The Sun.
London, England, 1869-10-05 00:00:00

THE POPES SYLLABUS.

On Sunday forenoon Archbishop Manning deli-
vered a discourse on the Pope's Syllabus to a large
congregation in the Pro-Cathedral, High-street,
Kensington, selecting as his text John vi. and 60th,

" Mani of i L 9 disciples, when they beard this,

said, 4 This is an hard saying ; who can hear it ?' "

Dr. MANNING, who was habited in purple and
ermine, commenced by observing that our Lord

had been speaking of the great mystery of the body

and blood of the incarnate Word of God which He

would give for the life of the world and for the

food of the soul. They did not understand Him.
They counted it a hard saying, and some went their
way. So it always had been. The enunciation of

the truth had always two effects—those that be-
lieved were strengthened, and those that would not

believe stumbled at the truth. He should have
preferred taking up and coutiuuing the beatitudes
of our Divine Lord where he broke off when he last

spoke from that place, but the times, the moment,
and the day he might say imposed on him the sub-
ject on which he was about to speak. To-d„ty was
the festival of the holy Rosary—a day marked in
the history of the Church by one of the greatest
events in Christian history, the destruction of the
anti-Christian power of Mahomelanism—by the
great battle of Lepanto, when the Christian world

was threatened by the enormous supremacy of that
vast infidel empire, so that Christian Europe must
have been ravaged had it not been overthrown.

They also commemorated to-day another great vic-
tory by land over that same Mahomedan Power ;
and these two great blows dealt by the Christian
world against the Mahomedan Antichrist for ever
broke its power and dominion ; so that to this day
Christian Powers, so far from being menaced by its
existence, were themselves propping it lest it should
fall. And these two great contests were under
the direct sanction and direction of the Roman
Pontiffs, who, as the heads of the Christian world
—the most illuminated to know its dangers, and
the most powerful to prevent them—combined,
organised, and directed these two. great de-
fences of Christendom, calling together the princely
chivalry of Christian Europe to defend its exis-
tence. They always on that day ascribed these
two great events to the infinite mercy and provi-
dence of their Heavenly Father, and to the prayers
of their immaculate Mother, for it was while the

but to speak as he likes, and to write as he blue,
because he has the liberty to think as he likes, and
that he may publish, by writing, or printing, any-
thing he chooses on any subject and on all subjects
and in every sense. Thirdly, that society in the
domestic life belongs to the order of nature, and,

iherefore, belongs to the State; that their house-

. _
holds and families are under the authority of the

civil government in this sense—that the civil go-
vernment has a right to determine the question of

marriage and divorce, and also to determine the

nature of the education of their children. Now, in

order to show clearly why the Roman Pontiff—that

is, the whole Church of God, for it is all contained
in him, and where the head acts all act with him—
onght not to conform himself to Liberalism, and

pr-'gress, and modern civilisation, it would be neces-
sary to describe in outline what were the two so-

cieties that now s:ood face to face—the civil society
and ►he Christian society of the world. The civil
society or civil power was a thing sacred in itself.

It came from God. It had God for its author, and
it must be treated with great veneration. It was
nothing but authority, obedience, and equality—
the three laws of the human family—which began
as the first household family—the parental autho-
rity, the filial obedience, the fraternal equality.
These three laws existed in human society. God
was the author of them, and when families multi-

plied and combined into races, nations, and States,
these three laws, which were domestic and private
in the beginning, assumed the public and recog-

nised character of what they called constitutions
and kingdoms, from which came monarchies, em-
pires, and civil order all over the world. So that
the sovereign authority which governed mankind
w as derived not from the consent of men, bargaining,
and bargaining, and transacting and compromising
together as it were in a market, but as directed
from God himself, immediately given to human
society. But the particular form in which society
may be cast, and the particular person or prince, be
it one or many, who bear the sovereign power, come
not immediately from God, but mediately from
society. It was of this that St. Paul spoke when be
said, " Let every soul be subject to the higher
powers," though he was then speaking of a heathen
Emperor. " For every power is of God. All
powers are ordained of God. He that resisteth the
power resisteth the ordinance of God, and he that
resisteth shall receive to himself damnation." St.

