----------------------------------------
---------------------     ,transcriber's
 ,notes3 ,fixed a few obvious typos in  
the text3      actually for actully1    
origin for orgin2 and changed the       
case of sees to ,sees4                  
----------------------------------------
---------------------      ,,the        
,,purpose ,,of ,,the ,,papacy     ,,by  
,,the ,,right ,,reverend    ,,john ,s4  
,,vaughan1 ,d4,d4    ,,bishop ,,of      
,,sebastopolis     ,,author ,,of        
,,thoughts ,,for ,,all ,,times1         
,,dangers ,,of ,,the ,,day    ,,life    
,,after ,,death1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4         
,let us go back to the beginning of the 
sixteenth century4      ,either there   
was a ,church of ,god then in the world1
 or there      was not4 ,if there was   
not1 then the ,reformers certainly      
could not create such a ,church4 ,it    
there was1 they as      certainly had   
neither the right to abandon it1 nor the
 power      to remodel it4--,j4,k4      
,,stone4     ,london    ,,sands  ,,co4  

#ae ,,king ,,street1 ,,covent ,,garden  
,,edinburgh3 #ba ,,hanover ,,street     
,,st4 ,,louis1 ,mo41 ,u4,s4,a43 ,b4     
,,herder     #aiaj     ,,introduction4  
,it may seem an impertinence on the     
present writer's part to indite a       
preface to the work of a brother        
,bishop2 and it would be a still greater
 one to pretend to introduce the ,author
 of this little book to the reading     
public1 to whom he is so well and so    
favourably known by a stately array of  
preceding volumes4 ,nevertheless ,bishop
 ,vaughan has been so insistent on my   
contributing at least a few introductory
 lines1 that1 for old friendship's sake1
 ,i can no longer refuse4  ,it is a     
remarkable and outstanding fact that    
never before in the history of the      
,church has the ,roman ,papacy1 though  
shorn of every vestige of its once      
formidable temporal might1 loomed       
greater in the world1 ruled over such   
vast multitudes of the faithful1 or     
exercised a greater moral power than at 

the present day4 ,never has the         
conscious unity of the whole world-wide 
,church with its ,visible ,head--thanks 
to the marvellous developments of modern
 means of communication and             
transport--been so vivid1 so general1 so
 intense as in these times4 ,not only   
does the ,pope's writ run1 as we may    
say1 by post and telegraph1 and         
penetrate to the inmost recesses of     
every part of the globe1 so that the    
,holy ,see is in daily1 nay hourly      
communication with every bishop and     
every local ,catholic community2 but    
never has there been a time when so many
 thousands1 nay tens of thousands of    
,catholic clergy and laity1 even from   
the remotest lands1 have actually seen  
the ,vicar of ,christ with their own    
eyes1 heard his voice1 received his     
personal benediction4 ,well may we say  
to ,pius ,x4 as to ,leo ,,xiii43 ,lift  
up thy eyes round about and see2 all    
these are gathered together1 they are   
come to thee2 thy sons shall come from  

afar1 and thy daughters shall rise up at
 thy side4 ,then shalt thou see and     
abound1 and thy heart shall wonder and  
be enlarged1 when the multitude of the  
sea shall be converted to thee1 the     
strength of the ,gentiles shall come to 
thee 7,isaias1 lx4 #d1 #e74  ,but not   
only is the present position of the     
,papacy thus unique and phenomenal in   
the world2 as the ,author of this little
 book shows in his first part1 its      
career across the more than nineteen    
centuries of the world's chequered      
history1 from ,peter to ,pius ,x41 is no
 less unique and no less phenomenal4    
,this is a fact which may well rivet the
 attention1 not of the ,catholic alone1 
but of every thinking man1 be he        
,christian or non-,christian1 and which 
surely calls for some explanation that  
lies beyond and above that of the       
ordinary phenomena of history4 ,the only
 possible satisfactory solution of this 
problem is the one so concisely1 yet so 
simply1 set forth in the following      

pages4  ,the second part is concerned   
with a more particular aspect of the    
same problem1 in its relation to the    
,church in this country1 and especially 
to that incredible latter-day myth which
 goes by the name of the ,continuity    
,theory4 ,it is difficult to us to      
realise how such a theory can possibly  
be held by thoughtful and earnest men   
and women who have even a moderate      
acquaintance with history4 ,bishop      
,vaughan applies more than one          
touchstone1 which1 one would imagine1   
ought to be sufficient to prove to any  
unprejudiced mind the falsity of that   
theory4 ,among these1 what ,i may call  
the pallium touchstone1--which still    
bears its irrefragable testimony in the 
arms of the ,archbishops of             
,canterbury1#a--;has always appeared to 
me peculiarly conclusive4#b  ,in the    
present small volume1 ,bishop ,vaughan  
adds another to the series of popular   
and instructive books which have made   
his name a household word among         

,catholic writers4 ,may its success and 
its utility be as great as in the case  
of those which have preceded it4        
cross ,,louis ,,charles1        ,bishop 
of ,salford4  ,,footnotes3  ,footnote   
#a3 ,not in those of ,york since #aedd1 
see ,woodward's ,ecclesiastical         
,heraldry1 p4 #aia and plate ,,xx4      
,footnote #b3 ,see ,the ,pallium1 by    
,fr4 ,thurston1 ,s4,j41 7,c4,t4,s47 and 
the striking list in ,baxter's ,english 
,cardinals1 pp4 #ic-ih4     ,,author',s 
,,preface4   ,the following chapters    
were not intended originally for        
publication4 ,if they are now offered to
 the public in book form1 it is only in 
response to the expressed request of    
many1 who listened to them when         
delivered viva voce1 and who now wish to
 possess a more permanent record of what
 was said4  ,in the hope that they may  
help1 in some slight measure at least1  
to promote the sacred cause of truth1 we
 wish them ,godspeed4     cross ,,john  
,s4 ,,vaughan1       ,bishop of         

,sebastopolis4     ,,xaverian ,,college1
    ,,manchester            ,january1   
#aiaj4      ,,contents4   ,,chap4       
,,page      ,i4 ,,general ,,notions     
#c     ,,ii4 ,,the ,,pope',s ,,great    
,,prerogative                           
#ah    ,,iii4 ,,watchman6 ,,what ,,of   
,,the ,,night8                          
#ce     ,,iv4 ,,the ,,church ,,and ,,the
 ,,sects                                
#ec      ,v4 ,,the ,,pope',s            
,,infallible ,,authority                
#fi     ,,vi4 ,,the ,,pope',s ,,ordinary
 ,,authority                            
#hg      ,,part ,,ii4     ,,the         
,,anglican ,,theory ,,of ,,continuity   
,,in ,,the ,,church ,,of ,,england1     
,,or    ,,the ,,authority ,,of ,,the    
,,pope ,,in ,,england ,,in              
,,pre-,,reformation ,,times4         ,i4
 ,,the ,,church ,,in ,,england ,,before 
,,the ,,reformation             #ajg    
,,ii4 ,,the ,,oath ,,of ,,obedience     
#aag       ,,iii4 ,,the ,,awkward       
,,dilemma                               

#acj        ,,iv4 ,,king ,,edward ,,and 
,,the ,,pope                            
#ade     ,,the ,,purpose ,,of ,,the     
,,papacy4     ,,chapter ,i4  ,,general  
,,notions4   ,no one who is given to    
serious reflection1 can gaze over the   
face of the earth at the present day    
without being struck by the religious   
confusion that everywhere reigns4 ,who1 
indeed1 can help being staggered as well
 as saddened by the extraordinary       
differences1 the irreconcilable views1  
and the diversities of opinion1 even    
upon fundamental points1 that are found 
dividing ,christians in ,protestant     
lands6 ,the number of sects has so      
multiplied1 that an earnest enquirer    
scarcely knows which way to turn1 or    
where to look for the pure unadulterated
 truth4 ,a spiritual darkness hangs over
 the non-,catholic world2 and chaos     
seems to have come again4  ,yet1 amid   
this almost universal confusion1 one    
bright and luminous path may be easily  
descried4 ,as a broad highroad runs     

straight through some tangled forest1 so
 this path runs through the ages1 from  
the time of ,christ1 even to the present
 day4  ,we can trace its course1 from   
its earliest inception in apostolic     
times1 and then in its development age  
after age1 down to our own day3 from    
,peter to ,gregory1 from ,gregory to    
,leo1 and from ,leo to ,pius ,x41 now   
gloriously reigning4 ,we refer to the   
mystical 7and one might almost say the  
miraculous7 path trodden by the ,popes1 
each ,pontiff carrying in turn1 and then
 handing on to his successor1 the       
glorious torch of divine truth4 ,though 
clouds may gather and thunders may roll1
 and tempests may rage1 and though the  
surrounding darkness may grow deeper and
 deeper1 that supernatural light has    
never failed1 nor grown dim1 nor refused
 to shed its beams and to illuminate the
 way4#c  ,the continual persistency of  
the ,papacy1 to whom this steadily      
burning torch of truth has been         
entrusted1 is unquestionably one of the 

most certain1 as it is one of the most  
startling facts in the whole of history4
 ,it stares us full in the face4 ,it    
arrests the attention of even the least 
observant4 ,it puzzles the historian4   
,it taxes the explanatory powers of the 
philosopher1 and will remain to the end1
 a permanent difficulty to the scoffer  
and to the sceptic1 and to all those who
 have not faith4 ,as a fact in history1 
it is unique3 forming an extraordinary  
exception to the law of universal       
change3 a portent1 and a standing       
miracle4 ,its persistence1 century after
 century1 in spite of fire and sword2 of
 persecution from without1 and of       
treachery from within2 in prosperity1   
and in adversity2 in honour and         
dishonour2 while kingdoms rise and fall2
 and while one civilisation yields to a 
higher1 and the very conditions of      
society shift and change1 is deeply     
significative1 and betokens an inherent 
strength and vitality that is more than 
natural and that must be referred to    

some source greater than itself1 yea1 to
 a power far mightier than anything in  
this world1--viz41 to the abiding       
presence and divine support of ,christ  
the ,man-,god4  ,verily1 there is but   
one possible explanation1 and that      
explanation is furnished us1 by the     
words of the promise made by            
,god-incarnate1 viz41 ,behold1 ,i am    
with you all days1 even unto the        
consummation of the world 7,matt1       
xxviii4 #bj74 ,yes1 ,i1 ,who am the true
 light which enlighteneth every man that
 cometh into this world 7,john i4 #i71  
will abide with you for ever1 and will  
lead you into all truth 7,john xvi4     
#ac74  ,if but few persons1 outside the 
,catholic ,church1 realise the force and
 import of these words1 it is because   
few realise the absolute and            
irresistible power of ,him ,who gave    
them utterance4 ,with their lips they   
profess ,christ to be ,god1 but then1   
strange to relate1 they proceed to      
reason and to argue1 just as though ,he 

were merely man--one1 that is to say1   
,who1 when ,he established ,his ,church1
 did not consider nor bear in mind man's
 weakness and fickleness1 and who       
possessed no power to see the outcome of
 ,his own policy1 nor the difficulties  
that it would engender1 nor the future  
multiplication of the faithful1 in every
 part of the world4 ,for1 did ,he know  
and foresee all these things1 ,he must  
have guarded against them2 and this they
 practically deny1 by continuing to     
associate themselves with churches where
 ,his promises are in no sense          
fulfilled1 and where ,his most solemn   
pledges remain unredeemed4 ,we refer to 
those churches wherein there is no      
recognised infallible authority2 in     
fact1 nothing to protect their subjects 
from the inroads of the world1 and from 
the faults and errors inseparable from  
the exercise of purely human and        
fallible reason4  ,those1 however1 who  
can put aside such false notions1 and   
awaken to the real facts1 will find the 

truth growing luminous before their     
gaze4 ,history constrains them to admit 
that it was ,christ ,who established the
 ,church1 with its supreme head1 and its
 various members4 ,but ,christ is verily
 ,god2 of the same nature1 and one with 
the ,father1 and possessing the same    
divine attributes4 ,now1 since ,he is   
,god1 there is to ,him no future1 just  
as there is no past4 ,to him1 all is    
equally present4 ,hence1 in establishing
 a ,church1 and in providing it with    
laws and a constitution1 ,he did this1  
not tentatively1 not experimentally1 not
 in ignorance of man's needs and        
weaknesses1 and folly1 but with a most  
perfect foreknowledge of every          
circumstance and event1 actual and to   
come4 ,he spoke and ordered and arranged
 all things1 with ,his eyes clearly     
fixed on the most remote ages1 no less  
than on the present and the actual4 ,we 
mortals write history after the         
characters have already lived and died1 
and when nations have already developed 

and run their course4 ,but with ,christ1
 the whole history of man1 his wars and 
his conquests1 his vices and his        
virtues1 his religious opinions and     
doctrines1 had been already written and 
completed1 down to the very last line of
 the very last chapter1 an eternity     
before ,he assumed our nature and       
founded ,his ,church4 ,it was with this 
most intimate knowledge before ,him1    
that ,he promised to provide us with a  
reliable and infallible teacher1 who    
should safeguard ,his doctrine1 and     
publish the glad tidings of the ,gospel1
 throughout all time1 even unto the     
consummation of the world4 ,since it is 
,god ,who promises1 it follows1 with all
 the rigour of logic1 that this fearless
 ,witness and living ,teacher must be a 
fact1 not a figment2 a stupendous       
reality1 not a mere name2 ,one1 in a    
word1 possessing and wielding the       
self-same authority as ,himself1 and to 
be received and obeyed and accepted as  
,himself3 ,who heareth you heareth ,me  

7,luke x4 #af74  ,this teacher was to be
 a supreme court of appeal1 and a       
tribunal1 before which every case could 
be tried1 and definitely settled1 once  
for all4 ,and since this tribunal was a 
divine creation1 and invested by ,god   
,himself with supernatural powers for   
that specific purpose1 it must be fully 
equipped1 and thoroughly competent and  
equal to its work4 ,for ,god always     
adapts means to ends4 ,hence it can     
never resemble the tribunals existing in
 man-made churches1 which can but mutter
 empty phrases1 suggest compromises1 and
 clothe thought in wholly ambiguous     
language--tribunals that dare not commit
 themselves to anything definite and    
precise4 ,yea1 which utterly fail and   
break down just at the critical moment1 
when men are dividing and disagreeing   
among themselves1 and most needing a    
prompt and clear decision1 which may    
close up the breach and bring them      
together4  ,no6 ,the decisions of the   
authority set up by ,christ are in very 

truth--just what we expect to find      
them--viz41 clear1 ringing and definite4
 ,they divide light from darkness1 as by
 a divine hand2 and segregate truth from
 error1 as a shepherd separates the     
sheep from the goats4  ,christ promised 
as much as this1 and if ,he keep not    
,his promise1 then ,he can hold out no  
claim to be ,god1 for though ,heaven and
 earth may pass away1 ,god's words shall
 never pass away4 ,that ,he did so      
promise is quite evident2 and may be    
proved1 first1 explicitly1 and from ,his
 own words1 and secondly1 implicitly1   
from the very necessity of the case2 and
 from the whole history of religious    
development4 ,cardinal ,newman1 even    
before his reception into the ,church1  
was so fully persuaded of this1 that he 
wrote3 ,if ,christianity is both social 
and dogmatic1 and intended for all ages1
 it must1 humanly speaking1 have an     
infallible expounder4444 ,by the ,church
 of ,england a hollow uniformity is     
preferred to an infallible chair2 and by

 the sects in ,england an interminable  
division 7,develop41 etc41 p4 #ij74 ,in 
the ,catholic ,church alone the need is 
fully met4  ,the ,church is established 
on earth by the direct act of ,god1 and 
is set as an army in battle array4 ,it  
exists for the express purpose of       
combating error and repressing evil1 in 
whatever form it may appear2 and whether
 it be instigated by the devil1 or the  
world1 or the flesh4 ,but1 let us ask1  
,who ever heard of an army without a    
chief8 ,an army without a supreme       
commander is an army without            
subordination and without law or order2 
or rather1 it is not an army at all1 but
 a rabble1 a mob4  ,the supreme head of 
,christ's army--of ,christ's ,church    
upon earth1 is our ,sovereign ,lord the 
,pope4 ,some will not accept his rule1  
and refuse to admit his authority4 ,but 
this is not only to be expected4 ,it was
 actually foretold4 ,as they cried out1 
of old1 to one even greater than the    
,pope1 ,we will not have this man to    

reign over us 7,luke xix4 #ad71 so now  
men of similar spirit repeat the        
self-same cry1 with regard to ,christ's 
vicar4  ,nevertheless1 wheresoever his  
authority is loyally accepted1 and where
 submission1 respect and obedience are  
shown to him1 there results the order   
and harmony and unity promised by       
,christ3 while1 on the contrary1 where  
he is not suffered to reign there is    
disorder1 rivalry and sects4  ,to be    
able to look forward and to foresee such
 opposite results would perhaps need a  
prophetic eye1 an accurate estimate of  
human nature1 and a very nice balancing 
of cause and effect4 ,it could be the   
prognostication only of a wise1         
judicious1 and observant mind4 ,but we  
are now looking1 not forwards1 but      
backwards1 and in looking backwards the 
case is reduced to the greatest         
simplicity1 so that even a child can    
understand2 and he that runs may read4  
,the simplest intelligence1 if only it  
will set aside prejudice and pride1 and 

just attend and watch1 will be led1     
without difficulty1 to the following    
conclusions3 firstly1 without an        
altogether special divine support1 no   
authority can claim and exercise        
infallibility in its teaching2 and      
secondly1 without such infallibility in 
its teaching no continuous unity can be 
maintained among vast multitudes of     
people1 least of all concerning dogmas  
most abstruse1 mysteries most sublime   
and incomprehensible1 and laws and      
regulations both galling and humiliating
 to human arrogance and pride4  ,it is  
precisely because the ,catholic ,church 
alone possesses such a supreme and      
infallible authority that she alone is  
able to present to the world that which 
follows directly from it1 namely a      
complete unity and cohesion within her  
own borders4  ,yes6 ,strange to say3 the
 ,catholic ,church to-day stands alone6 
,there is no rival to dispute with her1 
her unique and peerless position4 ,of   
all the so-called ,christian ,churches1 

