1
iSSL^kJB^^Bi^H
SFDMIMiSQCOLLECT.
THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
XLT Fq
«
THE
VISIBLE UNITY
CATHOLIC CHURCH.
VOL. I.
Ecclesia; autem iinitos in diiobus attenilitur: scilicet in connexione mem-
brontm Ecclesio} ad invicem, sen communicatione ; ct iterum in ordine
omninm membroram Ecclesiae ad iinum caput, Bccundum illud ad Coloss.
ii. 18, 19 : Jnflatus sensu carnis su(e, et non tenens Caput, ex quo Mum corpus, per
nexus el conjuncliones suhministratum et conslruclum, crescit in augmentum Dei,
Hoc aubcm capnt rst ipse Christns, cujus vicem in Ecclesia gerit SummiiB
Fontifcx. Et idei) schismatici dicuntur qui subcsse reuiiuut Summo Fonti&ci,
ct qui membris Ecclesia; ei Eubjectis communicare recosant.
S. TllOM. A<iuix. Siimm. Tlieol. '2da 2da'. Quasi, xxxix. ^1;/. i. n. 3.
LOttDOtI : I'UINtl.b IIT
■ rOTTKWOOOB AHI> CO., HKW-HTIIIiliT 8QUARB
AMD rAULUUHilT ilUUIlT
VISIBLE UNITY T
OF THE
CATHOLIC CHUECH
MAINTAINED AGAINST OPPOSITE THEORIES:
WITH AN
EXPLANATION OF CERTAIN PASSAGES IN ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY
ERRONEOUSLY APPEALED TO IN THEIR SUPPORT.
BY
M. J. EHODES, M.A.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
Vol. I.
LONDON :
LONGMANS, GEEEN, AND CO.
1870.
A /I rights reserved.
Nihil obstat.
Gulielmus A. Johnson.
Imprimatur.
t^i Henricus Eduardus,
A rchiepiscopus Westmon.
occ-tM
DEDICATOEY LETTEK, &c.
To the Right Reverend WM. DELANY, D.D.,
Lord Bishop of Cork.
My Dear Loed,
In addition to the daily spiritual benefits conferred
upon your own numerous flock by your Lordship's un-
wearied pastoral exertions, many a stranger's heart is
cheered and gladdened by the hospitable welcome which
your truly Christian kindness so largely extends to all.
Englishmen especially may thereby be reminded of
the generous and cordial greeting with which Ireland in
ancient days received her many visitants from the Anglo-
Saxon and the British nations, who thronged as students
to her far-famed halls of learning, or sought the way to
heaven, as disciples of Christ, in her equally celebrated
schools of piety and high religion.
The motives which led to my long sojourn in your
Lordship's diocese were more ordinary in their nature, and
did not entitle me to any such reception. Yet during
the seven or eight years through which it has been my
privilege to love and venerate you as my Bishop, the
repeated marks of favour which your unceasing goodness
1492.<80
vi DEDICATORY LETTER, ETC.
has heaped upon me, and which will ever be remembered
by me with sincerest gratitude, would furnish proof, if
such were needed, that the hearts of Irish Churchmen are
still animated by the princely spirit of the olden time.
Now that I am returning to my nativ^e shores, your
Lordship has crowned these many acts of kindness by
graciously permitting me to connect your name with the
present volumes.
The work was begun with your Lordship's blessing ; it
has progi-essed under your encouragement ; and on its
completion I thankfully avail myself of your most kind
consent to allow me to dedicate it to you, as a small but
earnest token of my grateful affection and my unfeigned
respect.
Once more begging 3'our episcopal benediction on the
produce of my labours and on myself,
I have the honour to remain.
My dear I^ord,
Your Lordship's most faitbful and ol )liged servant,
M. J. KHODES.
Glengaiuff, Bantry, Co. Cork :
Feast of ,St. Edward the Confessor,
Oct. 13tli, 18G9.
DEDICATORY LliTTiOR, ETC. Vll
To M. J. RHODES, Esq.
My dear Mr. Ehodes,
A treatise of such graceful and scholarlike execu-
tion, on a subject so important as that which is dealt with
in your work, ought to have been ushered into the world
under the auspices of some more distinguished name than
the obscure one you have selected. Such you might
readily have .found, but the extremely kind manner in
which you expressed your desire to inscribe my own at the
head of your book, precluded me from pressing this upon
you.
In the spirit of that generous friendship which I have
had the happiness of enjoying for several years, you dis-
carded prudential considerations, and I acquiesced, under
the conviction that a production of such rare and intrinsic
merits must ensure its own success without any consider-
able delay.
A more appropriate votive tribute could not have been
devised on your part, in gratitude to the blessed Spirit of
light and love Who in days gone by conducted you into
the communion of the Church, opening your heart to her
voice and teachings, which are as ancient as Christianity
and as unchanging as its truth. Your familiarity with the
difficulties and misapprehensions that affect the minds of
English churchmen, and the clearness with which you
explain the Church's doctrine, will render your work of
invaluable service in their regard ; and I cannot refrain
from expressing my unfeigned delight at the charitable
spirit you have displayed, in your mode of treating the
points of controversy which unhappily keep them apart
from us.
Viii DEDICATORY LETTER, ETC.
On the other hand, Catholics, especially of these isles,
must derive peculiar pleasure and no small addition to
their information, from the perusal of your learned pro-
duction. The Celtic tribes of these regions are only
beginning to be introduced to the general acquaintance
of the scholars of our day, and the pursuit of your sub-
ject has led you to the consideration of events in their
history, wliich are of peculiar interest to ourselves, and
but little kno'vvn or understood. I cannot conceive how
anyone can rise from the perusal of your interesting and
masterly examination into the evidence which still sur-
vives upon the subject, without a thorough conviction
that, notwithstanding their divergence in certain points of
discipline, the ancient Christian inhabitants of these coun-
tries were bound in an indissoluble bond of union with
the Mother and ]\Ii stress of Churches.
Praying a blessing on yourself and all that are dear to
you, and on this work, the fruit of pious zeal,
I am.
My dear Mr. Rhodes,
Yours very sincerely,
»^ WILLIAM DELANY.
Cork: October 22, 1869.
PREFACE.
rpHIS work was originally commenced as a letter
-*- to a valued friend of early years, who took a
leading part in the general meeting of the ' English
Church Union,' held in July 1866 ; by which
meeting a formal resolution was adopted, welcoming
the publication of Dr. Pusey's 'Eirenicon,' and
expressing the earnest desire of the Association for
the restoration of unity to Christendom.
The proportions which the writing assumed as it
progressed were larger than had been contemplated
at its conimencement ; and when half of it was com-
pleted, my friend himself having become convinced
of the divine authority of the Roman Catholic
Church, sought and received admission into her
communion.
A great part of the book was consequently,
to some extent, recast, though not substantially
altered. If there still aj^pear in it any traces of
the epistolary style, it is owing to the above-
mentioned circumstance.
X PREFACE.
There may be critics, otherwise favourable, who at
iirst siglit will object to the fact of a layman having
ventured to treat publicly of the matters of theo-
logy discussed in this work, particularly in the first
and second sections. This difficulty presented
itself to my own mind, but it was removed by the
ai)probation with which my proposed design was
received, when I submitted it to high ecclesiastical
authority ; and particularly by the blessing wliich
was accorded to it from its very commencement,
and the kind encouragement which throughout
accompanied its prosecution, on the part of the
Bishop of the diocese in which I was residing at
the time. The same Right Reverend Prelate has
graciously permitted me to place my volumes, now
completed, under his patronage, as may be seen
from the foregoing letters.
Moreover, since its completion, the whole of the
work has undergone the careful examination of
an ecclesiastical censor, appointed for the purpose
by the Archbishop in whose diocese it is now about
to be jmblished, and whose Imprimatur is affixed
to it. The first two sections, which form the
portion of the book most directly theological, have
been in type for more than two years, with the
exception of changes not affecting the substance of
tlic matter. Tiicy liavc l)ceii carefully perused and
examined b\- jnurc tlian one distlnLTiiishcd thoolo'nan
TREFACE. XI
of our own isles; and, in the summer of 1867, on
the occasion of the centenary of St. Peter and
St. Paul, I took the opportunity of personally sub-
mitting them to the judgment of two professors
of theology, belonging respectively to two of the
highest ecclesiastical colleges in Rome. One of
these was the Reverend Father Cardella, then of
the Roman College, now Rector of the Civilta
Cattolica ; and he has kindly permitted me to
make this use of his name.
I am desirous to call particular attention to
these authorities in reference to the explanation
of the Church's doctrine on the Sacrament of
Extreme Unction, which is contained in the
second section of this work. It is a point on
which Dr. Pusey has more than once asked for
information, and the statements which I have
made respecting it have undergone the strictest
scrutiny.
In order to examine and to test the truth of the
theory against which these volumes are principally
directed, it was necessary, in the first place, to
state it with faiiniess and precision. This alone
was the motive which induced me to adopt as my
text upon the subject the extracts which I have
given from the pages of Dr. Forbes. The state-
ment which they contain oi' the theory in (juestion
Xll PREFACE.
appears to me more clear, concise, and definite,
and, I may add, at the same time more plausible,
than any which I have met with elsewhere.
In addition to the extracts from Dr. Forbes,
Dr. Pusey's ' Eirenicon ' necessarily occupies a
prominent position in my pages. But it has by
no means been my intention to confine my obser-
vations solely to these authors. I have referred
to them simply as fair and competent exponents
of the theory of invisible unity.
Xo doubt there may be details respecting which
others who maintain the same theory \xi\\ be found
to vary in opinion from the authors above referred
to; and there may be Anglicans who would not
consent to extend its application so widely as, in
some respects, appears to be done by Dr. Forbes.
But the theory in itself forms a largely accepted
basis for common action, and a widely received
rule for indi\ddual guidance; and it is to the theory
itself, rather than to questions arising out of it,
that I have directed my attention in these volumes.
Thus, though a recent publication by Mr. Cobb,^
was issued too late for any special notice in my
pages — excepting the few remarks which will be
found in a foot-note at page 329, vol. ii. — yet the
' ' Separation ' not * Schism.' A plea for the position of
Anglican lieunionists. By Gerard Francis Cobb, M.A., Fellow
of Trinity College, Cambridge, London : Palmer, 18G9.
PREFACE. Xlll
whole of the present work is expressly devoted to
the examination of the principle upon which his
opinions are based. The same remark will apply
to the opinions of all writers, whether of earlier
or more recent date, who adopt the same theory
of the present suspension of the Church's outward
unity.
It was not until after the completion of the
account of the British Church, which is comprised
in my second volume, that I became aware of the
collection of documents lately edited by Mr.
Haddan.^ I should otherwise have derived from
them considerable assistance. Althouo-h the learned
editor does not hesitate to speak of the ' Schism
between the British and the Roman Chm'ches,'
and to designate it as 'formal,' (p. 152), yet the
facts which he has produced in his work cor-
roborate my own statements. The very few pas-
sages amongst his quotations which may at first
sight assume a different aspect, are not of sufficient
weight to withstand the existing amount of counter
testimony. They will bear, and they require, the
same interpretation, which, as I have shown, must
' Councils and Ecclesiastical Documents relating to Great
Britain and Ireland : Edited after Spelraan and Wilkins. By
Arthur West Haddan, B.D., and William Stubbs, M.A. Vol. I.
Oxford, at the Clarendon Press, 1869.
XIV PREFACE.
be api^lied to certain strong expressions occasion-
ally met with in the pages of St. Bede.
It has been my anxious desire, throughout the
whole of this work, to avoid any term or mode of
expression which might give offence. But since
terms involve principles, and principles do not
admit of compromise, I have at times felt some
difficulty in the selection of my language. It
appeared to me, however, that the simplest course
was to adopt the expressions now most in use,
intending them in their commonly received sense.
I have endeavoured to render the book as gene-
rally interesting and as little controversial as
possible; and I have not hesitated to speak more
fully than was absolutely necessary for the sake of
argument, on such incidental points as appeared
particularly to invite notice.
M. J. RHODES.
18 Green Street, Grosvenor Square,
London, W.
Chri^tmm Day, 18C9.
CONTENTS
OF
THE FIRST VOLUME,
INTRODUCTORY.
Statement of the subject of tlie work .
Division of the subject .......
SECTION I.
The one true Church of Christ.
The Divine nature and origin of the Unity of Christ's Church
The Unity of the Church is permanently visible
Permanent and visible Unity is pledged to her by Christ .
There can be no union with Christ excepting through the
Church ......
Invincible ignorance ....
Individual responsibility ....
No corporate body of Christians can belong to the Church
who are not visibly in her connniinion
There is only one Church ....
The one true Church is visible to all men .
Christ's commission to His Church .
It is acted upon by the Roman Catholic Church alone.
The four Notes of the Church .
The Church's Unity .....
Rome and England not one Clun-ch .
Differences amongst Roman Catholics
Inconsistent charges against them
Universality of the Church's Unity .
The Church's Sanctity ....
The Church's Catholicity ....
I'AGE
1
7
8
9
15
17
18
20
21
22
25
26
28
28
29
30
32
34
35
38
X\T
CONTENTS OF
PiGE
Rome is the centre of her Catholicity . . . .39
Title of Catholic 40
The Church's Apostolicity 41
Mission and jurisdiction ....... 42
The Roman Primacy ....... 43
Necessity of rightful jurisdiction . . . . .43
Necessity of Apostolic doctrine . . . . . .44
St. Peter's chair and office ...... 45
Distinction between the Episcopate, Apostolate, and Primacy 45
Christ foimded the Church on St. Peter and his successors,
associating St. Peter with Himself . . . .48
Christ rvdes the Chiurch through St. Peter and his successors 50
St. Peter's See is the strength of the Episcopate . . .53
It is Christ Who acts in all 55
St. Peter's office continues in his successors . . .56
The Primacy is a great grace ...... 58
Visible and present testimony to the Apostolicity of Rome . fiO
Rome is the centre of the Church's Unity . . . .03
The Church bears the image of her Lord . . . .64
SECTION II.
Examination of the theory of the existence of invisible unity between
outwardly divided bodies of Christians.
The Church's notes are inseparable, and each one of them is
indispensable ........ 64
None of them can become invisible . . . . .05
The theory of the suspension of visible imity tested . . 66
Statement of the above-mentioned theory, as contained in a
work entitled * A short explanation of the Nicene Creed '
by Dr. Forbes, the Anglican Bi.shop of Brechin . . 69
The Church is only one, though comprising hierarchies in
many nations ........ 75
Exclusivcnc'ss of the one Church . . . . .70
God's universal mercies . . . . . . .77
The Catholic doctrine on grace outside the Church, as
stated by Dr. Newman . . . . . .78
Cases of goodness in individuals . . . . .81
Personal responsibility ....... 83
THE FIRST VOLUME.
XVll
Goodness amongst the unbaptized
The lustre of the Church's Saints
Greek Missions ....
Fecundity of the Ancient Heresies .
Nestorians ....
Jacobites ....
Arianism, and the Arian Goths
Bishop Ulphilas .
Other heresies
State of the early ages
Dr. Newman's account of the fourth century
Dr. Newman's account of the fifth and sixth centuries
Present trials of the Church
The Church's golden age
Ancient appellation of ' Roman '
The tenth century of the Church
Kome and the Popes of that age
The Church's holiness is always visible .
It was so in the tenth century — Instances .
St. Eomuald and Camaldoli
The Plospice of St. Bernard and its fovmder
Other instances .....
Cluny and its Abbots ....
Saints unknown to us .
St. Peter Damian .....
Christ's presence in His Church is never lessened
Her visible unity never is suspended
Distinction between individual Christians and the Church
AH the children of the Church are taught by God
All are not obedient .....
The Church exists for the salvation of mankind
God's promises to His Church are absolute and unconditional
Distinction between ordinary and extraordinary gifts
Christ's presence never varies as regards all that is needful
for His Church
The peculiar force of the words of His promise to be
always ' with her ' .
The prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the Church
of Christ
VOL. I.
83
85
85
86
86
88
90
91
92
92
93
96
98
99
100
101
101
104
105
109
109
111
113
114
116
116
119
121
122
124
124
126
128
129
131
134
a
XVlll CONTENTS OF
PAGE
Til e prophecies of Isaias . ...... 135
The prophecies of Holy David . . . . .137
The Chui-ch is not exempted from affliction . . .139
The Church as described in the Book of Canticles . .140
Prophecies of Ezecliiel ....... 141
Prophecies of Jeremias . . . . . . . 1 43
The theory tested by the Gospel . . . . .147
It is sho^vn to be inconsistent ■with the doctrine of the
Gospel . . . . . . . . .148
Also "with the Gospel precepts . ..... 150
Differences between Eome and England respecting points
of faith ..."..... 155
Difference respecting the ground of faith . . . .156
Are they agreed respecting the articles of the faith ? . .158
The Roman profession of faith . ..... 159
Obedience to the Bishop of Rome, the Vicar of Jesns Christ IGl
Difference respecting the Sacraments . . . .161
Baptism . . . . . . . .161
Confirmation . . . . . . .162
The Holy Eucharist 163
Penance . . . . . . . .163
Extreme Unction . . . . . .164
Teaching of the Council of Trent on Extreme Unction . 164
Its object . . . . . . . . .168
Its matter . . . . . . . . .171
Its form . . . . . . . . .172
Postponement of the last Sacraments . . . .176
Popular errors as to the time of receiving Extreme Unction 177
The Church's doctrine respecting its repetition . . .179
Explanation respecting its remission of sins . . .181
Explanation of the term ' remains of sin.' . . .184
The effects of Extreme Unction, as explained in the Roman
Catechism . . . . . . . .187
The teaching of St. Charles Borromeo respecting it . . 189
The teaching of Suarez on the Sacrament of Extreme Unction 191
It is a sacrament of special mercy . . . . .193
Difference in faith respecting it . . . . . 1 95
Rome's maternal care for the dying . . . . .197
The Sacrament of Holy Orders . . . . .198
THE FIRST YOLIME. XIX
PAGE
The Sacrament of Matrimony . . . . • . 1 98
Indulgences, Purgatory, Invocation of Saints . . .199
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary . 200
The difference between Rome and England on tlie above-
mentioned points, proves that they are not one in the
faith 203
Which of the two is right ? 205
Sacraments, but not salvation, may be found outside the
Catholic Church 20G
As Christ acts through His ministers in baptizing, and
absolving, and the rest, so through the successors of
St. Peter He constantly rules His Church . . . 208
Definition of the Unity of the Church by St. Thomas
Aquinas ......... 209
The Church requires a visible head to remove occasion of
schism ......... 210
SECTION III.
Explanation of certain passages in ecclesiastical historj/, appealed
to in support of the theory of invisible iinity.
Anglican appeal to past ecclesiastical dissensions . .211
The -want of analogy between the instances produced, and
the present divisions of Christendom .
The dissensions at Corinth .....
liome appealed to, though St. John the Evangelist was
still alive .......
St. Victor and the Asiatic Churches.
The grounds of the difference ....
The Synods held upon the subject ....
Letter fi-om Polycrates and the other Asiatic bishojis, to the
Pope St. Victor and the Roman Church .
The conduct of St. Victor
His authority not disputed
The result ........
Ancient testimony that there was no breach of unity
Decision of the Nicene Council as to the time of Easter
The Cyprianic contest.
Reasons for doubting whethsr there was any formal or
complete breach of unity between St. Cyprian and
the Pope St. Stephen
212
213
213
215
21G
218
219
220
221
223
223
225
XX CONTEXTS OF
PAGE
226
Testimony of St. Augustine .....
If intercommunion was suspended, it could Lave been only
for a passing moment ...... 228
The special honour sliown to St. Cyprian by Rome . . 229
The letter of Firmilian 229
It testifies to the then existing claims of the Koman See . 230
Its excited language ....... 231
The respect due to Firmilian ...... 234
Evidence of the office of the Roman See .... 235
St. Vincent of Lerins extols the conduct of St. Stej)lien . 237
The Councils of Aries and of Nice on the controverted point 239
Question of the authenticity of the letters of St. Cyprian
and Firmilian . . . . . . . . 240
St. Cyprian's actual sentiments respecting the primacy of
the Roman See 240
The case of St. Meletius and the divisions in Antioch.
The statements of Dr. Pusey and Dr. Forbes . . . 243
Observations on the ecclesiastical position of Meletius . 244
Position of both the Catholic parties in Antioch . . 24G
Contrast between their position and that of the Church of
England 247
Both these parties in Antioch agreed as to the faith . . 248
The sermon of St. Gregory Nazianzen .... 249
The origin of the schism in Antioch . . . .251
The election of Meletius to the bishopric of Antioch . 252
His early lif(i and connection with the Ariana . . . 253
Ilis election to the see of Antioch was the work of the Arian
faction ........ 255
Certain Catholics concurred in his election . . . 25G
Theodoret's account of the transaction .... 257
The more consistent Catholics of Antioch, viz., the ' Eusta-
thians,' would not recognise his election . . . 259
Laxity of the other Catholics of Antioch in mixing with
the Arian congregations ...... 259
PaulinuH was the leader of the Eustathians in Antioch . 2G0
St. Athana.sius supported the said Eustathians . . . 2()1
lieoj)ective motives of the Catholics who joined in the elec-
tion of Meletius, and of the Arians, in choosing him
for the Bee of Aulioch 202
THE FIRST VOLUME. XXI
The glowing contemporary descriptions of ' the Great
Meletius'
The epistle of the Council of Alexandria respecting the
affairs of Antioch ......
Remarks upon the aforesaid epistle ....
The consecration of Pciulinus by Lucifer .
The consequent displeasure of St. Eusebius of Vei-cclli, when
he afterwards arrived in Antioch . . . .291
The question of Lucifer's sanctity . . . Note to p. 295
The position of Paulinus . . . . . . 29G
The position of Meletius ...... 298
Eusebius proceeds on his mission through the East, and
then gladdens Italy by his return . . . .300
The three exiles of St. Meletius 301
He holds a Council in Antioch ..... 302
Its profession of failh gave rise to rumours against his
orthodoxy, and against that of St. Eusebius of Samosata 303
2G3
2G5
267
268
269
269
270
271
The entrance of Meletius into Antioch
His public profession of the Nicene Faith
His consequent banishment .....
The accusations against him .....
The observations of St. Epiphanius on his sermon, and on
the steadfastness of his Hock in the true faith
The rumours against St. Meletius ....
They Avere disregarded by St. Epiphanius.
The favourable change effected in Antioch by St. Meletius 272
The Eustathians still held aloof from him, though of one
mind in the faith ....... 273
St. Meletius and other Catholic bishops recalled from exile 274
Eusebius of Vercclli and Lucifer of Cagliari, who were
recalled amongst the number, appear to have possessed
legatine aiithority from the Pope, for the Council of
Alexandria and the affairs of the East . . . 275
Historical testimony to the same ..... 279
Lucifer goes to Antioch and Eusebius to Alexandria, where,
together with St. Athauasius, he convenes a Coimcil . 281
The Coimcil of Alexandria and its indulgence to the
fallen 282
The said indidgence would apply to Meletius, and was con-
sidered to do so according to the tradition of the Roman
Church ........
284
285
291
292
XXI I CONTENTS OF
PA(iK
Yet it fulfilk'il the requirements of the Council of Alexandria 305
These two bishops accused of Arianism before Pope St.
Damasus, and warmly delended by St. Basil . . 305
Interchange of communication between St. Meletiiis and
Rome • 306
Evagrius of Antioch, on his return from the West, leads
St. Basil to expect that he will join the party of
Meletius, but afterwards unites liimself to Paulinus —
Argument deduced I'rom this ..... 307
Neither side was separated from the universal Church . 308
Paulinus defends himself by a profession of his faith . 308
Later accusjitions against Paulinus ..... 308
St. Athanasius and St. Meletius 309
Different degrees of excommunication, or of interruption
of ecclesiastical communion . . . . .310
St. Basil maintains the cause of St. Meletius in a letter to
St. Epijihanius 312
Yet St. Basil remained in full communion Avith the West ... 313
The object which St. Basil had in view . . . .314
Paulinus and his party elated by letters from the West . 315
St. Basil's letter to Count Terence on the subject . .315
He writes also to St. Meletius upon it . . . .318
The letters to Paulinus which may he supposed to be those
alluded, to, and their motive . . . . .318
The elation which they caused indicates the uncertainty
of the position of Paulinus ..... 020
Vitalis of Antioch ........ 322
The letters of St. Jerome to the Pope, St. Damasus, re-
questing direction in his perplexities . . . 323
Their recognition of the necessity of communion with
Rome, ijf the Pope's authority, and of his ollice as
guardian of the faith ...... 324
The miserable death of the Arian Emperor Yalens . . 327
St, Meletius returns from his third exile .... 328
His reception by the people, as described by St. John
Chryso.stom ........ 328
The alleged compact between Meletius and Paulinus . 329
Doubts whether it was really entered into . . . 330
Both St. Meletius and Paulinus oi)enly acknowledged by
the West 332
THE FIRST VOLUME. XXUl
Proof of the visible communion of St. Melctius with the
Roman See, before the second General Council was
assembled ........ 333
Further history of the internal schism in Antioch, after the
death of St. Meletius ...... 336
Termination of the schism ...... 337
St. Meletius is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology . 337
The said Martyrology has been more than once carefully
revised and corrected ...... 338
Strictness as to the names admitted into it . . . 340
That of St. Meletius is still mentioned there with honour,
which is a crowning proof that he died in outward and
visible communion with the Roman See . . .341
THE
VISIBLE UNITY
OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH
Quam dilecta tabernacula tua Domine virtutum : concupiscit
et deficit anima mea in atria Domini.
Beati, qui habitant in domo tua Domine.
Psal, Ixxxiii.
In the earliest days of Christianity, ' tlie multitude of The chm-ch continues
believers had but one heart and one soul.' But this Acts"^iv.°32!
universal unity was of short duration. Schisms and
heresies arose whilst Apostles were still upon the
earth ; divisions began to abound amongst Cliris-
tians, and have ever since abounded more and more.
Nevertheless, the true Church of Christ still holds on
her course, distinct from the separated fragments,
uncontaminated by the surrounding errors, always
visibly one from the beginning, in the strength and
the unity of God.
It is a hopeful sign for our time and country tliat Anglican efforts
men most distinguished for their piety, learning, and ro-union.
position in the communion of the established Church of
VOL. I. B
2 DESIRES FOR RECONCILIATION.
England, have freely and openly avowed their earnest
desires for tlie re- union of Christendom ; and liave
made direct efforts and proposals, in order .to ascer-
tain a basis on which negotiations for a general recon-
ciliation might be opened, not only with the distant
East, but also with the more neighbouring Church of
Eome, which till recently was regarded even by the
learned and the good amongst their body, as an object
of mysterious and religious dread ; a bearer of subtle
and deadly poison ; and one whose very fascinations
w^ere a cause and reason for mistrust. Many of the
same Anglican body now acknowledge that Church,
at least as their patriarchal see, and anxiously hope
for the day when they may no longer be severed
from her communion.
Ps. ixxvi. 11. ' This is the chand-e of the riii;lit hand of tlie Most
High ! '
Rome's response. Eomc ycams ovcr her separated children, and sighs
for their return with more than any human mother's
love ; but no true love will ever betray its trust.
Rome knows that heaven has confided to her a higli
commission for the benefit of the whole human race,
and she cannot prove unfsdthful to it, or play a
double part by consenting to ignore it, for the sake
of any end however ardently to be desired in itself.
Therefore, so long as this her divine commission is
unacknowledged by those who are seeking for re-
union, she can make no response to their advances,
except l)y earnest exhortations, and unceasing prayer
for them to God.
OBSTACLES TO BE OVERCOME. 6
Underlying this great difTiculty tliere is another, The Anglican
, 1 • 1 • 1 , • • • 1 • ^ proposals are based
connected witii it, but requiring special considera- ou a
,• rrn \ T ^ r ' principle repudiated
tion. ine Anglican proposals tor re-umon assume, ^ by
as a first principle, that the present divisions of Rome.
Christendom, so fai at least as regards the three
great communions of Eome, the East, and England,
though grave, still are not vital, for that the out-
wardly-divided bodies continue inwardly one in
Christ. The maintainers of this opinion do not deny
that tliere is only one Church of Christ, and that
outside that Church there is no salvation ; but they
assert that essential unity may exist without being
visible, and not only (as is allowed by Eome), that
individuals invincibly ignorant may belong to the
soul of the Church though outwardly separated from
her \dsible communion ; but also, that the separate
and independent religious bodies which have been
mentioned, though visibly divided and without any
outward intercommunion, nevertheless form together
in the sight of God, that one holy Catholic Church
which is animated by His one Spirit, and consti-
tutes His one ambassador to fallen man, being in
reality, the one Body of His Son. Eome rejects
this doctrine, and asserts that the Church of Christ
can suffer no division, either visible or invisible,
but must continue to the eyes of all men, always
and only one, outwardly as well as inwardly; that
the visible intercommunion of all the parts and
all the members is essential to their life, and also
to the integrity of the one body ; that without it
B 2
niPORTAXCE OF THE SUBJECT.
Object of
the
present work.
Division
of
the sultjf'pf.
they cease to be animated by the one Spkit ; and
that, apart from visible communion with this one
Church, no rehgious body can be a channel of the
grace of Christ ; nor any single soul attain salvation,
excepting in the case of individuals whose ignorance
is invincible in the sight of God.
This is tlie point on whicli botli parties finally
join issue. It lies at the root of the wJiole question,
and it is not easy to perceive how any further advance
can be made towards reconciliation until this diffi-
culty is removed. Therefore, all those who truly
desire the re-union of a divided Christendom (and
what Christian heart does not yearn to see it?) are
interested in the examination of the Anglican theory
which maintains that the one Church of Christ is now
outwardly split into fragments which have no visible
intercommunion, but which, in spite of their external
division, are nevertheless internally and invisibly
united ; all of them being partakers of the one
Spirit, though no longer joined together or acting
together in one external body.
The object of the present work is to analyse and
enquire into this most important subject, and to
ascertain whether the said theory is so well founded,
that men may trust their immorlal souls for all
eternity to the conclusions which they derive from it.
The subject will be divided into three sections.
In the first I propose, in a cursory and general
manner, to assign reasons for belief in the necessity
of \i'>ible unitv in the Clnnrh. and in its actual and
ARRANGEMENT OF THE WORK. O
permanent continuance, showing where it nuist be
looked for, and may be found, at the present day.
In the second, I propose to examine more parti-
cularly into the previously mentioned theory of the
existence of invisible unity under outward division,
as set forth by Dr. Pusey, in the ' Eirenicon,' and by
Dr. Forbes, the Anglican Bishop of Brechin, in his
' Explanation of the Nicene Creed,' and as generally
maintained by the more advanced members of tlie
same communion.
The third section, which will form the largest por-
tion of the work, will be devoted to the consideration
of a few of the most prominent instances brought
forward by the above-mentioned writers from eccle-
siastical history in support of the theory in question ;
treating particularly of the differences between St.
Victor and the Asiatics ; of those between St. Stephen
on the one side, and St. Cyprian and St. Firmilian on
the otlier ; of the divisions at Antioch, in which the
great St. Meletius was so intimately concerned ; and
lastly, of the divergence of the Celtic churches in
Britain, on certain points of discipline, from tlie
Eoman and general ecclesiastical usages.
Throughout the whole discussion I shall not shrink The spirit
from the examination of any apparently adverse fact, the work.
and never will I conceal or compromise any truth.
My object is not controversy, but concord. If
at times I express myself strongly, I will never write
bitterly. If I shrink not from exposing error, it
sliall not be in a spirit of provocation. If I must
6 INVITATION TO HXAJIINE.
say wliat is unpalatable, I ask for indulgence if it
be true. I have no new theories to unfold, no
schemes of human prudence to propound, for such
Jirem. vi. 16. liavc uot the prouiisc — ' Thus saith the Lord : Stand
ye on the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
which is the good way, and walk ye in it : and you
shall find refreshment for your souls.'
A.ivuntage of Until recently there has existed amongst the more
3 iibcubbion, r^j^.^-^j^^^gj members of the Church of England, a
manifest shrinking from the free and open discussion
of these important subjects. The ice has, at last, to
some extent been broken, and it is evident that if men
really desire re-union, they will give both a patient
hearing and a patient answer to the ' other side ;' if
they truly love truth and peace, they wdll not be
deterred from the pursuit of them by any whispers
of prejudice, or by any subtle suggestions (whether
from without or from within their own breasts), to
close eyes and ears, and to stifle every spirit of in-
vestigation. Controversy too often engenders strife,
and tends to make hearts harder ; but friendly and
free discussion gives rise to explanation, and thus
conduces to a better understanding. Let it be hoped
that the thawini^ waters will not be suffered ajrain to
freeze. Above all, may God protect us from frozen
hearts ! J better the passing anger of a loving zeal,
iliau ilic chill stagnation of a fixed estrangement.
CATHOLIC UNITY.
Una est columba inea, perfecta mea, una est niatris sua?.
Cant. Cuntic. vi. 8.
The Unity of Christ's Church is divine in its nature The cimreii's Uuity
and in its origin, as the Holy Gospels testify : — God.
' These things Jesus spake, and lifting up his eyes to st. John xvii.
heaven, He said. Father, the hour is come, glorify
Thy Son, that Thy Son may glorify Thee I
pray not for the world, but for them whom Thou
hast given Me : because they are Thine ; and all My
things are Thine, and Thine are Mine : and I am
glorified in them. And now I am not in the world,
and these are in the world, and I come to Thee.
Holy Father, keep them in Thy JSTame, whom Thou
hast given Me : that they may be one, as We also
are And not for them only do I pray^ hut
for them also ivho through their ivord shall believe
in Me. That they all may be one., as Thou, Father,
in Me, and I in Thee: that they also may be one
^in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast
sent Me.'
No union which is merely human could satisfy this
prayer. No confederacy of independent churches
could fulfil the prophecy which it conveys. It asks
for and by asking it foretells a hving unity of heart
and soul and creed, amongst men of every nation and
every clime, so long as the world shall last ; a unity
never witnessed upon earth, excepting in the Church
of Christ. This unity is the supernatural mark and
8 PERMANENT AND VISIBLE UNITY
I'i-. ixvii. 7. proof of tlic abiding presence of that ' God Wlio
niaketli men of one manner to dwell in a house.' As
siicli it was prayed for by our Blessed Lord. He asked
His Fatlicr for it as a mark of His Divine mission.
To be a mark at all it must be visible. • To extend
as such to all future believers it must not only be
visible, it must be permanent ; and it must belong ex-
clusively to those who believe in Him aright. It must
be a visible and a never-failing mark and note of His
one true Cliurch. Not hidden in its members' hearts,
but manifested in their lives and outward communion.
It must be an outward as well as an inw^ard
Unity, or it would not be visible. It must be
inward as well as outward, or it would not be real.
The unity of God is both its model and its source.
Our Lord Himself has said it. It is a foretaste
St. John xvii. of glory : — ' And the glory which Thou hast given
me, I have given to tliem : tliat they may be one,
as We also are One. I in them, and Thou in Me :
tliat they may be made perfect in one ; and the
world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast,
loved them as Thou hast also loved Me
And I liave made known Thy Name to them,
and will make it known: that the love, where-
willi TJiuu hast loved Me. may be in them, and I
in til em,'
Vnity (xists. Has this Diviiic prayer failed? Have the ages
lessened its efficacy ? Has this mark of the Church
been effaced ?
If these things cannot be, ihen visible Unity must
IS PLEDGED TO IIIS CHURCH BY CHRIST. 9
now exist, an actual and divine reality, which, in the
fulness of its life is within the reach of all.
' God is not as a man, that He should lie, nor a» Numbers xxiii. 19.
the son of man, that He should be changed. Hath
He said then, and will He not do ? hath He spoken,
and will He not fulfil ? '
Where is our faith if we can imagine that the
prayer of Jesus, thus close upon His agony, fell un-
heeded and was lost? Of Him, who pledged to
us His word, that His Father will give us all that
we ask for in His Name ?
Yet it has been said that man's sin has broken Um'ty
1 T ^ 1 n • TIT- f unimpaired
the outward bond or unity, marred the designs of by
the eternal God, and effaced from His spouse this
note of her election. Man's sin once brou2:ht the
deluge. God's promise renders us fearless of its
return, even when the world goes after Antichrist.
Man's sin is now as impotent to destroy God's bright
creation, as man's best efforts would be impotent to
create. Come what may, ' all the days of the earth, Gen. viii. 22,
seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and
winter, night and day, shall not cease,' for God has
said it. Happen what will, the visible unity of the
One Church on the One Eock, of the One Light
on the One Candlestick, of the One City on God's
own Hill, of the One body of the faithful united
in the Chair of Peter, shall never fail, upheld by
Christ's prayer, and by His promise: — 'Behold I am St. Muu. xxviii. 20.
widi you all days, even to the consummation of the
world.'
10 god's love for man.
God loved the world when He first created it and
pronounced it good. God loved tlie world when it
lay before Him, cleansed with the awful baptism of
the deluge. But what was this love of His natural
creation, compared with tliat which He bears to the
new creation of His grace? What His love for tlie
globe thus washed with water, compared to that
Avith which He loves the mystic spouse of His dear
Son, rising pure and spotless from the deluge of His
passion, from the washing of 11 is blood? Sooner
shall winter and summer, seed time and harvest,
fail, and cease to gladden man's heart, than God
shall suffer the beacon light of His Church — the
one sure guide of man into the haven of eternal
life — to become uncertain. Never will He permit
tlie human race He loves so well to be perplexed
and misled by an outwardly divided Church, giving
scattered tokens and opposing signals, lights manifold
and divergent, because posted on hills widely
severed in tlieir summits, albeit they may seem
to touch each other at the base.
Circumstances All the circumstauccs of tlie divine prayer for
our Lord's prayer Unity dcuiaud attention. Wliy should our Lord
"'^' have offered it up so publicly? Why should He
liave caused it to be handed down to all generations,
in the gospel ? No word or act of His was without
its meaning, and its teaching, and its [)ower. Had
the prayer been made in silence, in the stillness and
llie darkness of Gethsemani, its power would have
been the same; but. its meaning and its teaching
THE PEAYER OF JESUS. 11
would have been withheld from us. Whereas its Public
publicity, and its marked solemnity of form, time, and our sakes.
place, reveal a special purpose. Our Lord desired
by that prayer to teach us, as well as to procure us,
the vi^;ible Unity of His Church.
When the stone was taken away from the tomb
of Lazarus, before raising him to life, 'Jesus lifting St. Joim xi. 41, -12.
up His eyes ' (the selfsame expression) ' said : Father,
I o-ive Thee thanks that Thou hast heard me.'
Our Lord explains why He said this ; — ' And I
knew,' He immediately adds, ' that Thou hearest me
always, hut because of the people wJio stand about
have I said it ; that they may believe that Thou hast
sent me.' The motive {that they may believe that
Thou hast sent me) was the same as in the prayer for
Unity. Had the thanks been offered in secret, had
Lazarus been secretly resuscitated, the miracle,
though truly wrought, would not Imve availed as a
public sign of our Lord's mission from His Father.
Had the prayer for Unity been offered in private, or
had that Unity been merely inward (to conceive an
impossibility), its testimony to the divinity of our
Lord's mission would not have been manifest. If all
the divided communions wliich profess belief in
Christ belong to that body of the faithful for whose
unity Christ prayed, then the testimony which He
asked for cannot have been given.
At another time when, troubled in soul, our
blessed Lord exclaimed : — ' Father, glorify Thy St. John xii. 27-30.
Name,' a voice responded from heaven: — 'I have
12 UXITY UXFAILIXG,
both glorified it, and will glorify it again : ' and Jesus
said : — ' This voice came not because of me, but for
your sakes.'
So is it for man's sake that His thrice-hallowed
prayer for Unity is published and proclaimed with the
world-wide gospel, and shall be throughout all time.
Expressly ^i^q praver itself is expressly for all time ; and
for all time. i J l J
therefore the Unity which it obtained must be perpe-
tual, and can never be suspended. On various occa-
sions our Lord addressed His disciples in words which
are universally understood to appl}^ to all future
generations, although not so expressed. But in this
mysterious prayer for visible Unity he expressly men-
tions us, ourselves, and all who are to follow us, so
long as time si i all last ; nay, for all eternity ; for
charity and Unity shall never fail. He takes most
loving pains to mention us. His Unity is to be our
own portion, not merely that of His early followers.
It was to be everlasting as Himself; not to fail after
a few centuries. He prays for those around Him,
and then He adds : —
8t. John xvii. ' Not for them only do I pray, but for them also
who through their word shall believe in Me : tJiat
tlicy all may be one, as Thou Father, in Me, and I
in Tliee : that they also may be one in Us : that the
world may believe that Thou hast sent Me.
I in them, and Thou in Me ; tliat ihe}^ ma}^ be made
perfect in one; and llie woild may know tliat Tliou
hast sent Me, and liast loved them, as Thou hast
a]<() loved Me.'
AND ALWAYS VISIBLE. IB
One in God, and as God, one in time and in
eternity. Visibly and invisibly, outwardly and in-
wardly, really, truly, divinely ' made perfect in one I '
Oh heritage of heaven, never will we abandon Thee !
Thou never-failing mark and witness of the love of
the Father, the mission of the Son, and the abiding
presence of the Spirit ! ' One in Us ! ' stupendous
mystery of love ! sweetest words of power! Dearer
' than gold and many precious stones : sweeter than
honey and the honey-comb ! ' The tongue can never
tire of speaking them, nor the ear weary of their
repetition. The heart loves them, and lingers on
them ; it ponders over them, and chews them in the
cud of mental prayer. Like the peace of God, they Piuiipp. iv. 7.
smpass all human sense. — Exsuperant omnem sensum.
I ask aQ:ain, Has this divine prayer failed and The prayer of
^ iiT Jesus
come to nouo'ht ? Has this earnest blood-con- could not fail,
firmed petition of our God, made man, gone up to
heaven and come back unanswered or refused?
Was His strong cry in vain ? Could Jesus pray in
vain ? At the tomb of Lazarus, before He raised the
dead, He addressed His Father and He said, — ' I
knew that Thou hearest Me always.' Was His
eucharistic dying prayer to be the one exception ?
Again I ask. Has He not pledged His word
that what we pray for in His Name shall be granted
to us ? Li His discourse of that same night, which
preceded His prayer for Unity, He said to those
assembled : — ' Amen, amen, I say to you : if you '"^f- Joim xvi. 23, 24.
ask the Father anything in My Name, He will give it
14 NECESSITY OF VISIBLE
you. Ilitlierto you have not asked anything in
My name. Ask, and j'ou shall receive : that your
joy may be full.'
If, til en, He declared that His Father always hears
Him ; if He promised as regards each one of us that
all we ask through Him sliall be bestowed upon
us ; it is inconceivable, it would be blasphemy to
say, that this one prayer alone has fallen short of
its full effects. Our poor prayers indeed may still
be wanting in conditions essential to their accep-
tance; but we know that the prayer of Christ at
least, was perfect. If Jesus prays in vain, which of
us can hope for mercy ?
Romans iii. 4. ' But God is truc : and every man a liar, as it is
written : That Thou may est he justified in Thy ivords^
and mayest overcome when Thou art judged.'' —
St. iiark xiii. 31. ' Ilcavcn and earth,' said our Lord, after His pro-
phecy on the Mount of Olivet, ' Heaven and earth
shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away.'
Tliis divine prayer then, is a pledge to us of the
perpetual visible Unity of the Church of Christ ; and
such Unity is an abiding mark that Christ is with
her, and a testimony that He is God.
Unity implies Tlic asscrtiou that, tlu'ough oneness in Christ the
intercommunion. Head, invisible Unity may exist between religious
bodies without visible intercommunion, seems to
confound the position of such bodies with that of
individual Christians in invincible ignorance.
There can be no imi(^n with Christ excepting
INTERCOMMUNION. 15
through the Church. It is by baptism thcat men it is
become members of Christ, and baptism, by whomso- " iimt,
ever administered, is a sacrament of the one Church. to ciuist.
It therefore renders each one on whom it is conferred
a cliild of that only Church, and entails upon him all
the duties involved in that relation. It is to that
one visible Church that he must look for the other
sacraments of Christ; it is from her teaching he
must learn the faith of Christ ; it is to her that
his obedience is due, and his sole allegiance. St.
Augustine sees a figure of this in the women of
old, the wives of Abraham and Jacob, the children
of whose handmaids were reckoned as their own,
because begotten by their own husbands ; as, in
baptism, Christ begets children to the Church, even
though it be outside her. But the same holy
doctor teaches also, and no less distinctly, that such
baptism is of no avail for those who incur the guilt
of remaining outside her, apart from her visible
communion. By thus cutting themselves off from
her, they cut themselves off from Christ. She is one
with Christ, and if they are not hers, they are not
His ; for she is the only appointed means of our
union with Christ.
St. Augustine says, ' The Church in fact brings Lib. i. de Bapt.
forth aU, by baptism, whether in herself, that is, cap"xv. TS.
from her own womb, or outside herself by the seed
of her husband : (either by herself or by a hand-
maid).' He adds that Esau, though born of the
true wife, was separated from God's people through
16 LVDIVIDUAL CASES
Genesis xxx. 13. fraternal dissension ; whilst Aser, born of a liandmaid,
but by the right of the wife, received the promises
through fraternal concord. ' Thus,' he says, ' amongst
those ' (outside the Church) ' all who are born are
born by the right of the Church which resides in
baptism.' Sicut apud istos Ecclesice jure quod est
in Baptismo, nascuntur quicumque nascuntur. If
they live in her unity (he adds) they shall reach the
land of promise ; but if they persevere in dissension,
their lot will be with Ismael, who was cast out on
account of disagreement with his brother. Else-
Lib, ii. where he states : — ' We confess that tlie baptism of
cont. Crescon. Donat. ^, . ^, ,t. -p ^ • ^ x*i
cap.xxviii. n. 34. Christ prouts a man nothmg it he is baptized among
heretics or schismatics, and attributes to these same,
the baptism he is baptized with ; but tliat it then
begins to profit him, when he passes over to the
body of Christ, which is the Church of the living
God.' Fatemur nihil prodesse homini haptismum
Christie si apud liereticos vel schisniaticos baptizetur,
eis ipsis tribuens baptismum quo baptizatur ; sed tunc
ei prodesse incipere, cum transit ad corpus CJmsti,
quod est Ecclesia Dei vivi. — He is speaking of all
those who, being separated from the Catholic Church,
tlieir true motlier, are responsible for remaining so.
It is however held that there may be the exceptional
case of the outward separation of individual Christians
from the body of the Cliurcli, througli no foult of
their own, while tliey are actually altliough invisibly
united with what lias been termed by tlieologians the
Church's soul.
OF OUTWARD SEPARATION. 17
There are many who, through circumstances over invincible
, ,, ignorance.
which they have had no control, are outwardly sepa-
rated from the visible body of Christ ; and, thank
God, the hope may be indulged that amongst them
there are individuals who are prevented by ignorance
alone, from availing themselves of the means which
God puts within the reach of all for the knowledge
of His saving truth. K such persons are ready and
disposed at any cost to embrace in full the revelation
of God which they have hitherto learnt but in part ;
if their hearts are prepared to submit to that Church
from which ignorance of her divine authority alone
keeps them asunder ; then, blessed be God, such true
souls may be accounted as really, though invisibly,
united to the soul of the Church, though deprived of
the privilege of her outward communion ; and, there-
fore, as really members of Christ. But no one can pre-
sume to judge in any particular case. God alone can
read the heart. God alone can discern among those
outwardly separated from His only fold, who do
or who do not belong to it by this inward bond ;
for He alone can tell how far each one has done his
part to learn His truth, and to know and obey His
will.
We have the repeated authority of the Angelic
Doctor for asserting, that the mercy of God wiU not
suffer any one to be left without the necessary
means for salvation, even in the case of the out-
wardly unbaptized and heathen. To cite but one
out of several passages. In treating of the necessity
VOL. I. c
18 GRAVE RESPONSIBILITY
of a certain degree of explicit belief, lie says, that
no (lifiiculty can be raised against this doctrine from
tlie case of any who may liave been ' bronght up in
forests or among brute beasts ' : —
S. Thorn. Aqiiin. * For it appertains to Divine Providence to provide for
qua'st^xiv"Dc' Fide ^^^ry one all that is necessary to salvation, so long as the
Art. xi. person ojDposes no impediment on his side. For if any
one so brought up should follow the guidance of natural
reason in striving after good and avoiding evil, it is most
surely to be held {certlssime est tenendum) that, either by
internal inspiration God would reveal to him those things
which are necessary to be believed, or would guide to him
some preacher of the faith, as He sent Peter to Cornelius.
Acts X.'
Individual Tlic uicrcy of God is infinite, but it does not
responsil)ility. ^^ ^^• -r •
divest any man ot his personal responsibility. It is
obvious, that the excuse of ignorance will not avail
for one who culpably neglects the means which are
afforded to enable him to discern and to enter tlie
true Church, or who wilfully turns a.sidc and shuts his
eyes and ears. jSTor jQi, for one who has doubted
the safety of his position, and has not thoroughly
examined it; for such a doubt was God's messenger.
Men must answer for each such call before their
Maker and their Judge Who alone can read the heart.
Hunian respect. It is a fcarful tliouglit liow many trust their
souls unhesitatingly to the word of their fellow-
men ; receiving as God's truth the mere assertion of
some individual clergj^man, whose learning, or
whose zeal and piety, has won their hearts and cap-
tivated their understandings. Roman Catholics are
OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL. 19
accused of creature worsliip, wliicli tliey ablior. IIow
appalling is the extent to which it prevails outside
the Church's pale ! How appalhng the number
of men and women wlio stake their immortal souls
for all eternity on the word of some fellow-crea-
ture ! No Catholic could suffer himself with a safe
conscience to be ruled and guided on such a matter, by
the simple dictmn of any individual whatsoever. He
learns indeed the faith from the teachers set over
him by the Church, and obeys them as her represen-
tatives. But so soon as he should fxud one of them
contradicting another on any essential point, his sus-
picions would be aroused ; and he would at once
ascertain from some sure source what was really the
divine teaching. 'No priest or bishop could with a safe
conscience permit any more than this, or claim to
speak with a mere personal voice on any point of
faith ; or to affix his own interpretation to any teach-
ing of the Church ; or to rule and finally decide any
question which might arise as to what that teaching
is.^ God in His mercy has given ' some apostles, and Epii. iv. ii.
some prophets, and other some evangelists, and
other some pastors and doctors : for the perfecting
of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the
edifying of the body of Christ.' We are com-
manded to obey our prelates, to be subject to them, 11,1,. xiii. 7, 17.
and to follow their faith, and our divine Lord tells
us that in hearing them we hear Himself; but this 8t. Lukox. 16.
' Of coiwse, I except (throiigliout) the case of the Supreme
Pontiff, Avium speaking ex cathedra.
20 THE CHURCH IS ONE BODY,
applies to individual clergy only so far as they speak
the same thing with tlie whole body througliout tlie
Gal. i. 8. luiiverse. Otherwise, says St. Paul, — ' Though we, or
an angel fi'om heaven, preach a Gospel to you besides
that which we have preached to you, let him be
anathema.' This shows the necessity of the living,
ever present voice of the Holy Spirit in the Church ;
by means of which it may at once be made apparent,
should any individual pastor speak that which is his
1 Cor. vii. 23. owu, and uot of Jesus CJirist — 'You are bought with
Gal. vi. 4, 5. a pricc, be not made the bond slaves of men.' — ' Let
every one prove his own work^ and so shall he have
glor}^ in him.'^elf only, and not in anotlier. For every
one shall bear his own burden.''
iTeb. xiii. 17. Our prclatcs ' watch as being to render an account
of our souls ; ' yet each one of us must individually
answer to God for liis own soul.
Corporate bodies The Cliurcli is formcd of single and separate indi-
ciiristians. vidual pcrsous, either outwardly and visibly hers, or
else belonging to her inward soul in virtue of the ex-
ception above referred to, of invincible ignorance.
But there can be no society of individuals, no corporate
body of Christians, which can possibly be united with
tlie Church of Christ, without visible intercommu-
nion. Tliis is evident from tlie very nature of the
case. We have seen that our Lord prayed for perma-
nent visible unity, as a mark of His Divine mission.
Xow two separate societies, each claiming to be His,
and neither of them in outward communion with
AND ONE SPIRIT. 21
the other, would present the spectacle of visible
division, and therefore His words would not be
verified if both of them belonged to His Church.
Both could not be from Him. If Unity is to be
visible, we must decide between the two, for one
only can make good the claim to His abiding
presence. Such is the case before us. Is Clmst
divided? Can the same Spirit say one thing in
Eome, and another thing in England ?
Unity implies one Church alone, as the visible There is
channel for God's grace. Christ is One, and He is the °" ^ °°®
source of all grace and salvation to mankind. His
Body is One. His Spirit is One. His faith is one.
The Church is His messenger, the one appointed
teacher of His truth, and stewardess of His sacraments.
This Church, and this Church's baptism by whomso-
ever administered, are each of them visibly one. If
it be not so, our Lord must have prayed in vain, and
the prophecy must have failed which told that He
was to die, ' not only for the nation, but to gather St. Joim xi. b-2.
together in one the children of God, that were dis-
persed ; ' or, according to the Psalmist — ' In conve- Ps. ci. 23.
niendo populos in unum^ et reges ut serviant Domino.'
No society of Christians on earth which is not in
outward communion with this one visible Church of
Christ, can .possess authority to dispense the sacra-
ments, or to preach the faith. For the one Spirit
animates one body only, and speaks with one only
voice.
The first step is to affirm this fact, and the actual and
22 THE TRLE CHURCH MUST BE
perpetual existence of tlie visible Unity of the Clmrch.
The next is to ascertain where that Church is to be
found. With God's assistance, it is an easy task, or
rather it would be so but for three centuries of preju-
dice; prejudice the more beguihng, because mixed up
with so many hallowed feelings, and with venerated
religious teachings from the early days of childhood.
Tiic truo chmvh The ouc visiblc Catholic Church being to us what
unicr a bushel, tlic ark of Noc was to tlic drowuiug world, the only
appointed means of our salvation, it would be mani-
festly inconsistent witli the mercy, and even with the
justice, of God, to leave mankind in uncertainty as to
which, among the various communities of Christians,
is really the mystical body of His Son, and the only
guide to heaven. When the Di\dne mind, in Its
awful simplicity and most loving wisdom, planned and
willed the salvation of the human race, It never can
have intended that, in these last days, tlie very path
that leads to heaven should become hidden under
the mists of doubt, and rendered undiscernible amid
the conflicting claims of rival parties. If it were so,
then must our Lord's Gospel have lost its character-
istic mark, that it is preached to the poor. If it be
necessary to enter into a recondite study of history
and the early fathers, and to examine with nicety into
disputed questions extending over a period of more
tlian eighteen centuries and a half, in order to ascer-
tain wlii(]i of tlie contending bodies of Christians is
leally tlie teaclier come from God ; then, indeed, it is
evident tlmt Cliristianity cannot have been the
DISCERNIBLE TO ALL, 23
religion contemplated by tlie prophet when ho fore-
told :—
' Grod Himself will come and will save you. Then shall Isaius xwv.i-i
the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of the deaf
shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as a
hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall be free : for waters
are broken out in the desert, and streams in the wilder-
ness And a path and a way shall be there, and it
shall be called the holy way : the unclean shall not pass over
it, and this shall be unto you a straight wa}^, so that fools
shall not err therein.' ,
* In the last days,' says the same prophet, 'the moon- Is. ii. 2-5.
tain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the
top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills,
and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall
go, and say. Come and let us go up to the mountain of
the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob, and He
will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for
the law shall come forth from Siou, and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem house of Jacob, come ye,
and let us walk in the light of the Lord.'
This passage appears to point directly to the
Apostolic see — the new Jerusalem — the city of the
great King; for where else do all nations now go up?
The prophet Micheas uses the self-same language. Mic-h.iv. i, 2.
Thus speaks the sure word of prophec}^, not
obscurely, but, as the Lord said to Habacuc, —
' Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables : nab. ii. 2.
that he that readeth it may run over it.'
St. John Chrysostom says : — ' Neither the sun, nor st. John
the sun's light, is so plain, as what regards the Church. Hon^orS Tn.
For the hou-'^e of the Lord is on the tops of the
24 THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD.
mountains.'' ^ And again : — ' It is an easier thing
for tlic sun to be quenched, than for the Church
to be made invisible.' ^
St. M:itt. V. 13, 14. This is that Church which our Lord designates as
' the sah of the earth ' — ' the hglit of the world ;'
adding: — 'A city seated on a mountain cannot be
St. Lukexvii. 24. hid.' IIc tehs us that, — ' As the lightning that light-
eneth from under heaven, shineth unto the parts that
are under heaven, so shall the Son of man be in His
s. Athanasiiis dav.' ' Th^ Church of Christ,' as St. Athanasius
lu Psiliii Lxxxviii. 38.
comments on the Psalmist, ' shall shine like the light-
ning, and enlighten all under heaven, and shall abide
unceasingly, like the sun and the moon.' St. Augus-
s. Aiiff. tine declares : — ' The true Church is hidden from
cont. lit. Petil.
\\h. ii. 11. 74. no one. Hence comes that which He Himself says
in the Gospel : — " A city planted on a mountain can-
not be hid." Wherefore it is said in the Psalm : — He
J's. xviii. 6. hath set His tabernacle in the sun; that is, in mani-
festation.' Again, to the Donatist Severinus,he writes,
as a Catholic might -write to an Anglican : —
s. Aufriistini ' How deplorable it is that we, who are brethren in the
i-;i>. lii. ad .Scveriiium. flesh, live not in the body of Christ in one society, espe-
cially since it is easy for thee to give heed to and see the
city placed upon a mountain, concerning which the Lord
says in tlie Gospel, that it cannot be hid. For it is the
Calholic Church itself, whence in Greekit is called KadoXiKij,
since it is spread throughout the whole world. To no one
is it allowed to he ignorant of this Church, therefore
{idea), according to the word of our Lord Jesus Christ, it
cannot be hid.'
' Quoted by Watci-worth, FattJi of Catholics, vul. i. p. 235.
2 Ibid. p. 198, a.s from T. vi. Honi. iv. n. 2.
THE church's credentials.
25
Our moral sense at once rejects the idea that our
Blessed Lord, Who ' came into this world to save
sinners,' can have left His Church witlioiit credentials
sufficient for all who desire that salvation. For to
her alone he gave the commission to preach His
Gospel, and to administer His saving sacraments.
Now, in fact, there is but one community of
Christians which visibly fulfils that commission ;
or which bears, prominently in all her conduct, and
manifestly to the eyes of all men, the charter of her
divine authority and power, conveyed to her by the
words of Christ : —
' And Jesus coming spoke to them, saying : All power is
given to me in heaven and in earth.
' Going therefore teach ye all nations : baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost,
' Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you : and, behold, I am with you all days,
even to the consummation of the world.'
The authority to teach which is conveyed by this
commission is given to none besides that body of men
to whom it is addressed. It extends throughout all
time and over all nations, and it regards not only
faith, but practice — ' Teaching them,' says Christ, 'to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you.' He adds a promise to be always with that
body to the end, and thus ensures to it a never-fail-
ing infallibility, which His command to teach, indeed,
of itself conveys, for no mere fallible teaching could
be relied upon as divine.
1. Tim. i. 15.
Manifest claims
of
Rome.
St. Matt, xxviii.
18-20.
Chri.st's
commission to
His Church.
2G Christ's commission is
It is only It caimot be denied that the Pionaan Catholic
Eome
which acts Church is the one only community of Christians
on this commission. • n -c o • ^ • ^• t •
which practically manitests laitli m this divine com-
mission, and whose faitli and whose claim have
received the corroborative testimony of the world-
wide, everlasting, workings of Divine Providence in
her behalf. There may be others who claim to be
the One Chm'ch, others wlio style themselves Apos-
tohc, or Catholic, others who call themselves infal-
lible ; but there is none other which, in the strength
and by the command of the Lord God, goes forth in
all the beauty and power of holiness to teach and to
rule the consciences and hearts of men over the face
of the whole globe, and to guide and control their
moral actions. Sweetly and strongly and sm^ely she
Apoc. vi. 2. advances onward, like her Lord in the vision, — ' con-
quering that He might conquer.' Conquering all
hearts for Ilim ! The very by-words of reproach
which are heaped upon her by the world, testify to
this most evident truth. Iler enemies say that she is
aggressive and exclusive — a claimant to infallibility
and to rule. And they say true. She is so, and
Cliristianity is so. She is the very personification of
Christianity, which is one, and aggressive, and infal-
lible, and lias a rule to wliich no earthly monarch
can apiH'oacli, tlic rule over men's hearts, and there-
fore the world hates it. Eome is all this, and she
acts accordingly, as none other dares to act ; if she
did not do so, by that very fiict she would be self-
condemned, as all lier pretended rivals are ; for not
one uf them fulfils these duties, which are nevertheless
AGGRESSIVE AND EXCLUSIVE. 27
inherent in Christ's commission. That commission
was addressed to one only body of men ; it was,
tlierefore, exchisive. It commanded them to teach
Christ's faith, and to cause His commandments to be
observed throughout all nations ; therefore, it was
aggressive. The command not only gave infallibility
by its own virtue and in itself, for otherwise it could
not have been obeyed, but there was also expressly
connected with it a promise of the Divine assistance,
for all time : — ' Behold I am with you all days.'
Therefore Christ's Church must always be infallible,
and always practically assert herself to be so, and
none can be Christ's Church which fails, in practice,
to claim infaUibility, since it is essential in order to
command men's faith. Cursed is he that trusts in man.
Unless a Cliurch makes known that she speaks with
the infallibility of an ever-present God, what claim
has she on man's belief? Men could not trust their
souls to one whose voice was not the voice of
God.
The whole commission was conferred for the salva-
tion of mankind, and the one who possesses itcan there-
fore never cease to proclaim it and to act upon it, for
otherwise mankind could not profit by it. Eome alone
both proclaims it and acts on it. Therefore the world
calls her arrogant ; and the good see in her, visibly,
the teacher both promised and sent from God. It
was so with her Divine Master ; it will be so till the
end ; and it is a characteristic of the truth. Hers
alone is that universal empire, universal alike in
time and in extent, which the prophecies proclaim
28 NOTES OF THE TRUE CHURCH.
as the heritage of Christ and of His spouse. It is
Ps. ii. 8. hers because it is His. On Him are bestowed ' the
Gentiles for His inheritance, and the utmost parts of
the earth for His possession ; ' and she alone it is
who, in every clime, in every nation, asserts this rule
of love ; extends this spiritual kingdom ; and with
the consciousness of God's authority demands an
undivided allegiance of the heart from every soul of
man ; calhng him, if heathen, into lier fold ; if
Christian, to her maternal bosom, by whomsoever
he may have been baptized, or wheresoever he may
be found. I say again, whatever others may hold in
theory, it is a visible fact, that, in practice and in
reahty, the Eoman CathoHc Church alone main-
tains and urges those necessary claims which form a
portion of the very charter of Christianity. All
others, in their conduct, if not in their words, say
practically : — This exclusive, universal, unerring rule
is not for me ! Therefore it is that the world hates
none of them as it hates tlie One Church of God,
and as it hated the One Christ.
Here, then, is the house of the Lord on the top
Dan. ii. 44. of the mountains ; ' the kingdom that shall never be
St. John X. iG. destroyed ;' 'the one fold under the one shepherd.'
Here alone are united the four notes of Christ's true
Church, defined in the Nicene Creed : — Credo Unam
Sanctum Catholicam et Apostolicam Ecclesiam.
^,^^ The unity of the Blessed Trinity is the pattern of
church'b Unity. j^|jg Church's uuity. — ' One as We also are One.' —
THE CHUKCII IS ONE. 29
Such was tlie prayer of our Lord to His Father. Tliis
unity, therefore, must be complete, and of a divine
intensity. It could not subsist without the abiding
presence of the Holy Ghost, uniting the many mem-
bers of Christ's mystical body to eacli other and to
God, by the threefold bond of one faith, one hope,
one love. Without such unity the Church could
not fulfil her office. She has received God's com-
mission to teach the nations. She could not do so if
she spoke with a divided voice. Her pastors could
not preach one faith unless, being divinely tauglit,
they were at one amongst themselves as to the articles
of that faith.
The consideration of the absence of such agree- Eome
ment between the established English Church and Engiimd.
Eome, might seem sufficient to dispel the dream of
any real though unseen unity between those two
communions. It is idle to reply that they are agreed
on fimdamentals. They are not even agreed as to
what fundamentals are. For the present I need go
no further than the article of faith, which declares
the divine authority of the see of St. Peter, to rule,
and govern, and teach the universal Church. This
is a fundamental doctrine of the Eoman creed. The
national Church of England is based on the principle
of its rejection. Surely there cannot be any unity
of spirit between two societies which contradict eacli
other on a point of faith, as to the essential con-
stitution of the Church itself. Such contradiction
affects the very essence and ground work of Christian
30
HUMAN IMPERFECTIONS
External
differences among
members
of
the Church.
II. Cor. xii. 9.
faitli, which consists in tlie behef of everything
that God has revealed, because He has revealed it.
Tliis faith, therefore, requkes certainty respecting
the appointed channel of God's revelation, and any
difference respecting the definition of that channel is
incompatible with unity of faith. One who is con-
vinced by his own private judgment of the truth of
all the Pioman Catholic doctrines, save tliat of the
infallibility of the Church in subjection to the Eoman
See, cannot have divine faith in all those truths,
nor be, even so far, one in the faith with those
w^ho beheve them because they have been revealed
by God through His Church.
Superficial writers have professed to discern marks
of a want of unity among Eoman Catliolics, in the pass-
ing; external differences or dissensions which occasion-
ally meet the eye. One might imagine it had escaped
their notice that Catholics do not deny that they are
frail and erring mortals, and liable, like others, to all
the ills this flesh is heir to. We do not profess to
be individually exempt from human w^eakness and
human faults, although we glory in the strength of a
divine presence, whose 'power is made perfect in
infirmity.' We are but men; but ' in the midst of us
is Christ our God ' ! The Churcli is an abiding
miracle. From its very commencement, its whole
life is a testimony to the power of God displayed
tln'ough weak and erring instruments. If her
members were already supernatui-ally ]ierfect, the
miracle would cease. So long as they remain
AND FALLINGS OFF. 31
imperfect, it is impossible that tlieir imperfections
can escape notice. But these imperfections are
individual ; these dissensions or differences between
man and man, or between one section of men and
another within the Church's pale, no more affect
the divine unity of the whole body, than the wind
which ruffles the surface of the ocean affects the
oneness of its universal waters.
I am speaking of differences amongst the good.
The Church on eartli comprises a mixed multitude,
and will do so till the end of all things. Betw«een
good and evil, wherever they are found, there must
always be a contest. Yet even Catholics of bad moral
conduct do not differ from the good as to points of
faith; or as to the rule of life which they know they
ought to follow. So that however inconsistent their
behaviour, they manifest no divergence of doctrine.
Nor can any such divergence be gathered from the dif-
ferences which frequently arise amongst the morally
good. It has happened, indeed, that good men have
been led astray, in opinion, as was the great Fenelon ;
but like Fenelon also they have submitted when their
error was condemned. Any who, in such case,
persist, are manifestly unsoiuid members ; and some,
hke Lammenais, have fallen, and have cut them-
selves off from' unity. But such cases of defection,
however sad, whether of individuals or of multitudes,
do not impair in the slightest the unity of the
Church they have disobeyed. The tree continues
one, though the storm may rend its branches.