holy Rosary was being recited in ten thousand Paul says this of the civil society of the world, the
centres and in the streets of thousands of cities that political order of the world—of the Roman Empire,
the two great victories were gained. But there persecuting and pagan, such as it then was.
was another Antichrist and another-menacing do- Within the sphere, then, of human society there
minion pressing upon the Christian world, in the are human authorities capable of making human
face of which the Church and the Pontiff still laws ; but, as water cannot rise above its source,
stood. For 300 years a power. vigorous, subtle, the natural society of the world cannot rise so high
oraanized, and menacing had hung round about the as to make laws in matters of conscience, or in
unity of the Church, or indeed had found its en- matters of faith or religion. These things belong
trance within it, in the subtle form of intellectual to God. They do not belong to man. They do
error, against which the Roman. Pontiff stands not belong to human society. The other society is
now as he stood then. These intellectual errors the Christian society of the world, and the origin
reached to the vary basis of Christian society ; of that Christian society is the person of our Lord
they undermined the foundations of the Christian Jesus Christ himself, who, when he came into the
world, and against them the Sovereign Pontiff at world, assembled his apostles and disciples around
this hour opposed himself, as St. Pius V. did 300 him, instructed them, conformed them to his own
years ago, and had dealt a blow which had been mind and will, and gave them laws and authority.
felt throughout the whole Christian world, by those He gave them that one faith by which alone we are
who believed for their strength and consolation, and united—that one supreme jurisdiction upon which
by those who would not believe for their scandal His Church on earth was founded and governed.
and dismay. And what was that blow but that on He constituted in the world his own kingdom. He
which he proposed now to speak—he meant the Kingdom
ascended to his invisible throne in the of
Syllabus? In order to be perfectly intelligible, if he God ; but He left on earth His vicar and represen-
could, he would narrate the meaning of the word tative—one who should be the depository and the
and the origin from which it came. In the year executor of His supreme power over the Christian
1864, and on the Bth day of December—the feast society which He founded, who should be for ever
of the Immaculate Conception—the Holy Father the supreme and final interpreter of the faith, the
published two documents, the one called an Ency- supreme and final expositor of his law ; and that
clical or circular letter, addressed to all patriarchs, ' society, one in its origin, one in its faith, one in
primates, archbishops, end bishops throughout the its jurisdiction, one in its identity throughout the
whole Christian world; the other called the Sylla- world, uniting all nations in one family, we call
bus. Now, the word " Syllabus" simply meant a the Holy Catholic Church. There then world
collection or gathering together of certain propo- be those two great societies to the end of the world
sitious which, in the 18 years of his Pontificate, he —the one natural, the other supernatural ; the
had already published. During the 18 years pre- one human, the other divine. The human and the
ceding, he had in numerousdocuments and numerous natural society perfect and complete within its own
acts condemned a multitude of the intellectual errors sphere and limit, but imperfect and incomplete,
of the day,and the Syllabus was nothing more than a and that in a high degree, as regards the true per-
collection from all the documents and acts of the fection of man and his destiny hereafter. It was
18 preceding years of those errors which he had the will of God that these two societies should be
already condemned. That Syllabus contained 80 so united as in their action to become one. Just
errors, with their condemnation, and a reference to as man is perfect iu his own nature, though fallen
those formal acts and documents in which their by original sin, and needs to be elevated to a super-
condemnation had been already made. Now, these natural order by regeneration and grace, remaining
80 errors were partly in matters of faith, partly in the same individual, but receiving a perfection
matters of morals, in both of which, as they knew, above his nature, so it is with the natural society of
the Catholic Church, and the head of the Catholic the world ; and when the Church of God, like the
Church also by Divine assistance, were infallible-- heavenly society coming down from heaven, perfect
that is, they were the ultimate interpreters of the in its beauty, symmetry, splendour, and unity, de-
faith, and the ultimate expositors of the law of God, scended cn the face of the world, it took up into
and that not by the light of human learning only, itself all the elements of human society that were
but by the light of Divine assistance, which secured pure and true, and incorporated them with itself.
from error. Under morals were also included a But before this work was done the Roman empire,
number of afore relating to the political state of which was spread over the whole face of the world
the world ; and he believed if the Holy Father Ea 1 at the coming of our Divine Saviour, was destroyed
confined himself simply to faith and to morality in off the face of the earth. The nations it had sub-
the ordinary personal sense of the word very little dued and held in its iron hand revolted against it.
would have been heard of the Syllabus. But under They came up with their legions and their armies,
the head of morals he had—for his duty demanded and they tore it province from province ; finally
it of him as the universal teacher of the Christian they devastated and desolated Italy. Last of all
world, as the pastor of the universal flock—pointed they sacked and ruined Rome ; the whole material
out and condemned all those errors in political structure and fabric of that great empire, thegreatest
philosophy which lay at the root of morals. There- and most perfect human society the world has ever
fore the world had been in uproar. Whole nations seen, was completely crushed, crumbled, pulverized,