throughout the world1 so various and so 
numerous1 and1 in many cases1 so modern 
and so fantastic1 there is not a single 
one that can approach her1 even         
distantly1 whether it be in 7a7 the     
breadth of her influence1 or in 7b7 the 
diversity and dissimilarity of her      
adherents1 or in 7c7 the number of her  
children1 or in 7d7 the extent of her   
conquests1 or 7e7 in the absolute unity 
of her composition4  ,even were it      
possible to unite into one single body  
the great multitude of warring sects1 of
 which ,protestantism is made up1 such a
 body would fall far short of the       
stature of her who has received the     
gentiles for her inheritance1 and the   
uttermost parts of the earth for her    
possession 7,ps4 ii4 #h71 and who has   
the ,holy ,ghost abiding with her1      
century after century1 in order that she
 may be a witness unto ,christ1 in      
,jerusalem1 and in all ,judea1 and      
,samaria1 and even to the uttermost     
parts of the world 7,acts i4 #h74 ,but  

we cannot1 even in thought1 unite such  
contradictories1 such discordant        
elements2 any more than we can reduce   
the strident sounds of a multitude of   
cacophonous instruments to one          
harmonious and beautiful melody4  ,and  
if the ,catholic ,church stands thus    
alone1 again we repeat1 it is because no
 other has received the promise of      
divine support1 or even cares to        
recognise that such a promise was ever  
made4 ,the ,catholic ,church has been   
the only ,church not only to exercise1  
but even to claim the prerogative of    
infallibility3 but she has claimed this 
from the beginning4 ,every child born   
into her fold has been taught to profess
 and to believe1 firstly1 that the      
,catholic ,church is the sole official  
and ,god-appointed guardian of the      
sacred deposit of divine truth1 and1    
secondly1 that she1 and no other1       
enunciates to the entire world--to all  
who have ears to hear--the full         
revelation of ,christ--,his truth2 the  

whole truth1 and nothing but the truth2 
fulfilling1 to the letter1 the command  
of her ,divine ,master1 ,go into the    
whole world1 and preach the ,gospel to  
every creature 7,mark xvi4 #ae74  ,how  
has this been possible8 ,simply and     
solely because ,god1 ,who promised that 
the ,spirit of ,truth 7i4e41 the ,holy  
,ghost7 should abide with her for ever2 
and should guide her in all truth 7,john
 xiv4 #af1 xvi4 #ab71 keeps ,his        
promise4 ,when our ,lord promised to be 
with the teaching ,church1 in the       
execution of the divine commission      
assigned to it1 always and to the end of
 the world1 that promise clearly        
implied1 and was a guarantee1 first1    
that the teaching authority should exist
 indefectibly to the end of the world2  
and secondly1 that throughout the whole 
course of its existence it should be    
divinely guarded and assisted in        
fulfilling the commission given to it1  
viz41 in instructing the nations in all 
things whatsoever ,christ has commanded1

 in other words1 that it should be their
 infallible ,guide and ,teacher4        
,venerable ,bede1 speaking of the       
conversion of our own country by        
,augustine and his monks1 sent by ,pope 
,gregory the ,great1 says3 ,and whereas 
he ,pope ,gregory bore the ,pontifical  
power over all the world1 and was placed
 over the ,churches already reduced to  
the faith of truth1 he made our nation1 
till then given up to idols1 the ,church
 of ,christ 7,hist4 ,eccl4 lib4 ii4 c4  
#a74 ,if we will but listen to the ,pope
 now1 he will make it once again the    
,church of ,christ1 instead of the      
,church of the ,reformation1 and a true 
living branch1 drawing its life from the
 one vine1 instead of a detached and    
fallen branch1 with heresy1 like some   
deadly decay1 eating into its very      
vitals4  ,,footnotes3  ,footnote #c3 ,no
 ,pope1 no matter what may have been his
 private conduct1 ever promulgated a    
decree against the purity of faith and  
morals4     ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,the      

,,pope',s ,,great ,,prerogative4   ,the 
clear and certain recognition of a great
 truth is seldom the work of a day4 ,we 
often possess it in a confused and      
hidden way1 before we can detect1 to a  
nicety1 its exact nature and            
limitations4 ,it takes time to declare  
itself with precision1 and1 like a plant
 in its rudimentary stages1 it may      
sometimes be mistaken for what it is    
not--though1 once it has reached        
maturity1 we can mistake it no longer4  
,as ,cardinal ,newman observes3 ,an idea
 grows in the mind by remaining there2  
it becomes familiar and distinct1 and is
 viewed in its relations2 it leads to   
other aspects1 and these again to       
others4444 ,such intellectual processes 
as are carried on silently and          
spontaneously in the mind of a party or 
school1 of necessity come to light at a 
later date1 and are recognised1 and     
their issues are scientifically         
arranged4 ,consequently1 though dogma is
 unchangeable as truth is unchangeable1 

this immutability does not exclude      
progress4 ,in the ,church1 such progress
 is nothing else than the development of
 the principles laid down in the        
beginning by ,jesus ,christ ,himself4   
,thus--to take a simple illustration--in
 three different councils1 the ,church  
has declared and proposed three         
different articles of ,faith1 viz41 that
 in ,jesus ,christ there are 7#a7 two   
natures1 7#b7 two wills1 and 7#c7 one   
only ,person4 ,these may seem to some1  
who cannot look beneath the surface1 to 
be three entirely new doctrines2 to be1 
in fact1 additions to the creed4 ,in    
sober truth1 they are but expansions of 
the original doctrine which1 in its     
primitive and revealed form1 has been   
known and taught at all times1 that is  
to say1 the doctrine that ,christ is1 at
 once1 true ,god and true ,man4 ,that   
one statement really contains the other 
three2 the other three merely give us a 
fuller and a completer grasp of the     
original one1 but tell us nothing       

absolutely new4  ,in a similar manner1  
and by a similar process1 we arrive at a
 clearer and more explicit knowledge of 
other important truths1 which were not  
at first universally recognised as being
 contained in the original deposit4 ,the
 dogma of ,papal infallibility is an    
instance in point4 ,for though no       
,catholic ever doubted the genuine      
infallibility of the ,church1 yet in the
 early centuries1 there existed some    
difference of opinion1 as to where      
precisely the infallible authority      
resided4 ,most ,catholics1 even then1   
believed it to be a gift conferred by   
,christ upon ,peter himself who alone is
 the rock1 and upon each ,pope who      
succeeded him in his office1 personally 
and individually1 but some were of      
opinion that1 not the ,pope by himself1 
but only the ,pope-in-,council1 that is 
to say1 the ,pope supported by a        
majority of ,bishops1 was to be         
considered infallible4 ,so that1 while  
all admitted the ,pope with a majority  

of the ,bishops1 taken together1 to be  
divinely safeguarded from teaching      
error1 yet the prevailing and dominant  
opinion1 from the very first1 went much 
further1 and ascribed this protection to
 the ,sovereign ,pontiff likewise when  
acting alone and unsupported4 ,this is  
so well known1 that even the late ,mr4  
,gladstone1 speaking as an outside      
observer1 and as a mere student of      
history1 positively brings it as a      
charge against the ,catholic ,church    
that the ,popes1 for well-nigh a        
thousand years1 have kept up1 with      
comparatively little intermission1 their
 claim to dogmatic infallibility 7,vat4 
p4 #bh74 ,still1 the point remained     
unsettled by any dogmatic definition1 so
 that1 as late as in #agic1 ,archbishop 
,troy of ,dublin did but express the    
true ,catholic view of his own day when 
he wrote3 ,many ,catholics contend that 
the ,pope1 when teaching the ,universal 
,church1 as their supreme visible head  
and pastor1 as successor to ,st4 ,peter1

 and heir to the promises of special    
assistance made to him by ,jesus        
,christ1 is infallible2 and that his    
decrees and decisions in that capacity  
are to be respected as rules of faith1  
when they are dogmatical1 or confined to
 doctrinal points of faith and morals4  
,others1 the ,archbishop goes on to     
explain1 deny this1 and require the     
expressed or tacit acquiescence of the  
,church assembled or dispersed1 to stamp
 infallibility on his dogmatic decrees4 
,then he concludes3--,until the ,church 
shall decide upon this question of the  
,schools1 either opinion may be adopted 
by individual ,catholics1 without any   
breach of ,catholic communion or peace4 
,this was how the question stood until  
#ahgj4 ,but it stands in that position  
no longer2 for the ,church has now      
spoken--,roma locuta est1 causa finita4 
,hence1 no ,catholic can now deny or    
call into question the great prerogative
 of the ,vicar of ,christ1 without      
suffering shipwreck of the faith4 ,at   

the ,vatican ,council1 ,pope ,pius ,,ix4
 and the ,archbishops and ,bishops of   
the entire ,catholic world were gathered
 together in ,rome1 and after earnest   
prayer and prolonged discussion1 they   
declared that the prerogative of        
infallibility1 which is the very source 
of ,catholic unity1 and the very secret 
of ,catholic strength1 resides in the   
individual ,pope who happens1 at the    
time1 to occupy the ,papal chair1 and   
that when he speaks ex cathedr1 his     
definitions are infallibly true1 and    
consonant with ,catholic revelation1    
even before they have been accepted by  
the hierarchy throughout the world4 ,but
 here it must be borne in mind that the 
,pope speaks ex cathedr1 that is to say1
 infallibly1 only when he speaks3--     
#a4 ,as the ,universal ,teacher4        
#b4 ,in the name and with the authority 
of the ,apostles4       #c4 ,on a point 
of ,faith or ,morals4       #d4 ,with   
the purpose of binding every member of  
the ,church to         accept and       

believe his decision4  ,thus it is      
clearly seen that from the year #ahgj   
the dogma of ,papal1 in                 
contra-distinction to ecclesiastical    
infallibility1 has been defined and     
raised to an article of faith1 the      
denial of which is heresy4  ,the        
doctrine is at once new and yet not new4
 ,it is new in the sense that up to the 
time of the ,vatican ,council it had    
never been actually drawn out of the    
premises that contained it1 and set     
forth before the faithful in a formal   
definition4 ,on the other hand1 it is   
not new1 but as old as ,christianity1 in
 the sense that it was always contained 
implicitly in the deposit of faith4 ,any
 body of truth that is living grows1 and
 unfolds and becomes more clearly       
understood and more thoroughly grasped1 
as time wears on4 ,the entire books of  
,euclid are after all but the outcome of
 a few axioms and accepted definitions4 
,these axioms help us to build up       
certain propositions4 ,and one          

proposition1 when established1 leads to 
another1 till at last we seem to have   
unearthed statements entirely new and   
original4 ,yet1 they are certainly not  
really new1 for had they not been all   
along contained implicitly in the few   
initial facts1 it is quite clear they   
could never have been evolved from them4
 ,nemo dat1 quod non habet4  ,hence     
,papal ,infallibility is not so much a  
new truth1 or an addition to the ,faith1
 as some heretics would foolishly try to
 persuade us1 as a clearer expression   
and a more exact and detailed           
presentation of what was taught from the
 beginning4  ,it is here that the       
well-known historian1 ,dllinger1 who    
rejected the definition1 proved himself 
to be not only a proud rebel but also a 
very poor logician4 ,until #ahgj1 he was
 a practising ,catholic1 and1 therefore1
 like every other ,catholic1 he1 of     
course1 admitted that the ,pope and the 
,bishops1 speaking collectively1 were   
divinely supported and safeguarded from 

error1 when they enunciated to the world
 any doctrine touching faith or morals4 
,yet1 when the ,pope and the ,bishops1  
assembled at the ,vatican1 did so speak 
collectively1 and did conjointly issue  
the decree of ,papal ,infallibility1 he 
proceeded to eat his own words1 refused 
to abide by their decision1 and was     
deservedly turned out of the ,church of 
,god3 being excommunicated by the       
,archbishop of ,munich on the #agth of  
,april1 #ahga1 in virtue of the         
instructions given by ,our ,divine ,lord
 ,himself1 viz43 ,if he will not hear   
the ,church 7cast him out1 i4e471 let   
him be to thee as the heathen and       
publican 7,matt4 xviii4 #ag74 ,he1 and  
the few misguided men that followed him 
in his rebellion1 and called themselves 
,old ,catholics1 had been quite ready to
 believe that the ,pope1 with the       
,bishops1 when speaking as one body1    
were ,infallible4 ,in fact1 if they had 
not believed that1 they never could have
 been ,catholics at any time4 ,but they 

did not seem to realise the sufficiently
 obvious fact that1 whether they will it
 or not1 and whether they advert to it  
or not1 it is utterly impossible now to 
deny the ,infallibility of the ,pope    
personally and alone1 without at the    
same time denying the ,infallibility of 
the ,pope and the ,bishops collectively1
 for the simple reason that it is       
precisely the ,pope and the ,bishops    
collectively who have solemnly and in   
open session declared that the ,pope    
enjoys the prerogative of ,infallibility
 in his own individual person4 ,since   
the ,vatican ,council1 one is forced by 
the strict requirements of sound reason 
to believe1 either that the ,pope is    
,infallible1 or else that there is no   
,infallibility in the ,church at all1   
and that there never had been4  ,those  
who were too proud to submit to the     
definition followed1 of course1 the     
example of earlier heretics in previous 
,councils4 ,they excused themselves on  
the plea that the ,council was 7a7 not  

free1 or else 7b7 not sufficiently      
representative1 or1 finally1 7c7 not    
unanimous in its decisions4 ,but such   
utterly unsupported allegations served  
only to accentuate the weakness of their
 cause and the hopelessness of their    
position2 since it would be difficult1  
from the origin of the ,church to the   
present time1 to find any ,council so   
free1 so representative1 and so         
unanimous4  ,pope ,pius ,,ix4 7whom1 it 
seems likely1 we shall soon be called   
upon to venerate as a canonised saint7  
convened the ,vatican ,council by the   
,bull terni ,patris1 published on #bith 
,june1 #ahfh4 ,it summoned all the      
,archbishops1 ,bishops1 ,patriarchs1    
etc41 throughout the ,catholic world to 
meet together in ,rome on #hth ,december
 of the following year1 #ahfi4 ,when the
 appointed day arrived1 and the ,council
 was formally opened1 there were present
 #gai representatives from all parts of 
the world1 and very soon after1 this    
number was increased to #gfi4 ,on #ahth 

,july1 #ahgj--;a day for ever memorable 
in the annals of the ,church--the fourth
 public session was held1 and the       
constitution ,pater ternus1 containing  
the definition of the ,papal            
,infallibility1 was solemnly            
promulgated4 ,of the #ece who were      
present on this grand occasion1 #ecc    
voted for the definition 7placet7 and   
only two1 one from ,sicily1 the other   
from the ,united ,states1 voted against 
it 7non placet74 ,fifty-five ,bishops1  
who fully accepted the doctrine itself1 
but deemed its actual definition at that
 moment inopportune1 simply absented    
themselves from this session4 ,finally1 
the ,holy ,father1 in the exercise of   
his supreme authority1 sanctioned the   
decision of the ,council1 and proclaimed
 officially1 urbi et orbi the decrees   
and the canons of the ,first ,dogmatic  
,constitution of the ,church of ,christ4
  ,it may be well here to clothe the    
,latin words of the ,pope and the       
assembled ,bishops in an ,english dress4

 ,they are as follows3 ,we 7the ,sacred 
,council approving7 teach and define    
that it is a dogma revealed1 that the   
,roman ,pontiff1 when he speaks ex      
cathedr--that is1 when discharging the  
office of ,pastor and ,teacher of all   
,christians1 by reason of his supreme   
,apostolic authority1 he defines a      
doctrine regarding faith or morals to be
 held by the whole ,church--in virtue of
 the ,divine assistance promised to him 
in ,blessed ,peter1 possesses that      
,infallibility with which the ,divine   
,redeemer willed that ,his ,church      
should be endowed in defining doctrine  
regarding faith or morals1 and that1    
therefore1 such definitions of the said 
,sovereign ,pontiff are unalterable of  
themselves1 and not from the consent of 
the ,church4 ,but if any one--which may 
,god avert--presume to contradict this  
our definition1 let him be anathema4    
,every ,bishop in the ,catholic world1  
however inopportune some may have at one
 time held the definition to be1        

submitted to the ,infallible ruling of  
the ,church1 says ,e4,s4 ,purcell4 ,a   
very small and insignificant number of  
priests and laymen in ,germany          
apostatised and set up the ,sect of     
',old ,catholics'4 ,but all the rest of 
the ,catholic world1 true to their      
faith1 accepted1 without reserve1 the   
dogma of ,papal ,infallibility4#d  ,for 
over eighteen hundred years the         
,infallible authority of the            
,pope-in-,council had been admitted by  
all ,catholics4 ,and in any great       
emergency or crisis in the ,church's    
history1 these ,councils were actually  
held1 and presided over by the ,pope1   
either in person or by his duly         
appointed representatives1 for the      
purpose of clearing up and adjusting    
disputed points1 or to smite1 with a    
withering anathema1 the various heresies
 as they arose1 century after century4  
,but in the meantime1 the ,church1 which
 had been planted like a grain of       
mustard seed1 which is the least of all 

seeds 7,mark iv4 #ca71 was fulfilling   
the prophecy that had been made in      
regard to her1 and was shooting out     
great branches 7,mark iv4 #cb7 and      
becoming more extended and more prolific
 than all her rivals4 ,she enlarged her 
boundaries and spread farther and       
farther over the face of the earth1     
while the number of her children rapidly
 multiplied in every direction4  ,in    
course of time1 the immense continents  
of ,america and ,australia1 together    
with ,new ,zealand and ,tasmania and    
other hitherto unknown regions1 were    
discovered and thrown open to the       
influences of human industry and        
enterprise4 ,and as men and women       
swarmed into these newly acquired lands1
 the ,church accompanied them3 and new  
vicariates and dioceses sprang up1 and  
important ,sees were formed1 which in   
time1 as the populations thickened1     
became divided and sub-divided into     
smaller ,sees1 till at last the number  
of ,bishops in these once unknown and   