32 DIFFERENCES OP OPINION
It lias happened, too, that matters in themselves
indifTerent, have occasionally assumed an importance
not their own through their connection with parti-
cular interests, and have been argued so warmly on
both sides as to induce authority to interfere and
forbid all further discussion upon the subject. To this
class belong the questions as to whether the prophet
EUas was the founder of the Carmelites ; and as to
the form of the habit worn by St. Francis ; which at
one time were sources of contention.
Inconsistency So loug as men are men, these things will be ;
charges against and OR this subjcct, as ou most otlicrs, the Church
Catholic system, cau adopt the kuguagc of her Master: — 'And
St. Luke the Lord said : Whereunto then shall I liken
vii. 31-35. n 1 • • e\ -I 1 ^
the men of this generation.^ and to wliat are they
like ? They are like to children sitting in the market-
place, and speaking one to another, and saying : We
have piped to you, and you have not danced : we
have mourned, and you have not wept. For John
the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinldiig
wine ; and you say : He hath a devil. The Son of
Man is come eating and' drinking ; and you say :
Behold a man that is a glutton and a drinker of
wine, a friend of publicans and sinners. And wisdom
is justified by all her children.'
If Eoman Catholics point to their world-wide agree-
ment on all essentials, they are charged with the rigid
immobility of enforced dogma ; with a Procrustean
system ready cut and dried. If they exhibit signs
of movement and of tliought, and sliow a con-
ARE UNAVOIDABLE. 33
sequent difTerence of opinion, they are forthwitli
accused of internal divisions and suicidal discord.
But ' wisdom is justified by all her children.' The
greater the activity of men's thoughts, the more
numerous will be their differences of opinion on
every conceivable subject, — history, science, art,
politics, and even (as regards open questions) on
points of tlieology itself. Hence spring the friendly
controversies on such matters between one school
and another, one religious order and another, one
theologian and another, all equally faithful to the
one true Church — all equally united in her outward
and inward communion. She approves of such dis-
cussions (which, so long as they are conducted in
a spirit of charity and deference to authority,
are most serviceable to truth), whilst, like a
watchful mother she looks on, and keeps them
within due bounds. Men naturally have different
opinions also on matters of taste and feeling, on
external forms and styles of devotion, on the ,
decoration of churches, on architecture, ritual,
and the rest, and even on the line of conduct
to be followed under the circumstances of tlie
day. Differences existed in the apostolic age ;
nay, they sprang up even between apostles.
The dissension which arose between St. Paul and
St. Barnabas was such that ' they departed one Acts xr. 39.
from another.' Yet unity was not impaired, though
the difference was so serious ; for they continued
one in the faith, and in the visible commu-
VOL. I. D
34 UNIVERSAL AGREEMENT IN ESSENTIALS.
iiion of the Church. Sucli difTercnccs form one of
the troubles of our lot on eartli ; but if these mise-
ries did not exist in her, the Cliurch would not be
human, and if they penetrated below the surface,
II. Cor. iv. 7. slie could not be divine. She has her ' treasure in
earthen vessels, that the excellency may be of the
power of God, and not of herself.' The very exist-
ence of these occasional external differences amongst
her members is a test of her divine mission. If God
were not within her, man's weakness would have
tm-ned such dissension iiito division long centuries
ago. As it is, thej^ are but on the surface, and only
partial even tliere ; arising often from some local
cause, or peculiar circumstance, and therefore fre-
quently far shorter-lived than are the men them-
selves who take part in them.
Tho The enquirer after truth may search throughout
UnUyof the world; he may travel north, south, east, and
Cathoiie'chuich. wcst ; visit Europc, Asia, Africa, and America;
go through France, Spain, Italy, Germany, England,
Ireland, Scotland, the Arctic regions, and the
Antipodes ; lie may go everywhere, and ask every
Catholic he meets, cleric or layman, religious or
secular, Benedictine, Augustinian, Franciscan, Do-
minican, Jesuit, Carmelite, or any other ; young
or old, learned or unlearned, all who have
been taught the rudiments of their religion, he
may ask tliem respecting their faith, respecting
tlieir practice, respecting tlie sacraments and all
tnat concerns religion, and, from one and all, the
answer will be the same. Everywhere on the face
THE CHURCH IS HOLY. 35
of the globe, amongst good and pious Roman
Catholics, though they may be utter strangers to
each otlicr in the flesh, and divided in temporal
position as far as men can be divided from their
fellow-men, there will be found one and the self-
same faith, one and the self-same rule of morals, the
self-same sacraments, and the self-same belief respect-
ing those sacraments ; there will be found but one
mind, one heart, and one voice, as regards all the;
doctrines and commandments of the Church. Tliis
is unity, and it is divine ; it is no mere human coin-
cidence or contrivance. The finger of God is here,
reversing the confusion of Babel. It is the unity of
God's one Church throughout the universal globe ;
and it has been her unity through more than eighteen
centuries and a half. It is a matter to be looked to,
and a test to be applied, for the absence of such
unity denotes the absence of God. He cannot speak
with a divided tongue ; He dwells not amid contra-
dictions ; He is everywhere one and the same. —
' His place is in peace : and His abode in Sion : ' in rs. ixxv. 2.
the city He has constituted as the one fold under one
shepherd: — Jerusalem, quce ccdijicatur ut civitas ; Ps. cxxi. 3.
ciijus participatio ejus in idipsum.
God's Church is holy : holy with the lioliness f^anctiiy.
of supernatural grace. This clothes her with a
brightness that wholly covers the short-comings of
too many of her children, who, though in her,
unhappily testify by their lives, that they are not
d2
36 SlTEItNATURAI. ITOLIXESS OF
of her. Our Lord lias warned us of this scandal.
But in spite of it she is pre-eminently holy, and
manifestly so to the whole world. Natural goodness
may be found elsewhere ; but that superhuman
lustre that shines like the stars of heaven, can
ghsten in her firmament alone. Who can count
that royal list of saints, nobler than earth's noblest,
who glory in her as a mother ? Derived from every
rank and every calling, from every chme and every
language ; from the fisherman at his nets, and the
publican at his ofiice, to the monarch on the throne,
and the philosopher in the schools. Now a simple
shepherdess, now a noble matron, or high-exalted
queen, now a converted sinner ; it would be endless
to recount the varieties or to tell the names of all the
heroes and heroines of sanctity, whose acts adorn the
robes of that one holy Church still ruled over and fed
by Peter in his successors. To pass by the early ages,
where else will be found a St. Elizabeth of Hungary,
a St. Louis of France, a St. Clare, a St. Mary
Magdalen of Pazzi, a St. Margaret of Cortona, a
St. Ignatius of Loyola, a St. Francis Xavier, a St.
Edward Confessor, a St. Thomas of Canterbury, a
St. Theresa, a St. Eose of Lima, and countless
others? Wliere else can be found the bri2;ht-robed
army of martyrs down cveh to tlie present age ?
All the miraculous creations of God's grace belong
exclusively to the Eoman communion.
Kxternai tf.stiiiiony. Nay, Auglicaus thcmselvcs being witnesses, — to
what source do they turn when endeavouring to revive
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH. 37
former holiness of life ? To wliom do they look for u
pattern but to the holy Eoman Chureh ? It is her ritual,
lier forms, her sacraments, her doctrine (save on the
few essential points which they reject), her religious
orders, her works of mercy, her devotions to a great
extent, that they seek to adapt to their own use. For
this they gladly bear reproach, for this they toil. They
fly to Eome for well nigh everything but the sweet
protection and shadowing tender care of her maternal
authority. This holds true, though not in the same
measure, of every school which has yearned after
greater holiness, — of every effort after a higher stan-
dard of reliQ;ious Hfe. It holds true of the so-called
evangelicals ; for though they thought not of it, yet
in their teaching on the necessity of prayer and medi-
tation ; on the passion of our blessed Lord, and on the
great mysteries of man's redemption ; in their zeal for
maintaining; the essential doctrines of the incarnation
and divinity of Christ ; in the spirituality of their reli-
gion ; in their pious lives and active labours ; in all
these respects they followed in the track of that very
Eome, whom in their blindness they looked upon as
anti-christian. This holds true of all earnest Christian
teaching and practice. The Church of Eome has
throughout been the guardian of the saving truths of
Christianity. History has recorded the fact in pages
which can never be efiaced. The Church of Eome
kept alive, through ages of iron, the sacred fire of
the true religion of the heart ; the adoration of God
in spirit and in truth ; earnestness and piety of life ;
33 tiil: ciiuiicii is universal,
tlie burning love of Jesus ; an apostolic zeal rendered
the more sure and efficacious by discipline, and by
tlie superhuman prudence and discretion which regu-
lates and dhx'cts it. The source of every really
religious movement may be traced to the fostering
care of Eome. If Eome could be abstracted from
C'hristendom, and from Christendom's history, how
mucli of Christendom would be left? If Eome's
teaching and Eome's practices were to be abstracted
I'rom Christianity ; in other words, if from every
communion of Christians there w^ere to be taken away
all that is there held in common with Eome, what
then would be found remaininsj ? A mere negation !
All that is positive would be gone ; there would be
left mere human nothingness. On the other hand,
if all be supposed to be taken away from Eome
wliich others hold in common with her, tlie truths
and the virtues she woidd retain must be recognised
as fragments of a complete and divine system ; and
what Avas left woidd prove her title to what was
gone, from the evident connection between the two.
Intrinsic^ not imported^ holiness is an essential note
of the Church of Christ. She is the channel of holi-
I's. xiv. .). (;. ness and she is holy : — ' The Most High hath sanctijied
His own tabernacle. God is in the midst thereof.'
Catholicity. The Churcli of Christ is Catholic in time, and
A.iv. iiaies. i. 1, 5. in spacc also. She is coeval with the world. ' The
l)Cginning of all things,' says St. E})iphanius, ' is the
Catholic and IIolv Church.' She is to endure for all
AND INCLUDES ALL NATIONS. 39
ages. ' Behold,' said our Lord, ' I am with you St. Matt. x.\viii. 20.
all days, even to the consummation of the world.' In
extent she knows no limits, save the orbis terrarum.
' Go ye into the whole w^orld and preach the gos- St. Mark xvi. 15.
pel to every creature.' Such is her charter from
Christ. Her realm reaches on beyond the grave,
and death does not sever her children from her. Her
mission is to the whole liimian race, irrespective of
human nationalities. Her empire is universal ; it
comprises all mankind. She is neither French,
English, German, nor Spanish ; nor is she Asiatic or
European, African or American ; but still she includes
them all : and if she glories in the name of Eoman,
it is only because Eome is the seat of Peter, and, as
St. Ambrose testifies, — Ubi Petrus, ibi Ecdesia. in v^. xi. u. yo.
Peter is everywhere, and the Church is every- Romo
where ; her kingdom is not of this world, but it ab- of
sorbs all earthly kingdoms in its spiritual dominion, '' i'^'ci>.
which is extended over the whole globe. Besides the
many countries in professed communion with Eome,
in every nation and in every clime the faith of Peter
is proclaimed, the authority of Peter has its willing
subjects, and the bark of Peter is present to rescue
and to save. Even in lands wdiere schism and
heresy prevail, the Cliurch under Peter's rule ceases
not to seek the w^anderers ; to comfort, and support,
and cheer the weak. Her children, scattered far and
wide over the earth, may not even know each other
in the flesh, yet are they one in that omnipresent
fold, and known, each one, to that true and cnreful
40 ROME ALONE IS CATHOLIC.
mother, who is hterally xara ro oXov, for she over-
spreads and interpenetrates the universe.
The cross which was erected on Calvary by our
Divine Master, was to be planted by His command
in the centre of the world — in imperial Eome — by
the Apostle whose humility obtained that its posi-
tion sliould be reversed ; for his high exaltation
demanded a corresponding self-abasement. It is in
the soil of Rome that the grain of mustard-seed has
grown up into the goodly tree, whose roots are
nourished by the most precious blood of Jesus, and
whose branches have filled the whole earth, so that
the birds of the air, even the Saints of God in all
lands, find shelter and fruit amongst them.
Title What claim has any religious communion save the
Catholic. Eoman to the title of Catholic? As a matter of fact,
on what ground can that title be maintained by any
other ? St. Augustine's and St. Cyril's test will hold
good still ; for, though it may occasionally happen to
an enquirer after a Catholic Church, to fall in with
one who makes as if he did not understand him
to mean the Eoman, such ignorance does not actually
exist ; it will be a mere pretence. If a Eoman Catholic
speaks of the Catholic Church, there are those who
will make haste to tell him to add Euman, thereby
proving how well they understand him : yet the
world lias not room for two Catholic Churches, if the
term Catholic really means universal. It is, how-
ever, maintained by Anglicans that the Christians
in cummunion with Eome are only a part of the
THE CHURCH is apostolic.
41
Church, and liave no riglit to claim to be the wliole.
This argument may be answered in the self-same
words made use of by St. Augustine to the Donati&t
Bishop, Petilian : —
' You, with closed eyes, so stumble against that moun-
tain, which, from a small stone, according to the prophecy
of Daniel, has increased and has filled the whole earth, as
to say to us that we have sunk into a part and are not in
the whole ; to us whose communion is spread abroad over
the universal globe. But, in like manner, as if you were
to say to me that I am Petilian, I could not tell how to
answer you, except by laughing as if you were in joke, or
else pitying you as if you were insane, so now, this is all
I find to be done. Since, however, I do not believe you
are in joke, you see the alternative.'
God Himself, Who is the model and the maintainer
of the Church's unity, is also the Author of her
universality. He has made her as necessary to the
spiritual hfe of man as the sun is to his physical, and,
like God's glorious sun, she shines for all. Of her
preachers it is written : — ' Their sound is gone forth
into all the earthy and their words unto the ends of the
whole world.'
But ' how shall they preach unless they be sent ? '
The word Apostle means Ambassador. No Churcli
can be Apostolic which is not sent by Christ througli
His ambassadors, the Apostles. Many of those who
admit the necessity of the Apostolical succession as
regards orders, appear to make very light of it as
regards mission and jurisdiction. It would lead me
too far if I were to enter upon the (piestion of the
Cdiitni
Lit.Pctil.
lib. ii. No. 91.
lioiiiaus X. IS.
Apostolicity.
Kom. X. 15.
4-2
NECESSITY OF APOSTOLIC JURISDICTIOX.
Onlers
do not give
Mission,
nor confer
Jiu'isdiction.
validity of tlie Cliurch of England orders. Suifice it
to say, that Eome's disbelief in them must be very
certain, otherwise she would not unconditionally
ordain those Anglican clergymen who, being recon-
ciled to her, are called to her priesthood ; for she
accounts it sacrilege to repeat the sacrament of orders.
But orders do not in themselves contain the Apos-
tolic mission, though they are indispensable in order
to render the recipients capable of exercising it
when bestowed upon them. Still less do they con-
vey jurisdiction, or confer power upon a priest to ad-
minister the sacrament of penance where he does not
possess jurisdiction. The confessional is a tribunal,
the priest a judge ; and this of necessity requires the
right of judging in the particular case before him ;
in other words, of jurisdiction over the penitent.
Now, ordination does not convey this jurisdiction,
though it confers the power of exercising it wdien
given. No priest can validly exercise the power
of the keys, excepting under those circumstances for
which he has received jurisdiction from competent
ecclesiastical authority. This has always been held
in the Church, and both Greeks and Latins are per-
fectly agreed upon it.^ Absence of the necessary
JLU'isdiction would invalidate the priestly absolution.
Nor can Bishops themselves exercise jurisdiction
beyond the limits assigned to them by Apostolic
' Elementa Thcol. Dngmat. op. F. X. Schoiippc, S.J. — Bruxelles,
1803 — a most useful and accui'ate compendium, pos.sessing high
recommendations oi' authority. T. ii. pp 350-7.
PKIMACY OF THE SEE OF ROME. 43
authority, wliicli is vested in tlie Eoman PontilT. If
in any case they seem to have done so, it must be
presumed that they were authorised, tacitly at tlie
least, by the Apostohc See of Eome ; to wliose
decision, as it is well known, all disputes upon such
questions have always been referred.
It is most important to bear in mind that the Definition
special privilege and authority divinely conferred on Primaey
the Apostolic See of St. Peter is one of dignity, and of Roman Poutiff.
jurisdiction; not of order. Every Bishop is as nuich a
Bishop as the Pope, as regards the Episcopal order ;
but no other Bishop possesses the dignity or the uni-
versal jurisdiction of tlie Pope, who has succeeded to
the plenitude of the Apostolic power and mission
conferred by Christ Himself upon St. Peter. The
Primacy has been defined by Fr. Schouppe, as — Eicm. Tiieoi. Dogm.
* The pre-eminence by which the Roman Pontif oh-
tairis, by divine right, not only honour and dignity, but
also jurisdiction aiid poiver, throughout the Universal
Church. — It is said: by which he obtains honour and
dignity, such, for instance, as that which an Emperor
enjoys among Kings who are not his subjects ; a man of no-
bility among commoners ; the president of a college among
his fellow-colleagues. — It is said : he obtains jurisdiction
andpoiver, such, indeed, as any Prince or magistrate enjoys
towards subordinate officers : thus, a King holds the pri-
macy among all the Princes who are subject to him.'
It needs but a slight acquaintance with the maxims, Necessity
rules, and practices of the universal Church, to riaiitfuijuri.sdieii,.M.
be aware that rightful jurisdiction was ahvays con-
sidered essential for the due exercise of the Episcopal
44
THE APOSTOLIC COLLEGE IS
Nocpssity
of
Apostolic Doctrine.
functions ; and tliat such jurisdiction might be for-
feited, or witlidrawn by competent authority,
though the sacred orders must always remain. Since
tliis is a fact wliich cannot be contradicted, it surely
becomes a matter of supremest moment for English
Cliurchmen to examine and to resolve, not merely the
question of the validity of tlieir orders, but that also
of the authority and validity of the mission and juris-
diction exercised by their Bishops and clergy at the
present time. If they heed the voice of the Universal
Church at all, they must be convinced that this is a
vital point.^ The pages of history render it evident
beyond a doubt, that the two rival claimants between
whom they have to choose, as the respective channels
of Divine mission and of spiritual jmisdiction, are ; on
the one hand, — the Apostolic throne of Peter; and on
the other, — tlie Eoyal throne of Elizabeth. This is
not a rhetorical figure ; it is a manifest fact.
There is a necessary succession of doctrine as well
as of orders, and apart from the Apostolic communion
we have no guarantee for the Apostolic faith. The
Apostles alone received from Christ that great deposi-
tU7u, with the assistance of His Spirit to keep it uncor-
rupt for all time. Now, the Apostolic College is repre-
sented to us by its head, and it is to the successors of
1 This might be urged, on lower ecclesiastical grounds, even
apart from the divinely constitiited Primacy of St. Peter ; as is
clearly shown, in an essay deserving of closest attention, by the late
Cardinal Wiseman, on AnrjUcan Claims of Apostolical Succession.
Essays by lI.E. Card. "Wiseman. Dolman, 1853, vol. ii. p. Ifil.
It fir.<t aj)pearcd in the Dublin Review ; Oct. ] 838.
EEPRESENTKD TO US BY ROME. 45
the blessed Peter we must look for instruction in the Amongst
tlio Apostolic chairs,
faith once delivered to the Saints, Even apart from «t. Piter's
.. . Tc alone remains to us.
this his distinct olhce, there is no other Apostolic bee
which God has left upon the earth, in a position for us
to consult. The chair of St. Peter alone amongst all
the Apostles, by a special privilege still survives to
us in a long line of successors ; a fact which of
itself seems to indicate, that the custody of the faith
and the rule of the Church were divinely committed
to that favoured See, pre-eminently above the rest.
To refer to the teaching of Pope Pius VI. : —
' That the Church was founded by Christ on the firmness Constitution,
of the Rock; and that, Ly the singular favour of Christ, ^StliNovembor, 1786.'
Peter was selected above the rest to be by vicarious power
the Prince of the Apostolic Choir ; and therefore to receive
the supreme charge and authority, to be perpetuated
through his successors for all time, of feeding the whole
flock, of confirming his brethren, and of binding and loosing
over the whole earth — is a Catholic Dogma, which, having
been received from the mouth of Christ and handed down
and defended by the constant teaching of the Fathers, the
Universal Church has always held most inviolably, and fre-
quently confirmed against the errors of innovators by the
decrees of Sovereign Pontiffs and Councils.'
The Episcopal order is possessed in its fulness with- St. Peter's
out the Apostolate. The Apostolate was possessed in
its fuhiess without the Primacj^ The Primacy includes
the other two, but yet it is distinct from them. Every
^ Quoted in vol. iii. p. 227 of the Irish Annual 3Jiscellan7/, at
the commencement of an invaluable Essay on The Svpremactj of
St. Peter and his Siiccesso7-s, by Dr. Murray, Professor of Tlieo-
logy at Maynooth. I thankfully acknowledge my obligations to
the said Essiiy, and earnestly recommend its careful jierusal.
office.
4G THE APOSTOLATE SUBORDINATE
Bisliop is a true successor of the Apostles, but the
extent of his jurisdiction and mission is hmited. It
is only in council, in union with his fellow-Bishops
under the Eoman Pontiff, that he collectively exer-
cises wider powers. All the Apostles received from
Christ not only the Episcopal order, but also, by a
distinct act, universal jurisdiction and universal mis-
8t. Matt, xxviii. 19. siou to ' all uatious ;' — ' As the Father hath sent me, I
St. Jolin XX. 21. .
also send you' These universal powers, which are
not conferred on other Bishops, were conferred on each
and all of the Apostles, for the purpose of founding the
Universal Church. They were to be exercised, how-
ever, in union with, and in subordination to, the still
higher and distinct office conferred upon St. Peter.
A.D. 410-461. Hence the o-reat St. Leo teaches that —
&'
Scrm. iv. pap. 2, ' Out of tbe whole world, Peter alone is chosen, who
eiui3demVs"uinptionis. should be Set over both the vocation of the universal
nations, and all the Apostles, and all the fathers of the
Church : that, although among the people of God there
are many priests and pastors ; yet Peter, in his own person
(proprle), may rule all those whom Christ also rules as the
Head {jjvinci'paliter). A great and marvellous fellowship
in Its own power, most dearly beloved, has the Divine
estimation {dlgnatio) conferred upon this man ; and if It
willed that the other princes should possess anything in
common with him, it never, except through him, gave
to the others whatever it did not refuse them.'
Til.' Thus St. Peter received from Christ not only the
Episcopal order and tlie Apostolate in common with
the others; but, over and above these princely gifts,
he, and lie filoiio. received for himself and hissucce.s-
TO THE PRIMACY. 47
sors, the supreme office, and the consequent plenitude
of power and sufficiency of grace, whereby to feed,
to rule, and to govern the Universal Church. As
Bishops and as Apostles they all were equal, but as
Prince of the Apostles and as Vicar of Christ after
His departure, St. Peter was raised above them all.
The Episcopal order is an essential part of the
Divine hierarchy of the Church, and must always
continue in its plenitude. But the Apostolic work
of the foundation of the Church has been accom-
plished, and so far, therefore, the Apostolate has
ceased. That is to say, the universal mission and
jurisdiction conferred on each and all of the Apostles
has not been continued to their successors, excepting
in the case of their head, the blessed Peter. The
Apostolate was more extensive than the Episcopate,
and the Primacy was over and above the Apostolate.
It concerned not only the foundation of the Universal
Church, but its preservation and its unity for all
ages, and therefore it could never cease. St. Peter
and his successors for evermore were constituted the
Vicars of Christ. Not Successors of Christ, but
Vica7\s. Christ still rules His Church, but he does
so through the successors of Peter. Tlie Apostles
were associated with Peter in establishing' and
governing the Church, but they were subordinate to
him as the representative of Christ.
The wall of the new Jerusalem in the Apocal}q)se Apostolic
'had twelve foundations, and in tliem, the twelve Air^'^Tw
' ' ApOC. X.\l. 11.
names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb :' and it was
48
THE ROMAN PONTIFF IS
St. Matt. xix. 28.
Mis.«;alo
Koiniinuni.
said to them by their Divine Master — ' Wlien the Son
of man shall sit on the seat of His majest}^, you also
shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of
Israel.' These are Apostohc privileges in which they
all are equal : and that Holy Church regards and
venerates them still as her rulers in union with blessed
Peter, is evident from the words of her liturgical Pre-
face on their feasts, wherein she beseeches God
that ' He the eternal Pastor will not desert His flock,
but that through His blessed Apostles He will defend
it with His continual protection. Tliat it may be
governed by the same rulers whom, as Vicars of Thy
work, Thou hast employed as Pastors to preside over
the same.' St. Paul also tells us that we are ' built
upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.'
It is from his union w^itli tliat corner stone that
St. Peter is what lie is. As, when on earth, our
Lord associated him with Himself in the payment of
the tribute, saying — ' Take that, and give it to them
for 7ne and thee^ — so has He associated him "\vith
Himself as the rock on which the Cluu'ch is built,
the corner stone l)y which she is held together.
I. Cor. iii. 11. 'Other foundation,' says the Apostle, ' no man can
lay, but tliat which is laid ; wliich is Christ Jesus.'
Yet Jesus united Peter to Himself, and made him
the visible minister of His own Divine work. Thus
in the continuation of the sermon already quoted,
St. Leo speaks as follows : —
Ubi supra, p. 4G. ' /, Cliiist says, sciy io Hice^ (Peter): 'that is, as my
Rpli. ii. 20.
St. Peter
the
foxindation.
St. Matt. xvii. 20.
Proviiu'. Vienn.
const itiitos.
THE VICAR OF CHRIST. 40
Father has manifested to thee my divinity, so I also make
known to thee thy excellence. That thou art Peter : that
is, though I am the inviolable rock; I, the corner stone tvho
7nake both one ; I, the foundation besides which no man can
lay another ; — yet thou also art the rock, because thou shalt
be made firm by my strength, that those things which by
my power are my own, may be thine in common, by par-
ticipation with me.'
Elsewhere, the same holy Pontiff teaches : —
* The Lord willed that the sacrament of this charge ' Epist. x.
(preaching the gospel) ' should appertain to the office of all Episcopos
the Apostles, with the understanding that He vested it pei-
principally in the most blessed Peter, the chief of all the
Apostles ; and He wills His gifts to flow into the whole
body from the same, as from a head ; that whoso should
dare to withdraw from the solidity of Peter might under-
stand that he has no part in the divine mystery. For He
willed that this man, whom He had taken into the fellow-
ship of an inseparable unity, should be named that which
He Himself was, saying, Thou art Peter, and upon this
rock lu'ill build my Church.''
Our Lord, mdeed, is not only the foundation but cin-ist
the founder of His Church, which He has purchased .^\\ ;'„ aii.
with His most precious blood, and established upon
Peter by His own power. All that Peter and others
are, they are, not in their own strength, but in Christ's.
Li this Christ necessarily stands alone, but -He dis-
penses His gifts as He will and where He will. His
word is power, and when He named Simon — the
rock — He made him what he named him. When He
promised to build on him the Church against which
the gates of hell should not prevail, He bestowed on
him an inalienable union with Himself for all time
VOL. I. E
50 TITK SYMBOL OF TIIK KEYS.
as tlie one foundation of tliat Church ; and, as that
visible Church was to be gathered from successive
generations of men, so, after Peter had followed his
Lord both in His cross and in His glory, was it to
be founded on the successors of Peter, imperishable
and invincible in its basis and in its structure.
St. Pfter On them, also, was to descend the rule over the
' Head. wholc Cliurcli prouiiscd to St. Peter under the sym-
l)ol of the keys, by which our Lord made him again
to be a sharer in His own office. The keys are not
promised to the Church, but to Peter. It is througli
Peter that they come to the Church ; through Peter
that they continue with the Church ; and beyond
the Hmits assigned by Peter and his successors their
power is not extended.
Suprome authority Our Lorcl sixjs, ' Ou this rock I will build My
conveyed n tt -i -i i x -n • 7 i
by Chui-ch ; and He adds, ' and i will give to thee tlie
St. Matt. xvi. 18, 19. kcys.' Hc says not, to hei\ i.e. the Church ; He says,
to thee — Peter — thereby setting him over the Church.
Por the keys convey more than the power of binding
and loosing, which, in conjunction with St. Peter, was
afterwards bestowed on the other Apostles; they con-
vey supreme authority over the exercise of that power.
Apoc.i. 18. Thus, in the Apocalypse, our Lord speaks of Himself
as having ' the keys of death and of hell ;' and again,
ihid.iii. 7. as ' He that hath the key of David ; He that openeth,
and no man shutteth ; shutteth, and no man openeth.'
The power of the keys includes both the power of
l^inding and loosing, and also the control over the
exercise of tliat power by others. Wlien St. Peter's
ST. TETER MARKED OUT AS FIRST; 51
keys open, none other can sliiit ; when they sliiit,
none other can open. It is not so with any other,
for all others are subordinate to Peter. God says
of Eliacim in the prophecy, — 'He shall be as a isaiasxxii. 21,22.
father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the
house of Juda. And I will lay the key of the house
of David upon his shoulder : and he shall open
and none shall shut : and he shall shut, and none
shall open.' Primarily, this prefigured Christ ;
secondarily, His servant Peter. He made Peter His
representative, as He had before chosen Eliacim to
be His type.
Throuo;hout the Gosi^els, the priority mven to ■'^t. phpi-
St. Peter is most apparent. In the lists of the
Apostles his name is invariably first. Thus, in St.
Matthew, — ' The first, Simon who is called Peter ' — st.sratt. x. 2.
in the vulgate, jyi^inms — in the Greek, Trpcbrog. So,
too, we find frequently such expressions as — ' Simon st. i\rarki.36.
and they that were with him.' — ' Peter and they that " ' ix! 32.*
were with him.' Again, when the women sought
their risen Lord in the sepulchre, they were told by
the angel, — ' Go, tell His disciples and Peter that He st.]\r;vrk xvi. 7.
goeth before you into Galilee.' Why should Peter be
especially named here, excepting as the leader and
representative of the Apostles? St. Gregory the
Great gives it, indeed, as a reason, that our Lord,
in His loving tenderness, wished to encourage him
after his fall and deep repentance. But, so for
from ignoring the primacy, he goes on to explain
why God permitted such a fall in the case of one
e2
was
allowed tu fall.
52 PRINCE OF THE APOSTLES ;
whom lie intended to set over the wliole Church.
He comments on the passage as follows : —
TTf.m. in Evang. xxi. 4. ' We must inquire why, when the disciples are mentioned,
Peter is marked out by name. But, if the angel had not
^vhy St. Peter expressly named him who had denied his Master, he
would not have dared to come among the disciples. There-
fore he is called by name, lest he should despair on account
of his denial. In which matter we must consider why
Almighty God permitted him, whom He had determined to.
set over the entire church {quern cunctm Ecdesicc prwferre
disposuerat), to be affrighted at the voice of a servant
girl, and to deny Himself. Which, in truth, we perceive to
have been done by a most merciful dispensation ; in order
that he who was the future Pastor of the Church should
learn, through his own fault, how he ought to have com-
passion upon others. First, therefore. He shows him to
himself, and then he set him over the rest, in order that
he might learn, from his own infirmity, how mercifully he
should bear with the infirmities of others.'
In this, too, was Peter to be made most like his
Hcb. iv. 15. Master, Who, though ' without sin,' was ' tempted in
all things hke as we are,' and can, therefore, ' have
compassion on our infirmities.'
Amongst early ecclesiastical writers the well-known
designation of St. Peter is, — Prince of the Apostles.
Thus (to quote one out of a multitude), St. C3Til of
Catecb. ii. 19. Jerusalem names him as ' Peter the chiefest (6 xopu-
(^aioTuros xa) Tr^coTrxTrarr^^) and foremost of the
Ibid. xvii. 27. apostles ; ' — ' Key-bearer of the kingdom of heaven.'
This chief position was continued to the See of Peter,
Ep. xiiii. 7. as St. Augustine testifies when he speaks of ' the
Eoman Cliurch in which the principality {princi-
CONFIRMER OF HIS BRETHREN ; 53
patus) of the apostolic cliair has always remained in
vigour (semper viguity
It is the presence of Christ in His Church which st. Peter's Se.-
IS also
renders her chief pastors collectively, firm and in- the .str.ngtii
violable in the faith ; and this office also, which is Episcopate.
exercised invisibly by His Spirit, He has conferred
upon Peter and his successors as His visible organs.
The words of our Lord are explicit. On the very night
of His passion, when He prayed for the visible and
perpetual unity of His Church, He gave to Peter
alone the charge of confirming and consolidating that
Church: — 'And the Lord said: Simon, Simon, St. Lukcxxii. 31.
behold Satan hath desired to have you [vy^oLQ) that
he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for
thee (TTrp) (Tou) that thy (o-ou) faith fail not : and thou
{(Tv) being once converted, confirm thy brethren.'
The words vary, — you, — and thee and thou. AU were
to be attacked by hell ; but their strength was to be
ill one, and that very one who was afterwards to be
their strength, was first to display his insufficiency
apart from Clirist ; that the power of Christ might,
through all ages, be the more apparent in him
through liis previous momentary weakness when left
to his own support. St. Ambrose, before St. Gregory,
taught that the trial was permitted in order to fit St.
Peter for his supreme office. He says : — in Ps.xiiii. 40.
* The adversary is compelled to tempt the Saints of Reason
the Lord, to his own loss. For by tempting them teg^p^^t^^./^J^j^^^^i^^^
makes them better, that he who is tempted may be able to
instruct {instil uei'e) others also; even he who, to himself,
54 CIIIHF I'ASTOK OF CIIRIST's FLOCK;
appeared infirm. It is then that Peter is set over the
Church, after he was tempted of the deviL And on that
account the Lord signifies beforehand what that is, be-
cause, afterwards, ]ie elected him Pastor of the Lord's flock.
For to him he said : hut thou being converted confirm thy
brethren.^
The Our Lord is pre-eminently tlie good Shepherd. It
guod Shepherd. , . .
IS one of the most endearnig oi His titles, and the
subject of one of the most touching of His pro-
isaias xi. 11. pliccics rcspcctiug Himsclf : — ' He shall feed His flock
like a shepherd : He shall gatlier together the
lambs with His arm, and shall take them up in His
bosom, and He Himself shall carry them that are
with young.' Tliis office also, which, spiritually and
invisibly, He Himself still fidfils. He has conferred
upon Peter and the successors of Peter as His outward
and visible agents and ministers. We know how,
after the chief Apostle had redeemed his threefold
fall by a threefold protestation of love, our blessed
Lord Himself committed to him as His own Vicar, the
charge of His own Hock, by a thrice repeated com-
st. Joiin xxi mission, — ' Feed my lambs,' ' Feed iny lambs,' ' Feed
my sheep,' — BoV^cs to. apvla [xou, Ylolixaivs TO. Trco^ara
[j.r>\j. Feed and rule not only my lambs, but my
sheep the mothers of tlie lambs, — my whole flock.
Feed and govern all. The word 7ro//xa<j/s (which,
ill the Greek, has reference to the sheep) is the
very same wliich is applied to our Lord Himself in
the [)r()])hecy quoted by St. Matthew (chap. ii. 6),
niid rendered in the English, rule \ — 'that shall
1 iile (7roi[xavs7) my j)eo])le Israel.'
There is an account in the diary of Archbishop
OP THE SHEEP AND OF THE LAMBS. 00
Laud, of a conversation between himself and a Thoofficp
Catholic on the primacy of St. Peter's See, and how ^'^cullil^'i-'mi'."
at last the Catholic would make no other answer
than the repetition of the words, — Daho claves, —
Pasceagtios; Pasceoves. — In truth, no human sophistry
can elude the divine simplicity and force of our
Lord's promise of supreme power, which was sym-
bolized by the keys ; nor explain away the fact of
its completion and fulfilment in the final committal
of the whole Church to tlie pastoral care and rule
of Peter, which included the charge of confirming
and maintaining in the faith his venerable brethren,
the Episcopate of the whole world. Moreover it is
manifest from the very nature of this commission,
that it was to descend in its fulness upon each suc-
ceeding occupant of St, Peter's See, so long as there
should be a flock to feed and to defend, to guide
and to rule over.
It is not man, it is Christ Himself Who, in these cin-ist
His pastors, still holds the keys, and feeds and rules ™ ^^ Poi'S
His flock. Thus, the Eoman Catechism teaches of
the Church, that ' its ruler and governor is one, Catcch. ox deercto
' . . . ° ^ Coiicil. Tridunl.
Christ indeed invisibly, whom the Eternal Father p. i. cap. x.
"hath made Head over all the Church, which is His Eph. i. i-i, 23.
Body"; but visibly, the occupant of the Roman See, the
legitimate successor of Peter Prince of the Apostles.'
' To Peter,' says St. Peter Chrysologus, ' does the .Serm. vi.
Lord commend His sheep, wlien about to return to j^i^^ JJ, q,.,,^
heaven, that he may feed them in Ilis stead He . , 'y,f < -^
' •' CllOll A.D. 40U.
commends to him the sheep and the offspring of the
sheep ; for He, the foreseeing Pastor, already knew
5G
THESE OFFICES CONTINUE
Horn, in Vig.
?S. Pet. ct PiiuL'
Lib. ii. Ep. 75.
C'ire;i A.D. 430.
Ed. Leon. Allat.
Those offices
are
permanwit.
tlic future fecundity of His flock.' ' First,' says St.
Eucherius (a.d. 445), ' He commits the lambs to him,
then the sheep, because He makes liim not pastor
only, but pastor of pastors. Peter therefore feeds
lambs and sheep, feeds children and mothers, rules
both subjects and prelates.' St. Nilus observes that
the Lord, after consoling the penitent heart of Peter,
' constituted him the shepherd of the whole world '
(7roi[xiva. rrjg o]xotj[xivr]g a7rd(n^g xaSi<rTrj<nvy
It is self-evident that all these offices were not to
cease with Peter, since they were not given for the
sake of Peter, but for the sake of the Church,
and for the work of the Church, and were still more
needed for future generations than for the time when
the other apostles were on earth. Numberless
authorities might be produced to prove that such
was the belief of the early ages ; but it may suffice
to quote two which distinctly state it. The first
occurs in the address of the Presbyter Philip,
' Quoted from Sconce's Testimony of Antiquitij to the Sitpre-
macij of the Holy See — a most useful book, published in Sydney,
1848, and sold by Messrs. Bui'ns & Oatpa of London. Besides
authorities, it contains simple, clear, and honest reasoning. It is
to be regretted that the Rev. J. Watervvorth's Faith of Catholics,
3 vols. 8vo., Dolman, 1816, which gives so large and valuable a
collection of early testimony to Catholic doctrine, has also repro-
duced certain propositions from a treatise censured by Bishop
INIilner as ' defective, ambiguous, suspicious, and erroneous.' See
the Kev. W. II. Anderdon's letter in the Weelly liejister of
March 31st, 18GG, republished by the Dublin Review in July
1<S0(), p. 257, in reierence to a rejtrint of the aforcsiiid treatise
undi r tlie title of The Catholic Eirenicon (Hayes, London, 1865),
' li-cjni the edition of 1815.'
IN THE APOSTOLIC SEE. 57
Legate of tlie Apostolic See of Eome, to the third
great Q^cunienical Council, held at Ephesus a.d. 431.
There, in the heart of the East, without a dissentient
voice among the bishops, he commences his confir-
mation of the condemnation of Nestorius (on the
part of Pope St. Celestine) in the following terms : —
* No one doubts, nay it is known through all ages, that Hard. Act. Concil.
the holy and most blessed Peter, prince and head of the • • ^^ • ' •
apostles, column of the faith, and foundation of the Catholic
Church, received the keys of the kingdom from our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Saviour and Eedeemer of the human
race, and there was given to the same the power of loosing
and of binding sins : who up to this time without intermis-
sion, and always, lives and exercises the ofiSce of a judge
(judicium exercet) in his successors.'
Anglicans profess to follow in all things tlie first
centuries of the Church, and to accept the above-
named Council of Ephesus. But, it may be asked,
would the same words be received in the same way
by the English convocation, if addressed to that
assembly by a legate of Pope Pius IX. ?
It was not many years later when the great St. Leo
(in one of his sermons on the anniversary of his
elevation to the Eoman Pontificate), after speaking
of our Lord Jesus Christ as the great High Priest
still ruling in His Church, continued his discourse as
follows : —
* Therefore, most dearly beloved, our festivity is not S*''^"!- \'- cap. iv.
presumptuous, wherein, mindfid of the divine favour, we
do honour to the day on which we received the priesthood ;
inasmuch as we piously and truly confess that Christ fulfils
58
THIS D0CTK1XI-: OF TJIE 1*111. MACY
1)0 Trill.
L. \-i. c. 20.
Tlie rnmacy
is
a groat grace.
the work of our ministry in all things that we rightly per-
form ; and not in ourselves, who without Him can do
nothing, but in Himself, Who is our power, do we glory.
Another reason for our solemnity is not only the Apostolic,
but also the Episcopal dignity of the most blessed Peter,
who ceases not to preside over his see, and maintains an
imfailing fellowship with the eternal Priest. For that
solidity, which, from the Rock Christ, he also, made a liock,
received (de Petra Christo etiamipse Petraf actus accepit),
has transfused itself also to his heirs, and wheresoever any
firmness is manifested, without doubt there appears the for-
titude of the pastor. For if, in order to show forth their
merits, it has been granted to nearly all the martyrs every-
where, because of their endurance of the sutferings they
embraced, to assist those in danger, to drive away diseases,
to expel unclean spirits, and to cure innumerable sick-
nesses ; who will so unskilfully or enviously estimate the
glory of blessed Peter, as to believe that there are any parts
of the Church which are not ruled by his solicitude and
strengthened by his power ?'
The graphic words of St. Hilary of Poitiers are as
applicable now in the person of Pope Pius IX. as they
have been heretofore through liis long line of pre-
decessors, and as they will continue to be to the end : —
' Blessed Simon, after his confession of the mystery,
supporting the edifice of the Church and receiving
the keys of the heavenly kingdom.' — ' Post sacra-
menti confessionem heatus Simon oedijicationi Ecclesice
siibjacens et claves regni ccelestis accipiens.'
I have but glanced at this vast and all-
important subject, which lies at tlie very root of
Christianity, and gives it an aspect under which
a denial of the Pope's supremacy in the Church
becomes visibly 'another gospel.' Nor have I
IS FULL OF COXSOLATlOiX. 59
done more than glean, here and there, one authority
among thousands in proof of my assertions.
Whole volumes might be filled, and have been filled,
with the arguments and testimony of centuries,
in support of this fundamental article of Christian
belief. But, unless God prepare men's hearts, and
unless men co-operate with God's grace, the most
convincing of proofs will be unavailing. It is
humbling to reflect that prejudice can have so great
a power to close the human heart against the
reception of a Christian truth so strongly and
clearly attested, and, at the same time, so consoling,
strengthening, and encouraging ; so analogous to all
we know of God's mercy and of His dealings, and so
abounding in His love for us ; — as is that truth of His
ever-present rule and care, not only invisibly from
the realms above, but visibly, tangibly, here on
earth, in the venerable person of His own represen-
tative. Like all the other manifestations of His over-
ilow^hig goodness, it is too great for human littleness ;
men can hardly rise to its conception ; and unless His
grace gives larger and more generous powers of appre-
ciation and of confiding love, they cannot comprehend
the vast munificence of His condescension. truly
' slow of heart ' are we, like the disciples on the way si. Luke xxiv. 20.
to Emmaus, ' to believe in all things which the
prophets have spoken ! ' Christ's resiuTcction was
to them a thouglit too glorious, too full of joy, to be
true. Christ's perpetual presence with us through His
Vicar may be, to many, a doctrine which so realizes
60 THE APOSTOLIC TYPE
to tlie full all their visions of a Christian Church, that
they think the happiness too great for earth, and
accuse of sordid ambition that very See of Peter, in
which Christ Himself presides through a human
delegate.
Visible and present Nevertheless, not only sacred scripture and the
testimony. ^^^^y fathers, uot Only venerable antiquity and all
Christian history, proclaim this truth with the voices
of ages that are past, and teach that out of the apo-
stolical communion of Eome, no Church can be apo-
stolic; but it is written with the finger of Cod in the
passmg events of the day and hour. Where else, save
in the Eoman Pontiff, is to be found the apostolic type
at the present moment? Where else the image of
God's tranquil power undisturbed by the rude con-
fusions and wickedness of mankind? Patient, and
meek, and tender, but strong with a superhuman
strength. Forgiving, as Christ forgave ; but testify-
ing to truth and justice and everlasting right, as
Christ also testified upon the cross. Here, in spirit
and in letter, is beheld the apostolic pattern : —
2 Cor. vi. 3-1(1. ' Giving no offence to any man, that our ministry be
not blamed : but in all things let us exhibit ourselves
as the ministers of God, in much patience, in tribu-
lation, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in prisons,
in seditions, in labours, in watchings, in fastings, in
chastity, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in sweet-
ness, in the Holy Ghost, in charity unfeigned, in the
word of truth, in tlie power of God ; by the armour
of justice on the riglit liand and on the left, by
IS MANIFEST IN ROME. 61
honour and dishonour, by evil report and good
report : as deceivers, and yet true : as unknown, and
yet known : as dying, and behold we live : as chas-
tised, and not killed : as sorrowful, yet always re-
joicing : as needy, yet enriching many : as having
nothing, and possessing all things.' The quotation
may be continued, for the apostolic voice now re-
sponds to all who, remaining separated, still long for
unity, — 'Our mouth is open to you, our heart is en- ibki. ii, 12.
larged. You are not straitened in us : but in your
own bowels you are straitened.'
Let thoughtful men compare, at this very moment,
the world-wide labours and zeal ; the devotion and
earnestness ; the faith, charity, and unity ; the spirit
of self-sacrifice ; the chastity and heroic virtue ; the
prevailing concord of bishops and priests among
themselves, with Eome, and with the people ; so
apparent among Christians in communion with the
Apostolic See ; — let them compare these present
facts, not with this or that individual instance which,
from its nearness and its very singularity, assumes
undue proportions, but with the general condition,
and the usual religious standard of any other Chris-
tian body ; and let them say whether the Divine pre-
sence and the Apostolic rule of life are to be discerned
in any other. That which amongst others is excep-
tional, if found at all, is set before Eoman Catholics
as their ordinary rule. Many, no doubt, fall short ;
but many press on beyond it, and attain to heroic
virtues not to be found elsewhere. Eome begins where
62 THE SCHOOL OF HOLINESS, AND
Others end. The most advanced outside her, are but
hke tyros in her school of sanctity. Her very starting
points for perfection are the evangehcal counsels of
continence, poverty, and obedience, virtues which
she preaches on the housetops, and acknowledges as
divine for all who are called to practise them. Whereas
too commonly elsewhere, they must not be named
unless in secret, and if practised at all it must be more
or less by stealtli. Far be it from me to withhold
an earnest sympathy from all who anywhere may
aim at them ; far be it from me to make light of these
or any other virtues wherever they may be found.
I seek but to give tliem their perfection ; to point
out their true home, their natural birthplace, their
congenial soil. To the established Enolish Church
they are exotic, foreign and unwelcomed by the mass.
How many of lier bishops are there who encourage
the diffusion of these counsels of the Gospel, or who
acknowledge them at all as such? Nay, to speak
only of essential doctrine, her clergy are not agreed
amongst themselves respecting many most funda-
mental truths of Christianity, such as our Lord's
presence in the Holy Eucharist, the efficacy of Bap-
tism, the existence of tlie Sacrament of Penance,
and tlie like.
It is not hard to discern the one supernatural
liome on eartli of all most true and most heroic in
man's religious life. Tlie only home of apostolic doc-
trine, and of apostolic virtues, is the Apostolic Cluirch.
Elsewhere, indeed, they may seem to be transplanted
WELL-SPRING OF GOD's GRACE. 63
and to flourish for a while, isolated and strange: else-
where, too, may natural virtue be so highly culti-
vated as to seem, in human sight, to wear the aspect
of divine ; though not so in the eyes of God. But, at
the best, such cases are the exception. In the lioman
Catholic Church alone, is to be found the supernatural
life of grace in that spontaneous and full develop-
ment, which bespeaks its birthplace and its native
air. It is there that, through its exuberance of
growth ; its full, vigorous, and prolific energy, recog-
nised, welcomed, and familiar to all ; its profusion
of flower and prodigality of fruit ; it reveals the
divine fecundity of the soil, and gives evidence that
its being; and its strena;th are drawn from that exultinsf
and abounding river, which gladdens the city and the
vineyard of our God ; which has its source in the
pierced side and most precious wounds of Jesus,
and flows on to us through the channel of the
Apostolic chair of Peter.
God has given in charge to Peter the eternal ^ome
interests of all mankind ; and has constituted Peter's ti^„ ^.H^^.^ of
See the guardian of His gifts of grace. Rome alone ""'*^-^"
dares claim this world-wide rule, and Eome alone
possesses it. In her lives on, and ever will live on, the
blessed rule of Peter. In her, through him, its liead,
the whole college of the Apostles is represented to us.
Out of her communion no Church can be Apostolic.
Christ Himself dwells in her, and He has estab-
lished that imperishable dynasty as the everlasting
basis of His everlastino; Church. He has constituted
64 THE CHURCH can i^eveu lose
each succeeding Roman Pontiff the teacher of His
faith ; the centre of His Chuixh's Unity ; the ruler and
the shepherd of His fiock ; on him alone has He
conferred the divine right of delegating His juris-
diction throughout the universe, and of sending
Rom. X. 15. forth the messenoiers of whom it is written : — ^ IIoiv
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of
jjeace, of them that biding glad tidings of good things!'
The Church Tliis Apostolic missiou is from Christ, and the model
bears the image „ . . ^^. . . „
of her or it IS His owu uiissiou irom the r ather. He, too,
gives the Chmxh her Unity, her Sanctity, her Catho-
licity. Tiiey are, all of them, the purchase of His
most precious blood ; the gifts of His most sacred
Heart. They form the image and the expression of
His own divine perfections, Who dwells Himself
within her.
Apoe. V. 9, 10. ' Redemisti nos^ Deiis, in sanguine tuo ex omni
tribu, et lingua, et jwpido, et natione, et fecisti nos
Deo nostro regnum.'
II.
Quia non potest destriii, constat non esse divisnm. Non enim
dividitur unita.s, ncc scinditur ; et idco nee coiTiiptelaj subditur,
nee ajtati. — S. Amhros. de Fide, lib. I. c. i. n. 11.
The Church's notes TiiESE arc tlic marks by which the Churcli of Christ
permanent may bc knowu ; thcsc arc her credentials. Tliey
always visible, arc intimately connected with one anotlier, and they
are all of tliem essential; tliey cannot be divided,
nor can any one of them 1)e dispensed wit]i. But if
HER OUTWARD UNITY. G5
they are notes tliey must be visible. When a person
is described in a document it is by visible marks and
features ; it would be mere trifling to draw his picture
in lineaments which could not always be recognised.
If the visible Church is to endure till the end of all
things, it follows that every one of her notes must
endure also, permanent as herself and equally visible
and characteristic as at the beginning. It would be
more consistent to deny the necessity of a visible
church and visible sacraments altogether, than
whilst affirming it, at the same time to profess that
any one of the essential notes of that Church can
ever be lost to sight. Those notes remain for all
generations, and form collectively a token and a
signal marking the abode upon earth of that God
' Who will have all men to be saved.' The mission i Tim.
of the Church, the very end of her existence, is the
salvation of the whole human race, not of any privi-
leged class alone ; and God cannot at any time allow
her to be deprived of those marks by which she is
always to be known through all the ages, to all who
sincerely wish for salvation ; not only to such as
have leisure and learning to turn over the pages of
the Fathers, and laboriously investigate the teach-
ings of antiquity, but to the poor, the ignorant, the
labouring, the masses of the human race.
Each one of the four notes of Christ's Church is
affirmed as a matter of fliith by the Creed, and no
man can reasonably trust his soul to any communic^n
which does not visibly possess them all.
VOL. 1. F
66
THE BODY OF CHRIST
Attractiveness
of
the theory
of the suspension
of
visible unity.
Paradise Lost,
iv. 811.
Divine
test of truth.
I. St. John iv.
1, 2, 3.
Consciences troubled by a sense of their separated
position are naturally soothed and attracted by a
theory which represents the existing divisions of
Christendom in the light of a mere suspension of
outward intercommunion, happening in chastisement
for the sins of men, but involving no guilt of schism.
There is a seeming humility in the teaching that
separation ought therefore to be submitted to with
resignation by individuals, though not ^vithout ear-
nest prayers and endeavours for a general reconcilia-
tion. But this apparent angel of light is in reality a
wolf in sheep's clothing, a delusive and seductive
phantom, which will not stand the test of Ithuriel's
bright spear of truth, —
' for no falsehood can endure
Touch of celestial temper, but returns
Of force to its own likeness.'
The Apostle ' whom Jesus loved,' has w\arned us
against false spirits, and taught us how to detect
them : —
* Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but tr}^ the
spirits if they be of God : because many false prophets are
gone out into the world. By this is tlie spirit of God
known. Every spirit, which confesseth that Jesus Christ
is come in the flesh, is of God: and every spirit that dis-
Rolveth Jesus,' is not of God : and this is Antichrist, of
whom you liave heard that he cometh, and he is now
already in the world.'
• Ancient codices quoted by Socrates, Hist. Eccl. vii. 32,
read: — o \vei roy 'Itjuovv ; the Vulgate has: — solvit .lestim. —
Note in Prof. Oin.sl)y's edition of Card. Mai's Greek Testament.
Dublin, IHr.O.
her Unity ;
CAN NEVER BE DISSOLVED. 67
The meaning is tlie same in the Oxford Greek,
which has : — b ju,^ b[xoXoys7 tov 'Irjcrouv 'Kpia-rov Iv
(rapx) s7\.rj7vvS6ra.
The Church is at once the fruit, and the apph- The test applied.
cation, and the continuance on earth, of the Incar-
nation of the Son of God. Holy Scripture declares
it to be, ' His body, and the fulness of Him, who is Eph. i. 23.
filled all in all.' Whatever doctrine, then, dissolves
the Church, dissolves Christ's presence upon earth.
Whatever doctrine teaches that any one of the visible
notes of the Church has failed, so far tends to deny
tliat Christ is still with us in the Church.
Now, tlie theory in question asserts that the The theory tends
Church, through the sins of her members, has for- the church's notes :
feited the gift of visible unity. This would resemble
the judgment which fell upon the proud sons of
men whose language was confounded at Babel.
They were building a tower of pride to reach the
heavens, and God at once frustrated their design by
depriving them of outward unity. This one curse
sufficed. We are not told that they were less one
inwardly, less united in their evil hearts than
before, but their speech was rendered diverse ; they
were scattered into all lands ; they lost their out-
ward unity, and they were impotent to build.
God's Church is God's own tower, by which He
bids the humble of heart ascend to highest heaven.
Can it be true that He has turned her into Babylon
in anger at her children's sin, when it was sin she
was sent to cure ?
F 2
68 FATAT. CONSEQUENCES OF
Her Sanctity ; The iiiflictioii of SO severc a jiulgment woiikl seem
to imply an amount of wickedness incompatible with
the Church's attribute of sanctity. Although her pale
upon earth comprises sinners as well as saints, yet
if sin can have so far prevailed within her as to have
led to the suspension of her outward unity, it must
also have obscured her visible note of holiness.
Her CathoUcity ; If the Churcli's outward unity were thus suspended,
and her inward energies crippled by prevailing sin,
she could scarcely maintain her Catholicity through-
out the regions of the earth, and certainly she would
no longer be Catholic as to time. She would be a
o
different Church from that of the early ages ; nor
w^ould they recognise her in her state of outward
division and inward falling off.
Her Apostoiicity. The Church's missiou is from Christ and from the
Holy Spirit, whose abiding presence Christ has pro-
st. John xiv. 16, 17. mised shall be for ever with her, — 'the Spirit of Truth,
whom the world cannot receive.' Were it even pos-
sible that this blessed Spirit of Ilohness could continue
with the Church after hvv lioliness was obscured by
sin, yet His teaching w^ould no longer be discernible
amidst the disagreement of division. In fact, the
maintainers of the theory of suspended unity hold
tliat the infallible voice of the Church is suspended
likewise, and that men must now seek it as best they
can by ascertaining what it was that she taught at
the time when slie was visibly and wholly one. Yet
they do not point to any authority which can declare
or explain that teaching witli divine certitude. So
THE THEORY OF HIDDEN UNITY.
GO
Maintainers
of
this doctrine.
that, according to this doctrine, the Cliurch's mission
as the infalHble teacher of the nations is in abeyance
also, and lier note of ApostoUcity has become as in-
visible as her other notes.
Thus does the aforesaid theory tend directly to
dissolve the Church, Christ's body ; it tends to a
denial of the abiding constancy of the Fruit of the
Incarnation amongst us in its fulness ; it would rob
us of our Emmanuel, our ' God with us,' of ' Christ
come in the flesh. '-r-This, St. John warns us, is the
mark of Antichrist.
Yet, as before observed, the same theory is so
calculated to lull conscientious doubts regarding the
safetj^ of the Anglican position, that men who would
abhor its consequences if perceived by them, have
been beguiled into its acceptance and defence. Dr.
Pusey's ' Eirenicon ' is based upon it, and it is almost
dogmatically put forth in the following extracts from
a work by the Anghcan Bishop of Brecliin, Dr.
Forbes.
After stating that unity is an 'attribute of the
church,' and ' very clearly taught in the Holy Scrip-
tures ; ' and asserting that ' the one truth requires
one vehicle of its tradition, the society which was a. h. Forbes, d.c.l,
visibly to bear the image of the one Christ on ppltiT -? fndtm.
earth,'— Dr. Forbes endeavours to show how real ^°"^^"">^^^'''^''^^^^-
though unseen unity may still exist, beneath the
divisions we behold.
* Unity,' he says, 'may be divided into objective and sub-
jective. Objective unity is that inwrought by our Head, Jesus
The
theory stated.
Explanation
of the
Niceue Creed,
by
70 ALLEGED PRECEDENTS FOR
Himself, through imiou with Himself. It is wrought on
His side, by the communication of the ' one Spirit,' and
by the Sacraments, making us all one body in Him. It
requires, on our part, continuity of the commission which
He gave to His Apostles, and perseverance in the faith
which He committed to the Church. Subjective unity
is unity of will, and intercommunion with one another.
Subjective unity may be suspended, while objective unity
is maintained. Subjective unity was suspended during
the schism at Antioch, yet objective unity is maintained,
for the blessed Meletius is a saint. Subjective unity was
suspended in the quarrels between the British and Western
Churches in the Saxon times, yet nobody doubts of the
salvation or sanctity of St. Aidan or St. Cuthbert. Sub-
jective unity was suspended during the struggles of the
antipopes, yet no one considers the followers of Peter de
Luna as either heretics or schismatics. And this must
also apply to the mighty dissension between the East and
tlie West, and between ourselves and the rest of Christen-
dom. It is deeply to be deplored that the state of the
Church is as it is ; but let us hope that the evil is not so
great as it seems, and that there is a fund of unity, if
men only understood each other ; that the fissures are
only surface ones ; that the disorder is functional, not
organic'
Dosire Doubtlcss a better understandiDoj would remove
fur . . ^. .
botitiiDuit'israudiiig. many hindrances to re-union. But it is mere self-
delusion to conceal the fact that the divisions extend
far below the surface. They have to do with points
of dogma ; with truths revealed by God to man,
which admit indeed of explanation, but not of com-
promise. Still, ' if men only understood each other,'
much more of common ground would be discovered
than they are now aware of.
THE DIVISIONS OF CHRISTENDOM. 71
It follows then, as a necessary consequence, that
every man should do what he can to understand,
and to make himself understood ; that no one
should shrink from listening to, or from giving,
full and patient explanation ; that no one should
rest on statements which have no foundation in
fact, or persist in them when proved to be false ;
that none should dwell on hearsay rumours and idle
tales with which our common enemy seeks to be-
guile men from the truth ; it follows, too, that no
opportunity for Mr discussion, in a spirit of charity,
should be withheld or avoided ; that no conse-
quences should be shrunk from, which God's truth
may involve ; that we all, in a word, should be
true, generous, and loving, candid, open-hearted,
simple, honest, and loyal, to God, to one another,
and to ourselves. How far each one is so, is a ques-
tion for each one to ask himself. Would to God we
all made it our business to understand and to love
each other better !
Dr. Forbes returns to the subject. At p. 285 he d-- Forbps's
examination
sketches the present divided state of Christendom, of
• 1 T ^^'^ subject.
and asks, — 'What are we to say with regard to
it? how are we to justify it?' He rejects the
doctrine that any single one of the various
Christian bodies, whether Greek, Anglican, Eomaii
Catholic, or any other, can be exclusively the one
Church : —
* What is this,' he says, ' but the spirit of Donatisra ? Can p, 286-7.
this really satisfy the enlightened conscience of the Chris-
72 EXPLANATIONS REJECTED BY Dl{. FORBES.
tian ? How, on tliijj ground, shall we account for the evi-
dent good that exists beyond our own sj^stem ? Shall
the Roman Catholic gainsay the grace which has been
poured out on the Greek Obedience, so that nations of
heathens or of heretics have since the schism been
gathered into the faith in Christ? Shall the Anglican be-
lieve, that the merits of ('arlo Borromeo, the most perfect
type of the Christian bishop which the world ever saw,
are as the evidence of grace in a man accidentally better
than his system ? Shall either Greek or Roman speak of
the devout Ken, or George Herbert, or Launcelot An-
drewes, as devils' blinds to keep men by a simulated
disguise of goodness from what they term the true
Church? Nay, shall men undervalue the unsacramental
grace of those, who like Spener and Gerhard have
adorned systems, which, in their logical consequences, and
generally in their practical results, have led to the most
miserable consequences ?'
r. 287. He equally rejects indifferentism, and the theory
of an invisible Church, as ' incompatible witli a real
belief in the Incarnation of the Word, ' for,' he ob-
serves, ' that Word has been made manifest, has
become visible, and therefore must energize in some
definite visible body.' He adds : ' There are also
distinct texts in Scripture which attach salvation to
belonging to the One Body of Christ. There are
certain outward conditions, such as Baptism, the
Euchari,<t, common worship, and tlie like, which
necessarily imply some visible body.'
Pp. 288-91. He then proceeds : —
Dr. I'oii.cs's 'The tiutli tlien nuist Ije somewhere between these two
exp :uiatiou. theories. On the one hand, we must avoid Donatism; on
the other, Latiludinarianisni. Ib'ly Scrij)turc sets fortri
THE CONCLUSION HE ARIUVES AT. 73
what Christian^!, as individuals, or collectively as the living
Body of Christ, ought to be ; but it does not say what
degree of shortcoming shall forfeit the blessings of the
Cfospel. The Church and her children in her were pur-
chased by the blood of Grod, that they should be holy, the
temple of the Holy Grhost, full of love anS peace and all
other fruits of the Spirit. It was said of individuals, "By this
shall men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love
one to another ; " as much as it was said of the whole
Church, " That they may be one as We are." It was said
of every Priest, " The lips of the Priest should keep
knowledge," as much as it was said of the whole Church,
" Thy teachers shall not be removed into a corner any
more." Our Lord has promised, " Lo, I am with you
alway, even imto the end of the world;" yet surely as
much by the Spirit of Holiness, as by wisdom and teaching.
Since then our Lord's promise was fulfilled in that dreary
and hateful tenth century, when it was said that although
our Lord was in the boat, men were afraid to wake Him
up, but rather wished that He might never awake to
judge them ; so may it be fulfilled now, although the
fulness of His Presence may be abated through our divi-
sions and want of love. We bear separate witness still to
the One Faith which He gave to His Church, the faith of
the Creeds ; we all look to Him, as truly present in His
Sacraments, truly giving His own Body and Blood ; we all
hold to the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, teaching
those same truths which they taught, and holding sacred
the descent from them. We are one Body, through the
one Spirit, and all partaking of the One Body of Christ,
all holding to the One Head. The Body is mangled, but,
we believe, not severed, through loss of intercommunion.
We are one, we trust, in One, although in some, even
grave things, not at one with one another. If the Gospel
had its full course, every priest should be holy, and " all
the children " of the Church " taught by God." Our Lord
has promised, " I am with you alway, even to the end of
74 DIVJDED BODIES CANNOT HAVE
the world ; " but He has not promised to be always jiresent
in the same degree or the same v,'a.j. He is not with us
as He was with the Apostles, in that they were " full of
the Holy Grhost," and they spake as " moved by the Holy
Ghost," so that what they spake were the words of God,
and have been, ever since, a fountain of truth to the
Church of Christ, such as no words, since spoken through
men, are or can be. He has been with the Church, in
dififerent degrees, since, according to her faithfvdness. His
Presence was lessened, surely, when He gave over whole
Churches to the Moslem apostasy. His Presence was less-
ened when He had given a nation, once the glory of the
Church, to set up the goddess of Reason. Everywhere He
is present, in every office exercised in His name : He
regenerates. He confirms. He absolves, He consecrates.
He ordains. He preserves the truth. He teaches those who
will receive it.'
I omit a paragraph on invincible ignorance, after
which Dr. Forbes proceeds : —
P- 290. ' It is best too to acknowledge our disjointed and un-
happy condition, rather than to shape the Gospel into
a theory that suits us. We had better acknowledge, that
for the sins of Christendom sul»jective unity is suspended,
and that while God has done great things for us, we have
not co-operated therewith.'
He exhorts men to strive and pray for unity, and
adds : —
p. 291. 'One effect of our unhappy divisions is, that we can-
not meet, even to heal them. Until we long more for
unity, we cannot take even the first visible steps towards
it, and union in heart must precede union in visible act.
As God's Holy Spirit fills the river of God, it will, in all
its several channels, overflow its banks, until they meet in
one vast sea of the knowledge and of the love of God.'
ONE AXD THE SAME SPIRIT. t O
The river of God gladdens many nations, whose One Church
several hierarchies form many channels. But these m;iny nations.
hierarchies have all one visible head and centre, and
tlius the channels, though diverse, are not divided.
Their life-bestowing waters flow on through the para-
dise of the one fold in many courses and directions,
but they remain still visibly united with each other
through tlieir central union in the one spring wliich
pours forth its abundant waves from the Apostolic
throne ; from the sacred hill of Sion, the holy moun-
tain in which God dwells. These are the waters of
'the rivers of Juda, and their fountain comes fortli of Jo^i iii. is.
the house of the Lord,' which is established and built
up by Himself on Peter. God owns not Churches
of man's making. — ' My people,' says the Lord, ' have Jei-cm. ii. 13.
d.one two evils. They have forsaken me, the foun-
tain of hving water, and have digged to themselves
cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.'
It is true that ' the Spirit of the Lord hath filled wisdom i. 7.
the whole world: ' that 'the Spirit breatheth where St. John ill. s.
he will ; and thou hearest his voice, but thou know-
est not whence lie cometli and whither he goeth : so
is every one that is born of the Spirit.' I have Seop. 17, &c.
already spoken of the secret deaHngs of God with
individuals. They are unfathomable. God has re- tiio
served them to Himself, and we cannot deduce from mysteries
them any general rule of conduct. If we search Dn-me grace.
into them, we seem to meet with the reply which
Christ gave to His Apostle : — ' Wliat is it to thee ? st. John xxi. 22.
