"dispersed through the whole world. For unless the Holy Ghost "had been always present, governing and preserving the Church "from the beginning, it could never have sustained so many and "great brunts of affliction and persecution, with so little damage (6 as it hath. And the words of Christ are most plain in this "behalf, saying, that the Spirit of truth should abide with them "for ever, that he would be with them always, (he meaneth by grace, virtue, and power,) even to the world's end.' This is the "real"godly and wholesome doctrine" of the Homilies, formally "and clearly laid down; and hence it follows, that the whole "Church (speaking strictly) can never have fallen into damnable "idolatry, because the Spirit of truth would no longer have been "with her. We must therefore interpret the passage objected, " and those of the preceding objections, in a sense consistent with "the perpetuity and catholicity of the Church." 1

And this note, once struck by a leader of Mr. Palmer's estimation, is eagerly taken up by the whole Tractarian school. Thus Mr. Frederick Faber, while he is compelled to admit most explicitly, the changes (and a change is a corruption) which were introduced into the Church, with ludicrous inconsistency adds, "Are not six centuries quite a singular duration for anything "religious in a world which turns spirit into matter, and com"mutes the fine gold into dross so rapidly;-a singular duration, "I say, for anything but the visible Church, whose existence is supernaturally secured by her gift of indefectibility!" 2

66

In the same tone writes Mr. Sewell, who tells us, that the Apostles "appointed ministers, solemnly committed to them the government of these Churches, and made them the channels for conveying in a perpetual succession the Spirit of God himself— "first to the people under their care, and then to other rulers "who should have the same power of dispensing it. The society

66

was never to die. Branch was to propagate branch,-shoot was "to spring up after shoot. The sap was still to circulate, the "tree still to stand." 3

Once more

"Nothing is impossible, in this world of wonders, but that His Truth should not prevail, His Church ever fall away."

"4

Throughout all these statements of the Tractarian school the same principle is apparent. The Church-the visible Churchis indefectible. The Church-the visible Church-is preserved from error by divine power, in fulfilment of our Lord's own pro

1 Palmer's Treatise on the Church, vol. i. p. 308.

Faber's Thoughts and Scenes, 8vo. p. 355. 3 Sewell's Christian Morals, pp. 29, 30. 4 British Critic, July, 1841, p. 46.

mise. Ergo, it is a mistake to imagine, either that St. Paul or St. John ever predicted an apostasy which should prevail over the Church in the middle ages;-or that, in fact, any such apostasy did take place. "Some persons," indeed, may have fallen into error in former times, but the Romish Church continued to be a Church of Christ even in its darkest times, and remains so still.1

The only Scripture proof, upon which this conclusion is alleged to be founded, consists in our Lord's words to his disciples, "Lo! "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world; "—and, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, "that he may abide with you for ever." These promises are contrasted with an exaggeration of the fact, as to the apostasy which did take place; in order to its easier denial. Mr. Palmer quotes the positive words of the homily, and then adds, "If so, the Church "must have entirely failed, which would be contrary to the "belief of the Church of England." Whereas, to believe that the Romish Church in her public acts, and in the faith and practice of the great bulk of her members, became apostate, no more involves the utter failure of the spiritual or true Church of Christ, than the idolatry of Ahab and all Israel, in Elijah's time, was inconsistent with the preservation of a remnant of seven thousand true worshippers, where even the eye of a prophet could not discern a single one.

66

It becomes needful, therefore, to examine closely the nature and extent of these promises, which, according to Mr. F. Faber, supernaturally secure to the Church the gift of indefectibility." And, first, let us ask, what is the actual assumption of the advocates of this notion? What is it that they would have us to believe?

Perhaps it may clear the way, if we remark, how much is readily admitted by all parties.

No one holds, then, that the Church of Christ has ever utterly failed. No one supposes that at any time since the day of Pentecost, the Church has ever been reduced to its original number of "about an hundred and twenty." (Acts i. 15.) But even were we to advocate such an opinion, and to hold that there have been periods when, as in the Apostolic days, the whole church might have been gathered into "an upper room," there would be nothing in such an hypothesis at all irreconcilable with the promises or predictions of God's word. That little Church was as entirely safe from all hazard of extinction, as the augmented community which was only represented at Nice. Nay, more;-any

1 Palmer's Treatise on the Church, vol. i. pp. 287, 288.

2 Ibid. p. 308.

Christian of discernment would infinitely prefer being one of such an assembly as the "hundred and twenty" which were gathered together"in an upper room" at Jerusalem,-to being enrolled among the three hundred and eighteen bishops who were luxuriously entertained by Constantine.

All that is alleged, is merely this,-that St. John's predictions, in fact, were fulfilled;—that the Church, the woman, was driven into the wilderness,-was forced to betake herself once more, as of old, to the "dens and caves of the earth," (Heb. xi. 38,) while, in the temple of God sat One enthroned as God, who was none other, though uplifted in mitred majesty,-than "the Man of Sin,"-" the mystery of iniquity."

"But," it is replied, "this could not be ;-for the Church has "a supernatural gift of indefectibility."

