Notices of Recent Publications [pp. 633-642]

Notices of IReceent Publications.
Arr. VII.-NOTICES OF RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
The Doctrine of the Church: A tistorical Jfonograph. WTith a full Bibli ography of the Subject. By John J. McElhinney, D.D., Milnor Pro fessor of Systematic Divinity in the Theological Seminary of the Prot estant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Ohio. Philadelphia:
Claxton, Remsen & Haffelfinger, 819 and 821 Market St. 1871.
THIS is a scholarly, candid, and valuable production. It presents
an able analysis of the historical doctrine of the Church, as it was
successively developed by patristic, medimeval, reformed, and later
theologians. While the author favors three orders in the ministry as
requisite to the perfection of visible church organization, he strenu ously opposes the doctrine that they are necessary to the being of the
Church or the validity of church administrations. On this great issue
he stands, and shows that the catena of church authorities stands
strong for the Protestant doctrine of ecclesiasticism. He sums the
whole up, and exhibits the true issue thus in his concluding para graphs: "In the light of these facts, Luther's memorable declaration,' The
great question between the Papists and us is tbe question concerning
the Church-Which is the true Church?' stands fully vindicated.
That this is indeed the fundamental question between the Romanist
and the Protestant sufficiently appears from the tenor of their respec tiive answers.
"The answer of the Romanist is, that the true Church, the Catholic
Church militant, is that world-wide organization which has its centre
of unity in the successor of St. Peter, in the apostolical see of Rome;
that upon connection with this visible corporation depends the spir itual relation of the members of Christ's mystical members to the
Head; that only through the mediation of this body, as represented
by its priesthood, the sole dispensers of its sacred mysteries, is living
union with Christ secured and maintained.
"The Reformers of the sixteenth century, disregarding the tradition
of centuries, and going back T the original tradition of the apostles
as preserved in the New Testament, give an answer to the question What is the Church?-in the well-known definitions embodied in the
first Protestant Confessions: The Church of Christ is the community
of the children of God, the collective body of the truly faithful-a
body which, as an organized whole, must needs be invisible, even as
its glorified Head is invisible; but which yet possesses a real, though
imperfect visibility in the form of particular churches, which are
severally distinguished by the notes of a true Church, and are thus
1871.]
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