Follow thou me.' It is for each one to act up to his
76 THE BODY OF CHRIST
own knowledge, and to take lieed to follow closely
the light and grace vouchsafed to liimself in parti-
cular. But of this we are sure ; — that the light and
grace bestowed on those outside the fold, is intended
by God to lead them onwards to full and outward
communion with that one Church which is the one
only visible temple of His presence ; tlie one only
body of men wherein His Spirit everlastingly abides ;
and, that, if they wilfully frustrate this divine pur-
pose, they will be called upon to give account. Even
Sacraments of the Chm^ch may be found outside her
pale, wherever there is a true priesthood ; but they
turn to death instead of hfe, to all who culpably
remain in a state of scliism.
Exchisiveness Tlic ouc Spirit of Christ animates the one Body of
the one Church. Christ, whosc Unity cxcludcs all other bodies. It
lias many members, and its life-blood flows through
many veins and arteries ; but they have all one only
centre ; one heart which feeds them, and one cir-
cumference which limits them. No body of Chris-
tians can be external to this, and, at the same time,
one witli it. No Churches can be Christ's which are
not visibly a portion of it. Tlie sap wliicli circulates
through the vine gives life to that tree alone. It
cannot nourish any other which is independent in its
growtli. The one living God cannot dwell in any
Church but one: but tliat one Church is extended
over tlie wliole world, and God would liave all men
to unite themselves to her communion, and become
partakers of lier divine life.
CAN BE CUT OP^E. 77
It is in this sense that the Eonian Cuthohc Churcli,
tliongh universal, is at tlie same time exckisive, and
necessarily so. It is not her own doing, it is God's.
Nor could she otherwise fulfil her office. Every one
who believes in one visible Church and one definite
revelation, and the necessity of faith in that revelation,
must also admit the existence of certain limits. It is
simply a question of degree ; he must acknowledge a
hne of demarcation somewhere. Omnipotence itself
cannot divide a unit, and still leave it one ; nor elicit
more than one truth out of innumerable discordant
opinions. If the Church is one, by that very fact
she becomes exclusive. If God has revealed the
truth on any given point, by that very fact it be-
comes the only truth, as far as that point extends.
Therefore, so far from exclusiveness affording any
ground for objection, it is an essential characteristic
of the one true Church. I do not say it is the only
characteristic, or by any means a conclusive one, for a
false system may assert it ; but I say it is a necessary
characteristic, for God's system can never admit a rival.
Here we find one of the many apparent paradoxes Solution
of Christianity, and, like all others, its solution is seeming paradox.
redundant in wisdom and beauty. There is no
teaching which, whilst it strictly maintains the ex-
clusive unity of God's religion and God's church,
will be found, at the same time, one-half so free,
so large, or so liberal, regarding the boundless,
overflowing, and universal mercies of the self-same
God, as the teaching of the church of Peter, out-
I 8 UXSCEX WORKIXG OF
side whose fold there is no salvation. There is no
other teaching which can 'justify the ways of God to
man,' maintaining to the full the claims of His truth
and justice, and at the same time magnifj^ing and ex-
tolling His sovereign prerogative of loving-kindness.
Inside Christ's fold there are wolves who have no
inward union with the flock ; and, outside it. He
may have sheep who belong to it in heart, and
would run to its visible protection if they did but
know it. How many such souls may there not be
in the Eussian and other Greek communions ? And
also amongst other separated communities ? Yet, of
late, in our own countries, the truth has been so
loudly proclaimed, that there is too much reason to
fear it is often rejected or put off.
The The doctrine of the Eoman Church is the only
Catholic . ^ ' n ^ Tm 1
Doctrine. consistcut or satisfactory explanation of the difficulty
expressed by Dr. Forbes, respecting goodness found
outside her, and it is a true and sufficient explanation.
The following extracts will not be out of place from
the pages of one more competent than I am to speak
on such a subject. In his ' Lectures on Anghcan
Difficulties,' ^ Dr. Newman says : —
'Grace is given for the merits of Christ all over tlie
earth ; tliere is no corner, even of Paganism, where it is
not present — present in each heart of man,in real sufficiency
for his ultimate salvation. Not that the grace presented
to eacli is sucli, as at once to bring him to lieaven ; but it
is sufficient for a beginning. It is sufficient to enable him
• Burns & Co. 1850. Lcct. III. ])p. 70-7-1.
THE GRACE OP GOD. 79
to plead for other grace, and that second grace is such as
to impetrate a third grace ; and thus the soul is led on
from grace to grace, and from strength to strength, till at
length it is, so to say, in very sight of heaven, if the gift of
perseverance does but complete the work. Now, here
observe, it is not certain that a soul which has the first
grace will have the second ; the grant of the second
depends on its use of the first. Again, it may have the
first and second, and yet not the third ; or from the first
on to the nineteenth, and not the twentieth. We mount
up by steps towards Grod, and, alas I it is possible that a
soul may be courageous and bear up for nineteen steps,
and stop and faint at the twentieth. Nay, further tlian
this — a soul may go forward till it arrives at the very grace
of contrition, a contrition so loving, so sin-renouncing, as
to bring it at once into a state of reconciliation, and clothe
it in the vestment of justice ; and yet it ma}^ yield to the
further trials which beset it and fall away.
' New, all this may take place even outside the Church,
and consider what at once follows from it. This follows
in the first place, that men there may be, not Catholics,
really obeying God and rewarded by Him, nay in His
favour, with their sins forgiven and with a secret union
with that heavenly kingdom to which they do not visibly
belong, who are, through their subsequent failure, never to
reach it. There may be those who are increasing in grace
and knowledge, and approaching nearer to the Catholic
Church every year, who are not in the Church and never
will be. The highest gifts and graces are compatible with
ultimate reprobation. As regards, then, the evidences of
sanctity in members of the National Establishment, on
which you insist. Catholics are not called on to deny them.
We think such instances are few, nor so eminent as you
are accustomed to fancy ; but we do not wish to deny, nor
have any difficulty in admitting, such facts as you have
to adduce, whatever they be. We do not think it neces-
sary to carp at every instance of supernatural excellence
80 SPECIAL DISPOSITIONS ARE
among Protestants when it comes before ns, or to explain
it away ; all we know is, that the grace given them is in-
tended ultimately to bring them into the Church, and if it
does not tend to do so, it will not ultimately profit them ;
but we as little deny its presence in their souls as Pro-
testants themselves, and as the fact is no perplexity to us,
it is no triumph to them.
* And secondly, in like manner, whatever be the comfort
or the strength attendant upon the use of the national
ordinances in the case of this or that person, a Catholic
may admit it without scruple, for it is no evidence to him
in behalf of those ordinances themselves.'
He then explains the distinction between grace
conveyed through a sacrament ; as to an infant
through baptism ; and without a sacrament, through
' the inward energetic act of the recipient.' The
Session xiv. cb. 4. Couucil of Trent refers to the case where ' contrition
is perfect through charity, and reconciles man with
God, before the Sacrament of Penance is actually
received.' Thus, this disposition of the heart obtains
the effects of that Sacrament without its actual re-
iiM.i. ch. 2. ccption, although, as the same Council states, it ' is as
necessary for those who have fallen after baptism, as
baptism itself for the unregenerate.' The Council
teaches, indeed, that, ' the said reconciUation is not to
be ascribed to that contrition, independently of the
desire of the sacrament which is included therein.'
Still, if in such a case God gives the grace without the
sacrament, lie may do so also in other cases where
men seek Ilim in good faith ; especially, in ordinances
where they think He is, though in truth lie is not
there. He visits llicm, in reward of their lovmi?
REWARDED BY SPKCIAL GRACES. 81
search of Him, but it is not by the cliannel wherein
they seek Him, and through which they think they
find Him, Dr. Newman proceeds: —
' Let me grant to you then, that the reception of your
ordinances brings peace and joy to the soul ; that it per-
manently influences or changes the character of the
recipient. Let me grant, on the other hand, that their
profanation, when men have been taught to believe in
them, and in profaning are guilty of contempt of that God
to whom they ascribe them, is attended by judgments ;
this properly shows nothing more than that, by a general
law, lying, deceit, presumption, or hypocrisy are punished,
and prayer, faith, contrition, rewarded. There is nothing
to show that the effects would not have been precisely the
same under the same inward dispositions, though another
ordinance, a love-feast or a washing the feet, with no pre-
tence to the name of a Sacrament, had in good faith been
adopted. And it is obvious to any one that, for a member
of the Establishment to bring himself to confession,
especially some years back, required dispositions of a very
special character, a special contrition and a special desire
of the Sacrament, which, as far as we may judge by out-
ward signs, were a special effect of grace, and would fittingly
receive from Grod's bounty a special reward, some further
and higher grace, or even remission of sins. And again,
when a member of the Establishment, surrounded by those
who scoffed at the doctrine, accepted Grod's word that He
would make bread His Body, and honoured Him by accept-
ing it, is it wonderful, is it not suitable to Grod's mercy, if
He reward such a special faith with a quasi sacramental
grace, though he ignorantly offered to a material substance
that adoration which He intended to pay to the present,
but invisible. Lamb of Grod ? '
Thus, Eome requires no one to brand as ' devils' individual cases
bhnds' either Ken, or Herbert, or Andrewes, or any no criterion.
VOL. I. G
82 INSTANCES OF GOODNESS
other. Nor yet men of another school, such as Henry-
Martin, Legh Eichmoncl, Wilberforce, and, in our
own day, the pious and meek Archbishop Sumner,
whose goodness was notorious. Yet tlie same Dr.
Sumner, on being consuUed officially as Archbishop
of Canterbury (after the Gorham decision), told the
believers in baptismal regeneration to continue to
teach that doctrine as heretofore ; only to allow to
those who differed, an equal freedom to deny it ;
just as the estabhshed English Church does now.
Presbyterians, I am surc that, witliout referring to the Lutheran
Gerhard, or to Spener the father of Protestant
German pietism, Dr. Forbes could have produced
many striking instances of rehgious fervour from
amongst the sectarians of his own land. There, in
the open air on a summer Sunday, the traveller still
may hnd the Gaelic preacher, and his crowds of
listeners ; children of those old Covenanters, who,
firm to the death in their resistance to ' Antichrist
and Prelacy,' met in multitudes to worship God on
the barren mountain side. Of them came the young
Talcs of MacKail, who, according to Sir Walter Scott, displayed
a
Grandfatiicr. a martyr's courage under cruel torture, and welcomed
the death to which, in the same cause, he was con-
demned, with the exclamation : — ' I shall speak no
more with earthly creatures, but shall enjoy the aspect
of the ineffable Creator Himself. Farewell father,
motlier, friends — welcome glory — welcome eternal
life — and welcome, death ! '
Wesley What shall be said of John Wesley, with his
whitoficki. l)oinidless alms, his rice or Inscuit food, his bed on
OUTSIDE THE CHURCH. 83
the floor, his constant toil and preaching, provinsj
the sincerity of his prayer : — ' Lord let me not live
useless ' ? There is Whitefield, again, with his early
ardour in visiting hospitals and prisons, his spirit-
moving sermons and his thousands of weeping
hearers.
In spite of such phenomena, the question for Personal
each one remams the same. We have not to answer ^''•''i'""'" ' '^y-
for others, excepting so far as w^e can influence them.
We have to answer for ourselves. — ' What must / do,
that I may be saved ? ' — Which is the Gospel of
Christ? — Where is the faith once dehvered to the
Saints ? For there is but one Gospel and one faith. If
a very angel from heaven preach another, ' let him be
anathema ! ' Thus are we warned by the Holy Ghost.
Cases of extraordinary goodness may be found
even amongst the unbaptized. There is a well-known Quakors.
instance in the life-long, ceaseless, labours of the
Quakeress, Mrs. Fry. Born to wealth, educated in Mrs. Fry.
accomplishments, at an early age she found herself,
in mind, she tells us, as ' a vessel without a pilot on a
stormy sea,' and she turned to scepticism ; but she was
brought back to religious convictions and a corre-
sponding hfe by an American fellow-Quaker ; and,
even at the age of eighteen, she opened a school for
eighty poor children, within her fixther's house. After
her marriage, the accounts of misery in the prisons
reached her ears; she fearlessly entered the dungeons of
Newgate, and found herself amongst I GO female prison-
ers and a number of cliildrcn, in a den of depravity and
g2
84 BUT THEY SIIIXE NOT WITH
disorder. Her entrance raised a tumult, but lier noble,
loving mien and her gentle words controlled it. She re-
turned a second time with her Bible, and pointed to it
as the ground of her mission. She read to that wild
assembly the 20th chapter of St. Matthew; how Christ
calls all into His vineyard, how the last shall be first,
how He came to give His life for all, and how He had
compassion on the blind. She wearied not in her
work, and at length the dungeon changed its aspect,
and its inmates voluntarily undertook, at her sugges-
tion, the observance of a formal rule as if their
dwelhng had been a convent. Tims commenced her
life, and, ere it ended, it might be said of her that
she had done for the moral character of prisons wdiat
Howard had previously effected for their material
improvement. Her efforts were not confined to Eng-
land; they extended to France, Switzerland, Belgium,
Holland, Denmark, and a part of German}^ The
king of Prussia showed her especial honour. All tlie
while, she was earnestly practising her religious tenets,
and encouraging others in them. But up to the
time of her death, she assisted and consoled the poor
and distressed of all religions, and in her diary it was
found, recorded by hei'self — 'I never feel so happy
as when I have helped anotlier by the way, or relieved
the sufferings of some fellow-creature in affliction.'
She was honoured and beloved by high and low, and
' her children rose up and called her blessed.'
Had not sucli a one the l);i])tism of will ? It may be
so. It is God's secret. l>ut we know that God is just,
THE LUSTRE OF THE SALVTS. 85
and very merciful. Not even a cup of cold water, if
given for the love of Him, shall lose its sure reward.
God forbid we should ever decry goodness. God
forbid we should ever shrink fj'om extolling it as
from Him, wherever it may be found. But heap
together all the goodness, all the virtues, all the
sanctity that exists, or ever has existed, throughout
the globe, apart from the Church of Peter ; and, not
at its utmost, could the accumulation be compared
with the heroic, eagle-soaring holiness, and transcen-
dent unearthliness of life, which reveal the presence
of the hving God in the person of any smgle one of
those superhuman miracles of His grace, who are
to be found in communion with the Apostolic See of
Eome, and whom she recognises as His Saints, shining
in glory Hke the glittering stars of heaven.
My present purpose does not require me to analyse Greek missions.
the accuracy of tlie statements of Dr. Forbes and
others, respecting conversions effected by tlie Greek
Church. I need not now pause to prove how mistaken
is the idea entertained by some, that, in past ages,
Russia received her Christianity from Constantinople
at a period when that Church was severed from the
Eoman communion ; and that Bulgaria owed it to the
few schismatic priests who (together with other
religionists mingled with them) so perplexed the
Prince BoQ-oris as to induce him to address himself
to Pope St. Nicholas I. Nor need I inquire whether
more recent missionary efforts have surpassed the
86 MISSIONARY ZEAL AND
limits of Eussian inlluence, even if they have ex-
tended beyond the bounds of her territory. Nor,
again, liow far their success may be due to the
tempting Eussian gold, or the formidable Russian
knout, — to hopes or to fears for which Eussia, not
heaven, supplies the motive. We need not go
beyond Catholic Poland to be convinced of her mis-
sionary ardour, or to learn the means which she
hesitates not to employ in the propagation of a faith
which is the handmaid to her politics. All this is
beside the question ; for though sterility is a clear
mark of error (since God's spirit can never be
inactive), yet fecundity is no sure mark of truth.
On the contrary, heresy, sectarianism, and every
other form of error, is usually more or less prohfic.
If, in any case, they can be pointed to as sterile,
it forms the exception, not the rule. Mahome-
tanism of old spread itself, like a withering bhght,
over the fairest regions of the East ; and, in
our own day, infidehty and irrehgion have under-
mined, and, alas ! still are undermining, the faith of
thousands, in the most civilised countries of the West.
Again, — the diffusion, the vitality, and the earnest-
ness of the ancient heresies, and their widespread
missionary work amongst the heathen, present an
aspect perfectly astonishing, and form a mystery in
our contemplation of God's deahngs, wliicli is un-
fathomable to tlie human understanding.
NcKtorians. Accordiug to Gibbou, the Nestoriau lieretics suc-
chiip! xivii.' cessfully preached Christianity ' to the Bactrians,
VITALITY OF ERROII. 87
the Huns, the Persians, the Indians, the Persarmenians,
the Medes, and the Elamites : the barbaric churches,
from tlie Gulf of Persia to the Caspian sea, were
ahnost infinite ; and their recent faith was conspicuous
in the number and sanctity of their monks and
martyrs. The pepper coast of Malabar and the isles
of the ocean, Socotora and Ceylon, were peopled
with an increasing number of Christians.' He says
that, in a subsequent age, the Nestorian missionaries
' pursued without fear the steps of the roving Tartar,
and insinuated themselves into the camps of the
valleys of Imaus and the banks of the Selinga ; ' that
they ' entered China by the port of Canton and the
northern residence of Sigan ; ' and that ' under the
reign of the caliphs, the Nestorian Church was
diffused fi'om China to Jerusalem and Cyprus ; and
their numbers, with those of the Jacobites, were
computed to surpass the Greek and Latin commu-
nions ' (at least in those countries).
Thomassin says that Marco Polo found many Nes- Disoip. d.. i-KuHs.-,
•^ "^ p. I. L. i. ch.xxiv. 7.
torian Churches in Tartary, in the Mogul coimtry,
and in China and its capital, under a Patriarcli whose
residence was at Mosul on the Tigris, from whence,
like another Pope, says the above-nn.med author, he
sent forth Archbishops and Bishops throughout tlie
province of Babylon, and the whole of the Indies.
He bore the title of the ' Catholicits.' The Franciscan
missionaries in the same (thirteenth) century, and at
the commencement of the fourteenth, (as quoted by j^^j^,
Fleury,) state, that they found the Nestorians still ^^'"^^j'^^-^^^: ''^'
88
HERESIES AKE A SCOUKGE, AND
Jacobites.
Thomassin
Diseip. de I'Eglise,
P. I. L. i. eh. xxiv,
Gibbon,
cli. xlvii.
possessing a bishopric, and inhabiting fifteen towns,
in China ; degraded in morals and rehgion, but so
powerful that they would not permit any Christian
of a different rite to have an oratory there, however
small, or to preach any other doctrine than then-
own ; and the reason given for this is, that none of
the Apostles or of their disciples ever came into those
countries. In like manner, when the Portuguese
began their expeditions to the East Indies, all the
Bishops and Christians whom they found there were
Nestorians, under the Babylonian Patriarch at Mosul.
This primacy was however contested by the
Jacobite Bishop in the same city, who ruled that
rival heresy under the title of Maphrian, in subordi-
nation to the Patriarch of Antioch. This revival
of Eutychianism spread itself over the whole of
2. Asia and Africa, under the empire of the Saracens ;
and was said to have infected more than forty
kingdoms with its pestilential tenets. It derived its
appellation from* the Syrian monk, Jacobus Baradreus,
by whose labours ' was revived, and united, and per-
petuated the expiring faction ' of the Monophysites.
They had been befriended by the Emperor Anastasius,
and their rule of faith had been defined by Severus,
Patriarch of Antioch. But the succeeding Emperor
re-established Catholicity in the East, and Severus
fled into Egypt. Fifty-four bishops of his heresy
were swept from theu' thrones, and eight hundred
ecclesiastics cast into prison. It was from these
])risoners, says the historian, that Jacobus Baradasus
A FIERY TRIAL OF THE HEART. 89
' received the powers of Bisliop of Edessa and Apostle
of the East, and the ordination of fourscore thousand
bishops, priests, and deacons, is derived from the same
inexhaustible source.' ' The successors of Severus,
while they lurked in convents or villages, while tliey
sheltered tlieir proscribed heads in the caverns of
hermits or the tents of the Saracens, still asserted,
as they now assert, their indefeasible right to the
title, the rank, and the prerogatives of Patriarch of
Antioch.' He adds that ' during five annual lents
both the clergy and laity ' of the Jacobites ' abstain
not only from flesh and eggs, but even from the taste
of wine, of oil, and of fish.'
All these things seem to be permitted as a scourge, Probatiou
and as a searching trial of men's hearts — ooxi[xacria. the faithful.
Tna-rcov — as St. Epiphanius says of the Arian troubles. Advers. Hares.
bcLx. n. 12.
From the very commencement of the world, the
elect have been tested by counterfeit imitations of
God's truth ; and so must it continue to the end,
even till 'that wicked one shall be revealed, whom ii.Thessaiou.u. 8-11.
the Lord Jesus shall kill with the spirit of His
mouth ; and shall destroy with the brightness of his
coming : him, whose coming is according to the
working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying
w^onders, and in all seduction of iniquity to them
that perish ; because they received not the love of
the truth that they might be saved. Therefore God
shall send them the operation of error, to believe
lying : that all may be judged who have not believed
the truth, but liave consented to iniquity.'
90
SPREAD OF ARIAXISM
The Eaptism
of
Yalens.
Tillemont,
Hist, des Emp.
t. V. p. 89.
Arianism. How iiiarvellous WRS the spread of the Ariaii
heresy ! For more than 300 years (nearly the age
of modern Protestantism) it devastated the faith of
thousands, and it has been resuscitated in modern
Socinianism.
The Imperial Eussians, Olga and Wladimir I.,
received their baptism from Constantinople when
that chmTh was in communion with Eome ; for the
schism of Photius had, for the time, been healed.
In the yeai' 368, the Latin Emperor Valens was bap-
tised, also, at Constantinople ; but it was by Eudoxius,
the Arch-Arian Bishop of that See, who, at the same
time, imposed on the Emperor a solemn oath, never
to renounce the Arian impiety, and to drive away
all its opponents. He kept the vow too well.
Through Valens the heresy was conveyed to
the Goths. It spread through their various tribes,
and envenomed them with so fierce a hatred of
Catholics, that their cruelties rivalled those of the
ancient Pagans. It was in one of these persecutions
(a.d. 58G) that the martyr St. Hermeuegild, who
had been converted from Arianism by his wife, met
his death at the command of his own father, Leovigild,
in consequence of his refusal to receive communion
from an Arian prelate. Yet in some respects the
vh'tues of these Arian Goths put to shame tlie evil
DeGub. Dei, likvii. livcs of too many Catholics, whose immorality, Sal-
vian tells us, was such as to shock the very barba-
rians ; and he asks of what use it is for such persons
to reproach the Goths and Vandals with heresy,
The Goths.
&c
AMONGST THE GOTHS. 91
Avliilst tliey themselves are 'living in heretical de-
pravity.' Dr. Newman says that ' the barbarians ^^***y
Avere chaste, temperate, just, and devout ; tlie D' Toinpmcnt,
Visigoth Theodoric repaired every morning witli his
domestic officers to his chapel, where service was
performed by the Arian priests.' He adds that
they are recorded to have sustained defeat upon a
Sunday, owing to tlieir being engaged in religious
worship instead of preparing for battle ; and that
' many of their princes were men] of great ability, as
the two Theodorics, Euric, and Leovigild.'
The instrument employed by Yalens for the riphiias.
original perversion of the Gothic tribes, was their Hist. Ecd. vi. p. eoo,
own Bishop Ulphilas, a man of extraordinary gifts,
and w^ho had seemed a very Saint. He had exposed
hnnself to an infinity of dangers for the conversion
of these peoples ; he had extended religion, civilized
manners, invented letters, and translated the whole
of the Bible into tlieir language, except portions
treating of war, which he omitted for fear lest the
recital of the JcAvish victories should inflame still more
the too ready ardour of the Goths for the battle-
field. Theii- veneration for him was unbounded ;
and when he yielded to the seductions of Valens
and the Arian Bishops, he found it easy to persuade
his flock that the points at issue were not essential.
The heretical pest was spread from tribe to tribe,
from multitudes to multitudes ; and when they esta-
bhshed themselves in the South of Europe and in
Afi-ica, their religion was a Christianity which denied
92 THE HERESIES AND SCHISMS
the divinity of Christ, and sought to exterminate Ca-
thoHcity. 'Beliold,' observes Tillemout, 'liow a single
man drew down to hell this infinite number of the
northerns. . . . It is a fearful example of that which
the Truth Himself proclaims : that if tlie blind lead
the blind, both fall into the pit. And St. Augustin
had good reason so often to admonish both pastors
and people, of the necessity of attaching themselves
■ to Jesus Christ alone, and to the truth of His Gospel,
and not to any man, whatever he may be, or how-
ever gifted by nature and by grace, since every man
is a liar, prone to error, and even to fall utterly, like
Ulphilas.'
Other heresies. I might furtlicr citc the iustauces of Gnosticism
and JSTovatianism in their day, as well as those of
other heresies. In fact, after the most that can be
made of Greeks and Eussians, their efforts fall short
of the usual activity of error, and it may be ques-
tioned whether their ardour equals that of the
acknowledged heretics above named.
The early ages. ThcTc are tliosc wlio drcaui of the early centuries
of the Church as of a golden age, when, if Christians
had more to endure through outward figlitings, they
were less embarrassed by inward fears. Such persons
picture to themselves the presence of Christ as
being then more visible and tangible, and the imity
of His Cliuicli as more apparent and undeniable.
But these are pure imaginings. Those early days
were full of perplexities and troubles; schisms and
heresies were on every side ; and perliaps there is no
OF THE EARLY CENTURIES. Oo
period in Ecclesiastical history, in which the one
only Church stands out more visibly and evidently
than now.
I have already quoted Dr. Newman at some length Fourth century.
on a point of doctrine. His testimony will not be
considered less valuable respecting the history of
those ancient times, which, it is well known, have
formed a subject of his special studies. In his 'Essay -Pages 243-245.
on Development', he thus describes the state of the
Church in the fourth century. I give his words
with a slight abridgment : — ' Few indeed,' he tells us,
'were the districts in the orhis terrarum^ which did
not then, as in the Ante-Mcene era, present a number
of creeds and communions from which to select. In
Egypt, in the earlier part of the fourth century, the
Meletian schism numbered one-third as many Bishops
as were contained in the whole Patriarchate.' (These
were the followers of the Meletius condemned at the
Council of Mce — a totally different person from St.
Meletius of Antioch, who is referred to by Dr.
Forbes.) ' In Africa, towards the end of the same
century, the Donatists had 400 Bishops, the Catholics
466. Priscillianism was spread over Spain, and its
author honoured as a martyr. At Eorne and in Italy
were found Manichees, Marcionites, and Origenists.
Eome was moreover the seat of a Novatian, a Dona-
tist, and a Luciferian bishop, in addition to the true
Eoman pontiff. The Luciferians were sprinkled
over Christendom, from Spain to Palestine, and from
Treves to Lybia. Wlien St. Gregory Nazianzen
94 DR. xewman's descriptiox of
began to preach at Constantinople, the Arians were
in possession of its hundred churches, and they had
the populace in their favour. The Novatians, too,
abounded there, and the Sabbatians had a church,
where they prayed at the tomb of their founder.
Apolhnarians, Eunomians, and Semi- Arians, were
there in great numbers. In the neighbouring pro-
vinces, popular feeling was with the Semi-Arian
Bishops, who had possession of the coast of the
Hellespont and Bithynia; and were found in Phrygia,
Isauria, and the neighbouring parts of Asia Minor.
Phrygia was the head-quarters of the Montanists,
and was overrun by the Messalians, who had
advanced thus far from Mesopotamia, spreading
through SjTia, Lycaonia, Pamphylia, and Cappadocia
in their way. In the lesser Armenia the same here-
tics had penetrated into the monasteries. Phrygia
too, and Paphlagonia, were the seat of the Novatians,
who besides were in force at Nica^a and Nicomedia,
were found in Alexandria, Africa, and Spain, and
had a bishop even in Scythia. The whole tract of
country from the Hellespont to Cilicia had nearly
lapsed into Eunomianism, and tlic tract from Cilicia
as far as Phoenicia to ApoUinarianism. The disorders
of the Church of Antiocli are well known : an Arian
succession, two orthodox claimants, and a bishop of
the Apolhnarians, Palestine abounded in Origenists,
if at that time they may properly be called a sect ;
Palestine, Egypt, and Arabia were oveiTun with
]\Iarcionites; Osrhoene was occupied by the followers
ANCIENT COUNTERFEITS OF THE TRUTH. 05
of Bardesancs and Harmonius, whose hymns so
nearly took the place of national tunes that St.
Ephrem found no better Avay of resisting the heresy
than setting them to fresh words. Theodoret in
Comagene speaks in the next century of reclaiming
eight villages of Marcionites, one of Eunomians, and
one of Arians.
'These sects were of very various character.
Learning, eloquence, and talent were the character-
istics of the Apollinarians, Manichees, and Pelagians ;
Tichonius the Donatist was distinguished in biblical
interpretation ; the Semi-Arian and Apollinarian
leaders were men of grave and correct behaviour ;
the Novatians had sided with the orthodox during
the Arian persecution ; the Montanists and Messa-
lians addressed themselves to an almost heathen
population ; the atrocious fanaticism of the Priscil-
lianists, the fury of the Arian women of Alexandria
and Constantinople, and the savage cruelty of the
Circumcellions, can hardly be exaggerated. They
had their orders of clergy, bishops, priests, and
deacons ; their readers and ministers ; their cele-
brants and altars ; their hymns and litanies. They
preached to the crowds in public, and their meeting-
houses bore the semblance of churches. They had
their sacristies and cemeteries ; their farms ; their
professors and doctors ; their schools. Miracles were
ascribed to the Arian Theophilus, to the Luciferian
Gregory of Elvira, to a Macedonian in Cyzicus, and
to the Donatists in Africa.'
96 LAMEXTABLE STATE OF CHRISTENDOM
Such is Dr. Newman's account of the false Christs
and false Churches of the fourth centuiy. In the
same volume he concludes his picture of the fifth
and sixth centuries with the following summary : —
Fifth and sixth * Dreary and waste was the condition of the Church,
centuries. an(j forlorn her prospects, at the period which we have
5 314-317 been reviewing. After the brief triumph which attended
the conversion of Constantino, trouble and trial had re-
turned upon her. Her imperial protectors were failing in
power or in faith. Strange forms of evil were rising in
the distance, and were thronging for the conflict. There
was but one spot in the whole of Christendom, one voice
in the whole Episcopate, to which the faithful turned in
hope in that miserable day. In the year 493, in the
Pontificate of Gelasius, the whole of the East was in the
hands of traitors to Chalcedon, and the whole of the West
under the tyranny of the open enemies of Nicaea. Italy
was the prey of robbers ; mercenary bands had overrun
its territory, and barbarians were seizing on its farms and
settling in its villas. The peasants were thinned by
famine and pestilence ; Tuscany might be even said, as
Grelasius words it, to contain scarcely a single inhabitant.
Odoacer was sinking before Theodoric, and the Pope was
changing one Arian master for another. And as if one
heresy were not enough, Pelagianism was spreading with
the connivance of the Bishops in the territory of Picenum.
In the north of the dismembered empire, the Britons had
first been infected by Pelagianism, and now were dis-
possessed by the lieathen Saxons. The Armoricans still
preserved a witness of Catholicism in the west of Gaul ;
but Picardy, Champagne, and the neighbouring provinces,
where some remnant of its supremacy had been found, had
lately submitted to the yet heathen Clovis. The Arian
kingdoms of Burgundy in France, and of the Visigoths in
Aquitaine and Spain, oppressed a zealous and Catholic
clergy. Africa was in a still more deplorable condition
under the cruel sway of the Vandal Gundamond : the
PICTURED BY DR. NRWMAX. 97
people indeed uncorrupted by tlie heresy, but tlieir clergy
in exile and their worship suspended.
While such was the state of the Latins, what had
happened in the East? Acacius, the Patriarch of Con-
stantinople, had secretly taken part against the Council of
Chalcedon and was under Papal excommunication. Nearly
all the whole East had sided with Acacius, and a schism had
begun between East and West, which lasted for thirty-five
years. The Henoticon was in force, and at the Imperial
command had been signed by all the Patriarchs and
Bishops throughout the Eastern empire. In Armenia the
Churches were ripening for the pure Eutychianism which
they adopted in the following century ; and in Egypt the
Acephali had already broken off from the Monopliysite
Patriarch, were extending in the east and west of the
country, and preferred the loss of the Episcopal Succession
to the reception of the Council of Chalcedon. And while
Monophysites or their favourers occupied the Churches of
the Eastern empire, Nestorianism was making progress in
the territories beyond it. Barsumas had filled the See of
Nisibis, Theodore was read in the schools of Persia, and
the successive Catholici' of Seleucia had abolished Mona-
chism and were secularising the clergy.
If, then, there is now a form of Christianity such, that
it extends throughout the world, though with varying
measures of prominence or prosperity in separate places ; —
that it lies under the power of sovereigns and magistrates,
in different ways alien to its faith ; — that flourishing nations
and great empires, professing or tolerating the Christian
name, lie over against it as antagonists ; — that schools
of philosophy and learning are supporting theories, and
following out conclusions, hostile to it, and establishing an
exegetical system subversive of its Scriptures; — that it has
lost whole Churches by schism, and is now opposed by
powerful communions once part of itself; — that it has been
altogether or almost driven from some countries ; — that in
others its line of teachers is overlaid, its flocks oppressed,
1 The title of the Nestorian Patriarchs.
VOL. I. H
98 THERE JIUST ALWAYS BE SCAXDALS.
its churches occupied, its property held by what may be
called a duplicate succession ; — that in others its members
are degenerate and corrupt, and surpassed in conscien-
tiousness and in virtue, as in gifts of intellect, by the very
heretics whom it condemns; — that heresies are rife, and
bishops negligent within its own pale ; — and that amid its
disorders and fears there is but one Voice for whose
decisions its people wait with trust, one Name and one See
to which they look with hope, and that name Peter, and
that see Eome ; —such a religion is not unlike the Chris-
tianity of the fifth and sixth centuries.'
Trials Thus did tliG great Searcher of Hearts then try the
the Church. souls aiid Spirits of His people ; and the one sure
star He sent to guide them ^vas the Eome whicli
guides us now. I give the statements as I find
them. The comparison was drawn from outside tlie
Church, although its author was then close upon her
threshold ; but the more unfavourable the view, the
St. Luke xvii. 1. stronger becomes the argiunent. ' It is impossible,'
said our Lord, 'that scandals should not come,' and we
cannot lay claim to a present immunity from them.
Still, though the Church has unsound members, her
pale is free from heresies, nor can her existing hier-
archy be cliarged with negligence. Her children, in
general, are unsurpassed, in virtue at any rate, by any
Existing scandals otlicr. But, alas! tlicrc are cxccptious. In a country
Italy. pre-eminently Catholic, and by men who call them-
selves Catholic, the Ixoman Pontiff has been despoiled
of large tracts of territory, and his exhortations, nay,
even liis very excommunications, have been dis-
regarded and set at nought. Catholic hands have
sacrilegiously hiid hold of property which is conse-
NOVELTf OF THE PRESEXT THEORY. 90
crated to the Most High God, and have impiously
and barbarously turned adrift on the wide world,
thousands of holy men and of religious women
from out of the hallowed precincts of the cloister ;
precincts now perchance resounding with the ribald
jest and the profane song, where so lately there went
up the voice of prayer and sacred psalmody, of inter-
cession for sinful man and of canticles to God's praise.
Nor are these the only scandals which now afflict Defections
the Church. She has to mourn over other unfaithful eminent men.
children, and even over some who were once looked
up to as the teachers and the guides of the people, but
who have fallen away and taken part in 'the contra-
diction of Core;' 'wandering; stars:' 'murmurers, full St. Judo.
^ 1 . , „, , , Ep.v. 11.13. IG. 19.
of complaints. 'These are they who separate them-
selves, sensual men, having not the Spirit.'
Such trials ever have been, are, and will be a
portion of the Church's warfare on this earth.
The period previously described is precisely that Tiie cimrch's
which Anglicans regard as the Christian age of gold. It
forms a portion of those happy halcyon days, during
which they admit the outward visible unity of the
Church of God, and unhesitatingly reject, as heretics
and schismatics, all whom that Cliurch rejected as
such. It has been seen how the Christians of those
ages were divided and rent asunder by disunions and
divisions as great as there exist around us now. But
nowhere throughout that period is there discernible
among Cathohcs, the remotest trace of the acceptance
of such a theory as that on which Anglicans are
now tempted to repose in fiilse security. It was
h2
Golden Ago.
100 ROME THE STAY OF THE FAITHFUL.
reserved for a later age to dream that a divinely
appointed note of the Church might be hidden for a
while, echpsed and lost to sight, withdrawn by God in
His displeasure at the wickedness of man : — that her
outward unity might be suspended, and mankind
reduced to the hope that, inwardly and invisibly, it
might in some way still subsist. On the contrary,
those ancient days abound in testimonies to the
necessity of the visible, tangible, unity of the one
Church, outward as well as inward, and to the hope-
lessness of salvation apart from her one fold.
Communion Neither can it be denied that the universal body of
with Home. _ •'
Christians which Anolicans themselves acknowled2;e
to have formed, at that time, the one only Church,
were always in outward communion with the Eoman
Pontiff. Passing differences or misapprehensions,
might indeed occasionally give rise to an interrup-
tion of cordiality ; and there were times of coldness
between the East and the West ; but early antiquity
does not afford one single instance of an entire,
systematic, and permanent suspension of outward
communion with Eome, excepting in the case of those
whom Anglicans themselves denounce as cut off from
the body of the faithful. History renders it evident
beyond a doubt, that, in those dark days of doubts
and fc^ars and perplexities, the one rallying point of
Catholics, the general standard round which they
gathered, was — Eome ; the test of their faith was —
communion with the Eoman See.
Ancient appellation Thcrc are cveii iustauces which i)rove that in
of _ *
' Roman.' Ariau timcs, as now, the actual appellation of Eoman
APPEAL TO THE PAST.
01
was distinctively ap[)lied to Catholics, denoLiiig
approbation or reproach, as the case might be.
Thus, in his sacva^ addressed to the Berrhoean Bisliop
Acacius, and others, at the time of tlie Council of
Ephesus, the Emperor Theodosius speaks of ' a])-
proved priests of the Roman religion.' Euinart, in
a note to his edition of St. Gregory of Tours, refers
to an Arian Council at Toledo, which gave direc-
tions respecting the reception of persons ' from the
Roman religion' into their party. St. Gregory of
Tours himself says, distinctly, — ' they are in the habit
of calling (vocitatit) men of our rehgion, Romans.'
Du Cange quotes an instance from the writings of
Lucifer of Cagliari, as follows :
that He ' (the Son)
Father.' He refers also to Victor Vitensis, and a
hfe of St. Eligius, to the same efiect.
JIanl. Cone.
t. 1, fol. 1087.
Hist. Franc,
col. 248.
De Gloria M;irt.
col. 748, cd. Ruin.
'We Romans say Glossar. sub vocem
„ , • 1 1 liomunus.
IS 01 one substance with the
It is said of Samson, in the Book of Judges, that
'he kiUed many more at his deaths than he had
killed before in his hfe.' The tenth century was
bad enough whilst it lasted, but since it has gone, it
has formed a perfect storehouse for weapons against
the Church — a repertory for scandalous histories,
by which others besides Dr. Forbes have too often
been led astray. Cardinal Baronius himself was
deceived by them. Its evils cannot be denied, but
they have been allowed to obscure the recollection
of the good, which atoned for them so amply, wliich
fought with them, and won the day.
Home was then a prey to factious and base
ITiio
Tenth Century.
Si-e
the remark
of
Dr. Forbes,
aboA-e, p. 73.
Koine in
tho
Tenth Century.
102 THE POPES
intrigues. Thu tiara itself was at the bestowal
of the worldly and unwortliy, and the power of
God alone could have supported and preserved the
Church's centre, under a trial so severe. It is most
^vo^tlly of note, and a visible sign of the Divine
protection, that, with all the enormities charged on
the lives of certain Popes of that age, not one
public or official act of any of them was derogatory
to the sanctity of St. Peter's chair. As regards
tlieir private characters, it is not investigation, but
the shallow credulity of prejudice, wliich they mostly
have to fear. So much as a century ago, the learned
Annaii Muratorl pointed out how little reliance can be
d" Italia. ^
placed on the scandalous histories fished out from
defamatory libels and romances, and recorded by the
partisan Liutprand ; from whose writings they have
been repeated and multiplied by more recent autliors.
In particular, he vindicates the characters of those
much-abused Popes, Sergius III., and John X.
Sergius ui. The clironiclc of Frodoard (who lived nearer to
the time than Liutprand) describes the whole world
as rejoicing at the election and reign of Sergius. He
rebuilt the Lateran Basilica when all others despaired
of it, ' flying f(jr help,' says John the Deacon, ' to
the divine mercy in which he always confided.' His
('pita])h records his love for his flock, and his re-
sistance against invaders of iioly things.
.7«hnX. John X. formed the league which decisively re-
pulsed the Saracens, the terror of tlie south of Italy
at tliat time ; and the panegyrist of Bcrengarius de-
scribes him as a Pontiff ' eminently illustrious in his
OF THE TENTH CENTURY.
103
office, and full of wisdom.' After a reign of Ibuileen
years, he ended his life m prison, where he was con-
fined by Guy and Marozia, Avhose usurpations he had
resisted. The story ran that he was smothered.
Frodoard hesitates not to say that his soul esca[)ed
quickly to the throne decreed for him in heaven.
* Munificisqiie sacram decorans ornatibus aulam,
Pace nitet duni, Patricia deceptus inicjua,
Carcere conjicitur, claustrisque arctatur opacis.
Spiritus at ssevis letineri non valet antris;
Emicat immo ajthra decreta sedilia scandens.'
It was the same century whicli (himself unwilling)
saw the elevation to the Popedom of the pious Leo
VII. History depicts him as a man of prayer and
meditation, of large views and conciliatory manners,
and he has left fifteen epistles, still extant, which tes-
tify to his piety, zeal, and learning. Marinus IL, during
the three years of his pontificate, strove earnestly to
amend the ignorance of his times ; and he had a
worthy successor in Agapitus II., who reigned ten
years. Other Popes there were in tliat age whose
virtues were conspicuous. If so be (perhaps through
deficiency or partiality of evidence) that the good
fame of any is still obscured, we can but adore, with
Card. Bellarmine, the inscrutable wisdom of God,
which has permitted ' the gates of hell ' to do tlieir
worst, whether by open violence or insidious snares
of wickedness, in order that the world may perceive
and own the impotence of Satan against the Church ;
and may acknowledge that the rock of Peter, on
which it is built, is inviolable and im])regnablc.
Frodoardus
de
Roman. Pont if.
Muratori, an. 928.
Leo VIl.
and
other Popes.
Mifjno,
Patrol. La).
Prji'fat. in lib.
do
Sunim. Pont.
§8.
104 IIOLIXESS WAS ALWAYS MANIFEST
because susUiiiied by Abiiighty strength, and one
with the everlasting rock, — with the Christ Who
cannot fail.
H(jiiness The Divlne Spirit of Holiness is always present
always nsiblc, . i ^ i, /-n i i • -i i -r-» tt t
With Gods Church, and visibly so. ±)ut Hohness
may vaiy in the degrees of its manifestation, to an
extent which Unity, from its very nature, never can
do. The line of demarcation between unity and
schism is evident and well defined, though men may
be more or less near to it on either side. There are
seasons when the Church's holiness shines out with
an unusual lustre, and others when it is not so
dazzling in its bright effulgence. Still that light is
never hidden. There is no age of the Christian era
which will afford any ground for the parallel appa-
rently implied by Dr. Forbes, — that Holiness was
hidden then, and that Unity may be hidden now : or
for his theory, — that the external manifestation of
either one or the other may be suspended, through
a lessening of Christ's presence.
I do not deny that the tenth century was an age in
which ' iniquity abounded, and many hearts grew
cold ' in love. But I maintain that heroic grace
abounded also, and that numberless hearts then burnt
with a charity whose flames burnt on in their succes-
sors, and have never since become extinct. It was a
period of fierce struggle ; sloth and worldliness in-
vaded the sanctuary, and doubtless many wished that
Christ should sleep. But it was not so, by any means,
with all, nor was the Avickedness consented to, or
unresisted. In this hour of need the Church's
IN THE CHURCH OF CHRIST.
105
holiness was displayed by the efforts of a niuUitude
of her children against tlie evil ; and our Lord's
presence was made manifest through His inspira-
tions, which led earnest and faithful hearts to arouse
Him by their cries. In that tenth century, prayers
w^ere put up, and deeds were done, and seeds were
sown, whose result and produce, alone, may testify
that their origin was from heaven, and that their
sowing (albeit in tears) was in no barren or unblest
soil. The Church must have succumbed had it not
been for her intrinsic and divine holiness ; whicli,
so far from being obscured, shines out more bright
and visible, from her trial and her triumph. Even
the vehement contemporary denunciations botli of
councils and of individuals, while they reveal to us
the evil, at the same time make manifest by their
existence that it was neither triumphant nor uni-
versal. Holiness was all the wliile active throughout
the Church — inwardly in the hearts of her children ;
outwardly and visibly in their works ; and audibly
in their denunciations of the abounding wickedness.
With aU its drawbacks, this same tenth century
witnessed the conversion to Christianity, of the
Normans, Muscovites, Swedes, Poles, Hungarians,
and other peoples. Harold, king of the Danes, Darras. Hist. G6n.
demanded a miracle from the Christian priest Poppo, I'Egiisc.
who was preaching to him the divinity of Christ.
The man of God, in reply, held in his naked hand
a red-hot iron, yet was not burned. The king em-
braced the faith, and Denmark received a Christian
Evidences
of
Holiness
in tlio
Tenth Century.
lOG
THE TENTH CENTURY PRODUCED
Muratori, Annali
A.D. 924.
Saints
of the
Tenth Centuiy.
liierarchy. The rudeness of the age was redeemed
by many similar acts of heroic virtue.
The tenth century had its popular errors, but it
cannot be accused of having given birth to one single
heresy. It was not wanting in piety, as may be
gathered from the mention found in its chronicles,
of the practice (even among royal personages) of
assistincf at the nocturnal religfious offices. On one
occasion, the same ]^age of history affords a re-
volting example of the barbarity of the times in the
assassination of the Emperor Berengarius. Not dream-
ing of danger, he had chosen to pass the night in
a small room from which he could easily reach the
church, rather than in his palace which might have
been defended. He had refused to have any guard ;
and he rose, as was his wont, for the public prayers,
at the call of the midnight matins bell. He was
met on his way by a band of conspirators, and foully
murdered near the church's door.
These contrasts form a special character of the age.
Its scandals were grievous, but they were atoned
for by numerous examples of surpassing brightness.
The tenth centiuy can boast of the lioly Empress
Saint Mathilda, foundress of so many nunneries,
and motlier to the Emperor Otho. His wife was
St. Adelaide, and his brother was St. Bruno, the
great Archbishop of Cologne. In England there
reigned King Edgar the Peaceable, great in the
power of his sway when rowed up the river Dee
to the Church of St. John the Baptist, by eight
.MANY ILLUSTRIOUS SAINTS. 107
otlier kings, his vassals ; but greater still in his
humility, when, in obedience to Holy Chm-ch, he
expiated a heinous crime by a seven years' public
penance. He was succeeded by his son, the pure and
holy Edward, enrolled as a Saint in the Church's
calendar; and popularly styled a martyr also,
through the love and veneration which his subjects
bore him. Nor must St. Edith be forgotten, half- Butior,
sister to St. Edward, who, when he was treacherously '^'^''^' ^
slain in the year 978, refused to quit her cloister,
though invited to claim tlie throne. During this age,
Venice beheld two of her doges (one of them was St.
Peter Urseoli) put off their ducal robes and cvaps,
and hide themselves under the cowl and tonsure of
the cloister. At Constantinople, the century opened
with the passage to a higher throne of the sainted
Empress Theophania ; the year 925 was marked by
the decease of the Patriarch St. Nicholas, of the
same city ; and his place, but three years later, was
filled by St. Try phone. When the tenth age closed
on Hungary, it left her king, St. Stephen, busied in
rooting out idolatry from amongst his people ; whilst
he was cultivatin«' in his own heart all Christian vir-
tues and self-denial. In the same century were born
and nursed up St. Henry II., the German emperor,
and St. Cunegund, his spouse, — angelic examples of
virginity in holy wedlock. It was the age of St.
Adalbert, Archbishop of Magdeburg; and of liis
namesake, St. Adalbert, Bishop of Prague, called
the Apostle of the Prussians ; in whose country he
108
OTHER EXAMPLES OP SANCTITY
Lives of the Saints.
Nov. 29.
St. Nicon
the
Metanoite.
Baronius,
an. 961, &c.
Bollandists,
May 25.
March 1.
April 22.
.St. Nil us
Butler,
Sept. 20
was honoured with a martyr's crown, St. Ulric of
Augsburg ; St. Wolfgang ; our own St. Dunstan, and
St. Oswald the Bisliop ; the Scotch St.Cadroe ; the Irish
St. Cormac, Bishop of Casliel and King of Munster ;
were amongst the many who adorned it. The virtues
of St. Eadbod, who governed the diocese of Utrecht,
rivalled those of the primitive Bishops, and he was
' excessive,' says Butler, ' in his charity to the poor.'
In Greece, St. Nicon (called, from his constant
cry, the MsravosTre, or Do Penance), ^fter converting
the Armenians from prevalent errors, was evan-
gelizing Crete, (which had lately been rescued from
the yoke of the Saracens,) and working wonders in
the Peloponnese.
Spain and Portugal had their St. Gennadius and
others ; they had St. Eudisind the Bishop, and his
sister the Abbess, St. Senoriiia, to whom her holy
brotlier's decease was revealed by angeUc voices
chanting the Te Detcm, whilst she was at Compline
with her nuns.
In Calabria was found St. Nilus the younger. It
was he whom tlie Emperor Otlio visited, where he
dwelt amongst liis monks who lived around him
in poor scattered huts. The Emperor offered lands
and endowments, and bade the holy Abbot to ask
what favour he most desired. St. Nilus would acce}}t
nothing of this world, Ijut he did iKjt refuse to solicit
a favour of another kind. ' All that I ask of you,' he
said, ' is to save yoiu' own soul ; for, though Emperor,
you inii>t die and give an account to God.'
DURING THE TENTH CENTURY.
100
At to
of
Vcrculli.
St. Romuald
and
Camaldoli.
Butlor,
Feb. 7.
Ill the north of Italy, Bisliop Atto of VorccUi,
after the example of many others, was loud in his
denunciation of the abuses of the age.
There, too, under the holy hermit Marinus, the
great St. Eomuald was commencing that austere but
loving life of heroic sanctity and contemplation,
which bore such abundant fruit both in his own
and ftiture generations. Multitudes were moved by
him to repentance ; whilst he went about, as if a
seraph in divine love, inflaming all who heard him
speak. In the Vatican gallery there hangs a paint-
ing — a masterpiece of Andrea Sacchi— wliich repre-
sents the vision, wherein St. Eomuald saw a ladder
like to Jacob's, ' standing upon the earth, and the to})
thereof touching heaven ' ; whilst on it there went
up a white-robed long procession of his chikben in
Jesus Christ, an ascending train of holy monks from
the order which he founded, and which derived its
title from their monastery at Campo Maldoli, the two
words being contracted to Camaldoli. It was situated
in a large and retired valley, the gift of a rich
lord, named Maldoli, whose memory has been
thus happily perpetuated in connection with that
wonderfid religious foundation, wherein lives on to
our own day the spirit of their first holy Abbot —
St. Eomuald — offspring of tlie tenth century.
It was in the same age that the young Bernard, of
the chateau of Menthon in Savoy, son of a power-
ful baron, fled (like a second St. Alexis) from a Boiiandists. Act. ss.
sumptuous banquet at his father's liouse, on the eve
Tlio Hospico
of
St. BtTDanl.
15 Jiin.
110 ST. BERNARD OF MEXTIIOX.
of the espousals destined for him, and wlien his father
was on the point of surrendering- to him the barony.
They sought him in the morning, and he was gone ;
but a writing met their eyes, which said : — '
sweetest parents, I beg of you, rejoice. My King
and Saviour is my guide ; seek me no more, nor
spend on me your care. I wish not to marry ; I
wisli not to reign on earth ; I wish to reach high
heaven.' In obedience to a celestial vision, he
made his way to tlie Archdeacon of Aosta. In after
years he succeeded to the office ; and it was then
that, inspired with charity for the wayfaring, and
with zeal for God's glory, he either founded or
restored, amidst the Alpine snows and barren rocks,
the two hospices through which his name has since
been given to the passes of the Great and Little
St. Bernard. The former was previously called tlie
Hill of Jupiter ; and the legend tells of a .huge
infernal statue, or idol, on its simimit, tlie dread of
all travellers, which the holy Bernard in the might
of God destroyed. In the same strength he rooted
out from tliose regions tlie still lingering remains of
the heathen worship of Jupiter. He was styled the
' Aj^ostle of the Alps,' and he was equally active
and successful in his missionary work in Lombardy.
He undertook a journey to Rome, to obtain the
Pontifical approbation of the rules for his monastic
institutions on the Alps, which lie placed under the
protection of his sure and never-deserted patron,
St. Nicholas. Those institutions have l)orne tlieir
MONKS OP ST. GALL. ST. COXRAD. EINSIEDELN. 1 1 1
fruits. The glow of their divine charity, uiichilled
amidst the surrounding ice and snow, has ever
since been renowned and venerated throughout tlie
world. St. Bernard of Menthon died in a ucood old
age, ' full of days ' and full of holiness — of days each
one of which was full ; full of loving piety to his
God, and of loving service to his neighbour.
At that period the Abbey of St. Gall, in Switzer- Switzeri.m.L
land, was celebrated for the learning, and eminent st. ci^ii'i.
for the piety and sanctity of its monks. In the early
part of the century, under the direction of the
Abbot, there abode in a small and neio;hbourin2: cell
the recluse St. Wiborada : the blessed Eachel was
her disciple. The year 976 was marked by the
death of the holy Bishop, St. Conrad, who, for forty- St. Conrad.
Butler
two years, had ruled the diocese of Constance with Nov 26.
unwearied watchfulness and zeal. Saint Gebherd
soon afterwards became its Bishop.
In the time of the above-named St. Conrad was Einsicdein.
founded the great Abbey of Einsiedeln, whose church
is said to have been consecrated by angelic or
Divine hands. It was built over the cell of St.
Meinrad, where, in the preceding century, that holy
hermit had sanctified his soul, and met his death
at the hands of assassins. St. Conrad has himself
recorded, that, during the night of September 14th,
948, which preceded his intended consecration of
the church, mysterious and marvellous voices reached
his ears ; and in the morning, when, after long
hesitation, he was at length about to commence the
112 ST. WEXCESLAS OF BOHEMIA. GAXDERSIIEIM.
St. Ludmilla.
St. Wenceslas.
Brev. Eoiiian.
Sept. 28.
Gandcrshcini.
Roswitha.
ceremony, he was prevented by these words : — ' Stay,
brother ! God Himself has consecrated tliis chapel'
In Bohemia it was tlie age of St. Ludmilla and
St. Wenceslas, both of them of sovereign rank, and
martyrs. It was by love that the Duke St. Wen-
ceslas ruled his subjects, and it was love for God
and man which ruled supreme in his own breast.
He would rise by night in secret, and carry heavy
burdens of wood for fuel to the doors of the needy ;
he was a father to the orphan, a friend to the friend-
less and the captive, a consoler and helper of all in
distress. He bound himself by a vow of celibacy to a
life of angelic purity, and it is said that angels were
seen in attendance on him on more than one occasion.
He would go about to the churches by night, in the
snow and ice, with naked and bleeding feet, leaving
behind him their prints, which warmed the frozen
earth [sangiiinea et terrain calefacieiitia post se relin-
quens vestigia). It was in the year 938, at midnight,
in or near a church to which, as usual, his devotion
conducted him, that he was slauglitered by his own
brother, at the instigation of their unnatural and
pagan mother, Drahomira. It was by tlic hands of
her assassins, also, that his grandmother, St. Ludmilla,
who brought him up, had previously been strangled.
In that part of Lower Saxony, now called Bruns-
wick, the Convent of Gandersheim was exhaling the
sweet odour of sanctity all through this evil age.
Founded ill tlie latter lialf of the ninth century by
Duke Ijiutolf mid liis wife Od:i, and ruled succes-
THE NUN ROSWITUA. CLUNY. 113
sively by three of their own dauglitcrs, its nuns
were consjiicuous for their monastic discipline, and
assiduous study of the Holy Scriptures. Here dwelt
the pious Eoswitha, the reputed authoress of a
series of Christian melodrames, which she composed,
says the preface attributed to her, in anxiety that the
talent with which she was entrusted should not be
eaten away by the rust of neglect, but rather that it
should resound with the Divine praise, under the con-
stant maUet of devotion. Sedulo ritalleo devotionis
percussum divinoe laudationis referret tinnitum.
The authenticity of these poems has recently been
called in question, but no doubt has been raised re-
specting the sanctity of the convent of Gandersheim
during the period before us.
At the very opening of the tenth century, the ciimy
virtues of Berno, the holy Abbot of Baume, attracted Aibois.
the notice of Duke William of Aquitaine, who so-
licited from him the foundation of a new monastery
within his own domain, on whatever site he should
select. It is said that the abbot fixed on the spot
then occupied by the Duke's kennels. 'You need
only,' said the man of God, ' turn out the hounds, and
let in the monks.' The Duke assented ; and thus, in
the year 909, was founded that great Abbey of
Cluny, nursery of Saints, and parent of numerous
oflfshoots. Its first abbot, the blessed Berno, governed
seven rehgious houses. At his death he was suc-
ceeded by the great St. Odo, who was three times
summoned to Rome by the Popes, to reconcile
VOL. I. I
114 ABBOTS OF CLUNY.
dilTerences amongst princes, and to effect conventual
reforms. It was he who gave the caution to his
monks never to close their doors to the blind, the
sick, or the beggar, ' for these,' said he, ' will be tlie
doorkeepers of the kingdom of lieaven.' lie was a
lover of silence, which he called ' the father of holy
thoughts and of great deeds.' ' Peace and charity,' he
was wont to say, ' dwell in a community where silence
reigns.' He died in the year 912, and was succeeded
by St. Aymard. St. Mayeul followed in 9G5. He la-
boured with success in reforming and restoring various
monastic houses in Italy. The Pontifical throne was
offered to him, but he excused himself as unfitted*.
He died a.d. 991. His successor was St. Odilo, one
of the first promoters of the great truce of God, that
merciful alleviation to the miseries of the time.
Thus, all through the tenth century, tlie spirit of
sanctity was predominant amidst tlie holy monks
of Cluny ; and, after a brief period, there issued
forth from the same cloisters, as another giant
to run his course, tlie great reformer Hildebrand,
the high-minded St. Gregory VII., strong in truth
and justice, and in the power and grace of God.
Hidden Saiuts. Such are a few of the prominent marks of holiness
which adorned the tenth century, and made manifest
the active presence and assistance of the God of
holiness, in His one true Church ruled over by
the Eoman Pontiff. The catalogue is incomplete,
yet it is so long as to appear a digression. More
might be added from history ; and, besides this,
HOLINESS WHICH IS UNRECORDED. 115
how much there must be tliat remains hidden to us !
The name of each Saint enrolled in the Church's ca-
lendar, implies a host of hidden Saints, who are only
known in heaven. It implies an antecedent sanctity
from which the flame was caught ; it implies sanctity
in those around who helped to nurse it; it implies
both contemporary and prospective sanctity in the
many wliom that holy man instructed in the love of
God — in all who, by his precepts and example, were
helped to save their souls, whether in his lifetime or
after his decease. The same must be said of every
monastery which is founded — of every good work
which stands recorded. Such acts are never single
or isolated, in their origin or their existence. They
neither spring from nothingness, nor do they subsist
on nothingness, nor do they vanish into nothingness.
Each deed of grace whose memory has survived to
us involves many others, which, though lost to time,
are treasured for eternity, an unknown multitude,
to be revealed at the day of judgment.
I affirm, then, that during the tenth century, as in
all others, the Eoman Catholic, the one only. Church,
was not merely the fosterer, the refuge, and the home
of supernatural holiness ; its protector and its pre-
server; not merely was she the dispenser of the means
of holiness; the appointed guardian and keeper of
its divinely constituted channels ; but over and above
all this, the Spirit of holiness shone manifestly and
briglitly both within her and all around her — she was
visibly, and plainly, and distinctly, holy; then, as now,
I 2
116 ST. PETER DAMIAN.
and as always; lioly in lier works; holy in her loving
patience ; holy in her exhortations ; holy in the lives of
her true children; holy in the supernatural and heroic
■ grace of the many Saints who, hke shining hghts, never
ceased to illuminate the gross darkness of that period,
and who protested by their words and deeds against
its many and crying iniquities. And ere the tenth
century passed away, it gave birth to a very phoenix
of divine and burning love, w4io arose as it were from
St. Peter its ashes, the great and holy St. Peter Damian (bom
about the year 988), the precursor of St. Gregory
Vil. ; the denouncer of abuses, and reviver of interior
discipline, who, during the age which followed, like
another St. John Baptist, prepared the way for those
wonderful reformations which so happily character-
ised its close. Severe in life ; ardent in temperament,
which he subdued and converted into holy zeal ; a
lover of solitude, charity, and humility ; there are
few names more distinguished in the Church's annals,
and more eminent amongst her media3val Saints,
than his whose official signature is appended to a
Papal Bull, preserved at Monte Cassino, as — ' Peter
the sinner. Bishop of Ostia.'
Men It is impossible that any one note of the Church
may fall away, . • -i i mi
but can ever become mvi.sible. There may be certain
Christ's presence .,.,,. ,., tit
is not periods in Jier Instory whicli seem more clouded or
more bright than others ; seasons when her Lord
•^ippears to sleep, as well as others wdien He arises
to assuage the tempest. But, whether sleeping or
lessened.
CASES OF APOSTASY. 117
waking, He is always there ; there, in ' tlie fuhiess
of His presence,' which is never 'lessened,' never
'abated;' never hidden, or eclipsed.
The Mahometan impiety of old, and the more recent
blasphemies of infidehty, are no such signs as Dr.
Forbes supposes, — of a lessening of Christ's presence p. 74, above,
with His one universal Church. Long ages previous,
whole hosts of angels were ' given over to ' the fires of
hell, yet God's presence was not lessened in those
courts from which they were expelled. — ' There was Apocalypse,
a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels
fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and
his angels : and they prevailed not, neither was their
place found any more in heaven. And that great
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called
the devil and satan, who seduceth the whole world :
and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels
were thrown down with him.' — Here is the very
type, the root, the origin, the source, of all schism
and of all pride. Had heaven sinned, that its unity
was thus impaired ?
'Angels are bright still, though the brightest fell.'
What strange theory is this? Does the gospel
suit it, or it the gospel ? When Jesus taught the St. John, ch. vi.
great mystery of the holy Eucharist, and 'many of ibid. w. 67, 68, 71.
His disciples went back and walked no more with
Him,' was His blessed presence lessened with the
faithful remnant of whom He asked — ' Will you also
go away ? ' Was it lessened with the chosen twelve,
though He then declared that one of them was ' a
118 CHRIST IS NEAREST WHEN NEED IS GREATEST.
devil ' ? And when that very one betrayed Ilim to
the cross, and wdien others fled and left Him, was He
less with His Church then, at the moment that He
died for her ?
Were there no schisms and heresies in the apo-
stolic age which followed, and to which Dr. Forbes
liimself appeals as a time of the fulness of Christ's
1 St. John ii. 18, 19. prcseucc ? Hear the beloved Apostle — ' As you have
heard that Antichrist cometh ; even now there are
become many Antichrists : whereby we know that
it is the last hour : They went out from us ; but they
Ep. ver. 19. wcrc iiot of US.' Again, St. Jude, — 'These are they,
who separate themselves, sensual men, having not the
Spirit.' And St. Paul speaks of it as a necessity, —
1 Cor. xi. 19. ' There must be also heresies : that they also, who
are reproved, may be made manifest among you.'
Our Lord never said that the vigour of the sap of
His one true vine should be abated, because of the
fruitless branches He cut off. When He threatened
the individual churches in tlie Apocalypse with
severance from the body. He never told His faithful
that the body itself should have less share in the out-
pouring and the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.
Nor when the early heresies sprang up was that
gracious presence lessened. Nay, the worse the
assaults of Satan, the nearer to us is our God.
' Where wert tlioii, Lord,' asked St. Catherine of
Siena, ' when my soul was flooded and overwhelmed
with foul imaginings and evil thoughts ? ' 'In the
mid'st of thee,' was the reply, ' to preserve thee from
CONFUSION OF THE AKIAN TIMES. 110
perdition.' So is it with the Church. God never
will suspend her living, acting, visible, unity,
whether subjective or objective, or of any khid
whatever. Her unity is Divine, and this embraces all
unities. This admits of no abatements or lessenings,
no severings or distinguishings, no splittings or
philosophiziugs. She is One, as God is One.
If the Church's visible unity coidd ever be sus- visible Unify
pended, it must have been so in those troublous days suspended.
of the fourth century, of which I have already
spoken. Contemporary authorities, both from West
and East, describe their miseral)le dissensions in the
most vivid colours. St. Hilary of Poitiers addresses
the Emperor Constantius in language well calculated
to convey an idea of their confusion.
He tells him : —
* We are in a condition most dangerous and deplorable ; Ad Constantiuni
for now there exist as many faiths as inclinations, as many "' ' '^'
doctrines as fashions, and there spring up as many causes of
blasphemies as there are vices
' Whilst men fight in words, question about novelties,
dispute about ambiguities, complain about authors, strive
about pursuits, whilst tliere is difficulty in agreement, and
one begins to be anathema to the other : hardly any one
now is Christ's. For we fluctuate with the uncertain wind of
doctrines : if we teach, we disturb ; if we are taught, we go
astray. . . . Every year, nay every month, we decree new
faiths respecting God; when decreed we repent of them, we
defend the repentant, and we anathematise the defended ;
either in our own we condemn what belongs to others,
or in others we condemn what is our own; and biting
one another, we are now consumed of one another.
' Then men seek for faith as if they possessed it not.
120 STRIFES AND COXTENTIONS.
They require it to be written, as if it was not in their hearts.
We, who are regenerated through faith, are now taught re-
specting faith, as if our regeneration were without it.'
Further, lie designates, as among the chief causes
of their miseries, two evils, which are characteristic
of the present age also — viz. that men ' avoid behov-
ing concerning the Lord Christ those things which He
taught were to be believed about Him ; ' and that
' under the specious name of peace they steal into a
unity which betrays the faith.' ^Per speciosum pads
no men in unitate perjidice siibrepimus.''
. In the East there arose a corresponding cry from
St. Gregory Nazianzen : —
Orat. ii. 81. 'All things have become again as at the first, before the
world was, whilst as yet it was devoid of the form and
comely order we now behold ; but the chaotic and dis-
ordered mass required the form-bestowing hand and power.
Or, if you will, we are like men in a nocturnal combat,
who, under the faint rays of the moon, know not friends
from foes ; or, as if in a naval fight and stormy sea, stunned,
and perplexed, and deprived of an opportunity for manly
deeds by the blows of the winds, and the seething surge,
and the onrush of the waves, and the clashing of the ships,
and the thrusts of the poles, and the calls of the com-
manders, and the groans of the falling — alas, what grief!
we fall foul of one another, and are destroyed by one
another.'
