the Bible student:(Mat. 21:23-27) And when he was come
into the temple, the chief priests and the
elders of the people came unto him as he
was teaching, and said, By what author-
ity doest thou these things? and who
gave thee this authority? {24} And
Jesus answered and said unto them, I
also will ask you one thing, which if ye
tell me, I in like wise will tell you by
what authority I do these things. {25}
The baptism of John, whence was it?
from heaven, or of men? And they rea-
soned with themselves, saying, If we
shall say, From heaven; he will say unto
us, Why did ye not then believe him?
{26} But if we shall say, Of men; we
fear the people; for all hold John as a
prophet. {27} And they answered Jesus,
and said, We cannot tell. And he said
unto them, Neither tell I you by what
authority I do these things.