based by crime, they are still within her pale, and, therefore lose no part of the power, with which her ministry invests them.
But portions of the Universal Church are, also, usually called a Church, as when the Apostle mentions the Church at Corinth, [1] at Galatia, [2] at Laodicea, [3] at Thessalonica. [4] The private houses of the faithful, he, also, calls Churches: the Church in the house of Priscilla and Aquila he commands to be saluted: [5] and in another place, he says: " Aquila and Priscilla, with their domestic Church, salute you much." [6] Writing to Philemon, he makes use of the same word, in the same sense. [7] Some times, also, the word Church is used to signify the prelates and pastors of the Church: " If he will not hear thee," says our Lord, " tell it to the Church." [8] Here the word Church means the authorities of the Church. The place in which the faithful assemble to hear the word of God, or for other religious purposes is, also, called a Church; [9] but, in this Article, the word is specially used to signify the good and the bad, the governing and the governed.
The distinctive marks of this Church are also to be made known to the faithful, that thus they may be enabled to estimate the extent of the blessing, conferred by God on those who have had the happiness to be born and educated within her pale. The first mark of the true Church is described in the Creed of I. the Fathers, and consists in unity: " My dove is one, my beautiful one is one." [10] So vast a multitude, scattered far and wide, is called one, for the reasons mentioned by St. Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians: " One Lord, one faith, one baptism." [11] This Church has, also, but one ruler and one governor, the invisible one, Christ, whom the Eternal Father " hath made head over all the Church, which is his body;" [12] the visible one, him, who, as legitimate successor of Peter the prince of the Apostles, fills the apostolic chair.
That this visible head is necessary to establish and preserve unity in the Church is the unanimous accord of the Fathers; and on this, the sentiments of St. Jerome, in his work against Jovinian, are as clearly conceived as they are happily expressed: "One," says he, " is chosen, that, by the appointment of a head, all occasion of schism may be removed;" [13] and to Damascus, " Let envy cease, let the pride of Roman ambition be humbled: I speak to the successor of the fisherman, and to the disciple of the cross. Following no chief but Christ, I am united in communion with your Holiness, that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that on that rock is built the Church. Whoever will eat the lamb outside this house is profane: who ever is not in the ark of Noah shall perish in the flood." The
