The Irish standard., 1892-02-20
a GREAT LECTURE,
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Has this divine mark of the Church
failed? So Professionalism teaches when
1t asserts that the visible unity OF the
Church is lost and when it prays for the
restoration of this lost unity. Where, |
ask myself, is the ground for my faith in
Christianity, if can imagine that the
divine prayer of Christ, for the visible
unity of His Church, fell UNDECIDED and
unanswered? Impossible, cried, and
here, stood amazed at the glazing in
consiS tency into which Protestantism
had led me, that had been all my life
processing my belief in zone Catholic
and Apostolic Church." as set forth in
the ancient creeds, and at the same time
teaching the existence of several Catho-
lie and Apostolic Churches. AS distln-
guished convert, who was formerly one
Of my clerical brethren, has said OF him
self II was guilty of cherishing that
most fantastic of all concerts by which
rational being ever 3eopardized his intelli-
gence, namely, what is known as "The
Branch Church Theory" Twas taught,
by my High Church teachers, that the
Episcopal Church is branch of the
Catholic Church, that the Anglican
Church is branch of the Catholic Church,
that the Greek Church and the Roman
Church are also branches of the Catholic
Church. In considering this theory
asked myself, where is the trunk upon
which these branches rest, and from
which do they derive sap and vigor? Tue
figure of tree seemed an appropriate
illustration of the Catholic Church. But
branches. If I say that the Anglican
Church is the trunk of the tree how can
I explain the anomaly of the Roman
Church branch existing for centuries be-
fore the trunk appeared above rthe sur
face of the earth? If 1 say that the
Roman Church is the trunk, and it what
the reformers of the 10Th century tell me
TO true how can / again explain the an
omaly of corrupt and dead tree bearing
living branches? If I say that these
branches are independent of each other,
and do not rest upon any tru"k, this in
wolves self contradiction. / could not
seq how ii could be asserted, with any
| meaning in the words that the Episcopal,
Anglican, Greek and Roman Catholic
form one visible Church. I might as
we'll maintain, and try to persuade my
sslf to believe, that Italy, and Russia,
and England, and America form one
visible kingdom. This branch Church
theory then leads to the conclusion that
the Christian Church, whose essential
qualities are unity and visibility, is man
Tested in the world by. a divided unity
and an invisible visibility. But this coE-
clueion is about as Ineligible as it would
be to direct traveller, bewiIdered among
<1iverging roads, by advising him to fol
low the guidance of an invisible sign
post. The theory is palpable contra
diction in terms, confusion of ideas, in
defiance of logic and common sense.
After carefully considering the subject of
the visible unity of the Church of Christ,
I was fully convinced that the Protestant
Churches taken even in the aggregate,
did not, and could not, constitute this
unity. They: Of course, claim unity of
some sort. / remember reading some
years sgo, lecture by Presbyterian
minister, in which he ILLUSTRATED Protest
ant unity by comparing 1t TO the organic
alton of the army of a great nation.
He speaks of the Baptist regiment, the
Methodist regiment, the Episcopalian
regiment, the Presbyterian regiment,
and he attempts to show that while
these different regiments carry each it's
own regimental banner, they are, never
theless, united, and form but one ''army
of the Lord" After reading this nail1
tary figure of rhetoric ] asked myself
the question, are these Protestant army
divisions united, for instance, as to the
interpretation and meaning Of the Sacred
Scriptures, which will suppose to con-
tain PARTICLES of war;" and III re senses
than one? Are they agreed upon plan
of battle against the common enemy:
answered, No! Why not? Because each
general, and colonel, and mayor, and
captain, and sergeant, and corporal, and
soldier Of each division, and regiment,
and company, and squad, interprest their
PARTICLES of war" according to his own
private judgment. which is the essential
characteristic and the fundamental prin-
ciple of Professionalism, and, therefore,
there can be no successful plan of battle
against the enemy where there is neither
authority nor discipline nor unity, but
every man claiming and exercising the
right TO march in accordance with his
own private Judgment.
The figure of speech which the Pres
byterian minister falsely employs to illus