The Church and Her Attributes [pp. 788-803]

The Church and her Attributes.
late, held by all the bishops in solido, catholicity, visibility, indefectibility,
says, that the unity might be made infallibility, apostolicity; and the
manifest, or the apostolate be seen to idea of apostolicity includes authoritake its rise from one, our Lord es- ty in its unity and visibility; and,
tablished one cathedra and gave the therefore, the papacy is the visible
primacy to Peter. Saint Cyprian evi- origin and centre of the authority of
dently assumes the necessity of avis- the church as the visible body of
ible centre of authority, so that we Christ. So far we can go by reasonmay as individual members of the ing from the ideas, principles, or data
church, or as persons outside the supplied by revelation. The rest dechurch seeking to ascertain and enter pends on authority, and is not ascerher communion, know what is her au- tainable by theological reason.
thority and where to find it. Hence We know from the New Testament
in the definition of the church we be- that our Lord has set in his church
gan by saying she is defined to be some to be apostles, some to be pas"the society of the faithful, baptized tors, etc.; but these are all included
in the profession of the same faith, in the supreme pontiff, who possesses
and united interseinthe participation the priesthood, the episcopate, the
of the same sacraments, and in the apostolate, the pastorate, in their
true worship of God, under Christ the plenitude; and all, except what is
head in heaven, and under his vicar, conferred in the sacrament of orders,
the supreme pontiff on earth." The is derived directly or indirectly from
papacy is the visible origin and cen- him, as its origin and source under
tre of the apostolate, as Christ is him- Christ, whose vicar he is. This is
self its invisible origin and centre, enough for our present purpose, and
and is as essential to the being of the it is worthy of remark that always
visible church as are any of the attri- has the papacy been the chief point
butes we have seen to be hers. To of attackby the enemies of the church;
make war on the supreme pontiff is for they have had the sagacity to perto make war on the church, and to ceive that it is the keystone of the arch,
make war on the church is to make and that if it can be displaced, the
war on Christ, and to make war on whole edifice will fall of itself. It is
Christ is to make war on God and the pope that heresy and schism toman. day war against, and the whole non It is no part of our present pur- catholic world seek to deprive him of
pose to discuss the constitution of the last remains of his temporal authe hierarchy or external organiza- thority, because they foolishly imation of the church, which, to a certain gine that the destruction of the prince
extent, is and must be a matter of will involve the annihilation of the
positive law, and which, though hay- pontiff. It is the pontificate, and
ing its reason in the very nature and Garibaldi avows it, not the principaldesign of the church as founded by ity, that they seek to get rid of. But
the incarnation, lies too deep in that they may despoil the prince; they
mystery of mysteries for us to be able cannot touch the pontificate. He
to ascertain it by way of logical de- who is King of kings and Lord of
duction. The idea of one living God lords has pledged his omnipotence to
includes the three persons in the God- sustain it. Our Lord has prayed for
head; the idea of the incarnation in- Peter that his faith fail not.
cludes the church; and the idea of It were easy for us to cite the
the church includes unity, sanctity, commission of our Lord to the teach VOL. Vl.- 5I.
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