II

OFFICIAL DECLARATIONS CONCERNING THE CHURCH CATHOLIC

AVING now demonstrated our contention

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from the indirect evidence afforded by the official attitude of the Church on the matter of Lay Baptism, we will next proceed to establish it from the direct evidence of the Church's definitions of, and declarations concerning, the Church Catholic or Universal. That, officially, she has never limited her conception of the Catholic Church to those particular bodies organized under the government of the Historic Episcopate, as so many of her clergy are doing to-day in her name, but without her authority, will be clear from the following facts:

(1) In the "Prayer for all Conditions of Men," the English Church officially identifies the Church Catholic as co-extensive with "all those who profess and call themselves Christians," and as the number of those who do thus profess and call themselves Christians is not limited to those who are members of Episcopal Churches, but includes all Protestants, it follows that the Church here again, in this Prayer, officially recognizes all Protestants as members of

the Catholic Church. In the English Prayer Book the passage in question reads as follows: "More especially, we pray for the good estate of the Catholick Church; that it may be so guided and governed by Thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians, may be led into the way of Truth, and hold the Faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life." In our own Prayer Book the first clause is changed slightly in its wording, but bears precisely the same import: "More especially we pray for Thy Holy Church Universal; that it may be so guided," etc. Note, moreover, that this Prayer was not issued until 1662. Hence it was the official expression of the Church on this subject at the time of the Restoration. As it is universally conceded that no doctrinal or other changes have crept in since that day, it is obvious that this continues to be the official view to-day.

(2) The same definition is again repeated in the Prayer "for the whole state of Christ's Church Militant here in Earth." "Beseeching Thee to inspire continually the Universal Church with the spirit of Truth, unity, and concord: And grant that all they who do confess Thy Holy Name, may agree in the truth of Thy Holy Word, and live in unity and godly love." (Communion Office, Eng. Pr. Bk.) By referring to our own Prayer Book, it will be seen that the same Prayer with only a few unessential verbal alterations has been officially authorized. Still further on, in the same Office, we note: "The Mystical Body of Thy Son, which is the blessed

company of all faithful people." The wording is the same in both the American and English Prayer Books.

(3) Again, in a Prayer set forth by the Church (circa 1572) we read: "Be merciful (O Father of all mercies) to Thy Church Universal dispersed throughout the whole world: and grant that all they that confess Thy Holy Name, may agree in the truth of Thy Holy Word, and live in godly concord and unitie. "

(4) Again, in the Bidding Prayer of the Church of England, published in the Canons of 1604 (Canon 55), and set forth by authority of Convocation, we find these words: "Ye shall pray for Christ's Holy Catholic Church, that is, for the whole congregation of Christian people dispersed throughout the world." If, still ignoring the plain and obvious meaning of all these official utterances, there are any yet ready to assert that the Church authoritatively supports their Tractarian theory that the Episcopate is absolutely essential to the existence of a true Church; if there are yet any who, in defiance of the above quotations, are disposed to maintain this, on the pretext that such expressions as "the congregation of Christian people dispersed throughout the whole world," or "the blessed company of all faithful people," were intended to refer only to those who were faithful to the true doctrine of the Church and the Episcopate, and who were, therefore, the only true "Christian people, we reply that this whole fine-spun hypothesis will be found to be completely shattered by a

little further examination of the evidence before us. For first of all, the statement, that "all who profess and call themselves Christians" are to be regarded as members of the Church Catholic, in itself contradicts this assumption. The further fact that all who have been baptized, whether by a valid ministry, or only by laymen, have been officially pronounced members of the Holy Catholic Church, places the attitude of the Church of England towards these non-episcopal bodies beyond all question. Besides all this, the possibility of any reasonable doubt as to the Church's position is absolutely eliminated by the fact that she has gone beyond these general statements, and in a number of other instances has in so many words recognized these non-episcopal congregations as true "Churches," and, together with the Greek, Roman, and her own communion, included them by name in the Holy Catholic or Universal Church. Thus, as early as 1550 the German Protestants in England were acknowledged as constituting a genuine branch of the Church. A patent was granted them by Edward VI. to protect them in their rights, "that by the Ministers of the Church of the Germans, and other strangers, a sound interpretation of the most Holy Gospels, and the administration of the Sacraments according to the word of God and Apostolic customs may exist." Moreover, in the Bidding Prayer, set forth by authority in 1604-a portion of which we have just quoted, the Church of Scotland is specifically mentioned, by name, as a part of the Holy Catholic Church, which Church, at that time, was a

non-episcopal, i. e. Presbyterian body. The passage reads as follows: "Ye shall pray for Christ's Holy Catholic Church, that is, for the whole Congregation of Christian people dispersed throughout the whole world, and especially for the Churches of England, Scotland, and Ireland." (Canon 55.)1 Again, we have a copy of a license issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury (Grindal) to one John Morrison a Presbyter of the Church of Scotland, permitting him to officiate without re-ordination in the Church of England, and assigning as a reason the validity of his Presbyterian ordination in "the Reformed Church of Scotland," to wit: "Since you, the aforesaid John Morrison . . . were admitted and ordained to sacred Orders and the Holy Ministry, by the imposition of hands, according to the laudable form and rite of the Reformed Church of Scotland we, therefore, approving and ratifying the form of your Ordination and preferment done in such manner aforesaid, grant to you a license and faculty, with the consent and express command of the most reverend Father in Christ, the Lord Edmund, by the Divine Providence Archbishop of Canterbury," etc. (License dated April 6, 1582. See full text of same in Strype's Life of Archbishop Grindal. Also cited by Goode and other authorities.) This is official recognition by the highest authority in the Church

The assertion, sometimes met with in "Catholic" text-books, that the Church of Scotland here mentioned was not Presbyterian, is without foundation. The matter is fully discussed a few pages further on.