CHAPTER XI.

ON THE CHURCHES OF THE ROMAN OBEDIENCE.

THERE are four questions for consideration with regard to the churches and societies of the Roman Obedience. First; whether they continued to be churches of Christ up to the Reformation? Secondly: whether they remained churches of Christ after the Reformation? Thirdly whether they constitute exclusively the catholic church? Fourthly, whether all their societies. are free from schism and heresy? Of the churches and societies in communion with Rome, some are of ancient foundation, viz. those of Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Hungary, Austria, Poland. Some are of modern foundation, viz. those of South America, Mexico, part of the West Indies, two or three in India, the Philippine Islands, and China. Others, of which I shall hereafter speak, have been formed within the jurisdiction of the catholic churches of the East and of Britain.

SECTION I.

WHETHER THE WESTERN CHURCHES CONTINUED TO BE CHURCHES OF CHRIST TILL THE REFORMATION.

I only speak now and in the two next sections, of the Roman churches which have not been founded

within the jurisdiction of other churches, and of these 1 maintain, that they continued to be churches of Christ up to the period of the Reformation.

Every one admits that the Western churches were, in the earliest ages, churches of Christ. They were in communion with all the apostolical churches of the East, and with the great apostolical church of Rome. They continued in communion with the East till the eleventh century, and afterwards. In fine, no period can be assigned at which they ceased to be churches of Christ. Scarcely any thing can be objected to them during these ages, which would not apply equally to the Eastern church. Their union with the civil power could not render them apostate, because the whole church would equally have been apostate, and that would be contrary to Christ's promises. For the same reason their connection with the see of Rome could not make them apostate, for the whole catholic church, until the eleventh century, communicated with that see. They possessed every external mark of the Christian church, and were regularly continued from age to age by the ordinations of clergy and the admission of new members by baptism. They maintained the same creeds which the universal church had sanctioned, adhered to the definitions of faith made by the catholic church, continued the use of rites which we believe to descend from the apostles. On what reasonable ground therefore can it be pretended, that the Western churches did not continue always to be churches of Christ? It is confessed that some doctrinal errors, and some superstitious practices, prevailed in them in latter ages; but it has been already observed, that the existence of some faults and imperfections by no means

annuls the character of a church "; and, as in the present case, it arose from want of information and discussion, and besides no article of the faith appears to have been denied or corrupted by these churches in general, there seems no reason whatever to dispute their Christianity.

In fact, this has been admitted by all wise and charitable men. The Lutherans repeatedly acknowledged that the Roman church even in their time was a Christian church. Luther himself reckons Bernard, Francis, and Bonaventure among the saints, though they lived in the Western church during the middle ages . The Apology of the Confession of Augsburg reckons Bernard and Francis as saints". In the Confession of Augsburgh, the character and authority of the catholic, and even the Roman church are acknowledged'. Luther himself, in 1534, seventeen years after he had begun his career, acknowledged, most unequivocally, the Christianity of the churches in obedience to Rome. "That true church of Christ," he says,

See above, Chapter V. section iii.

The Confession of Augsburg says of the Lutheran doctrine: "there is nothing in it, which differs from the Scriptures or the catholic church, or the Roman church, as far as is known from her writers."-Confess. August. Pars i. art. 22. And elsewhere: "since the churches among us differ concerning no article of faith (de nullo articulo fidei) from the catholic church, but only omit some abuses, which are novel, and received contrary to the canons, by the fault of the times," &c.-Pars ii. prolog. This Confession of Augsburg was

received by the Calvinists about 1557, and at the Colloquy of Poissy in 1561. See also Archbishop Bramhall, Replication to the bishop of Chalcedon.-Works, p. 151.

This appears by their continual appeals to a general council, and their protests that they did not separate from the Roman church. See the next Chapter, sect. i.

d Lutheri Theses, 1522, Oper. tom. i. p. 377, &c.; De Abrog. Missæ Priv. tom. ii. p. 258, 259; De Votis Mon. ibid. 271, 278.

e

* Apolog. Conf. August. De vot. Mon. 21.

Ut supra.

"the pillar and ground of the truth, is the holy place wherein the abomination stands. And in this church God miraculously and powerfully preserved baptism; moreover in the public pulpits and Lord's day sermons, he preserved the text of the Gospel in the language of every nation; besides remission of sins and absolution, as well in confession as in public. Again, the sacrament of the altar, which at Easter time, and twice or thrice in the year, they offered to Christians, though deprived of one species. Fifth, vocation and ordination to parishes, and the ministry of the word, the keys to bind and loose, and to console in the agony of death. For among many this custom was observed, that those who were in their last agony were shown the image of Christ crucified, and admonished of the death and blood of Christ. Then, by a divine miracle, there remained in the church, the Psalter, the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Commandments. Likewise many pious and excellent hymns, as well Latin as German, such as Veni Sancte Spiritus,' and 'Emitte lucis tuæ radium,' &c. These hymns were left to posterity by truly spiritual and Christian men, though oppressed by tyranny. Wherever were these truly sacred relics, the relics of holy men, there was and is the true, holy church of Christ, and therein remained the saints of Christ; for all these are ordinances and fruits of Christ, except the forcible removal of one species from Christians. In this church of Christ therefore the Spirit of Christ was certainly present, and preserved true knowledge and true faith in his elect. These relics indeed were but small, and the true church lay miserably injured and oppressed by the tyranny and infinite deceptions of the false church. . . .The miserable, afflicted, and oppressed church was to be pardoned by God,

because one species of the sacrament was taken away from her, unwilling and captive, and denied to her. If even the elect and saints lived all their lives in infirmity and error, yet in death He liberated them as it were from the furnace of Babylon, such as St. Bernard, Gregory, Bonaventure "."

How charitable, and at the same time how rational are these sentiments. But such notions are not limited to Luther, they are those of the church of England, and of all her most eminent divines. The several formularies of doctrine published by authority in the reign of Henry VIII., acknowledged the churches of the Roman Obedience to be parts of the catholic church". The canons of 1603 speak of the other Western unreformed churches in such terms, as evidently imply a recognition of them as still Christian, though in some respects fallen from their ancient integrity or perfection. "It was so far from the purpose of the church of England to forsake and reject the churches of Italy, France, Spain, Germany, or any other such like churches, in all things which they held and practised; that, as the Apology of the church of England confesseth, it doth with reverence retain those ceremonies, which do neither endamage the church of God, nor offend the minds of sober men; and only departed from them in those particular points wherein they were fallen both from themselves in their ancient integrity, and from the apostolical churches

g Lutherus, de Missa Privata, tom. vii. p. 236, 237.

"The Institution of a Christian Man," approved by twentyone bishops in 1537, acknowledges the churches of Rome, France, Spain, &c to be members of the catholic church. (Formula

ries of Faith, Oxford ed. p. 55.) The "Necessary Doctrine," approved by the bishops in 1543, includes in the catholic church the particular churches of England, Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Rome. (Ibid. p. 247.) See also Part II. Chap. II.