distant regions rose to several         
hundreds4  ,thus the whole condition of 
things became altered2 and the calling  
together of an ,ecumenical ,council--a  
very simple affair in the infancy of the
 ,church--was becoming daily more and   
more difficult4 ,not so much1 perhaps1  
by reason of the enormous distances of  
the dioceses from the central authority1
 for modern methods of locomotion have  
almost annihilated space1 but because of
 the immense increase in the number of  
the hierarchy that would have to meet   
together1 whenever a ,council is called4
  ,on the other hand1 with the greater  
extension of the ,church1 would         
naturally come an increased crop of     
heresies4 ,for1 cockle may be sown1 and 
weeds may spring up1 in any part of the 
field1 and the field is now a hundred   
times vaster than it was4 ,now1 it is   
extremely important that as fast as     
errors arise they should be pointed out1
 and rooted up without delay1 and before
 they can breed a pestilence and corrupt

 a whole neighbourhood4 ,but the        
complicated machinery of a great        
,ecumenical ,council1 which involves    
prolonged preparation1 considerable     
expense1 and a temporary dislocation in 
almost every diocese throughout the     
world1 is too cumbersome and slow to be 
called into requisition whenever a      
heresy has to be blasted1 or whenever a 
decision has to be made known4  ,hence  
we cannot help recognising and admiring 
the ,providence of ,god over ,his       
,church1 in thus simplifying the        
process1 in these strenuous days1 by    
which ,his truth is to be maintained and
 ,his revelation protected4 ,for the    
fact--true from the beginning1 viz41    
that the ,pope enjoys the prerogative of
 personal infallibility--is not only a  
profound truth2 but a truth for the     
first time formally recognised1 defined1
 promulgated and explicitly taught as an
 article of ,divine faith4              
,consequently1 without summoning a      
thousand ,bishops from the four quarters

 of the globe1 the ,sovereign ,pontiff  
may now rise in his own strength1 and   
proclaim to the entire ,church what is1 
and what is not1 consonant with the     
truths of revelation4 ,this is evident  
from the ,vatican's definition1 which   
declares that ,,the ,,pope ,,has ,,that 
,,same ,,infallibility ,,which ,,the    
,,church ,,has--,romanum ,pontificem e  
infallibilitate pollere1 qu divinus     
,redemptor ,ecclesiam suam in definiend 
doctrin de fide vel moribus instructam  
esse voluit4 ,words of the ,bull1       
,,pastor ,,ternus4  ,,footnotes3        
,footnote #d3 ,see ,life of ,cardinal   
,manning1 vol4 ii41 p4 #deb4            
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,watchman6 ,,what    
,,of ,,the ,,night8   ,the most sacred  
deposit of ,divine ,revelation has been 
committed by ,jesus ,christ to the      
custody of the ,church1 and century     
after century she has guarded it with   
the utmost jealousy and fidelity4 ,like 
a loyal watchman1 stationed on a lofty  
tower1 the ,pope1 with anxious eyes1    

scans the length and breadth of the     
world1 and1 as the occasion demands1    
boldly1 and fearlessly1 and             
categorically condemns and anathematises
 all who1 through pride or cunning1 or  
personal interest and ambition1 or love 
of novelty1 attempt to falsify or to    
minimise or to distort the teaching of  
,our ,divine ,master4 ,without respect  
of persons1 without regard to temporal  
consequences1 without either hesitancy  
or ambiguity1 he speaks as one having   
power 7,matt4 vii4 #bi74 ,and while1 on 
the one hand1 every true ,catholic      
throughout the world1 who hears his     
voice1 is intimately conscious that he  
is hearing the voice of ,christ         
,himself1 who heareth you1 heareth ,me  
7,luke x4 #af72 so1 on the other hand1  
every true ,catholic likewise knows that
 all who refuse to obey his ruling1 and 
who despise his warnings1 are despising 
and disobeying ,christ ,himself4 ,who   
despises you1 despises ,me 7,luke x4    
#af74 ,thus1 the ,sovereign ,pontiff1 as

 the infallible source of religious     
truth1 becomes at the same time the     
strong bond of religious unity3 for1    
just as error divides men from one      
another1 so truth always and necessarily
 draws them together4 ,in this way the  
,pope becomes the connecting link which 
unites over #bej1jjj1jjj of men3 and the
 foundation stone 7or petros--,peter7 of
 the mystical building erected by       
,god-incarnate 7,upon this rock will ,i 
build ,my ,church1 ,matt4 xvi4 #ah74 ,he
 is the foundation1 that is to say1     
which supports it1 and keeps its various
 parts together1 in one harmonious and  
symmetrical whole1 and against which the
 angry surges rise1 and the muddy waves 
of error for ever beat1 yet ever beat in
 vain3 for the gates of hell ,satan and 
his hosts shall not prevail against it4 
,who doubts this denies the most formal 
and unmistakable promises of the        
,eternal ,son of ,god1 and makes of ,him
 a liar4  ,our non-,catholic friends    
close their eyes to these patent facts1 

and--with great peril to their          
salvation--refuse to see even the       
obvious4 ,as the ,jews of old were so   
blinded by their prejudice1 jealousy and
 hatred of ,him1 whom they              
contemptuously styled the ,son of the   
,carpenter1 that they steadily refused  
to consider the justice of ,his claims1 
and could not 7or would not87 bring     
themselves to understand how clearly the
 ,scriptures bore witness to ,his       
divinity1 and how marvellously the      
prophecies and predictions 7the words of
 which they accepted71 were fulfilled in
 ,his ,divine ,person2 so now           
,protestants steadily refuse to consider
 the claims of ,her whom they           
contemptuously style the ,romish        
,church1 and are so prejudiced and full 
of suspicion1 if not of hate1 that they 
too cannot bring themselves to          
understand how ,she1 like her ,divine   
,founder1 bears upon her immortal brow  
the distinctive and unmistakable impress
 of her supernatural origin and destiny4

 ,the ,incarnate ,son of ,god1 who never
 asks1 nor can ask in vain1 implored    
,his ,heavenly ,father1 that all ,his   
followers might be one1 and why8 ,in    
order that this marvellous unity might  
ever be fixed as a seal of authenticity 
to ,his ,church1 and be to all men a    
permanent sign and proof of her         
genuineness4  ,father1 ,he prayed1 grant
 that they may ,,all ,,be ,,one1 as     
,thou art in ,me1 and as ,i am in ,thee1
 that they also may be one in us1 ,,that
 ,,the ,,world ,,may ,,know that ,thou  
hast sent ,me 7,john xvii4 #ba74 ,unity1
 then1 is undeniably the test and       
sign-manual attached by ,christ to ,his 
,bride1 the ,church2 the presence or    
absence of which must 7if there be any  
truth in ,god7 determine the genuineness
 or the falsity of every claimant4      
,now1 this mark is nowhere found outside
 the ,one1 ,holy1 ,catholic and         
,apostolic ,church1 whose centre is in  
,rome4  ,other ,churches not merely do  
not possess unity4 ,they do not possess 

so much as the requisite machinery to   
produce it1 nor even the means of       
preserving it1 if produced4  ,with us1  
on the contrary1 it flows as naturally  
and as directly from the recognised     
,supremacy and ,infallibility of the    
,vicar of ,christ as light flows from   
the sun4 ,it is so manifest that it     
would seem only the blind can fail to   
see it3 so that one is sometimes puzzled
 to know how to excuse educated         
,protestants from the damnable sin of   
vincible ignorance4 ,thus1 the faithful 
throughout the entire world are in      
constant communication with their       
respective pastors2 the pastors1 in     
their turn1 are in direct communication 
with their respective ,bishops1 and the 
,bishops1 dispersed throughout the      
length and breadth of ,christendom1 are 
in close and direct communication with  
the one ,supreme and ,infallible ,ruler1
 whom the ,lord has placed over all ,his
 possessions2 who has been promised     
immunity from error2 and whose special  

duty and office is to confirm his       
brethren 7,luke xxii4 #cb74 ,by this    
most simple1 yet most practical and     
effective expedient1 the very least and 
humblest catechumen in ,china or        
,australia is as truly in touch with the
 central authority at the ,vatican1 and 
as completely under its direction in    
matters of faith and morals1 as the     
crowned heads of ,spain or ,austria1 or 
as the ,archbishops of ,paris or        
,malines4 ,certainly ,digitus ,dei est  
hic3 the finger of ,god is here4 ,the   
simple fact is1 there is always         
something about the works of ,god which 
clearly differentiate them from the     
products of man1 however close may be   
the mere external and surface           
resemblance4 ,a thousand artists may    
carve a thousand acorns1 so cunningly   
coloured1 and so admirably contrived as 
to be practically indistinguishable from
 the genuine fruit of the oak4 ,each of 
these thousand artists may present me   
with his manufactured acorn1 and may    

assure me of its genuineness4 ,and1     
alas6 ,i may be quite deceived and taken
 in2 yes1 but only for a time4 ,when ,i 
plant them in the soil1 together with   
the genuine acorn1 and give them time to
 develop1 the fraud is detected1 and the
 truth revealed4 ,for the real seed     
proves its worth4 ,how8 ,in the simplest
 way possible1 that is to say1 by       
actually doing what it was destined and 
created to do4 ,that is1 by growing and 
developing into a majestic oak1 while   
the false and human imitations fall to  
pieces1 belie all one's hopes1 and are  
found to produce neither branch nor leaf
 nor fruit4  ,this is but an            
illustration of what may be observed    
equally in the spiritual order1 although
 there it is attended by more disastrous
 consequences4 ,thus we find hundreds of
 ,churches proclaiming themselves to be 
foundations of ,god1 which ,time1 the   
old ,justice who tries all such         
offenders1 soon proves1 most            
unmistakably1 to be nothing but the     

contrivances of man4 ,they may bear a   
certain external resemblance to the true
 ,church1 planted by the ,divine        
,husbandman1 but like the man-made      
acorns1 they deceive all our            
expectations1 and are wholly unable to  
redeem their promises1 or to live up to 
their pretensions4  ,for1 while one and 
all declare with their lips that they   
possess the truth as revealed by        
,christ1 their glaring divisions1       
irreconcilable differences1 and internal
 dissensions emphatically prove that the
 truth is not in them3 and that they    
have been built1 not on the rock1 but on
 the shifting sand1 and are the         
erections1 not of ,god1 but of feeble1  
fickle men4  ,on the other hand1 the    
,catholic ,church1 amid a thousand      
sects1 resembles the genuine acorn among
 the thousand imitations4 ,not only does
 she alone possess the whole truth2 but 
she alone can stand up and actually     
prove this claim to the entire world1 by
 pointing defiantly at her marvellous   

and miraculous unity--a unity so        
conspicuous1 and so striking1 and so    
absolutely unique1 that even the hostile
 and bigoted ,protestant press can      
sometimes scarcely refrain from bearing 
an unwilling testimony to it4  ,we might
 give many instances of this1 and quote 
from many sources1 but let the following
 extract from ,london's leading journal 
serve as an example4 ,it is no other    
paper than the ,times1 which makes the  
following admission on occasion of the  
,vatican ,council which opened in #ahfi3
 ,seven hundred ,bishops1 more or less1 
representing all ,christendom1 were seen
 gathered round one altar and one       
throne1 partaking of the same ,divine   
,mystery1 and rendering homage1 by      
turns1 to the same spiritual authority  
and power4 ,as they put on their mitres1
 or took them off1 and as they came to  
the steps of the altar1 or the foot of  
the common spiritual ,father1 it was    
,,impossible not to feel the ,,unity and
 the power of the ,church which they    

represented 7#afth ,dec41 #ahfi74 ,here1
 then1 is the most influential journal  
certainly of ,great ,britain1 perhaps of
 the world1 proclaiming to its readers  
far and wide1 not simply that the ,roman
 ,catholic ,church is one1 but that her 
oneness is of such a sterling quality1  
and of so pronounced a character that it
 is impossible--mark the word1          
impossible6--not to feel it4 ,yet men   
ask where the ,church of ,god is to be  
found4 ,they ask for a sign1 and lo6    
when ,god gives them one they cannot see
 it1 nor interpret it1 nor make anything
 out of it3 and prefer to linger on in  
what ,newman calls the cities of        
confusion1 than find peace and security 
in the communion of ,rome1 which is that
 ,church which the ,apostles set up at  
,pentecost1 which alone has 'the        
adoption of sons1 and the glory and the 
covenants and the revealed law1 and the 
service of ,god and the promises1' and  
in which the ,anglican or any other     
,protestant communion1 whatever it      

merits and demerits1 whatever the great 
excellence of individuals in it1 has1 as
 such1 no part4 ,but this is a          
digression4 ,let us return to our       
subject4  ,the incontestable value and  
immense practical importance of the     
,papal prerogative of infallibility have
 been rendered abundantly manifest ever 
since its solemn definition nearly forty
 years ago4 ,in fact1 although the      
enormous increase of the population of  
the world has not rendered the position 
of the ,sovereign ,pontiff any easier1  
yet he is better fitted and equipped    
since the definition to cope promptly   
and effectually with errors and heresies
 as they arise than he was before4 ,we  
do not mean that his prerogative of     
infallibility is invoked upon every     
trivial occasion--one does not call for 
a ,nasmyth hammer to break a nut--but it
 is always there1 in reserve1 and may be
 used1 on occasion1 even without        
summoning an ,ecumenical ,council1 and  
this is a matter of some consequence4   

,for1 though time may bring many changes
 into the life of man1 and may improve  
his physical condition and surroundings1
 and add enormously to his comfort1     
health1 and general corporal well-being1
 it is found to produce no corresponding
 effect upon his corrupt and fallen     
nature1 which asserts itself as         
vigorously now1 after nearly two        
thousand years of ,christianity1 as in  
the past4 ,pride and self still sway    
men's hearts4 ,the spirit of            
independence and self-assertion and     
egotism1 in spite of all efforts at     
repression1 continue to stalk abroad4   
,and human nature1 even to-day1 is      
almost as impatient of restraint1 and as
 unwilling to bear the yoke of          
obedience1 as in the time when ,gregory 
resisted ,henry of ,germany1 or when    
,pius ,,vii4 excommunicated ,napoleon4  
,if1 even in the ,apostolic age1 when   
the number of the faithful was small and
 concentrated1 there were1 nevertheless1
 men of unsound views--wolves in sheep's

 clothing--amongst the flock of ,christ1
 how much more likely is this to be the 
case now4 ,if the ,apostle ,st4 ,paul   
felt called upon to warn his own beloved
 disciples against those who would not  
endure sound doctrine1 and who heaped to
 themselves teachers1 having itching    
ears1 and who even closed their ears to 
the truth1 in order to listen to fables 
7#b ,tim4 iv4 #a-e71 surely we may      
reasonably expect to find1 even in our  
own generation1 many who have fallen1 or
 who are in danger of falling under the 
pernicious influence of false teachers1 
and who are being seduced and led astray
 by the plausible1 but utterly          
fallacious1 reasoning of proud and      
worldly spirits4 ,it would be easy to   
name several1 but they are too well     
known already to need further           
advertising here4  ,then1 she has       
adversaries without1 as well as within4 
,for1 though the ,church is not of the  
world1 she is in the world4 ,which is   
only another way of saying that she is  

surrounded continually and on all sides 
by powerful1 subtle1 and unscrupulous   
foes4 ,the world is the enemy of ,god1  
and therefore of ,his ,church4 ,if its  
votaries cannot destroy her1 nor put an 
end to her charmed life1 they hope1 at  
least1 to defame her character and to   
blacken her reputation4 ,they seize     
every opportunity to misrepresent her   
doctrine1 to travesty her history1 and  
to denounce her as retrograde1 old      
fashioned1 and out of date4 ,and1 what  
makes matters worse1 the falsest and    
most mischievous allegations are often  
accompanied by professions of friendship
 and consideration1 and set forth in    
learned treatises1 with an elegance of  
language and an elevation of style      
calculated to deceive the simple and to 
misguide the unwary4 ,it is ,father ,w4 
,faber who remarks that1 there is not a 
new philosophy nor a freshly named      
science but what deems1 in the ignorance
 of its raw beginnings1 that it will    
either explode the ,church as false or  

set her aside as doting 7,bl4 ,sac4     
,prologue74 ,indeed the world is always 
striving to withdraw men and women from 
their allegiance to the ,church1 through
 appeals to its superior judgment and   
more enlightened experience2 and        
philosophy and history and even theology
 are all pressed into the service1 and  
falsified and misrepresented in such a  
manner as to give colour to its         
complaints and accusations against the  
,bride of ,christ1 who1 it is seriously 
urged1 should make concessions and      
compromises with the modern world1 in   
order to purchase the right to live and 
to dwell within it4 ,what is the        
consequence8 ,let the late ,cardinal    
,archbishop and the ,bishops of ,england
 answer4 ,many ,catholics1 they write in
 their joint pastoral1 are consequently 
in danger of forfeiting not only their  
faith1 but even their independence1 by  
taking for granted as venerable and true
 the halting and disputable judgment of 
some men of letters or of science which 

may represent no more than the wave of  
some popular feeling1 or the views of   
some fashionable or dogmatising school4 
,the bold assertions of men of science  
are received with awe and bated breath1 
the criticisms of an intellectual group 
of savants are quoted as though they    
were rules for a holy life1 while the   
mind of the ,church and her guidance are
 barely spoken of with ordinary         
patience4  ,in a world such as this1    
with the agents of evil ever active and 
threatening1 with error strewn as thorns
 about our path at every step1 and with 
polished and seductive voices whispering
 doubt and suggesting rebellion and     
disobedience to men1 already too prone  
to disloyalty1 and arguing as cunningly 
as ,satan1 of old1 argued with ,eve2 in 
such a world1 who1 we may well ask1 does
 not see the pressing need as well as   
the inestimable advantages and security 
afforded by a living1 vigilant1         
responsible and supreme authority1 where
 all who seek1 may find an answer to    