Such is the testimony borne by two holy Bishops
and Doctors, then living, to the state of the Christian
world in the fourth century ; ere yet Anglicans would
consider Christ's presence to have ' lessened.' It pre-
pares us for the account given by a Pagan historian of
DISTINCTNESS OF THE CHURCH'S LINEAMENTS. 121
the same age, who states that owing to their dissen- Ammianus
sioiis, the Emperor Julian ' found there were no wild LiK'sxii""/}"
beasts so dangerous to men as most of the Christians
were destructive to themselves.' ^ Nullas infestas
hominibus bestias, lit sunt sibi ferales plerique Chris-
tia?iorum, expertus.''
Yet, when we contemplate those times from the
vantage ground of what was then a futurity of fifteen
centuries, we perceive, distinct and evident through
the mixed medley of contending parties, the clear
outlines of the one church ; the comely form of the
one spouse ; the well-fenced and visible fold of the
one shepherd ; in which alone were to be found the
waters of eternal life, and outside of which no wan-
derer could be Christ's. So will it be, in ages yet to
come, when generations now unborn look back upon
our present age. So is it now with the holy angels,
and with all those blessed ones who are looking down
upon us from the heavenly realms of peace.
There is a strange fallacy which runs through Dr. Distinction
Forbes's argument, and which arises from his not individuals
distinguishing between divine promises and precepts The Church.
to individual Christians or to individual churches, and
those which are addressed to the universal Church
of Christ. An individual Christian, thougli 'purcliased Scc extract,
by the blood of God that he should be holy,' may
forfeit his high heritage and defile ' the temple of the
Holy Ghost,' casting away the priceless gifts of ' love
and peace and all other fruits of the Spirit.' He may
122 god's promises to the church are universal.
See above,
pp. 7-14.
The children
of
The Church
are
taught liy God.
See the extract,
above, p. 73.
sin against the distniguishing mark of Christ's disciple,
that of love to all the bretlii^en. Christ gave it as a
mark of His true followers, but He never promised
that each of them should always keep it. Whereas
it has been already shown, that, in a way which
pledged God's word in perpetuity, ' it was said of the
whole Church, " That they may be one as We are." '
Again — surely no reasonable man would gather
from the prophecy or assertion that, ' the priest's lips
should keep knowledge,' that every priest was in-
falhble, but rather that such was the appointed and
ordinary channel through wliich the people were to
learn the knowledge of God. Whereas the declara-
tion that the Church's ' teachers shall not be removed
into a corner any more,' is manifestly a prophecy
which includes a solemn promise.
Dr. Forbes observes also that, ' if the gospel had
its fidl course, every priest should be holy, and " all
the children" of the Church " taught by God." ' Now,
there are few, if any, more striking proofs of the in-
d^vclling presence of God within the Eoman Catholic
Church, than the large, and ample, and literal fulfil-
ment within her, of the promise of divine teaching
and guidance for every individual soul who does not
wilfully turn away from it. It is fulfilled outwardly
and inwardly, collectively and individually. The
living voice of God is heard in ways most manifold,
through the organ of the Church His living temple,
'the teacher from God,' who speaks with God's
authority.
DIVINE TEACHING AND GUIDANCE. 123
Through the Church's creeds, her dogmatic decrees, Outward tcadiing.
her sermons, lier catechisms, her offices, her practices,
her devotions, and the like, her children are, all of
them, ' taught by God,' Again, each one is ' taught
by God ' in that wonderful sacrament of surpassing,
superhuman mercy and condescension, the blessed
sacrament of penance, wherein the poor sinner pours
out his burdened heart to the minister of liis God and
Saviour ; or rather, through the ear of that minister
to the tender, yearning heart of that God and Saviour
Himself, of Jesus Who is there to enhghten His ser-
vant, and to pardon through His servant's lips. It
is there that the penitent unfolds the trials and
temptations of his Christian warfare ; and not only
does the cleansing blood of Jesus wash away his
stains, but through the self-same minister the voice
of God is heard ; guiding and directing; consoling or
warning; encouraging; and, if sometimes threatening,
ever loving, ever merciful. Thus, tlirough the out-
ward ear, is each one ' taught by God,' and led on
his own particular path to heaven ; and he is not
only taught it, but he is enabled to follow it, through
the grace which the sacrament conveys.
But there is another teaching still, and who shall inward teaching,
unfold its mysteries? God's inward voices to the
faithful Christian soul are far beyond all human
words, or human thoughts. The removal of every
obstacle to the hearing, or the understanding, or the
obeying of these heavenly whispers ; the interpreta-
tion of the divine wiU thus manifested in .secret ;
124 THERE ARE MANY WHO WILL NOT HEAR.
counsel to promote and to assist each one, in the most
simple, childlike, and full co-operation -with the light
and grace thus lovingly vouchsafed ; — these are the
objects of the sublime office of the direction of souls,
which is divinely entrusted to the duly qualified
amongst the Chm-ch's ministers, through whom God
teaches the humble of heart, and preserves His che-
rished flock from being led astray by the delusions of
their own imaginations, or by false spirits which are
not from Him. Thus He assists His chosen people
to follow His leadings, and to correspond to the
calls and the workings of Hjs grace.
All Most truly and most fully, then, are all the
obTcircnt. Church's children ' taught by God.' But it is no-
where promised that all shall hsten or obey. We
are warned by our Lord Himself to expect the con-
st. Matthew, ch. xiii. trary. Hc has taught us expressly that His Church
on earth contains both the just and the wicked, and
Avill always do so till the last. Nor are His priests
exempted from this rule. They are called, it is true,
to an especial hohness, and their office is always
holy, but there is no more promise of hohness to
them individually, than there is to any other. Like
others, they may fall short of their vocation, and
prove unworthy of their sacred office ; and, as if to
forewarn us to be prepared for such scandals, we
find a Judas even amongst the apostles selected by
our blessed Lord in person.
The Church exists ' My tliouglits are iiot your thoughts : nor your
for
thobaivation ways luy wuys, saith the Lord. For as the hea-
THE church's divixe commtssiox. 125
vens are exalted above the eartli, so are my ways of
exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above isaiasiv. 8-11.
your thoughts. And as the rain and the snow come
down from heaven, and return no more thither, but
soak the earth, and water it, and make it to spring,
and give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater :
so shall my word be, which shall go forth from my
mouth : it shall not return to me void, but it shall do
whatsoever I please, and shall prosper in the things
for which I sent it.' The Church is for man, not
man for the Church ; and the word of God which
called it into being ' shall prosper in the things for
which He sent it.' The Church is God's ambassador,
charged with His commission to preach the gospel
to the whole world, so long as time endures, and to
convey the means of grace to every soul that is
athirst for the heavenly streams of life. God's word
is pledged that His gospel shall never fail, therefore
that word guarantees to us that the Church, to whom
the gospel has been entrusted by Him, Avill never
forfeit or be deprived of any, be it even the least, of all
those endowments and prerogatives that are needed
for the end for wdiich He sent her. Had God Himself
not pledged His word, we might have feared lest the
sins of man should prove too much for His amazing
patience, and lest ' the blessings of the gospel ' should
become forfeited. But His thoughts are not om-
thoughts, nor our ways His ways. The deeper the
abyss of our miserj^, the fuller becomes the abyss of
His mercy. His word shall not return to him void :
120
THE UXWORTHIXESS OF HER MEMBERS
God's promises
to the
Church
are
absolute
and
uucouditional.
like the fruitful rain that soaks into the earth, it shall
prosper in the things for which He sent it. The
Chui'ch collectively, as teacher of the nations and
stewardess of the sacraments, is not on her probation ;
though all her members are, priests as well as people,
from the supreme Pontiff on the chair of Peter, down
to the little child just washed in the baptismal font.
The Church collectively, has an end for which she
exists ; and so has each one of her members, indivi-
dually. Her children are here to save their souls, and
to reach the everlasting enjoyment of their God in
heaven, by knowing, and loving, and serving Him
faithfully in this life. This is the season of their
probation, and, if they fail, their end is lost for
ever. The Church is here to assist them in their
trial, to help them on their way, to conduct them to
their God, Who is their end and their beginning. For
this she exists and is on earth. The failure of the
Church in aught requisite for this, would be the
failure of God Himself, who constituted her for
this very purpose. It would be the failure of His
Word to the universal race of man.
Hence, no analogy whatever can be drawn between
God's promises to individuals, and His promises to
the universal Church. The former are dependent
and conditional, unless they affect the universal
interests. The latter are absolute and unconditional,
because they cannot be separated from the universal
interests. Tlius, there is no promise that an indi-
vidual priest shall not be a wicked man ; and, if he
DOES NOT AFFECT THE CHURCll's ATTRIBUTES. 127
is SO, his judgment may be more severe than tliat of
others. But it is a great Catliohc truth — to ado[)t
the language of the Anghcan 26th Article — that 'the
unworthiness of the ministers hinders not the effect
of the sacraments ;'...' which be effectual,' as it
further says, ' because of Christ's institution and pro-
mise, although they be ministered by evil men.' The
sacraments were instituted for the universal good,
and no amount of individual evil can lessen their
intriiisic virtue. If the recipient is in evil disposi-
tions it will prevent their efficacy in his own case,
and may even turn the blessing into condemnation ;
but the fulness of the sacraments themselves will in
nowise be impaired, nor Christ's presence in them
lessened. So is it with the Church. Outwardly as
well as inwardly, she is always holy, though com-
prising a mixed multitude ; and though, so long as
the world shall endure, she will contain both the
\vicked and the good. Outwardly as well as in-
wardly, she is always one ; though many have fallen
away, and have gone out from her, who were not of i st. John ii. 19.
her. Always, — whatever may be the accumulation
and the heinousness of human wickedness — always
in the midst of her, in the fulness of the Divine
Presence, is Christ our God, and His ever-abiding
Spirit. He has sent her forth to overcome the uni-
versal evil, and, therefore, the stronger that evil
waxes, the more securely may she rely on the perse-
vering constancy of His assistance, from Whom alone
tjhe derives her strength, and in Whom alone she lives.
128 EXTRAORDINARY GIFTS MAY BE WITHHELD.
Distinction Tlicre are doubtless times wlien tlie grace of God
between ordinary • i i i -en i ^ .i
and •' IS more largely and manifestly poured out than at
extraor inary gifts. Q|-]^Qpg^ — occaslous wlieu it may be said to over-
flow. It is not tliat it is ever lessened, for it is
always present in superabundance ; but it is that
there are seasons of its miraculous manifestation ;
or, to speak more exactly, when it becomes more
manifestly miraculous, for a miracle it always is. Dr.
Forbes seems to have overlooked tliis consideration,
See above, p. 74. wlicu he says that Christ ' is not with us as He was
with the Apostles, in that they were " full of the Holy
Ghost." Doubtless, the Apostles had extraordinary
gifts of the Holy Ghost, all of -which were not handed
down to their successors. Such gifts may have been in-
dependent of their apostolic office ; or else not required
for the Church's mission in the ages which were to
follow. But ' the fidness of God's presence ' does
not always bring these gifts. We are nowhere told
tliat they were communicated to St. Stephen, yet
Acts vi. 6. he is described, in express terms, as ' full of faith,
and of the Holy Ghost'' Now, unity is not one of
these extraordinary gifts. It is an unceasing mark
of the Church, and declared to be so in the Creed of
the Apostles. It belongs, therefore, to her essence, it
is necessary to her, and can never be withdrawn. It
distinguishes her fj'oin others ; therefore it never
can be hidden. Its continuance and its visibility
are requisite for her Gospel Mission ; therefore they
have their place among the ' faitliful mercies of
David,' guaranteed to us by the eternal Truth.
This, then, is the answer to Dr. Forbes's observa-
ESSEXTIALS NEVER ARE WITHDRAWN. 120
tion tliat, tliougli our Lord has promised to bo Christ's prcsonco
never Viincs
always with us, ' He has not promised to be always in
present in the same degree or the same way.' The see rxirac't,
comment is true as regards the extraordinary effusions ^ °^^' ^^' ' ' ' '
of God's grace, or manifestations of His power. It
is not true of all tliat is essential, or, in any need-
ful way, auxihary, to the life or the mission of His
Church. Tlierefore, it is not true of visible unity,
which forms one of her constituent parts and fea-
tures, which is one of her dearest and most cherished
prerogatives ; necessary for the fulfilment of her
mission ; a note that she is God's messenger, and a
characteristic of God's message.
The promise was made by Christ at the same St. Matt, xxviii. 20.
solemn moment that He sent forth His Church to
teach and to baptize all nations, and to instruct
them to observe all thing-s whatsoever He had com-
manded her. Therefore it manifestly imphes no
variation of His assisting presence in anything
which may be required for the fulfilment of that
commission. But it not only implies this, it expresses
it, by the word — ' alway^' — or, as more literally in
the Douay version, — '■all days.' — In the Greek it is
-TTOLO-ag roi.g T^fxipag. The words are too plain to admit
of any doubt. — Behold I am with you all days., even
to the consummation of the icorld. — It is not only —
I icill be with you, it is the unchangeable — / am —
that is to say : — as now, so for ever ; and that, ' in
the same degree and the same way,' as regards all
that is required for the fuirilinent of the conuuis.>iou
VOL. I. K
130 WHETHER THE DAYS EE GOOD OR EVIL
then conferred. Every day, and in all the days,
whatever they may be ; in evil daj^s, and in good
days ; in days of persecution, and in days of tri-
umph ; in days when wickedness is found in the
highest places (as in Judas, among tlie Apostles),
and in days when Priest and Pontiff excel alike in
virtue, as in office ; in days when the Church is
mourning through the iniquity of faithless children
(though iniquity never shall prevail), and in days
when she is the admiration of the whole earth,
resplendent witli grace, and conspicuous for sanctity.
The promise is absolute and unconditional, that is,
if it requires any conditions for its fulfilment, it
includes a guarantee that they shall not be wanting.
God pledges His word to man. He strives to raise
man's fainting courage for the accomplishment of His
great ends of mercy, in which He makes him His
co-operator. Why, then, should men, poor faithless
worms of earth, explain God's blessed promise all
away ? God says, — ' I am with you all your days.'
Alas ! shall man reply, — ' True, Lord ; but you do
not say j'ou are always present in the same degree
or the same way ' ? Should we not do wrong to a
fellow-mortal if we thus questioned his generosity ?
We cannot trust too fully to the word of the eternal
God. We cannot interpret it too largely, in such a
case as this. He is not one to mislead us with
artificial lano;uaf]!;e —
To palter with us in a double sense ;
To keep tlie word of promise to our car,
And break it to our hope.
CHRIST IS ALWAYS WITH HIS CHURCH. 131
I repeat, that I am not speaking of those especial
manifestations of His presence which, in His loving
wisdom, He vouchsafes or withholds as befits the
times and seasons, but of all that which appertains to
the constitution and essence of the Church, as is tlie
case with visible unity ; of all that is requisite for
her mission, to which visible unity is indispensable ;
and of all that belongs to her characteristic Notes, of
which Unity is one ; and it could not be a Note at
all if it were not visible.
Everj^ word of the promise is remarkable. It is The peculiar force
particularly to be observed that the expression — tiie words.
/ am ivith you^ on the part of God, — has a special
force, wherever it is found throughout the pages of
Holy Scripture. It invariably conveys an assurance
of success by means of unfailing and extraordinary
divine assistance. On the other hand, the expres-
sion — I am not with you — is used in the reverse
sense. This has been exemplified by Professor Tractatus
Murray in a hstof texts which fill several pages, and Eccipsia*christi,
from which I select a very few. ^'^^^ "• p- ^^^' *^'■•
Thus, God says to Isaac, — ' Do not fear, for / am oon. xxri. 24.
with thee ' — and to Jacob, — ' Eeturn into the land of ch. xxxi. 3.
thy fathers and to thy kindred, and I will be with thee!
Again, when God sent Moses to deliver Israel; — 'And ExoJ. Hi. 11, 12.
Moses said to God : Wlio am I that I should go to
Pharao, and should bring forth the children of Israel
out of Egypt ? And He said to him : / will he with
thee.' Before Israel was defeated by tlie Amalekites,
God commanded Moses : ' Say to them : Go not u}), Deuuron. i. J2.
K 2
132 INSTANX'ES OF THE SIGXIFICATION OF
and figlit not, for / am not icith you.' To Josiie, God
Josue i. 5. said : — ' As I have been with Moses, so idll I be with
thee.'' Wlien Israel sinned and fled before their
enemies, God showed His presence and assistance by-
removing the hindrance to their ultimate victory, by
Jos. vii. 12. threatening them through Josue : — ' Iicill he no more
u'ith you, till you destroy him that is guilty of this
wickedness ;' at the same time putting it into their
hearts to do as He commanded, and thus fulfilling
His previous promise. It was the greeting of the
Judges vi. 12. Angel to Gedeon : — ' The Lord is with thee, most
Ibid. 14-16. valiant of men.' And when God bade him go in his
strength and deliver Israel, Gedeon 'answered and
said : I beseech Thee, my Lord, wherewith shall I deli-
ver Israel ? Behold my family is the meanest in
Manasses, and I am the least in my father's house.
And the Lord said to him : / icill be luith thee : and
thou shalt cut off Madian as one man.'
This, too, was the Archangel's salutation to her,
from whom sprang the Saviour and Deliverer of
8t. Matt. i. 16. mankind ; to ' Maiy, of whom was born Jesus ;'
23. Whose name, also, was ' Emmanuel, which being in-
.<^t. Luke i. 28. tcrprctcd is, God with us.' — 'And the Angel being
come in, said unto her : Hail full of grace, the Lord
is with thee : Blessed art thou amoni? women.' —
' XaT^s, xByjxpiTOi^ivr^' o KJpJoj /xsra cow.'
Acts X. 38. It is this which St. Peter spoke of the Christ Him-
self: — 'Jesus of Nazareth: how God anointed Him
with the Holy Ghost, and witli power, who went
about doing good, and healing all that were op-
THE WORDS OF THE PROMISE. 133
pressed by the devil, /o/' God cvas icitli IHiu \ — on o
0sog ijv [J.ST auTQu.
It is tliis which the Lord Christ has promised to
His one Church, and which He will never fail to make
good in all its fulness : — ''Behold I am icith you ail
days, even to the consummation of the loorld.'' — All
days, Without any intermission, or suspension, or inter-
ruption, / am with you ; I, the Sun of Justice, who
know no setting, who change not like the moon,
now more, now less ; I, Emmanuel, am ivith you ;
not in different degrees or different ways, according
to the variations of the fickle human heart, or as if
dependent on its movements ; but, all days, I, the
great I AM, am with you. The very construction of
the sentence, in the Greek, is calculated to increase our
confidence. It is as if our dearest Lord made haste
to unite us with Him, to make both one, to enclose
us, as it were, in the midst of His own great and
awful, but most soul-assuring, eveiiasting Name —
I with you AM — iyco /xed' v/jlcoi/ el/jn irdaas ra?
rjfxepas-, ico9 Trj9 avvTeXela^ rod al(ovo9.
What need we more ? Yet Dr. Forbes teaches
that Holy Scripture ' does not say what degree of Soo abovo, p. 73.
shortcoming shall forfeit the blessings of the Gospel.'
However true this assertion as regards indivi-
dual churches or individual Christians, it is most
gratuitous and unfounded if applied to the universal
and everlasting Church of God. Pitiable indeed
would be the lot of the poor human race if for the
universal blessings of the Gos[)el they were de})en-
134 THE TESTIMONY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE.
dent upon human merits. The sins of man did not
prevent tlie coming of the Messiah (though it is main-
tained that they did so by certain of the Jews), nor
shall they hinder the fulhlment of the work He came
to do, by lessening His blessed presence, or dividing
isaias xi. 10. His ouc fold. — ' Bchold the Lord God shall come
with strength, and His arm shall rule : behold His
reward is with Him and His work is before Him.'
If the words of Christ are not enough, if His prayer
and promise can be explained away, what remains
but to turn to the overwhelming testimony of those
2 St. Peter i. 19. diviuc prophccics of the ancient covenant, ' where-
unto,' says the Apostle, ' you do well to attend, as
to a hght that shineth in a dark place ' ?
Prophecies It may uot be amiss then, as briefly as possible
Old Testament, aiuidst sucli a profiisiou of choicc, to select a few of
the most prominent of those glowing pledges of the
constant, abiding, ever-present, faithful assistance of
our dear and loving God, which He has so lavishly
vouchsafed to us througli the voices of His ancient
prophets ; as if to relieve a Divine Heart overcharged
with love, and with fears lest man should lose
his confidence and trust ; lest, through sin and in-
firmity, he should be tempted to doubt of the long-
suffering, never-failing, never-tiring, never-exhausted,
never-suspended, infinite mercy and patience of Him,
i.siias XXX 18. Wlio ' waiteth that He may have mercy on us :
Psalm cii. aud shall be exalted sparing us : ' Who ' is compas-
sionate and merciful : long-suffering and plenteous in
mercy. .... Who hath not dealt with us accord-
ing to our sins : nor rewarded us according to our
god's everlasting covenant. 135
iniquities For He kiiuwetli our frame, lie
remeniberetli that v^^e are dust.'
' And Sion said : The Lord hath forsakeu me, and the Lord Isaias xlix. i i-io.
hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget her infant, so as
not to have pity on the son of her womb ? and if she should
forget, yet will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven
thee in my hands : thy walls are always before my eye&.'
'A child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and the ci,. jx. o, 7.
government is upon his shoulder : and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the
Father of the World to come, the Prince of Peace. His
empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of
peace : He shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon
his kingdom : to establish it and strengthen it with judg-
ment aad with justice, from henceforth and for ever: the
zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.'
' And now thus saith the Lord that created thee, Jacob, Isaias xliii.
and formed thee, Israel : Fear not, for I have redeemed
thee, and called thee by thy name : thou art mine. When
thou shalt pass through the waters, I will be with thee, and
the rivers shall not cover thee : when thou shalt walk in
the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, and the flames shall not
burn in thee : For I am the Lord thy Gfod ; the holy One
of Israel, thy Saviour.'
* Lift up your eyes to heaven, and look down to the Ibid. ch. li. g.
earth beneath : for the heavens shall vanish like smoke,
and the earth shall be worn away like a garment, and the
inhabitants thereof shall perish in like manner: but my
salvation shall be for ever, and my justice shall not fail.'
* I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the Isaias Iv. 3, 13.
faithful mercies of David. . . . and the Lord shall be
named for an everlasting sign, that shall not be taken
away.'
' Because thou wast forsaken, and hated, and there was Ch. Ix. lo.
none that passed through thee, I will make thee to be an
everlasting glory, a joy unto generation and generation.'
'For as the new heavens, and the new earth, whicii I Cli. Ixvi. 22, 23.
make to stand before me, saith the Lord : so shall your
loG god's oath not to be angry with his church,
seed stand, and your name. And there shall be month
after month, and sabbath after sabbath : and all flesh
shall come to adore before my face, saith the Lord.'
I^iiaslix. 20, 21. * And there shall come a redeemer to Sion, and to them
that return from iniquity in Jacob, saith the Lord. This
is my covenant with them, saith the Lord : My spirit that
is in thee, and my words that I have put in thy mouth,
shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of
thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the
Lord, from henceforth and for ever.'
Cb. liv. 9-13. 'This thing is to me as in the days of Noe, to whom I
swore, that I would no more bring in the waters of Noe
upon the earth : so have I sworn not to be angry with thee,
and not to rebuke thee. Fur the mountains shall be moved,
and the hills shall tremble : but my mercy shall not depart
from thee, and the covenant of my peace shall not be
moved : said the Lord that hath mercy on thee.
* poor little one, tossed with tempest, without all com-
fort, behold I will lay thy stones in order, and will lay thy
foundations with sapphires, and I will make thy bulwarks
of jasper : and thy gates of graven stones, and all thy bor-
ders of desirable stones. All thy children shall be taught
of the Lord: and great shall be the peace of thy children.'
I],jj 17 ' No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper:
and every tongue that resisteth thee in judgment, thou
shalt condemn. This is the inheritance of the servants of
the Lord, and their justice with me, saith the Lord.'
These magnilicciit prophecies are, of themselves,
a sufficient answer to any theory which is based on
the assumption that ' the blessings of the Gospel' can
be ' forfeited ' to the universal Church, or ' the ful-
■ ness of the presence ' of her God within her ' lessened,'
or 'abated.' — Though the hills and mountains tremble,
yet God's ' mercy shall not depart from lier^ nor His
covenant of peace he moved.'' Wlicn God breaks His
AND NOT TO REBUKE HER. 137
oatli to Noe, and siii brings back ' the waters of Noe
upon the eartli ;' then, and then only, will He forget
or fail hi His promise to the Church, — ' / have sworn
not to be angry with thee, and not to rebuke thee.'
Then only need we fear for a suspension of her out-
ward unity. He has laid her ' stones in order,' and
there shall be no division to displace them.
It is remarkable that the promise to Noe, to
which God here appeals in confirmation of His oath
to the Christian Clun-cli, is expressly grounded on
the frailty of man and his liability to evil. — 'And Gcut.s. viii. 21.
the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and said : I will
no more curse the earth for the sake of man : for
the imagination and thought of man's heart are
prone to evil from his youth : therefore I will no
more destroy ewerj living soul as I have done.'
The promises of God to His Church are in like
manner independent of human frailty.
Isaias is not the only one who is charged with
these glad messages. They have a place amidst
the divine strains of the sweet Psalmist of Israel : —
' The mercies of the Lord I will sing for ever. I will r^ilm Lxxxviii. 1-0.
shew forth thy truth with my mouth to generation and
generation. For thou hast said : Mercy shall be built up
for ever in the heavens : thy truth shall be prepared in
them. I have made a covenant wdth my elect, I have
sworn to David my servant : Thy seed will I settle for
ever. And I will build up thy throne imto generation and
generation.' ....
'Then thou spokest in a vision to thy saints, and said.st: Ii). Lvx.wiii. 2o-3S.
I have laid help upon one that is mighty, and liave exalted
138 THE FAITHFUL MERCIES OF DAVID.
one chosen out of my people. I have found David my
servant : with my holy oil I have anointed him. For my
hand shall help him : and my arm shall strengthen him.
The enemy shall have no advantage over him : nor the son
of iniquity have power to hurt him. And I will cut down
his enemies before his face ; and them that hate him I
will put to flight. And my truth and my mercy shall be
with him : and in my name shall his horn be exalted. And
I will set his hand in the sea : and his right hand in the
rivers. He shall cr}'^ out to me : Thou art my father : my
God, and the support of my salvation. And I will make
him my first-born, high above the kiDgs of the earth.
' I will keep my mercy for him for ever : and my cove-
nant faithful to him. And I will make his seed to endure
for evermore : and his throne as the da^^s of heaven. And
if his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judg-
ments : If they profane my justices : and keep not my
commandments : I will visit their iniquities with a rod :
and their sins with stripes. But my mercy I Avill not take
away from him : nor will I suffer my truth to fail. Neither
will I profane my covenant : and the words that proceed
from my mouth I will not make void.
' Once have I sworn by my holiness : I will not lie unto
David : his seed shall endure for ever. And his throne as
the sun before me : and as the moon perfect for ever, and
a faithful witness in heaven.'
These promises TliGSG promises are to the Christian Church, and
abiding. they guarantee to us that throughout the whole
period of her time-enduring existence, not any
' decree of shortcoming; shall forfeit the blessino;s of
the Gospel.' It cannot be denied that amongst those
blessings, unity, in all its fulness, outward and inward,
visible and invisible, holds a pre-eminent position.
In the verses which follow the above, the inspired
MAN S SIIOKTCOMINGS FORESEEX BY GOD. 1 ■]0
Psalmist bewails the apparent breach of God's cove-
nant; but his words are to be there understood in their
primary sense, as applied to the Jewish nation, and
the temporal David. It is thus that St. Augustine in-
terprets them, as intended to assure us that the pre-
vious promises belong to Christ and to His Church. —
' Lest a Christian, who affirmed that these promises in Psaim. ixxxviii.
were spoken of Christ, should be answered that they Enarmt.Se™.ii.n.(
referred to David, and he shoidd fall into error if
he saw that they all were fulfilled in David ; for this
reason. He has brought to nought these promises in
David, in order that, when you perceive that those
things which necessarily must be fulfilled are not
fulfilled in him, you may seek another, in whom
they may be shown to be fulfilled.' — A little further
on ^he adds : ' Perhaps God was about to say to thee,
" I swore indeed and promised, but this one Avould
not persevere." What then, didst not Thou, the
Lord God, foreknow that this one would not perse-
vere ? Certainly Thou knewest It is
removed from this David, that it might not be
expected in this David. Expect, therefore, that
which I have promised.' — Present to the sight of
God was the whole course of tlie Christian Church ;
foreseen by Him were all the sins of her future
children, when He made witli her His ' everlasting isaias, iv. 3.
covenant, the faithful mercies of David.'
God has not promised His Church exemption The church
from worldly troubles. ' If his children forsake my exempt from
. , , , affliction.
law, &c., I Will Visit their iniquities with a rod : and
140 THE BEAUTY AXD COMELY ORDER
Heb. xii. 6. their sins with stripes.' We know that ' whom the
Prov. iii. 12. Loi'd loveth, He chastiseth ; ' and Christ has told us :
St. John xn. 33. — <• l^ tlie woi'ld you shall have distress : but have
confidence, I have overcome the world.'
See above, p. 73. Dr. Forbcs says : — ' The body is mangled, but we
This chab^tisemeut j^g^gyg ^q^ scvcrcd, through loss of iutcrcommu-
temporai. nion.' — Chiist's body hung ' mangled ' on the cross ;
St. Joim xix. yet not ' a bone of Him ' was broken. Not one of
his blessed limbs or members sustained the ' loss of
intercommunion.' His seamless coat was at the
mercy of a rude soldiery ; yet, as if to show how
His providence would protect His Church's unity,
not one of tliem w^as suffered to divide it, or to rend it.
Cant. Cautie. i. 4. The Cliurcli is ' black ' through afflictions, but
always ' beautiful ; ' and without visible unity there
is no beauty, nor can there be any order. The
absence of unity and of order denotes the absence of
.Job X. 22. God. It is one of the characteristics of hell. ' A
land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of
death, and no order, but everlasting horror dwell-
eth.' Great are the trials, the sufferings, and the
afflictions of Christ's Church, but the words of the
Spouse shall ever remain divinely true concerning
Caul. Cautic. vi. 3. hcr : — ' Thou art beautiful, my love, sweet and
comely as Jerusalem : terrible as an army set in
array.' Wliere would be the terrors of an army
which had ' lost its intercommunion ' ? How could
it be sweet and comely, and terrible in its strong
array, if its outward unity were suspended ? The
Spouse Himself declares His beloved to be but One.
^'
OF THE OXE CATHOLIC CHURCH. 1 I I
' One is my dove, ray perfect one is but one, she is Caut. Cantic. vi. s.
the only one of her mother, tlie cliosen of her tliat
bore her.' And, again, he recalls the goodly array
of an army terrible in its united ranks : — ' Who is ibid. 9.
she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair
as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army
set in array ' ?
Such is the picture of the Christian ChurcH, as
drawn by God's Spirit of truth. Can there be found
on earth any communion but one, which corresponds
to the delineation.? These words find their fulfil-
ment in the Eoman Catholic Church alone, and in
that one favoured creature, the Church's spotless
Queen and type ; the ever-blessed Mary ; Mother
of our God, and of ourselves ; who was herself the
firstfruits of the redeeming blood of that Son she
gave to man.
There are other prophecies which appear to pledge
God's word not only to the perpetual fulness of the
Gospel blessings, but also that He will Himself pre-
serve His Church from any such ' shortcoming ' as
might forfeit them. Thus God says by the prophet
Osee : —
* I will espouse thee to me for ever : and I will espouse Ch. ii. 10, 20.
thee to me in justice, and judgment, and in mercy, and in
commiserations. And I wall espouse thee to me in faith:
and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.'
By tlie mouth of Ezechiel, He says : —
* I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall he Ch. xxxvi. 20-29.
cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you
142 GOD PRESERVES HIS CHURCH IN HOLINESS.
from all your idols. And will give you a new heart, and
put a new spirit witliin j^ou : and I will take away the
stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart
of flesh. And I will put my spirit in the midst of yon :
and I will cause you to walk in my commandments, and to
keep my judgments, and do them. And you shall dwell
in the land which I gave to 3^our fathers, and j^ou shall be
m}' people, and I wall be your Grod. And I will save you
from all your uncleannesses : and I -will call for corn, and
will multiply it, and will lay no famine upon you.'
The same prophet foretells also the unity of the
Church : —
Ezcchiel xxxvii. < I will make them one nation in the land on the moun-
tains of Israel, and one king shall be king over them all :
and they shall no more be two nations, neither shall they
be divided any more into two kingdoms. Nor shall they
be defiled any more with their idols, nor with their abomi-
nations, nor Avith all their iniquities : and I will save them
out of all the places in which they have sinned, and I will
cleanse them : and they shall be my people, and I will be
their God. And my servant David shall be king over
them, and they shall have one shepherd : they shall walk
in my judgments, and shall keep my commandments, and
shall do them. And they shall dwell in the land which I
gave to my servant Jacob, wherein your fathers dwelt, and
they shall dwell in it, they and their children, and their
children's children, for ever : and David my servant shall
be their prince for ever. And T will make a covenant of
peace with them ; it shall be an everlasting covenant with
them: and I will establish them, and will multiply them,
and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for ever.
And my tabernacle shall be with them : and I Avill be their
God, and they shall be my people. And the nations shall
know that I am the Lord the sanctifier of Israel, when my
sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for ever.'
Oil. xxxix. 2 '. ' And I will hide my face no more from them, for 1 have
HE WATCHES OVER IT TO BUILD IT UP. 143
poured out my spirit upon all the house of Israel, saith the
Lord God.'
God's word is not less explicit tlirough the
prophet Jeremias : —
* Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel : As yet Jerem. xxxi. 23-25.
shall they say this word in the land of Juda, and in the
cities thereof, when I shall bring Lack their captivity : The
Lord bless thee, the beauty of justice, the holy mountain.
And Juda and all his cities shall dwell therein togfetlier :
the husbandmen and they that drive the flocks. For I
have inebriated the weary soul : and I have filled every
hungry soul. . . . And as I have watched over them, to ibid. 28.
pluck up, and to throw down, and to scatter, and destroy,
and afflict : so will I watch over them, to build up, and to
plant them, saith tlie Lord.'
' Behold the days shall come, saith the Lord, and I will H-i'l. 31-37.
make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with
the house of Juda : not according to the covenant which I
made with their fathers, in the day that I took them by
the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt : the
covenant which they made void, and I had dominion over
them, saith the Lord. But this shall be the covenant that
I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith
the Lord : I will give my law in their bowels, and I will
write it in their heart : and I will be their God, and they
shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every
man his neighbour, and ever}^ man his brother, saying :
Know the Lord : for all shall know me trom the least of
them even to the greatest, saith the Lord: for I will for-
give their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
'Thus saith the Lord, who giveththe sun for the light of
the day, the order of the moon and of the stars, for the
light of the night : who stirreth up the sea, and the waves
thereof roar, the Lord of hosts is his name. If these ordi-
nances shall fail before me, .saith the Lord : then also the
144 THE CTTAm OF ST. TETER
seed of Israel shall fail, so as not to be a nation before me
for ever.
' Thus saith the Lord : If the heavens above cdn be
measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out
beneath, I also will cast away all the seed of Israel, for all
that they have done, saith the Lord.'
Well might St. John Chrysostom declare that, —
Horn. deCapt. 'Nothing is stronger than the Church.' 'Nothing
Hora!^Xte Exii. IS morc powcrful than the Church.' ' The Church is
stronger than heaven itself.' ' The Church is more
loved by God than heaven itself.'
Jeremias also foretells, as distinctly as others, the
continuity of succession in the house of David, which
manifestly must be understood of a spiritual suc-
cession, since the temporal has ceased long ago.
This is clearly fulfilled in the person of Christ ; but
in Him it is fulfilled continuously, whereas the pro-
phecy appears to point to a succession of occupants
of the throne of David, which can only have its
fulfilment in the Supreme Pontiff who sits on the
chair of St. Peter, established on Jesus Christ the
Son of David, and from which He Himself rules in
the person of His Vicar.
Jerrmias * Behold the days come, saith the I^ord, that I will per-
xxxiii. it-22. form the orood word that I have spoken to the house of
Israel, and to the house of Juda. In those days, and at that
time, I will make the bud of justice to spring forth imto
David, and he shall do judgment and justice in the earth.
In those days shall Juda be saved, and Jerusalem shall
dwell securely : and this is the name that they shall call
him, The Lord our just one.
' For thus saith the Lord : There shall not be cut off from
IMIEKITS THE COVENANT MADE WITH DAVID. 145
David a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel.
Neither shall there be cut off from the priests and Levites
a man before ray face, to offer holocausts, and to burn sa-
crifices, and to kill victims continually.
'And the word of the Lord came to Jeremias, saying:
Thus saith the Lord : If my covenant with the day can be
made void, and my covenant with the night, that there
should not be day and night in their season : also my
covenant with David my servant may be made void, that
he should not have a son to reign upon his throne, and
with the Levites and priests my ministers. As the stars of
heaven cannot be numbered, nor the sand of the sea be
measured : so will I multiply the seed of David my servant,
and the Levites my ministers.'
Lastly, as if our dear God would still further
protect us from the fear that our ' shortcoming '
might ' forfeit the blessings of the Gospel,' He puts
into the mouth of this prophet also, a direct assur-
ance that He will evermore preserve us from so dire
a curse, promising that He will not cease to do His
people good, and will never suffer them to revolt
from Him : —
' They shall be my people, and I will be their God. And Joromi.is
I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may
fear me all days : and that it may be well with tliem, and
with their children after them. And I will make an ever-
lasting covenant with them, and will not cease to do them,
good : and I will give my fear in their heart, that they
may not revolt from me.
' And I will rejoice over them, when I shall do them
good: and I will plant tliem in this land in truth, with my
whole heart, and with all my soul.
< For thus saith the Lord : as I have brought upon this
people all this great evil : so will I bring upon them all
the good that I now speak to them.'
VOL. I. h
xxxii. oS-42.
14G WIIEX GOD HAS TLEDGED HIS WORD,
God appeals to His past fidelity to His word, wliich
He evinced in punishing His people's sin. Under tlie
old covenant, heavy judgments were foretold and
threatened to the Je^\'ish nation as attendant on the
breach of God's law. The people broke it and the
judgments fell upon them. Under tlie new covenant,
there are still threats of judgment to individual un-
repentant sinners, and to individual churches ; but
there is not the remotest allusion to them as affecting
the Universal Church. On the contrary, our God
Vide supra. sccms ucvcr to wcary of assuring us that His cove-
nant of peace with us shall be everlasting ; His
sanctuary in the midst of us for ever. ' And
I will no more hide My face from ^/i^?//, for I have
poured out My spirit upon all the house of Israel,
saith the Lord God.' He appeals to His fidehty to
the covenant of justice, in order to increase our con-
fidence in His fidelity to the covenant of mercy.
St. James ii. 13. For His ' mcrcy exalteth itself above judgment' He
tells us that the new covenant shall not be like the
old one wdiich our fathers ' made void ' ; ' but this
shall Ijc the covenant that I will make witli the house
of Israel after those days, saith the Lord : I will give
my law in their bowels, and I will write it in their
heart : and I will be their God, and they shall be
my people ' ; and He adds, that it shall be as sure
in its duration as the order of the sun that lights
the day, and of tlie moon and the stars by night.
In the fulness of the ages ' our God was seen
upon earth,' clothed in our flesh and ljl(wd, and ere
UNBELIEF IS INEXCUSABLE.
ir
' He ascended on high,' and carried our liuman nature
to His throne of glory, He summed up all the long
centuries of prophecy, type, and promise, in one sure
pledge of His everlasting love : — Beliold I am with
you all days, even to the consummation of the world.
It has been shown that these prophecies included
the promises of unity, and of holiness, and that there
should never be any cessation of God's benefits : —
' / will give them otie heart ajid one icay, that they ^''"ie supra, p. 1 1.->.
may fear me all days : and that it may be well with
them., and with their children after them. And I will
make an everlasting covenant with them, and will not
cease to do them good : and I will give my fear in
their heart, that they may not revolt from me.^
This and much more has He pledged to us : this
and much more must be answered, by any who
think to plead before tlie judgment seat of Christ,
as an excuse for separation from His visible fold,
that man's sin has overcome God's mercy ; that
' the fulness ' of Christ's presence is ' abated ' in His
Church ; that ' He has not promised to be always
present in the same degree and the same way' ; and
that ' Holy Scripture does not say what degree of
shortcoming shall forfeit the blessings of the gospel.'
These promi.ses
leave
no excuse.
Every Christian must agree with Dr. Forbes's ex-
hortation not ' to shape the gospel into a theory that
suits us.' Let us then apply the gospel test to the
theory now before us. Let us see whether such a
theory is compatil)le witli tlie divine words and the
The theory
teste-. 1. "
Vide tupra, p. 71.
148 A IvINGDOil WHICH IS TO STAND FOR EVER,
divine precepts of the gospel ; whetlier it is possible,
at oue and the same time, to beheve the said words,
and to maintain tlie said theory ; to act on the said
theory, and to obey the said precepts.
The theory The gospel says that ' tliere shall be one fold and
ineonsistont onc slicphcrd' ; and Clirist's dying prayer is a pledge
Gospel doctrine, to US, that sucli Unity cau neither be hidden, nor
Seeaiiove'ri^. 7-u. ever faih The theory declares that this fold has
become outwardly divided; with flocks who no longer
feed or dwell together, and shepherds who are at dis-
agreement with one another. — For ' one fold and one
shepherd,' it points to separated flocks, with separated
folds and separated shepherds.
Daniel ii. 44. The prophct Daniel foretells that Christ's kingdom
upon earth ' shall never be destroj'ed,' . . . 'it
shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these
kingdoms : and itself shall stand for ever.' Now, a
kingdom is a reality ; it is visible, and tangible ; it
imphes a head to govern it. Is it replied that the
Church is ruled by Christ, invisibly, from above?
Be it so : but it requires a visible head to rule
a visible kingdom, and to preserve its visible exis-
tence. Whereas, according to the theory before
us, Christ is represented on earth by many and di-
vided Viceroys, and the peo])le and the rulers who
are said to form His one kingdom, are broken up
See extraf-n p. 73. jnto bodics ' uot at oiic witli aiiotlicr ' 'even in
grave things' ; amongst others, 'not at one' even as
to the visible church which His subjects are to obey
in His Name ; ' not at one ' as to the constitution of
CANNOT BE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF. 140
their Master's kiiigduin ; ' not at one ' as to wlietlier
it is true that He elected one chosen Apostle for His
Vicar, and ordained that the said Vicariate should
always continue, vested in that Apostle's successors ;
and therefore ' not at one ' as to His will concerning
men's obedience to the Apostolic See, which many
of them fear not to accuse of arrogant presumption.
Many more ' grave things ' there are, as will be
shown, on which Chiistian Bishops and Christian
peoples are, evidently, ' not at one with one another.'
If these all belong to one king ; if these all make up
one kingdom ; it must be to a king whose commands
may be interpreted after the varying pleasure of His
diverse subjects ; it must be a kingdom whose mem-
bers are ' not at one with another'! What is this, in
other words, but a kingdom divided against itself?
How then shall the prophecy be fulfilled ? How
then shall Christ's kingdom ' stand for ever ' ? Three
of the gospels repeat His own solemn words : —
'Every kingdom divided against itself shall be st. Matt, xii.'i.).
made desolate : and every city or house divided
against itself shall not stand.' — ' If a kingdom be st. Mark iii. 2-(, 2.5.
divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
And if a house be divided against itself, that house
cannot stand.' — ' Eveiy kingdom divided against itself St. Luke xi. 17.
shall be brought to desolation, and house upon house
shall fall.' — Which alternative is to be accepted ? The
word of God, or the theory of man ? God has said
that ' every kingdom divided against itself shall be
made desolate ' and ' cannot stand ' : yet that Christ's
150 LN'COMrATlBlLITV OF SUCH A THEORY
kingdom ' shall stand for ever.' If both these words
of the eternal Truth, be true, then that theory must
be false which assumes, that Christ's Idngdom can be
Via. sup. pp. 73, 74. di\nded ; its rulers and })eople, ' even in grave things,
not at one witli one another ' ; its ' unhappy divisions '
such, ' tliat we cannot meet, even to heal them.'
Such divisions are inconsistent with the gospel
picture of the Church, nor can it be wrested into a
shape to suit the theory that these visibly divided
bodies still are inwardl}^ one in Christ.
St. :Miitt. xvi. 18. Christ has promised that ' the gates of hell shall
not prevail against His Church.' Wliat are the ' gates
of hell ' but sins, and heresies, and schisms ; ' divi-
sions and want of love ' ? These have their place out-
side, they appertain not to Christ's kingdom. They
may find insidious entrance into the hearts of indi-
viduals within His fold, but they never shall prevail
within her, or against her, so that ' the fulness ' of her
Lord's 'Presence' should thereby become 'abated.'
The thooi7 Cut morc, — tlicrc are precepts of the gospel, which,
inconi!istont if this thcory were true, it would be utterly impos-
Gospdpocept.s. sible to obey.
St. .Mi.ik ivi. 1,3, 10. Christ sent forth His Apostles, saying : — ' Go ye
into the whole w(3rld and preach the gospel to every
creature. He that believetii and is baptized, shall be
saved : but he that belie veth not shall be con-
Kt. Matt, xviii. 17. demned.' Christ taught to His disciples : — ' If tliy
brother will not licar the Chiu'ch, let liim be to thee
as the heathen and publican.' When lie sent forth
.''t. i.uk.- X. 16. the gospel messengers, lie lold tlicm : — 'He that
WITH TllK PRECEPTS OP THE GOSPEL. 151
lieareth you, lieareth Me : uirI ho that despisctli you,
despiseth Me. And he that despiseth Me, dcspiseth
Him that sent Me.'
St. Paul accordingly admonishes us, — ' Eemember Heb. xiii. 7-9.
your prelates who have spoken the word of God to
you : whose foith follow, considering the end of
their conversation, Jesus Christ yesterday, and to-
day : and the same for ever. Be not led away with
various and strange doctrines.' . . . ' Obey n^i^^- 17.
your prelates and be subject to them.' — At the same
time, He, elsewhere, cautions us most emphatically,
' Though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a Cai. i. 8, 9.
gospel to you besides that which we have preached to
you, let him be anathema. As we said before, so now I
say again : If any one preach to you a gospel, besides
that which you have received, let him be anathema.'
Now, by what means are we to discern between
' another gospel,' which is ' anathema,' and ' the faith
once delivered to the saints,' which ' he that believeth
not shall be condemned ' ? Clearly, through the
teaching of Christ in that one Church which legiti-
mately represents to us the college of the Apostles,
to which he confided that great deposit ; and which
St. Paul declares to be ' the Church of the hving
God, the pillar and ground of the truth.' It is ad- 1 Tim. iii. lo.
mitted, on all sides, that the Eoman Catholic Church
belongs to this Church of Christ, although Anglicans
claim the same privilege for the national Church
of England. They do not call in question the apo-
stohcal descent of theKoman Catholic Bishops, though
152 LMPOSSIlilLlTV OF OBEDIENCE
they maintain tliat tlie Cliiirch of England possesses
a like succession. The theory maintains that Eome
and England are one in Christ. But these two
societies teach opposite doctrines on vital points. How
then is the true faith to be ascertained ? How are
we to distin<T;uisli it from ' various and stranoje doc-
trines ' ? If it is replied that the points of difference
are not vital, I answer that the Eoman Catholic
Church teaches that they are so, and that this varia-
tion, of itself, constitutes a discrepancy which is vital.
According to this theory of inward unity under
outward division, it is impossible for any man now to
' hear the Church.' How can we hearken in true
obedience to the Church in communion with Eome,
and at the same time listen dutifully to a community
which renounces her allegiance ? The Eoman Catholic
Church asserts that to her alone the gospel message
is committed ; that she speaks with Divine authority,
as the true and only representative of those who
were sent forth by Christ ' into the whole world, to
preach the gospel to every creature,' with the
warning that ' he that beheveth not shall be con-
demned.' England denies her exclusive mission,
refuses to bow to her authority, and disbelieves her
testimony to the gospel message. I repeat that, if
both these communions form })art of the one Church
of God, it has now become impossible for any man to
' hear the Church ' in obedience to the commands of
Christ. This is eiunigh to prove the falsehood of
the theory, for God never connnands impossibilities.
WHEN RULERS ARE DIVIDED. 153
Again, — if the Arclibishop of Westminster and the
Archbishop of Canterbury are, both of them, pre-
lates in the one church (tliough outwardly differing),
it follows that every Enghsh Christian is bound in
conscience to follow ' the faith ' of them both, to
' obey ' them both, and to ' be subject to ' them both.
If not, he is disobedient to the voice of God through
St. Paul. But no man can serve two masters, or
be subject to two prelates whose commands are in
direct opposition to each other. Ko man can follow
the faith of those who are at variance respecting the
faith. If both churches are one in Christ, then the
Prelates of both speak equally in the name of Christ,
Who said : — ' He that heareth you, heareth Me :
and he that despiseth you, despiseth Me.' How,
then, shall we escape ' despising ' Him who is our iVll,
if both these messengers are from Him ? How are
we to ' hear ' Westminster without ' despising ' Can-
terbury? How listen to Canterbury without 'de-
spising ' Westminster ? Nay, Anglicans acknowledge
Kome, at least as their Patriarchal See, yet they
refuse to ' hear ' its Bishop ; and the majority of
their communion w^ho visit the city, ' despise ' the
voice of its Pontiff; acting as if the great centre of
Christendom were, for them, a mere portion of the
diocese of Gibraltar. If it be replied that Eomc
has no title to the position which she claims, what is
this but to ' despise ' the voice of the Eoman Catholic?
Bishops throughout the w^orld, whose divine com-
mission is nevertheless acknowledged ?
154 GOSPEL PROMISES.
These are practical questions, and the gospel is a
practical religion ; and not only practical, but prac-
ticable. IIow will tliis llicory teach men to obey it ?
Is this the gospel of peace, waited for with the
expectancy of long and weary ages, by Saints, and
Seers, and Sages of all time ? This, the fulfilment of
God's sure and universal promises ? —
isaias xxx. 20. ' Thy cycs sliall see thy teacher.' — ' The work of
Ibid, xxxii. 17, 18. justicc sluill bc pcacc, and the service of justice
quietness, and security for ever. And My people
shall sit in the beauty of peace, and in the tabernacles
of confidence, and in wealthy rest.' — When com-
pared with such a prophecy, is not the theory plainly
' another gospel ' ? Hear again the prophet Eze-
Ezeeh. xxxix. 13, chicl : — ' I will feed them in the mountains of Israel,
by the rivers, and in all the habitations of the land :
I will feed them in the most fruitful pastures, and
their pastures shall be in the high mountains of
Israel : there shall they rest on the green grass, and
be fed in fat pastures ujmjii the mountains of Israel.
I will feed My sheep : and I ^vill cause thein to he
down, .saith the Lord God.'
Ibid. 2:5, 24. ' AXD I WILL SET UP ONE SlIEPIIEKD OVER THEM,
and he shall feed them, even my servant David : he
shall feed tliem, and he shall be their shepherd.
And I the Lord will be their God : and My servant
David tlie prince in the midst of them : I the Lord
have .spoken it.'
Neither the ])rophets nor the gospel tell of an out-
wardly divided Church. Let us accept their divine
teaching with the ^imphcity oi" children.
ROME AND ENGLAND AUE DIVIDED IX FAITH, lo')
The theory in question idliiins tliat, in spite of Diff.TcnccR
, . . T • • 1 1 ••IT- respecting faith.
their serious divisions, the three principal rehgious
communions of Christendom still are inwardly one in
the faith. Dr. Forbes says : — ' We bear separate See extract above,
p. 73.
witness still to the One Faith which Christ gave to
His Church, the faith of the Creeds ; we all look to
Him as truly present in His Sacraments, truly giving
His own Body and Blood ; we all hold to the Apostles'
doctrine and fellowship, teaching those same truths
which they taught, and holding sacred the descent
from them.'
It is a painful necessity when a wound must be
probed. Still, in a case of life or death, the opera-
tion is preferable to self-deception. When God's
truth is concerned, He wills not that men should
delude themselves or one another, by the cry of
' Peace, Peace,' where in His sight no peace exists.
It is with the differences between England and Pome
that Ave are most immediately and practically con-
cerned, and it would be a false charity to shrink from
exposing either their nature or their extent. Far be
it from me to widen the division or to add fuel to
the fire of strife, but a deadly wound cannot be
healed by concealment, nor are hindrances to recon-
ciliation removed by being ignored.
It is true that in one sense, the difficulties are less
than they are often imagined to be. For, if the
teaching of Pome were rightly understood, it would
commend itself to all true Christian hearts, and, so ftir
from deterring, it would draw them to her fold. Yet
it is a fallacy and a delusion to suppose that England
15G FAITH COMES BY IIEAIUXG.
Difference aiicl Eoiiie tu'c imvaixlly united in one faitli. They
iiu' ground of faith, are at variance not only respecting the articles of
the faith, but also, as to the actual foundation of the
faith ; as to the ground on which mankind are to accept
the Scriptures, and the Creeds, and the whole of the
Divine revelation, — the -whole of Christianity.
Eonian Catholics accept it all on the ever-living
ever-present, testimony of the Church of God ; of
that Church whose infallibility Anglicans assert to be
suspended. Here, at the commencement, is an irre-
concilable discrepancy on a subject which lies at the
root of the whole Christian life.
Eoin.ms X. 14, 15. St. Paul asks how men are to believe without
having heard ? And how hear ' without a preacher.^ '
' And how shall they preach unless they be sent ? '
Catechism Evcry Catliolic child is authoritatively taught in
of
cim!<tiau Doctrine, his Catechisiii that faith is ' to believe without doubt-
ing whatever God has revealed ' ; and that we are to
know what God has revealed, ' by the testimony and
authority of the Catliolic Churcli, which Christ has
appointed to teach all nations.' Here then is the
preaclicr sent by Christ Himself, without whom, as
St, Paul tells us, we cannot even hear God's truth,
and therefore cannot possibly believe it to salvation.
Thus far, it may be, both sides are agreed. But there
remains the essential question : — Where at this
moment is to be found this authorized preacher of
(Jiirist's gospel ? Wliere is now the voice of the
Catholic Clnn-ch ? On this point Eome and England
arc (hvidcd, and tlic dilTcrence is insuperable. The
Catechism I have ju.st quoled, and whose exclusive
THE CHANNEL OF THE WORD OF GOD. 1 57
use is enjoined by authority for English Catholics,
thus instructs us on the subject : —
Q. What is the Catholic Cliurch ? Ninth Article
A. The union of all the fiiithful under one Head. Creed*
Q. Who is that Head ?
A. Christ Jesus our Lord.
Q. Has not the Church a visible head on earth ?
A. Yes ; the Bishop of Eome, who is the Vicar of
Christ.
Q. Why is the Bishop of Eome the head of the Church ?
A. Because he is the successor of St. Peter, whom Christ
appointed to be the head of the Church.
Q. How do you prove that Christ appointed St. Peter to
be the head of the Church ?
A. Because he said to him : 'Thou art Peter, and upon Slatt. xvi. is, u».
this rock I will build my Chiu'ch, and the gates of hell
shall not prevail against it : and to thee will I give the
keys of the kingdom of heaven.'
Q. What is the Bishop of Rome called ?
A. He is called the Pope, which word signifies Father.
Q. Is then the Pope our spiritual Father ?
A. Yes ; he is the spiritual Father of all the faithful.
This is Eome's formal faith respecting the consti-
tution of the Catholic Church. Is it true that the
' Church of England' bears ' separate witness ' to this
same faith ? Does she accept the above as a true
description whereby to discern, in this nineteenth
century, the one exclusive Church of Christ ? From
that Church alone can we learn God's revelation.
Therefore, if we differ as to the essential marks by
which that Church must be recognised, or as to the
infallibility of her present voice, we differ as to the
very ground of all Christian belief, — we differ as to
the channel through which, at this present moment,
158 TIIR FAITH OF THE CREEDS
' the faith once delivered to the saints ' is divinely
explained to man. How can they be one in the faith,
who are at variance respecting the teacher of the faith?
It is asserted by Anglicans that the Church, in
which men are to believe, has lost her powder of
speech, or that her language is now rendered inco-
herent, through external division. Amongst Eoman
Catholics it is taught to be of faith, that the Church
is ahvays visibly united, under tlie visible ride of the
Eoman Pontiff; and that she is now, as ever, our
audible teaclier, our infalhble guide in faith and in
morals. The former hold that, for the present, her
voice is suspended ; that each man must gather her
teaching from memories long since past, as seems
right in his own eyes ; and that her ' unhappy divi-
sions ' are such, ' that we cannot meet, even to heal
them.' The latter believe in her constant outward
unity, and constant unerring voice.
Thus Eome and England are at variance as to the
foundation of the wliole Christian faith. Are they
a2;reed as to its individual Articles ?
Ubi supra. I^r. Forbcs saj^s : — ' We bear separate witness still
to the one faitli which Clirist gave to His Church, the
faith of the Creeds.' Now, such witness cannot be
given without iiiutual agreement respecting the full
sense of tlie Creeds. Mere outw^ard agreement in tlie
v:ords of the Creeds may exist without agreement as
to tlieir meaning, or as to the faith which they express.
Thus the Creed of tlie Apostles is explained by
llie Xicene Creed and llic Atliaiiasian; and no one
can be said to bear wilncss to the faitli of the first,
EXPLAIN[<:D by ROME. l')!)
unless he cordially accept the two latter as one with it.
Is it then true that Eome and England are agreed as
to ' the faith of tlie Creeds ' ? It can be only one
faith. Is it a fact that they 'bear separate witness ' to
it as such ? Do they interpret those Creeds alike ?
The large latitude which exists in the ' Cluu'ch of
England ' renders it difficult to define her teaching
very precisely. At tlie same time, there are certain
salient points of difference, which render clear and
apparent the vital separation tiiat exists in matters of
doctrine, between herself and the Eoman Catholic
Church, whose faith is definite and marked, and is
professed with no uncertain voice.
The following declarations, as to certain articles
of the Eoman faith, are taken from sources whose
authority cannot be called in question. They form
a portion of her formal and dogmatic teaching, and
I shall not hesitate to give them at greater length
than, perhaps, may seem absolutely necessary, in
order that they may be the better understood. I
begin with the authoritative Profession of Faith some-
times called the Creed of Pope Pius TV. After
reciting the Nicene Creed, which, amongst other
articles, professes belief in ' One, Holy, Catholic, and
Apostolic Church,' it proceeds as follows : —
* I most steadfastly admit and embrace the apostolical
and ecclesiastical Traditions, and all other observances and
constitutions of the same Church.
' I also admit the Holy Scriptures, according to that sense
which our holy mother the Church hath held and doth
hold, to whom it belougeth to judge of the true sense and
interpretation of the Scriptures : neither will I ever take
100 FORMAL TROFESSION OF THE FAITH,
and interpret tliem otlierwi.se tlian according to the unani-
mous consent of the Fathers.
*I also profess that there are truly and properly Seven
Sacraments of the new law, instituted by Jesus Christ our
Lord, and necessar}' for the salvation of mankind, though
not all for every one : to wit. Baptism, Confirmation, the
Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Order, and Matri-
mony : and that they confer grace : and that of these.
Baptism, Confirmation, and Order cannot be repeated
without sacrilege. I also receive and admit the received
and approved ceremonies of the Catholic Church, used in
the solemn administration of the aforesaid sacraments.
' I embrace and receive all and every one of the things
which have been defined and declared in the holy Council
of Trent concerning original sin and justification.
' I profess, likewise, that in the Mass there is offered to
Grod a true, proper, and propitiatory sacrifice for the living
and the dead. And that in the most holy Sacrament of
the Eucharist there is truly, really, and substantially the
Body and Blood, together with the soul and divinity, of
our Lord Jesus Christ ; and that there is made a conversion
of the whole substance of the bread into the Body, and of
the whole substance of the wine into the Blood ; which
conversion the Catholic Church calleth Transubstantiation.
I also confess that under either kind alone Christ is received
whole and entire, and a true Sacrament.
' I constantly hold that there is a Purgatory, and that the
souls therein detained are helped b}^ the suffrages of the
faithful.
' Likewise, that the Saints reigning together with Christ
are to be honoin-ed and invocated, and that they otfer
prayers to God for us, and that tlieir relics are to be had
in veneration.
' I most firmly assort that the Images of Christ, of the
Mother of (iod ever ^'irgin, and also of other Saints, ought
to be had and retained, and that due honour and venera-
tion are to be given them.
OUT OF AVFTICIT NO ONE CAN BE SAVED.
^Q^
' I also affirm that the power of Indulgences was left l)y
Christ in the Church, and that the use of them is most
wholesome to Christian people.
' I acknowledge the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Eoman
Church for the mother and mistress of all Churches; and I
promise true obedience to the Bishop of Rome, successor of
St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and Vicar of Jesus Christ.
' I likewise undoubtingly receive and profess all other
things delivered, defined, and declared by the sacred Canons
and Greneral Councils, and particularly by the holy Council
of Trent. And I condemn, reject, and anathematize all
things contrary thereto, and all heresies which the Church
hath condemned, rejected, and anathematized.
' I, N. N., do at this present freely profess and sincerely
hold to this true Catholic faith, out of which no one can be
saved : and I pi-omise most constantly to retain and confess
the same entire and inviolate, by Grod's assistance, to the
end of my life.'
Now, if England really bore witness to this faith,
and taught this doctrine to be the true sense of the
Creeds, there would be no need of further argument.
If her members will but accept it, and render the true
obedience here promised to the Vicar of Jesus Christ
in the person of the Eoman Pontiff, the separation
will be at end. If not, how can it be asserted that
such separation is merely outward ?
To pass on. Do Eorae and England ' bear sepa-
rate witness ' to one faith respecting the Sacraments ?
The grace of Baptism is now, practically, an open
question in the Church of England. Therefore, what-
ever may have been her witness formerly to that
article of the Creed, it is for the present at any rate
suspended.
Tho
Supreme Pontiff.
Tlu"
Sacraments.
Jiaptisni.
VOL. I.
M
162
Till-: SACREDNESS OF HOLY CHRISM.
Confirmation.
Catech. Trident.
P. II. c. 3.
Acts vi.
Cont. litt. Tc-Iil.
Lib. ii. n. 239.
I know not how the Church of Eughmd bears
witness that Confomation is a Sacrament, ' instituted
by Jesus Clmst.' In any case she has grievously muti-
lated the manner of its administration. Though re-
taining an imposition of hands and a form of prayer,
she has wholly rejected the signing on the forehead
with chrism, which is commonly taught to be essential
to the matter of the Sacrament ; and she has altered
the form of words, which, with the Greeks, is — Signa-
culum doni Spiritus Sancti ; and with the Latins — /
sign thee icith the sign of the cross, and I conjirm
thee with the chrism of salvation : In the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
This is that Holy Chrism, which, it has been said,
was delivered to the Apostles by Christ Himself;
and which, in each diocese, Hjs representative, the
Bishop, blesses every year with mysterious and
impressive rites during the Mass of Maund}" Thurs-
day. It is composed of oil and balsam, and can be
blessed on no other day. The oil fur tlie sick is
previously blessed in the same Mass ; but the chrism
immediately after the Communion. Twelve priests
assist the Bi.s]iop, six on either liand, representing the
Apostles. Behind liim are seven deacons, in memory
of the seven they ordained ; and behind these, seven
sub-deacons, as ministers. This sacred chrism is
used in all solemn consecrations, and receives pe-
culiar reverence as a special emblem of God the
IL^ly Ghost. St. Augustine terms Confirmation, the
Sacrament of Chrism.
NECESSITY OF SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION. lOo
The above-cited Profession of Faith is exphcit Tiio
on the doctrnie of the Eucharist. God be praised,
there may be many Anghcans now who will not on
that account turn away, as did the unbelieving disci-
ples in the gospisl. But how does their Church as a
body, bear witness to this article of the faith ? As
a rule, is it not contradicted by her authorities, at
least in its fulness, though there may be happy excep-
tions? May it not, in general, be denied by her clergy
with greater impimity than it can be maintained ?
God again be praised, that so many hearts in the Penance.
Church of England are awakened and awakening to
the unspeakable blessings of auricular confession, and
the importance of priestly absolution ! But wliere is
her authoritative testimony to the divine institution of
the blessed Sacrament of Penance ; and to the absolute
necessity for the fallen to have recourse to it in order
to obtain the remission of their mortal sins ? Is this
maintained or taught, even by any of those who are
laudably foremost in the advocacy of its use ? If so,
it must be from their own conviction ; it cannot in any
sense be said that the ' Church of England ' bears wit-
ness to this essential portion of the faith, or is at one
with Eome in her behef respecting it. The Council
of Trent enunciated, as follows, the formal doctrine
of the Eoman Cathohc Church on tliis subject, which
is of supreme importance to man's salvation : —
' This sacrament of Penance is, for those who have fiillen Session xiv. cli. 2.
„ , . , 1 ,• 1 i- -i. ir AVatorworth's
after baptism, necessary unto salvation ; as baptism itselt TianslMtion,
is for those who have not as yet been regenerated.' p- 9*-
M 2
104
TKACIIIXG OF TFIE COUNCIL OF TRENT
Session xiv.
Canon I.
Ibid. p. 107.
Session xiv.
Canon VI.
Ibid. p. 108.
' If any one saith, that in the Catholic Church Penance is
not truly and properly a sacrament, instituted by Christ our
Lord for reconciling the faithful unto God, as often as they
fall into sin after baptism ; let him be anathema.'
' If any one denieth, either that sacramental confession
was instituted, or is necessary to salvation, of divine right ;
or saith, that the manner of confessing secretly to a priest
alone, which the Church hath ever observed from the be-
ginning, and doth observe, is alien from the institution and
command of Christ, and is a human invention ; let him be
anathema.'
If this be the faitli of tlie Church of England, liow
awful is the o-uilt of her silence !
Extreme Unction.
Session xiv.
Waterwortb's
Transljition,
pp. 104-107.
It manifestly cannot be asserted that the Church of
England bears any kind of witness to the same faith
with Eome respectmg the blessed Sacrament of Ex-
treme Unction : which was instituted by our merciful
Lord to convey help and spiritual support to the
sick in the hours of their decisive trial ; to heal and
strengthen their souls ; to fortify them against the
assaults of Satan in their last agony ; or to restore
them to bodily health if God should see it expedient.
The holy Council of Trent, after treating of the
Sacrament of Penance, proceeds to instruct the
faitliful respecting that of Extreme Unction, upon
wliich sul)ject I extract tlie decrees in full : —
. ' ON TUE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME UNCTION.
' It hath also seemed good to the holy Synod, to subjoin,
to the preceding doctrine on Penance, the following on the
sacrament of Extreme Unction, which by the Fathers was
regarded as l)eing the completion (consummativum), not
only of penance, but also of the whole Christian life, which
ON THE SACRAMEXT OF EXTREME UNCTIOX. ^^'u^
ought to be a perpetual penance. First, therefore, as re-
gards its institution. It (U^clares and teaches, that our most
gracious Redeemer, — who would have His servants at all
times provided with salutary remedies against all the wea-
pons of all their enemies, — as, in the other sacraments, He
prepared the greatest aids, whereby, during life. Christians
may preserve themselves whole from every more grievous
spiritual evil, so did He guard the close of life, by the
sacrament of Extreme Unction, as with a most firm defence.
