Irenæus, "is every where uniform and equally enduring." And he gives the reason, viz., that "our faith is ever kept by the Spirit of God in youthful freshness... making the vase (or Church) wherein it is, seem newly formed.” * "The Church is impregnable," says Clement of Alexandria, because "it is the divine will on earth, as it is in heaven."- (Strom. lib. iv.) "Our doctrine perishes not like human doctrine, nor fades away like a feeble gift, for" this reason, "no gift of God is powerless, but endures, incapable of being put down, though prophesied of that it should be persecuted unto the end." Ib. "No one can be with Christ," exclaims St. Cyprian, "who is not with Christ's spouse," and for the reason, that "Christ and His Church are united with indissoluble bonds."—(Ep. xlix. ad Corn.) "The Church is one," says he, "which having obtained the grace of eternal life, lives forever, and gives life to the people of God," (Ep. ad Quin.) because, "nothing can separate the Church from Christ."-(Ep. Cæcil.) "She it is that alone holds and possesses the whole power of her spouse and Lord." ·(Ep. lxxiii. ad Jubaien.) Thus "the spouse of Christ is undefiled and chaste, and cannot become an adulteress." (De Unitate.) "The Church which is Catholic and one, is not rent nor divided, but is indeed connected together and knit *.. Quam perceptam ab ecclesia custodimus, et quæ semper a Spiritu Dei, quasi in vase bono eximium quoddam depositum juvenescens, et juvenescere faciens ipsum vas in quo est. Adv. Hæres. Lib. lib. if. c. 24. by the cement of priests, cleaving to each other.”* And as the reason, "Consider," says he, "the majesty of God who ordains priests... and have respect to Christ, who, by His will and fiat, and HIS OWN PRESENCE, governs both the prelates themselves and the Church with the prelates." -(Ep. lxix. ad Pupian.) "Which great and everlasting temple (the Church)," declares Lactantius, "because Christ is the builder, must have therein an everlasting priesthood." (Divin. Inst. lib. iv.) "Christ foretold," says Eusebius, "that the Church, which, during the years of His sojourning among men, was not seen nor established, should be invincible, incapable of overthrow, 'Ahrntov xas axataμɑɣntov éσɛσ0α. For the reason, that “the God-word dwells in the midst of His Church," &c. ̔Εν μεσῳ γαρ τής ἔκκλησιας τον Θεον λογον κατασκηνοῦν, &c. (Dem. Evang. lib. v.) "The Church of Christ," says St. Athanasius, “shall be refulgent, and enlighten all under heaven, and be as abiding as the sun and the moon. and His throne as the sun For this passage says so “Thou hast built a Church on earth,” says St. * Quando ecclesia, quæ Catholica et una est, scissa non sit neque divisa, sed sit utique connexa et cohærentium sibi in vicem sacerdotum glutino copulata. Ephræm,*"which resembles the Church in heaven; its foundations love impelled Thee to lay, while grace presided at its completion. Thou hast also taken it as Thy spouse and made it Thine by the price of Thy blood. Therefore, O Lord, Thou wilt guard it under Thy protection that the gates of hell prevail not against it.” — (T. iii. Syr.) "She" (the Church), says St. Ambrose, "may be overcast with clouds, but fail she cannot. (Obumbrari potest, deficere non potest.).....The moon, in her monthly changes, seems to quench her light, that she may borrow from the sun. While others are shipwrecked, she looks on, herself free and exempt from danger (ipsa immunis et exors periculi). Always prepared to have Christ's light shine upon her, and to derive gladness from it." — (T. i. De Abr. lib. ii.) "We may understand," says St. Jerome, "that even to the end of the world the Church may indeed be shaken by persecutions, but never can be overthrown. Because the Lord God Almighty is the Lord God of the Church, who hath promised to do this; and His promise is nature's law.” (Cujus promissio lex naturæ est.) "Nothing," reiterates St. Chrysostom, time after time, “nothing is equal to the Church. Tell me not of walls and arms; for walls grow old, but the Church never grows old, ἡ ἐκκλησία δὲ ουδέποτε γηρα, walls barbarians destroy, the Church not even * A Greek, ordained as is said, by St. Basil, and praised for his excellency by St. Jerome, wrote about 350. demons can overcome. Nothing is stronger than the Church. Οὐδὲν γαρ εκκλησίας ισχυρότερον. If thou war against the Church, it is impossible for thee to conquer, Niznoɑi σɛ auńzavov. WHY? for GOD is stronger than all men. GOD hath rooted her, who will attempt to shake her? For this cause, the Scripture showing her firmness and immovableness, calls her a mountain-her incorruptibility calls her a virgin, Το άφθορον, αὐτῶν καλεί παρθενον, her magnificence calls her a queen that connection which she has with God calls her a daughter," &c. (T. iii. p. 391.) "Do I confide in my own strength? I have His (Christ's) pledge- I hold His written Word, That is my staff-that my security. What are these words? "I am with you all days even to the consummation of the world.' . . There man is the pilot, but here (in the Church) it is Christ. Therefore the vessel, though tossed by the tempest, is not overwhelmed. ·(T. vi. in Is. c. ii.) With such ground upon which to stand, I felt that my confidence was neither unreasonable nor likely to fail. Was not unreasonable, because, in yielding to the Church as infallible, I was not called upon to bow to man but to God. Nor likely to fail, for the same reason viz., that I was cast for guidance, not upon any human wisdom in the Church, but solely upon the wisdom of her divine Head. Upon the GOD-MAN, who had so loved the Church as to purchase her with His blood-take her to Himself as His spouse and promise her His presence and protection to the end of the world. Notwithstanding, therefore, the confusion and darkness that were around me, I did not despair of being yet led by a clear light and harmonious voice into the way of life and peace. CHAPTER VI. THE STATE OF PROTESTANTISM NOT RECONCILABLE WITH THE PROPHECIES CONCERNING THE CHURCH'S LATTER DAYS. ANOTHER feature, however, in the same plea, was here presented, and by the same friend. urged that the darkness and confusion among Protestants, of which I complained, must be regarded as consistent with the promise of Christ's presence with His Church; inasmuch as this state of things had been foretold in the New Testament, as the characteristic and trial of the Church's latter days. In directing my thoughts to this plea, it became at once obvious, that while the finger of prophecy pointed to a kind of confusion in the bosom of the Church, it was not such as I realized in the communion of which I was a bishop. It was not such disorder as would confound the Church itself— stifle within her the heart of charity and the voice of truth- -but such as would throw off from her body some of her unruly sons, leaving them rankling with the gall of bitterness, and bewildered by a confusion of tongues. That the prediction was hence designed, not to foreshadow to the eyes |