their doubts1 and a strength and a firm 
support in their weakness8  ,and as     
surely as the need exists1 so surely has
 ,god's watchful providence supplied it1
 in the person of the ,supreme ,pontiff1
 the venerable ,vicar of ,christ on     
earth4 ,he is authorised and            
commissioned by ,christ ,himself to feed
 with sound doctrine1 both the lambs and
 the sheep2 and faithfully has he       
discharged that duty4 ,the ,pope1 writes
 ,cardinal ,newman1 is no recluse1 no   
solitary student1 no dreamer about the  
past1 no doter upon the dead and gone1  
no projector of the visionary4 ,he1 for 
eighteen hundred years1 has lived in the
 world2 he has seen all fortunes1 he has
 encountered all adversaries1 he has    
shaped himself for all emergencies4 ,if 
ever there was a power on earth who had 
an eye for the times1 who has confined  
himself to the practicable1 and has been
 happy in his anticipations1 whose words
 have been facts1 and whose commands    
prophecies1 such is he1 in the history  

of ages1 who sits1 from generation to   
generation1 in the chair of the         
,apostles1 as the ,vicar of ,christ1 and
 the ,doctor of ,his ,church4  ,these   
are not the words of rhetoric1 he       
continues1 but of history4 ,all who take
 part with the ,apostle are on the      
winning side4 ,he has long since given  
warrants for the confidence which he    
claims4 ,from the first1 he has looked  
through the wide world1 of which he has 
the burden2 and1 according to the need  
of the day1 and the inspirations of his 
,lord1 he has set himself1 now to one   
thing1 now to another2 but to all in    
season1 and to nothing in vain4444 ,ah6 
,what grey hairs are on the head of     
,judah1 whose youth is renewed like the 
eagle's1 whose feet are like the feet of
 harts1 and underneath the ,everlasting 
,arms4 ,would that our unfortunate      
countrymen1 tossed about by every wind  
of doctrine1 and torn by endless        
divisions1 could be persuaded to set    
aside pride and prejudice1 and to accept

 the true principle of religious unity  
and peace established by ,god4 ,then    
,england would become again1 what she   
was for over a thousand years1 viz43 the
 most faithful daughter of the ,church  
of ,rome1 and of ,his ,holiness1 the one
 ,sovereign ,pontiff and ,vicar of      
,christ upon earth1 as our ,catholic    
forefathers were wont to describe her4  
,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,the ,,church ,,and   
,,the ,,sects4   ,a natural tendency is 
apparent in all men to differ among     
themselves1 even concerning subjects    
which are simple and easily understood2 
while1 on more difficult and complicated
 issues1 this tendency is1 of course1   
very much more pronounced4 ,hence1 the  
well-known proverb3 ,quot homines1 tot  
sententi--there are as many opinions as 
there are men4  ,now1 if this is found  
to be the case in politics1 literature1 
art1 music1 and indeed in everything    
else1 except perhaps pure mathematics1  
it is found to be yet more universally  
the case in questions of religion1 since

 religion is a subject so much more     
sublime1 abstruse1 and incomprehensible 
than others1 and so full of supernatural
 and mysterious truths1 with which no   
merely human tribunal has any competency
 to deal4 ,then1 let me ask1 what chance
 has a man of arriving at a right       
decision on the most important of all   
questions--questions concerning his own 
eternal salvation--who is thrown into   
the midst of a world where there is no  
uniformity of view on spiritual matters1
 where every variety of opinion is      
expressed and defended1 and where every 
conceivable form of worship has its     
fervent supporters and followers4  ,or1 
leaving all others out of account1 may  
we not well ask how the vast multitudes 
even of ,catholics1 scattered throughout
 such a world as this1 are to maintain  
the unity of the ,spirit in the bond of 
peace 7,eph4 iv4 #c71 to preserve the   
tenets of their creed intact1 and to    
discriminate accurately and readily     
between the teaching of ,god1 and the   

fallacious doctrines of men8 ,in dealing
 with anxious and angry disputants there
 is little use to appeal1 as            
,protestants do1 to the authority of    
teachers who have nothing more to       
commend them than a learning and an     
intelligence but little better than that
 of their disciples4 ,where man differs 
from man each will prefer his own view1 
and claim that his personal opinion is  
as deserving of respect and as likely to
 be right as his adversary's--which is  
practically what obtains among          
non-,catholics at the present day4      
,indeed1 the only superhuman and        
infallible authority on earth recognised
 by them is the ,bible2 and that1 alas6 
has proved a block of stumbling and not 
a bond of union1 since1 in the hands of 
unscrupulous men1 it may be made to     
prove absolutely anything4 ,the most    
sacred and fundamental truths1 even such
 as the sublime doctrine of the ,blessed
 ,trinity1 the ,divinity of ,christ1 and
 the ,atonement1 have all1 at one time  

or another1 been vehemently denied on   
the authority of the ,bible6 ,the       
,anglican ,bishop ,colenso1 in writing  
to the ,times1 could quote eleven texts 
of ,scripture to prove that prayer ought
 not to be offered to ,our ,divine      
,lord6 yet1 it made no difference4 ,he  
was allowed to go on teaching just as   
before6 ,no one seemed to care4 ,what is
 pure ,gospel to ,mr4 ,brown is deadly  
error to ,mr4 ,green2 while the         
fundamental verities of ,mr4 ,thompson  
are the satanical delusions of ,mr4     
,johnson4 ,in fact1 there is really less
 dispute among men as to the            
interpretation of the ,vedas1 of        
,chinese chronology1 or of ,egyptian    
archology1 than of the ,bible1 which1 to
 the eternal dishonour of ,protestant   
commentators1 has now almost ceased to  
have any definite meaning whatever1     
because every imaginable meaning has    
been defended by some and denied by     
others4 ,it is beyond dispute that the  
,bible1 without an infallible ,teacher  

to explain its true meaning1 will be of 
no use whatsoever as a bond of unity4   
,if the unity1 promised by              
,god-incarnate1 is to be secured1 the   
present circumstances of the case1 as   
well as the actual experience of many   
centuries1 prove three conditions to be 
absolutely necessary1 viz43 a teacher   
who is firstly ever living and          
accessible2 secondly1 who can and will  
speak clearly and without ambiguity2 and
 thirdly1 and most essential of all1    
whose decisions are authoritative and   
decisive4 ,one1 in a word1 who can pass 
sentence and close a controversy1 and   
whose verdict will be honoured and      
accepted as final by all ,catholics     
without hesitation4 ,these three        
requisites are found in the person of   
the infallible ,head of the ,catholic   
,church1 but nowhere else4  ,experience 
shows that where1 in religion1 there is 
nothing but mere human learning to      
guide1 however great such learning may  
be1 there will always be room left for  

some differences of opinion4 ,in such   
controversies even the learned and the  
well read will not all arrange          
themselves on one side2 but will        
espouse1 some one view1 and some        
another4 ,we find this to be the case   
everywhere4 ,and1 since the ,church of  
,england offers us as striking and as   
ready an example as any other1 we cannot
 do better than invoke it as both a     
warning and a witness4  ,though her     
adherents are but a small fraction1     
compared with ourselves1 and though they
 are socially and politically far more  
homogeneous than we ,catholics1 who are 
gathered from all the nations of the    
earth1 yet even they1 in the absence of 
any universally recognised and          
infallible head1 are split up into a    
hundred fragments4  ,so that1 even on   
the most essential points of doctrine1  
there is absolutely no true unanimity4  
,this is so undeniable that ,anglican   
,bishops themselves are found lamenting 
and wringing their hands over their     

unhappy divisions4 ,still1 we wish to be
 perfectly just1 so1 in illustration of 
our contention1 we will select1 not one 
of those innumerable minor points which 
it would be easy to bring forward1 but  
some really crucial point of doctrine1  
the importance of which no man in his   
senses will have the hardihood to deny4 
,let us say1 for instance1 the doctrine 
of the ,holy ,eucharist4 ,can we        
conceive anything that a devout         
,christian would be more anxious to     
ascertain than whether ,our ,divine     
,lord and ,saviour be really and        
personally and substantially present    
under the appearance of bread1 or no6   
,picture to yourselves1 then1 a fervent 
worshipper entering an ,anglican church1
 where they are said to reserve1 and    
kneeling before the ,tabernacle4 ,just  
watch the poor unfortunate man utterly  
and hopelessly unable to decide whether 
he is prostrating and pouring out his   
soul before a mere memorial1 a simple   
piece of common bread1 or before the    

,infinite ,creator of the ,universe1 the
 dread ,king of kings1 and ,lord of     
lords1 in ,whose presence the very      
angels veil their faces1 and the strong 
pillars of heaven tremble6 ,imagine a   
,church where such a state of things is 
possible6 ,yet1 we have it on the       
authority of an ,anglican ,bishop--and  
,i know not where we shall find a higher
 authority--that this is indeed the     
case2 as may be gathered from the       
following words1 taken from a charge by 
the late ,bishop ,ryle1 which are surely
 clear enough3 ,one section of our      
7i4e41 ,anglican7 clergy1 says the      
,bishop1 maintains that the ,lord's     
,supper is a sacrifice1 and another     
maintains with equal firmness that it is
 not4444 ,one section maintains that    
there is a real objective presence of   
,christ's ,body and ,blood under the    
forms of the consecrated bread and wine4
 ,the other maintains that there is no  
real presence whatsoever1 except in the 
hearts of the believing communicant4#e  

,was such a state of pitiable           
helplessness ever seen or heard or      
dreamed of anywhere6 ,and yet this      
church1 please to observe1 is supposed  
to be a body sent by ,god to teach4     
,heaven preserve us from such a teacher4
 ,as a further illustration of the utter
 incompetency of the ,establishment to  
perform this primary duty1 we may call  
to mind the strikingly instructive      
correspondence that was published some  
years ago between his ,grace ,archbishop
 ,sumner and ,mr4 ,maskell1 who very    
naturally and very rightly sought       
direction from his ,ordinary concerning 
certain points of doctrine1 of which he 
was in doubt4  ,you ask me1 writes the  
,archbishop to ,mr4 ,maskell1 whether   
you are to conclude that you ought not  
to teach1 and have not the authority of 
the ,anglican ,church to teach any of   
the doctrines spoken of in your five    
former questions1 in the dogmatical     
terms there stated4  ,here1 then1 we    
have a perfectly fair and               

straightforward question1 deserving an  
equally clear and straightforward       
answer3 and such as would be given at   
once if addressed by any ,catholic      
enquirer to his ,bishop4 ,but how does  
the ,anglican ,archbishop proceed to    
calm and comfort this helpless1 agitated
 soul1 groping painfully in the dark8   
,what is his ,grace's reply8 ,he cannot 
refer the matter to a ,sovereign        
,pontiff1 for no ,pontiff in the        
,anglican ,church is possessed of any   
sovereignty whatsoever4 ,in fact the    
,archbishop himself has to verily       
testify and declare that ,his ,majesty  
the ,king is the only supreme ,governor 
in spiritual and ecclesiastical things  
as well as temporal1 etc4#f ,nor dare he
 solve these troublesome doubts himself3
 for he is no more infallible than his  
questioner4 ,then what does he do8      
,practically nothing4 ,he throws the    
whole burden back upon poor ,mr4        
,maskell1 and leaves him to struggle    
with his doubts as best he may4 ,thus2  

though the ,church of ,god was          
established to teach all nations1 and   
must still be teaching all nations if   
she exist at all2 the ,church of        
,england seems unable to teach one      
nation1 or even one man4  ,but to       
continue4 ,the ,archbishop begins by    
putting ,mr4 ,maskell a question4 ,are  
they 7i4e41 the doctrines about which he
 is seeking information7 contained in   
the ,word of ,god8 ,st4 ,paul says1     
',preach the ,word'4444 ,now whether the
 doctrines concerning which you inquire 
are contained in the ,word of ,god1 and 
can be proved thereby1 you have the same
 means of discovering for yourself as ,i
 have1 and ,i have no special authority 
to declare4  ,did any one ever witness  
such an exhibition of ineptitude and    
spiritual asthenia8 ,we can conceive a  
man rejecting all revelation4 ,it is    
possible even to conceive a man denying 
the ,divinity of ,christ4 ,but we know  
nothing that would ever enable us even  
to conceive that ,infinite ,wisdom and  

,infinite ,power had established a      
,church which cannot teach1 or had sent 
an ambassador utterly unable to deliver 
,his message4 ,there is no use for such 
,church as that4 ,total silence is      
better than incoherent speech4 ,what is 
the consequence8 ,the consequence is    
that in the ,anglican community endless 
variations and differences exist and    
flourish side by side1 not alone in     
matters where differences are           
comparatively of little account1 but in 
even the most momentous and fundamental 
doctrines1 such as the necessity of     
,baptism1 the power of ,absolution1 the 
nature of the ,holy ,eucharist1 the     
effects of the sacrament of ,holy       
,orders1 and so forth4 ,were it not for 
the iron hand of the ,state1 which      
grasps her firmly1 and binds her        
mutually repellent elements together1   
she must have fallen to pieces long ago4
 ,now1 we must beg our readers to       
consider well1 that from the very terms 
of the institution such a deplorable    

state of things as we have been         
contemplating is absolutely impossible  
and unthinkable in the ,church 7#a7     
which ,god-incarnate founded1 for the   
express purpose of handing down ,his    
doctrine1 pure and undefiled to the end 
of time2 and 7#b7 with which ,he        
promised to abide for ever2 and 7#c7    
which the ,holy ,ghost ,himself1        
speaking through ,st4 ,paul1 declared to
 be the pillar and ground of truth 7#a4 
,tim4 iii4 #ae74 ,nevertheless1 if the  
,catholic ,church1 numbering over       
#bej1jjj1jjj of persons1 is not to fall 
into the sad plight that has overtaken  
all the small churches that have gone   
out from her1 she must not only desire  
unity1 as1 no doubt1 all the sects      
desire it1 but she must have been       
provided by her all-wise ,founder with  
what none of them even profess to       
possess1 viz41 some simple1 workable1   
and effective means of securing it4     
,this means1 as practical as it is      
simple1 is no other than one supreme    

central and living authority1 enjoying  
full jurisdiction over all--that is to  
say1 the authority of ,peter1 ever      
living in his ,see1 and speaking1 now by
 the lips of ,leo1 and now by the lips  
of ,pius1 but always in the name1 and   
with the authority1 and under the       
guidance of ,him who1 in the plenitude  
of ,his divine power1 made ,peter the   
immovable rock1 against which the gates 
of hell may indeed expend their fury1   
but against which they never have       
prevailed and never can prevail4 ,the   
gates of hell shall not prevail against 
,thee4 ,that any one can fail to        
understand the meaning of these inspired
 words2 that any one can give them any  
application save that which they receive
 in the ,catholic ,church1 is but       
another illustration of the             
extraordinary power of prejudice and    
pride to blind the reason and to darken 
the understanding4  ,without this final 
,court of ,appeal1 set up by the wisdom 
of ,god1 the ,church would disintegrate 

and fall into pieces to-morrow4 ,to     
remove from the ,church of ,christ the  
infallibility of the ,pope would be like
 removing the hub from the wheel1 the   
key-stone from the arch1 the trunk from 
the tree1 the foundation from the house4
 ,for1 in each case the result must mean
 confusion4 ,if such a result could ever
 have been doubted in the past1 it can  
surely be doubted no longer4 ,the sad   
experience of the past three hundred    
years speaks more eloquently than any   
words2 and its verdict is conclusive4   
,it proves two things beyond dispute4   
,the first is1 that even the largest and
 most heterogeneous body of men may be  
easily united and kept together1 if they
 can all be brought to recognise and    
obey one supreme authority2 and the     
second is1 that1 even a small and       
homogeneous body of men will soon divide
 and split up into sections1 if they    
cannot be brought to recognise such an  
authority4  ,further1 any one looking   
out over the face of ,christendom1 with 

an unprejudiced eye1 for the realisation
 of that unity which ,christ promised to
 affix to his ,church as an infallible  
sign of authenticity1 will find it in   
the ,catholic ,communion1 but certainly 
nowhere else--least of all in the       
,church of ,england4  ,what1 asks a     
well-known writer in unfeigned          
astonishment1 what opinion is not held  
within the ,established ,church8 ,were  
not ,dr4 ,wilberforce and ,dr4 ,colenso1
 ,dr4 ,hamilton and ,dr4 ,baring equally
 ,bishops of the ,church of ,england8   
,were not ,dr4 ,pusey and ,mr4 ,jowett  
at the same time her professors2 ,father
 ,ignatius and ,mr4 ,bellew her         
ministers2 ,archdeacon ,denison and ,dr4
 ,m',neile her distinguished ornaments  
and preachers8 ,yet their religions     
differed almost as widely as ,buddhism  
from ,calvinism1 or the philosophy of   
,aristotle from that of ,martin ,tupper4
 ,if a ,catholic priest were to teach a 
single heretical doctrine1 he would be  
at once cashiered1 and turned out of the