For though oar adversary seeks and seizes opportunities,
all our life long, to be able in any way to devour our souls ;
yet is there no time wherein he strains more vehemently all
the powers of his craft to ruin us utterly, and, if he can pos-
sibly, to make us fall even from trust in the mercy of God,
than when he perceives the end of our life to be at hand.'
CHAPTER L
ON THE INSTITUTION OF THE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME
UNCTION.
'Now, this sacred unction of the sick was instituted by
Christ our Lord, as truly and properly a sacrament of the
new law, insinuated indeed in Mark, but recommended and
promulgated to the faithful by James the Apostle, and
brother of the Lord. Is any man, he saith, sick among St. James v. 1 1, lo.
you'? Let J dm bring in the priests of the Church, and let
them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name
of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick
man ; and the Lord shall raise him up ; and if he be in
sins, they shall be forgiven him. In which words, as the
Church has learned from apostolic tradition, received froni
hand to hand, he teaches the matter, the form, the proper
minister, and the effect of this salutary sacrament. For
the Church has understood the matter thereof to be oil
blessed by a Bishop. For the unction very aptly repre-
sents the grace of the Hf)ly Grhost, with which the soul of
the sick person is invisibly anointed ; and furtheruioi'c, that
those words, " By this miction," &c. Sic, are the form.'
lOG TEACIIlX(i OF Tilt: COUNCIL OF TKENT
CHAPTER II.
ON THE EFFECT OF THIS SACRAMENT.
' Moreover, the thing signified {res) and the effect of this
sacrament are explained in those words ; And the prayer
of faith shcill save the sick man, and the Lord shall raise
him iq?, and if he he in sins they shall he forgiven him.
For the thing here signified is the grace of the Holy Ghost;
whose anointing cleanses away sins, if there be any still to
be expiated, as also the remains of sins ; and raises up and
strengthens the soul of the sick person, by exciting in him
a great confidence in the Divine mercy ; whereby the sick
being supported, bears more easily the inconveniences and
pains of his sickness ; and more readily resists the tempta-
Geii. iii. 1'). tions of the devil, who lies in wait for his heel; and at
times obtains bodily health, when expedient for the welfare
of the soul.'
CHAPTER III.
ON THE MINISTER OF THIS SACEAMENT, AND ON THE TIME
WHEN IT SHOULD BE ADMINISTERED.
* And now as to prescribing who ought to receive, and
who to administer, this sacrament, — this also was not ob-
scurely delivered in the words above cited. For it is there
also shown, that the proper ministers of this sacrament are
the Presbyters of the Church ; by which name are to be
understood, in that place, not the elders by age, or the fore-
most in dignity amongst the people, but, either bishops,
1 Tim. iv. 11. or priests by bishops rightly ordained hythe imposition of
the hands of the priesthood. It is also declared, that this
imction is to be applied to the sick, but to those especially
who lie in such danger as to seem to be about to depart
this life ; whence also it is called the sacrament of the
(k'[)arting. And if the sick should, after having received
this unction, recover, they may again be aided by the suc-
cour of this sacrament, when they fall into another like
danger of death. Wherefore, they are on no account to be
hearkened to, who, against so manifest and clear a sentence
ON THE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME UNCTION. 107
[sententiam) of tlie Apostle James, teach, either tliat tliis
unction is a human figment or is a rite received from the
Fathers, which neither has a command from Grod, nor a
promise of grace : nor those who assert that it has already
ceased, as though it were only to be referred to the grace
of healing in the primitive church ; nor those who say that
the rite and usage which the holy Eoman Church observes
in the administration of this sacrament is repugnant to the
sentiment of the Apostle James, and that it is therefore to
be changed into some other : nor, finally, those who affirm
that this Extreme Unction may without sin be contemned
by the faithful : for all these things are most manifestly at
variance with the perspicuous words of so great an apostle.
Neither, assuredly, does the Eoman Church, the mother and
mistress of all other churches, observe aught in adminis-
tering this unction, — as regards those things which con-
stitute the substance of this sacrament, — but what blessed
James has prescribed. Nor indeed can there be contempt
of so great a sacrament without a heinous sin, and an
injury to the Holy Ghost Himself. These are the things
which this holy CEcumenical Synod professes and teaches
and proposes to all the faithful of Christ, to be believed and
held, touching the saci-aments of Penance and Extreme
Unction. And it delivers the following canons to be in-
violably preserved ; and condemns and anathematizes those
who assert what is contrary thereto.'
Two of the canons here referred to, respecting
Penance, have already been given. I subjoin the
three first of those which regard Extreme Unction : —
' Canon I.^ — If any one saith, that Extreme Unction is Ibid. pp. no. in.
not truly and properly a sacrament, instituted by Christ
ovir Lord, and promulgated by the blessed Apostle James ;
but is only a rite received from the Fathers, or a human
figment ; let him be anathema.'
* Canon IL — If any one saith, that the sacred unctiuu
108 IT IS A CELESTIAL MEDICIXE
of the sick does not confer grace, nor remit sins, nor com-
fort {alleviare, raise up) the sick; but that it has already
ceased, as though it were of ohi only the grace of working
cures ; let him be anathema.'
* Canon III. — If any one saith, that the right and usage
of Extreme Unction, which the holy Roman Church ob-
serves, is repugnant to the sentiment of the blessed apostle
James, and that it is therefore to be changed, and ma}^, with-
out sin, be contemned by Christians ; let him be anathema.'
Eireiiioon, Dr. PiisGy appcars to think that there is no ground,
pp. — , - , L c, ^ g^^pQpt tl^Q custom of the Church, why Extreme
Unction should not be used in England.' It is
perfectly certain, as has been before observed, that
there is no single point on which the Roman doc-
trine on any subject, need create a difficulty amongst
earnest-minded and rchgious men, if only it were
rightly understood. But as things are and have been
for the last three centuries, it certainly cannot be
maintained that the Church of England has borne
any sort of witness to the same faith as that of Rome
respecting this holj* sacrament ; and, if she beheves
in it at all, it is inconceivable how she can have so
systematically withheld it from her members.
ExpiiinatioiiK. This leads to a digression, which I hope will
n(jt be thought unseasonable. An opportunity for
exi)lanation should never be allowed to escape ; and
the remarks upon this subject in the ' Eirenicon,'
expressly invite an explanation.
Object First, I ask permission to correct the error into
Kxtmno Unction, wliicli tlic Icumed autlior of that work has fallen
Kirciiicou, p. 223. wlien lie says, that ' the Roman Church j^ractically
FOR TlIK SOUL AM) FOK THE J30DV. Kit)
looks upon Extreme Unction as a mere preparation
for death.'
The practice of the Roman Cliurcli is at one witli
lier doctrine. The teaching of the Council of Trent
has been already stated. Pope Eugenius IV. also
instructed the Armenians, at the Council of Florence,
that the effects of Extreme Unction were — ' the ifaniouin,
healing of the mind ; and, so far as it is expedient, of Tom. ix. coi. 440.
the body itself also. — Effectus vera est mentis sanatio ;
et, in quantum auteni expedite ipsius etiam corporis.
The first provincial council of Cologne (a.d, 1536), Pars \\\. cap. 49,
. , „,-, Hardoiiin ix.
after treatuig of the other sacraments, says : — ' ihere coi. 2011.
remains Extreme Unction, which (since in death
there is the last conflict) is applied, that either the
sick may recover, if God see fit, or in faith and good
hope may fall asleep in the Lord.'
Hugo of St. Victor writes respecting it : — ' First, De Sacramentis,
the soul is cured, then the body is healed. The body He aii-d A.n. ii'4i>.
is sick for the correction of the soul. Therefore, in
order to obtain the health of the body, the soul must
first be cured. And if, perchance, the body is not re-
established in its former vigour, there is no danger
if only the soul shall have received its healtli.'
The Eoman Eitual teaches as follows : —
'The Sacrament of Extreme Unction, which was iusti- Kitualc Romamim,
-.. . T 1 1 1- 1 T • r i.1 Do Saoniiiirnto
tuted by Christ our Lord, as a celestial medicine, tor the irxtnniK Luctionis
health {salutaris) not only of the soul, but also of the
body, is with all zeal and diligence to be applied to
those who are dangerously sick; and, indeed, if possible,
at that time when their mind and reason are still in full
vigour : so that, in order to their fuller reception of the
170 IT WAS INSTITUTED ONLY FOR
grace of the sacrament, they may also on their part con-
tribute faith, and tlie pious will of the mind, whilst they
are anointed with the holy oil.'
Extreme Unction can never be given to anyone
whose life is endangered otherwise than by sickness,
as it would be if ' practically looked npon as a mere
preparation for death.' I subjoin the teaching of
the Tridentine Catechism on this point, and as to the
proper time for its aclministration : —
r. II. chap. %-i. * The faithful are to be taught that, although this
sacrament appertains to all, certain classes of persons are
excepted, to whom it is not to be administered. And in
the first place are excepted persons in sound health ; for
that to them Extreme Unction is not to be given, the
St. James V. li. Apostle also teaches, when he says: "Is any one sick
among you ? " and reason shows, for it was instituted to be
medicinal not only to the soul, but also to the body. As,
then, those onl}^ that labour under disease have occasion
for cure, so also this sacrament ought to be administered
to those who seem to be so dangerou.sly ill that it may be
feared lest their last day of life should be near. Those,
however, sin very grievously {r/ravissirae — a word which
denotes raortal sin) who are wont to observe that time of
anointing a sick person when, all hope of recovery having
been already lost, he is beginning to grow dead and sense-
less ; for it is obvious that it avails very much to a more
abundant reception of the grace of the .sacrament, if the sick
man be anointed with the sacred oil whilst the mind and
rea.'jon are .still in vigour, and he can bring to its reception
faith and the religious will of tlie mind. Wherefore, parish
priests must take care to apply this heavenly medicine, by
its own power at all times most salutary, then especially
when they see that its efficacy will also be increased by the
piety and devotion of those to whom it is to be administered.
'To no one, therefore, who is not visited bv grievous sick-
PEKSOXS DANGEROUSLY SICK. 171
ness, is it lawful to give the sacrament of Unction, even
though he is about to incur risk of life ; either by under-
taking a perilous voyage, or by engaging in battle from
which certain death may impend over him, or even though,
condemned to capital punishment, he should be hurried off
to execution. Furthermore, all who want the use of reason,
are not fit to receive this sacrament ; nor are children, who
are not guilty of any sins, from the remains of which they
would have occasion to be healed by the remedial efficacy
of this sacrament ; nor yet idiots nor madmen, unless they
have sometimes the use of reason, and then in particular
give signs of piety, and ask to be anointed with the sacred
oil. For a person who, from his very birth, never had the
use of his mind and reason, is not to be anointed ; but if
the sick person, whilst yet in sound mind, wished to be
made a partaker of this sacrament, and subsequently
became insane and delirious, he is to be anointed.'
Cardinal Bellarmine's teaching is the same : —
' Many,' he says, ' fall into a great error, in not wishing Explanation
to receive this Sacrament till the moment of their passing r,, • ,- "V, ^ •
1 _ * Christian Doctrine,
away ; but the proper time to take it is when the physicians revised
judge the malady to be dangerous, and when human reme- '^ i^lPfhp
dies do not appear to be sufficient ; and therefore recourse Van. Consrepition
is then had to heavenly remedies, and so, not seldom it
happens that the sick person is healed by means of the holy
oil. Therefore this holy sacrament should not be asked
for, when we are not in danger of death, nor yet ought it
to be postponed till there is no more any hope. And this
is the reason why the holy oil is not given to those who are
about to be executed, because such persons are not sick,
nor have they any hope of life.'
The matter of the Sacrament is oil (which must
be from olives only) blessed by a bishop. This
blessing is given with ceremonial and great solemnity
during the mass of Maundy Thursday, the bishop
of the Eeform.
172 Tin-: matter and form of extreme unction.
leaving the altar for the purpose between the conse-
cration and communion. The Eoman (Tridentine)
Catechism observes, concerning the holy oil : —
Part II. chapter vi. « This matter most aptly signifies that which is effected
inwardly in the soul hy virtue of the Sacrament. For as
oil is very efficacious in mitigating bodily pain, so does the
virtue of this ISacrament alleviate the sadness and anguish
of the soul. Oil also restores health, brings cheerfulness,
and affords, as it were, food to light ; whilst it is also very
well calculated to restore the strength of a wearied body.
All which things declare the effects produced in the sick
person by divine power through the administration of this
Sacrament.'
The form of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction
consists in the following prayer, which is repeated
at the anointing of each organ of the senses : —
' Through this holy unction t^t and through His most
loving mercy, may the Lord forgive (or indulge) thee
[indulgeat tibi) whereinsoever thou hast trespassed
[quidquid deliquisti) by sight, hearing, &c. &c.' —
These words breathe more than the mere forgive-
ness of the guilt of sin ; they imply a fulness of
merciful indulgence.
The Eoman Catechism observes that the depreca-
tory form is intimated by St. James, and thus ex-
plains it : —
ULi suiira. ' Nor let anyone be surprised tJjat, whilst the form of
tiie other sacraments either absolutely signifies what the
sacrament effects, as when we say, " I baptize thee ; " or " I
sign thee with the sig)i of the cross; "or is pronounced,
as it were, by way of conminiid, as wlien,in administering
the Sacrament of Order, it is said, " Eeceive power ; " this
'THE TRAYER OF FAITH SHALL SAVE THE SICK.' ITo
form alone of Extreme Unction is accomplislied l)y a
certain prayer. For with very good reason has that been
ordained ; for since this sacrament is administered, in order
that, besides the spiritual grace whicli it imparts, it may
also restore health to the sick ; yet because it does not
always follow that the sick recover from their illness, there-
fore does the form consist of a prayer in order that we may
obtain from the goodness of God that which the virtue of
the sacrament is not wont to effect in a constant and con-
tinual order. Peculiar rites, however, are employed in the
administration of this sacrament also, but the chief part of
them contains prayers which the priest uses to obtain health
for the sick person. For there is no other sacrament which
is accomplished (coyificiahvr) with more prayers ; and with
reason, for at that time most especially are the faithful to
l)e assisted by pious prayers. Therefore also all others who
may happen to be then present, and paiticularly parish
priests, ought to pray to Grod with all their heart, and with
all earnestness to commend to the divine n.ercy the life
and salvation of the sufferer.'
In the Eoman Eitual, immediately after the order
for administering Extreme Unction, there follow the
seven penitential psalms with the litanies, under the
heading — 'For the sick, whilst they are being
anointed with the sacred oil, or for other necessity.'
I have dwelt at some lengtli on the special pro-
minence given to prayer in connection with Extreme
Unction, because it tends to explain certain passages
in wliicli its effects appear to be attributed to the
prayer, apart from the anointing. But, just as the
term ' holy oil,' which is only the matter of the
sacrament, is frequently used to express the sacra-
ment itself, without mention of the prayer which is its
174 THE PRAYERS OF THE RITUAL COXTAIX
essential form., so it may easily happen that the single
word oratio is likewise employed at times, as suffi-
ciently designating the whole of the Sacrament.-^ Thus
Ch. V. 15. St. James, in his Epistle, seems to use the expression
in this sense ; and the Eoman Catechism also, in
the following exhortation to faith and confidence : —
ULi supra. ' Let parish priests strive to persuade the sick man to
offer himself to the priest to be anointed, with that faith
with which of old those who were to be healed by the
Apostles were wont to offer themselves. But first there
is to be sought the salvation of the soul, then the healtli
of the body, with this adjunct, if it should be profitable for
eternal glory. Nor indeed ought the faithful to doubt,
that those holy and solemn prayers are heard by God,
which are' used by the priest, not in his own person, but
in that of the Church, and of our Lord Jesus Christ.'
Two, if not all, of the three following collects, used
after the anointiiiii, i)ray expressly for the healing of
the body : —
Rituale Romainim, ' Lord God Almighty, who hast spoken b}^ thine Apostle
Ordo Extmn. James, saying: "Is any man sick among you? let him
bring in the priests of the Church, and let them pray over
' In a note at p. 22G of the ' Eirenicou,' the following quotation
is given from ' a catena ' to .show, that, ' in Victor, the efficacy is
ascribed to the prayer': — 'The oil, then, wherewith one is
anointed, signifies both the mercy from God and the healing of
the disease, and the illumining of the heart. For that 2JJai/er
irorketh all is plain to evei-yone ; hut the oil is the symhol of these
thiufjs.' The passage is from the Catena Aurea of St. Thomas
Aquinas on St. Mark vi. 13, and it is there attributed to St. John
Chrysostom ; but critics say it is from Victor of Antioch. I
subjoin the original : — ' Significat autem oleum imctionis Dei
misericordiam, infirmitatis medelani, et cordis illuminationem ;
f/i/od totum (ii-alio ope rat nr.'' The word oratio is evidently here
tisod for the whole S.-ifnnnciit. The italics are my own.
SPECIAL MENTION OF BODILY HEALING. 175
him, anointing- him with oil in tlie name of the Lord, and
the prayer of faith shall save the sick man ; and the Lord
shall raise him up : and if he be in sins, the}'- shall be fur-
given him :" cure, we beseech thee, our Eedeemer, by the
grace of the Holy Spirit, the languors of this sick man ;
heal his wounds, and forgive his sins : drive out from him
all pains of mind and body, and mercifully restore to him
full health, inwardly and outwardly, that, being recovered
by the help of thy mercy, he may return to his former
duties. Who, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest
and reignest Grod, world without end. Amen.'
* Regard, we beseech thee, Lord, thy servant, N.
exhausted under the infirmity of his body, and revive the
soul which thou hast created ; that being amended by
chastisements, he may perceive himself to be saved by thy
remedy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.'
' holy Lord, Almighty Father, eternal God, who, bs^
infusing the grace of thy blessing into sick bodies, dost
preserve, by thy manifold goodness, the work of tliy hands,
graciously be present at the invocation of thy name, that,
delivering thy servant from sickness, and bestowing health
upon him, thou mayst raise him up by thy riglit hand,
strengthen him by thy might, defend him by thy power,
and restore him to thy Holy Church, with all desired jiro-
sperity. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.'
It is, then, evident, that the healing of the body,
when God sees lit, is prominently regarded as one
of the effects of Extreme Unction. But undoubtedly,
as with all the sacraments, its primary end is spiri-
tual ; nor can the words of St. James be restricted
to the body. It is a healing balm for all spiritual
Avounds ; a celestial cordial for all spiritual languors.
In the words of our Entrlish Catechism : — ' It com- chupiti- vi.
170
^nSTAKRX MOTIVES FOR THE
forts the soul in her last agony, it remits sin, and
also restores health when God sees it to be expedient.'
The Church's practice accords with her teaching.
Her working clergy could produce instances in abun-
Eirenieon, p. 219. dauce, rescmbliug the one quoted on the authority of
a Eussian Priest of a man raised up three times from
dangerous illness by means of Extreme Unction.
Practice
of the
Church.
Postponement
of the
Sacraments.
Custom
previous to
the
Council of Trent.
Eiren. p. 22
The Chiuxh, as may be seen above, urgently
exhorts her children not to postpone the reception
of Extreme Unction to the last moment of their
lives. But we all know how often sick men will
not own themselves in danger ; and how the false
kindness of friends conceals from them their peril,
and shrinks from calling thefr attention to the neces-
sity of preparation, whether as to their spiritual or
even their temporal concerns. Thus, if the sacra-
ments are too often delayed till the end, it is not
through the fault of the Church or of her ministers,
but it arises from the human weakness of so many of
her individual children. Nor is this reluctance to
contemplate the approach of death by any means
peculiar to Cathohcs.
The 'Eirenicon' refers to an 'abuse before the
Counril of Trent, Avhcn Extreme Unction was cus-
tomarily athninistered to those only, of whom there
was a moral certainty that they could not recover ;
and, if they should recover, it was a question whether
it ^^liould be again administered to them when they
should af^ain l)e sick.'
The 'Eirenicon' docs not imply that this abuse
posTPO^'^]^rEXT of extreme uxctiox. 1 1 7
was in any way sanctioned by authority ; but it may
be questioned how far it had become 'customary'
excepting witli the ignorant. Certainly it would he
manifestly contrary to the mind of the Church. It
may be seen above how strongly it is condemned in
the Eoman Catechism ; and tlie afore-cited decree of Hard. Acta Concii.
Pope Eugenius IV., a century before tlie Council of
Trent, expressly taught, that the proper subject for
extreme unction is ' a sick person for whose deatli
there is apprehension (de cujus morte timetur).'
But, it is undoubtedly a fact, that tlie abuse of
putting off tliis sacrament to tlie last, was too common
at one time, amongst the more ignorant of the people.
Benedict XIV. observes, that but a slight knowledge instit.Ecciesiast.
of ecclesiastical history will suffice to show, that the
evil custom of putting off Extreme Unction till tlie
very j^oint of death, arose out of a false notion
whicli pervaded Great Britain in tlie 13th century,
that a sick person who recovered after receiving it,
must afterwards lead a life of entire continence, even
if married ; and must never more eat flesh meat, or
walk with naked feet (perhaps out of respect for the
holy oil with which the feet had been anointed). He
says elsewhere that this foolish idea seized upon De Synod. Dicp^-cs.
many minds. It was productive of great evil ; leading ' ' ^'"' '^^' ''
ignorant persons to postpone, and incur a risk of alto-
gether losing, the Sacrament of Extreme Unction ; as
is stated in the decrees of the Synods of Worcester Hard. Acta Concii.
(an. 1240) and Exeter {an. 1287), both of which coi. saTanVi'iosi.
condemn the error as heresy. They speak also of
VOL. I. N
liS THE CIIUKCH HAS WAKNED HER CIOLDREX
tlic twofold end of this sacrament, both for soul
and body; and the last-named Synod further enjoins
on parish priests to instruct their people that it may
lawfully be repeated. Directions against the same
Quoted i.y crror are found also in the Constitutions of Eichard,
inTo'co citato. Bishop of Sahsbury, a.d. 1217. Later, there arose a
foolisli notion, tliat no one could make a will after
Hard. Acta Concii. haviug receivcd Extreme Unction. This was con-
toni. X. col. 1746. ^ -^^ i • a -I -\r T -ir>r\<-r
demned by a l5elgian feynod, at JMalmes, a.d. 10U7.
De Synod. Dioeces. ' In our owu age,' adds Benedict XIV., ' the faithful
Ubi eupra. „ „ , . -■ . ,
are n'ee from these prejudices, but nevertheless the
enemy of man has instilled the notion into many
ignorant and uncultivated minds, that there is an end
of this life for any one who is anointed, and that the
tomb alone remains for him.' He then shows that one
effect of the sacrament is to heal the body as well as
the soul, if God sees it expedient ; and concludes : —
' Therefore the end of hfe, when he is now breathing
his last, is not to be waited for for the anointing
of the sick : for tlie sacrament does not work this
effect by way of miracle, as would be necessary
under those circumstances, but by a certain virtue —
supernatural it is true, but in some sense ordinary —
which assists the natural causes.'
Sum. Theoi. St. Autoniuus tauglit :— 'This sacrament (of Extreme
Unction), when devoutly received, increases grace,
which is the health of the soul ; nay, it also sometimes
remov^es the sickness of the body, gradually restoring
its strength, when indeed it is decreed for any one to
rf"^overfrom sickness, and if siicli l)e profitable for the
Pars. IJI. Tit. 14,
cap. viii.
He died
A.D. H.JO.
AGAINST THESE DEVICES OF Till': EXEMV. 17'.)
salvation of his soul, which is prinripally to be sought
for. But even if it should be decreed that they should
die, yet death is not hastened by receiving this sacra-
ment, as is thought by some foolish people. Nor
ought it to be deferred till the last, when understand-
ing and devotion are no longer possible.'
This is one with the doctrine of our own day. Prieipot. Thcoiog.
Thus, Father Perrone teaches, that, although Ex- cap. ii. 43.
-r-r . ■ r .1 • i • i T " • • Ed. 31ma Taur. et
treme Unction is tor the grievously sick alone, it is Mcdioi. 1866.
not meant that it should be postponed till tlie very
last. ' Such mode of acting,' he adds, ' is against the
mind of the church, and contrary to the secondary
end of the sacrament, which is to confer health, if
expedient to the salvation of the soul. For since
this sacrament does not produce this effect by way
of miracle, it ought not to be deferred till a miracle
may be necessary.'
Benedict XIV. says that, towards the end of tlie Thedoctrino
eleventh and early part of the twelfth century, and repetition of
, n • • xi . T^ ' . t^i'*^ Sacrament.
even later, some were 01 opuuon that iixtrcme De Synod. Diceoes.
Unction could not be repeated. On the other hand, ' ' ^"'" ^^^''
there were those who thought that it might be re-
peated even during one and the same state of danger
from illness. Sardagna, however, observes that it isThcoi. Dogm.-Poiem.
^ ... . De Extrem. Unct.
uncertain whether the repetitions in question were No. 395.
not merely ceremonial. However this may be,
Benedict XIV. states also that the usually received
and approved doctrine was that which was afterwards
infallibly confirmed by the Council of Trent — viz.
n2
180 KXTHKMK UNTTION CAN' BE REPEATED
that Extreme Unction can be repeated if the sick
should recover after receiving it, on the recurrence of
' another hke danger of death.' The instruction in
De Sacramento the Eomau Pdtual interprets this by the direction,
Estremse Unctionis. , . i • i -n i
that It cannot be repeated \n the same ilmess unless
it be one of long duration, in wliich the sick person
after recovery shall relapse into danger of death.
The manner in wliich the subject was discussed by
IV. Lib. Sentent. Peter Lombard, the Master of the Sentences, shows
TJist. xxiii.
that in his day (the twelfth century) there was a de-
gree of doubt upon it (arising from a fear of dis-
respect to the sacrament). But he says that Extreme
Unction ' is repeated often in nearly all the Church
(in onini pene Ecclesid scepe repetitur).' In the
thirteenth century, St. Thomas taught precisely the
same doctrine on this point as that which the Church
confirmed at Trent in the sixteenth. He says : —
3ti;e partis Kupplp- * No Sacramental, or sacrameut which has perpetual
in'i'Lib .^Tpnt effect, ought to be repeated, because thus it would appear
ili.st. xxiii. q. ii. that the sacrament was not of sufficient efficacy for that end,
and so a wrong would be done to that sacrament. Rut a
sacrament whicli has an effect which is not perpetual, may
be repeated without wrong to it, that the effect whicli is lost
may be recovered by its repetition : and since the health
of body and mind {sanitas corporis et mentis), which are
the effects of this sacrament, may be lost after they have
been wrought by the .sacrament, therefore this sacrament
may be repeated without aii}- wrong to itself.'
Again he say.s : —
It'id. ' This sacrament does not regard the sickness alone, but
also the state of the sickness, because it ought only to be
given to those sick persons, who, according to human
WITHOUT DISRESPECT TO THE SACRAMENT. ISl
judgment, appear to be drawing uear to death. For some
sicknesses are not lingering ; so that if the sacrament is
given in these cases, at the time that the person arrives
at a state when he is in danger of death, he does not
leave that state unless the sickness is cured, and so he ought
not again to be anointed : but if he should sutFcr a relapse,
it will be another attack of the sickness, and there can be
another anointing. But some sicknesses are of long dura-
tion, as hectic fevers, and dropsy, and others of this sort ;
and in such diseases the unction should only be made when
they appear to bring on danger of death ; and if the person
passes that point while the same sickness lasts, and is again
reduced to a similar state by that sickness, he can again be
anointed, because it is, as it were, another state of sickness,
although it is not simply another sickness.'
Such was llie doctrine of the Angelic Doctor ; and
it was that also of St. Bonaventure, styled the Sera-
phic Doctor, and of others ; tliree centuries before
the Council of Trent.
The ' Eirenicon ' very reasonably asks for an expla- sins remitted
bv
nation of the dogma that Extreme Unction ' remits Extreme'unciiou
sins ; ' it beins; a sacrament for persons in a state of Eirenieon.
, , . . . • 1 • , IT- 223-227.
grace, and not being ' given to remit venial sin.
Bellarmine also is quoted to show that theologians
differ as to what is intended by ' remains of sin.'
Now the Canon defines that Extreme Unction Explanation.
remits sins, but it does not say, deadly sins ; nor
that the remission of sins, either venial or mortal, is
the primary object for which it is given. All that is
of faith is, that remission of sins is one of the effects
of Extreme Unction. There is no question thai a
conscious state of mortal fiuilt is an obstacle to its
182 INSTANCES IN AVIIICII EXTREME UNCTION
graces. But it is conmiouly tauglit tluit it will remit
even mortal sin in one invincibly ignorant of it^ and
otherwise properly disposed ; or in one become
incapable of any moral act, provided that, at the
moment wlien he lost his mental faculties, he pos-
sessed that imperfect contrition which, under such
circumstances^ would suffice for this sacrament, but
of itself, be insufficient for justification. It is un-
necessary to discuss whether, under the pressure of
Eircn. p. 224. sickucss or mortal agony, even ' one of well-instructed
conscience ' might not be invincibly ignorant of a
state of mortal sin. For many dying pei'sons who
receive the sacraments are, unhappily, without the
habits of a well-instructed conscience.
It is true that opinions differ as to how far such
guilt appertains to the ' remains of sin,' and as to
the mode in which the sacrament of Extreme Unction
remits it ; but this difference does not regard the
De Synod. Diceces. dogina. Sucli points, saj^'S Benedict XIV., curiose
lib. viii. cap. 7. , ... . ,
niagis, qiiam utihier, investigant ScJiolastici.
The Eoman Ritual expressly refuses Extreme
Unction ' to the impenitent, to those who die in
manifest mortal sin, to the excommunicated, and to
I'ait ii. i-bap. 6. tlie unbaptized.' ' Kothing,' says the Tridentine Cate-
cliism, ' is more opposed to the grace of this sacra-
ment than tlie consciousness of any mortal sin.'
Accordingly, if possible, it is invariably preceded
l^y sacramental c(jnfession and absolution ; and, by
})rescnt custom, the Holy Eucharist is also previously
administered. But these sacraments may have been
defectively I'eceived ; the sick man nuiy have un-
WILL RKMIT EVKX GRIEVOUS .SL\S. 183
consciously failed in the requisite dispositions ; or,
tlirougli cidpable iguoi'ance, or even knowingly, lie
may have concealed some mortal sin, thus adding
guilt to guilt. Or, strong temptation may have
betrayed him into some mortal sin of thought, even
after a good confession and communion. He may
have subsequently lost his reason before he has made
a sign ; but not before God's watchful mercy has
aroused him (if only through the fear of judgment)
to some degree of sorrow, together with hope of par-
don, and resolution not to sin again. In short, his
dispositions in themselves may be insufficient for
justification, but such as to become sufficient through
the grace of the sacrament. In which cases Ex-
treme Unction remits guilt, supplies defects, and
rescues the immortal soul from the jaws, as it were,
of hell.
Again, a man's reason may fail utterly, or be sus-
pended by delirium. An unforeseen accident or
sudden lit may paralyze the senses and take away
all consciousness. No confession can be made nor
wish for absolution manifested. Eternity is at the
door and mortal guilt is on the soul. But that same
grace of attrition may have been in tlie heart when the
moral action ceased ; and if God has seen it there,
Extreme Unction will remit the guilt. Such is the
case referred to, as follows, by Pope Benedict XIV. : —
' It is to be presumed of every one of the faithful, eon- De Syuo<l. I)i..v.s,
cerning whom the contrary is not manifest, that he would ^''^- ^''"" *^"'*P" ^''' '^•
have sought this sacrament if he could. All, as it seems to
us, should be furtitied with Extreme Unction, who, l)eing
ISi THE rowKii OF extheme lwction.
oppressed by the suddeu force of disease, are deprived of
their senses, and unable to signify any desire for the sacra-
ment ; and those especially whose known piety and faith
afford an evident argument of their desire, which they would
signify if they could. This practice indeed is approved by
instnut.Extr.Unct. St. Thomas, all the Ivituals, &c., &c., and St. Charles
P. 2. De Sacramentis, Borronieo. — Nay, Suarez observes that it is most neces-
'''^' ' 8 • sj^i-y to assist such a sick person, deprived of his senses
and incapable of the other sacraments, with the remedy of
Extreme Unction : "Because," he says, "one of the princi-
pal ends of this sacrament is to supply the place of the
Sacrament of Penance, either when that cannot be applied,
or when, in fact, it is not applied with sufficient utility."
On this account many theologians permit a priest to inter-
rupt mass, in order to administer Extreme Unction to a
sick person near to death, to whom no other sacrament
could be given ; because in such case, by Extreme Unc-
tion alone, if he have sufficient attrition, he can obtain
the first grace of justification, which it is possible he may
stand in need of.'
St. James V. 15. It shoulcl be obscrved, that the words of the Tri-
dentine decree, like those of St. James, are condi-
tional : — ' If lie be in sins, they sliall be forgiven him.'
Riinains of Hill. Thcolugians eonnuonly understand by the 're-
mains of sin,' in the first ])lace, the evil effects which
sins have wrought upon the soul; sucli as mental
languor, torpoi', sadness, over-anxiety, trouble ofcon-
sc;ience, blindness and deadness to spiritual things,
di-ead of the world to come, weakness and inability
to raise the mind to heaven, distrust of God, de-
sjwndency, and the like ; which are wont to oppress,
iind (li^lmb. and ener\ate the spiiit, and tempt the
soul t()des])air, especially at the jipproach of death.
IT REMOVIOS THE KEMAIXS Of SINS. 185
St. Alphoiisiis Ligiiori says : — ' Ba])ti5m aud Pen- Thooi. MoimI.
ance differ from Extreme Unction, inasmuch as tliey Tract v. x.i. 731.
are instituted principally to blot out actual or original
sin ; but Extreme Unction (as St. Thomas teaches) is
instituted principally to remove tlie remains of sins —
namely, the debility and infirmity which remain
from actual sin ; but because the remains cannot be
removed when sin is found in the soul unless the sin
be first removed, therefore, as a consequence (eu:
consequenti), this sacrament takes away sin.'
Father Perrone explains the meaning of the term Prseieet. Theoiog.
' remains of sin,' as follows : — ' By this name is under- eaix ii' 4.5. Note '3,
stood that languor and infirmity of the mental
faculties, by which we are draAvn away from doing
right, and from tlie pursuit of virtue ; as well as that
perverse and preposterous inchnation of the will,
through which we have a propensity for vice, and
are impelled, as it were by a kind of pressiu'e, to
the gratification of our passions. But the more
hurtful this twofold affection of the mind, Avhich is
contracted from a multitude of sins, the more ought
it to be healed by a seasonable remedy ; especially
when, being afflicted by grievous disease, there
impends over us the danger of the loss of life. For
we very much fear to die ; and this fear is increased
both by the consciousness of our past life, and by
our anxiety and reflection concerning the dreadi'ul
judgment of God, shortly after to be undergone.
Therefore, lest the mind should be overwhelmed with
these fears, and that it may the rather ex[)ect death
18G IT DOKS NOT DESTROY EXISTING HABITS,
Avitli tranquillity, it ought to be encouraged and
raised up, filled ^vitli a certain pious and holy joy,
and freed from the remains of sin.'
In lib. iv. Sent. St. Tliouias says, that, ' as baptism is a certain
Q.'i, Art. 2. spiritual regeneration, and penance a certain spiritual
3iuE partis^upp em. j.ggi^jgQ<;Qj;iQji^ go extrcmc uuctiou is a certain spiritual
healing or medication [qucedam spiritaalis sanatio,
vel inedicatio) ;' and that, 'the principal effect of this
sacrament is the remission of sins as regards the
remains of sin, and, by way of consequence, as regards
the guilt also, if it should find it.'
It is important, however, to observe that it is not
intended that the evil habits, engendered by past
sins, are in such sense removed and taken away by
Extreme Unction, as that the sick person, if he
recover, need not fear any relapse into them ; it is
Tiuoi. Dogni. Poiem.not fas has been explained bv Sardasrna) that this
Extrem. Unct. sacramcnt works any change in the natural habit and
No. 398. T. . . f 1 1 n 7 1 • . 1
tlisposition ot the body ; but that it gives strength
and vigour against the evil, and the remains of sin
are taken away, inasmuch as the Holy Unction heals
and gladdens and fortifies the soul, rendering it
strong under its own weakness. It does not destroy
existing habits, nor aff(jrd security against a relapse
into evil practices ; but it gives strength to overcome
those habits and the difficulties and temptations which
arise from tliem in the last decisive stru^jii-le.
In li!.. iv. s.i|t<nt. I'hu.s, St. Tlioiiias adds : — 'Dispositions remainini*-
Ui.vt. xxm. >- *^
Q. i.Art. 2. from acts, which are ceitain commenced habits, are
3tia- partis supplcni.
(J. XXX. not what are here called remains of sin, but a certain
BUT GIVES GKACK TO TR1L':\IIMI OVKI{ THEM. 187
spiritual debility existing in the mind itself, on the
removal of which the mind cannot so easily be in-
clined to sins, even by the same habits and dis-
positions that remain.'
Bellarmine and some others luiderstand, also, by
' remains of sin,' any actual sins which may remain
after other sacraments, or be otherwise found upon
the soul as previously explained, and which Extreme
Unction (if received in proper dispositions) will re-
move, being, 'as it were, the complement of the Sa- St. Charles Boi-romoo,
rament of Penance.' But this is simply a question of uiict.
terms, since it is of faith that this sacrament ' remits
sins,' whether considered as ' remains of sin ' or not.
Father Perrone says, that theologians everywhere in Iol-. oit. n. 2.
teach that it remits venial sins per se ; but deadly
sins secundario or j^er accidens. He observes that it ibidem,
may ' truly be called, as it were, a medium between
the sacraments of the living and the dead.'
The Eoman Catechism thus beautifully explains the ^ Effects of
Extreme Unction.
efiects of Extreme Unction : —
' Pastors therefove will teach that by this sacrament is iin- Civteeh. Cone. TriJ.
1 , . . , • II • 1 1 1- 1 i^ Pai'.s II. cap. VI.
parted grace that remits sms, and especially incieea lighter,
or as they are commonly called, venial sins. For mortal sins
are removed by the Sacrament of Penance ; nor was tliis
sacrament instituted primarily for the remission of heavier
crimes ; but only Baptism and Penance effect this hy their
proper power {vi sua).
'Another advantage of the Sacred Unction is, that it
liberates the soul from the languor and infirmity which it
contracted through sins, and from all the other remains
of sin. But the time to be considered most opportune for
this cure is wlien we are afflicted with severe illness, and
188 Till-: iFAXV AND GREAT BEXEHTS
dauj^er to life impends. For it has been implanted by na-
ture in man to dread no human visitation so much as death.
But the recollection of our past sins greatly augments
this dread, especially when the most poignant accusation of
Wisdom iv. 20. our conscience goads us; for, as it is written — "They shall
come with fear at the thought of their sins, and their ini-
quities shall stand against them to convict them." Another
source of vehement anguish is the anxious thought that
we must soon after stand before the judgment seat of God,
who will pass on us a sentence of strictest justice according
to our deserts. It often happens that, struck with this
terror, the faithful feel themselves wonderfully agitated.
But nothing conduces more to a tranquil death than to cast
off sadness, and await with a joyous mind the coming of our
Lord, and to be ready willingly to surrender our deposit
whensoever it shall be His will to demand it back. To free
the minds of the faithful from this solicitude, and to fill the
soul with pious and holy joy, is then an effect of the sacra-
ment of Extreme Unction.
' From it, moreover, w'e derive another advantage, which
may justly be deemed the greatest of all. For although
the enemy of the human race never ceases, whilst we live,
to meditate our ruin and destruction, yet at no time does
he more violently strain every nerve utterly to destroy us,
and, if possible, deprive us of hope of Divine mere}', than
when he sees the last da}^ of life approach. Therefore are
arms and strength supplied to the faithful through this
sacrament by which they may be enabled both to break
the violence and impetuosity of the adversary, and to
fight bravely against him. For the spirit of the sick
person is relieved and encouraged by the hope of the
Divine goodness, strengthened by which he bears more
lightly all the inconveniences of sickness, and eludes with
greater ease the ai-tifice and cunning of the devil, who lies
Gen. iii. 1'). in Wait for his " heel."
'Finally, the recovery of health, if indeed advantageous,
is another effect of this sacrament. However, should
OP THE SACRAMKNT OF FA'TRKMR UxXCTIOX. 1 S'.l
tlie sick not recover it iu these days, that is to be at-
tributed, not to any defect of the sacrament, but rather
to the weaker faith of a great part of those who are
anointed with the sacred oil, or by whom it is administered.
For theEvangelist bears witness that the Lord "wrouglit not St. Matt. xiii. /iS.
many miracles" amongst His owoi, " because of their un-
belief." Although it may also be said with reason that
the Christian religion, since it has struck its roots as it
were more deeply in the minds of men, stands now less in
need of the aid of miracles of this kind, than would seem
to have been formerly necessary at the commencement of
the rising Church. But, nevertheless, faith is here to be
strongly excited ; for, however it shall happen by God's
counsel and will with regard to the health of the bod\%
the faithful ought to rely on a sure hope of attaining, by
virtue of this sacred oil, spiritual health ; and of e.xpe-
riencing, should the hovu' of their departure from life be at
hand, the fruit of that glorious assurance, b}' which it is
written : " Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord I " ' Apoc. xiv. is.
St. Charles Borromeo teaches as follows : —
' The first benefit and effect of this sacrament is that Acta Ercles. Mediol.
it takes away the remains of sin, as if the complement instruct E t
of the Sacrament of Penance. Which remains are under- Unct.
stood to be sins, whether mortal or venial, which remain
after other sacraments ; for it may happen that mortal
sin may remain, the one who committed it being in
ignorance of it, or not being able to confess ; in blotting
out which he is so assisted by this sacrament, tliat it may
come to pass that a man is saved through this sacrament,
who otherwise would have been damned.
* These remains are also torpor, grief, and a certain
anxiety which is left from sin, and afflicts a man when
close to death.
' There are many things besides which, in various ways,
afflict a sick man; both the natural fear of death, and the
100 ST. CHARLES BORUOMKO
dread of God's judg-meiit by wliicli he is exceedingly
alarinetl, and the power of the disease, whicli so depresses
him that at times he cannot take up tlie thoughts of
Crod and of divine and lieavenly things, and of the salva-
tion of his soul. And it sometimes happens that, harassed
by the disease, he is impelled hither and thither b}' some
trifle, now to complainings, now to suspicions, now to im-
patience, and to other like perverse affections which hurt
his soul.
'Against all these inconveniences also, this sacrament
avails as a most wholesome medicine, and it is divinely
endowed with power to enable the sufferer to bear them
more easily.
* Another advantage of it is that, when the devil, who
has learnt by daily practice the condition, the natural
disposition, and the liabits of the sick man, attacks him
variously in all manner of ways in that his last hour, in
order that he may distract him, disturb him b}'^ despera-
tion, and despondency of mind, or exalt him with too
much presumption and a certain elation ; the sick person
receives througli this sacrament supplies of divine strength,
which enable him. boldly to resist the adversar3\
* And, as it strengthens the soul against the enemy, so
also, when profitable for the soul, it sometimes heals the
body.'
The same holy bishop thus beautifully explains
tlic matter and form of this sacrament : —
In loco citato. 'The Organs of the senses are anointed with oil, because
the sotd is filled with the grace of the Holy Ghost, w' icii
is commonly signified by oil, in order that sins and there-
mains of sins may be wiped away, and tlie soul raised up
and strengthened.
'A form which contains a prayer is added, since St. James
said, Let thempray over them, &c. And since this sacrament
is a kind of fninplcnirnt of pciKincc, and the sick, especially
ON THE SACRAMENT OF EXTREME UNCTION. 11 1 1
at that time, cannot do works of penance, tliey expect
remission from mercy only, which is implored by prayer.
'The cross also is impressed when the anointini;- with tlie
sacred oil is administered, in order that we may know tliat
these gifts are granted to us through the merits of the cross
and passion of the Lord ; and that we may fortify our
senses wdth that sign, and use it in the combat to be sus-
tained against the adversary ; and also that we may carry
the sign of the cross to the tribunal of Christ our Jndge,
by which we may show that we have fought under the
standard of the cross constantly even unto death.'
These pages would be incomplete without uieution Suarez
of the very clear teaching of the eximius doctor, Extremrunotion.
Suarez. Eesting on the spiritual sense of tlic W()iTlspai./2iCDiTp"xil i.
of St. James, and on the decrees of the Councnl of J'^l*r'?''^'Z'
' pp. 1 1- 1 < .
Trent, he says that Extreme Unction was instituted,
primarily^ to comfort and assist the souls of the sick
against the difficulties which beset the hour of death,
as wrestlers are anointed for the combat. He calls
it the Sacrament of Hope, because it especially
strengthens that virtue ; he says that it also promotes
cheerfulness, heals and fortifies the soul, and gives
promptitude and vigour to overcome the temptations
of the devil, then most grievous. He says that,
secondarily, it was instituted to pre[)are the soul fin-
glory, for which the removal of sin is most necessary.
Therefore, that it will remit even mortal sin (where it
finds the proper dispositions), not per se, as Baptism
and Penance ; nor yet altogether 2?er accidens, as
is probable with other sacraments, but because so
intended by the Institutor under such cir('iiiH>t;inces.
102 THE DOCTRIXE OF RUAREZ
Tlie coiKlitional form, ' //' lie be in sins, they shall be
forgiven him,' shows that their remission was not
intended to be the primary end of the sacrament ;
wliilst the promise of forgiveness if sin be there,
renders it evident tliat such remission is in some way
peculiar to it, and in some way intended in its insti-
tution. He observes (m a previous paragraph), that
the conditional ' if'' indicates that this remission ex-
tends to mortal as well as venial sins, since hardly
anyone can be found without the latter. — ' Herein,'
he adds, ' is very greatly magnified the prudence and
the anxiety of Christ our Lord concerning the ever-
lasting salvation of mankind ; for since eternity
de]:>ends upon that moment, and a loss then incurred
concerning eternal salvation is irreparable, and from
many causes it may happen that either other remedies
cannot be applied, or certainly that they may be
applied witliout effect, therefore to this last remedy
He imparted a virtue of its own [propriam) to supply
this defect, and to rescue man when ]:)laced in so
great peril.'
He says that Extreme Unction remits also the
temporal punisliincnt due to sin, not always entirely,
as Baptism, but according to tlie disposition and
devotion (jf tlie recipient. Also, that it removes
other remains of sin ; not that it takes away the
fonies^ or the evil habits, or the effects on the imagi-
nation, or changes the natural disposition of tlie
body; Imt it gives strength and vigour, and in this
wav is instituted against tlie weakness left bv sin,
ON TITK EFFECTS OF EXTRKAfF UNCTIOX. 193
not by removing it in itself, as it removes guilt or
temporal punishment, but by adding more force to
overcome it. ' It may also be said,' he continues,
' that it remits these remains, so far as, on account of
his sin, it was due to the man to be left to his own
frailty and weakness, and to be deprived of the helps
of grace, especially of extraordinary and super-
abundant helps. This debt of sin is so discharged
through this sacrament that, on account of it, these
helps are the rather due to the man, to fortify him
against such remains when he falls into that state of
sickness.' He teaches that this grace belongs to
the primary end of the sacrament of Extreme
Unction, and that no other sacrament is ordained
to convey it, since it is reserved for ' the special ne-
cessity and weakness of one who is sick.'
Subsequently he treats of the restoration of bodily Ubi supra, soct. 4.
health, when God sees lit, as another effect of Ex-
treme Unction.
Thus does this holy sacrament heal and sustain it is
the soul, and, when expedient, bring back health to ' of
• • siicci3j1 iiiorcv
the body also. Thus does it wipe out any remainmg
guilt, if it finds the necessary sorrow. Thus does it
bring grace to prevent relapse into sin, and to turn
the sorest temptation into a source of highest triumph.
Nay more — it wins for the sufferer merit and ever-
lasting glory, even out of his past transgressions; by
enabling him to overcome their bad effects, to hold
on, and to fight his way to heaven, through the
throng of i)1iantasms and foul imaginations which
VOL. 1.
104
THE MERCY AND LOVE OF GOD
Father Faber.
The Creator
and
the creature,
p. 304.
Lukewannness
respecting
this Sacramenl.
rise up around him from their remains, hke mists
from the pit of helL It inspires him with acts of
the opposite virtues and of earnest hope in God —
gems to adorn liis future crown. So ingenious is
the love of the Divine heart of Jesus, in repairing
our losses, and increasing our reward — Confitemini
Domino, quoniam bonus: quoniam in sceculum mi-
sericordia ejus!
It has been beautifully said : — ' Death too, with
its imknown necessities, must have a sacrament which
it can call its own, as well to finish the demolition
of sin, as to anoint the failing warrior with a heavenly
unguent for his last dire combat, and enable him, in
defiance of earthly calculations, to elude the hold
which the unseen powders of evil lay upon him in
that hour. If w^e ever need help, will it not be in
that dreadful agony, for neither earthly love nor
earthly power can help us then ? With many, doubt-
less, the battle has gone hard, though they who
stood around neither heard nor saw the mortal
wrestle; and with manj^ it was the secret strength of
that holy oil, the hidden operation of that sacra-
mental grace, which turned the scale, and consigned
to tlie Good Shepherd's arm that slieep which is now
His own for ever.'
These, then, are the benefits of this most blessed
saci'ament of Extreme Unction. Who that believes
in them, and is mindful of his last end, would not
yearn for its Divine support in those moments of his
agony wlicii all support from man is failing fast, and
ARE PRE-EMINENT IN THIS SACRAMENT.
11)0
when Satan is near ' having great wrath, knowing
that he hath but a short time ? ' Yet even the pious
author of the ' Eirenicon ' expresses no desire for it ;
he is neither ' cold nor hot ' towards it ; he thinks
tliere need be no objection to it ; and, in comparing
Eome with England in this particular, he observes,
that ' the only real difference is mainly practical in
regard to the anointing of the sick.' But this
practical difference involves the omission of a sacra-
ment which sustains and perfects the just in tlieir
perseverance, and of which St. Charles Borromeo and
others have affirmed, that a penitent sinner, in ignor-
ance of his state of guilt, or not then able to con-
fess, is by it ' so assisted in blotting out mortal sin,
that it may come to pass that one is saved througli
this sacrament who would otherwise be damned.'
It is observed in the ' Eirenicon ' that, if Extreme
Unction be ' looked upon as a mere preparation for
death, not as a means, if God so will, of restoring
the sick, one does not see what there can be lacking
to our dying,' if we h*ave the sacraments of Penance
and the Holy Eucharist. Its author would never
have said this if lie had been one in the faith witli
Eome. It is true that Penance is ordained to absolve
from sin, and that the Holy Eucharist contains tlie
very fount and centre of all those graces, of whicli
the other sacraments are the channels. But, even
when both these sacraments have been received with
the most perfect dispositions, who that believes what
has been stated respecting that of Extreme Unction
o 2
Eiron. p. 219.
Vide supra.
Eiren. p. 223.
Difft'renco as to
faith.
lOG EACH SACRAMENT HAS ITS PROPER END.
can at the same time question how it is lacking, for soul
as well as body ? Every sacrament has a spiritual
end, peculiar to itself. They wlio believe that their
Divine Eedeemer mercifully instituted this one for
thek hour of greatest need, cannot neglect the gift
without neglecting Him who gave it. It is one of
the streams whicli flow from Calvary — one of the
channels of His most precious Blood. It is one of
the sacraments of the New Law, and the Council
of Trent has pronounced ' anathema ' against any
who deny it to have been ' instituted by Christ our
Lord.' Did He institute it to be laid aside, as if
superfluous ?
Tlie mercy of our God and Saviour abides with
us to the last. In the hour of death, as all through
life, is the ' angel of His presence ' ever near to save us.
Well may the great Apostle call out, ' How shall we
escape, if we neglect so great salvation? ' How shall
men answer it before the judgment-seat of Christ, if
tliey show themselves content to fojfeit tlie aid of
such a sacrament, which He has Himself ordained
and purcliased for tliem ? In the days of helpless
jj.-iit. xxxiii. 27. iufaucy. His ' everlasting arms " enfold us ; and He
makes us His by the grace of Holy Baptism ere yet
our reason dawns. And when our reason's liglit is
failing, and our senses waxing dim, and death seems
near at hand, again ' the everlasting arms ' embrace
us ; again tliey sustain our second childhood's weak-
ness, tlirongli tlie lioly sacrament of our anointing.
All iliroiigli our life tlicy liave been ' underneath' us ;
God's mercy
never fails.
Isaias Ixiii. 9.
Heb. ii. 3.
THE CHURCH S CARE FOR THE DVli\(i. Ill*
He has ' carried us and lifted us up all our days '; and i.s. ixiii. 9.
now in our last moments He 'is the same.' This is. xivi. 4.
sacrament fulfils and completes His promise, — ' I ii,i,i.
have made you, and I will bear. I will carry and
will save.' Ag;ain and a^ain have Christ's sacraments
restored, and quickened, and sustained us ; but now,
when our lifelong penance may be drawing to its
close, and we seem close upon the threshold of ' the Eccies. xii. .5.
house of our eternity ;' then in a more special manner
our God draws near us, and His divine grace fortilies
us in this sacrament of healing and of strengthening
and of His own loving consummation of our imper-
fect penance. Our Jesus thus assists us that He
may not lose our dearly-purchased souls ; and that
we may not lose our crown, then so close within our
reach, if only we surmount that severest of our trials,
on which depends— ETEENITY !
Can any Christian believe in this, who has it not,
and 3^et say, without emotion, that he sees not what
is lacking to his dying ?
Li the city of Eome, when (death seeming to Rome
be near) the Holy Unction has been given, the ' Moti^r.
priest leaves behind him his stole on the bed of the
sick person ; and there it remains till the end, be it
recovery, or be it the world to come. Thus is the
sufferer cheered in his strufro;le, and tau2;ht to confide
in the nearness of Christ, and in His love : — ' Though i***"!'" x^"-
I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evils, for Thou art with me. Thy rod
and thy staff, they have comforted me. Thou hast
198 MAxVIFEST I'RACTICAL DIFFERENCES.
prepared a table before me, against them that afflict
me. Thou hast anointed my head with oil ; and my
chalice, which inubriateth me, how goodly is it!'
Which is it of the two — is it England or is it
Eome — which proves herself man's mother in his
hours of direst need ? If England is of one faith with
Eome as regards this sacrament, how can she explain
or justify its three centuries' systematic cessation?
Would not such neglect show contempt for it ?
Holy Orders. In reference to the sacrament of Holy Orders : —
if England was of one faith with Eome, she woidd
hardly remain so regardless of the fact already
referred to, that Eome (wdio believes the repetition
of Ordination to be a sacrilege) never fails uncon-
ditionally to ordam all Anglican clergy who come
back to her, and who are admitted to her ministry.
Thus Eome practically denies that the ' Church of
England ' possesses this sacrament.
Matrimony. If the Established Church of England really be-
lieved, with Eome, that a true, ratified, and consum-
mated Christian marriage is indissoluble, it is hardly
credible that slie would take so little pains to pre-
serve her members from the iniquities of a Divorce
Court. Had slie believed such divorce a sin and
liad she acted as if she believed it, that Court
could never have become established, when it did.
IJut, after all, the Divorce Court was based on no
j)ihiciple that was new to her. Slie liad already con-
INDULGENCES. PURGATORY. THE SAINTS. 11)9
sciited to such divorces, and liad invoked God's
blessing on the subsequent so-called marriages of
the divorced with other persons, whenever the civil
power allowed it. The recent Act contained nothing
new in principle, but it extended the existing evil,
and gave a greater facility for the sin which had
already been sanctioned. Thus, as regards the Sacra-
ment of Holy Matrimony, again the two religions are
found at variance.
To pass on. — If England believes with Eome ' that imiuicrcnces.
, ^ 1 f. 1 /-(I • • 1 Sec above, p. 161.
the power or indulgences was leit by Christ in the
Church, and that the use of them is most wholesome
to Christian people' ; why does she so neglect them ?
She makes no such provision for relieving penitent
sinners from the temporal punishment still due after
the eternal is remitted. She takes no pains to
remove misunderstanding concerning them.
Again : — if the national Church of England Pm-triitoiy.
' constantly holds,' with Eome, ' that there is a
Purgatory, and that the souls therein detained are
helped by the suffrages of the faithful,' how comes it
that she has no express and formal pubhc prayers in
their behalf? How comes it that, if such prayers are
said at all, it is on sufferance ? She takes no pains to
recommend them ; she hardly dares avow them.
So also, as to the Communion of Saints. If England invocation
believes with Rome respecting it, how comes she to ])e Snints,
200 RESPECTING Tllii liLESSKD VIRGIN MARV,
SO remiss as uever even to exhort her children to have
recourse to the powerful intercession of the Siiints
who reiiji'n together w^itli Christ ?
Neglect. Truly, if England's faith in all these portions of the
means of grace, crccd Still Hvcs, her cliarity must be dead ; she bears
no witness to it in her works ; she neglects these
several means of grace ; she never leads her perishing
flocks to these many streams of living waters. Does
she not scare them from drawing near ?
Faith Where is England's separate witness to the one faith,
Btes^ed virgin ^s regards that sinless one, the most favoured and most
^^^^'^' exalted of all favoured and sublime creatures ; her,
wliom all generations of the faithful hail as Blessed?
England is not at one with Eome, nor with the great
i)e natiira et gratia, St. Austiu, wlicu lie says : — ' For the honour of the
cap. xxxvi. n. 42. , ... , . ., . ,
Lord, i Will have no question at an entertamed con-
cerning the Holy Virgin Mary, when there is any
discussion about sins.' Exceptd itaque sanctd viryine
Marid^ de qua propter honorem Domini nullam pror-
sus cum de peccaiis agitur^ haberi volo qucestionem.
The Scarce twenty years have fled, since the letters of
Conception. thc llomaii Poiitiff' Went forth over the whole earth,
asking the testimony of every Bishop as to the tradi-
tionary faith of his own particular diocese, respecting
the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary: — Whethei- for one single moment, the great
Mother of our God and Saviour had been under
Satan's tlu'aldom? — Whether the-re w^as ever one
single instant, during which her blessed soul was
defiled with Adam's sin?
CONCbllVEU WITHOUT ORIGINAL SIX. 2Ul
The universal globe made answer ; and the
Supreme Pontiir, aided by the light of God,
discerned the ' mind of Christ,' the divinely ap- i Cor. ii. le.
pointed moment, and the movement of the Holy
Ghost,
A vast assembly is convened atEome, and around
the great Apostle's earthly resting-place large multi-
tudes are thronging into the noblest of God's temples.
The solemn but joyful rites commence, and in mea-
sured cadence there swells up from that crowed of
Christian men as if they had one only voice, the cry
for aid from Heaven — ' Veni Creator Spiritus.' It
ceases, and all is still. Then arises in the strength of
the Lord God, as if filled with that blessed Spirit, the
holy and august Pontiff of old Home, and he pro-
claims to the universe, by a power not his own, tliat
after prayers and fastings, and earnest supplications
from himself and the Church to Almighty God
through Jesus Christ His Son, he now, assisted by
the Holy Ghost, declares, that : —
' To the honour of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, Litt. Apost.
to the dignity and glory of the Virgin Mother of God, Dogmat. Defin.
to the exaltation of the Catholic Faitli, and the in- "^"^' °"''" "^' "^"
crease of the Christian religion, by the authority of
our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed Apostles Peter
and Paul, and Our Own, we declare, pronounce, and
define that the d(jctrine which maintains that the most
blessed Virgin Mary in the first instant of her con-
ception was, by the singular grace and privilege of
Almighty God, in consideration of the merits of
Christ Jesus, the Sa\iour of the human race, preserved
202 THE UNIVERSAL JUBILEE.
exempt iVom all stain of original sin, is a doctrine
revealed by God, and therefore to be firmly and con-
stantly believed by all the faithful. Wherefore, if
any, which may God avert, shall presume to entertain
m their hearts an opinion at variance with this doc-
trine which we define, be it known to such persons,
and let them moreover understand, that they are
condemned by theh: own judgment, that they have
suffered sliip wreck concerning the faith, and have
fallen off from the unity of the Church. . .
'Therefore, let no man infringe upon this our decla-
ration, publication, and definition, or with rash daring
oppose and contradict it. But if any one shall pre-
sume to attempt it, be it known to hmi that he will
incur the indignation of the Omnipotent God, and of
the blessed Peter and Paul, His Apostles.'
The Pontiff ceased, and the gorgeous vaults re-
echoed with the Te Deum of thanksgiving from the
thousands who were gathered under that stupendous
dome. The strain was caught up outside ; it was
boi'iic on throuuhout the universe; and the pure
angehc vaults of heaven re-echoed the joy of Chris-
tian hearts below, that none amongst them now could
have a doubt that God's Mother was Immaculate;
that their own Mother, Mary, was always without a
stain.
What part has the so-called 'Church of England'
taken in this triumphant hymn of praise resounding
throughout all space ? How has she borne her
' separate witness ' to this article of the one faith ?
THESE DIFFERENCES ARE ESSENTIAL. 203
Nay, what testimony does slie give at all to the filial
love and veneration due to Mary, "which nature itself
should teach to all who believe in their heart that of
her ' was born Jesus,' and that Jesus is their God ?
These are not idle questions ; nor is it any idle impoi'tauce
motive which has induced me to explain these dif- considerations,
ferences so fully. My object is to dispel the mis-
chievous delusion which is raising a mist before the
eyes of so many earnest Christians, and cheating
into rest those who are in a position of schism and
of heresy. I do not seek by these expressions to
give offence, but I vnah. to call things what they
are. I have shown, from authorities whose testi-
mony cannot be questioned, the doctrine which
Eome teaches to be the faith on the points wliich
have been mentioned. She teaches it as the one only
faith ; the ftxith of the Apostles, ' once delivered to the
saints.' She teaches it as the original revelation of
the eternal God of Truth, through Christ ' the light
of the world,' and through the Holy Spirit on the
Day of Pentecost. She teaches that there is no
salvation for those who wilfully reject this faith. If
England accepts it, then why does she remain apart?
Would not this alone be schism? If England rejects
it, then in what sense can it be said that ' w^e bear
separate witness still to the one faith which Christ
gave to His Church, the faith of the creeds'?
I am prepared for the reply. It will be said that Tiie tiuoiy
the points to which England objects are additions to to be false.
204 THERE IS NO CHRISTIAN L'NITV WHERE
the one fuitli ; thut they are not true explanations, but
alterations of the creeds. Such an answer shows at
once how fallacious is the theory of an imaginary
objective luiity, invisibly existing, through Christ the
unseen Head. Can those be one in Christ, who are
di\'ided as to the interpretation of the articles of the
saving faith which Christ revealed and taught ?
On this point I rejoice to be able to appeal to the
testimony of Dr. Puse3\ In his explanation of the
theoiy before us, he teaches that it maintains unity of
Eiren. pp. 53-56. faith to be esscntial. He says distinctly, — ' They have
not the same Lord, who do not believe the same
truth as to Him ' ; and he shows that he intends by
this, more than the faith respecting His Divine Person,
since he refers to the Pelagians as not believing ' in
what He wrought for us, and the Donatists ' as deny-
ing ' the existence of that mystical body, whereof He
was the Head.'
He proceeds : — ' The ftiith, St. Paul says, is one,
one unchangeable faith, admitting neither of enlarge-
ment nor (liiniiiulioii, so that eitlicr wliat the Apostles
believed and taught the wliole Cliurch as faith, should
cease to be faith, or that anything should become
faith which they, full of the Holy Ghost, knew not
and taught not as the faith. But since the faith is
one, one whole, then whosoever parteth with, or
altereth any ])i)rli()ii of tlic one faith, in fact changes
the whole, so that it is not the same faith, whence the
.stress in the Athanasian Creed on "keeping the faith
whole and undefiled."' He includes among those
things which ' if any wilfully reject, they reject
THERE IS DIVISION OX POINTS OF FAITH. 205
Christ,' ' one comiuoii faitli, that wliicli was given
once for all, with the anatliema that we hold no
doctrine at variance w^ith it, although an angel from
heaven were to preach it.'
Dr. Forbes asserts the same. lie says that ' ob- vide sup. p. 70.
jective unity' 'requires, on our part, continuity of
the commission which Christ gave to His Apostles,
and perseverance in the faitli whicli lie committed
to the Church.'
It has been seen that Eome teaches, as a portion
of the faith, that Christ committed to the Apostle
Peter, and his successors, the charge of the whole
' flock of God,' Vv'itli supreme authority over tlie
Universal Church ; and that every baptized Christian
owes ' true obedience to the Bishop of Eome ' as
'Vicar of Jesus Christ.' England rejects this portion
of the faith, and will not acknowledge this commis-
sion. What then becomes of unity between tlie two ?
It has been showii further that, in other respects
also, either Eome has added to the faith, or England
has taken away from it. So that, according to the
' Eirenicon ' itself, either one or the other has
' changed the whole faith,' and botli ' cannot have
the same Lord, who do not believe tlie same truth
as to Him.'
Which of the two is right? Has England 'rejected
Christ ' ? Or is Eome ' at variance witli the faith '?
Is there no one left on earth to teacli infallibly
what that one faith is, whicli ' Christ commitled to
the Church;' which 'the Apostles believed and
taught ; ' and ' out of which no one can be saved ' ?
206
THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IS
The Sacraments
may exist
outside
Clirist's Church.
See above,
pp. 15, 16.
De Eapt.
contra
Donatistas,
Lib. iv. n. 1.
It is perfectly true as regards individual Christians
that baptism made tliein one in Cluist. On this
very groinid, as has been already stated, the one
only Church lays claim to them all as her children.
By whomsoever they may have been baptized, tlie
Roman Catholic Chiu'ch alone is the Church of their
baptism and their spiritual Mother.
I venture to add another extract to those I have
already produced from the works of that great
Doctor, St, Augustine, on this subject. In refer-
ence to a passage in an Epistle of St. Cyprian's,
he observes : — ' The comparison of the Chmxli to
Paradise is an indication to us that men can truly
receive her baptism even outside her, but no man
can either obtain or hold fast beatific salvation
{salutem beatitudinis) outside her. For the rivers
also from the fountain of Paradise flowed largely
even outside it, as Scripture testifies. In fact, they
are commemorated by name, and eveiy one knows
what lands they flow through, and tliat tlieir streams
have been established outside Paradise ; yet neither
in Mesopotamia nor in Egypt, whither those rivers
reach, is there the felicity of hfe which is remem-
bered in Paradise. Thus it comes to pass, that,
though the water of Paradise is outside Paradise, still
there is no beatitude excepting it be inside Paradise.
So tiien, tliere may be the Baptism of tlie Church
outside the Church, but the gift of a blessed life is
nowhere found unless inside the Church {sic ergo
Oaptiwius Ecclesiw potest esse extra Ecclesiaw^ rmmus
THE ONLY ARK OF OUR SALVATION. 207
autein heatce vitw non nisi intra Ecclesiam reperitur) :
which also is founded on the rock, which has re-
ceived the keys of binding and of loosing.'
The theory says that England and lionie are united
in the faith and tlie holy sacraments. It has been
above shown that the facts on both sides contradict it.
But, even if England possessed the fulness of the
faith, and the entirety of the sacraments ; even this
w^ould afford no guarantee that she was united with
the one Church. On this point also we have the au-
thority of St. Augustine, who says that everything,
except salvation, may be found outside tlie Clun-cli.