We ask, then, what those who take this ground, really mean? What is "the Church," which is thus supernaturally secured? If Mr. Palmer's first explanation of the term be adopted, there will be no difference between us. He says,

"1. It sometimes means the whole Christian body or society, "considered as composed of its vital and essential members, the "elect and sanctified children of God, and as distinguished from "those who are only externally and temporarily united to Christ. "In this sense we may understand the Apostle speaking of a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.' "And again: the general assembly and Church of the first-born, "which are written in heaven.'"

Now these "elect and sanctified children of God, as distinguished from those who are only externally united to Christ," are obviously the invisible Church, scattered, one here, and another there, among various Christian communities, in all climes, and under an infinite variety of circumstances. That these, Christ's own members, are supernaturally preserved by his sovereign decree, we entirely admit; and our Church has explicitly declared it in her seventeenth article. But our belief in this fact in no respect concerns the numerical strength of the Church, in any particular age; or contravenes the possibility of its obscurity from the eyes of the world, or the rule of the Man of Sin in the visible Church; which may be (and has been) triumphant and supreme, although Christ's "hidden ones" have been safe in the hollow of His hand, even in the midst of the most cruel persecutions.

We admit, then, that, in all ages, Christ's "little flock" has been supernaturally preserved. But this admission serves not the purpose of our opponents; whose real object is, under an assertion of the perpetuity of the Church,-to insinuate a conclusion,

that Rome herself cannot have apostatized, but only fallen into error; remaining, throughout her deflections, a part of the true Church of Christ.

We ask them, then, once more, to frame their position, and to declare plainly what they mean us to believe.

They will not say, that each individual and local church possesses any divine guarantee of security, and preservation from error. The message sent by St. John to the Church of Ephesus is clear on this point. "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, "and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto "thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, "except thou repent." (Rev. ii. 5.)

Nor may they argue, that although several churches might fall, the general mass, the aggregate of Christendom, enjoyed a certainty of divine protection; so far as to be sure, that whatever she, the visible Church, taught, in essentials at least, should be the truth. Their own particular favourite, Vincentius Lirinensis, cuts this ground from beneath their feet. He speaks of a time "when the poison of the Arians had now infected not a little part, but well nigh the whole world, in such sort that (almost all the Bishops of the Latin tongue deceived, partly by force, partly by fraud).""For not only alliance, kindred, friends, families, but also cities, commonwealths, countries, provinces, yea and at length the whole Roman empire, was shaken and moved from its foundations. For when this profane novelty of the Arians, like some Bellona or Fury, having first taken captive the emperor, afterward subdued all the high places of the palace to her new laws, she never ceased after that to trouble and confound all things private and public, holy and not holy, making no distinction of good and truth, but as it were from an high place did strike all at her pleasure."

Neither any one local or national church, then,-nor even the great mass of professing Christians, as a whole, can be alleged to be "supernaturally secured by a gift of indefectibility." Laodicea, Carthage, Alexandria, all testify, that the candlestick of an unfaithful church may be removed; and Vincent adds, that even "the whole Christian world," with all its bishops, might fall, and had fallen, into fatal error.

But we must further ask, next, what is the application intended to be made, of the promise, "Lo I am with you alway, even "unto the end of the world;" by which the infallibility of some visible body called the Church, is to be established?

The answer we receive is to the following effect :-The universal

1 Vincent. Lirinen. Commonit. Oxford, 1837, pp. 10, 11.

church is "divinely authorized to judge in religious controversies." "Such a judgment is absolutely binding on all individual "Christians."

"It is certain, from the word of God, that the church of Christ "was never to fail, or become apostate;-but it would be apostate, "if it taught positively, what was false in faith, or contrary to the gospel."

66

"To suppose that the universal church could determine what is "contrary to the gospel revealed by Jesus Christ, would be incon"sistent with the promises of Christ himself,-Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."

"Such a judgment (of the church) is irrevocable, irreformable, 66 never to be altered."1

We have here an attempt to erect into something like a visible and tangible form, the notion of the Church's infallibility. The moment, however, that we attempt to grapple with it, we find that we are vainly striving to grasp a cloud.

Where are these "judgments" of the whole church, which are of "divine authority," and "absolutely binding?"

For eight hundred years and more, this declaring and decreeing power must have lain in abeyance; for during all that period the eastern and western churches have been mutually excommunicating each other. The "universal Church," therefore, was, during all these centuries, unable to form or to declare its judgment.

For three or four hundred years preceding this, every synod or council seemed to occupy itself chiefly in reversing and condemning the acts of the preceding one. The synod of Constantinople, of 879, rejected that of 869. That of Nice in 787, reversed the decrees of the Constantinopolitan of 754. The council of Constantinople of 553, in the absence of all the bishops of the West, rejected and condemned the decrees of the then Pope. At Chalcedon, in 451, we find what is called the fourth general council, mainly occupied in condemning the decrees of the Ephesian council of 449. The council of Ephesus of 431 (called the third general council,) was split into two factions; Cyril and the Egyptian bishops condemning and deposing Nestorius; and John and the Asiatics, in their turn, deposing Cyril and his abettors. The Nicene council (called the first general,) consisting of 318 bishops, had, in 325, framed the creed now known by its name,-in which the main point contested was the word Consubstantial. This phrase was insisted on, and enforced, and a kind of unanimity obtained, chiefly by the use of the Imperial power, deposing and banishing all who were contu

1 Palmer's Treatise on the Church, vol. ii. p. 110, 111, 114.