 ,church4 ,but if an ,anglican minister 
must resign because his opinions are at 
variance with some other ,anglican      
minister1 every soul of them would have 
to retire1 from the ,archbishop of      
,canterbury down to the last licentiate 
of ,durham or ,st4 ,bees4  ,as surely as
 infallibility is the essential         
prerogative of a divinely constituted   
,teaching ,church1 so surely can it     
exist only in that institution which    
alone has always claimed it1 both as her
 gift by promise and the sole           
explanation of her triumphs and her     
perpetuity4 ,it would be the idlest of  
dreams to search for it in a fractional 
part of a modern community1 like the    
,church of ,england1 which had always   
disowned and scoffed at it1 and which   
could account for its own existence     
,,only on the plea that the ,promises of
 ,god had signally failed1 and that it  
alone was able to correct the failure4  
,men ask for some sign1 by which they   
may recognise the true ,church of ,god  

and discriminate it readily from all    
spurious imitations4 ,god1 in ,his      
mercy1 offers them a sign--namely       
,,unity4 ,yet they hesitate and hold    
back1 and refuse to guide their         
tempest-tossed barques by its unerring  
light into the one ,haven of ,salvation4
  ,,footnotes3  ,footnote #e3 ,see      
,charge1 etc41 dated ,november1 #ahic4  
,footnote #f3 ,ang4 ,ministry1 by       
,hutton1 p4 #ejd4     ,,chapter ,v4     
,,the ,,pope',s ,,infallible            
,,authority4   #a4 ,the ,church of ,god 
can be but one2 because ,god is truth3  
and1 truth can be but one4 ,the world   
may1 and 7as a matter of fact7 does     
abound in false ,churches1 just as it   
abounds in false deities2 but1 this is  
rendered possible only because they are 
false4 ,two or more true ,churches      
involve a contradiction in terms4 ,such 
a condition of things is as             
intrinsically absurd1 and as            
unthinkable1 as two or more true        
,gods--as well talk of two or more      

multiplication tables6 ,no6 ,there can  
be but ,one ,lord1 one ,faith1 one      
,baptism4 ,if several ,churches all     
teach the true doctrine of ,christ1     
unmixed with error1 they must all agree1
 and1 consequently1 be virtually one and
 the self same4 ,there is no help for   
it2 and sound reason will not tolerate  
any other conclusion4 ,the ,branch      
,theory stands self-condemned1 if truth 
be of any importance3 because it is     
inconsistent with truth4 ,for1 if one   
,church contradicts the other on any    
single point of doctrine1 then one or   
the other must be false1 that is1 it    
must be either asserting what ,christ   
denied2 or else denying what ,christ    
asserted4 ,they cannot1 under any       
circumstances1 be described as true     
,churches4 ,this is not sophistry or    
subtilty4 ,it is common-sense4 ,christ  
promised unity in promising truth2 since
 truth is one4 ,is ,christ divided8 asks
 ,st4 ,paul4 ,no6 ,then neither is ,his 
,church4  #b4 ,how was ,his truth to be 

maintained and securely developed1      
century after century1 pure and         
untainted1 and free from all admixture  
of error8 ,humanly speaking1 the thing  
was impossible4 ,then what superhuman   
guarantee did ,he offer8 ,what was to be
 our security8 ,nothing less than the   
abiding presence of the ,holy ,ghost    
,himself4  ,surely1 then1 we need not be
 anxious after that6 ,listen1 and       
remember it is to ,god you are          
listening4 ,the ,spirit of ,truth shall 
abide with you for ever 7,john xiv4     
#ag74 ,non-,catholics do not seem in the
 least to realise what those words mean1
 or that it is ,god ,himself who        
promises4 ,but1 to continue2 what is the
 purpose of this extraordinary and      
enduring presence8 ,why is it given8    
,what is it for8 ,well1 for the express 
purpose of hindering divisions and      
sects4 ,in order to lead1 not to mislead
 us4 ,how do we know8 ,because ,god said
 so3 ,he shall guide you into all truth 
7,john xvi4 #ac74 ,and this truth1 thus 

permanently secured1 was to draw all    
together into one body4 ,in fact1 we    
have it on ,divine authority1 that the  
,church of ,christ was to be as truly a 
single organic whole1 in which every    
part is subject to one head1 as is a    
living human body4 ,the similitude is   
not of man's choosing1 but is inspired  
by the ,holy ,spirit ,himself4 ,as the  
7natural7 body is one1 and hath many    
members1 and all the members of that one
 body1 being many1 are one body1 so also
 is ,christ4444 ,now1 ye are the        
7mystical7 ,body#g of ,christ 7#a ,cor4 
xii474  ,what can be clearer1 what more 
explicit8 ,now1 if the ,spirit of       
,truth1 that is to say1 the ,holy       
,ghost1 is really with the ,church 7as  
,god promised ,he always would be71 and 
if ,he is always present for the express
 purpose of guiding her into all truth  
7as ,god promised would be the case71   
surely this guidance must be a great    
reality1 and not the mere sham that it  
is everywhere found to be1 outside the  

,catholic ,church4  #c4 ,consciously or 
unconsciously1 ,anglicans and other     
non-,catholics have for centuries denied
 the truth of ,our ,lord's words and    
have contradicted ,his clearest         
statements4 ,in fact1 the ,church of    
,england1 in her ,book of ,homilies1    
declares that clergy and laity1 learned 
and unlearned1 all ages1 sects1 and     
degrees of men1 women1 and children1 of 
whole ,christendom1 were altogether     
drowned in damnable idolatry by the     
space of #hjj years and more6 7,hom4 on 
,peril of ,idol41 part iii474 ,this is a
 specimen of the way in which ,god's    
promises are set aside1 and the ,bible  
misinterpreted by outsiders while       
professing to make it the foundation of 
their creed4 ,nor was this the teaching 
of a few irresponsible persons4 ,it was 
enforced by the whole ,anglican ,church4
 ,all parsons1 vicars1 curates1 and all 
others having spiritual cure1 were      
straitly enjoined to read these         
,homilies ,sunday after ,sunday         

throughout the year in every church and 
chapel of the kingdom4 ,and the #beth   
,article declares the second book of    
,homilies to contain a godly and        
wholesome doctrine and necessary for    
these times6 ,probably this godly and   
wholesome doctrine is no longer obliged 
to be read and taught by ,anglicans2    
probably they no longer consider it     
either godly or wholesome1 but quite the
 reverse4 ,this we are quite ready to   
admit4 ,but1 in the name of common      
prudence1 who1 in his senses1 would     
trust the salvation of his immortal soul
 to a ,church that teaches a thing is   
white in one century and black in the   
next1 and never knows its own mind8     
,here then let us put two very pertinent
 questions1 for our non-,catholic       
friends to ponder over1 and to answer1  
if they can4 ,first3 ,how is it possible
 for the ,church to go astray1 if ,god  
the ,holy ,ghost is really guiding8     
,second3 ,how is it possible for the    
,church to wander away into error1 if   

this same ,spirit be leading her into   
all truth8 ,will some one kindly explain
 that1 without at the same time denying 
the veracity of ,god8  #d4 ,however1    
granting the absolute truth of ,christ's
 promises1 we may now proceed to inquire
 in what way this divine and 7because   
divine7 infallible guidance into all    
truth is brought about8 ,is it by the   
,holy ,spirit whispering to each        
individual priest or to each individual 
,bishop8 ,emphatically not4 ,why not8   
,because1 if that theory were well      
founded1 then every priest and ,bishop  
would believe and teach precisely the   
same set of doctrines1 without any need 
of an infallible ,pope to guide him4    
,for1 clearly1 the ,spirit of ,truth    
could not whisper yea to one1 and nay to
 another1 nor could ,he declare a thing 
to be black to one person and white to  
his neighbour4 ,in fine1 we have but two
 alternatives to choose from4 ,we must  
confess either that the promises        
themselves1 so solemnly made1 are lies  

7which were blasphemy to affirm71 or    
else1 that ,god directs ,his ,church1   
and safeguards its truth1 through its   
head1 or chief ,pastor2 just as we      
regulate and control the members of the 
physical body through the brain4 ,we    
must either renounce all belief in      
,christ and ,his promises1 or else admit
 that ,his words are actually carried   
out1 and that the prayer has been heard 
which ,he made for ,peter1 and for those
 who should1 in turn1 exercise ,peter's 
office and functions1 and should speak  
in his name4 ,harken to the narrative1  
as given by ,st4 ,luke3 ,the ,lord said3
 ,simon1 ,simon1 behold1 ,satan hath    
desired to have you observe1 the plural 
number that he may sift you as wheat2   
but ,i have prayed not for all1 but for 
thee1 that thy faith fail not3 and thou1
 being once converted1 confirm thy      
brethren 7,luke xxii4 #cb7 observe the  
singular number1 thee1 thy and thou4    
,peter still lives1 in the person of    
,pope ,pius ,x41 and in virtue of that  

prayer1 and through the omnipotent power
 of ,god1 ,peter still confirms his     
brethren1 and will continue to confirm  
them in the true and pure doctrine of   
,christ1 until the final crack of doom4 
,as the venerable ,bishop ,w4,b4        
,ullathorne wrote to ,lady ,chatterton1 
soon after the ,vatican ,council1 i4e41 
#aith ,november1 #ahge3 ,there is but   
one ,church of ,christ1 with one truth1 
taught by one authority1 received by    
all1 believed by all within its pale2 or
 there is no security for faith4 ,if we 
examine ,our ,lord's words and acts1    
such a ,church there is4 ,if we follow  
the inclinations of our fallen nature1  
ever averse to the control of authority1
 we there find the reason why so many   
who love this world1 receive not the    
authority that ,he planted1 to endure   
like ,his primal creation1 to the end4  
,it is pleasant to human pride and      
independence to be a little god1 having 
but oneself for an authority1 and a     
light1 and a law to oneself4 ,but does  

this or does it not contradict the fact 
that we are dependent beings1 and that  
the ,lord1 ,he is ,god8 ,this spirit of 
independence1 with self-sufficiency for 
its basis1 and rebellion for its act1 is
 just what ,sacred ,scripture ascribes  
to ,satan 7p4 #bcj74  ,true4 ,and it is 
just the reverse of the disposition that
 ,christ demands from all who wish to   
enter into ,his ,one ,fold3 for ,he     
declares with startling clearness that  
unless we become as little children     
7i4e41 docile1 submissive1 trustful1    
etc47 we shall not enter into the       
,kingdom of heaven1 which is ,his       
,church4         99       99       99   
99       99  #e4 ,before proceeding     
further1 it may be well here to draw a  
distinction between the ,pope1          
considered as the supreme ruler1 and the
 ,pope1 considered as the infallible    
ruler4 ,the reigning ,pontiff1 whosoever
 he may be1 is always the ,supreme      
,ruler1 the ,head of the ,church1 and   
the ,vicar of ,christ2 but he is not1 on

 all occasions1 nor under all           
circumstances1 the infallible ruler4    
,to guard against any mistake as to the 
meaning of our words1 let us explain    
that infallibility is a gift1 but not a 
gift that the ,pope exercises every day1
 nor on every occasion1 nor in          
addressing individuals1 nor public      
audiences1 nor is it a prerogative that 
can be invoked1 except under special and
 indeed we may certainly add1 very      
exceptional circumstances4 ,and         
further--unlike other powers--it can    
never be delegated to another4 ,the     
,pope himself is ,infallible1 but he    
cannot transfer nor communicate his     
,infallibility1 even temporarily or for 
some special given occasion1 to anyone  
else who may1 in other respects1        
represent him1 such as a ,legate1       
,ambassador1 or ,nuncio4  ,neither in   
conversation1 writes the theologian     
,billuart1 nor in discussion1 nor in    
interpreting ,scripture or the ,fathers1
 nor in consulting1 nor in giving his   

reasons for the point which he has      
defined1 nor in answering letters1 nor  
in private deliberations1 supposing he  
is setting forth his own opinion1 is the
 ,pope infallible4 ,he is not infallible
 as a theologian1 or as a priest1 or a  
,bishop1 or a temporal ruler1 or a      
judge1 or a legislator1 or in his       
political views1 or even in the         
government of the ,church3 but only when
 he teaches the ,faithful throughout the
 world1 ex cathedr1 in matters of faith 
or of morals1 that is to say1 in matters
 relating to revealed truth1 or to      
principles of moral conduct4  ,it in no 
way depends upon the caprice of the     
,pope1 or upon his good pleasure1 to    
make such and such a doctrine the object
 of a dogmatic definition4 ,he is tied  
up and limited to the divine revelation1
 and to the truths which that revelation
 contains4 ,he is tied up and limited by
 the ,creeds1 already in existence1 and 
by the preceding definitions of the     
,church4 ,he is tied up and limited by  

the divine law and by the constitution  
of the ,church4 ,lastly1 he is tied up  
and limited by that doctrine1 divinely  
revealed1 which affirms that1 alongside 
religious society1 there is civil       
society1 that alongside the             
,ecclesiastical ,hierarchy1 there is the
 power of temporal magistrates1         
invested1 in their own domain1 with a   
full sovereignty1 and to whom we owe in 
conscience obedience and respect in all 
things morally permitted1 and belonging 
to the domain of civil society4#h       
,further1 a definition of divine faith  
must be drawn from the ,apostolic       
deposit of doctrine1 in order that it   
may be considered an exercise of        
infallibility1 whether in ,pope or      
,council4 ,similarly1 a precept of      
morals1 if it is to be accepted as from 
an infallible voice1 must be drawn from 
the moral law1 that primary revelation  
to us from ,god4 ,the ,pope has no power
 over the ,moral ,law1 except to assert 
it1 to interpret it and to enforce it4  

#f4 ,from this1 it is at once realised  
how restricted1 after all1 is the       
infallible power of the ,pope1 in spite 
of the alarm its definition excited in  
the ,protestant camp1 in #ahgj4  ,still1
 it must be clearly understood that     
whether speaking ex cathedr or not1 the 
,pope is always the ,vicar of ,christ   
and the divinely appointed ,head of ,his
 ,church1 and that we1 as dutiful       
children1 are bound both to listen to   
him with the utmost attention and       
respect1 and to show him ready and      
heartfelt obedience4 ,anyone who should 
limit his submission to the ,pope's     
infallible utterances is truly a rebel  
at heart1 and no true ,catholic4  ,the  
,holy ,scripture is far from            
contemplating the exceptional cases of  
infallible definitions when it lays down
 the command3 ,remember them1 who have  
the rule over you1 who have spoken unto 
you the word of ,god1 whose faith       
follow4 ,and1 obey them that have the   
rule over you1 and submit yourselves1   

for they watch for your souls1 as they  
that must give account1 that they may do
 it with joy1 and not with grief4 ,the  
margin in the ,protestant ,version      
7observes ,cardinal ,newman7 reads those
 who are your guides1 and the word may  
also be translated leaders4 ,well1      
whether as rulers or as guides and      
leaders1 whichever word be right1 they  
are to be obeyed4  #g4 ,from this it is 
evident enough that assent is of two    
kinds4 ,there is firstly the assent of  
,divine ,faith2 and secondly there is   
the assent of religious obedience4      
,neither can be dispensed with4 ,both   
are binding4 ,all we affirm is that the 
one is not the other1 and that the first
 must not be confused with the last4 ,a 
special kind of assent1 that is to say1 
the assent of ,divine ,faith must be    
given to all those doctrines which are  
proposed to us by the infallible voice  
of the ,church1 as taught by ,our ,lord 
or the ,apostles1 and as contained in   
the original deposit fidei ,depositum4  

,they comprise 7a7 all things whatever  
which ,god has directly revealed2 and   
7b7 whatever truth such revelation      
implicitly contains4  ,these implicit   
truths are deduced from the original    
revelation1 very much as any other      
consequence from its premisses4 ,for    
example4 ,it is a truth directly        
revealed1 that the ,holy ,ghost is ,god4
 ,but1 since ,god is to be adored3 the  
further proposition3--the ,holy ,ghost  
is to be adored2 is also contained1     
though only implicitly1 in revelation2  
and is therefore1 equally1 of faith4 ,so
 again2 that ,christ is man1 is a fact  
of revelation2 but the further          
proposition--,christ has a true         
body--though not explicitly stated1 is  
implicitly affirmed in the first        
proposition4 ,all consequences1 such as 
the above1 which are seen immediately   
and evidently to be contained in the    
words of revelation1 must be accepted as
 of faith4 ,other consequences1 which   
are equally contained in the original   

deposit1 but which are not so readily   
detected and deduced1 must be explicitly
 accepted as of faith1 only so soon as  
the ,church has publicly and            
authoritatively declared them to be so  
contained2 but not before4 ,thus1 to    
take an illustration1 the ,immaculate   
,conception of the ,blessed ,virgin is a
 fact contained from the beginning1     
implicitly locked up1 as it were1 in the
 deposit of faith1 left by the          
,apostles4 ,were it not so it never     
could have been defined2 for the ,church
 does not invent doctrines4 ,she only   
transmits them4 ,yet1 this doctrine is  
not so clearly and so self-evidently    
included1 and lies not so luminously and
 unmistakably on the very surface of    
revelation as to be at once perceptible 
to all4 ,hence1 before its actual       
definition1 a ,catholic might deny it1  
or suspend his judgment1 without        
censure2 whereas1 to do either the one  
or the other1 after the ,church has     
solemnly declared the doctrine to be    

contained in the teaching of ,christ and
 the ,apostles1 would be nothing short  
of heresy4  ,the ,infallibility1 whether
 of the ,church or of the ,pope1 says   
,cardinal ,newman1 acts principally or  
solely in two channels1 7a7 in direct   
statement of truth1 and 7b7 in the      
condemnation of error4 ,the former takes
 the shape of doctrinal definitions1 the
 latter stigmatises propositions as     
'heretical1' 'next to heresy1'          
'erroneous1' and the like 7p4 #acf74    
,the gift of ,infallibility1 observes   
,cardinal ,manning1 extends directly to 
the whole matter of divine truth1 and   
indirectly to all truths which1 though  
not revealed1 are in such contact with  
revelation that the deposit of faith and
 morals cannot be guarded1 expounded1   
and defended1 without an infallible     
discernment of such unrevealed truths   
7,vatican ,decrees1 p4 #afg74  #h4 ,to  
sum up3 ,persons who refuse to assent to
 doctrines which they know to be        
directly revealed and defined1 or which 

are universally held by the ,church as  
of ,catholic ,faith1 become by that very
 act guilty of heresy1 and cut          
themselves adrift from the mystical     
,body of ,christ1 and are no longer ,his
 members4 ,if1 on the other hand1 their 
assent is refused only to doctrines     
closely connected with these dogmatic   
utterances1 and which1 as such1 are     
proposed for their acceptance1 they     
become guilty1 if not of actual heresy1 
then of something perilously akin to it1
 and are1 at all events1 guilty of      
serious sin4  ,we may observe1 in       
conclusion1 that the ,infallibility of  
,pontifical definitions1 as ,father     
,humphrey so pertinently reminds us1    
does not depend upon the reigning       
,pontiff's possession of any real       
knowledge of ancient ,church history or 
theology1 or philosophy or science1 but 
simply and solely upon the assistance of
 ,god the ,holy ,ghost1 guaranteed to   
him in his exercise of his function of  
,chief ,pastor1 in feeding with divine  

doctrine the entire flock of ,god4 ,our 
,anglican friends seem penetrated with  
the utterly false notion of             
justification by scholarship alone2     
which is as untrue as it is             
unscriptural4 ,indeed1 their            
justification by scholarship is likely  
to lead to very undesirable and         
deplorable results4  ,in the foregoing  
chapter we have considered especially   
the ,pope's ,infallible authority1 and  
the assent and obedience due to it4 ,in 
our next it remains for us to consider  
the proper attitude of a loyal ,catholic
 towards the ,sovereign ,pontiff as the 
supreme ruler and governor of the       
,church of ,god1 even when not speaking 
ex cathedr4  ,,footnotes3  ,footnote #g3
 ,the word soma1 observes ,mgr4 ,capel1 
is never used in ,greek to express mere 
association or aggregation 7,catholic1  
p4 #ac74  ,footnote #h3 ,from a         
,pastoral of the ,swiss ,bishops1 which 
received the ,pope's approbation4       
,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,the ,,pope',s        

