He could therefore be with them alway only as a body corporate, which never dies;-in this sense alone could the blessed SPIRIT abide with them for ever. It is plain that CHRIST did not promise to be merely with their acts of Apostleship; for He did not say, “Lo, I am with teaching alway;" but most emphatically, "Go YE teaching, and lo, I am with YOU alway;" which shows, clearly as the sunbeam, that the Apostles were necessarily TO BE always, which can only be by succession as a corporate body, and such a succession as may justly be called them.' Now, since, (as we believe) "from the Apostles' times there have been these orders of ministers in CHRIST'S Church, Bishops, Priests, and Deacons ;" and since the Catholic Prelates "in all lands" have descended from the first Apostles by an unbroken succession-we have the assurance of CHRIST that these shall teach "all things whatsoever" are necessary to salvation. Accordingly, if, by the light of History, we trace the fortunes of Christianity from its infancy to the present time, we 1 See a Letter On the Exclusive Power of an Episcopallyordained Clergy to administer the Word and Sacraments. Page 13. Cambridge, 1834. Also Bishop Beveridge's Sermon on Matt. xxviii. 20. Sermons, Vol. I. p. 1. Fol. 1729. 2 Preface to the Ordination Service Book. 3 Ps. xlv. 17. The Prayer-Book version. See post, p. 2. "1 has shall find that the Catholic Church-"that which has, from age to age, borne rule upon the ground of its pretensions to Apostolical succession, never authoritatively disowned any fundamental or essential truth of the Gospel. Particular Churches may have erred and perished, "but, as far as the Church Catholic can be deemed responsible, the substance of sound doctrine still remains undestroyed, at least, if not unimpaired." Primitive Catholic Tradition, which the Apostles delivered, "once for all," to the Holy Spouse of CHRIST, is still preserved by the present universal Fold, although particular communions may have partially veiled its beauty by human additions, the poisonous fruits of the abuse of private judgment. The burnished splendours of the "shield of faith” 2 See Bishop Van Mildert's Eighth Bampton Lecture. Ibid. "The Church her ample bosom may expand Again contract-may open far and wide Her tent, extend her cords, on either hand Alike with her Faith's oracles abide, Revered by fickle worshipper, or spurn'd. Oft faint, ne'er lost, the Lamp of Heaven supplied, Oft dimm'd by envious mists, ne'er undiscern'd, GOD's Witness thro' all time hath in His Temple burn'd.” Lyra Apostolica. The rule of faith.-See "Notes to the Introduction." Note (C.) borne by the militant Church-though often sullied by the earth-born mists of spurious reason and false Philosophy-have never been wholly quenched. The Apostolic Ministry have ever effectually guarded the foundation of Christianity; whereas, all the sects who at different times have resisted the Catholic Priesthood, and separated themselves from the Bishops (that golden chain which binds the "successive generations of Christians to the first generation, the holy Apostles, and our LORD JESUS CHRIST Himself"), have, with a few exceptions, which are rapidly hastening to the same dark goal, sunk into deadly heresy, and trampled under foot the chalice of salvation! between the Romanists cans with regard to infallibility. V. But while our Spiritual Mother does stead- Difference fastly maintain the indefectibility of the Church and AngliCatholic, she as firmly withstands the doctrine of the Church's the Church's infallibility, as taught by her much erring, yet still dearly beloved, Sister.' The Romanist calls that the Catholic Church which holds communion with the see of Rome-we, "the Holy Church throughout all the world," descended from the Apostles. The Romanist contends that the present Church is an infallible Judge in every, the minutest detail of Doctrine and Discipline; that whatever this Church declares to be necessary to salvation, becomes, by that simple declaration, though unknown before, an Article of saving Truth; and that neither Scripture nor Tradition signify any thing apart from his Church's authority-we assert, that the Church is an indefectible preserver of the grand features of primitive Apostolic Tradition, which, at the first, it was taught by the blessed SPIRIT of GOD. This power of not erring," LAUD observes, "is not to be conceived as if it were in the Church primo et per se, originally, or by any power it hath of itself: for the Church is constituted of men, and humanum est errare,' all men can err. But this power is in it, partly by the virtue of this promise of CHRIST [St. Matt. xvi. 18], and partly by the matter which it teacheth, which is the unerring Word of God, so plainly and manifestly delivered to her as that it is not possible that she should universally fall from it, or teach against it, in things absolutely necessary to salvation."1 "Let it suffice to tell you," says Bishop STILLINGFLEET, 1 P. 68. "we believe no Article of faith upon the Church's infallible authority; [meaning judicial authority, as held by the Romanists] we deny that any thing becomes an Article merely upon her account. But, now, if you remove the argument from the present Church's infallible authority to the Universal Church's testimony, we then tell you, that he who questions a clear, full, Universal Tradition of the whole Church, from CHRIST's time to this, will, by the same reason, doubt of all matters of faith." It is, therefore, I repeat, as the faithful witness and keeper of Apostolical Doctrine, as "the very presence of Antiquity among us;" that our Doctors and Masters admit the "authority" of the Church, and submit to her unerring decision in "controversies of faith." fectibility of real Councils. VI. Closely allied to the preceding topic is that The indeequally important one, the indefectibility of real Ecumenical Ecumenical Councils, which next demands our attention. A real Ecumenical Council, in the judgment of the Catholic Church, must be first " duly assembled; second, freely celebrated; and third, 1 P. 141. 2 See British Critic, No. XL. p. 384; and "Notes to the Introduction." Note (D.) |