The following passage, though frequently quoted,
has never yet been answered: — 'A man may have s. Aup:. Sonno
everything outside the Catholic Church, except sal- EcciesiiePiebem.ii.G.
vation. He may have honour, he may have sacra-
ments, he may sing Allehiia, lie may answer Amen,
he may hold the gospels, he may both have the
faitli and preach it in the Name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; but, no-
where except in the Catholic Church, will he be able
to find salvation. For all these things pass away, my
brethren.' Extra Ecclesiam Catholicam totiun potest
prceter salutem. Potest habere honorem, potest habere
sacramentum^ potest cantare Halleluia^ potest respon-
dere Amen, potest Evangelium tenere, potest in nomine
Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti Jidem et h<(bere et
prwdicare : sed nusquam, nisi in Ecclesid Catholicd
salutem p>oterit invenire. Transeunt enini omnia
ista,fr aires mei
208 A VISIBLE BODY XEKDS A VISIBLE HEAD.
Coutra Littcras ' "Wliat caii be iiiore mad,' he asks elsewhere, ' tlian
lib. ii!n."i'26. to commiuiicatc in tlie sacraments of the Lord, and
not to communicate in the words of the Lord ? '
There are certain rehgionists who profess union
with Christ, althougli they deny the necessity of
baptism and of any sacrament. The answer given by
Anghcans in such case, will apply also to their own
assertion, that they hold to Christ the Head although
severed from His visible representative on earth.
They acknowledge a visible church, and visible
sacraments ; yet they deny the necessity of visible
Seo extract, above, unity. They profcss that Christ Himself speaks and
Eirenicon, p. 60. acts tlirougli a visible and external ministry for the
teaching of tlie faithful, and the administration of
the sacraments ; but tliey will not believe that He
has constituted one visible external head, through
whom He rules and governs the whole body, as
tlie crown of the Church's hierarchy, and the centre
of her unity. The Eoman teaching is more con-
sistent. It is as follows : —
Catechism
of the
Council of Trent,
part i. ch. x.
St. John xxi
' Shoultl any one object that the Church, content with
one liead and spouse, Jesus Christ, requires no other besides
Him, tlie answer is at hand. For, as we have Christ the
Lord not only the author of every one of the sacraments,
but also their inward giver (for He it is that baptizes and
that absolves, and yet He institutes men the external
ministers of the sacraments) ; so has He placed over His
fhurch, which He Himself rules hy His indwelling Spirit,
a man to be the vicar and minister of His power ; for
since a visible Cbiuch re([iiires a visible head, therefore
our Saviour constituted Peter head and pastor of the
universal family of the faitlifid, when He entrusted to him
CHRIST IS REPRESENTED BY HIS VICAR. 209
His sheep to be fed, in terms most full, so that He evidently
willed that whoever should succeed him should have the
same power of ruling- and governing the whole Church.'
The theory which we have been discussing asserts The theory
the possibihty of unity between Christian Churches doubly fallacious,
without visible intercommunion ; and maintains that
rehgious bodies may be united to the Church
through Christ above, although visibly disunited
from the Vicar of Christ on earth. Thus it reverses
the doctrine of the great St. Thomas, who says : —
' The unity of the Church consists in two things Snmm.a
... , , 1' \ ^ ■ ^ 1 2'3a 2<l^ Q. 39, Art. I.
[in auoous attenaitur), namely, m the mutual connec-
tion of the members of the Church with one anotlier,
or communication [communicatione) : and again in the
order of all the members of the Church towards
one head, according to what is said. Col. ii.: —
' Puffed up by the sense of his flesh, and not
holding the head, from Avhich the whole body, by
joints and bands being supplied with nourishment
and compacted, groweth unto the increase of God.'
— But this Head is Christ Himself, whose Vicar in
the Church is the Supreme Pontiff. And therefore
they are pronounced to be schismatics who refuse
to be under [subesse) the Supreme Pontiff, and wlio
will not join the communion (commimicare) of the
members of the Church who are subject to him.'
Divine Providence is wont to select the simplest
means for the attainment of its ends of wisdom ;
' ordering all things sweetly.' The Churrh is com- Wisdom viii. i.
posed of human elements, though animated by a
VOL. I. P
210 NECESSITY OF A SUPREirE AUTHORITY
Divine Spirit. Her members and her ministers are
men, not angels ; and men are liable to differences
and divisions.
Christ willed His Cluircli's unity to be abiding ;
and He did not neglect to make provision for that
end. He selected for her the organization best
calculated to preserve her unity, and, with the
help of divine grace, to ensure its unceasing main-
tenance. There can, ordinarily, be no lasting union
amongst men without a supreme authority ; and
there is no reason why the Church should form
an exception to this rule. The Church requires an
interpreter, as Holy Scripture does ; and Christ has
not neglected to provide her with an ever-present
final tribunal, wdiose judgment is decisive and in-
fallible on all tilings which concern man's salvation.
It is true she has her general councils. But who is to
interpret their meaning on any disputed question re-
specting it, if there is no abiding supreme authority ?
Nay, who is to declare with certainty of any one
particular council that it is ecumenical and duly
represents the universal Church ? To refer the
solution of such points to another future council, is
simply to postpone tlie difficulty. Who, in turn, is to
interi)ret tliat future council's decisions ? Who is to
assure men tliat it is ecumenical ? Take the instance
of the addition of tlie words Jilioque to the Creed,
and the question as to whether that addition was in
opposition to the decrees of early councils. The
Council of Florence defined that it was not so ; and
TO REMOVE THE OCCASION OF SCHISM. 211
the Popes had previously permitted it. CathoHcs
regard this decision as the teacliing of God ; for tlie
Pope confirmed the comicil But those who reject
the Pope's authority, reject the council also ; and
what can remain for them but private judgment and
its natural consequences ? If men refuse obedience
to a sovereign authority, they must accept the alter-
native of perpetual division and never-ending dis-
cord. Therefore, as St. Jerome says, although the Adv. Jovin. i. 20.
Church is founded and solidly estabhshed on tlie
Apostles collectively, who all received the keys,
' yet one amongst the twelve is chosen, that a head
being constituted, occasion of schism may be re-
moved.' Tame?! propterea inter duodecim unus eli-
gitur^ lit capite coiistituto, schismatis tollatur occasio.
III.
Pleec est Ecclesia Romana, cui qui non communicat, lia?reticu»
est. Illius interest consulere omnibus, judicare de omnibus,
omnibus providere, ad quam in Petro vox ista dirigitur : Et tu
aliquando conversus confirma fratres tuos.
S. Aelredi Serm. 23 in Isaiam.
The dissensions which at various times have arisen Historical
between different portions of tlie Cathohc Churcli,
are appealed to by Anglicans as precedents for the
existing divisions of Christendom ; and as instances
of the acknowledged subsistence of real though in-
visible unity, in the case of outwardly separated
comnumions.
p 2
212 THE ENTiLISlT 8('TTTRM IS COMPLETE.
Dr. Pusey observes : —
Eiroii. p. r^9. ' No one, in the face of Ohnrch-history, can or does
maintain that all interrnptions of intercommunion destroy
unity. For Chiirch-hLstor}^ records too many such inter-
ruptions, which (although never probably without fault,
on the one side or on both) yet did not exclude either side
from the body of Christ. Unlove began its work even
in Apostles' times. At Corinth, already our Lord's words,
" B}^ this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if
ye have love one to another," were in a degree eclipsed.
Divisions began within the single Church. In the next
century was that first wider rent in the Christian body,
when the Bishop of Rome, against the remonstrance of
many Bishops, renounced the communion of the Asiatic
Churches, because they followed, as to the keeping of
Easter, a tradition different from that of Rome and of the
A.lv. ITwr. other Churches. " The East," says St. Epiphanius, " dif-
'• • • ^- '^- fcring from the West, they received not from each other
tokens of peace." The strife ceased not until the Council
of Nice,'
Tho instancos Uncloubtetll}' there are various steps and degrees
aiiMiogoiis. of dissension Avhich fall short of an absolute breach
of unity. But the existing rents of Christendom are
far more serious in their nature, and amount to
notliing less than absolute and consummated schism.
It will be found on investigation, that the instances
which are })roduced from history, do not afford
authority for tliat systematic and persevering repu-
diation of the divinely constituted authority of the
Koman See, which characterises tlie ' Church of
England;' nor Inr her foimal and lasting breach
of communion with that universal body of the
Spctherrofcssionof Aiithful whicli ' acknowlcdijes the Holy, Catholic,
Faith, p. 101.
CORIXTII Al'PICALED TO ROME. 21-]
Apostolic, Eomaii Church for tlie mother and mis-
tress of all Churches ;' and renders 'true obedience
to the Bishop of Eome, successor of St. Peter, Prince
of the Apostles, and Vicar of Jesus Clnist.'
The local dissensions at Corinth involved no breach Diss^cnsions
of communion with the universal Church. They Cui-iuth.
continued, however, or were renewed after St. Paul
had received his crown ; and it was to Rome that
Corinth turned for succour. We learn this from the
words of the reply of Pope St. Clement I., written Ep. div. ciementis
in the name of the Eoman Church ; where he ex- CorinUiios i. i.
plains the causes of delay in giving attention to
' tho.se matters respecting whicli,' he says, ' they
enquired, and to the abominable and unlioly dis-
cord ' whicli caused ' their honoured and well-known
name to be greatly evil spoken of.' This is that
celebrated epistle which of ancient practice used Eusob. iiist. EwIos.
. . iv. 23.
to be read in the church at Corinth ; and of
which St. Irenasus tells us, that 'the Church which Cont. Hyeres. in. :i.
is in Eome wrote under Clement to the Corinthians
most powerful letters, reconciling them in peace
amongst themselves, renewing their faith, and an-
nouncing to them the tradition which she had
recently received from the Apostles.'
The great Apostle and Evangelist St. John, sur-
vived St. Clement. Why did the Church of Corinth
pass him by, and appeal to Eome ? lie was the
disciple ' whom Jesus loved ; ' who leaned upon His
bosom, and learnt from His sacred heart that lesson
214: THE TESTIMONY OF ST. 1REXJ5US.
of love, which, even till he joined his Lord in glory,
he never ceased repeating, — ' Little children, love one
another.' Who more fit than he to teach that lesson
to the divided church at Corinth ? He was, more-
over, the last of the long line of God's inspired
prophets, the eagle-sighted Seer to whom was re-
vealed the great vision of the Apocalypse. He was
the last remaining of the blessed twelve, the one
sole Apostle left on earth. Yet it was not to him
that Corinth turned in her distress ; it was to Eome ;
to that church which Tertullian hailed as pre-emi-
De Praesci-ipt. iicret. ncutly ' happy, ou wliich the Apostles have poured
forth all their doctrine with their blood ' {ista quam
felix Ecclesia ! cui totam doctrinam Apostoli cum
sanguine suo profuderunt) ; and with which St.
c.nt. iia-r. III. 2. Ircnoius declared it to be ' necessary for the whole
Church to agree, on account of its more excellent
pre-eminence.' Ad lianc enim Ecclesiam propter
potiorem principalitatem necesse est omnem convenire
Ecclesiam.
St. Victor The degree to which the difference extended be-
Abiiitic Churches, twccu St. Victor and the Churches oi Asia Minor, is
a well-known matter of discussion amongst ecclesias-
tical historians. Dr. Puscy appears to have over-
rated it, and to have fallen into some inaccuracy.
It is by no means certain that the Asiatic churches
were even momentarily cut off by St. Victor from
ecclesiastical communion ; but the whole case aflbrds
remarkable and important testimony to the manifest
JUDAICAL OBSKRVANCE OF EASTKH. '215
exercise, and tlie iniquestioiiiiig ackiiowledguient oi"
tlie power and authority of the Eomau See, even at
that early period (a.d. 198).
The Chiirclie.s of Asia Minor retained down to tiio prouuds
that time, a peculiar custom — which had originated, tiio ditiewncc.
perhaps, in tender consideration for the converts from
Judaism — of celebrating the Pasch at the period of
the Jewish Passover, being the 14th of the month
Nisan, on whatever day of the week it might happen
to fall ; and they terminated their fasts on the same
day, whether it was a Sunday or otherwise. When
St. Polycarp visited Eome, this point was discussed
between himself and Pope St. Anicetus, but without
any definite conclusion ; and that holy Pope is said to
have tolerated the difference in discipline so far, as
even to have permitted the Asiatics then resident in
Eome to follow their own usage. This may have been
through respect for the aged and great St. Polycarp,
since the conversions from Judaism, at that period,
were no longer so numerous as formerly amongst the
additions to the Cliurch.
But not many years afterwards there arose a mani-
fest danger of the practice becoming confounded witli
the tenets of a party which had sprung up amongst
the Ebionite heretics, and which maintained that Gosdiier.
, /-ii • • 11 Diet. Theol. Catliol.
it was mcumbent upon (Jiuistians not onJy to keep Art. Piiqucs.
their Easter on the day of the Jewish Passover, but
also to continue the legal observance of the Passover
itself; asserting, in opposition to the orthodox, tliat
Christ had done so in person before He suffered. This
216 SYNODS WERE EVERYWHERE CONVOXED,
evidently went beyond a mere diirereiice in disci-
pline ; and, though it does not appear that the Asia
Minor Churches can be accused of these Judaizing
notions, yet it seems not improbable that an attempt
was made to introduce them into Eome itself by one
Blastus ; a priest who had been educated in Asia.
This Blastus was degraded from the sacerdotal func-
tions by Pope St. Eleutherius, the immediate prede-
cessor of St. Victor, for causing a schism in that city
and attempting to Judaize (a.d. 180).
The conduct The carly heresies were commonly connected with
St. Victor. Judaism ; and the Pope was probably apprehensive
lest further toleration of the practice peculiar to
Asia Minoi' might be productive of danger to the
faith.
Ecciesiast. Histor. Euscbius statcs that synods and assemblies of
lib. V. cap. 23. ''
Bishops Avere held upon the subject, both in the
East and in the West, and that (with the exception
of Asia Minor) they were unanimous in their doctrine
' that the mystery of Our Lord's resiuTection should
be celebrated on no other day than the Lord's Day ;
and that on tliis day alone we should observe the
close of the Paschal fasts.'
Amongst the synodical Epistles to this effect still
Ecci. Hist. V. 23. extant at his own time, Eusebius makes particular
mention of one from the Bishops of Palestine, Theo-
])liilus of Caisarea, Narcissus of Jerusalem, Cassius
of Tyre, Clarus of Ptolemais, and others. lie says
that, after treating at length of the tradition con-
cerning the Pasch, which had comedown to tliem l)y
APPARENTLY, IN OBEDIENCE TO PvOME. 217
continuous suc^cession from tlie Apostles, at the close
of the Epistle, they added these words : — ' Endeavour
that copies of our epistle may be sent throiigliout
the whole Church, that we may not liavc to answer
for those who easily mislead their own souls. And
we inform you that in Alexandria also, they observe
the same day as we do ; for letters are conveyed from
us to them and from them to us, so that we cele-
brate the holy day with one mind and at one time.'
The innnediate vicinity of these Bishops to Asia
Minor gave them full opportunity for information,
and it would appear from their language that they
regarded the matter as of more serious import than
an ordinary divergence in discipline.
It is also to be remarked that, although the same
Bishops were desirous that copies of their Epistle
should be sent ' throughout the whole Church,' they
did not address it to the faithful in general ; but to
one particular Church, or person, to whose central
authority and jurisdiction they appealed to publish
it universally. Tliis can have been none other than
the Church of Rome, presided over by St. Victor.
If the short account of this synod, appended to
a treatise by St. Bede, is authentic, St. Victor sent
authority [direxit auctoritatem) to Theophihis, by
virtue of which he convoked the Bishops of his
own and other provinces, and when all were as-
sembled, he ' produced the authority of Pope Victor
which had been sent to him, and explained tlie busi-
ness which had been enjoined upon him : jirotulit
Rccofjnition
of ;i
central authority.
De Paseli<e
celcbratiouo libiT,
sivo
do seqxiinoctio vernal i.
218
TllK KKl'LV UF THE ASIATICS.
The Synod
of the Bishops
in
Asia Minor.
Eccl. Hist. V. 24.
The letter
of
Polycrates.
liuseb. Eccl. Hist.
V. 24.
auctoritatem ad se missam Victori6- papce, et quid sibi
operis faisset injunctiim ostendit'
As regards Asia Minor, there can be no question
according to Eusebius, that the Synod held there
under Polycrates was convoked in response to a
communication from St. Victor. It is expressly de-
clared in the synodical letter, which he records as
addressed by Polycrates, in his own name and that of
the other Bishops, ' to St. Victor and the Church of
the city of Eome.' Polycrates says, towards its con-
clusion : — ' I could mention also the names of the
Bishops assembled, whom you desired to be called
together under me, and whom I called ' — otg u[x£7g
Yi^iwrraTz^ [xiTaH7\.rjSrjvai 'W e/Jtou, xai [J.srixa7^s<rd[xriv.
This Epistle was not calculated to allay the appre-
hensions of the Pope. It alone, amongst the many
synodical letters on the subject, maintained not only
the correctness but the duty of keeping Easter accord-
ing to the day of the Jewish Passover, regardless of
the Sunday. 'Not tlioughtlessly, at all events,' wrote
Polycrates, ' do we observe the day, neither adding
nor taking awa3\' He appealed to those great hglits
who had gone before him, and affirmed that they ' all
observed the Pasch on the fourteenth day, according
to the Gospel^ deviating in no respect, but following the
rule of fait! I.' He referred to seven of his relatives,
who had been Bishops as well as himself, and who
' Valesius translates tliis word by ^ petitstis,' Avliidi does not
give its full force. According to Liddell and Scott, its Latin
equivalent would be po.ituldstis.
THE CONDUCT OF TllK I'd'E. 21 'J
always, lie said, ' observed the day, at the time when
the people' (i.e. the Jews) 'put aside the leaven.'
'I therefore, brethren,' he proceeds, 'being sixty-
five years in the Lord, and having conversed with
the brethren from tlie whole world, and liaving gone
through the whole of the Sacred Scriptures, am not
alarmed at the things which are threatened ; for
greater than I have said, " We ought to obey God
rather than man." ' — From such expressions it might
naturally be inferred that these Asian Bishops looked
upon the observance of their own custom as a matter
of divine obligation. St. Victor appears to have re-
garded their letter in this light, for, accordinsc to
Eusebius, he forthwith attempted (7r=<para/) to cut off ubi supra,
these Churches, as heterodox, from the common unity,
and proclaimed by letters that they were excommuni-
cated. But the same writer adds, that this was not
pleasing to all the Bishops ; and in particular he
mentions St. Irenasus, who, writing in the name of
those over whom he presided in Gaul, maintained
that the mystery of the resurrection of the Lord
ought to be kept only on the day of the Lord ; but,
at the same time, 'becomingly (TrporrTjr-o'vrcy^) recom-
mended to Victor not to cut off (wg ^jlt] aTroxoTrroi)
whole churches of God, who observed the tradition
of an ancient custom.' Ecclesiastical historians are
divided on the question as to whether St. Victor ac-
tually pronounced the excommunication ; or whetlier
he only threatened it ; or whether he tlioiiglit it
sufficient to suspend, as St. Epiphanius says, the
220 THE AUTHORITY OF THE POPE WAS UNDISPUTED
B\pr,yiKa. or letters of peace between himself and tlie
Asiatics, without fully excommunicating them.^
Whatever may have been the natm^e and extent
of the measures he adopted, we have here the re-
corded fact of a Eoman Pontiff of the second century
sending out letters to Asia Minor, and, as it would
appear, to other Churches also, to convoke pro-
vincial councils on the question of the time of
Easter ; which councils were accordingly assembled,
even amongst those who varied from the Eoman
practice on the point to be debated ; and the
reply of the same dissentient Bishops was duly
returned to the Eoman See. Nor does their reply
afford the slightest symptom that they considered
Eome to have assumed any undue pre-eminence,
although it speaks of threats having been used
towards them. It defends the disregard of those
threats, not by calling in question the authority of
the Eoman See, but by appealing directly to the
authority of God. The appeal was unjustifiable, and
betrayed the obstinacy of the Asiatics in their ad-
herence to private opinion; but it would Iiave had
no meaning unless addressed to a superior.
Neither do the liishops who agreed with St. Victor,
but de[)recated extreme measures, seem to have ex-
pressed any doubt of the legitimate power of the
Pope to excommunicate the Asiatic churches. Speak-
ing in the name of himself and the Bishops of Gaul,
' Tlierc wore degrees ol'exconiiiiunicutioii vvliicli did not eutiiil
i3e]juruliou I'rom the Church. Sec below, p. 311.
AS RULEPv OF THE UMVEKSAL CTTURCII. 2l^l
tlie great St. Ircii03us tacitly acknowledges tliis power
and authority as belonging to the See of Eomc, by
the very fact of his urging St. Victor to abstain from
the exercise of it on this occasion.
The language of Eusebius in like manner indicates tih- langimgo
the exercise of supreme authority on the part of Eusebius.
St. Victor, and does not in any way question the ■^'''''" ^^'**^" ^' ^*"
legitimacy of his conduct. That ancient historian
appears to say, that St. Victor actually pronounced
excommunication against the Asiatic churches, but
was persuaded not to enforce it by the repre-
sentations of St. IrenaBus and others. He states
that ' he tried to cut them of, as heterodox, from
the common unity ' [aTroTsixvsiv mc srsf^fj^o^oua-oig rijg
xoiuijg svwo-ecog ttsi^oLtoh), and that he published
letters ' proclaiming them wholly excommunicated '
(^axQivcovriTOug oip^rjv TravroiC rovg sxiirrs dvaxrjp'jfr(rntv
ctOrXcJ^oui,-). Such a proceeding implied the conscious-
ness of universal jurisdiction.
St. Jerome speaks of the same Pope as ' rulinfj the De viris iiiusfrii.us
Church,' in the following passage: — 'Victor the '■''P-^^^'^-
Thirteenth' (more usually comited as Fifteenth),
' Bishop of the Eoman city, who wrote on the question
of Easter, and some other small works, ruled the
Church (rexit Ecclesiam), under the Prince Severus,
for ten years.'
Cardinal Orsi says it is commonly believed that, Result
mainly through the efforts of St. Irena^us, peace was tiio controversy.
Orsi.
speedily re-established between St. Victor and the istoria Sesiast.
Asian Bishops; the Asiatics renouncing the error of
lib. V. 12.
222 TERMINATIOX OF THIS PARTICULAR DIFFERENCE,
He refers
to
Bueher.
de
doctr. temp.
Eusebius
de
Vita Constantini,
lib. iii. cajD. 19,
et
Thcodoreti
Hist. Eccl.
I. 10.
Ep. de Synodis, n. 5,
Ad Afros Episc. n. 2.
regarding their custom as divinely instituted, and as
prescribed by Christ in the Gospel; and St. Victor con-
senting to tolerate the different usage, as a matter
of mere external discipline. He states that St. Ana-
tolius, who flourished during the latter half of the
succeeding (third) centm-y, clearly ascribed to St.
Irenasus the glory of having brought about this
reconciliation. St. Anatolius says, further, that, up
to his time, the Asians continued to observe Easter
on the fourteenth moon after the vernal equinox.
About fifty years after St. Anatolius, it was
stated in the Epistle of the Emperor Constantine
respecting the Mcene Synod, that the observance of
Easter was, at tliat time, the same in the Asian
diocese as in Eonie, Italy, Britam, &c., and Cilicia.
On the other hand St. Athanasius in two of his writ-
ings speaks of the Cilicians as following the Jewisii
custom at the period of the Council, as well as the
Syrians and people of Mesopotamia ; and he says
that the settlement of this question was one of tlie
objects for which the Council of Nice was convoked.
But although tlie difference of custom continued
down to that period, yet it did not then involve
any interruption of communion, if such indeed was
at any time the case. In addition to the above-
mentioned St. Anatolius (who wrote about the year
27G), we have earlier testimony as to what passed, in
the well-known Epistle ascribed to Firmilian, so far
as it may be relied upon. Those who appeal to that
Epistle as -au authority in the mnttoi- of St. Cyprian,
BEFORE THE DECISIOX OP THE GENERAL QUESTIOX. 223
cannot consistently reject it in tlie present instance.
It purports to have been written about the year 255,
being fifty-seven years after tlie aflair of St. Victor
and the churches of Asia Minor, and seventy years
previous to the Council of Nice whicli was cele-
brated A.D. 325. As an argument against the conduct
of St. Stephen it asserts that, although there was a Op. d. Cypriani.
diversity between the practice of Eome and tliat of Ed. Baiuz^'p! 1 1 1.
otlier places, ' concerning the days of Pasch to be
celebrated (circa celebrandos dies Paschoe) and many
other things ;' ' yet there was never, on tliat account,
any departure from the peace and unity of the
Catholic Church [nee tamen propter hoc ah ecclesia',
catholicce pace atque imitate aliquando discessum est).'
It is true that the exao:g-erated and inaccurate Ian-
guage of the said Epistle, in general, renders its evi-
dence very doubtful as regards historical facts ; but it
can hardly be maintained that Firmilian would have
written thus, if any breach of unity had existed on
the subject at the period when he wrote, which was
nearer to the past times of St. Victor than to the
then future Council of Nice.
The Council of Nice decided that Easter sliould Soo Gosciiier.
always and everywhere be kept at the time then "^ Art. PAq«es,
generally observed ; that is to sny, on the Sunday D^^t. des°Conciirs,
after the 14th day of tlie moon first following the and p!.'Sicuiariy
vernal equinox, and not on the 14th day itself which ^Appendix '
was that of the Jewish Passover ; so that, when tlie '" '^'.""?- ^.V-
14th fell upon a Sunday, the Christian Easter should f^oiosmr-nsis.
be kept on the Sunday following. The point at issue
224 ALLEGED DECREE OF THE COUNCIL OF NICE.
had then become more comphcated, through a
clifference in tlie mode of calculating the return of
Prolog. Paschal, the propcp pcriod, and, according to St. Cyril of
op. de Alexandria, the Council decreed that the Church of
T. il" p! -Ji'^!^ ^ 'Alexandria ' which excelled in astronomical science,
should make known every year by letters to the
Eoman Church, the days of the calends or ides,
according to which Easter should be celebrated ; so
that the Universal Church throughout the world
might learn from Apostolic authority, witliout any
disputing, the day that was fixed for the celebration
of Easter.' — Here, again, we find a recognition of the
Primacy of the Eoman Church, and the title of
Apostolic peculiarly applied to her.
But notwithstanding the authority of St. Cyril, it
is very doubtful whether such a decree was ever
made. For a long time after the Nicene Council,
Eome and Alexandria differed in their astronomical
calculation of the Paschal season, though perfectly
agreed that Easter should be kept only on the Sunday
following the 14th moon of the vernal equinox.
Such are the facts of the case of St. Victor and
the Asiatics, which is aj^pealed to in support of the
theory of invisible unity.
St. Stephen, Dr. Puscy rcfcrs also to the discussions respecting
St. Cyprian and thc Validity of Ba])tism when administered by here-
Eir.n.' P^Jy. tics, with proper form and matter, which agitated the
Cluirch, and gave rise to serious though passing
dissensions, in tlie third century.
THE DIFFERENCES RESPECTING BAPTISil. 225
There is more analogy between a thunderstorm
which roars amongst the mountains, and an earth-
quake whicli severs continents ; than there is between
the few short years of the Cyprianic contest on a single
undecided question, and the more than three cen-
turies' fundamental rent which separates England
from the Universal Church. It is most probable
that St. Stephen never actually excommunicated
the dissentients, though he seems to have threat-
ened it. The letter ascribed to Firmilian appears
to assert that he did so, but the inaccuracies of that
docmnent on other points, as well as its excited
tone of language and its questionable authenticity,
greatly diminish the value of its testimony.
St. Dionysius of Alexandria, writing to St. Sixtus 11. Euscb. Ecd. Hist,
(the immediate successor of St. Stephen), says that " "' '^'*^'' "'
St. Stephen wrote ' concerning Helenus and Firmilian,
and all those from Cihcia and Cappadocia, and
Galatia, and all the adjoining nations, as nhoui to
refuse to communicate with them [wg ourA exuvoig
xoivcovrio-cuv),' because they rebaptized heretics. This
epistle has been only partially reproduced by Euse-
bius, but, so far as he has cited it in his history, it
does not say whether St. Stephen afterwards actually
pronounced the excommunication which it so dis-
tinctly states that he threatened against the inno-
vators. It may, however, be inferred that the
historian was not aware of his having done so, since
he does not mention it when describing St. Stephen's
sentiments. In a previous chapter respecting St. ii>i(i. cap. 3.
VOL. I. Q
226 THE TESTIMOXY OF ANCIENT AUTHORS
Cyprian and the Bishops with him, who considered
tliat converts from heresy ought not on any condition
to be admitted before they were rebaptized, Eusebius
mentions only that ' Stephen, thinking that no inno-
vation ought to be made contrary to the tradition
which prevailed from ancient times, was full of indig-
nation at this (sVl TovTui hiriyavaxTsi).^ He does not
even hint at any interruption of outward communion.
This view agrees witli the lansuao;e of St. Angus-
tine in reference to St. Stephen and St. Cyprian. He
De B:ipt. cont. Donat. says that ' Stephen thought that those were even
1 .\. cap. .0, n. . ^^ 1^^ excommunicated, who were endeavouring to
overthrow the ancient custom concerning heretics
who were to be received ; but he (Cyprian), being
moved by the difficulty of the question itself, and
most largely endowed with the holy bowels of charity,
thought that unity was to be preserved with those
who were of a different opinion. So that, although
angrily, but at the same time fraternally indignant,
still the peace of Christ conquered in their hearts,
that in such a dispute no evil of schism miglit arise
between them.' lia quamvis commotius sed tamen
fraterne indignaretw\ vicit tamen pax Christi in cor-
dibus eorwn, ut in tali disceptatione nullum inter eos
Epist. xciii. malum schismatis oriretur. Elsewhere he observes
vinc'entium that, thougli it is uot fouud Oil rccord that St. Cy-
lul: "sif, 40.' prian corrected his opinion, yet it may not unsuitably
be beheved of such a man that he did correct it, and
that perhaps the fact was suppressed by tliose persons
who were too ready to take pleasure in liis error, and
RESPECTING THE CYPRIANIC CONTROVERSY. 227
who wore unwilling to lose the patronage of one
who was so great. There were not wanting those,
he says, who maintained that St. Cyprian never held
these opinions, but that the letters on the subject
were forged and put forth as his, just as many things
were forged in the names of the Apostles ; and he adds
that, in any case, either ' his opinion was other than
has been said ; or else he afterwards corrected it by
the rule of truth ; or else he entirely covered over
this spot (so to speak) in his most pure breast, with
the bosom of charity, whilst he most abundantly
defended the unity of the Church which was in-
creasing in all the world, and most perseveringly
maintained the bond of peace. For it is written,
Charity covereih a multitude of sins. There is to be i st. Peter iv. 8.
added also, that as a most fruitful branch, if there
was anything in him to be corrected, the Father
purged him with the sickle of His passion. For every St. John xv. 2.
branch, saith the Lord, that heareth fruit in Me, that
one will my Father 'purge, that it may bring forth
more fruit. Whence, but that keeping fixed in the
expansion of the vine, he deserted not the root of
unity ? For, though he should deliver his body to be 1 Cor. xiii. 3.
burned, and not have charity, it would profit him
nothing.'
St. Jerome says that ' those selfsame Bishops, who Diai.adv.Lucif.n.2:?.
had decided with St. Cyprian that heretics were to
be rebaptized, having returned to the ancient custom,
sent forth a new decree.'
Our own Venerable Bede, though he does not give
Q 2
228 IF INTEKCOMMUXION WAS SUSPENDED
Quaestionum Liber his autliority, statcs it US a fact tliat, through the
abundance of his good works, St. Cyprian ' merited
to be speedily corrected, and to be brouglit back to
the universal law of Holy Church, by the instruction
of spiritual men.'
Kp. ixxxii. Ed. Baiuz. It is cvidciit from one of the Epistles of St.
C3'prian, that he had communication through mes-
sengers with Eome, at the time of the persecution
under Valerian, which commenced in the year 257
and in which the Pope, St. Stephen, as well as his
successor, St. Sixtus 11. , suffered martyrdom.
A reference to dates will show that, if there was
any suspension of communion at all between the
Eoman See and St. Cyprian, it can have been only
of momentary duration. St. Stephen was elected
Pope A.D. 253. St. Cyprian's friendly letter, urging
hi in to depose Marcion of Aries, is placed by Tille-
mont A.D. 254. The quarrel does not appear to have
then commenced. It is thought that St. Stephen
gained his heavenly crown in the year 257, having
been beheaded in his pontifical chair whilst cele-
brating the holy mysteries. St. Cyprian followed
Hist. Ecciesiast. him A.D. 258, and, as Tillemont remarks, ' the Eoman
om. u.p. . Q]j^j.(.]-^ jj^g always shown such great veneration for
St. Cyprian, that there can be no doubt that he
died in unity with her ; not only through the dis-
position of his heart, but also through external
connminioii.'
He was martyred on the 14th of September, six
years to a day after tlie Eoman Pontiff, St. Cornehus.
ITS SUSPENSION WAS ONLY MOMENTARY. 'J21J
The Roman Cliurcli delights to hnk St. Cyprian
with St. Cornehus. Iler martyrology names them
together on their birthday to eternal life, and de-
scribes St. Cyprian as ' most illustrious for learning
and sanctity.' The same pages again unite their
names on the 16 th of September, when the Church
honours both in one festival, one mass, one office,
and one collect. Side by side, too, have they been
depicted by ancient piety in their sacerdotal vest-
ments, and indicated by name in the Eoman cata-
comb of St. Cahxtus ; and, in the most solemn canon Dc Rossi,
of her mass, amongst the few illustrious Saints whose " christiaiX"*^^
intercession before God is expressly invoked therein, "^Roma, 18G4!
daily does the Roman Church commemorate St.
Cornelius and St. Cyprian.
The 'Eirenicon' speaks of the dissension as having Tiie lotter
arisen ' through the Bishop of Rome, of whom one, Fimiiiiiin.
now counted a saint, said, — " Wliile thinking that all
may be excommunicated by him, he excommunicated
himself alone from all." ' Did the learned author of
that work forget that the Bishop of Rome, to whom
he thus alludes, is himself enrolled amongst the
saints ? — that the Universal Church conformed to his
judgment on the question? — and that his conduct
affords one of the most striking amongst the nume-
rous examples of the vigilance and the authority of
the Roman See, from which even the great and holy
St. Cyprian could not be exempted ?
The letter from which Dr. Pusey extracts this sen-
tence has been alluded to already. It is ascribed to
230 THE DOUBTFUL AUTHENTICITY OF
Finnilian, Bishop of Ca3sarea in Cappadocia, and it
El. Baiuz. forms Epistle No. 75 in the works of St. Cyprian, by
Pans, 1726. -^yhom it is Said to have been translated from the ori-
ginal Greek. Firmilian, its reputed author, was one
of the most eminent men of his age. His memory is
honoured in the Greek Menology, though his name
lias not been placed amongst the saints of the Eoman
Calendar. The Epistle in question is so utterly un-
worthy of his high reputation that it seems quite in-
credible he should have written it, or that the great
St. Cyprian should have translated it. It appears,
however, to be accepted as genuine by the majority of
the learned ; though others have maintained it to be
a forgery of some Donatist, subsequent to the time
of St. Augustine but in the same century. That great
doctor never speaks of it, and it is argued that if it
had then been extant, the Donatists could hardly have
failed to have used it against him, as they used the
Epistles on the same subject which are attributed to
St. Cyprian. Nor is tlie letter mentioned by Diony-
sius of Alexandria, though he speaks of Firmilian —
nor by Eusebius — nor by St. Cyprian himself; and
the Greek version, from which it is said to have been
translated, has never been discovered. But, who-
ever compounded it, it is inaccurate as to facts, pas-
sionate as to temper, and, in language, exaggerated
beyond bounds. Still, with all this, it bears testi-
mony to the then existing claims of the Eoman See.
1'. 1 IS L !. ciiat. ' I i^iTi justly indignant,' says the writer, ' at this so
open and manifest folly of Stephen — that he who so
glories in the place of his Episcopate, and contends
THE EPISTLE OF FIRMILIAN. '231
that he holds the succession of Peter upon whom
the foundations of the Church have been hiid, sliould
bring in many other rocks, and should set up the
new edifices of many churches, inasmuch as he main-
tains by his authority that baptism exists in them.'
The excited and unworthy tone of the letter may
be perceived from the following passage, the con-
cluding sentence of which has been deemed worthy
of a place in the ' Eirenicon.' The words are ad-
dressed to the Eoman Pontifi*, St. Stephen : — ' Thou iiid. p. 150.
fearest not,' so it runs, ' the judgment of God,
giving testimony to heretics against the Church,
though it is written : A false witness shall not be Prov. xix. 9.
unpunished. Nay, thou art worse tlian all here-
tics. Quin immo tu hcereticis omnibus pejor es.
For when many, having perceived their error, come
from thence to thee, that they may accept the true
light of the Church, thou helpest on the errors
of those who come ; and, having obscured the light
of the Church's truth, thou addest to the darkness of
heretical niglit. And when they confess themselves
to be in sin and that they have no portion of grace,
and that on this account they come to the Churcli,
thou withdrawest from them the remission of sins
which is given in baptism, whilst thou say est that
they are already baptized and that they have ob-
tained the grace of the Church outside the Church.
Nor dost thou understand that, wlien the day of
judgment shall come, their souls are to be required
at thy hand, who hast denied the drink of the Church
to the thirsty, and hast been cause of death to those
232 ITS AXGRY DECLAMATION.
who wished tu live. And moreover thou art in-
dignant. Behold with what ignorance (irnperitia)
thou darest to censure those who are striving for the
truth against falsehood. For who ought with the
more justice to be indignant against the other?
Whether, indeed, he who joins with the enemies of
God, or he who combines for the truth of the Church
against him who joins the enemies of God ? Unless
it be manifest that the ignorant (imperitos) are also
angrj^ and passionate, whilst through want of prudence
and of speech [consilii et sermonis) they are easily
moved to anger, so that of none other more than of
Prov. xxix. 22. thcc dotli the diviuc scripture say : A passionate
man 2:)repareth strifes^ and an angry man heapeth up
sins. For how many strifes and dissensions hast thou
prepared for the chm'ches of the whole world ? How
great sin hast thou heaped up for thyself when thou
hast separated thyself from so many flocks? For
thou hast cut off thyself. Do not deceive thyself.
If, indeed, he is truly schismatic who shall make
himself an apostate from the comnuniion of eccle-
siastical unity. For whilst thou thinkest that all
can be excommunicated by thee, thou hast excom-
municated thyself alone from all.'
The letter contains other passages of like character,
and it is from such unseemly railing against God's
ti'uth and its holy defender, that it has been sought to
wrest a weapon against the authority of the Koman
See ; whereas the quotation in question, when taken
^vith its context, bears witness to the existence of
IT TESTIFIES TO THE ROMAN PllLMACY. 233
that aiitliority, at the period when it was written.
The words would lose their force unless applied to
a superior. It would be a meaningless truism to
tell an ordinary bishop that he would cut himself
alone off from unity if he excommunicated all
others. Nor can it be supposed that St. Steplien
would have threatened the excommunication of dis-
tant churches without a consciousness and certainty
of unquestioned universal jurisdiction. It is to be
remarked that the letter distinctly states that St.
Stephen ' thought he could excommunicate all.' A
few lines subsequently, it openly acknowledges liis
primacy ; observing ironically, ' how diligently
Steplien has fulfilled the commands and wholesome
admonitions of the Apostle, practising m the Jirst
place " humility and mildness " (humilitatem sensus Ephes. iv. 2.
et lenitatem primo in loco servans).'
Besides all this, looking merely to the historical
fact of the respective numbers, the assertion was
flagrantly false. It is notorious not only that St.
Stephen did not stand alone, but that his doctrine
was that of the vast majority of bishops.
Thus, St. Augustine speaks of tlie party of St.
Cyprian, as some ' fifty orientals, and seventy or a
few more Africans, against many thousands of
bishops, to whom this error was displeasing through-
out the Avhole world.' It is only the blindness of
passion or the over-zeal of a forgerer, wliich can
account for the hyperbolical assertion ascribed to
Firmilian, that St. Ste])hen had cut himself off from all.
234 THE EMINENCE OF FIRMILIAN.
If all this be taken into account, and if it is
remembered, further, that the doctrine of the Pope
thus scandalously denounced as heretical, has been
subsequently acknowledged by the Universal Church
as an article of the faith ; and that, on the other
hand, the opinion defended by the writer of the
letter ascribed to Firmilian has been rejected as
heresy; it will not be difficult to estimate the actual
value of tliat writer's angry exclamation against
Pope St. Stephen, which has been brought forward
as the saying of ' one now counted a Saint.'
The respect The letter in question is not a saintly one, who-
i-'irmiiian. Gvcr may liavc been its author. Even saints whilst
in this mortal life are liable to human weakness.
The epistle stands self-condemned ; but far be it
from me to speak disparagingly of a Bishop whose
name holds so high a place in the Church's annals,
as that of the great Finnilian of Cappadocia. He
De vita is mentioned by St. Gregory of Nyssa as the early
,. Ti.g. lauma urgi.^.^^^^^^^ ^^ g^^ Grcgory thc Wonder-worker, and as
his companion in relinquishing the vain philosophy
of the world for the true philoso[)hy of the Cross.
He says that Firmilian resembled him in disposition,
' as he showed by his after life when he was the
ornament of the Church of the Cassareans.' Eusebius
iii«t. EltIcs. vii. 28. mentions him first amongst the most eminent Eastern
Bishops who were assembling at Antioch against
the heresy of Paul of Samosata, when he fell sick
upon the way and died at Tarsus about the year 269.
iM(i. cap. 30. The synodical letter of tlie same council, wliich is
EOME's office is UXIVERSAL.
235
addressed to Dionysius Bishop of the Eoman city,
to Maximus of Alexandria, and to the Universal
Catholic Church, makes especial mention of Firmilian,
as one of those whose presence had been solicited by
letters. It says that he had twice before come to
Antioch and condemned the novelty. It names him in
company with St. Dionysius of Alexandria, and styles
them together, ' men of blessed memory.' It is not
probable that one thus spoken of in an epistle of
such a nature, formally addressed to the Eoman
Pontiff and the whole Churcli, can liave died out of
visible communion with Eome.
As in the case of St. Victor and the Asiatics, the
points on which the Cyprianic contest is appealed to
by Dr. Pusey are involved in great obscurity, wdiilst
the office which the providence of God has entrusted
to the Eoman See, is clearly illustrated thereby.
Apart from that office, what was there in this matter
to induce Eome to raise a voice of authority through-
out Africa and the East? On what other ground
were Africa and the East so disturbed by Eome's de-
nunciation of their novelties ? As regards his personal
influence, who will compare St= Steplien to the great
and the eloquent St. Cyprian ? The error more-
over was supported by Synods, and by Bishops
illustrious for virtue, many of whom as well as St.
Cyprian were afterwards found worthy of the martyr's
crown ; it rested on plausible arguments, and ap-
parently just interpretations of Holy Scripture.
To human eyes it might seem, on the other hand.
Evidence
of
the office
of the
Roman See.
236 CHRIST HAS entrusted ROME WITH
that the cau^>e of truth was inadequately represented
by the simple declaration of St. Stephen, in few
but decided words condemning novelty, maintaining
tradition, setting aside the opinion of St. Cyprian
and of all the Bishops of his party throughout
Africa, Asia, and the whole world, wherever they
might profess it. But this simple declaration was
the voice of Christ in His Vicar. In opposition
to it, all the Synods, all the learning, all the emi-
nence, all the holiness, all the plausible appeals to
Scripture, even of Bishops like C}^3rian, prove as
nothing ; they become as dreams ; they add but
another page to the history of human weakness,
human error, and human impotence apart from God.
Rome instructs the nations. At times her word of
truth may seem to lie dormant iu men's hearts ; but,
like all that is divine, if its work is silent it is strong.
As in the case before us, it is often found that those
who at first oppose it, after a few brief years have
passed, are brought to confess its power, and to pro-
claim that Eome's teaching is the word of the
living God. Why does Eome prove always right,
and Asia, Africa, Cyprian, Firmilian, and others
who oppose her always wrong ? It is not from any
human super-excellence; not from any superior
human talents ; not from any greater human power.
It is, because to Peter, and through him to Eome,
and not to Carthage or to Asia, or elsewhere
throughout the globe, was the conunand of Christ
addressed : — ' Feed my lambs, Feed my sheep ;' —
THE GUARDIAXSIIIP OV ITTS FAITH. 237
' Strengthen and confirm tliy brethren.' It is beoanse
to Peter, and to none other, was it said : — Ego dico St. Matt, xvi.is.
tibi^ quia tu es Petrus^ et super hanc petram cediji-
cabo ecclesirun meam, etportCB inferi non prcevalebunt
adversus earn.
The universe has to learn its faith from Eome,
because to Eome has its guardianship been entrusted
by a power which is divine. Rome liolds it not for
herself alone, but for the good of the human race ;
therefore that divine power unceasingly assists her,
and preserves her from unfaithfulness to the light
and grace, which are superabundantly bestowed upon
her for the fulfilment of her high commission.
St. Vincent of Lerins points to the conduct of St. Commonitormm.
Stephen in this matter, as one out of many examples
afforded by those blessed ones who ' shine, like the
seven-branched candlestick with the sevenfold light of
the Holy Spirit ; ' examples which most plainly show
to posterity how, in spite of vain words, the audacity
of profane novelty may be trampled under foot by
the authority of hallowed antiquity. — ' Such ex-
amples,' he says, '-abound ; but, not to be tedious,
let us fix on one, and that the rather from the
Apostolic See, that all may perceive more clearly
than the hght, with how great strength, witli how
great zeal, with what earnest striving, the blessed
succession of the blessed Apostles will always defend
the integrity of the religion once received.'
'At one time, then, Agrippinus, Bishop of Car- circa a.d. 217.
thage, of venerable memory' (a predecessor of St.
238 ST. STEPHEN FIRST IN FAITH, AS IN AUTHORITY.
Cyprian, in that See), ' tlie first of all mortals, in
contradiction to the divine canon, in contradiction
to the rule of the Universal Church, in contradiction
to the sentiments of all his fellow-priests, in contra-
diction to the custom and the institutions of ancestors,
judged that baptism was to be repeated. Which pre-
sumption brought in so much evil as to have afforded,
not only an example of sacrilege to all heretics, but
also an occasion of error even to certain Catholics.
When therefore, on all sides, every one was ex-
claiming against the novelty of the thing, and all
Priests in all directions were resisting it, each one
according to the measure of his zeal ; then Pope
Stephen, of blessed memory, who presided over the
Apostolic See, withstood it, together indeed Avith the
rest of his colleagues, but yet before the rest ; es-
teeming it fitting, as I imagine, if he should surpass
the others as much in the devotion of his faith, as
he excelled them in the authority of his position.
In short, in the letter which was then sent to Africa,
he decreed [sanxit) in these words : — Let there
be no innovation on what is handed down. Nihil
novandum, nisi quod tradituin est. For the holy
and prudent man understood that the rule of piety
admits of nothing else, except that all things should
be consigned to tlie children with the same fidelity
witli which they have been received from the fathers ;
and that we ought not to lead religion where we
will, but ratliei' to follow wherever it may lead us ;
and that it belongs to Cliiistiaii modesty and gravity.
THE ULTIMATE CONCLUSION OF THE CONTROVERSY. 230
not to hand down to posterity what is from ourselves,
but to preserve entire those things which have been
received by us from our ancestors. What, then, was
the end of the whole business ? What indeed, but
the usual and accustomed end ? Antiquity, forsooth,
is maintained ; novelty is rejected.'
The rescript of St. Stephen does not appear to
have been intended by him as a definition of dogma,
but as a practical rule to be followed under the
existing circumstances. Such is the opinion of
Cardinals Orsi and Bellarmine Ihe latter says that De irreform. Rom.
n r< n , T -> • ^ ii •!/• Pont.judicio.l.iii.c. 4.
St. Stephen ' did not wish i o make the matter itseli ^^ summo Pontif.
of faith, without a General Council: but he wished Lib.iv.cap.7,11. lo.
only that in the meantime the ancient custom should
be observed.'
The Council of Aries (a.d. 314), at which
C^cilianus of Carthage and several other African
Bishops assisted, put forth a decree to the same
eflfect as St. Stephen's rescript ; viz. that converts
from heresy were not to be rebaptized, but only re-
ceive imposition of hands, excepting in the case of
defect in the essentials of their previous baptism.
The Ecumenical Council of Nice (a.d. 325) practi-
cally confirmed this decree : for it made no allusion
to baptism in its canon respecting the reception of Conc. Niccn. can. 8.
converts from the Cathari ; whereas in the case of
the Paulianists (whose baptism was defective) it is 11 ad. can. 19.
enjoined, that they are by all means to be baptized
when they come to the Church.
It would not be right to pass on without observing
240 THE DOCTRINE OF ST. CYPRIAN
that there are authors, worthy of consideration, who
maintain that the letters of St. Cyprian on this subject,
as well as tlie letter of Fii-railian, were forged by
ancient heretics. Their opinion is not commonly
Vide supra, ]). 227. acccptcd, but, as may be seen above, it existed even in
the time of St. Augustine, who does not absolutely
Ep. xeiii. reject it, but says that he himself does not deny that
Vincent. Eogat.n. 39. sucli wcrc the scntimcnts of St. Cyprian, for two
reasons : first, because the style resembles his ; and,
secondly, because the letters attributed to him render
the argument against the Donatists the more invin-
cible by showing, that not even the reception of
converts whom he considered as unbaptized, could
induce St. Cyprian to separate from the Universal
Church.
The said epistles have been appealed to as evi-
dence that St. Cyprian was opposed to the claims of
the Eoman See. But the real sentiments of a writer
are to be gathered from the habitual expression of
his thoughts in moments of calm, rather than from
occasional passages penned at a time of trial and
strong excitement. The works of St. Cyprian, and
even these very letters, afford undeniable testimony to
his faith in the primacy of St. Peter and of St. Peter's
.successors at Pome. lie observes to Quintus that
EpiHt.ixxi. ed. ciut. ' Peter whom the Lord elected first, and upon whom
He built His Church (Petru.s, quern prwium Donii-
nus ekf/it, et super quern cedijicavit ecdesiam suam),
when Paul afterwards contended witli him respecting
circumcision,' diil not anogantly answer that 'he
ON THK CENTRE OK rXlTV. 211
held the primacy (.9^ j?r/yy/rt^?</>? tenere) and oiiglit
rather to be yielded to by new disciples posterior to
himself.' — He writes to the Numidian Bishops: —
' There is one baptism, and one Holy Ghost, and one Kp. ixx. ihid.
Chnrch, founded by Christ the Lord u])on Peter, for
the origin and rule of unity {una ecclesia a Christo
Domino super Petruni^ origine iinitatis et ratione fun-
data).'' — To Jubaianus, after observing that ' it is Ep. ixxiii. ibid,
manifest where and by whom remission of sins can be
given,' he proceeds : — Tor to Peter first upon whom
He has built the Church, and whence he institutes and
shows the origin of unity, the Lord gave this povv'er
that that should be loosed in heaven which he should
have loosed on earth.' Nam Petro primum Domi-
nus, super quern wdijicavit ecclesiam, et unde unitatis
originem instituit et osteiidit, poiestatem istam dedit
ut id solveretur in coelis quod ilk solvisset in terris.
After thus specially distinguishing St. Peter, he passes
on to say that after the resurrection also the power St. Joim xx. 21-23.
of remitting sins was conferred on the apostles. St.
Cyprian seems to delight in bringing forward this
prerogative of St. Peter as an attribute of the Church,
even when it seems superfluous. Thus, in his book,
' De Bono Patientige,' in quoting the words of the Op. d. cvp. p. 200,
^ ° «!. citata.
^ Baliizius concludes from ancient autlioritics that the correct
reading is here Petriun, and not petram, as in some editions
(notes to St. Cyprian, p. 497). The meaning of the sentence
would not however be affected by reading petram, since the
terms are synonymous. The other quotations in the text testify
abundantly that St. Cyprian believed and taught that the Church
is founded upon Peter as the rock, and as the centre of unity.
VOL. I. E
242 ROME THE TRlXCirAL CHURCH.
beloved disciple, he gives liiin the simple appellation
of ' John the Apostle,' but when he quotes St. Peter
in llie next sentence, he describes him as ' Peter,
upon whom the Clnu^ch is built by the judgment of
the Lord,' Itew Petnis, super quern ecclesia Domini
dignatione fundata est, in epistola sua ponit et
dicit, cj'f .
It is evident also that St. Cyprian did not regard
these prerogatives as confined to the person of St.
Peter alone, but that he considered them to be
inherited by his successors in the Eoman See ; for he
expressly speaks of the Eoman Pontiffs as occupying
the place of Peter. He says of Pope St. Cornelius, who
Ep. lii. ed. citat. succccdcd St. Fabian, that lie was elected ' when tlie
place of Fabian, that is, when the place of Peter and
the rank of the sacerdotal chair, w^as vacant.' Cinn
Fahiani locus, id est, cum locus Petri et gradus cathe-
drce sacerdotalis, vacaret. Elsewhere he speaks of
Ep. iv. ed. citat. tliosc who ' darc to sail and to carry letters from
schismatic and profane persons to the chair of Peter
and to the principal Church, from whence the sacer-
dotal unity hath arisen, nor consider that they are
Piomans whose faith has been praised in the Apostle's
preaching, to whom faithlessness cannot have access.'
Navigare aiident, et ad Petri cathedram atque ad
ecclesiam principalem, unde unitas sacerdotalis exorta
est, a schismaticis et prophanis litteras ferre, nee
cogitare eos esse Pomanos quorum fides apostolo p)rw-
dicante laudata est, ad quos peifidia habere non 2)ossit
accessum.
DISSENSIOX AMONGST THE CATHOLICS OF ANTIOCH. 2-4o
Otlier well-known passages might be added from
the same holy father, and, for the simple-minded,
there needs no comnaent on them ; but such as are
guided by preconceived opinions will explain away
the clearest language and the most patent facts. May
God preserve us from eyes that see not, ears that
hear not, and hearts that will not understand His
voice !
During the latter half of the fourth century, the St. Mdotius
Cathohcs of Antioch were divided into two parties tho diSons in
respecting the rival claims of St. Meletius and Pau- Autioc.b.
linus to the episcopate of that important diocese.
The title of Paulinus is said to have been preferred
in the West, and that of St. Meletius in the East. It
is a portion of history which is imperfectly known
and which particularly demands attention, since the
case of St. Meletius and liis party is appealed to as fur-
nishing a precedent for the separated position of the
established Church of England, and as affording an
instance of outwardly divided unity.
It is unreservedly affirmed in the 'Eirenicon' that, Eiivn.p. co.
' St. Meletius out of communion with Eome, presided
(as it w^ere, marked out by God) at the second general
council ;' and that, ' when departed, he was owned
to be a Saint by those who, in his lifetime, owned him
not as a Bishop,' — alluding to Eome and the West.
Dr. Forbes observes : — ' Subjective unity was sus- s.c extract, above,
pended during the schism at Antioch, yet objective ''' '
unity is maintained; for the blessed Meletius is a Saint.'
k2
council.
244 THE rOSlTlOX of ST. MELETIUS with ROME.
St. Meiefius The scliism ill question was internal, and neither
Eoman Catholic siclc was cut ofT, as is the case witli England, from
many^yrarr before Bome and tliB Universal church. There is undeniable
second gpnerai pi'oof that before the period of the second general
council, St. Meletius was in formal and acknowledged
' communion mth Eome ; ' nor can it be assumed
that he was personally out of her communion, even
when she demurred respecting his claims to the
Bishopric of Antioch. It is notorious that after his
early errors had been redeemed by his subsequent
sufferings for religion and formal profession of the
Nicene faith, for a long time before the second
general council, St. Meletius enjoyed, and was
known at Eome to be enjoying, the constant and
intimate communion of St. Basil the Great and other
eminent Catholic Bishops, without any interruption
of their own acknowledged episcopal communion with
the Eoman See. This shows that, even at that time,
St. Meletius was not out of communion with Eome.
It was never denied that Meletius was a Bishop.
The only question at issue Avas whether he or Paulinus
ought to be considered the rightful Bishop of Antioch.
Eome never pronounced a formal judgment on the
case, and her silence implied toleration. Eome and
the whole Catholic world now venerate Meletius as a
Saint, though Eome and the West, perhaps influenced
by the great St. Athanasius, would not prefer his
claims to those of Paulinus in respect to the See of
Antioch. There is no evidence however that Mele-
tius was ever condemned by Eome, or cut off by her
AXTIOCn FORMED AN EXCEI'TIOXAL CASE. Ii45
from ecclesiastical coininunion, or placed uiidei- any
censure. It is not recorded tliat Eomc remon-
strated with any of the Eastern Catholic Bishops in
consequence of their open espousal of his communion
and advocacy of his claims. Eome received commu-
nications expressly from Meletius and other Bishops
of his party, on the affairs of the East in general ;
nor did the Pope even reject the deacon of i\Ieletius
himself, who was sent to him upon that errand.
This miserable schism respecting the Bishopric of
Antioch formed an exceptional case in an exceptional
period. Great spiritual interests were at stake, and
it was extremely difficult for those who were at a
distance to obtain accurate information respecting the
facts. It is not therefore surprising that the anomaly
should have been tolerated for a while, and that the
ecclesiastical law which forbade the co-existence of
two Bisliops in one diocese should have been looked
upon as temporarily suspended through the necessi-
ties of the case. Such appears to have been the
view which was taken, liome ultimately assented
to, and even seems to have recommended, a com-
promise, without any positive adjudication of tlie
rival claims.
After explaining the commencement of the divi-
sion, and briefly noticing one or two points in its
after history, I shall produce incontrovertible evi-
dence that the communion and ecclesiastical position
of Meletius were distinctly recognised by Kome be-
fore the assembling of the second general council.
240 COTII SIDES IN ANTIOCII VISIBLY IX THE CHURCH.
No argument Tliis exceptional and transitory period of the
for the existence ^., i ? i • • a • i i it> i
of Lliurcns history in Antioch does not aiiord any sup-
' unity. poi't to the present theory of an outwardly divided
unity. It is true that the Catholics of that diocese
were visibly divided within themselves, and outwardly
separated into two parties. But, as has been said of
St. Meletius, the members of both these parties were
visibly and outwardly one with the universal church.
Each of the divided Catholic parties of Antioch was in
full and unquestioned outward communion with, at
least, either the Eastern, or the Western, Bishops ;
and, though the difference of opinion may have pro-
duced, or increased, a degree of coldness between
these Bishops, it did not occasion an interruption of
their mutual, and visible, ecclesiastical communion.
vi.ic infra, Tlicrc IS 110 rcasou to suppose that, after the pro-
mulgation of the mdulgence accorded to the abjurors
of Arianism, in the year 3G2, either Meletius or
raulinus, or any of their individual followers, were
regarded on either side as cut off from Catholic
communion, either in the West or in the East.
Both parties were represented in the one universal
body. St. Basil upheld the claims of Meletius. St.
Athanasius and St. Epiplianius befriended Paulinus.
Yet these great fathers and doctors of the Church,
along with many others who respectively preferred
one or other of the differing Catholic sides at Antioch,
were all the time united by the ties of a saintly friend-
ship, as well as by the bonds of communion in the
Cliurch. In short, it is notorious that all the great
l-p. 282-284.
ENGLAND IS VISIBLY SI:PA11ATI::D FROi[ IT. 1!4:7
champions of the fiiith, and all the Catholic Ijishops of
the world, whether they respectively favoured Meletius
or upheld Paulinus, were nevertheless in outward and
visible communion both with each other and with
Eome. This could not have been the case if either
Meletius or Paulinus, or either of their respective par-
ties, whether inside or outside of Antioch, had been out
of the communion of Eome and the Universal Church.
The division between the Catholics of Antioch arose Contrast betwoeu
Antioch
und
EiiRlunJ.
from local and internal differences. It was so to "ukI^
speak a family quarrel, deplorable in itself but sepa-
rating neither side from the great paternal home. It
bore no sort of resemblance to the subsequent schism
of the Greeks ; nor can it justly be pleaded as a
precedent for the separation of the so-called Chiu'ch
of England from her parent stock and stem, and from
the universal Christian family.
England is in a position of isolation excepting from isolation
the religious bodies of her own creation. She liiids < church of
neither advocate nor defender in the whole of Catholic ' "^ ""' '
Christendom. England makes no appeal to Eome ;
England claims no communion with Eome ; England's
communion is rejected by every individual Bishop
who is in communion with Eome ; and no single
member of the estabhshed English Church can be
lawfully communicated with in sacred things, by any
single individual of the faithful in comnmnion with
Eome. IIow different was the position of each of
the Catholic parties at Antioch !
In the case of Antioch, there wns internal division, CompHrison.
'248 Till-: CATHOLICS UF ANTIOCII WERE
but no sevcTuiicc from the orbis terraram, and both
sides looked up anxiously to Eome.
In tlie case of England, there is a notorious sepa-
ration from the univei'sul cliurch, and an avowed
rejection of the authority of the Eoman See.
The grounds Again, as regards the grounds of dissension, no
dissens^ion aiialogy wliatcvcr exists between the two. In
■.n'-'L^nl the sixteenth century, England cut herself off from
Eome and the Universal Church, rejecting the
authority of the Apostolic See, and adopting her
own private interpretation of the Scriptures, and of
the voice of primitive Christianity. This severance
continues — and it must continue so long as England
asserts the claim of an isolated independence. Such
was not the case with any of the Catholics at
Antioch. History does not record one single word
or act by which either Meletius, or Pauhnus, or any
of tlieir respective followers, ever called in question
tlie supreme authority of Eome, or manifested any
difference from her on any point of doctrine. Both
these parties eagerly sought her fiivour ; both pro-
claimed themselves in her communion. We are as-
Hiiist.xvi. sured of the latter fact by St. Jerome, in one of his
ed. Valliirn. Vcron. i-. o ta i • /• • i
1734, &e. letters to rope St. Damasus, asking tor guidance
Vide iufry, p. 326. t , . i .,
under his perplexity.
Nor was tliere any })()int uf faitli respecting which
the Catholics of Antioch disagreed amongst them-
selves, or differed from Eome and the Universal
Churcli. 'Hicir division was upon a question of
rightful local jurisdiction, mixed up, no doubt, witli
XOT DIVIDED IN TIIHIR FAITH. 240
personal feeling on both sides. It was aggravated
by the dispute respecting the number of the divine
Hypostases^ but in the case of the Antiochians this did s. AtimiKisii
not involve the faith. Meletius and his adherents Antiwhensos.
employed the word to designate the divine persons^ ^v.'^m, 289.
and consequently maintained that there were three.
Paulinus and his party interpreted it of the divine sub-
stance^ and therefore affirmed there was but one. Tlie
prevalence of the Sabellian and Arian heresies had
given rise to this question respecting the most appro-
priate mode for the definition of one and the same
truth. The two parties at Antioch differed upon
that point, but, as regards actual Catholic doctrine,
they were equally and ahke orthodox, as is testified
by Theodoret and others. Ecci. iiist. iii. 4.
There is extant a contemporary seniion, preached Testimony
by St. Gregory Nazianzcui, at Constantinople, in the st.GregoiyNazianzen.
year 379, which bears witness to the unity of faith
of the Cathohcs of that city, although they were
divided into two parties respecting Meletius and
Pauhnus. It speaks also of the disposition of the
heretics of the day to exaggerate the extent of the
dissension. It may be presumed tliat, besides those
of Constantinople to whom it was addressed, its
remarks would apply to the Catholics of Antioch to
whose pastors it refers, and whose division had been
extended to Constantinople. Thus it further affords
strong presumptive evidence, to say the least, in fiivour
of the usually received opinion that a reconciliation
had been effected in the same year between Meletius
250 TIIEY DIFFERED CONCERXIXO THEIR PASTORS.
and Piiiiliiius, tlioiigli the contest was unhappily
renewed b}' the partisans of the former immediately
after his decease.
This St. Gregory — styled, pre-eminently, ' The
Theologian ' — was an ardent lover of peace, which he
Oi-atio 22, i. dcscribcd as a blessing extolled by all, but preserved
by few. He eloquently bewailed its loss ; more, he
said, than Jacob bewailed the loss of Joseph, or
David the death of his friend Jonathan, or that of
Absalom his son. He greatly loved and admired
Meletius, but his end and aim was peace ; and when,
at last, it was restored in Constantinople, he delivered
the oration to be found in his works, under the title
of ' The Third Peace Discourse, on the agreement
which we, of the same faith, made after the conflict.'
orat. 23, iii. iv. ' Wc difTcTed uot,' lic says therein, ' respecting the
cd. Benc'd. Paris, . . n i » r^
1778. divme nature, but respecting goodly order. . . . ' Con-
cerning the divine nature, we no less consent and
agree than does the Godhead with itself, if this be
not a great thing to say.' . . . 'But there were matters
upon which we differed. Nor will I deny that it
was bad enough to quarrel even about them ; for
not any entrance or handle ought to be given to the
wicked one, nor license to evil tongues ; still, it was
not so Ijad as it appears to those who traduce our
conduct. For since, being men, we are liable to sin,
our fault was that of loving our pastors to excess,
and that we could not discover which of two good
THE MACHINATIONS OF THE ARIANS. 25 L
men was tlie most to be preferred, until we agreed
to admire them both alike. This is tlie complaint
against ns. Let anyone who pleases censnre or
acquit us on these points. Tliis is the security of tlie
heretics — rouro rcou alptrixcov tJ d(r(pa.7vsia. But,
however much you may desire it, besides this there
is nothing. " Dead and rotten flies," saith the Ecc1.-s. x. i.
preacher, ." make oil to stink ; " and envy will try to
give an ill savour to things that are good, but it will
not be able. For, as appears to Esdras and to me,
" the strongest of all things is truth." '
The seeds of the schism between the Catholics of The origir.
Antioch were sown by the impiety of the Arians. nie schistn.
St. Vincent of Lerins observes that ' the profane Commonitorium,
T f A • • TT -r» n T-i prope principium,
novelty oi Arianism, like some Ueilona or -bury,
having first taken captive the Emperor, and then
subjugated all the highest posts of the palace to its
new laws, from thenceforth never ceased to confound
and disturb all things, private and public, sacred and
profane ; to show no distinction towards what was
good and true, but to smite whomsoever it would,
as if from a higher region.' — An exemption from
this fiery trial could hardly be expected in the case
of the third ecclesiastical city of Christendom, pecu-
liarly hateful to the devil, as is observed by St. Episi. cdriii.
. Epipliaiiio episc.
Basil, because it was the birthplace of the name of
Christian.
No sooner had the Arians been condemned in the
great council of Nicsea than they formed the ini-
quitous design of intruding the favourers of their
252 BANISHMENT OF ST. EUSTATHIUS FROM ANTIOCH.
heresy into tlie sees of the Gatliohc bishops, wher-
ever they could devise the means. Their first efforts
were directed against St. Eustathius, who had dis-
tinguished himself as one of the earliest and most
vigorous of their opponents, and who at that time
occupied the aforesaid very eminent and important
TheodoretiEcci. Hist, see of Autiocli. About tlic year 330, Eusebius of
SocratisHist.Ecci. Nlcomcdia, witli otlicFs of that party, assembled a
Sozomeni nrst. Ecci. concihabule at Antioch, in which they unlawfully
hb. 11. 19. obtained the deposition of Eustathius by means of
false and shameful accusations, supported, in part, by
a suborned witness, who afterwards openly confessed
her guilt. They maligned him to the Empero]', and
' obtained his banishment into a distant country.