,,ordinary ,,authority4   #a4 ,when the 
,holy ,father speaks ex cathedr1 and    
defines any doctrine concerning ,faith  
or ,morals1 we are bound to receive his 
teaching with the assent of divine      
faith3 and cannot refuse obedience1     
without being guilty of heresy4 ,by one 
such wilful act of disobedience we cease
 to be members of the ,church of ,god1  
and must be classed with heathens and   
publicans3 ,who will not hear the       
,church1 let him be to thee as the      
heathen and the publican 7,matt1 xviii4 
#ag74  ,but the ,holy ,father rarely    
exercises his prerogative of            
,infallibility1 and therefore the       
occasions of these special professions  
of faith occur but seldom--not once1    
perhaps1 during the course of many      
years4  #b4 ,what then1 it may be asked1
 is the proper attitude of a ,catholic  
towards the ,pope1 at ordinary times8   
,for a proper understanding of the      
answer1 it may be well to remind the    
general reader1 that the law of ,god    

enjoins obedience to all lawfully       
constituted authority2 whether          
ecclesiastical or civil1 and whether    
,infallible or not3 further that the    
,pope1 whether speaking ex cathedr or   
not1 is always our lawful superior in   
all matters appertaining to religion1   
not only as regards faith and morals1   
but also as regards ecclesiastical order
 and discipline4 ,his jurisdiction1 or  
authority to command in these matters1  
is supreme and universal1 and carries   
with it a corresponding right to be     
obeyed4 ,he is the immediate and supreme
 representative of ,god upon earth2 and 
has been placed in that position by ,god
 ,himself4 ,and since the ,primacy is   
neither in whole1 nor even in part of   
human derivation1 but comes directly and
 immediately from ,christ1 no man or    
number of men1 whether kings or princes 
or individual ,bishops1 nor even a whole
 ,council of ,bishops1 have any warranty
 or right to command him in religious or
 ecclesiastical concerns4#i ,the        

,council of ,florence declares that3 ,to
 him1 in ,blessed ,peter1 was delivered 
by ,our ,lord ,jesus ,christ the full   
power of ruling and governing the       
,universal ,church4 ,now this full power
 accorded by ,christ cannot be limited  
except by the authority of ,christ4     
,though the ,pope is not the ,sovereign 
of all the faithful in the temporal     
order1 he is the ,sovereign of all      
,christians in the spiritual order4 ,if 
then--and this is admitted by all--we   
are bound in conscience to obey our     
temporal sovereign and magistrates and  
masters1 and must submit to the laws of 
the country1 so long as they do not     
conflict with higher and superior laws1 
such as the ,natural ,law and the       
,revealed ,law1 with still greater      
reason are we bound to obey our         
spiritual ,sovereign and the laws and   
regulations of the ,church4  #c4 ,to    
object that the ,pope may possibly make 
a mistake when not speaking ex cathedr  
though true1 is nothing to the point4   

,for civil governments are far more     
liable to fail in this respect1 and as a
 matter of fact1 do frequently abuse    
their power and pass unjust laws1 and   
sometimes command what is sinful1#aj yet
 that fact does not militate against the
 soundness of the general proposition   
that lawful superiors are to be obeyed4 
,nor does it diminish the force of ,st4 
,peter's inspired words1 in which he    
bids us be subject1 for ,god's sake1    
whether it be to the king1 as excelling1
 or to governors as sent by him for the 
punishment of evil doers 444 for such is
 the will of ,god 7,peter ii474 ,nor    
does it detract from the truth and      
validity of ,st4 ,paul's still more     
emphatic words3 ,let every soul be      
subject to higher powers2 for there is  
no power but from ,god3 and those that  
are ordained of ,god4 ,therefore he that
 resisteth the power1 resisteth the     
ordinance of ,god4 ,and they that resist
 purchase to themselves damnation 7,rom4
 xiii474 ,and again1 when writing to    

,titus he says3 ,admonish them to be    
subject to princes and powers1 and to   
obey 7,tit4 iii4 #a74  ,if the ,apostles
 themselves thus command obedience to   
the ,state1 even to a pagan ,government1
 such as the ,roman was at the time they
 wrote1 it will scarcely be denied by   
any ,christian that obedience is due to 
the ,church1 and to the ecclesiastical  
government1 altogether apart from any   
question of infallibility4 ,in fact1    
though both the civil government and the
 ecclesiastical government are from     
,god1 and though each is supreme within 
its own sphere2 yet the authority in the
 case of the ,church is directly and    
immediately from ,god1 whereas in the   
case of the ,state1 it is from ,god only
 mediately4 ,this is why the form of    
government1 in the case of the ,state1  
may vary4 ,it may be at one time        
monarchical1 and at another republican1 
and then oligarchic1 and so forth1      
whereas the ,church must ever be ruled  
by one ,supreme ,pontiff1 and be        

monarchical in its form4 ,further1 it is
 generally held that even when not      
speaking ex cathedr1 the ,vicar of      
,christ is largely assisted by ,god in  
the fulfilment of his sublime office2   
that he receives great light and        
strength to do well the great work      
entrusted to him and imposed upon him1  
and that he is continually guided from  
above in the government of the ,catholic
 ,church4 ,words of ,father ,o',reilly1 
,s4,j41 quoted with approval by         
,cardinal ,newman1 p4 #adj4 ,and that   
supplies us with a special and an       
additional motive for prompt obedience4 
,two powers govern the world1 wrote     
,pope ,gelasius1 to the ,greek ,emperor 
,anastasius1 more than fourteen hundred 
years ago1 the spiritual authority of   
the ,roman ,pontiff1 and the temporal   
power of kings4 ,these two powers have  
for their end1 one the spiritual        
happiness of man1 here and hereafter1   
the other the temporal prosperity of    
society in the present world4 ,so that1 

we may say1 speaking generally1 the     
,roman ,pontiff has1 in spiritual and   
ecclesiastical matters1 the same        
authority that secular sovereigns and   
their ,parliaments have in worldly and  
political matters4 ,they command and    
issue laws not only as regards what is  
necessary for the welfare of their      
subjects1 but also as regards whatever  
is lawful and expedient4 ,it is not     
contended that they never make a        
mistake4 ,it is not asserted that their 
ruling is necessarily1 and in every     
particular1 always wise and discreet1   
but even inexpedient orders1 if not     
unjust1 may be valid and binding1 even  
though they might have been better      
non-issued4 ,the principle to guide us  
is of practical simplicity4 ,as regards 
both the ,church and the ,state--each in
 its own order--the rule is that        
obedience is to be yielded4 ,and1 in    
doubtful cases the presumption is in    
favour of authority4 ,if anything were  
ordered1 which is clearly seen to be    

contrary to1 or incompatible with the   
,law of ,god1 whether natural or        
revealed1 then1 of course1 it would     
possess no binding force1 for the       
,apostle warns us that--,we must obey   
,god1 rather than man--but1 so long as  
we remain in a state of uncertainty1 we 
are bound to give a properly constituted
 authority the benefit of the doubt--and
 submit4  #d4 ,with these preliminary   
explanations and considerations to guide
 us in our interpretation1 we will now  
give the solemn teaching on the subject1
 as laid down in the third chapter of   
the ,pastor ternus1 drawn up and duly   
promulgated by the ,ecumenical ,council 
of the ,vatican2 and therefore of       
supreme authority4  ,we teach and       
declare that the ,roman ,church1        
according to the disposition of the     
,lord1 obtains the princedom of ordinary
 power over all the other ,churches2 and
 that this1 the ,roman ,pontiff's power 
of jurisdiction1 which is truly         
episcopal1 is immediate2 towards which  

7power7 all the pastors and faithful1 of
 whatever right and dignity1 whether    
each separately or all collectively1 are
 bound by the duty of hierarchical      
subordination and true obedience1 not   
only in the things which pertain to     
faith and morals1 but also in those     
which pertain to the discipline and     
government 7regimen7 of the ,church     
diffused through the whole world2 so    
that1 unity being preserved with the    
,roman ,pontiff1 as well of communion as
 of the profession of the same faith1   
the ,church of ,christ may be one flock 
under one pastor4 ,this is the doctrine 
of ,catholic truth1 from which no one   
can deviate without loss of faith and   
salvation4  ,we also teach and declare  
that the ,roman ,pontiff is the supreme 
judge of the faithful1 and that in all  
causes belonging to ecclesiastical      
examination recourse can be had to his  
judgment3 and that the judgment of the  
,apostolic ,see1 than whose authority   
there is none greater1 is not to be     

called in question1 nor is it lawful for
 any one to judge its judgment4         
,therefore1 those wander from the right 
path of truth who affirm that it is     
lawful to appeal from the judgments of  
the ,roman ,pontiffs to an ,ecumenical  
,council1 as to an authority superior to
 the ,roman ,pontiff4  ,if any one1     
therefore1 shall say that the ,roman    
,pontiff has only the office of         
inspection or direction1 but not full   
and supreme power of jurisdiction over  
the ,universal ,church1 not only in the 
things which pertain to faith and       
morals1 but also in those which pertain 
to the discipline and government of the 
,church diffused throughout the whole   
world1 or that he has only the principal
 place 7potiores partes71 and not the   
whole plenitude of the supreme power1 or
 that this1 his power1 is not ordinary  
and immediate1 whether over all and each
 of the ,churches1 or over all and each 
of the pastors and faithful1 let him be 
anathema6  #e4 ,since the ,church is a  

perfect society1 spread throughout the  
entire world1 with one supreme ruler at 
its head1 it follows that it must be    
endowed with all the means requisite for
 the carrying out of its mission4       
,christ was sent1 by ,his ,eternal      
,father1 from ,heaven with full powers4 
,all power is given me in heaven and in 
earth2 and these powers ,he handed on to
 ,his ,church4 ,as the ,father hath sent
 ,me1 so ,i also send you 7,john xx4    
#ba74 ,hence the ,popes are1 to use     
,scriptural phraseology1 ambassadors for
 ,christ2 ,god1 as it were1 exhorting by
 them 7#b ,cor4 v4 #bj72 and no         
,catholic dare contest their power or   
jurisdiction4  ,indeed1 it would have   
been hopelessly impossible to carry on  
the government of the ,church and to    
maintain unity amongst its              
ever-increasing numbers1 if there were  
no supreme authority ready to assert    
itself2 to correct errors2 to resist    
abuses2 and to restrain those who might 
introduce dissensions and differences4  

,of this fact1 the present deplorable   
chaotic state of the ,anglican and other
 non-,catholic ,churches offers us      
abundant and forcible illustrations4    
,from the very first the ,one ,true     
,church has not only taught1 but ruled2 
not only spoken1 but acted4 ,and when   
any of her subjects have proved         
obstreperous and disobedient1 and       
stubborn in their resistance to her     
orders1 she has invariably turned them  
out of her fold1 so that they should not
 infect and contaminate the good and the
 loyal4 ,it was in this sense that ,st4 
,paul1 the inspired ,apostle1 in the    
very first century of the ,christian    
era1 instructed ,titus to construe and  
administer the law committed to his     
charge4 ,after warning ,titus that there
 are many vain talkers and deceivers1   
,st4 ,paul commands him to rebuke them  
sharply1 that they may be sound in      
faith4 ,he adds further3 ,these things  
speak1 and exhort1 and rebuke1 with all 
authority4 ,but this was not all4 ,he   

was not only to decide who were the vain
 talkers and deceivers4 ,nor was he     
simply to exhort and rebuke them        
sharply1 and with all authority1 that   
they might become sound in the faith1   
but if they persisted after the first   
and second admonition1 he was also to   
reject them1 and thrust them out of the 
,church1 as heretics4 ,reject a heretic1
 after the first and second admonition  
7,tit4 iii4 #aj74 ,now ,titus was       
neither an ,apostle nor a ,pope1 but a  
simple ,bishop4 ,if then such were the  
powers invested in him1 how much more   
fully still must this authority be      
inherent in the ,vicar of ,christ       
himself1 who is the supreme head upon   
earth of the entire ,church of ,god4    
,it is this prompt amputation of the    
diseased members1 before the hideous    
canker has time to spread1 that has kept
 the ,church of ,god pure to this day1  
while heretical bodies have fallen into 
greater and greater spiritual decay4 ,it
 is because she fearlessly and          

resolutely insists upon all her children
 accepting the truth1 the whole truth1  
and nothing but the truth1 that she     
presents to the world1 century after    
century1 with miraculous clearness and  
perspicuity1 the ,divine hall-mark of   
unity4  #f4 ,outside the true ,church of
 ,god there is no recognised voice      
strong enough to enforce any uniformity 
of belief4 ,though the ,pope's authority
 was acknowledged throughout ,england   
for over one thousand years1 yet at the 
time of the so-called ,reformation1 that
 ,voice of ,god1 speaking through       
,peter1 was admitted no longer4 ,hence1 
as ,cardinal ,manning most truly        
observes3 ,the old forms of religious   
thought are now passing away in         
,england4 ,the rejection of the ,divine 
,voice has let in the flood of opinion2 
and opinion has generated scepticism2   
and scepticism has brought on           
contentions without end4 ,what seemed so
 solid once1 is disintegrated4 ,it is   
dissolving by the internal action of the

 principle from which it sprung4 ,the   
critical unbelief of dogma has now      
reached to the foundation of            
,christianity1 and to the veracity of   
,scripture4 ,such is the world the      
,catholic ,church ,sees before it at    
this day4 ,the ,anglicanism of the      
,reformation is upon the rocks1 like    
some tall ship stranded upon the shore1 
and going to pieces1 by its own weight  
and the steady action of the sea4 ,we   
have no need of playing the wreckers4   
,it would be inhumanity to do so4 ,god  
knows that the desires and prayers of   
,catholics are ever ascending that all  
that remains of ,christianity in        
,england may be preserved1 unfolded and 
perfected into the whole circle of      
revealed truths1 and the unmutilated    
revelation of the ,faith4  ,it is       
inevitable that if we speak plainly we  
must give pain and offence to those who 
will not admit the possibility that they
 are out of the ,faith and the ,church  
of ,jesus ,christ4 ,but1 if we do not   

speak plainly1 woe unto us1 for we shall
 betray our trust and our ,master4      
,there is a day coming1 when they who   
have softened down the truth1 or have   
been silent1 will have to give account4 
,i had rather be thought harsh than be  
conscious of hiding the light which has 
been mercifully shown to me 7,temp4     
,mission1 etc41 p4 #bae74  ,it would be 
well if all ,catholics took to heart    
these noble words of the great ,english 
,cardinal1 who was himself once an      
,archdeacon in the ,anglican ,church4   
,real charity urges us to set forth the 
truth in all its nakedness and beauty4  
,this must be done1 even though it may  
sometimes give pain and cause           
irritation4 ,if a man be walking in a   
trance towards the crumbling edge of    
some ghastly precipice1 who--let me     
ask--acts with the greater charity1 he  
who is afraid to interfere1 and will    
calmly allow the somnambulist to walk   
on1 till he fall over into the abyss2 or
 he who will shout1 and1 if need be1    

roughly shake him from his fatal sleep1 
and so1 perhaps1 save him from          
destruction8 ,surely1 to allow a        
fellow-creature to follow a path of     
extreme danger1 for fear of wounding his
 susceptibilities and incurring his     
anger1 by candidly pointing out his     
peril1 is the mark1 not of a lover of   
his brethren1 but rather of one who     
loves himself alone4  ,we will conclude 
with the warning of ,god1 given through 
the inspired writer ,ezekiel1 the       
application of which1 positis ponendis1 
is sufficiently plain3 ,when ,i say unto
 the wicked1 ,thou shall surely die2 and
 thou givest him not warning1 nor       
speakest to warn the wicked from his    
wicked way1 to save his life2 the same  
wicked man shall die in his iniquity1   
but his blood ,i will require at thy    
hand4 ,yet if thou warn the wicked1 and 
he turn not from his wickedness1 nor    
from his wicked way1 he shall die in his
 iniquity1 but thou hast delivered thy  
soul 7,ezek4 iii4 #ah74  ,p4,s4--,among 

the authors quoted in ,,the ,,purpose   
,,of ,,the ,,papacy may be mentioned the
 following1 as being easily obtainable  
by ,english readers3 ,allnatt1 ,allies1 
,bonomelli1 ,capel1 ,castelplano1       
,dering1 ,deviver1 ,franzelin1          
,humphrey1 ,manning1 ,merry del ,val1   
,meyer1 ,minges1 ,newman1 ,o',reilly1   
,rhodes1 ,ullathorne1 ,ward4            
,,footnotes3  ,footnote #i3 ,da chi     
dipender il ,pontefice nell' esercizio  
del suo potere ,spirituale8 ,dai ,r8    
,eccovi il gallicanismo parlamentare6   
,dalle masse dei fedeli8 ,eccovi il     
richerianismo1 e febronianismo6 ,dai    
,vescovi8 ,eccovi il gallicanismo       
teologico 7,l4 di ,castelplanio1 p4     
#ajd74  ,footnote #aj3 ,take for        
instance1 #cg ,henry ,,viii4 ,chap4 #ag1
 which recites that the clergy have no  
,ecclesiastical ,jurisdiction1 but by   
and under the ,king1 who is the only    
,supreme ,head of the ,church of        
,england1 to whom all authority and     
power is wholly given to hear and       