had declared that the Syllabus laid the axe at the and swept away, as it were, before the winds of
root of their political society ; but if it did so, so heaven. Then the Christian world that now exists
much the worse for those nations, for it must be rose into existence. It was the Christian Church
constituted on an anti-Christian basis. Now, he which created the Christian world. It bad a double
might be asked why should the Holy Father touch mission ; for the Christian Church has a mission
on any matter of politics at all? For this plain first to individuals, and then to society—first to
reason—because politics were a part of morals. convert and save the soul, and next to consecrate
What the moral law in the Ten Commandments and elevate the political society of the world. As
was to the individual, politics were to society. Christianity spread from household to household,
Politics were no more than the morals of society— these households became types and patterns of
the collective morality of Christian men united Christian society. As they became Christians they
together under social law. They might as well were combined together under Christian laws. As
find fault with him for instructing or censuring a kingdoms arose from age to age they were bound
penitent in the confessional, or for correcting together under the supreme unity of jurisdiction
and condemning the errors of the congregation, and in the light of the one faith. The Christian
as censure the Holy Father for extending those world, as we know it, now came into existence.
condemnations from the errors which affected the What, then, was the foundation of the Christian
private lives of men to those which afftcted the world ? The one faith, one baptism, the Christian
public life of Christian society. Politics were no- sacrament of matrimony, the supreme jurisdiction
thing but morals on the widest scale. Now, to make of the head of the Christian Church, these four ele-
clear what was the matter of the Syllabus, he would
say it contained ten chapters. The first four cha means were the creatures of the Christian world.
p- The Roman Empire, which fell and was swept
ters were on Atheism, Pantheism, Rationalism, away, fell not more by the external violence which
Socialism, and Communism. These were uncouth was brought to bear upon it than from the internal
terms, but they described uncouth things. The corruption, intellectual and moral, which ate away
next three chapters were—first, on the errors affect- its vitality within and turned it from end to end
ing the constitution of the Christian Church ; the into a mass of intellectual and moral ruin. It would
next on the errors affecting the constitution of the be out of place, and I have not time, to give you
Christian State ; and the third on the errors affect- proofs of what I say farther than this—l would ask
ing the relations of the Christian Church to the
any one to take any common history, and read the
Christian State. The eighth chapter related to
domestic life of the Romans in the Augustine,
matrimony, the sacrament of matrimony and mar-
the golden period, as it is called. The state
riage ; the ninth to the Roman Pontiff and his a
jurisdiction ; and the tenth to Liberalism, progress, of personal and domestic morals presents a
picture of incredible:and unimaginable horrors under
and modern civilisation. He would take only one
the roof of every family. W e find that a father
error thus condemned, and that because it would
contain in itself a complete and perfect treatment claimed and exercised the right of life and death
in outline of ail that went before. The last error over his children and slaves; and if such was the
private life of men, if such was the state of their condemned was this—it had been asserted that the
Roman Pontiff can if he will, and ought therefore, o
homes, what was the state of the Commonwealth—
f that great empire in its public morality ? The
to reconcile himself and to conform himself to Libe-
ralism, progress,
and modern civilisation. He con-
human imagination cannot conceive,without the fact
before it, to what an extent of intense moral cor-
demned that error, which wins to say that the
ruption that natural society of the world had fallen.
Roman Pontiff ought not and cannot reconcile nor -
conform himself to Liberalism, progress, and mo-
I:he Christian society of the world came as the pu-
dern civilisation. A bold error ! A bold fulmina
rifler and the corrective of the evils of personal and
tion ! Like the two fleets drawn up on the waters
domesticdomestic morality,morality and purifying the personal and
at the battle of Trafalgar face to face. There wasit purified the public morality
a largeproposition of error and its condemnation
and life of nations. And this was brought about
boldfait ph fup,
l, and authoritative by the head of the
by the faith and knowledge of God and the laws of
Christian Church that he cannot ought not, and
God—by the sacrament of matrimony—the union
,
of the husband and wife restored to its rimitive
, ,
authority,
will not conform himself to this world in its meta-
p
bilities and its changes. That was the subject which unity and hs indiss.oluble contract by the
the supremo authority, of the Christian Church—
he :-elected, and to make the matter clear he told that pastoral authority whereby men are restrained
tint m w hit nas contained in the Encyc:ical at- by law and by order, and thus elevating the society
tached to which wes the Syllabus describing the
of the world into the Christian world,
nature of the modern eiriii3ation, to the progress Bat then came a great conflict; the natural so-
of which the Roman Pontiff was invited to conform ciety of the world strove to destroy the Church of
himself. One proposition was this—the political so- Christ out of the earth. Three hundred years of
ciety of men ought to be constituted entirely on the ' persecution followed, and the Christian society
foundation of nature, without any regard to religion,
gained little by little its ascendant over the minds
or at least in perfect indifference to all religion. Sc-
and wills of men, until the world was weary of
condly, that an unbounded and unlimited freedom is
persecution and the Church entered upork peace.
possessed by every man not only to work as he likes,
I