One of their own bishops was then thrust into his
place, and for a period of thirty years the great
episcopal chair of Antioch continued in the un-
disturbed possession of a series of Arian or Eusebian
prelates. Eudoxius, of unhappy memory, belonged
to this line of bishops. Having left, or been expelled
from, the see of Antioch, he obtained tliat of Con-
stantinojDle, a.d. 359, or early in the year 360.
Election Thcodorct relates that the Emperor Constant! us
Mekiiub. afterwards called together the bishops, enforcing the
Theod. ii.3i. uuivcrsal rcjcction of both the extreme terms —
Sozom!iv. 28. Iiomoousiou and heterousion (apvr^6r;va/ Travras xa)
TO 'j[xrj(j-jrri'jv avayKu^inv xai to sTJj^oojo'ioi/). He says,
that many bishops being thus assembled from various
])i()vinces, they proposed in the first place to provide
a pastor for the see of Antioch, and tliat, tlnough
THE ORIGIX OF ST. MELETIUS. 25:>
the influence of tlie Arjans, thougli witli the concur-
rence of certain of the orthodox, Meletius Avas accord-
ingly elected to fill the place left vacant byEudoxius.
Meletius came originally from Melitine, in the
Lesser Armenia, and it appears that he was of noble
birth, and in the possession of an estate. According
to the general opinion amongst writers of authority,
he Avas first consecrated bishop to the see of Sebaste,
in Armenia ;^ but beino; unable to endure the unruli-
ness of the people, he had found repose in the city
of Beroea in Syria, where he was residing when sum-
moned to the ecclesiastical throne of Antioch.
There cannot be any question that, during his
earlier life, Meletius Avas intimately connected Avith
the Arian faction, thougli it is uncertain to AAdiat
extent he AA^as involved in their errors. Even his
Avarm-spoken panegyrist, St. Gregory Nazianzen, is
compelled to interrupt the strain of his praises in
order to acknoAvledge, in a parenthesis, that ' to a Carmen de vita suA,
slight extent he Avas led astray by the stranger's ^'ed."puris,'i84o!* '
hand.'
But this remark Avould apply only to the earlier
part of his career, and not to the period after his
election to the bishopric of Antioch, during Avhich
he boldly confessed, and suffered for, the faith.
1 Baronius (an. 360, n. 48) seems to suggest that Meletius may
have been transhited from Bercea to Sebaste, but there is not
sufficient ground for such a supposition. See Valesius, Annot. in
Socrat. lib. ii. c. 44 ; and Tillemont, note iii. suv S. INIelece.
254 MELETIUS IX Ills EAKLY LIFE
Eccies. Hist. V. 1. 5. TliG Ariaii historian Philostorgius, says that Mele-
tius at one time ' feignedly professed the heterousion '
Hist. Ecci. ii. 44. ('''^ BTs^oyxTiov uTTSKzlvzTo). According to Socrates,
Meletius was present at the concihabule of Seleucia,
and signed the Arian and semi-Arian profession of
faith therein pnt forth by the Acacians. But thougli
litres, ixxiii. 25, 26. the said document is recorded by St. Epiphanius,
with the signatures of forty-three bishops, that of
Meletius does not appear amongst them, nor is it
certain whether he was at that time a bishop at alL
Ibid. 27, 2S. St. Epiphanius, however, mentions him as belonging
to the party of Acacius, which he numbers amongst
those whose 'whole work was full of fraud.' He
also states that Meletius was made bishop of Antioch
by Acacius and his party, and that they considered
him at the time to be of the same opinion as them-
selves.
It is certain that before his elevation to the see of
Antiocli, Meletius had done nothing openly in de-
fence of the truth, even if he had taken no active
part against it ; and thougli he may never have
committed himself to any overt profession of heresy,
yet, if he was always a Catholic at heart, he must
have been guilty in his earlier career of culpable
indulgence towards error, and of unworthy dissimu-
lation respecting his actual sentiments. This is
manifest from the fact that the Arians universally
accounted him as their own, until after the period of
his election to the see of Antioch. According to Ni-
iiibt. Ecci. ix. 48. cei)horus Calli.stus, lii.s original creation as bishop, to
WAS ACCOUNTED TO EH AX AKIAX. 255
the see of Sebaste, was owing to the siifTragcs of the
Arians. This statement may have been derived from iiist. Ecc-:. iv. 2.5.
Sozomen, who, in mentioning certain appointments
tliat were made by the extreme Arian party, called
after their leader, Eudoanans, includes as one of them
that of Meletius to the rule of tlie church of Sebaste.
There can be no doubt that Meletius was at that
time commonly reputed to be an Arian, both in doc-
trine and communion, and that he was elevated to
the episcopal chair of Antioch through the combined
influence of the different sections of Arianism. St.
Epiphanius, as above mentioned, attributes his said
elevation to the semi- Arian Acacius and his party.
Philostorgius also recounts it as the work of Acacius, in loco citato,
observing, in the bitterness of his own more extreme
heresy, that Acacius endeavoured everywhere to
appoint those who professed the doctrine of tlie con-
substantiality. Sozomen attributes the election of
Meletius as bishop of Antioch to the Eudoxians, wlio,
he says, first placed him at Sebaste, and to whom, Hist. Ecci. iv. 25, 2s.
he says, ' it seemed well to transfer Meletius from
Sebaste to Antioch, as one who was skilful in speech
and in powers of persuasion, good in liis manner of
life, and hitherto of their own way of thinking. For
they altogether hoped by the estimation of tlie man
to entrap into their own heresy the inhabitants of
Antioch and the cities round about, and especially
those who were called Eustathians, whose doctrine
respecting God was according to the tradition in the
synod of Nictea.' St. Jerome records m his Chronicle
256 MELETIUS WAS ELECTED TO AXTIOCH
s. iiieron. Op. omn. that ' Meletiiis, Bisliop of Sebaste, in Armenia, was
ed. Vaiiars.' transferred to Antiocli by the Aiian Bishops Acacius
and George.' T]ie George here mentioned was pro-
bably the extreme Arian bishop of Laodicaea.
Thus, though certain Catholic bishops concmTcd
in this election of Meletius, it cannot be denied that,
in itself, it was essentially the act of the Arians, who
in like manner ejected him at once when he professed
the Catholic doctrine. The Catholics were powerless
in both instances.
Theodoret is the only one of the early ecclesias-
tical historians who mentions the concurrence of any
of the Catholics, and the only name which he has
recorded amongst them, is that of St. Eusebius of
Samosata. Father Bollandus, who is himself the
Boiianri author of tlic ' Life of St. Meletius,' in the work
Acta Sanctorum. ,-, i i • i i • i i
Fci.. xii. through which his own name has become immor-
talized, says that St. Eusebius of Samosata attended
the assembhes of the heterodox, in order to rescue
from heresy any he might be able to rescue, es-
pecially such as had fallen rather through ignorance
than throucrh malice. He observes that the same
St. Eusebius may have been instrumental in the con-
version of Meletius.
Friendly and direct intercourse must undoubtedly
have taken place between Meletius and the Catholics
referred to, for they were aware of his orthodoxy ;
at the same time, it is evident that the change which
had been effected in him was kept as a secret, for if
the Arians had known of it, they would unquestion-
TimOUGTI THE IXFLUEXCE OF THE ARIAXS. 257
ably liave selected some otlier person as the successor
of Eiidoxius in Antiocli. The transaction is tlius re-
lated in the ' Ecclesiastical History ' of Theodoret : — Lib. ii.'si.
' At that time the divine Meletius, bishop of some
city in Armenia, being subsequently unable to bear
the contumacy of his flock, was living elsewhere in
repose. The Arians, surmising {uTroTowr^aavns) that
he was of one mind with their party, besought Con-
stantius to commit to him the government of the see
of Antioch. For, without any restraint, they violated
every law, in their endeavours to strengthen their
impiety ; and the transgression of the laws was the
foundation of their blasphemy ; and many such inno-
vations they made in many places.^ But the main-
tainers of the Apostolic dogmata, both being aware
of the soundness in doctrine of tlie great Meletius,
and of course being well acquainted with his holiness
of life and richness in virtue, voted with the others,
and took the greatest possible care that the act should
be written out, and that it should be signed by all ;
and both one side and the other delivered it as a sort
* The essential flaw in the title of Meletius to the see of
Antioch was the fact of his having been elected by the Arians,
and that as a partaker of their commnnion. But since the Arians
themselves would not account this to be any fault, it is not easy
to see in what sense it is implied by Theodoret that they con-
sciously violated the Chiirch's laws in this particular instance.
Perhaps he considered them to blame for requesting the inter-
ference of the emperor; or he may have intended to allude to the
translation (if siich it really was) of Meletius from Scbasto to
Antioch, which seems to have been one of the charges against
him. See Tilleraont, Ilist. Eccl., note iv. sur S. Mclece.
VOL. L S
2o8 LAXITY OF CErvTAlX CATHOLICS
of mutual compact to the custody of Eusebius, tlie
bishop of tlie Samosatians, a noble man, a contender
for the tnith.'
Theod. Wlien Meletius afterwards declared himself a
Eccl. Hist. ii. 32. ^, 1 ,. , , . Til 1
Lathohc, the Aiians persuaded the emperor to des-
patch a messenger in hot haste for the surrender of
this document. But St. Eusebius would not give it
up, and when threatened, through a second mes-
senger, with the loss of his right hand if he persisted,
he held out both his hands to be cut off, repeating
his refusal to abandon it. The threat was only
intended to terrify, and it was not put into execu-
tion. But the firmness of the lieroic and foithful
bishop excited the admiration of the heretical
emperor.
However excellent may have been the motives of
these Catholic bishops, they appear to have acted, on
this occasion, without any sufficient authority ; and
their zeal for the advancement of the faith seems to
have" betrayed them into unlawful communication
with the promoters and propagators of heresy. The
majority of the Catholics of Antioch exhibited a
similar laxity, by mixing in the Ainan assemblies,
though they did not adopt the Arian tenets. This
party raised no oljjection to the election of Meletius,
idtliouph the subordinate co-operation in tliat act of
the aforesaid Catholic bishops was insufficient to
cffiice the l)rand of Arianism, whirh rendered it
invalid in the; eyes of the Cliurch.
Tiio EusJiithiiii.-^. TI lore was, however, an important section of the
IX COMMUXICATIXO WITH TIIK AllIAXS. 250
faithful ill Antioch who would not consent to ac-
knowledge Meletius as their lawful bisliop, on account
of his connection witli the Arians. This party was
tlie only one in the city whose conduct appears to
have been in strict accordance with the Church's
laws. It was in fact the old Catholic party, and
consistent in its line of action as such. It was
steadfast in its rejection of the communion of tlie
Arian prelates and their followers, and in its ad-
herence to the rightful claims of the exiled St.
Eustathius. Hence this faitliful body of Catholi<^s
acquired the appellation of Eustathians, though to-
tally unconnected with the sect so called after another
Bishop Eustathius, of Sebaste. Dm-ing the thirty
years which had elapsed from the period of the
unlawful deposition of St. Eustathius of Antioch, to
that of the elevation of Meletius to the same see, too
many of the Catholics in the city had so far con-
formed to the altered state of things as to unite with
the Arians in their public worship, though Sozomen Hist. Ecci. iii. 20.
relates tliat, whilst they sang psalms together with
the Arians, tliey asserted the Catholic doctrine in the
concluding doxology ; the others in the same manner
giving utterance to their heresy. ' Being arranged,'
he says, ' in choirs, as was the custom in singing to
God, at the end of the hymns they showed forth
their particular opinions. The one party gave glory
to Father and Son, as worthy of equal lionour ; but
the other gave glory to the Father in the Son.
denoting, by the insertion of the preposition, tliat
260 PAruxrs axd the eustathians
the Soil \vas inferior to the Fatlier.' The Eustathians
would not consent to tliis species of union Avitlioiit
unity. Tliey Avithstood the seducing influences of
an accomphshed fact, and, remaining true to their
principles, they altogether refused to follow the other
Catholics into the churches thus occupied by the
Arians. Though a minority, they were mimerous
and united ; and they persevered with an admirable
constancy in holding aloof from all communion with
the intruded line of bishops, and consequently from
Meletius, who formed one of that line, and who owed
his election to the authors of it.
Twenty-three years had elapsed since the death of
St. Eustathius, when Meletius was elected to Antioch,
A.D. 361. It is generally considered that Eustathius
died in exile certainly not later than the year 338,
but the commonly assigned date is a.d. 337.^ No
successor had been appointed to him as the Catholic
bishop of Antioch, but raulinus was universally
recognised to be the leader of the Eustathians,
although not elevated above the priesthood for a few
' There seems to be no doii])t tliat Socrates (iv. 14.) and
Sozomen (vi. 13.) are mistaken in representing St. Eustatliius to
have been alive, and in Constantinoi)le, at the period of the death
of Eudoxius, A.D. 370. They probably confounded him with
another Eustathius. Theodoret states positively (iii. 4.) that St.
Eustathius of Antioch was dead before the ordination of Meletius,
and though the precise date of his decease has not been ascertained,
there are sufficient grounds for concluding that it cannot have
occurred later than during the year 338. See Tillemont, note v.
sur S. Eustathe; Valesius, not. in Socrat. iv. M; ]'>()llnnd.
Acta Sanct. Jul. xvi.
»'OI 1
Kulini Hist. Ecel.
I'J.
WERE BEFRIENDED BY' ST. ATllAXASlUS. 20 1
years subsequent to the election of Meletius. He liad
received his ordination as priest tlirough the luuuls
of St. Eustathius. His doctrine was unimpeachable,
his character was exemplary, and liis conduct was
untainted by any connnunion with heretics. He
enjoyed the confidence and protection of St. Atha-
nasius, who adhered constantly to his communion
and that of the Cathohcs under his guidance.
When St. Athanasius went to Antioch in the year st. AtiiMimsius
349, to meet the Emperor Constantius, who had re- Eiisuithians.
called him from exile, he would have no religious sozom. iii. 20.
communication with the Arian bishop Leontius, nor Tiu-'i^Kii! vi.
with that section of the Catholics who assembled with
the Arians in his churches ; but he united in commu-
nion with the Eustathians, who at that time held their
religious assemblies in private houses, and he endea-
voured to obtain for them a separate chiu'ch. It is
related that the Arians persuaded the emperor to
request St. Athanasius to give up one of the churches
of Alexandria to themselves, since they objected to
hold communion with him, and that the Saint in
wisdom replied, that no one could resist the com-
mands of the emperor, but tliat in return he had
himself to make the petition that one of the
churches in Antioch, and, according to Socrates, in
every other city also, should be given up for the use
of those who objected to communicate witli tlie
Arians. Constantius was disposed to assent, but tlie
Arians, perceiving that such an arrangement avouUI
not be for their own advantage, preferred to })ost-
2G2 TUE EXPECTATIONS WHICH AVERE RAISED BY
pone the matter, or to let it drop. It docs not
appear whether a cluirch in Antioch was at that
time secured for Pauhnus and his followers, but
Hist. E.-cies. iii. 9. Socrates states that, when Meletius returned to An-
tioch in the year 362, after his first period of exile,
Pauhnus was in possession of one of the small
churches within the city, from which the newly-
intruded Arian bishop Euzoius had not ejected him,
out ot motives of personal respect.
The Catholic bishops who took part in the election
of Meletius, may have been influenced by the desire
of rescuing ft-om communion with the Arians, that
majority of their fellow-Catholics in Antioch which
liad been so unhappily betrayed into it ; and they
probably entertained tlie hope that the orthodoxy of
the new bishop's sentiments w^ould overcome tlie
objections of the Eustathians ; whilst they may have
considered that the urgency and the peculiar circum-
stances of the case afforded sufficient excuse for the
irregularity of wliich they lliemselves were guilty, in
imiting with the Arians for his election. The Arians,
on the other hand, believing Meletius to belong to
tliemselves, were sanguine in their expectations that
his personal powers of persuasion would win over
the Eustathians, as well as many others, to their
communion. Judging from the description of Me-
K.'tius wliich lias come down to us, it cannot be
denied that there was ground for these anticipations
on both sides ; and, as regards the Catholics, their
lio))es were to some extent justified by the result.
TllK FvErUTATlOX OF MKLETIUS. 2(j:j
The exceptional character of ' tlie great Melelius ' Dc^ciipfioi,
forms one of the most important features of this y,. MuLuus.
altogether exceptional passage in the Church's history.
Its lustre was obscm-ed until his noble confession at
Autioch, but ever afterwards it shone with a bright-
ness rendered the more brilliant from its contrast
with the early mists of error which it had so glo-
riously dispelled and broken through. The excellence
of tliis remarkable man, after his elevation to the see
of Antioch, has been depicted in glowing colours by
the most eminent of his contemporaries in the East ;
and the West has testified her assent by the addition
of his name to her martyrology, where it is mentioned
with distinction.
Ten years after the election of Meletius to Antioch,
St. Basil the Great described him as faultless in Kpi^t- ixvii.
his faith, and so excellent m his mode of life that (ordonovus.)
none of the others could be compared with liim.
St. Epiphanius took the part of Paulinus, but he
speaks of the honour due to Meletius on account of Haeresis Lxxiii. c. 3.5.
his high reputation, his excellent morals, his holy
and admirable life which was extolled as divine by
all men, and which rendered liiiu in every way
longed for by the people. Meletius was then in exile.
After the decease of Meletius St. Gregory of "ETnTd/ioj A(o-..j
f(i Tol'
Nyssa was unsparing in his praises. He reminds his ^ev^ MeAeVi,.^
hearers of his sanctity, his struggles for the faith, his 'AvTfo.xcas.
chastity, his eloquence. ' You know,' he exclaims,
' what manner of man he was. Noble and high-born
from the rising of the sun, blameless, just, true, fearing
xii. Feb.
2G4 Tin: tkaisks of st. mkletius.
God, and abstaining Iruni all evil.' IIu recalls ' the
sweet serenity of his eyes, the bright smile upon his
lips, the affable extension of his right hand, and the
fingers so ready to convey the benediction which
his mouth pronounced.' He describes his ' eye as bent
on heavenly things, his ear as open to the voice of
God, his tongue as devoted to the proclamation of
divine truth.'
oriitio in laiidera St. Johu Chrysostoui rcuiinds the people of Antioch
ii<jiiaiid. Act. ss. liow, from the first time that Meletius entered the
city, it became a custom for parents to call their
children after him, accounting them more dear for
the sake of that name, which they looked upon as
an ornament and protection, as a safeguard and a
solace ; as a light amidst darkness, a treasury of
innumerable blessings, and a weapon against evil
thoughts and desires ; so that its sound was heard
on all sides, in the streets and in the forum,
in the fields and in the roads ; and that, not
content with this, his image was depicted by
many on tlieir rings, their cups, their bowls,
and upon the walls of their rooms. lie relates
how Meletius displayed his meekness and mildness
in warding off with his cloak the stones of the in-
dignant populace from the head of the prefect who
was bearing him away to exile, on one occasion.
He says that ' to gaze on that holy countenance was
ii source of the greatest delight and enjoyment ; for
tliat not only the teaching and conversation, but
even tlie appearance alone, of this blessed man, was
HE IS SU.^JMO^'KD TO ANTIUCII. 1^05
enough to introduce the whole knowledge of virtue
into the souls of the beholders.'
St. Gregory JSTazianzen, in the poem already re- Carni.-n (!,• vita mu,
ferred to, describes Meletius as 'simple, artless in his
ways, full of God, calm and confident yet modest
in his aspect, showing the culture of the spirit.'
He says 'he was what he was called, and he was
'called what he was — honied in manners and in
name.'
' Many things,' he adds, ' did he endure in behall"
of the Divine Spirit (tliough to a slight extent led
astray by an alien hand), brightening grace by
illustrious combats.'
The historian Theodoret styles him ' the divine Ecd. iiist. v. 3.
Meletius,' the 'meekest of all men;' and Sozomen Hist. Ecd. iv. 28.
tells of the goodness of his life and his powers of
speech and of persuasion.
Such proved to be the character of the bishop
whom the Arians obtained for the see of Antioch,
relying on the assistance of his powerful advocacy
for the promotion of their own heresy. Nor is it
surprising that those of the orthodox who did not
scruple to act in conjunction with them, sliould have
concurred in their election of Meletius, being secretly
aware of his conversion to the truth.
The imperial letters were issued to summon tlie The entrance of
i- _ Jllc'letius
newlv-chosen prelate to Antioch ; and, since such into
•^ ^ ... Antiocli.
was the custom with Constantius, it is to be pre- Ammiani .Marc-iiini
. . , Lib. xii. c. 16, n. 18.
sunied that he was conveyed on his journey m tlie
'26G lllS KECEPTIOX BY THE PEOPLE.
public carriages. The report of his gifts and virtues
had arrived there before him, and when he reached the
city, tlie ways were thronged with tlie thousands who
Theod. ii. 31. luid issucd forth to meet him. JSTot only the bishops
Sozom. iv. 28. . , . i i t • a • i • i
Nicepii.Caiiist.ix.48. and piicsts at that time assembled m Antioch, with
all the different ranks of ecclesiastics, but the whole
of the people, including even the Jews and pagans,
and many of the followers of Paiilinus, went out to
see the person of the far-famed Meletius ; a ]3ortion
of this mixed multitude being led by curiosity,
and others being; desirous to hear from him a
declaration of his sentiments, for the rumour had
now got abroad that he was in favour of the Nicene
In loco citato, faitli, — ' Tlicu,' says St. Gregory of Nyssa, 'the
Church of Antioch beheld a countenance formed
truly in the image of God ; she beheld charity gush-
ing forth as from a fountain ; grace diffused upon
his lips ; the extreme height of humility ; one after
whom there is nothing more to be imagined. She
beheld in hiiu the mildness of David; tlie under-
standing of Solomon ; tlie goodness of Moses ; the
exactitude of Samuel ; the chastity of Joseph ; the
wisdom of Daniel ; the zeal for the faith of the great
Elias ; the bodily ])urity of tlie sublime John ; the
invincible love of Paul. She beheld so great a col-
lection of \iitucs ill this one soul; she was smitten
witli a blessed love, loving her s])ouse with a chaste
and holy affection ! '
Even allowing for Eastern hyperbole, no ordinary
character could liave called forth this encomium.
I
HE COLDLY rilOCLALMS THE TliUTll. 2(i7
Theodoret says that the emperor requested Mele- iiispui.iioprofcsMon
this, togetlier with other eminent preachers, to ex- Ecei.VLst'"ii!'3L
pound to the people a certain text from the Proverbs, Cb. viii. 22.
which at that time formed one of the special subjects
of controversy, and that he appointed practised writers
to take down the words of each. George, the Bishop
of Laodica3a, was the first to speak, and he vomited
forth the ill savour of poisonous heresy. Acacius of
Ca3sarea followed next, and he framed his speech in
a middle course, avoiding the blasphemy of the ex-
treme party, but not retaining the [;ure and genuine
mark of Apostolic doctrine. After these arose Mele-
tius, and he boldly set forth the rule of truth, unhesi-
tatingly makicg manifest the orthodoxy of his belief.
Loud were the applauses of the Catholics, and great
Avas the confusion of the heretics. According to
Sozomen, it was said that the archdeacon of the iiist. Ecci. iv. 28.
clergy of Antioch rushed up to Meletius in fury,
and stopped his mouth ; upon which Meletius, hold-
ing up at first three of his fingers and then only
one, proclaimed the same faith still more clearly by
this action, than he had previously done by his words
so Ions: as his voice w^as free. The archdeacon then
hastening to seize upon his hand, involuntarily set at
liberty his lips, and so. enabled Meletius again to
give verbal testimony to the faith. lie proclaimed
it still more strongly and more plainly than before,
loudly exhorting his hearers to maintain steadfostly
the doctrines of Nica^a, and protesting that such as
were otherwise minded erred concerning the truth.
208
HE IS BA>'ISIIED IX COXSEQUEXCE,
Wliilst Meletiiis was thus preaching the CathoHc
faith, by speech and by gesture alternately, as the
violence of the archdeacon allowed him, ' tlie Eu-
stathians,' proceeds Sozomen, ' cried out aloud and
leaped for joy, but the Arians were downcast.' Thco-
doret does not mention the story of this unseemly
Eeci. Hist. ii. 31. couduct of tlie arclideacou, but he says that the
multitude greatly applauded the sermon of Meletiup,
and entreated liini to give tliem a compendium of
his teaching, upon which, ' displaying three fingers,
then closing two of them and leaving one extended,
he uttered the praiseworthy sentence — " There are
three understood by the mind, but we reason as of
one : Tp/a ra voov[xei/a * cog sv) Ss S/aXryo^jts^a." '
The Arians at first endeavoured to induce Meletius
to retract his profession of the CathoUc faitli. But
finding that he remained firm, and that he would in
no wise alter his sentiments, they persuaded the
Emperor to expel him from the cliurch, and he was
banislied to his own country, Melitene, when scarce
thirty days had elapsed since his public entry into
Antioch as its newly-elected bishop. The arch-
heretic Euzoius, the friend of Arius, and who, when
a deacon in Alexandria, ]iad been condemned to-
gether with him by St. Alexander then archbishop
of tliat see, was now summoned by tlie emperor
and tlniist into the bishoj)ric of Antioch ; the whole
being tlie work of those selfsame persons, who had
been forenio.^t in tlie clioice of Meletius when they
BUppo.sed liim to entertain their own opinions.
Euzoius
made
Arian Eishop
of
Antioch.
Theod. ii.31.
Sozom. iv. 28.
Socrat. ii. 44.
Philostorg. V. 5.
BY THE DISAPPOINTFJ) APtlANS.
200
AooHsatiuns
agjiinst
MeKtius.
lu loc. citat.
In Inc. eitiit.
Theodoret says that the accusation now made
against Meletius was that of the profession of Sabel-
hanism. It was a charge which the Arians very
frequently brought against the orthodox ; but in tlie
present instance their principal motive may liave
been that whicli is mentioned by their own partisan,
Philostorgius, who relates tliat ' Meletius, Bisliop of
Antioch, was banished by Constantius, who was tlien
residing at Antioch, to his own covmtry, Melitene, as
being convicted of perjury, and because that " wliilst
going out of his way he set forth the homoousion, he
conformed himself to the heterousion " (rr. o/xoomo-zov
Trpea-fisucov sHTOTrwg, ro STsCfOumov xarscyr^^aar/^sra/).'
It is not easy to acquit Meletius from the reproacli
of duplicity before his election to the see of Antioch ;
or to justify liis acceptance of tliat bishopric at tlic
hands of the Arians, whilst he allowed them at tlie
same time to assume that he was one of themselves.
Nor is it surprising that they shoidd have been filled
with indignation, and have been eager to depose liim,
when they discovered the mistake which they had
made.
The above-mentioned sermon of Meletius has been
preserved by St. Epiphanius in his celebrated work
against heresies. It commences with the praise of n^ros. ixxiii. 2o,&,
peace and an exliortation to love God and keep His
commandments, and afterwards it proceeds to speak
of doctrine. After reciting tliis discourse at leiigtli,
St. Epiphanius says tliat the Arians, now liiidiiig
Meletius to be ' an ollence to them instead oi" a source
II is sermon.
IIm.I. c. .TI.
270 ADVERSE EUMOURS AGAIXST MELETIUS.
of joy and repose,' stirred up the emperor and turned
liim out of the bishopric ; adding that he was carried
off into banislnnent by night, and was then still
living^ in exile in his own country, honoured and
prized both on account of what he had accom-
[)lished, and of the true and genuine faith which was
maintained by his flock in Antioch, In a sub-
ibiti. c. 35. sequent passage, St, Epiphanius observes respecting
this sermon of Meletius, that there are found in it
two or three reprehensible sayings, though he does
not know Avhether they escaped unnoticed in the
excitement of preaching, or whether they arose out
of the simplicity of the preacher's mind.
0p.omu.t.\^ii.p.78o, gt. Jerouic, in the opening page of his continua-
tion of the Chronicle of Eusebius, names Meletius
simply as one of the intruded Arian line, remarking
that he should consider them 'rather as the enemies
iind. p. 805 of Christ than as bishops ; ' and in a subsequent pas-
sao;e, after statin<>; that Meletius was transferred to
Antioch by the Arian bishops, Acacius and George,
he says, that not long after, having 'received priests
wlio liad IjCL'ii deposed by his predecessor, Eudoxius,
he gave a false colouring to a most just cause of exile
by a sudden change of faith {exiliijustissimam causam
subitafidei 'mutatione dehmt).' St. Jerome appears
to have derived this information from the people of
* Meletius had returned from his first hanishment several years
before this account of it was written by St. Epiphanius, but he
had again been banished twice, and was then undergoing his third
and last period of exile. .See Tilloniont, note vi. sur S. Meleee.
TIIEY WERE DISREGARDED BY ST. EPIPIIAXIUS. 271
whom St. Epiplianius says that he cannot tell wliether iioercs. ixxiii. 3r>.
they were carried away by hatred or envy, or wliether
they wished to advance their own cause, but that
they insinuated certain things, such as that the move-
ment against Meletius was not on account of his
orthodoxy, but because, they said, of canonical mat-
ters and trouble between himself and his clergy, and
because he received some whom he had previously
rejected and anathematized. St. Epiphanius adds,
that he paid no regard at all to these things, chiefly
because of the ensuing daily amendment amongst the
followers of Meletius, and their confession of the faith.
There was a subsequent charge against the orthodoxy
of Meletius, which was equally unfounded.
It is essential to bear in mind the currency of
such stories at the time, as well as the acknowledged
previous connection of Meletius with the Arians, in
order to form a just estnnate of the conduct of
Eome and the West, under the very perplexing com-
bination of circumstances which ensued. The early
errors of Meletius were nobly atoned for ; and the
later charges against him were doubtless misrepre-
sentations ; but it must be remembered that, how-
ever unjust the accusations might be, they would
wear a greater semblance of truth from the fact of
his culpable antecedents, and that the conflicting
evidence, and the circumstances of the times, ren-
dered it extremely difficult for persons in a distant
country to arrive quickly at a positive conclusion.
The ways of Providence are inscrutable, but God
272 ST. .ArELETIUS REFOrv^fED THE LAXER CATHOLICS,
acts tlirough liumaii means, and, as is sucrgested by
Tilleraont, it may have been in expiation of the faults
of his yoiitli that St. Meletius was permitted to remain
for the greater part of liis hfe, without any formal
and express acknowledgment of his ecclesiastical
position on the part of the see of Eome ; and tliat he
never enjoyed direct and formal episcopal communion
with St. Athanasius ; for although at one time lie
seemed on the point of it, it was unaccountably
j)Ostponed, and that illustrious confessor was called
to his reward above, before the position of St.
Meletius in Antioch had been universally recognised.
The change effected The expectations of the Catholics were in no small
Antioch. dcgrcc fulfilled through the benefits which religion
derived from the election of Meletius to Antioch.
oratio in landom St. Johu Chrysostom reminds the people of that city
S. Meletii. . . i/.ii- i
liow, dunng the short mterval ot the thirty days, or
less, which elapsed between his entrance and his
exile, he had succeeded in cutting off from the
Church corrupt and incurable members, and in re-
storing health to the multitude : and how he had so
firmly imp^.antcd the truth in the hearts of the faith-
ful, that it was not hencef<^rth to be rooted up by
the violence of future storms, or corrupted through
Rufin. X. 24. the subtlety of future temptations. He had com-
Viiies. annot.'in loc. plctcly wou ovcr thosc many Catholics whom he had
Soenit. ii. 44. n i • i • 'iia* i j.
Sozom. iv. 28. louiid HI outwai'd eommuiuou with tJie Arians, but
Tillemont, 8. Vital et , , i . -i Px -i i • i i.
s. Phiiogono. "^^'ho returned to them no more alter the banishment
of ]\li'letius. Such of the faithful as acknowledged
him for tlieir l)isli()p, rejected with firmness the
BUT THE EUSTATIIIANS STILL HELD ALOOF. 27 o
communion of the newly-intruded Euzoius, and
assembled apart for their religious worship in the old
church of the old town, which was at that time a
suburb outside the city gates, and w^as called the
Palasa (rj TraXond), ou account of its antiquity. The
church appears to have been frequently designated
by the same title, though Theodoret styles it the
' Apostolic Church,' and it is said to have occupied
the place of a church of apostolic origin, in which
the chair of St. Peter was first established.
■ The Eustathians, under their priest Paulinus, held
aloof from Meletius, whilst they rejected Euzoius ;
and, in fact, neither the present orthodoxy of the
former, nor yet his sufferings in behalf of the faith
and noble confession of the Nicene Creed, were suffi-
cient of themselves to remedy the essential invalidity
of his election by the Arians, until the application of
the formal indulgence accorded for such cases by the
subsequent council of Alexandria. It was on this
account, together, it was said, with some hesitation
respecting Arian baptism, that the Eustathians could
not be persuaded to unite with the Catholics under
Meletius, though they were at one with them respect-
ing the faith. ' One,' says Theodoret, ' was the
confession of faith on both sides. For each party
contended for the doctrine expounded at Mcaja.'
Socrates states, that after the banishment of Meletius,
'those who retained their disposition towards him,
abandoning the congregation of the Arians, held their
assembhes by themselves ;' those who had believed in
VOL. I. T
Tho Eustathians
remain apart,
tliough the
Melctians
confess the same
faith.
Theod. iii. 4.
Socrat. ii. 44.
Sozom. iv. '28.
Nicoph.Callist.ix. 48.
274 MELETIUS IS RECALLED FROM EXILE.
tlie homooiision from the first being unwilling to
communicate with them, ' because Meletius had been
ordained through the vote of the Arians, and because
his followers had been baptized by them.' ' In this
way,' he adds, ' the church in Antioch also was
divided into two parts, each of them holding one and
the same doctrine.' Sozomen says precisely the same.
Nicephorus Calhstus, who, though a more recent
author, sometimes throws light on the ancient histo-
rians, states that ' though both sides were united in
doctrine, yet they were separated on the sole account
of the election of Meletius.' In the preceding sen-
tence, how^ever, he mentions also the Arian baptism
as one of the grounds of separation. This would
appear to have been an unfounded objection, if it
reall}^ was made ; otherwise it could hardly have
failed to have been noticed in the subsequent letter
from the council of Alexandria to the Antiochians,
which makes no mention of it.
Retnni The first exile of Meletius was not of long dura-
exi lid bishops, tion. The Emperor Constantius died towards the
close of the year 361, and his successor, the apostate
Julian, permitted all bishops then in banishment
for religion, to return to the occupation of their
Ainmiiin. MarceiL sccs. Accordiug to thc pagan liistoriau, he wished
to leave the Christians to their internal dissensions
that he might have the less to fear from the unani-
mity of the people. Meletius therefore was recalled
from Melitene, in Armenia, to which he had been
l)aiiis]ied, and lie returned to Antioch in tlie year
RELEASE OF EUSEBIUS AND LUCIFER. 27')
302. The same event released also the two great
Western bishops, Eusebiiis of VercelH, and Lucifer
of Cagliari, from their exile in tlie Upper Thebais.
Lncifer had been one of the papal legates at tlie Baron. Annai. E^d.
council of Milan in the year 355. Eusebius of ""' '^""'
Vercelli had joined the apostolic legates on that
occasion, and had taken a prominent part in tlie
proceedings. Together with the papal legates he
had distinguished himself in the council by his firm-
ness in refusing to communicate with the Arians, or
to condemn St. Athanasius in his absence ; he had
been banished in consequence, as well as Lucifer
and others, and he had suffered incredible hardships.
The division between the Catholics of Antioch EflfiMs to reunite
could not tail to prove a source or griei and of Antioch.
solicitude to these holy confessors, as well as to the
universal body of the orthodox, and it formed an
object of special attention in the important synod
which was held at Alexandria in the year oG2.
Cardinal Baronius considers that the Pope Liberius Annai. F/vIos. an.
, , , , c ,^ ' 1 • 1 • 3G2, nn. clxxvii, ccvi.
was the author and promoter ot this synod, m his
anxiety to repair the damages whicli the Catholic
cause had sustained at Eimini. There are stronger
reasons for supposing this to have been the case
than those which are adduced by the learned car-
dinal.
The same eminent author is further of opinion that Tiio lopjtions
Eusebius, the bishop of VerceUi, and Lucifer, tlieEns,i.iM.^nn.iLm-itVr.
bishop of Cagliari in Sardinia, were nominated by
the Pope as liis legates for the above-named Alexan-
T 2
276 THE LEG ATI XE TOWERS OF
drian council, and he also considers that the active
and prominent part which was taken by these noble
and indefatigable warriors of Christ in behalf of the
Catholic cause throughout the East, and particularly
by Lucifer in tlie affairs of Antioch, was in virtue of
the same legatine authority. The conduct of these
two Western prelates, and the manner in which their
assistance was universally received and accepted,
are plain indications that they were entrusted by the
Apostolic See with powers of extra ordinaiy jurisdic-
tion and authority in the East; nor is there wanting
more direct evidence in justification of this conclusion.
De concord. Sacerd.et It must bc obscrvcd, that Dc Marca is of opinion that
they acted in virtue of former legatine faculties not
Discip. de I'Egiise, yct bccomc cxtiuct. Thomassiu refers to him, and
adopts the same view. But this explanation is un-
satisfactory, to say the least. The dignity conferred
by the office would certainly remain in a lesser degree
attached to the person of the bearer after the office
itself had ceased. But the ecclesiastical faculties
given with it, could only continue for the period
and the purpose for which they had originally been
granted. It seems hardly probable that the powers
delegated bj'^ the Pope to his representatives in a
Western council, should have extended so far as to
confer upon them futm-e authority in questions which
had not then arisen, and future jurisdiction over
Eastern churches, which, at that time, there was no
idea of their visiting. Moreover, it does not appear
that Eusebius was ever constituted one of the papal
EUSEBIUS AND LUCIFKR. 277
legates at Milan, though he was undoubtedly most
closely associated with the previous cognate embassy
from the Pope to Constantius in Gaul. This embassy
occurred in the year 354, after the lapse, which
happily proved but temporary, of the Pope's legate,
Vincentius of Capua, and its object was to obtain the
consent of the emperor for the celebration of a
council, which was held in the following year at
]\Iilan. The legates originally appointed by Liberius
for this embassy were Lucifer, Bishop of Cagliari, the
priest Pancratius, and the deacon Hilarius. Eusebius
of Yercelli, was himself a native of Sardinia, wliicli
would form a further motive for his union with
Lucifer, in addition to the burning zeal for tlie faith
which filled the hearts of both. Liberius wrote ex- coustant.
pressly to Eusebius to solicit him to accompany his ^pLI. 'LiberirPapsB
legates to Constantius, and the language of the Pope '"• '^^ ^■"•
makes manifest how highly he estimated the virtues
of the holy Bishop of VerceUi. He greets Eusebius
with an earnest expression of the consolation he had
derived from his uncouquered faith, ' by which,' says
the Pope, ' following the precepts of the Gospels,
thou liast in no way deviated from the fellowship of
the ApostoHc See. Me, frater carissime, ad sola-
tium vita^ prcesentis erigit invicta jides iua, qua
secutus Evangeliorum jjra^cepta, nullo genere, a con-
sortia sedis apostolicce discrepasti' In a subsequent
letter he more especially commends to Eusebius tlie
above-named legates, begging of him to accompany
them on their mission, to unite himself to their fellow-
278 THE pope's confidence in eusebius.
ship, that, wherever it may be, he may be also, and
tliat 'united in conference and in counsel, they may
perform that which is pleasing to God and His
angels, and expedient for the Catholic Church.'
Eusebius replied with an assent to the request, upon
which the Pope honoured him with another letter,
expressive of his satisfaction, and of his confidence
that the cause would be more prosperous since
Eusebius would not desert his brethren, and he bade
him to ' labour as a good soldier who expects the
reward of the eternal Emperor.' ' Holding,' adds the
Pope, ' this hfe in contempt, show yourself a truth-
speaking priest, that through your joint labours for the
state of the Church the council may be celebrated.'
It is therefore evident that Eusebius was formally
associated by Liberius with his legates in this embassy
to Constantius, and that, in this way,- a special lega-
tion was, on that occasion, entrusted to him, although
Coustant. col. 423. hc is uot mcutioued in the letter sent by the Pope to
the emperor through Lucifer, in wliich the names of
the other legates are expressly enumerated. It does
not, however, appear that Eusebius occupied the
office of a papal legate in the council which was con-
r.AY.m. Ann. Ecci. vcucd during the subsequent year at ]\Iilan. At the
first he hesitated to attend it, but his presence being
especially sohcited by the .synod and the emperor, as
well as by the papal legates, he ultimately went up
to tlie council in (.'ompany with the legates, and dis-
tinguished himself in union with them by his coura-
geous defence of the Nicene faith.
THE church's customs ILLUSTRATH HER HISTORY. 27 'J
The epistle sent by Liberius to Eusebius and Ep. vii. CouHtant.
Lucifer, together with Dionysius, during their subse- *"" ' *""'"
quent exile in the East, contains no instructions on
ecclesiastical matters. But it is supposed to have been
written in the very year of their banishment, a.d.
355, seven years previous to the synod of Alexandria
now in question, and it is impossible to say what
subsequent communications may have been trans-
mitted to Eusebius and Lucifer, from Eome, either
through letters now lost, or orally through confi-
dential messengers. The difficulties of the times and
the consequent importance of secrecy frequently
rendered it unadvisable to entrust such matters to
writing ; and this circumstance, together with the
loss of documents to an extent of which we can form
no idea, will account for our ignorance respecting
many perplexing passages in the Church's early
history. A candid enquirer after truth will not
refuse to explain any such doubtful point according
to the established constitution of the Church, and
her existing laws and customs, rather tlian appeal to
it as a ground for disbelieving in them, or as an
excuse for disobeying them.
In the instance before us, however, we are in Historical tosiimoi.y
possession of positive historical evidence as to the fact their ligations,
of the legations of Eusebius and Lucifer in the East,
though we have not any record of the time or tlie
manner in which they were conferred upon them.
Father Papebrochius, in the Bollandist life of Acta sanctorum.
. n 1- • • .1 r n • 1 DiexxMaii.c.v.n.l.J.
Lucifer ol Cagliari, gives the loiiowmg words, as
280 EUSEBIUS AND LUCIFER ENDEAVOUR
attributed to St. Honoratus, who was a disciple
of St. Eusebius, and tlie second successor to his
bishopric. The words are taken from a Hfe of St.
Eusebius preserved in the archives of Vercelh, and
they may be hterally translated as follows : — ' St. Eu-
sebius was present and presided in the Alexandrian
council with Athanasius, and he had four legations,
one to Constantius with Lucifer the Sardinian; another
with the same to the Alexandi'ian synod ; another,
after the synod, to the Oriental Churches ; the fourth,
afterwards, into the West. But the first three he had
with Lucifer, the last indeed alone, without any com-
panion.' Papebrochius appears to think it ques-
tionable whether these words really came from St.
Honoratus. However this may be, they bear in-
ternal evidence of their accuracy, in the fact that
they do not ascribe to Eusebius any legation to the
council of Milan, which a careless or unscrupulous
eulogist would certainly have been apt to do. To
say the least, the document must be accepted in
evidence of the local tradition of the period to which
it belongs, and, unless proved to be a forgery, of
wliich there does not appear to be any suspicion, its
authority cannot reasonably be set aside ; especially
since the statement which it contains, derives con-
firmation from the conduct of Eusebius and Lucifer
in the East, as recorded in ecclesiastical history.
Had they acted as tliey did without authority from
the Roman Pontiff, they would have grievously vio-
lated the laws of the Church, and not only the eastern
TO RESTORE PEACE AND DISCIPLIXE IX THE EAST. 281
bishops would liave loudly protested against their
interference and denounced their proceedings, Ijut
Eome herself would have been foremost in con-
demning them.
When Eusebius and Lucifer were released from ti.c
their exile, they took counsel between themselves, ''''''Yr''''^
and with others of the orthodox, respecting the ^"tiI;!";"?;^ i'f"''
means to be adopted for the reinforcement of the '""^80x0111''^'''^' ^'
ecclesiastical laws and the restoration of peace to the ^^^^- '• ^^-^ '^'^•
church, especially as regarded Antioch, wliich occu-
pied the first position in the East, and where, in the
words of Theodoret, ' the sound body of the church
was separated into two parts.' It was finally de-
cided for Lucifer to proceed to Antioch, and for
Eusebius to go to Alexandria, ' in order,' says
Socrates, ' that, together with Athanasius, having
assembled a synod, the dogmata of the church
might be strengthened.' He afterwards states that,
' when Eusebius had reached Alexandria, he quickly,
along with Athanasius, called together the synod.'
Sozomen says the same. We learn, however, from
Theodoret and Eufinus, that Eusebius at the first
asked Lucifer to accompany him to Alexandria, but
that Lucifer would not accede to his request, being
intent on the settlement of the affaks of Antioch.
He sent, however, his deacon to the synod in his
stead, and agreed to acquiesce through him in its
acts. The historians speak of one deacon only as
sent by Lucifer, though the letter from the synod to
the Antiochians expressly gives the names of two.
282 THE DELIBERATIONS AT ALEXANDRIA.
The two bishops, Cymatius of Paltiis, and Anatohus
of Eiibcea, are associated witli Lucifer and the others
in the address of the same letter, and since they are
not named as present in the council, they may per-
ha]3s have accompanied Lucifer to Antioch, or may
have met him in tliat city.
Council Tills celebrated synod of Alexandria is described
Alexandria, by Eufiuus as a ' couucll of coufcssors, few in
A.D. ;562.' number, but perfect in faith, and many in merits.'
Hist. Eccl. 1. (x.) 28. ' ■"■ . \
Besides giving their attention to such points of doc-
trine as required it, without adding to what was
done at Nicasa, the assembled bishops applied them-
selves especially to deliberate upon the best measures
to be taken for the restoration of tranquillity through-
out the church, and for the reparation of the damage
which had been sustained through the Arians.
Tliey had before them a question of incalculable
importance respecting the manner in which converts
returning from heresy were to be dealt with, and
particularly as to wliether such as had received
ordination, were to be admitted according to their
rank amongst tlie Cathohc clergy. There were
those whose zeal for the faith led them to counsel
that, though tlie orders could not be forfeited, such
persons should be suspended from the ecclesiastical
office as unworthy. Others more imbued with
apostolic charity maintained, that those who had
remained steadfast should stoop to lift up the fallen,
and should humble themselves in order to recover
the feeble wlio had been led astray. Such was the
INDULGENCE TO THE LAPSED ON THEIR REPENTAXCR. 283
course best suited to the interests of the Christian
people in general, who would have been strongly-
opposed to any measure which, on account of a
culpable weakness now lamented, would have
severed from them pastors whom they loved, and
whom they knew to have renounced then- error.
After careful discussion the side of mercy was pre-
ferred, at the same time that a just distinction was
drawn between the deceivers and the deceived.
Pardon was proclaimed for all who penitently sought st. Athanas. Epiht.
for reconciliation ; but such as had been chiefs and Hufiuiauuni.
leaders among the heretics were not to be admitted
to a place amongst the clergy. Those, however,
who had fallen through violence or surprise, and
now repented of their error, were to be admitted
not only to pardon, but were also to be received
to their rank amongst the clergy, particularly, says
St. Athanasius, since such persons alleged in excuse
that they had yielded to the Arians in order to pre-
vent the corruption of the church and the ruin of
the people, through the appointment of most im-
pious pastors in their stead. All who came back
from heresy, or from communion with heretics, were
further required to make a profession of the faith of
Nica2a, and to anathematize the contrary errors.
This wise and salutary indulgence thus conceded by
the assembled bishops, was universally approved and
welcomed, and it was confirmed by tlie authority
of the Eoman See. St. Jerome declared it to l)e Dialog, advers.
the salvation oi the church. ' ihe West, tie says,
284 iMELETIUS WAS VIRTUALLY ENTITLED TO IT.
The case of
Meletius.
Hard. Act. Concil.
t. iv. coll. 63, 64.
' assented to this decision, and by this so necessary
council the world was rescued from the jaws of
Satan.'
The principle on which this concession was grounded,
applied manifestly to the position of Meletius and his
friends. We have evidence that such was the tradi-
tional opinion at Eome, in the appeal which was made
to the case as a precedent by the papal legate in the
seventh general council, the second of Nicsea, a.d.
787. The same question of the reception of repentant
heretics being then under discussion, and various
authorities being produced in testimony of the former
l)ractice of the church, it is recorded in the acts
of the said council, that —
' Peter the priest, most dear to God, and represen-
tative of Adrian the most holy Pope of Eome, said,
" As say the historians, the holy Meletius was ordained
by the Arians, and he ascended the ambo and pro-
claimed the homoousion, and the ordination was not
rejected."
' Theodore, the most holy Bishop of Catana, and
they who were with him, the bishops of Sicily, said,
" The archpriest of the apostolic chair has spoken
truly."
'Tarasius,the most holy patriarch, said, "In nothing
d(j we find the holy fathers disagreeing," ' &c. &c.
Ijiit l)esides the concession of tlie indulgence in
general, and its consequent application to Meletius,
the position of the chuicli in Antioch called for and
received the particuhir attention of the bishops as-
ESrECIAL ATTENTION IS CilYEN TO ANTIOCII. 285
sembled in Alexandria. Tliey carefully examined the
questions connected with it, and the conclusions at
which they arrived were summed up, after many of
the bishops had departed for their dioceses, by those
who were left in Alexandria, in a letter replete witli
the spirit of wisdom and charity, and which appears
to have been written by St. Athanasius himself. Be-
sides being found in the collections of the councils,
this letter is published amongst the works of St. t. i. p. ii. p. 015.
AT • ^ 1 -1 '/^ \ \ >4 ~ cd. Pat;n-. 1777.
Athanasms, under the title, O Trpog mvg AvTio-^sig
r6fJt.og 'A5avao-/oy ^Af/^iSTritrxoTrou 'AXs^avO^s/a^.
It is stated at the close of the epistle that it was The tomo
written to the five following bishops : — ' Eusebius, of st. Ati^m.-isius
Vercelli, a city of Gaul;^ Lucifer, of the island of Antiociiians.
Sardinia ; Asterius, of Petra in Arabia ; Cymatius,
of Paltus in Coelesyria ; and Anatohus, of Euboea.'
It is observable that precedence is here given to the
names of Eusebius and Lucifer, and after them to
that of Asterius, who was to accompany Eusebius to
Antioch. It is also stated that those who sent the
epistle were — 'Pope Athanasius and those who
were with him in Alexandria, Eusebius himself, and
Asterius, and the rest,' whose names then follow.
Eusebius and Asterius, having assisted at the council,
were numbered amongst the bishops who sent the
letter ; though, being also entrusted with the execu-
tion of the decrees, they were necessarily at the
same time included amongst those to whom it was
'&"-
1 That is to say, of Cisalpine Gaul, a part of Italy
286 THE FATHEES I\ ALEXANDRIA
addressed. In a preceding paragraph it is mentioned
that the document was also subscribed by the two
deacons sent to the Council by Lucifer, as well as by
two other deacons from Paulinus, who, though only
a priest, was thus represented at the synod, as the
head of the acknowledged Cathohc party in Antioch,
the bishopric being, strictly speaking, vacant.^ There
is no express mention of Meletius, nor of his having
been in any way represented in the council.
Commencement Tlic bishops iu Alexandria conmienced the letter
epistle. by expressing their confidence in the ability of
the bishops they were addressing to set in order
all the affairs of the Church, but added, that
they considered it necessary to write as they did in
' Baroniixs (an. 3G2, nn. 180, 215, 21G.) considers that Paiilinus,
before sending his deacons to the council of Alexandria, had
been consecrated bishop by Lucifer, and that the council ap-
proved of his consecration. Valesius also thinks (Annot. in
Socrat. Hist. Eccl. iii. 5) that the consecration of Paulinus by-
Lucifer preceded the mission of the deacons to the council. But
this opinion appears to be untenable. It does not accord with
the circumstances related by the early historians, and it is also
at variance with the whole tenor of the letter of the same synod
to the Antioch ians. That document mentions Paulinus and his
party, but it never speaks of him as a bishop. He is not styled
brother, or fellow-minister, by its authors in any portion of it. It
assigns him no part in the task of the reception of the converts from
heresy or from heretical communion, Avhich was one that belonged
essentially to the office of the bishop. If, at the time when the
epistle was written, the bishops who sent it had ]>een aware of and
had approved the consecration of Paulinus, they would certainly
have expressly recognised his episcopal rank, and they would
have included his name amongst those of the bishops they were
addressing. See Tillemont, Ilist. Eccl. t. vii. note ii. sur Lucifer
de Cagliari ; also, Pagi, Not. in Baron. Anna). Eccl. in loc. citat.
COUNSEL CLEJIEXCY AND ^lODERATIOX. 2S7
consequence of the good tidings which had readied
them, tliat many formerly separated from tlicm
through party spirit (8ia (piy^ovsixlav) were now
desirous for reconcihation, and that many also were
abandoning the Arian heresy, and seeking theii-
communion. They say that they wish they coukl
join the other bishops in person, but that, as they
have stated in otiier letters, they are prevented by
the necessities of the church, and they express their
gratitude to Eusebius and Asterius, who, instead of
returning to their own dioceses, have agreed at tlieir
request to proceed to Antioch in their place, on
account of the church's urgent need, adding, — ' We
are consoled by their consent, because when they
and yourselves are there, we account ourselves all to
be present with you.'
The epistle then proceeds : — ' Call to you all instructions
therefore who desire to make peace with us, and Antioeh.
especially those who assemble in the Palcea ' (the Me-
letians), 'and those who fly from the Arians, and
receive them as fathers would receive their sons, and
as their teachers and guides accept them back, and,
uniting them to our beloved Paulinus and those who
are with him [a-uva-^avrsg aurohg roig aya-^r^roig r][x(nv
Toig TTsp) nauXTvov), demand nothing more from them
than to anathematize the heresy of the Arians, and
to profess the faitli professed by the holy fathers at
Nicasa,' and to anathematize also the existing here-
sies against the Holy Gliost, with those of Sabcllius
and others. 'When these things are done,' add tlic
288 TIIEY EXPLAIN CERTAIN DIFFICULTIES,
fathers, ' all evil suspicion will be removed on all
sides, and there will be shown forth only the pure
faitli of the Catholic Church.' After observing that
no one can be ignorant that they themselves, as well
as those who have always been in communion witli
them, hold the same faith, the Alexandi'ian fathers
say again: — 'Since, then, we rejoice with those who
desire to be united with us, with all such indeed, but
especially with those who assemble in the Pala3a, and
we have very exceedingly given glory to the Lord,
both on account of all, and because of the good pur-
pose of these, we exhort you that concord may be
established on these conditions, and that nothing
more than these, as we have before said, be required
by you of those who assemble in the Paltea ; and that
Paulinus and his party put forward nothing different,
and nothing more than was put forward at Nica3a.'
Tliey declare that a certain writing attributed to the
Council of Sardica is spurious, and not to be ac-
knowledged or brouglit forward at all, nor yet any-
thing else besides the Nicene profession of faith.
The question The fatlicrs tlicu pass on to treat of the difference
of tlio , '■
Hypostases. conccming the Hypostases. They state that, having
examined into the doctrine of those who were accused
of Arianism because they maintained tliat tliere were
three divine Hypostases, it became evident that the
term was applied by them to the Divine Persons, and
that tliey acknowledged the unity of the Divine Sub-
stance ; and that having afterwards questioned the
others who were charged with Sabellianism because
AND SEEK TO ESTABLISH PEACE. 280
they maintained one only hypostasis in the Godhead,
they found tliat the term was apphed by them to
the Divine Substance, and that tliey never intended
to deny tliat tliere were three distinct and Divine
Persons in the one God. Thus, both these parties
were found to unite in the CathoHc doctrine, and
merely to differ respecting the application of the
term, and both of them alike anathematized Arius,
and Sabellius, and the other heretics. ' After these
explanations,' proceeds the letter, ' all, by the grace
of God, agreed that the profession of faith of the
fathers at Nica^a was better and more accurate than
terms of this kind, and that for the future they ought
in preference to be satisfied with the words of that
council, and to make use of them.'
After treating of another point, which was con- Exhortation
nected with the Apollinarian heresy, and which con- avoid idle questions,
cerned the doctrine of the Incarnation, the fathers in
Alexandria earnestly exhorted the bishops they were
addressing, to dissuade the people from entertaining
mere questions about words, and as faithful servants
and stewards of the Lord, to prevent all such occasions
of offence and of discord, and to prefer peace to every-
thing of the kind, provided the faith was sound.
Finally, they gave directions to the said bishops to Conclusion
read the letter in public, in the place where they were the epistle,
accustomed to assemble in Antioch, and to have all
men called there to them. ' For it is right,' said the
fathers, ' that the epistle should first be read there,
and that there those who wish and seek for peace
VOL. L U
200 THE LETTER FRO^I THE COUNCIL RECOGNISED
should be united with one aiiotlier ; and afterwards
when they are united together, tliat the assembHes
should be concluded wherever it may be pleasing to
all the people, your excellencies being present, and
that the Lord should be glorified by all in common.'
The salutation which then follows appears to indicate
that the letter was Avritten by St. Athanasius, in the
name of the other bishops : — ' The brethren who are
witli me salute you. I pray that you may be well,
and that you will make mention of us to the Lord. I
Athanasius : likewise the other bishops assembled
too-ether have subscribed,' See. Eusebius further sub-
scribed separately to a short Latin form of acquies-
cence in the decision respecting the Hypostases, and
other points connected with the faith, to Avhich
Asterius added his assent. There is also subjoined to
the document a subsequent profession of faith from
Paulinus.
Hist. Ecci. i. (x.) 29. It is statcd by Eufinus that, after the bishops had
arrived at their decision, b}^ a decree of the council
tlie charge (procuraiio) of the East, was committed to
Asterius and those who were with him, and that of
the West, to Eusebius. This, no doubt, refers to the
promulgation of the acts of the synod. But nothing
Tiiipmont.Hist.Ecci. morc is heard of Asterius. It is conjectured that he
St. Athanase. , ,.,. tt n ^ i •
art. xcix. may liave tlied nmnediately aiterwards, and it ap-
pears from subsequent events that Eusebius took
charge of the matter in the East, as well as in the
West
In addition to its general importance, this letter is
THE POSITION OF THE EUSTATIIIANS. 201
particularly valuable as a testimony to the judgment RemarkH
of leading Catholic bishops of the day, including "^'°"
the great St. Athanasius, upon the position of eccle-
siastical ailliirs in Antioch at the period when it was
written. It is especially to be observed that this letter
distinctly recognised Pauhnus and those under him,
as forming the Catholic body in Antioch, and that
it required the others to be united with them be-
fore any further step was taken. But no sort of sub-
mission was required to Paulinus individually, nor were
his personal claims in any way put forward. It is also
to be remarked that the letter contained no allusion to
Meletius or to the question of the bishopric. But
so soon as the reconciliation had been effected, the
choice of the church for the concluding thanks-
giving was to be left to the people in general. They
were therefore left at liberty to select the church
occupied by the Meletians, and, provided Paidinus
and his party had consented, the fathers would, in
all probability, have rejoiced to have seen all the
Catholics of Antioch united under Meletius as their
bishop, after he had fulfilled the few and easy con-
ditions which were imposed by the council. At
the same time they would not be disposed to press
such an arrangement upon the Eustathians against
their will, out of deference to their long and un-
swerving fidelity, and to their position as the old
Cathohc party ; a position which rendered the case
of Antioch peculiar and exceptional, and, in foct,
which constituted the difficulty. It is evident, how-
u2
292 THE DlFFia'LTV INCREASED BY
ever, from the above-cited epistle, tliat the Meletians
were desirous to be reconciled with the great Catholic
body, and if all parties had been guided by the
spirit which prevailed in the council, it may reason-
ably be supposed that some mode would have been
discovered of terminating the local dissension, espe-
cially since any necessary concessions for the sake of
peace, might have been hoped for from one of the
character of Meletius. But an event which had
occurred without the knowledge of the synod, ren-
dered fruitless all its endeavours for a speedy recon-
ciliation.
Lucifer consecrates Thc ardcut zcal of thc cntliusiastic and severe
Lucifer, could not brook the delay which was cal-
culated to prove most conducive to the successflil
accomplishment of his mission ; nor could he curb
his natural eagerness into the patience which appears
to have been called for by the circumstances, involving
as they did many obvious considerations of charity and
of wisdom. Whilst the bishops were dehberating at
Alexandria, Lucifer was acting at Antioch. Without
waiting for the decisions of the council, or even for
the assistance of his more aged and more prudent,
but certainly no less devoted colleague St. Eusebius,
he freely exercised the authority which had been
delegated to liim.
Thf'fMi. iii. .5. Apparently wearied with the fruitlessness of the
s<«om v.'i'i! repeated discourses upon concord, by which at first
Ji.if.n. I. (x.) 27. -j^^^ ]j,^Q vainly endeavoured to reconcile the divided
Catholics of Antioch, and finding the Eustathians to
THE rilEClPlTANCE OF LUCIFKR. 203
be firm in tlie maintenance of their claims, he conse-
crated bishop their leader Paulinus, having obtained
the assistance of two other bishops for the pnrpose,
as is mentioned by St. Jerome, wlio thus records it in Op.onm. i. viii
his Chronicle : — ' Eusebius and Lucifer return from ed. cilat.
exile, of whom Lucifer, two other confessors ^ being
procured, makes bishop on the Catholic side at An-
tioch, Paulinus, presbyter of bishop Eustathius, wlio
had never defiled himself by communion with here-
tics.' Meletius had not yet returned to Antioch from
his place of banishment, and it is possible that Lucifer
wished to anticipate that event. The personal excel-
lence of Paulinus does not appear to have been called
in question. But in one respect this even tended to an
increase of the difficulty ; because it strengthened the
claims of the Eustatliians, which, on the one hand
could not be set aside, and on the other, could not be
acknowledged so fully as strict justice might have
required, without the exercise of an undue and repul-
sive severity towards Meletius and his followers who
were desirous for reconciliation. At the very moment
when mutual concessions miglit have healed and
terminated the schism, it was aggravated and pro-
lonsred through this mistaken zeal of Lucifer. Tlieo-
' It is stated in a note on this passjige that Scaliger found
the names of these two bishops in a very ancient codex, given
as Gorgonius de Germania (qy. Germanicia, in Syria ?), and
Cymatius de Gabala. Tillemont thinks this may have been the
.same Cymatius who was one of the five to whom the letter Avas
addressed from Alexandria, and who was therein styled, of Falhis,
which was not far from Gabala. Tillemont, Lucii". de Cagl. iv.
294
THE DISPLEASURE OF ST. EUSEBIL'S
Eusebius aiTiTcs
in
Autioch.
Socrat. iii. 9.
Sozom. V. 13.
Rufin. i. (x.) 30.
Thcod. iii. 5.
doret says, that Lucifer, ' not doing well {oux eZyz
TTouov),' consecrated Paulinus bishop for the Eusta-
thians. ' This,' he adds, ' prolonged that dissension,
for it lasted for five-and-eighty years,' &c. He
counts from tlie time of the banishment of St.
Eustathius, a.d. 330-1. Eufinus says that the two
dissentient Catholic parties in Antioch were hoping
that unity might be restored, if such a bishop could
be chosen for them as would prove agreeable not
only to one side but to both, wlien Lucifer, ' in over
haste [prceproperus) made Paulinus bishop, a Cathohc
indeed and a hoty man, and in all respects worthy of
the episcopate, but yet one in whom both parties
amongst the people could not acquiesce.'
Wlien the proceedings of the council had termi-
nated in Alexandria, St. Eusebius of Vercelli went
immediately to Antioch. On learning what had
been done there, he was greatly distressed, and de-
clined to acknowledge either party. According to
Rulinus, he liad visited that city before the council
was assembled, and liad led the people to anticipate
from it a satisfactory terniiiiatioii of tjieir dissensions.
He was greatly disturbed that the rashness of Lucifer
sliould have frustrated these designs of peace. Ru-
fiiuis thus relates the occurrence: — 'liut when
Eusebius returned to Antioch, and found a bishop
ordained there by Lucifer, contrary to \vhat was
promised, driven off both by sliame and indignation,
he departed, opening his comnuinion to neither side,
l)erause wlien lie went awav lioni thence, he had
AT Till'] CONSECRATION OF TAULINUS. 205
promised that he would bring it to pass in tlie coun-
cil that such a bishop sliould be ordained for them
as would be declined by neither party.' It appears,
however, from Socrates and Sozomen, that Eusebius
did not leave Antioch till he had made every possible
exertion to unite the divided parties, but unhappily
without success. At length, ' perceiving,' says Theo-
doret, 'that the evil had become well-nigh incurable
through faulty treatment,' he went away, after pro-
claiming to both sides that the position of afliiirs
should be set straight in a synod of bishops. The
respect which he entertained for Lucifer deterred
him from giving vent in public to any expression of
his displeasure. Eusebius, together with the other
bishops, had recognised the communion of Pauli-
nus and his party in the letter from the Alexan-
drian synod, and it is therefore evident that in
holding aloof from it on his arrival in Antioch, he
was actuated by the strong disapprobation with
which he regarded the consecration of a bishop
in whom both parties could not agree, and pro-
bably also by the desire of making it known tliat
he had not himself consented to the act. Lucifer
was very greatly offended and displeased in conse-
quence, but it would lead me too far from my
subject to enter on his future history, whicli is in-
volved in great obscurity.^
1 According to ancient historians, the above-mentioned dif-
ference respecting the consecration of Paulinus, gave rise to the
subsequent schism of the Liiciierians, who separated thcm.selves
296 THE CONSECRATION OF PAULINUS,
The position Tlioiigli IK) question coiilcl arise as to the validity
raui'inus. of the cpiscopal order conferred upon PauUnus by his
consecration, a very serious question might arise
respecting the vahdity of his jurisdiction. Had
Lucifer acted as a simple bishop without extraordi-
nary faculties, he could have given the orders, but
he could not have given jurisdiction. He could
have made Paulinus a bishop, but he could not
have made him bishop of Antioch. It cannot,
however, be supposed for a moment that Lucifer
would have acted as he did unless special authority
from the church on account of the indulgence accorded to the re-
pentant Arians. But though that sect unhappily took its name from
Lucifer of Cagliari, it is by no means certain that he himself Avent
so far, or that he was ever guilty of schism, or, if he fell into it at
all, that he died in it. On the contrary, there have not been want-
ing grave authorities Avho maintained that Lucifer died not only
in communion with the church, but even in the odour of sanctity.
His life, with the express title of Saint applied to him, is found
in the Bollandist Acta Sanctorum of the 20th of May, from the
pen of the learned Papebrochius. The controversy respecting
his sanctity at one time grew so warm, particularly in the island
of Sardinia, that, after the matter had been carefully considered
by the Koman Intjuisition, Pope Urban Vlil. issued a decree,
bearing date the 20th of June 1G41, by which he formally pro-
hibited anything fiuther to l)e written either for or against the
alleged sanctity of Lucifer, or that there should be any further
public discussion respecting it in any way, under pain of excom-
munication ii)SO facto, until it should be otherwise ordained by
the Holy See. The decree at the same time states explicitly
that ' His Holiness does not intend thereby to declare or decide
anything concerning the alleged sanctity of Lucifer, or in oppo-
sition to it, but he wishes it to remain in the state in which it is
found.' For this decree, with further particulars, see the cele-
brated work of Benedict XIV., ' De Canonizatione,' t. i. lib. i.