determine all causes ecclesiastical4    
,,part ,,ii4  ,,the ,,anglican ,,theory 
,,of ,,continuity ,,in ,,the ,,church   
,,of ,,england4 ,,or ,,the ,,authority  
,,of ,,the ,,pope ,,in ,,england ,,in   
,,pre-,,reformation ,,times4      ,as   
the ,first ,part of this little treatise
 is devoted to a    consideration of the
 position of the ,pope and the authority
    which he exercises throughout the   
,universal ,church2 so the    ,second   
,part is concerned with the position    
occupied and the    authority exercised 
by the same ,sovereign ,pontiff in our  
own    country of ,england1 before she  
was cut off from the    ,universal      
,church in the sixteenth century4       
,,chapter ,i4  ,,the ,,church ,,in      
,,england ,,before ,,the ,,reformation4 
,one of the greatest glories of the     
,catholic ,church is that she and she   
alone possesses and is able to          
communicate to others the whole truth   
revealed by ,jesus ,christ4 ,the ,church
 of ,england and other ,churches that   

have gone out from her have1 we are     
thankful to say1 carried with them some 
fragments of ,christianity1 but the     
,catholic ,church alone possesses the   
whole unadulterated revelation of ,jesus
 ,christ4 ,for over a thousand years1   
the ,church in ,england formed a part of
 the great ,universal ,church1 the      
centre of which is at ,rome and the     
circumference of which is everywhere4   
,from the sixth to the sixteenth century
 the ,church in ,england was a province 
of that ,church1 and received her power 
and jurisdiction from the ,holy ,see4   
,it was not until the sixteenth century 
that she apostatised1 and was cut off   
from the stem1 out of which she had     
sprung1 as a rotten branch is lopped off
 from a healthy tree4 ,it was not until 
then that she became a ,church apart1   
distinct from the ,church of ,god1 no   
longer the ,catholic ,church in         
,england1 but henceforth the ,national  
,church of ,england and of ,england     
alone4 ,the pre-,reformation ,church    

was1 as we have said1 not a separate    
,church1 but a part of the one ,catholic
 ,church1 whereas the post-,reformation 
,church stands alone1 unrecognised by   
the rest of ,christendom2 hence the one 
is absolutely distinct from the other4  
,the grand old cathedrals and churches  
designed1 built1 and paid for by our    
,catholic ancestors have been forcibly  
taken possession of1 but the ,faith1 the
 teaching1 and the doctrine--in a word1 
the ,church itself--is totally distinct4
 ,the wolf may slay and devour the sheep
 and may then clothe himself in its     
fleece1 but the wolf is not the sheep1  
and the nature of the one remains       
totally different from that of the      
other4 ,the proofs of all this are so   
numerous and so striking that one       
scarcely knows which to choose1 nor     
where to begin4 ,in the present chapter1
 we will content ourselves with calling 
attention to certain points that every  
one will be able to grasp4 ,it is said  
that a straw will show which way the    

wind blows1 so things even trivial in   
themselves will enable any unprejudiced 
man to see that there must be some      
radical difference between the ,church  
in ,england four hundred years ago1 and 
the ,church of ,england to-day4 ,first1 
let us just look round and consider the 
,catholic ,church4 ,it is spread all    
over the world4 ,it is found in ,france1
 in ,belgium1 in ,italy1 in ,spain1 and 
in other countries1 all of which        
recognised the ,church in ,england      
before the ,reformation as one in faith 
and doctrine with themselves4 ,they felt
 themselves united with it in one and   
the same belief2 they taught the same   
seven ,sacraments2 they gathered around 
the same ,sacrifice2 they acknowledged  
the same supremacy of the same spiritual
 head4 ,now there is no single ,catholic
 country that recognises the ,church of 
,england as anything but heretical and  
schismatical4  ,formerly when any       
,archbishop of ,canterbury travelled    
abroad he was received as a brother by  

the ,catholic ,bishops all over the     
,continent4 ,he felt thoroughly at home 
in the ,catholic churches1 and offered  
up the ,divine ,mysteries at their      
altars1 using the same sacred vessels1  
reading from the same missal1 speaking  
the same language1 and feeling himself  
to be a member of the same spiritual    
family4 ,can the present ,archbishop of 
,canterbury follow their example8 ,would
 the ,cardinal ,archbishop of ,paris1   
for instance1 or the ,archbishop of     
,milan receive the ,anglican ,archbishop
 of ,canterbury1 as a brother ,bishop8  
,would they cause their cathedrals to be
 thrown open to him8 ,no4  ,in vain does
 the ,archbishop of ,canterbury of      
to-day claim continuity with the        
pre-,reformation ,archbishops4 ,for no  
one would be found to admit such a      
claim4 ,it may be said that this is of  
no great importance4 ,it may not be in  
itself1 but it is the straw which shows 
the way the wind blows2 and clearly     
proves that the verdict of the entire   

world and the chief centres of          
,christendom is against continuity4     
,let us take another straw4 ,before the 
pseudo-,reformation there were          
,cardinals exercising authority in the  
,church in ,england4 ,some of them even 
became famous4 ,there was1 for instance1
 ,cardinal ,stephen ,langton1 who was   
,primate of ,england1 and who brought   
together the ,barons1 and forced the    
,great ,charter from ,king ,john4       
,there1 amongst the signatures to that  
famous document we find the name of a   
,roman ,cardinal4 ,from the time of     
,stephen ,langton to the time of        
,cardinal ,fisher in the sixteenth      
century there was a long succession of  
,cardinals in ,england1 all of whom were
 members of the ,church in ,england4    
,from the time of ,cardinal ,robert     
,pullen to that of ,cardinal ,john      
,fisher there were no fewer than        
twenty-two ,roman ,cardinals belonging  
to that ,church4 ,how is it that during 
those thousand years the ,english       

,church could have and actually did have
 ,cardinals1 up to the time of the      
so-called ,reformation1 but never since8
 ,how is it that such a thing has ceased
 to be possible8 ,clearly because it is 
no longer the same ,church4 ,before1    
,england was a part of the ,universal   
,church2 and just as the ,church in     
,italy1 ,france1 and ,spain1 had1 and   
still have1 their ,cardinals1 so        
,england also was given its share of    
representation in the ,sacred ,college4 
,we shall realise the inference to be   
drawn if we consider what a ,cardinal   
is4 ,in the first place1 he is one      
chosen directly by the ,pope2 secondly1 
he is one of the ,pope's advisers2      
thirdly1 when the ,holy ,father dies it 
is he1 as a member of the ,sacred       
,college1 who has to elect a successor2 
furthermore1 he swears allegiance to the
 ,sovereign ,pontiff1 and on bended     
knee1 with his hands on the ,holy       
,gospels1 he solemnly declares his      
adhesion to the ,roman ,catholic ,faith4

 ,no ,anglican of the present day1 no   
,protestant1 no one who is not an       
out-and-out ,roman ,catholic can be1 or 
could ever have been1 a ,cardinal1 yet  
there were ,cardinals here in the       
,church in ,england1 and1 as we have    
stated1 a long succession of them right 
up to the time of the                   
pseudo-,reformation4 ,how can there be  
continuity and spiritual identity       
between the ,church in ,england1 which  
before that change could and did have   
,cardinals1 and the ,church of ,england 
to-day1 which can produce nothing of the
 kind8 ,cardinals or no ,cardinals is   
not a matter of great importance in     
itself1 but it is another straw which   
clearly shows the completely altered    
condition of things4 ,let us pass to    
another point4 ,during the period       
between the sixth and sixteenth         
centuries there were many canonised     
saints in the ,church in ,england4 ,i   
refer to such men as ,st4 ,bede1 who    
lived in the eighth century2 to ,st4    

,odo of ,canterbury2 to ,st4 ,dunstan1  
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 in the tenth
 century2 to ,st4 ,wolstan of           
,worcester2 to ,st4 ,osmond1 ,bishop of 
,salisbury in the eleventh century2 to  
,st4 ,thomas  ,becket1 in the twelfth   
century2 to ,st4 ,richard1 ,bishop of   
,chichester and ,st4 ,edmund1 in the    
thirteenth century2 and to many others  
we could mention1 whose names are       
enrolled in the lists of the ,catholic  
,church1 and who are set up before her  
children as models of virtue1 as the    
most perfect specimens of sanctity1 and 
as worthy of our imitation--all members 
of the ,church in ,england before the   
pseudo-,reformation4#aa ,how is it that 
the present ,church of ,england has     
never canonised any saint8 ,those to    
whom ,i have referred represent the best
 and truest of the ,church in ,england  
before the ,reformation4 ,we still show 
them reverence4 ,in many cases we even  
recite their offices and ,masses4 ,how1 
then1 can they be members of the same   

,church as the ,church of ,england of   
to-day1 which we know to be a           
schismatical body1 cut off from the     
unity of ,christendom some four hundred 
years ago8 ,there has been no saint     
canonised according to the rite of the  
,church of ,england1 but if there had   
been1 we would not and could not        
reverence them1 for they would be to us 
outside the ,church--aliens1 heretics1  
and1 from that point of view at all     
events1 unworthy of imitation4 ,let us  
point out yet another straw which       
clearly indicates the essential         
difference between the ,church in       
,england before the ,reformation and the
 ,church of ,england after it4 ,when the
 young ,king ,henry ,,viii4 first came  
to the throne he1 like all his          
predecessors1 both kings and queens1 was
 a true ,roman ,catholic4 ,so much so1  
that when a doctrine of the ,church was 
attacked he wrote a book in its defence2
 in fact1 the ,pope was so pleased with 
his zeal that he determined to reward   

him by conferring on him the title of   
,defender of the ,faith4 ,but1 in the   
name of common-sense6 ,defender of what 
,faith8 ,was it the ,protestant faith8  
,was it the faith professed by the      
present ,church of ,england8 ,is it     
likely1 is it possible1 that any ,pope  
would confer such a title on any one who
 was not in union with the ,holy ,see1  
and who rejected ,catholic doctrine8    
,such a thing is unthinkable4 ,was the  
faith of ,henry ,,viii4 before the break
 with ,rome the same as that of ,edward 
,,vii4 who on his coronation day        
declared the ,mass to be false1         
,transubstantiation to be absurd1 and   
,catholics to be idolaters8 ,if not1    
then what becomes of the continuity     
theory8 ,the fact is that between the   
,church in ,england before the sixteenth
 century and the ,church of ,england    
to-day there is no real connection1 no  
true resemblance1 and those who         
endeavour to prove the contrary are but 
falsifying history and throwing dust    

into the eyes of simple people1 and     
trying to prove what is absolutely and  
wholly untrue4  ,,footnotes3  ,footnote 
#aa3 ,as early as #aagj ,pope ,alexander
 ,,iii4 decreed that the consent of the 
,roman ,church was necessary before     
public honour as a saint could be given 
to any person4 ,is it conceivable that  
such consent would be given by any ,pope
 in the case of one not united to ,rome 
in the same faith8     ,,chapter ,,ii4  
,,the ,,oath ,,of ,,obedience4   ,in    
order to realise the absolute absurdity 
of the continuity theory1 and to see how
 thoroughly ,roman ,catholic ,england   
was right up to the ,reformation1 it is 
enough for us to turn back the hands of 
the great clock of time some few hundred
 years1 and to visit ,england at any    
period during the long interval between 
the sixth and the sixteenth century4    
,one of the first facts that would      
strike any observant visitor to our     
shores in those days1 would be the      
attitude of the ,church in ,england     

towards the ,holy ,see4 ,every          
,archbishop1 every metropolitan from the
 time of ,st4 ,augustine himself1 ,a4,d4
 #fja1 up to the sixteenth century1 not 
merely acknowledged the authority of the
 ,pope1 but solemnly swore to show him  
reverence and obedience4 ,furthermore1  
even when an ,archbishop had been       
appointed and consecrated1 he could not 
exercise jurisdiction until he had      
received the sacred pallium1 which came 
from ,rome1 and was received as the     
symbol and token of the authority       
conferred on him by the supreme ,pastor4
 ,the pallium itself1 taken from the    
body of ,blessed ,peter1 is a band of   
lamb's wool1 and was worn by each       
,archbishop as the pledge of unity and  
of orthodoxy1 as well as the fetter of  
loving subjection to the ,supreme       
,pastor of the ,one ,fold1 the apostolic
 yoke of ,catholic obedience4  ,in the  
early ,saxon times1 long before trains  
or steamers had been invented1 we find  
,primate after ,primate of ,all ,england

 undertaking the long and perilous      
journey over the sea1 and then across   
the ,continent of ,europe1 and over the 
precipitous and dangerous passes of the 
,alps1 down through the sunny and       
vine-clad slopes of ,italy1 in order to 
receive the pallium in person from the  
venerable successor of ,st4 ,peter1 in  
the great ,basilica in ,rome4 ,but1     
whether they actually went for it       
themselves in person1 or whether special
 messengers were sent with it from ,rome
 to ,england1 they always awaited its   
reception before they considered        
themselves fully empowered to exercise  
their metropolitan functions4 ,by way of
 illustration1 it may be interesting to 
consider some special case1 and we will 
then leave the reader to judge whether  
we are dealing with an ,england that is 
,catholic or an ,england that is        
,protestant2 with an ,england united to 
the ,holy ,see and to the rest of       
,catholic ,europe1 or an ,england       
independent of the ,holy ,see1 isolated1

 and established by ,law and            
,parliament1 as it is to-day--an        
,england in possession of the truth1    
which is universal and the same         
everywhere1 or an ,england clinging to  
error1 which is local1 national and     
circumscribed4  ,it does not much matter
 what name we select2 any will answer   
our purpose4 ,let us then take ,simon   
,langham1 as good and honest an ,english
 name as ever there was4 ,it is the year
 #acff1 some two hundred years before   
the ,church in ,england cut itself off  
from the rest of ,christendom4 ,the     
metropolitan ,see of ,canterbury is     
vacant4 ,the widowed ,diocese seeks1 at 
the hands of the ,pope1 ,urban ,v41 a   
new ,archbishop4 ,after mature inquiry  
and consideration the ,pope selects     
,simon ,langham4 ,and who is he8 ,who is
 this distinguished man1 now called to  
rule over that portion of the one       
,catholic ,church represented by        
,england8 ,if we study his history we   
shall find that he in no way resembles  

the typical amiable ,anglican ,canon of 
the present day1 with a wife and        
children1 living within the ,cathedral  
close1 but that he is a simple1 austere1
 ,benedictine monk4 ,he has been living 
for some time past in the famous ,abbey 
of ,westminster4 ,he was first a simple 
monk1 then he was chosen ,prior1 and    
finally ,lord ,abbot4 ,some years later1
 i4e41 in #acfb1 he was appointed to the
 vacant ,see of ,ely4 ,by whom8 ,well1  
in those days the ,church was not a mere
 department of the ,state1 so it was not
 by the ,crown4 ,no3 nor by the ,prime  
,minister1 as in the ,anglican ,church  
of to-day4 ,but1 as history records1 by 
a special ,papal ,bull4 ,thus1 at the   
time we are now considering1 viz41      
#acff1 he had been ,bishop just four    
years4 ,now1 the ,primatial throne of   
,st4 ,augustine1 as already stated1 has 
become vacant1 and ,simon ,langham1 the 
,bishop of ,ely1 is appointed           
,archbishop of ,canterbury1 and ,lord   
,primate of ,england4  ,as with all the 

other ,archbishops before the           
,reformation1 he cannot exercise his    
metropolitan powers till he has received
 from ,rome the insignia of his office1 
viz41 the sacred pallium4 ,on this      
occasion the ,archbishop does not go    
himself to ,italy1 to receive it from   
the hands of the ,sovereign ,pontiff1   
but it is brought by special messengers 
from ,rome to ,england4  ,we may well   
imagine the interest these visitors from
 the ,eternal ,city would excite among  
the population of ,london4 ,their dark  
complexion and bright1 black eyes1 and  
foreign appearance would1 no doubt1     
attract considerable attention4 ,of     
course they would be made welcome and be
 shown the chief sights of the city4    
,they would greatly admire1 for         
instance1 the beauty of ,westminster    
,abbey1 and would probably ask its      
history4 ,then they would be told how it
 originated with ,st4 ,edward the       
,confessor4 ,how he had made a vow to go
 on a pilgrimage to the tomb of the     

