CHURCH
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CHURCH
the sense in which the terras are to be understood. A
brief explanation of their meaning will show how de-
cisive a proof they furnish that the society of Jesus
Christ is none other than the Church in communion
with the Holy See. (See Apostolicity ; Catholic;
San< tity; Unity.)
The Protestant reformers endeavoured to assign notes of the Church, such as might lend support to their newly-founded sets. Calvin declares that the Church is to be found "where the word of God is preached in its purity, and the sacraments adminis- tered according to Christ's ordinance" (Instit., Bk. IV, c. i; cf. Confessio August., art. 4). It is manifest that such notes are altogether nugatory. The very reason why notes are required at all is that men may be able to discern the word of God from the words of false prophets, and may know which religious body has a right to term its ceremonies the sacraments of ( 'hrist. To say that the Church is to be sought where these two qualities are found cannot help us. The Anglican Church adopted Calvin's account in its official formulary (Thirty-Nine Articles, art. IT); on the other hand, it retains the use of the Nicene Creed; though a profession of faith in a Church which is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, can have little mean- ing to those who are not in communion with the successor of Peter,
Unity. — The Church is One because its members (1) are all united under one government, (2) all pro- fess the same faith. (3) all join in a common worship. As already noted (XI) Christ Himself declared that the unity of His followers should bear witness to Him. Discord and separation are the Devil's work on the earth. The unity and brotherhood promised by Christ are to be the visible manifestation on the earth of the Divine union (John, xvii, 21 ). St. Paul's teaching on this point is to the same effect. He sees in the Visible unity of the body of Christ an external sign of the oneness of tin- Spirit who dwells within it. There is, he says, "one body and one Spirit" (Eph., iv, 4). As in any living organism the union of the members in one body is tin- sign of the one animating principle within, so it is with the Church. If the Church were divided into two or more mutually ex- clusive bodies, how could she witness to the presence of that Spirit Whose name is Love. Further, when it is said that the members of the Church are united by the profession of the same faith, we speak of ex- ternal profession as well as inward acceptance. In years, much has been said by those outside the Church, about unity of spirit being compatible with differ, in. - o! rr.'.'.l. Such words are meaningless in reference to a Divine revelation. Christ came from u to reveal the truth to man. If a diversity of creeds could be found in His Church, this could only I..' because the truth He revealed had been lost in the
quagmire of human error. It would signify that His work was frustrated, that His Church was no longer the pillar and ground of the truth. There is, it is plain, hut one Church, in which is found the unity we • I — in the Catholic Church, united under the government of the supreme pontiff, and acknowl- edging all that he teaches in his capacity as the in- fallible guide of the ( hurch. Sanctity. — When the Church points to sanctity as
one of her notes, it is manifest that what is meant is a
sanctity of such a kind as excludes the supposition of any natural origin. The holiness which marks the Church should correspond to the holiness of its Founder, of the Spirit Who dwells within it. of the ed upon it. A quality such as this may well serve to distinguish the true Church from coun- ter!, its. It is not without reason that the Church of Rome claims to be holy in this sense. Her holiness appears in the doctrine which she teaches, in the worship she offers to God, in the fruits which she brings forth. (I) The doctrine of the Church is
summed up in the imitation of Jesus Christ. This
imitation expresses itself in good works, in self-
sacrifice, in love of suffering, and especially in the
practice of the three evangelical counsels of perfection
—voluntary poverty, chastity, and obedience. The
ideal which the Church proposes to us is a Divine
ideal. The sects which have severed themselves
from the Church have either neglected or repudiated
some part of the Church's teaching in this regard.
The Reformers of the sixteenth century went so far as
to deny the value of good works altogether. Though
their followers have for the most part let fall this
anti-Christian doctrine, yet to this day the self-sur-
render of the religious state is regarded by Protestants
as folly. (2) The holiness of the Church's worship is
recognized even by the world outside the Church. In
the solemn renewal of the Sacrifice of Calvary there
lies a mysterious power, which all are forced to own.
Even enemies of the Church realize the sanctity
of the Mass. (3) Fruits of holiness are not, indeed,
found in the lives of all the Church's children. Man's
will is free, anil though God gives grace, many who
have been united to the Church by baptism make
little use of the gift. But at all times of the Church's
history there have been many who have risen to sub-
lime heights of self-sacrifice, of love to man, and of
love to God. It is only in the Catholic Church that
is found that type of character which we recognize
in the saints — in men such as St. Francis Xavier, St.
Vincent de Paul, and many others. Outside the
< 'hurch men do not look for such holiness. Moreover,
the saints, and indeed every other member of the
Church who has attained to any degree of piety,
have been ever ready to acknowledge that they owe
whatever is good in them to the grace the Church
bestows.
Catholicity. — Christ founded the Church for the salvation of the human race. He established it that it might preserve His revelation, and dispense His grace to all nations. Hence it was necessary that it should be found in every land, proclaiming His mes- sage to all men, and communicating to them the means of grace. To this end He laid on the Apostles the injunction to "go. and teach all nations". There is, notoriously, but one religious body which fulfils this command, and which can therefore lay any claim to the note of Catholicity. The Church which owns the Roman pontiff as its supreme head extends its ministrations over the whole world. It owns its obligation to pnach the Gospel to all peoples. No Othi i Church attempts this task, or can use the title of ( atholic with any appearance of justification. The ( Ireek Church is al the present day a mere local schism. None of the Protestant bodies has ever pre- tended to a universal mission. They claim no right to convert to their beliefs the Christianized nations of Europe. Even in regard to the heathen, for nearly two hundred years missionary enterprise was un- known among Protestant bodies. In the nineteenth
century, it is true, many of them displayed no little zeal for the conversion of the heathen, and contributed large sums of money for this purpose. Hut the re- sults achieved were so inadequate as to justify the conclusion that the blessing of God did not. rest upon the elit.i prise. (See MISSIONS, CATHOLIC; Missions, \\'T. ) Apostolicity. — The Apostolicity of the Church con- sists in its identity wit I. the bodj which Christ estab- lished on the foundation of the Apostles, and which He commissioned to cany on His work. No other body save this is the Church of Christ. The true Church must be Apostolic in doctrine and Apostolic in mission. Since, however, it has already been shown that the gift of infallibility was promised to lurch, it follows that where there is Apostolicitj of mission, there will also be Apostolicity of doctrine Apostolicity of mission consists in the power of Holj