CJIJ). xl.
THOUGH HASTY, WAS LEGITIMATE. 207
had been delegated to liini by the Eomaii Poiitin'.
Otherwise the whole East would have called out in
indignation against such unwarrantable interference
on the part of an individual Western bishop in her
principal and presiding diocese ; and Eome would
have loudly condemned and repudiated his conduct,
Lucifer was blamed for his precipitancy, but there is
no record of his having been even accused of an undue
assumption of authority. For this reason, and others
already referred to, it may be concluded that, liow-
ever imprudent the conduct of Lucifer, he never-
theless validly and legitimately conferred upon Pau-
linus not only the episcopal order, but the episcopal
jurisdiction also which appertained to the see of
Antioch It might, however, be questioned whether
that jurisdiction was not affected by the intervening
decision at Alexandria, and tlie conduct of Eusebius
of YercelH. There is no reason for supposing that
the legatine powers of Eusebius were less ample or
less general than those possessed by Lucifer ; indeed,
precedence is given to the name of Eusebius in the
letter from the council to tlie Antiocliians. Now
Eusebius did not approve tlie consecration of Pauh-
nus, and declined to communicate with him as bishop
of Antioch. But he did not go so far as to repudiate
him ; he suspended his judgment, leaving the matter
to be decided by a competent tribunal. So that the
jurisdiction of Paulinus does not appear to have
been interfered with, and yet the position of ]\Ieletius
did not suffer detriment in consequence.
298 THE CLAIMS OF MELETIUS.
The position By his bolcl professioii of the faith of Nicasa, and
Meietiiis. coiisequeiit banishment immediately after his election
to Antioch, Meletius had anticipated the conditions
of the indidgence afterwards accorded by the Church,
and had virtually placed himself in a position to lay
claim to its benefits. But, through the undue haste
of Lucifer, Paulinus was consecrated before Meletius
had had the opportunity o^ formally availing himself
of the indidgence, since the decrees of the council of
Alexandria had not been promulgated. It would,
however, have been manifestly unjust to have thrust
Meletius out of the bishopric on this account, although
on the other hand, the recognised Catholic position of
the Eustathians rendered it impossible altogether to
reject the claims of their newly-made bishop Paulinus.
It cannot be assumed as certain that it was the inten-
Ecci. Hist. iii. 5. tioii of Lucifcr to rcjcct Meletius. Theodoret says
that, in consequence of the opposition of the Eusta-
thians to his proposals for the union of both parties,
he consecrated Paulinus for them (e^sipoTovrjO-ev
auTo7g). It is by no means impossible that he deter-
mined at any rate to provide a bishop for the Eusta-
thians, leaving the rest an open question. However
this may have been, the practical effect of the course
adopted afterwards by Eusebius, was to leave the
whole matter in abeyance, till a favourable oppor-
tunity should arise for a solution of the difficulty,
without interfering in the meanwhile wit] i the episco-
pal i"unctions either of Meletius or Paulinus. By
witliliolding ])is jjrivatc communion from both, lie
IMPORTANCE OF THE CONDUCT OF EUSEBIUS. 299
excluded, neither of tliein, but he suspended judg-
ment between them. lie could not formally re-
cognise them both, but he might tolerate the tem-
porary continuance of a false position, which (iould
not have been avoided without the danger of
incurring a very much greater evil. This conduct
on the part of St. Eusebius of Vercelli, constitutes
one of the most important features of the history.
It has been seen how highly he was esteemed by
the Pope, 'and how important his presence in the
council of Milan w\as considered to be, on all sides.
He appears, as before said, to have been invested
with delegated authority from Eome, at least equal
to that of Lucifer; and he would certainly represent,
far more truly than Lucifer, not only the views of
Eome and of the West, but those also of St. Atliana-
sius and of the bishops whom, together with him, he
had so recently assembled in council in Alexaiidi-ia.
He had arrived at Antioch direct from that said
memorable council, which has always been held in
veneration by the Church. He had taken a leading
part in its deliberations, whilst Lucifer was absent.
He was thoroughly imbued with its spirit, and the
course which he pursued may be looked upon as
dictated by that spirit. It may, at the same time, be re-
garded as an indication of the judgment which would
be formed upon the subject in the West. On his
return to Italy it would be the duty of Eusebius to
ffive an account of the whole matter to the Pope, and
the subsequent conduct of the Poman See shows her
;oo
KETURX OF EUSEBIUS TO ITALY.
The labours of
St. Eusebius.
Socrat. iii. 9.
Sozom. V. 13.
Rufin. i. (x.) -M.
Adv. Lucif. n. 19.
approval of his behaviour under these difficult cir-
cumstances. Eoine in fact adopted the policy of
Eusebius ; prudently abstaining from forcing on a
crisis, and so leaving time for the sweetly disposing
haiul of Providence to work the required changes.
She appears to have considered that the exigencies of
the case justified, in the meanwhile, the toleration
of the anomaly of two rival Catholic bishops in
the one See of Antioch, and therefore to have tacitly
permitted each of them to exercise the power and the
jurisdiction which belonged to that exalted bishopric.
It is a striking instance of the maternal solicitude of
the Church, not to scare away feeble Christians from
her bosom through an over-rigorous enforcement of
the letter of her laws, when mercy in some particular
instance pleads that their spirit will be more truly
fulfilled, if she tolerates a temporary suspension of
their outward observance.
When Eusebius left Antioch he journeyed through
the East, where, in the language of the ancient
historians, he fulfilled tlie offices both of a good
physician and a priest, receiving back the lapsed,
strengthening the weak in faith, estabhshing and
teaching the doctrines of the Church, He then
proceeded to Illyricum, from wliich he passed to
Italy, everj^iere per.severing in his unwearied la-
bours for Christ. So higlily was he esteemed that
St. Jerome, in speaking of the liberation of the
confessors from exile, says, ' at the return of Euse-
l)ius, Italy put ofi" her robes of mourning.' . . .
EETURN AND SUBSEQUENT EXILES OF J^fELETIUS. HOI
Tunc ad reditum Eusebii luguhres vestes Italia
mutavit.
There a^^pears to have been a delay in the return The return
of St. Meletiiis from his place of exile, for he did not st. Mdetius.
reach Antioch till Eiisebius, having arrived there Socrat. iii. 9.
f. . 1 , . , ... Sozom. V. 13.
irom Aiexandria, was endeavouring m vain to unite Rutin, i. (x.) 30.
the divided Cathohc parties. When Meletius came
back, he presided over the assemblies of his followers
in the Palosa, outside the gates.
It seemed to me desirable to explain fully the
origin and the first development of the lamentable
division we are considering, but it would require the
space of a separate volume to relate all the details of
its subsequent history. 1 therefore confine myself,
though reluctantly, to a short mention of a few of
the most prominent events connected with it, till I
arrive at the proof that St. Meletius died in acknow-
ledged communion with Eome.
St. Meletius was thrice exiled from Antioch on The three exiles
account of the faith. His first exile, under Con- st. Meletius.
stantius, has already been described. It is equally
certain that the third took place under Valens.
But there is a difference of opinion respecting Notex.surS.Meieco.
the date of the second. Tillemont thinks that he Aeta Sanct. Feb. 12.
was twice banished by Valens. Father Bollandus,
on the other hand, places the period of his second
exile under the reign of Juhan, soon after his return
from the first, and this appears to be the most
probable opinion, though in such case the second
302 ST. MELETIUS AND OTHER BISHOPS
exile must have been very short in its duration, for
St. Meletius was in Antioch in the year 3G3. It is
said that he was then especially favoured by Julian's
successor, the Emperor Jovian, who gave to him and
to his followers the possession of a church which
had been recently built at Antioch.
Council of Antioch, An cvcut occurrcd at this time which threw con-
siderable suspicion upon the orthodoxy both of St.
Meletius of Antioch and of St. Eusebius of Samosata.
After the accession of Jovian to the imperial throne,
Acacius of Ca3sarea, with others of the same party,
proposed to Meletius to unite with him in a public
profession of the Nicene faith. They were probably
desirous to comply with the conditions of the in-
didgence accorded by the Council of Alexandria to
those who had been contaminated with Arianism.
They may have been actuated by real conviction ;
but they have not escaped the imputation of the
more unworthy motive of fear lest they should other-
wise be driven from their sees. An orator of the
day spoke of some who were worshippers not of God
but of the Imperial piu'ple, and who changed sides
like the waters of the Euripus^ under the influence
of the tides. A council was accordingly held at
Antioch, by which a letter was addressed to Jovian
and signed by the assembled bishops, the signatures
of Meletius and of Eusebius of Samosata being the
foremost. This epistle has been preserved in the
Lik vi. ca}.. •!. ccclcsiastical history of Sozomen, as well as in that
' 'Hic Siiaits of Nogrojtunt.
MAKE raOFESSION OF THEIR FAITH. 303
of Socrates. It recited the Niceiie symbol, and pro- Lii.. iii. cnp. 2-..
fessed the adlierence of its authors to the same. But
it prefixed to the symbol an interpretation of the word
consuhstantial which did not adequately express the
full Catholic doctrine on that most essential point ; for
it stated that the w^ord o/7.oouV/o^, ' which appeared
strange to many, had been safely interpreted by the
fathers to signify that the Son was begotten from the
substance of the Father, and that he is of like sub-
stance with the Father (ojw.010^ xar ou<rlav no Trarpl).'
This term of siiuilar in substance {hixoioua-ioQ) was
admitted by the Semiarians and Macedonians, who
rejected the blasphemous teaching that the Son of
God was different (avoixoios) in substance ft^om the
Father, but would not consent to the Catholic dogma
that He was of the self-same substance^ with the
Father (o/xoouVkj^). This, no doubt, gave occasion for
the statement recorded in the chronicle of St. Jerome
(who appears to have been prejudiced against Mele-
tius), that ' a synod was held at Antioch by Meletius
and his party, in which, rejecting the homousion and
anomoeon, they maintained the intermediate homoiou-
sion, the Macedonian dogma.' It can hardly be
beheved that such was really the intention of Mele-
tius and Eusebius, both of whom are honoured bj'
the Church for their noble defence of the Catholic
faith, and their heroic sufferings in its behalf. Nor
does the document in question contain a simple and
unqualified affirmation of the homoioiision ; on tlie
contrary, it states, in conjunction with it. tliat t1i(> S(^ii
304 THE QUALIFICATION WHICH THEY ATTACHED
Ep. deSyuodis, u. 41. is begottcii of tliG siibstaiiCG of the Father. St. Atha-
uasiiis asserts that men who teach this are not to be
looked upon as enemies, when they only hesitate
as to the icord 01x0060- lov, but to be argued with as
brothers wlio difler merely respecting the use of
a term. For that those persons who confess the
Son to be uncreated, of the substance of the Father,
and One with Him from all eternity, are not far
from accepting the word 6[xoou(riog,
It cannot however be denied, that the declaration
of the Synod was insufficient, although it might be
reconcilable with Catholic doctrine. It would natu-
rally give rise to cavil on the part of those who
were adverse to Meletius, and expose both St.
Eusebius and himself to the danger of being con-
sidered as doubtful in their foith, by Catholics at a
distance who were imperfectly acquainted with the
facts. That these great men were in reality mis-
understood or misrepresented in consequence, is
rendered still further evident by a document to be
Tom. ii. p. 24, foiiiid aiiK)n_!i'st the works of St. Athanasius, entitled,
' A refutation l)y our holy father Athanasius, Arch-
bishop of Alexandria, of the liypocrisy of Meletius and
Eusebius of Samosata and their party, concerning the
homousion.' Tlie attribution of its autliorship to
St. Athanasius is considered to be an error, but it
is thouglil tliat it was written by some other person
ill tlie year 3G4, immediately after tlie synod at An-
tic )c]i. It contains no mention of the names of Meletius
and Eusel)ius, or of nny others, excepting in the title.
EXPOSED TIIEiM TO FALSE ACCUSATIONS. 305
but it argues against the homoiousion as opposed in
meaning to consuhstantial. The word was undoubt-
edly objectionable, because open to such an interpre-
tation ; but there is no shadow of a proof that tlie
two holy bishops, who are so unreservedly charged
with hypocrisy in the title of the aforesaid document,
ever intended their language to convey two meanings,
or to be understood in a sense which was not per-
fectly in accordance with the Catholic faith of Nica^a.
By this profession of the Nicene faith Meletius
formally complied with the requirements of the
Alexandiian Council, if he had not previously done
so. But the above-mentioned accusations were cal-
culated greatly to retard the action of Eome and
the West in his favour.
In fact, it is evident from one of the epistles of St. Charge of heresy
Basil that these accusations reached the ears of the st.^eiTtius
Pope. In the year 377, when St. Basil's messenger st. Ei?"biiis of
Dorotheus was in Eome, and was urging the claims s. B?ibiii'i'
of St. Meletius ; Peter, the Archbishop of Alexandria, ^^.^'Jll^l'st
the immediate successor of St. Athanasius, was also in
that city, having taken refuge there from the violence
of the governor of Alexandria. In the presence of the
Pope St.Damasus, and of the above-named Dorotheus,
Archbishop Peter denounced Meletius and Eusebius
as members of the Arian faction. Dorotheus rej)lied
in terms of so great warmth that the Archbishop
complained of it to St. Basil,who, in the epistle referred
to, expressed his deep regret that such should liave
been the case. At the same time, he strongly viiidi-
VOL. I. X
306
SIGNS OF INTERCOMMUXION'
Intorchauge
of
communication
between
St. Meletiug
and
Home.
Evagrrius
of
Antiocli.
S. Eusilii Ep. clvi.
Tillemont,
Vie de
S. Basil le Grand,
Art. ci.
cated the orthodoxy of Meletius and Eusebius, appeal-
ing in evidence of tlie same to the persecutions which
they had endured from tlie Aiians, and calhng God
and his own ears to Aptness, tliat there was no word of
true doctrine wliich lie luul not heard tliose men most
freely proclaim ; and he added, tliat he would not have
admitted their communion for an hour, if he had found
them halting in the faith.
This happened on the occasion of one of the many
embassies despatched by St, Basil with a view to
induce the Pope to send bishops to the East, in
order to restore ecclesiastical discipline and peace
in those distracted regions. St. Meletius also took a
leading part in these embassies, as occupier of the
principal See amongst the churches in the East, and it
was one of his deacons who, in the first instance, was
charged wilh the management of- the business in
Eome. Messengers w^ere also sent from Eome to
St. Meletius and the Eastern bishops. On both sides
they were received, and the title ' brotlier ' was be-
stowed on them in the formal documents. In all
these transactions there is no sign whatever of any
formal interruption of communion.
An instance in point occurs in the case of the priest
Evagrius of Antioch, if the words which St. Basil
addressed to him in one of his epistles have been
rightly understood. Evagrius had accompanied St.
Eusebius of Vercelli on liis return to tlic West in the
year 303 or 304, and liad done good service in the
CathoHc cause. About tlie aulunni of the year 373
BETWEEN THE WEST AND ST, MELETIUS. 307
he returned to the East, and brought back to St. Basil
from Rome certain papers wliich had been sent tlicrc
by tlie Orientals. He requested another letter in their
place, since they had not given entire satisfaction to
those who were most strict amongst the Westerns.
Evagrius suggested also an embassy of more important
persons than had hitherto been sent, to solicit a visi-
tation from the West. He conferred with St. Basil
respecting the affairs of Antiocli, but on his ariival
in that city he did not join the communion of
Meletius. In the letter above referred to, St. Basil
expressed his sorrow at having learnt this, and
observed that, if he remembered aright, it was not the
same course which they had talked of when together.
HaiTQi ou roKxuTa ■jJ/xTv r^v to. coixiXri [xsva, si ri sy<o
[xi[xvrj[xai. From this remark it is reasonably inferred
that Evagrius, before leaving St. Basil, had expressed
to him his intention to communicate in Antioch with
St. Meletius ; and although he afterwards joined Pauli-
nus and became his successor in the episcopate, yet
it is evident that if Meletius had been formally sepa-
rated from the Eoman communion, the devoted
Catholic Evagrius newly arrived from Bome and
Italy, and entrusted with a message by the Westerns,
must necessarily have been aware of the foot, and
could not under such circumstances have hesitated
as to which of the two communions he would join,
or have held out any expectations to St. Basil tliat
he would unite himself to Meletius.
It is also to be observed tliat, notwithstanding his
X 2
308 FALSE ACCUSATIOXS AGAIXST TAULIXUS.
Ep. civi. disappointment, St. Basil in the same letter addresses
Evagriiis as ' a brotlier truly most religions and much
desired by us (aT^riSCog euXa^lo-rarf xa\ TroXtjxo'^vjTe
r)a7v aOsAc^e).'
s. Bas. Ep. cexiv. 2. In a subsequent epistle to Count Terence, St. Basil
speaks of Paulinus and his followers, as belonging to
those ' of the household of the faith ' with whom
especially he desires to be in charity.
It cannot be supposed that St. Basil would in
either case have used such language, if he had not
considered l)oth of the mutually divided Catholic
parties in Antioch, to have been united in visible
communion with Eome and tlie universal church.
Paulinus The ortliodoxy of Paulinus was called in question,
"'"'^of hisThir'"'' as well as that of Meletius, but he abundantly refuted
the early accusations against him, by subscribing a
Adv. haeresfs, profcssiou of faith which, according to St. Epiphanius,
' ixsvii. u. 20?^'^ was written by the hand of St. Athanasius himself, and
which is appended to the before-mentioned sj^nodical
letter from the Council of Alexandria to the Antio-
chians.
Later accusations Souic fourtccn ycars aftcrwards, a.d. 377, in one of
Paulinus. thc cpistlcs froui tlic Eastcm to the Western bishops
.p. cc xiii. o. (contained in the works of St. Basil, it is observed that
the Westerns themselves could say whether there had
been anything reprehensible concerning the ordina-
tion of Paulinus,^ but that the writers of the epistle
' From this remark it may he perceived that the Easterns did
not call in question tlie jurisdiction of the Koman See over tliat
o\' .\iiliiicli, liut left the point to its decisidu.
lire.
Diet. (Ics Sciences
ST. ATIIANASIUS COMES TO ANTIOCII. 309
bewailed liis propensity for llie doctrine of Marcelhis,
and tlie fact that lie admitted tlie followers of
Marcellus indiscriminately to his communion. Now
Marcellus had been declared free from all imputation oi;
of heresy, both by Pope Julius I. and the Council '"^ ' e^^iZ
of Sardica ; and though certain of his disci})les proved Evtq^VtrAneyro.
to be less orthodox, it does not appear whether
there was sufficient foundation for accusing Paulinus
of participation in their error. In those days, how-
ever, such accusations abounded on all sides, and
even the great St. Basil did not escape without
suffering his share of calumny. Nor can it fail to
be observed, that Eome was the central authorit}' to
which all the disputants appealed. It was the earnest
desire of St. Basil, and an object of his strenuous
efforts, to persuade Eome to send over a connnission
to regulate the affairs of the East.
To return once more to the days of Athanasius. «t. Atiianasius
•^ ami
Shortly after that great saint had been recalled to st. sioietius.
his see by the newly elected Emperor Jovian, in a
letter expressive of admiration, he undertook tlie
journey from Alexandria to Antioch to confer with
Jovian on the affairs of the clnirch, prompted by
his zeal, and, perhaps, also urged by a request from
the emperor, who testified his satisfaction upon his
arrival by the marks of esteem and affection with
which he received him. It has already been stated
that Jovian is said to have been friendly to Meletius ;
and it is mentioned in one of the letters of St.
Basil, that Athanasius ' wholly desired to be reconciled Ki\ c^iviii.
310 HE WISHES FOR COMMUNION AVITII MELETIUS.
in communion ' with Meletius, apparently on this oc-
casion, but that through the fault of advisers their
union was deferred to another season. ' Would that
it had not been so ! ' adds St. Basil ; but he does not
state the reason of the postponement. In another
Epist. ixxxix. n. 2. of Ills L'pistlcs lic montions a certain bishop, called
Athanasius, whom the Meletians dismissed without
their communion. It has been thought that the bishop
thus alluded to was the same St. Athanasius the
istoria Eccios. Great ; and Cardinal Orsi concludes that St. Athanasius
must liave required conditions to which the Meletians
Hist. Eccies. Avoiild uot acccdc. Tillcmout, however, thinks that
St.-Melece, art. ix. . i * i • i t
it must have been another AtJianasius who was dis-
missed without communion by the Meletians. He
says that the idea of Meletius having rejected the
communion of St. Athanasius of Alexandria, ' is so
strangely opposed both to the piety and to all the
interests of St. Meletius, that ' the occurrence spoken
of by St. Basil, ' may be better understood of an
Athanasius who had been engaged in the error, and
the party of the Macedonians.' This explanation,
liowever, does not satisfactorily agree with the tenor
of St. Basil's epistle last referred to.
In any case the person spoken of in his previously
mentioned letter is plainly St. Athanasius the Great,
and the willingness of one so highly esteemed at Home
to communicate witli St. Meletius, forms an important
feature ill tlic liisloiy of this transaction.
DifiFtTcnt degrees IV'rluips it sliould liuNc Ijocu prcviously remarked
iutcrruption tluit tlid'c WLi'e diniiviil (Icgrccs of excommunication
GREATER AND LESSER EXCOMMUNICATIONS. 311
in the early churcli. In tlic case of individuals there of
was the excommunicatio mortalis, now called inajoi\ coni'nuinion.
which involved entire separation from the church; Lih.iv.Tit. xviii.
and there was the excommunicatio medicinalis^ t. ill'pp.'^iso-lss.
now called minor ^ which was simply a suspension of ^'^•^'^'"''"•"'"''**-^•
the use of the sacraments, and sometimes also of
public participation in the prayers of the faitliful, in
which case the penitent took his place with the
catechumens. This did not involve separation from
the church ; and of this nature was the interruption
of communion which sometimes arose between one
bishop and another, or one local church and another.
It was a mutual division, which did not involve any
ecclesiastical censure, provided there was no eccle-
siastical superiority on either side.^
The division between St. Athanasius and Meletius,
and that between St. Basil and Paulinus, appertained
' I state tLis on the authority of the Instit. Canon, of Devoti,
a work published and approved in Rome. He says {uhi supra,
§ 5) : ' Erat enim niedicinalis, aut minoris excommunicationis
loco ilia unius Episcopi, aut Ecclesiaj, ab alio Episcopo, Ecclesiaque
separatio, per qviam fiebat, ut duo Episcopi inter se neque darent,
neque acciperent literas formatas, nequc alter altcrius ab se
separatas Ecclesiaj filios ad communionem adniitteret. Ilujusmodi
excommunicatio locum habebat, si aliqua Ecclesia, aut Episcopus
aliam Ecclesiam in fidem, aut in disciplinam peccare intelligerct.
Sed mutua ha'C excommunicatio, si Ecclesia} sibi iiivicem sub-
jectse non essent, proprie ccclesiastica censura non erat, scd tjvn-
tum erat divisio, et separatio communionis, quam una Ecclesia
alteri, cui non subesset, denegare poterat.' He refers, as an
instance, to St. Epiphanius (Epist, ad Joan. Episc. Hierosol.),
who rejected the communion of John, Bishop of Jerusalem, be-
cause he understood that he defended tlie errors of Origen.
312 ST. BASIL ^YRITES WAEMLY
only to the lesser of the above-named degrees. In
the case of a church which had jurisdiction over
anotlier, as Eome over Antioch and universally, it
would naturally rest with the superior church to
extend the excommunication or to limit it at dis-
cretion. If Eome in any degree withheld her
communion from Meletius at the period in question,
of which I have found no sufficient evidence, it could
only have been in the lesser degree, not to the extent
of complete separation from the body of the faithful.
It is needless to observe, that such a case is very
different in its nature from that of the consum-
mated and complete separation which exists between
Eome and the established Church of England.
St. Basil The letter which mentions the desire of St. Atha-
held strongly
to nasius to be reconciled with Meletius, Avas written
St. Meletius. lo-n-i n-n-i- t-
by bt. iiasii to fct. Jiipiphamus, and it contains
remarks which assist to the better understanding of
tlie position of the two divided Catholic parties in
Antioch and their upholders. I therefore subjoin the
whole paragraph, with the exception of the last
sentence, wliich has reference to tlie Hypostases : —
St. Bas. Ep. cclviii. 3. ' But, as regards the church at Antioch, that I say which
agrees in the same doctrine, may the Lord grant that we
n)ay souietime see it united. For it stands in especial
danger from the snares of the enemy, who bears ill-will
to it because there first was established the title of Chris-
tian. And indeed heresy is divided against orthodoxy,
and ortliodoxy also is divided against itself. But for us*
tlie most reverend Meletius is bishop, since he first boldly
defended the truth and fiju^^ht that tjood fi'dit in the times
IN FAVOUR OF ST. MELETIUS. 813
of Constantius, and my church has always held to his
communion, having loved him above measure, on account
of that strong and unconquered firmness. By the grace
of God we hold his communion till now, and, if God will,
we will continue to hold it. For also the most blessed
Pope Athanasius, when he came from Alexandria, alto-
gether wished to be reconciled in communion with him,
but through the wickedness of counsellors their union was
put off to another season, which I wish had not been the
case. But we have never yet held communion with any of
those who came after, not because we accounted them
unworthy, but because we had no reason for condemning
the other. We have heard indeed many things from the
brethren, but we do not give credit to them because the
accused do not stand before the accusers, as it is written :
Our law does not judge any man, unless it first hears st. Johu vH. 5i.
Imn and knows ivhat he doth. Wherefore we cannot send
letters to them ' (meaning to Paulinus and his followers),
* most honourable brother, nor ought we to be compelled
thereto. But it would be fitting to your peaceful proposal,
not to unite with one and divide with the otlier, but
to bring those who are divided to their former imion.
Wherefore, first beseech, and then so far as you are able
exhort, that casting away ambition from their souls, they
may be reconciled with one another, in order both to
restore strength to the church, and to repress the fury of
her enemies.'
If Meletius had been out of coinmunion witli Th'^rowns
. . . Mil a -t^ •^ ^ i i i "° inttTniption
Eome, it IS impossible that ot. liasil should have so of
warmly espoused and held to his communion with- between the frk-nds
out sharing in the same excommunication. St. eacii*i.arfy.
Epiphanius held to the communion of Paulinus, and
it would seem from the above letter that he luid en-
deavoured to persuade St. Basil to join it. St. Basil
314 ST. BASIL DESIRED THE UXION
decidedly declines, but not in such a manner as to
imply that he regarded Paulinus and his followers as
out of the church. Nor did the fact of their holding
respectively to the two opposite Cathohc communions
in Antioch, occasion any rupture between St. Basil
and St. Epiphanius. Indeed, the whole of the pas-
sage which has been quoted shows plainly, that the
dissension was regarded as merely local and inter-
nal. Can it be conceived that two eminent Eoman
Cathohc Bishops, such as St. Basil and St. Epipha-
nius, would in like manner differ in their views, and
exchange friendly communication respecting their
difference, as regards the relative position of the
Eoman and Anglican conmiunions in this country ?
Such an occurrence would be impossible ; but such
difference and such communication actually occurred
in the case of Antioch, because neither Mcletius nor
Paulinus was formally severed from Eome and the
universal church, as is the case with the Anglican
communion.
TheoLjcct St. Basil considered that the hrst step towards
St. Basil. healing the disorders of the East was to strive for
the restoration of concord to the divided chin^ch of
Antioch, so that, to use his own words, that church,
Ej.. ixvi. 2. like a head Avhich had been strengthened, might
sup])ly health to the whole body. lie desired to
accomplish this end by the union of all parties under
Meletius. This Avas his object fi^om the very first,
and, in the year 372, he had written to urge St.
Alliana^t^ius to assist him in his application to pro-
OF BOTH SIDES UNDER MELETIUS. 315
cure the interference of Eome for tlic purpose, lie i:i-. i-wii.
said at that time that Meletius in reahty presided
over, so to speak, the whole body of tlie clnirdi in
Antioch ; that the others were, as it were, segments
of parts, and that they ought to be joined to Mele-
tius like small rivers to great, being treated in a be-
coming manner, and the people being pacified. He
added that St. Athanasius was aware such a course
' was pleasing to his friends of one soul (o/jt.o\}/u;/o/j)
in the West, as the letters brought by the blessed
Sylvanus to the Easterns made manifest.' "VVe possess
no further information respecting these letters ; but
whatever may have been the disposition of Eome
(which in the present instance is synonymous witli the
West) at the period referred to by St. Basil, it is plain
that she would not subsequently consent to the exclu-
sion of the claims of Paulinus, though I cannot find
sufficient ground for believing that she ever regarded
Meletius and his followers as out of her comnui-
nion. The commonly received opinion that at one
time she did so, may in great measure have arisen
from a circumstance which will be found, upon
examination, to give no sufficient warrant for such
a conclusion.
The circumstance to which I allude drew forth from Rmiinus
nci'ives It'tters
St. Basil a letter to Count Terence, to which is as- fn.m
signed the date a.d. 3 / 5 ; and it is irom tins letter s. ijiu«. Kp. wxiv.
chiefly that tlie circumstances have become known.
St. Basil states therein that a rumour has readied liim
that the followers of raulinus were carrying about
31G
ST. BASIL WRITES TO COUXT TEEEXCE
St. Athanasius
addressed a letter
to
Paulinus.
See above, p. 308.
Adv. hjEr.
Ixxvii. nn. 20, 21.
St. Athanase,
art. 103.
St. I5:isil
defends the position
of
St. Meletius.
letters wliich they had received from the West, and
"wliich attributed the episcopate of the church of
Antioch to Pauhiius, setting aside ' Meletius, the most
admirable bishop of the true church of God.' He
says he is not surprised at this, since tlie Westerns
were misinformed as to the real position of affairs in
the East. He then refers to a letter written to
Paulinus by St. Athanasius the Great, which, as he
appears to think, influenced the conduct of the
Western bishops, and he says it is not unhkely that
the persons from whom they derived their information
' either were ignorant of the true state of the case, or
even concealed the reason through which the most
blessed Bishop Athanasius came to write to Paulinus,'
St. Basil does not mention that reason, but St. Epi-
phanius informs us that the profession of faith
already mentioned, which Paulinus had produced to
liim in reply to the charge of Sabellianism, and which
he has recorded verbatim, had been previously made
by Paulinus to St. Athanasius as his justification, aTro-
y^oylag x.df>iv ; and Tillemoiit concludes that this may
have been the occasion on which St. Athanasius wrote
the letter referred to by St. Basil, and which he seems
to imply had been unduly used by certain parties, as
an argument with the Westerns in behalf of Pauhnus.
St. Basil further requests Count Terence, who was
a person of influence, to inform himself respecting
what had been done in Antioch by the bishops in the
reign of Jovian. It may be that tliis remark was
prompted by llie iniputalions of heresy against Mele-
RESPECTING THE LETTERS TO TAULINTS. ol7
tins which arose out of that transaction, as has already
been noticed, and from which St. Basil would be See above, p. 304, &c.
desirous that St. Meletius should be cleared ; or it
may be that he appealed to the said council as being
a formal profession of the Nicene faith, and such as
would entitle St. Meletius to the indulgence accorded
in the year 362 in Alexandria, as before mentioned.
He then congratulates Paulinus and his followers on
having received letters from Home, observing that he
accuses no man, yea desires to maintain charity with
all, especially with those of the household of faith,
and expressing his hopes that the great and honour-
able testimony those letters bear to them is true, and
confirmed by their works. But, he adds, that he
cannot on that account ever be persuaded to ignore
Meletius or forget the church over which he pre-
sides, or to consider the questions from which the
dissension first arose as trifling and of little moment
to rehgion. For, he says, if any one not sound in
the faith should be puffed up by an epistle not only
from men but from heaven, he could not on. that
account consider him as a partaker of the communion
of the Saints, unless he professed sound doctrine.
These remarks perhaps allude to the question of the
Hypostases, of whicli St. Basil proceeds to treat in
the same letter, and which, under the circumstances
of the times, he appears both here and elsewhere to
have regarded as of greater importance than it
had been considered by the fathers in Alexandria, Seoaiwro.
.,, , , , 11 • PP- '-'88, 289.
A.D. 362. It will have been observed tJiat iii a
318 THE SAID LETTERS APrEAR TO HAVE BEEN
previous sentence, St. Basil had spoken of Paulinus
and his followers as of the household of faith.
Consequently the language which he afterwards used
can hardly have been intended in its literal sense, if
it is meant to apply to the same persons.
This letter from St. Basil was written as soon as he
had learnt the report to which it refers ; and before
he appears to have had an opportunity of examining
the letters fi^om the West. It would not therefore be
surprising if the tenor of the said letters was exag-
gerated, in the rumour through which St. Basil was
informed of them.
St. Basil wrote also to St. Meletius informing him
that he had received letters, from which he learnt
that letters had been brought to Paulinus from the
West, as signs of a certain priority [cornrs^ nvos ap;^%
o-uy^rj/xara), and that the leaders of that party were
much elated and gloried in the said letters, so as to
propose a form of faith, and express tlieir readiness
on its acceptance to be united with the other side.
He adds that he also heard that the most excellent
man Terence had been led away by them to take
their part, and that he had quickly written to him
rcstraiiiinuf his haste, and informing: him of their
fraud. As has been seen, he considered Eome to
have been misinformed respecting the' facts.
The only letter pxtint There is cxtant a letter of Pope St. Damasus to
St. i);imasus to Pauliuus ill rcfercncc to the reception of Vitalis to
his cominuiiiou, wliicli alUides to a former letter
Letter of
St. Basil
to
St. Meletius.
Ep. ccxvi.
Sue above, p. 31G.
Constant,
Ep. Pontif. Konian.
coll. 507 &c.
sent to him ])y means o
r the
same
Vitali>
(1 t
11(1 to a
WRITTEN IN REFERENCE TO VITALIS. 319
subsequent short message or letter sent through one
Petronius, a })riest, expressing some inieasiness in
reference to Vitahs. We know of no other com-
munications from the West to Paulinus during
the lifetime of Meletius than these, about the
year 375. Dora. Constant gives only the latest of
them, so that the others seem to have been lost.
The one he publishes contains an evident recognition
of the communion of PauHnus, speaking of union
with him as being union with Pome ; but it does not
exclude tlie communion of Meletius, unless one of tlie
clauses m the exposition of faitli which it contains,
must be construed as directed ao;ainst liim.
The said clause declares that Eome holds all those ci-niso
who have migrated from one diocese to another, as ciiiinpo^'of
alien to her communion, until they return to tlieir own
diocese, and that if a successor in the meantime has
been appointed, the one who has migrated shall be
without the sacerdotal dignity, so long as the said suc-
cessor survives. It is certain that Meletius was Bishop
of Sebaste before his elevation to the See of Antioch,
but it is not so certain that his promotion to Antioch
could be considered as a migration, since Theodoret
intimates that he had resigned the See of Sebaste,
and was residing privately at Beroea wlien elected to
Antioch. The causes for his resignation may have
been sufficient to excuse it ; so that, even if the canon
of the church had been, strictly speaking, violated,
his case may still have formed a justifiable exception.
It is to be observed tliat St. Damasus does not enter
benefices.
320 THE ELATIOX CAUSED BY THESE LETTERS
Why the letters
were addressed
to
Paulinus.
The manner
in which the
letters
were received
indicates
the uncertainty
of _
the position.
upon these considerations. He simply re-affirms an
established canon of the Church, leaving it entirely an
open question as to whether it applied to Meletius or
not. Moreover, the clause is so abruptly introduced,
and has so httle to do with the context which precedes
and follows it, as to wear the appearance of an inter-
polation, though it cannot be proved that it is so.
There was a manifest reason why the affair of
Vitalis should have been referred by the Pope to
Paulinus rather than to Meletius. Vitalis had been
a disciple of Meletius, and had left him, as will be ex-
]:»lained. It would therefore not be through Meletius
that he would seek admission to the Eoman commu-
nion. However, he was attempting to deceive, and he
does not seem to have complied with the conditions
which the Pope required from him through Paulinus.
But whilst there is no sufficient ground for regard-
ing this communication as excluding Meletius from
the Eoman communion, it would appear from the
triumph of the followers of Paulinus, that this was
the first occasion on which Pome had thus formally
recognised their position. This is an important
consideration, for some thirteen years had then passed
since tlie first consecration of Paulinus. Yet his
followers were elated at the reception of these letters,
as at something which was new ; and St. Basil, the
friend of Meletius, was disappointed. Let the analogy
between Antioch and England be tested by tliis fact.
Is tliere any unusual elation amongst the s])iritual
sul)jects of the Archbisliop of Westminster wlien he
MARKS THEM AS A XRW FEATURE. 321
receives an official communication fromEome? Is
the Anglican communion on the other hand, in any
way disappointed thereat ? Does it in any way lay
claim to, or expect, a like recognition ?
It is plain that if the communion of Paulinas had
been known as the communion solely recognised by
Eome, and that of Meletius had been known to have
been excluded by her, the Pope's letters which have
been spoken of, could not have given rise to any elation
in the former, nor have caused any disappointment to
the friends of the rival Catholic bishop. It must
further be borne in mind, that whilst this is the first
occasion on which we have evidence of any direct
communication between Rome and the communion
of Paulinus, we find Meletius and his friends in
direct communication with Eome, interchanging
epistles and embassies with the West, both before
and after this event, on matters connected with tlio
faith, and the ecclesiastical affairs of the East.
Thus, the exultation of the followers of Pauhnus
on the receipt of these letters, and their eagerness to
interpret them as adverse to Meletius, betray the
fact of their uncertainty as to their actual position.
Excepting in reference to the reports connected
with the said letters, which he does not appear to
have seen when lie wrote, St. Basil nowhere intimates
that Eome had disavowed the position of Meletius ;
but he would not himself rest contented without
the exclusive recognition of Meletius as sole bishop
of Antioch, and the union of both sides under him
VOL. I. T
322 DEFECTION AND HERESY OF VITALTS.
as such. This was the end for which, as has been
said, he wrote and laboured ; whilst on the other
hand, Eome and the West, though they did not for-
mally reject Meletius, held communion at the same
time with Paulinus and his party.
vitaiis Vitalis, above mentioned, had been one of the
Antioch. priests under Meletius, and remarkable both for his
Sozomen, Hist. Ecci. well-re2rulated life and for the diliorence with which
he fulfilled the duties of his pastoral charge. It is
said that he took offence at being refused access to
the bislio}) by his fellow presbyter, Flavian. He left
Meletius, drawing many persons after him, and,
attaching himself to ApoUinaris, became involved
with him in heresy. He was ultimately consecrated
by ApoUinaris as bishop of his sect in Antioch. This
defection of Vitalis, and the leading position which
he assumed, created another centre of division in the
city, which now contained four different sections of
Christians, two of which were Catholic. Euzoius and
his party were notoriously Arian ; but the heresy
of Vitalis was not so generally known, at least not
for some time. By means of a verbally orthodox pro-
fession of faith, which he privately interpreted in an
heretical sense, he succeeded for a while in deceiving
Pope St. Damasus, and also St. Gregory Nazianzen,
but the fraud was afterwards discovered.
Afiv. Haro-. 77, St. Epipliauius spcaks in high terms of the hfe and
tin. 20, 22, 23. , , . ,._:.,. ■ ^ ^ i -, ^ ^
li:il)ils (j1 \ itaii.<, with whom he conversed when he
visited Antioch ; and it was not until after a series
of questionings, which the saint has recorded, that
LETTERS OF ST. JEROME TO ST. DAM ASUS. 323
Vitalis avowed to him, and maintained by argument,
the heretical tenet tliat tlie Godhead occupied the
place of a human mind in the person of Jesus Christ.
Vitalis professed to be in communion with the Ro-
man See. This is evident from t]ie letters of St.
Jerome to the Pope St. Damasus, in which he im-
plores to be informed witli wliicli of the three lie is
to hold communion, Vitalis, Meletius, or Paulinus.
He does not mention Euzoius or his party, since they
notoriously belonged to the Arians.
These letters afford so striking and unanswerable
a testimony to the doctrine of St. Jerome respecting
the necessity of communion with Eome, and respecting
her office as guardian of the faith, that they deserve
very special attention.
Amidst the deserts of Syria, in his penitential re-
tirement, St. Jerome was disturbed and harassed by
the surrounding dissensions, and the contention re-
specting the hypostases. Finding it hard, he says, to
ascertain which is the true Church of Christ in tliose
regions, and to discern the fountain which is sealed
from the broken cisterns whicli have no water, he
has determined ' to consult the chair of Peter, and
the faith which was praised by the mouth of an
apostle ; now asking food for my soul from thence,
whence formerly I received the clothing of Christ.'
He thus urges the fact of his having been baptized
in Eome as an enhancement of his claim upon the
Pope for a reply ; but the context proves beyond a
doubt, that his motive in consulting St. Damasus was
y 2
Testimony of
8t. Jerome
to the authority
of the
Roman See.
Epist. XV. n. 1,
ed. Veron. 1734.
324 ST. JEKOME's unreserved SUBillSSION
derived from his faith in the divinely constituted
office and authority of the Eoman See. ' I,' he says,
Ibid. n. 2. ' following uo chicf but Christ, am united in the
communion of your blessedness, that is, of the chair
of Peter. Upon that rock I know that the Church
is built. ^Vliosoever sliall eat the lamb outside tliis
house is profane. If anyone be not in the ark of
Noe, he shall perish when the deluge prevails. . . .
Here I follow your colleagues, the Egyptian con-
fessors, and beneath those laden vessels I lie hid in a
little skiff. I know not Vi talis ; I reject Meletius ; I
am a stranger to Paulinus. Whosoever gathereth
not with thee scattereth ; that is, whoso is not
Christ's is Antichrist's.'
He then enters on the question of the hypostases ;
and, though he contends most strongly that only one
ought to be professed, he submits the matter unre-
ibid. n. 4. servedly to the judgment of the Pope. ' Decree it, I
beseech you,' he says, ' if it be your pleasure, and I
will not fear to confess three hypostases. If you
command it, let a new post-Nicene faith be made, and
let the orthodox make use of the same words as the
Arians.' This language is so strong that it might
have been regarded as ironical, if the sequel had not
shown it to be intended in its literal sense. ' If it be
your pleasure,' proceeds St. Jerome, in the same para-
graph, after further argument in behalf of his opinion ;
' if it l)e your pleasure, let tliere be silence respecting
three hypostases, and let one be maintained. . . .
But if you think it right that we ought to confess
TO THE VOICE OF THE ROMAN PONTIFF. 325
three hj^ostases with tlieir interpretations, we refuse
not. But bcHeve me, there lurks poison under the
honey, &c.'
He concludes : — ' Wherefore I conjure your bless- ibu. n. 5.
edness by the crucified Saviour of the world, by the
consubstantial Trinity, that authority may be given
me by your letters either to be silent respecting the
hypostases or to confess them. . . . Also, that you
will signify to me at the same time with whom I
ought to communicate in Antioch.'
The question of the hyjiostases did not regard the
subject of the faith itself, but only the mode of ex-
pressing it.- Still, the form of expression affected
the safe keeping of the faith, and it could only there-
fore be determined by the competent authority to
whom the guardianship of that faith had been en-
trusted by God.
St. Jerome's opinion on the question was strong and
decided. Yet he professed his unreserved submission
of the matter to the Eoman See, in language wliicli
would be exclaimed against as extreme if it came
from the pen of a modern Eoman Catholic. There
cannot then be the shadow of a doubt, that this great
and free-spoken doctor of the church hooked up to
the Apostolic See of Eome, as the divinely consti-
tuted guardian of the faith.
He afterwards wrote again to Damasus, earnestly
beseeching him to say with which of the three he was
to communicate in Antioch. He reminds him how Epi-t. xvi. n. 1.
the importunate woman in the Gospel at last deserved
326 THE EARNESTNESS OF HIS APPEAL.
to be heard, and how the friend who knocked at the
door at midnight, at last obtained the loaves he asked
for ; how God was overcome by the prayers of the
publican, and Ninive was saved by tears ; how Christ
gave Paradise to the penitent thief, embraced the re-
turning prodigal, bore the recovered sheep upon his
shoulders, and turned the persecutor Paul into a
preacher. ' This he does,' he says, ' that the great may
look upon the small, and the rich pastor not despise
Ibid. n. 2. the sheep that is sick.' He remarks, as in his former
letter, that it was in Eome he first put on the gar-
ments of Christ ; and he says, that he has sought the
barbarous boundary of Syria in penance. But he com-
plains that his incessant enemy has followed him even
there, so that he suffers still greater conflicts in his
solitude. ' For here,' he says, ' the Arian fury rages,
supported by the protection of the world. Here the
Church spUt into three parts is eager to draw me to
itself. The ancient authority of the monks who dwell
around rises up upon me. I, meanwhile, exclaim, if
anyone be joined to the chair of Peter, he is mine.
Meletius, Vitalis, and Paulinus say that they adhere to
3^ou ; if only one of them asserted this, I could believe
liim. But now, either two of them speak falsely or all
of them. Therefore I conjure your blessedness, by the
cross of the Lord, by the necessary glory of our faith,
the passion of Christ, that you who succeed to the
fipostles in honour, will succeed to them also in merit ;
so may j'ou sit with tlic Twelve on tlie throne of
judgment ; so when old may another gird you with
THE EMPEROR VALHXS IS BURXT ALIVE. 327
Peter ; so with Paul may you obtain tlie citizenship
of heaven ; as by your letters you shall signify to me
with whom I ought to communicate in Syria. Do
not despise a soul for whom Christ died.'
There is no existing record of the reply of St.
Damasus ; but St. Jerome was afterwards ordained
priest by Paulinus, and became his ardent friend
and admirer.
The fraud of Vi talis has already been spoken of,
and there was, unquestionably, no genuine foundation
for his profession of communion with Eome. But it
is hardly credible that a bishop so holy and great as
Meletius, would have made a similar assertion in his
own case if it had not been true.
The letters above quoted must have been written Date
by St. Jerome before the death of the heretical letters.
Emperor Valens, which occurred a.d. 378, for they
refer to the protection afforded by him to ' the Arian
madness.'
' May Valens be burnt alive ! ' — Such was the The death
customary malediction of the people on that empe- Vaiens,
ror whilst he was in Antioch ; and so it came to consequent recuU
pass, according to the more generally received s^. MeietiuB.
opinion. Having been wounded by an arrow in the iiist!d.TEn.p.
battle which he lost against the Goths at Adria- Vaieus. An. xx.
nople, it is said that he was carried into tlie house
of a peasant ; that the barbarians set fire to it witli-
out knowing that the Emperor was inside ; and that
there he perished miserably in the flames, together
328
FINAL PvKTURN OF ST. MELETIUS.
Gratian
recalls the exiled
Catholic Bishops
In laudem
S. Meletii.
Bulla nd. Act. SS.
xii. Feb,
witli all around him save one youth, who escaped
alone to tell the tale. The historian, Orosius, calls
attention to the just judgment of God, who thus
punished Valens through those same Goths w^liom he
had infected with the Arian heresy.
The emperor Gratian, who had hitherto only ex-
ercised government over the West, now succeeded
the^East. Valcus in that of the East, and one of his first acts
Emp.Gratlra°A'^t.^^ii.'^^^^^ ^-^^"^ relcasc of the cxiled Catliolic Bishops. Me-
letius accordingly returned to Antioch, where he was
received with acclamations of delight by the people.
' All the city,' says St. John Chrysostora, ' went forth
to meet him. Some indeed drew near and seized his
feet, and kissed his hands, and heard his voice ; but
others, hindered by the multitude, only beholding
him, went back contented, as if they had received a
sufficient blessing from his aspect, and possessed no
less than those who had been near ; and what was
done in the Apostles happened also in him. For as
with the Apostles, in the case of those who could not
go forward and draw nearer, when their shadow was
extended and touched them being afar off, they
drew from it the same grace, and went away in like
manner healed; so now, also, those who could not
approach, perceiving, as it were, a certain spiritual
glory emitted from that holy head, and reaching
even to tliose who were furthest off, all likewise de-
parted from him filled witli all benediction from his
aspect alone.'
The question It is usually supposcd that shortly after the return
of
PROPOSED ARRAXGEMEXT WITH PAULIXUS. 320
of Meletius on tins occasion, a compact was entered th^ compact
into between himself and Paulinus, whereby it Avas Mei.tiu'^&Pauiinuh
agreed that they should both continue to govern
as Bishops in Antioch ; but that, when one or the
other of them should depart to the Lord, the sur-
vivor should have the sole charge of the whole
church of Antioch, both the divided Catholic bodies
being united under his rule. It does not, however,
appear by a;ny means certain that such an agreement
was actually concluded.
According to Theodoret, Meletius proposed the Ecci. Hist. iv. 3.
above arrangement to Paulinus, but did not succeed
in obtaining his consent. On the other hand, it is
stated by Socrates and Sozomen that an agreement soc. EccI. Hist. v. 5.
J -I r 11 i.1 c ii • , Sozom. Eccl. Hist.
was made, and connrmed by oath, tor the survivor to vii. 3.
succeed to the sole episcopate. Both of these last
named writers give substantially, and almost verbally,
the same account. I subj oin the words of the former : —
*At the same time there was a serious contention at
Antioch, in Syria, on account of Meletius. We have
before said that Paulinus, the Bishop of Antioch, because
of his exceeding sanctity, was not sent into exile. But
Meletius, after his recall by Julian, having again been
banished by Valens, was lastly recalled by Gratian ;
and when he arrived at Antioch he found Paulinus
grown old. All his followers, therefore, immediately en-
deavoured that Meletius should occupy the episcopal
throne together with Paulinus. But when Paulinus said
that it was contrary to the canons to admit to the same
chair one who had been consecrated by the Arians, the
people employed force, and caused Meletius to be en-
throned in one of the churches outside the city. When
330 DIFFICULTY OF ASCERTAINING
this was done there arose much contention. But after-
wards the i3eople came to agreement on mutual conditions.
Assembling- those likely to be chosen for the episcopate,
they found the number in all to be six, amongst whom
was also Flavian. These they bound by oath not to aim
at the episcopate when either of the two bishops should
die,' (and, Sozomen adds, *not to accept it if elected by
others,') 'but to permit the survivor to occupy the throne
of the one who was deceased. The oaths being thus made,
the people became unanimous, and were no longer divided
from one another.'
It is difficult to discern which account is most
Vide supra, pp. 249, wortliy of Credit. The passage previously quoted
from the sermon of St. Gregory Nazianzen ' on the
agreement,' may be cited as evidence that some com-
pact must have been entered into. On the other
hand, the priest Flavian, who is named as having
been one of those who took the oath, was actually
consecrated bishop on the decease of St. Meletius,
during the lifetime of Paulinus ; and, since he was a
person of distinguished piety, it is not easy to believe
that he would have fallen into the guilt of perjury.
It is also very remarkable, if such a compact really
existed, that it should not in any way have been re-
ferred to by the same St. Gregory Nazianzen, in the
Carmen dc Vita sua, account wliicli hc has Icft US of his vcr}'' decided
pp. 7.58,&c., torn. ii. oppositiou to tlic saiQ elcction or Flavian. ^
Ed.Caillau,Par.l842.
' It may be remarked, that the pas.sage in St. Gregory's
writing.s here referred to, and its context, contain several ob.ser-
vations in reference to the -want of concord between the Ea.st and
the West, but notliing which could legitimately be construed as
indicative of any positive interruption of ecclesiastical communion.
WHETHER A COMPACT WAS REALLY MADE. o.'U
Yet we find a similar compact alluded to in one of i^abLc^ c-t Cossnrt,
the epistles addressed by the council of Aquileia to I'aris.' iiir,.
the emperors, a.d. 381. It is therein stated that tlie
Western bishops had received letters from those ' wlio
differed in the Church of Antioch ; ' and that, but for
the disturbed state of the times, they would have sent
a commission to endeavour to heal the division, but,
since they were prevented, they say they have asked
of the emperor that, according to the agreement of the
parties^ when one of the bishops dies, the churches
may remain in the hands of the survivor, and no
further ordination may be attempted. Juxta par-
tium pactum poposcimus^ nt altero decedente penes
supe^-stitem ecclesice permanerent, nee aliqua super-
ordinatio attentaretur. This evidence might be
regarded as conclusive, excepting that it is quite
possible the Westerns may have been mistaken in
supposing that the proposal made by Melctius had
been accepted by Pauhnus.
We are not in possession of information which
will satisfactorily solve the difficulty, and it is there-
fore impossible to arrive at any certain conclusion
respecting the fact. But it is of more importance to
the question before us to observe, that we have posi-
tive and undeniable evidence, both in the above
cited document, and in another letter to be referred
to, that Eome was agreeable to a similar compact.
This certainly would not have been the case, if either
Meletius or Paulinus had been absolutely out of her
communion. It is plain that the Western bishops
332 THE WEST ACKNOWLEDGES BOTH BISHOPS.
A similar arrange- expressGcl their tlesirc, and strongly recommended,
that such an arrangement should be made. For
recommended
by the
Western bishops.
S. Ambros. Epist,
xiii. 2.
besides the above document, there is extant a
letter addressed to the Emperor Theodosius by ' St.
Ambrose and other bishops of Italy,' in which they
introduce their complaint of the appointment of a
successor to Meletius after his decease, whilst PauH-
nus was still alive, as follows : —
' We had written,' they say, ' not long ago that
since the city of Antioch had two bishops, Paidinus
and Meletius, whom we accounted to be of one accord
in the faith, either peace and concord should be
agreed to between the same, without detriment to
ecclesiastical order ; or certainly, in case of the de-
cease of either of them whilst the other survived, no
election should be made in place of the defimct
during the lifetime of the other.'
' Scripseramus dudum, tit quoniam Antiochena
civitas duos haheret episcopos, Paidinum atque Me-
letium, quosjidei concinere piitabamus, aut inter ipsos
pax et Concordia salvo ordine ecclesiastico conveniret:
aut certe, si quis eorum^ altero superstite, decessisset,
nulla suhrogatio in defuncti locum, superstite altero,
gigneretur'
It is perfectly evident, that if either Paulinus or
Meletius had been personally rejected by Eome,
such instructions could not have been written by the
Itahan bishops. They certainly would not have con-
sented to the succession of either survivor, without
distinction l^ctween the two, much less would they
SYNOD UNDER ST. MELLTIUS. 333
have recommended it, if either of tliese bishops had
been actually out of communion with Eome.
But though this testimony might be considered
conchisive, we are in possession of still more impor-
tant evidence.
About two years prior to the second general
council, an important synod w^as assembled at An-
tioch. Its acts, which were afterwards deposited
in the archives of the Roman Church, afford a
more formal proof than even the above-mentioned
letter, of the fact that the communion of St. ]\Ieletius
was at that time fully acknowledged by the Eoman
See ; and, as it would appear, his position as Bishop
of Antioch, also.
St. Gregory of Nyssa states that he was present
at this synod, and that it assembled nine months or
a little more after the death of St. Basil the Great ;
consequently about the month of September, a.d.
379. The second general council at which Meletius
presided at Constantinople, and during which lie
died, took place in the year 381.
In the aforesaid synod of Antioch, A.D. 379, St.
Meletius and the bishops assembled under him sub-
scribed to a synodical letter or exposition of foith
(of which fragments are still extant), which had been
drawn up in a Roman synod held under Pope St.
Damasus during the preceding year. This docu-
ment is distinct both in its date and its subject from
another synodical epistle which is sometimes prefixed
Proof
of the
visible communion
of
St. Meletius
with the
Roman See.
Council of Antioch,
A.D. 379.
De
Vit.v S. Miicriua?.
Subscription
to the
epistle of
the
Roman synod.
epp. xc. xcn.
334 LETTERS FROM ROME TO THE EAST
to it ; but which is actually the copy of one ad-
dressed to the bishops of Illyiicum, by a former
Eomaii synod held under St. Damasus, a.d. 372, and
sent to Illj^ricum by the hands of Sabinus, a deacon
of Milan. Sabinus afterwards proceeded as legate
to the East with a copy of the epistle, addressed
from Damasus and others assembled in Eome, ' to
the Catholic bishops throughout the East.' A reply
s. Basil. Cfesar. was immediately returned to Eome, expressing entire
assent on the part of St. Meletius and other Eastern
bishops. In the collections of councils these two
documents are not unfrequently placed together,
under a date considerably earher than that of the
later one, which should properly be given as belong-
ing to the Antiochian synod of the year 379, by
which it was accepted in the East. At the same
time it is by no means impossible that the former
epistle also, may have been formally signed in con-
junction with the latter, by the bishops of the same
synod of Antioch, a.d. 379, in fuller confirmation of
the assent which they had previously expressed to it.^
It will suffice for the present purpose to recite the
paragraph appended by the synod of Antioch, a.d.
^ Both of these synodical letters, that is to say, the first of
them, which was brought to the East by Sabinus in the year
372, and immediately assented to by St. Meletius, St. Basil, and
others ; and the other, which Avas transmitted to the East from
the Roman synod under St. Damasus, a.d. 378, and subscribed
by St. Meletius and the bishops assembled under him at Antioch,
in the year 379 ; with full explanation and jiarticulars prefixed
to each, may be found nniongst the Epistolas Romanorum Ponti-
ficum of Dom. Constant, Paris, 1721, coll. 477-500.
WERE FORMALLY SUBSCRIBED AT ANTIOCH. 335
379, to the exposition of faith of the Eomaii synod,
held A.D. 378 ; with the signatures of Meletius and
the other bishops, and the notification that tliey were
deposited in the Eoman archives. The following is
a literal translation : —
' Here ends this epistle or exposition of tlie Eoman Constant,
synod held under Damasus the Pope, and transmitted cd. sol!, n/a!*' '
to tlie East, in which all the Eastern Church, a synod
having been convened at Antioch, beheving with
one accordant faith, and all so consenting to the
same faith above set forth, confirm this eacli with
his subscription.'
Then follow the signatures : —
' I, Meletius, Bishop of Antioch, consent to all
things above written, so believing and thinking ; and
if any one holds opinions contrary to these doctrines,
let him be anathema.'
St. Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata, Pelagius of Lao-
dicaea, Zeno of Tyre, Eulogius of Edessa, Bematius
of Mallo, and Diodorus of Tarsus, subscribe after
him to the same effect, and it is added : —
' In like manner also CXLVI other Eastern bisliops
subscribed, whose subscription in the original is now
preserved in the archives of the Eoman Chuich.
' Here ends the Eoman and Antioch ian synod.'
This proves beyond doubt that the communion of
Meletius was then recognised by Eomc ; and it is to
be observed that the signature of Meletius tlius
formally accepted, bears the title of Bishop of
Antioch r — Episcopus Antiochenus.
336 FURTHER HISTORY OF THE SCHISM.
Continuation The scliism Continued after the death of St. Mele-
the schism. tius. In spitc of the earnest remonstrance of St.
emon , le Q^ggQ^-y JSTazianzcn, the Easterns consecrated Fla-
^"SeldEcthS^^ liis place, though PauUnus was still alive.
Socrat'^'Eeci. Hist. Thcodorct sajs, that they rephed to the objections of
Sozom EcJf'Hi«t P^ulinus, by reminding him that he had refused the
vii. 11, 15, Tiii. 3. proposals of IMclctius. Sozomen says, it was done in
spite of the oath to the contrary, and that many in
consequence left Flavian, and joined the communion
of Pauhnus. He adds that the Pope and the Westerns
were greatly indignant ; that they addressed synodical
letters to Paulinus, but would send none to Flavian.
Eome withheld her communion from the Bishops who
had taken the principal part in his consecration.
Pauhnus died about the year 388, having conse-
crated as his successor the same Evagrius who has
been mentioned in the foregoing pages. He did not
long survive, and no successor was appointed in his
stead. Through the intervention of St. John Chry-
sostom when elevated to the See of Constantinople,
Eome and Egypt became reconciled to Flavian and
his adherents, in the seventeenth year of his episco-
pate. But the Eustathians, tliough no longer sup-
ported by Eome and the West, still kept themselves
apart, notwithstanding the earnest efforts of Flavian
to win tliem over, and they continued to do so
during the whole time of Porphyiy, the successor
of St. Flavian, a.d. 404. About the year 413, Por-
ph}Ty was succeeded in the bishopric of Antioch
by Alexander of honoured memory, who had the
ST. MELETIUS IN THE ROMAN MARTYROLOCiV. 3o7
happiness of uniting to liis communion the greater ti.o
portion of the Eustathians. After many exliortations
and persuasions, he assembled his own clergy and
laity, and proceeding to the Church of the Eusta-
thians, took part with them in tlicir psalms. Thus he
drew them into unity, and according to Theodoret,
from the Western gate to the principal church, the EcpI. iiist. v. 3.).
united congregations formed as it were a river of
men, to the sorrow of the Jews, Arians, and Pagans,
who saw the other streams thus flowing into tlie ocean
of the Church. This was about the year 415, but
Tillemont states that a few still kept apart until the
year 482, when the relics of St. Eustathius Avere
brought to Antioch, on which occasion the division
was completely healed.
During his episcopate, St. Flavian had placed on Tiiifmont,
. , ^vluj refers to
the sacred diptychs of the church, the names of boths. Cyr. Aiex. cii. 66.
his rival bishops, Paulinus and Evagrius.
The testimony already produced renders it abun-
Me
the communion
of
St. MoK-tius
with the
Roman Sc«.
Testimony
dantly evident that Meletius was in acknowledged Roman Mnrtyroiosy
communion with Eome before the period of the
second general council. But even if this testimony
were wanting; if it had been unrecorded or lost, as
so much else has been lost in the gidf of the fifteen
centuries which have elapsed since that period, there
still remains the fact that tlie name of Meletius stands
enrolled with honour in Rome's golden book of
Saints. He could not have been commemorated in
the Eoman Martyrology if he had not died in tli
VOL. I. z
338
TESTnrOXY OF CARDINAL BARONIUS.
Revision
of t lie
Eoman comnuiiiion. No Eoman cliiircbmaii would
ill sucli case have proposed the insertion of liis
name within her sacred canon, and no Eoman Pontiff
^vould have permitted it, at any period of the
Church's history. Since the so-called Reformation,
the Eoman Martyrology has more tlian once under-
gone careful revision and correction, but the name
of Meletius is found there to this day.
When Pope Gregory XIII. had completed liis
Roman MartjToiogj- Celebrated reformation of the calendar, he applied
Gregory XIII. himsclf, with the assistance of learned historians, to
the correction and republication of the Eoman Mar-
tyrology, as he himself states in the decree prefixed
to it, which is dated January 14, 1584. It is also
preceded by a treatise from Cardinal Baronius, ' re-
specting the Eoman Martyrology,' the tentli chapter
of which is entitled, ' Concerning the false martyrs
of heretics, and their pseudo-martyrologies.' No one
will question that to the mind of Cardinal Baronius,
communion witli tlie Church necessarily implied com-
nuniion with the Eoman See, and separation from the
Eoman See involved separation from the Church. It
is this, therefore, that he intends when, in the above-
mentioned chapter, he appeals to the teaching of the
fathers, that no one can be a martyr who is not in
unity with tlie Church, and quotes to that effect the
words of St. Cyprian : — ' lie cannot be a martyr who
is not in the Churcli ; he cannot arrive at the king-
dom who abandons her who is about to reign.' This
was always the doctrine of the Eoman Church ; and
I,il>. do Unitato
liJcrlosise.
THE CASE OF ST. MELETIUS WAS WELL KNOWN. 33'J
if she would not acknowledge as a martyr one wlio
died in torments for liis relimon outside her visible
pale, she certainly would not honour as a confessor
any bishop, however zealous, who did not die in her
visible communion.
Now this revision of the Martyrology took place
shortly after the outbreak of a schism and heresy
which prominently denied the necessity of comnnii ii( )i i
with the Eoman See. It was conducted, under the
eye of the Pope himself, by men who were pre-emi-
nent for their historical learning, and who had free
access to the records and stores of information accu-
mulated in the Eoman archives. Moreover, the case
of Meletius and the schism in Antioch was well known,
and could not have been overlooked, particularly in
connection with the newly developed heresy. It is
therefore inconceivable that the memory of Meletius
should have been again put forth at that time,
as requiring public veneration and honour from all
faithfid Catholics, unless it had been made evident
and certain, from the ancient tradition of the
Eoman Church, or from well-estabhshed iacls of
history, that there was no ground whatever for sup-
posing him to have died out of visible and acknow-
ledged communion with the Eoman See.
The above-mentioned edition of the Eoman Mar- tI'<'
Rdman Martyrology
tvrolosv published by the order of Gregory XII I., lurain
J ^J ^ *' revised and anicudwl.
was again revised by the authority of his successors,'
Urban VIII. and Clement X., and ultimately added
to and amended by the learned Toiie Deneihct XI\'.
340 STRICTNESS AS TO THE NAMES ADMITTED.
The Bull On this occasiou, Benedict XIV. issued the Bull,^
Vo^e Benodict x\\. Po-'<tquam intellexiinus^ 'on the new edition of the
Martyrology,' dated July 1, 1748, and addressed to
King Joini V. of Portugal, at wliose instance the work
had been undertaken. It eives reasons for several
additions and changes then made, and examines into
certain cases of difficulty. Amongst these occurs the
question respecting the admission of the renowned
Clement of Alexandria to a place in the Martyrology.
Litterse Apostoiicse His claim, howcver, is rejected, on account of some
Nov. Martyroi. Ed. doubt as to liis entire freedom from error in doc-
trine ; and the Pope refers to the case of the Emperor
Constantine the Great, whose name, he says, was
found in the menology of the Greeks, and who was
undoubtedly venerated as a saint in the Eastern
Clun^ch, but whose commemoration was never trans-
ferred to the Eoman Martyrology, because certain
suspicions existed tluit he liad been inclined towards
Arianism.
These instances show the scrupulous caution always
exercised by the Eoman Cliurch as regards every
name in her strictly guarded Martyrology. Had there
been the slightest groiuul for suspecting Meletius to
luive died out of lier visible communion, it is per-
fectly certain that tlie Roman Church would not
have ranked liim amongst those to whose intercession
' This document, together with tlie others above mentioned,
will be found prefixed to the excellent edition of the Koman
IMartyrology publislied, cum approbatione, by Mens. Dessain, of
Maliiie.«, in the year IH.OO, alrer the Koman edition of the year
1»15.
ST. MELETIUS IS STILL COMMEMORATKD. 341
in the courts of heaven she es})ecially looks up, and
whose names she year by year recites in daily course,
wherever her world-wide sway extends, as examples
to all her children, and as demanding from them the
religious veneration and the worship due only to the
Saints of God.
St. Meletius is commemorated in the lionian
Martyrology, on February 12, as follows: — 'At
Antioch the festival of St. Meletius, Bishop, who,
having often suffered exile for the Catholic faith, at
length, in Constantinople, passed to the Lord : whose
virtues were celebrated with highest praise by St.
John Chrysostom and Gregoiy of Nyssa.'
Antiochice sancti Meletii Episcopi, qui pro fide
catholica scepe exilium passiis, deinum ComtcDiti-
nopoli migravit ad Doniinum: cujus virtutes sanctus
Joannes Chrysostomus et Gregorius Nyssenus sum-
mis laudibus celebrdnmt.
END OF THE FIEST VOLUME.
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