50 The Faith of Our Fathers only such doctrines as he heard from the lips of his Master. Not only is it required that ministers of the Gospel should conform their teaching to the doctrine of the Apostles, but also that these ministers should be ordained and commissioned by the Apostles or their legitimate successors. "Neither doth any man," says the Apostle, "take the honor to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was."73 This text evidently condemns all selfconstituted preachers and reformers; for, "how shall they preach, unless they be sent?"74 Sent, of course, by legitimate authority, and not directed by their own caprice. Hence, we find that those who succeeded the Apostles were ordained and commissioned by them to preach, and that no others were permitted to exercise this function. Thus we are told that Paul and Barnabas "had ordained for them priests in every church."75 And the Apostle says to Titus: "For this cause I left thee in Crete, ... that thou shouldst ordain Priests in every city, as I also appointed thee."76 Even St. Paul himself, though miraculously called and instructed by God, had hands imposed on him,77 lest others should be tempted by his example to preach without Apostolic warrant. To discover, therefore, the Church of Christ among the various conflicting claimants we have to inquire, first, which church teaches whole and entire those doctrines that were taught by the [040] Apostles; second, what ministers can trace back, in an unbroken line, their missionary powers to the Apostles. The Catholic Church alone teaches doctrines which are in all respects identical with those of the first teachers of the Gospel. The following parallel lines exhibit some examples of the departure of the Protestant bodies from the primitive teachings of Christianity, and the faithful adhesion of the Catholic Church 73 Heb. v. 4. 74 Rom. x. 15. 75 Acts xiv. 22. 76 Tit. i. 5. 77 Acts xiii. 2, 3.