,apostles at ,rome1 like a loyal        
,catholic1 in order to pay homage to the
 successor of ,st4 ,peter1 whom ,christ 
appointed as head of the ,church2 how   
the pious ,king1 finding his kingdom in 
danger of invasion1 and his authority   
threatened1 and not daring to absent    
himself1 begged the ,pope to release him
 from his vow2 how the ,pope at once    
commuted it1 and bade him build a church
 instead1 in honour of ,st4 ,peter2 and 
so forth4 ,then they would very likely  
visit the inmates of the ,abbey4 ,the   
,benedictine monks who served the ,abbey
 would entertain them1 and ask after    
their brethren in ,italy4 ,some of these
 ,english monks would in all likelihood 
have been educated at ,subiaco1 where   
,st4 ,benedict first lived1 or at ,monte
 ,cassino1 where he died1 and where his 
body still lies4 ,in any case1 these    
,english monks were undoubtedly true    
children of ,st4 ,benedict1 and followed
 his rule1 and were animated by his     
spirit1 and rejoiced to acknowledge him 

as their founder and spiritual father4  
,there was nothing of the modern        
,anglican1 and nothing insular about    
them6  ,in the meantime the great day   
arrives4 ,it is the #dth of ,november in
 the year #acff4 ,the bells of the      
,abbey are ringing a merry peal4 ,the   
,faithful are flocking in to witness the
 ,archbishop receive the ,pallium1 the  
symbol of jurisdiction1 and the sign    
that all spiritual authority emanates   
from ,st4 ,peter1 who alone has received
 the keys1 and from his rightful        
successors in the ,petrine ,see of      
,rome4  ,it is a grand ceremony1 and we 
have even to-day1 in the old ,latin     
records1 a full account of what took    
place4 ,anything more truly ,roman      
,catholic1 or less like the ,anglican   
,church of the ,reformation1 it would be
 difficult to imagine4  ,it was directed
 by the rubrics1 that the ,cathedral    
clergy should be called together1 at an 
early hour1 and that ,prime and the rest
 of the ,divine ,office should be       

recited1 up to the ,high ,mass4 ,then   
the cross-bearers and torch-bearers and 
thurifers1 and the attendants carrying  
the ,book of the ,gospels and other     
articles of the sanctuary1 are drawn up 
in processional order in the chancel4   
,two and two1 followed by priests and   
other ecclesiastical dignitaries1 they  
walk down the nave4 ,then comes the     
,archbishop himself1 robed in full      
pontificals1 though1 out of respect to  
the ,pallium1 with bare feet4 ,the      
rubric on this point is explicit1 viz41 
nudis pedibus4 ,behind the ,archbishop  
come the ,prior and the monks wearing   
copes4 ,in this order they all pass     
through the streets of ,london to the   
gate of the city to meet the ,papal     
,commissioner who bears the ,pallium4   
,he is dressed in an alb and choir-cope1
 and solemnly carries the ,pallium      
enclosed in a costly vessel either of   
gold or of silver4 ,as soon as the      
procession meets the ,pallium-bearer it 
turns round1 and those who issued forth 

retrace their steps towards the ,abbey4 
,last but one walks the ,archbishop1 and
 last of all follows the bearer of the  
,pallium4 ,on reaching the church the   
,pallium is reverently laid on the high 
altar4 ,the ,archbishop then remains1   
for some minutes1 prostrate in prayer   
before the high altar4 ,then the choir  
having finished their singing1 the      
,archbishop rises1 and turning to the   
assembled multitude1 gives them his     
blessing4 ,he then approaches the altar1
 and with his hands upon the holy       
,gospels1 takes the following solemn    
oath4  ,now1 gentle reader1 we are      
anxious that you should pay particular  
attention to the words of this oath4    
,they may be found in ,wilkins'         
,concilia 7vol4 ii41 p4 #aii71 in the   
original ,latin1 just as they were      
uttered by ,simon ,langham1 and other   
,archbishops1 in old ,catholic days4 ,we
 give them translated into ,english4    
,and1 as you read them1 ask yourselves  
whether the ,archbishops who uttered    

them were genuine ,roman ,catholics1 or 
merely ,parliamentary ,bishops of the   
local and national variety1 belonging to
 the present ,english ,establishment4   
,we take our stand in spirit in         
,westminster ,abbey1 on the #dth day of 
,november1 #acff1 and1 in common with   
the rest of the vast congregation which 
fills every available space1 we listen  
to the newly elected ,archbishop1 as in 
clear1 ringing words1 with his hands on 
the ,gospels1 he swears as follow3--    
,i1 ,simon ,langham1 ,archbishop of     
,canterbury1 will be from this hour     
henceforth faithful and obedient to ,st4
 ,peter1 and to the ,holy ,apostolic    
,roman ,church1 and to my ,lord the     
,pope1 ,urban ,v41 and to his canonical 
successors4  ,surely1 some of us would  
open our eyes pretty wide if we saw the 
present ,anglican ,archbishop of        
,canterbury with his hands on the       
,gospels taking that oath4 ,yet we are  
assured1 ad nauseam1 that the ,church to
 which ,simon ,cardinal ,langham        

belonged is the same as the present     
,church of ,england1 which repudiates   
the authority of the ,pope altogether4  
,the same8 ,well1 yes2 if light and     
darkness1 and sweetness and bitterness1 
are the same4 ,but let us read the whole
 of the oath3 ,i1 ,simon ,langham1 will 
be from this hour henceforth faithful   
and obedient to ,st4 ,peter1 and to the 
,holy ,apostolic ,roman ,church1 and to 
my ,lord the ,pope1 ,urban ,v41 and to  
his canonical successors4 ,neither in   
counsel or consent or in deed1 will ,i  
take part in aught by which they might  
suffer loss of life1 or limb1 or        
liberty4 ,their counsel which they may  
confide to me1 whether by their envoys  
or their letter1 ,i will1 to their      
injury1 wittingly disclose to no man4   
,the ,roman ,papacy and the royalty of  
,st4 ,peter1 ,i will be their helper to 
defend and to maintain1 saving my order1
 against all men4 ,when summoned to a   
,synod ,i will come1 unless hindered by 
a canonical impediment4 ,the ,legate of 

the ,apostolic ,see ,i will treat       
honourably in his coming and going1 and 
will help him in his needs4 ,every third
 year ,i will visit the threshold of the
 ,apostles1 either personally or by     
proxy1 unless ,i am dispensed by        
,apostolic licence4 ,the possessions    
which pertain to the support of my      
,archbishopric1 ,i will not sell1 nor   
give away1 nor pledge1 nor re-enfeoff1  
nor alienate in any way1 without first  
consulting the ,roman ,pontiff4 ,so help
 me1 ,god1 and these ,god's ,holy       
,gospels4  ,if you1 who read these      
lines1 had stood by1 and listened to    
this oath1 would it leave any doubt in  
your minds as to the religion of the    
,archbishop8 ,could you possibly mistake
 it for the religion of the present     
,church of ,england8  ,was the present  
,anglican ,archbishop of ,canterbury    
chosen and appointed by the ,pope8 ,did 
he take a vow of celibacy8 ,does the    
present ,archbishop acknowledge publicly
 and officially that he receives his    

jurisdiction from the ,pope8 ,did he    
receive the ,pallium from ,rome1 sent by
 special ,papal messengers8 ,did he     
stand up and swear on the ,gospels that 
he would be faithful and obedient to his
 ,lord the ,pope8 ,did he promise to    
visit ,rome every three years1 to give  
his ,lord the ,pope an account of his   
diocese8 ,nothing of the kind4 ,yet we  
are gravely told that there is no break 
between the ,church of ,st4 ,anselm1 and
 ,simon ,langham1 and of ,cardinal      
,fisher1 on the one hand1 and the       
,church of the present ,archbishop of   
,canterbury on the other6  ,why are     
these good men so exceedingly anxious to
 prove that black is white8 ,why will   
they assert and re-assert1 in every mood
 and tense1 that things most opposite   
are identical1 and things most unlike   
are exactly the same8  ,we will deal    
with that question in the next chapter4 
,all we now affirm is that the reason is
 abundantly clear and evident1 though   
little creditable to these perverters of

 history4     ,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,the   
,,awkward ,,dilemma4   ,in the whole    
catalogue of sin1 there is hardly one so
 detestable in itself1 or so withering  
in its effects1 as the sin of heresy4   
,consequently1 though we feel a great   
love as well as a great interest in the 
,church in ,england during the thousand 
years in which she formed a part of the 
,church of ,god1 we can have little love
 for the present ,church of ,england1 as
 by law established1 cut off1 as she is1
 from the only true ,church1 which      
,christ1 the ,incarnate ,god1 was       
pleased in ,his infinite wisdom to build
 upon ,st4 ,peter1 and upon those who   
should succeed him in his sublime       
office1 and who have received the       
,divine ,commission to rule over the    
entire flock1 to hold the keys of the   
kingdom of heaven1 and to confirm their 
brethren to the end of time4  ,besides1 
a careful study of the origin and       
genesis of the present ,anglican        
,establishment is scarcely calculated to

 predispose any one particularly in its 
favour4 ,it is not ,catholics only who  
might be thought biased upon such a     
point1 but others also who feel this4   
,in fact1 it is precisely impartial men1
 unaffected by any interest either way1 
who most fully realise from what a very 
shady beginning the new state of things 
arose4 ,as ,sir ,osborne ,morgan puts   
it1 ,every student of ,english history  
knows that1 if a very bad king had not  
fallen in love with a very pretty woman1
 and desired to get divorced from his   
plain and elderly wife1 and if he had   
not compelled a servile ,parliament to  
carry out his wishes1 there would1 in   
all human probability1 never have been  
an ,established ,church at all4  ,this  
gentleman is a ,protestant1 and the son 
of a ,protestant clergyman1 so we may be
 quite sure that he harbours no special 
leanings towards us1 yet he speaks      
impartially as one who has not only read
 history1 but read it without coloured  
spectacles4 ,perhaps ,lord ,macaulay    

puts the case as bluntly as any one1 and
 we may as well quote him because he1   
too1 was no ,catholic1 and held no brief
 for the ,church of ,rome4 ,this        
brilliant writer1 who was1 perhaps1 an  
historian before all things1 tells us   
that the work of the ,reformation was   
the work1 not of three saints1 nor even 
of three ordinary decent men1 but of    
three notorious murderers6 ,these are   
not our words1 but ,macaulay's1 and it  
is not our fault if this is his reading 
of history4 ,we merely summon him as a  
,protestant witness4 ,he calmly and     
deliberately states that the            
,reformation was begun by ,henry        
,,viii41 the murderer of his wives2 was 
continued by ,somerset1 the murderer of 
his brother2 and was completed by       
,elizabeth1 the murderer of her guest4  
,not a very auspicious beginning1 it    
must be confessed1 and scarcely         
suggestive of the ,divine afflatus4     
,those who planted the ,catholic ,church
 used no violence1 and did not inflict  

death4 ,no6 on the contrary1 they       
endured death1 and their blood became   
the seed of the ,church4 ,and that is   
quite another story4 ,in former days    
every one admitted the present ,anglican
 ,church to be the child of the         
,reformation4 ,it was1 to quote the     
,protestant historian1 ,child1 as       
completely the creation of ,henry       
,,viii41 ,edward's ,council1 and        
,elizabeth as ,saxon ,protestantism was 
of ,luther4 ,but now8 ,oh6 now1 nous    
avons chang tout cela1 and history has  
received a totally different setting4 ,a
 certain section of ,anglicans1 in these
 modern times1 are labouring hard to    
persuade themselves and others that they
 can trace their ,church back to the    
time of ,st4 ,augustine4 ,they will by  
no means allow that they started into   
being only in the sixteenth century4 ,in
 fact1 it is quite pathetic to watch the
 strenuous efforts they make1 and the   
extravagant means to which they have    
recourse1 in order to lull themselves   

into the peaceful enjoyment of so sweet 
and consoling a delusion4  ,a delusion  
which a candid study of past history    
must sooner or later ruthlessly dispel1 
and which has not a shred of foundation 
in fact to support it4 ,but we promised 
to point out ,,why1 in spite of its     
absolute absurdity1 these good men1 like
 the ,bishop of ,london1 persist in     
repeating and restating with            
ever-increasing vehemence that there has
 been no break in the continuity1 and   
that the present ,church of ,england is 
one with the ,church of ,st4 ,bede1 of  
,st4 ,dunstan1 of ,st4 ,anselm1 of ,st4 
,thomas1 and of other pre-,reformation  
heroes2 though they must surely know    
that there is not one amongst these     
glorious old ,catholic saints who would 
not a thousand times sooner have gone to
 the stake and been burnt alive1 than   
have accepted the ,thirty-nine          
,articles1 or than have joined the      
present ,bishop of ,london in any of his
 religious services4 ,why do ,anglicans 

make such heroic efforts to connect     
their ,church with the past8 ,why do    
they advance an impossible theory8 ,why 
will they stubbornly affirm what history
 utterly denies8 ,why do they assert1   
and with such emphasis1 what no one but 
they themselves have the hardihood to   
believe8 ,why8 ,for precisely the same  
reason that will induce a drowning man  
to grasp at a straw4 ,in short1 because 
even if they did not realise it before1 
they are now beginning to see that their
 very position depends upon their being 
able to make out some sort of case for  
continuity4 ,they realise that to admit 
that the ,church of ,england began in   
the sixteenth century is simply to cut  
the ground from underneath their feet4  
,therefore1 purely in self-defence1 they
 feel themselves constrained to cling to
 the continuity theory4 ,it may be      
absurd1 it may be unhistorical1 it may  
be impossible and utterly repudiated by 
every impartial and honest man4 ,that   
cannot be helped4 ,impossible or not    

impossible2 true or false1 it is        
necessary for their very existence1 so  
that1 just as a drowning man catches at 
a straw1 though it cannot possibly      
support him1 so do these most           
unfortunate and hardly-pressed men      
clutch at and cling to the hollow theory
 of continuity4 ,sometimes1 when off    
their guard1 and in a less cautious     
mood1 they will confess as much         
themselves4 ,and what is more1 we can   
provide our readers with an instance of 
such a confession4 ,many will well      
remember a well-known and distinguished 
,anglican divine1 named ,canon ,malcolm 
,mac,coll4 ,he died a few years ago1 and
 we do not wish to say anything against 
him4 ,well1 he wrote to ,the ,spectator 
in #aijj4 ,his letter may be seen in the
 issue of #bbnd ,december for that year4
 ,in the course of this letter he makes 
the following admission3 he declares    
that to concede that the ,church of     
,england starts from the reign of ,henry
 ,,viii4 or ,elizabeth is to surrender  

the whole ground of controversy with    
,rome4 ,a ,church1 he continues1 which  
cannot trace its origin beyond the      
sixteenth century is obviously not the  
,church which ,christ founded4  ,the    
late ,anglican ,canon ,mac,coll is1 of  
course1 perfectly right1 and his        
inference is strictly logical4 ,a       
,church1 however highly respectable and 
however richly endowed1 which came into 
existence only #a1ejj years after       
,christ1 came into existence just #a1ejj
 years too late1 and cannot by any      
intellectual manoeuvring or stretching  
of the imagination be identified with   
the one ,church established by ,christ  
#a1ejj years earlier4 ,consequently     
every member of the ,anglican community 
finds himself1 nolens volens1 impaled on
 the horns of a truly frightful dilemma4
 ,for either he must frankly confess    
that his ,church is not the ,church of  
,god1 i4e41 not the ,true ,church1 which
 7human nature being what it is7 he can 
hardly be expected to do2 or else he    

must assert that it goes back without   
any real break to the time of the       
,apostles2 which though absolutely      
untrue1 is the only other alternative4  
,in a word1 he finds himself in a very  
tight corner4 ,he knows1 unless he is   
able to persuade himself of the truth of
 continuity1 the very ground of his     
faith must slip from under his feet1 and
 that he must give up pretending to be a
 member of ,christ's mystical body      
altogether4  ,no wonder there is        
consternation in the ,anglican camp4 ,no
 wonder that sermons are preached1 and  
history is re-edited and facts          
suppressed1 and pamphlets are circulated
 to prove that black is white and that  
bitterness is sweet1 and that false is  
true4 ,no wonder there are shows and    
pageants and other attempts to prove the
 thing that is not4 ,poor deluded       
mortals6 ,it is really pitiable to      
witness such straining and such pulling 
at the cords2 as though truth--solid1   
imperturbable1 eternal truth--could ever

 be dislodged or forced out of          
existence6 ,no6 ,they may disguise the  
truth for a time1 they may hide it for a
 brief period2 just as a child1 with a  
box of matches and a handful of straw1  
may1 for awhile1 hide the eternal stars4
 ,but as the stars are still there1 and 
will appear again when the smoke has    
blown away1 so will the truth reappear  
and assert itself1 when men grow calm1  
and put aside pride and passion and     
prejudice and self-interest4 ,magna est 
veritas1 et prevalebit6  ,it has been   
said3 ,mundus vult decipi2 the world    
wishes to be deceived2 certainly the    
,anglican world does4 ,but no one else  
is taken in4 ,the ,dissenter1 the       
,nonconformist1 and others who have no  
axe to grind1 know well that fine words 
butter no parsnips1 and are far too     
shrewd to be deluded4 ,why1 even the old
 ,catholic cathedrals with their        
holy-water stoups1 their occasional     
altars of stone1 still remaining1 their 
,lady chapels1 and their niches for the 

images of the saints1 as ill befit the  
present occupiers1 and their modern     
,english services1 as a ,court dress    
befits a clown4  ,that the sublime      
grotesqueness of the whole contention is
 clearly visible to other besides       
,catholic eyes is clearly proved by the 
occasional observations of the          
non-,catholic ,press4 ,here1 again1 we  
will offer the gentle reader a specimen4
 ,the ,daily ,news is one of ,london's  
big dailies4 ,it has a wide circulation4
 ,it is representative of a large       
section of the ,english people4 ,let us 
select a passage from one of its        
leaders4 ,speaking of the arrogance of  
the ,anglican ,church1 which1 as        
compared to the ,catholic ,church1 is   
but a baby1 still in long clothes1 it   
gives expression to its views in the    
following caustic lines4 ,one might     
almost imagine it were the ,tablet or   
,catholic ,times that we are about to   
quote from1 but1 nothing of the kind1 it
 is the ,nonconformist organ1 the ,daily

 ,news4 ,it writes3 ,the ,anglicans may 
still persist in patronising the ,roman 
,catholics as a new set of modern       
dissidents under the old name4 ,it is   
the sort of vengeance which1 under      
favourable circumstances1 the mouse may 
enjoy at the expense of the elephant4   
,if he can mount high enough by         
artificial means1 the smallest of       
created things may contrive to look down
 on the greatest1 and to affect to      
compassionate his want of range4 ,for   
purposes of controversy1 the ,anglican  
could talk of himself as a terrestrial  
ancient-of-days1 and regret the rage for
 innovation1 which led1 not1 of course1 
to his separation from ,rome1 but to    
,rome's separation from him6 ,so the    
pebble1 if determined to put a good face
 on it1 might wonder what had become of 
the rock1 and recite the parable of the 
return of the prodigal to the ,atlas    
,range2 and so forth4 ,the fact is that 
every unprejudiced man1 who has so much 
as a mere bowing acquaintance with the  

facts of history1 knows perfectly well  
that before the sixteenth century the   
,church in ,england was united to the   
,holy ,see1 and rested where ,christ    
,himself had built it1 viz41 on ,peter1 
the rock4 ,whereas1 after the sixteenth 
century1 it became a ,state ,church1    
dependent1 not on ,peter1 but upon      
,parliament1 and as purely local1       
national1 and ,english as the ,british  
,army or the ,british ,navy4 ,bramhall  
tells us that1 whatsoever power our laws
 did divest the ,pope of1 they invested 
the ,king with 7,schism ,guarded1 p4    
#cdj74  ,we dealt in the last chapter   
with the relation between the           
pre-,reformation ,archbishops and       
,metropolitans and the ,pope1 and we saw
 how each in turn swore obedience to the
 ,vicar of ,christ as his spiritual     
sovereign4 ,we will now conclude the    
present chapter by transcribing a       
typical address presented by another    
representative body of men to the ,pope1
 in past times4 ,it is the year #adbg4  

,now ,chicheley1 the ,archbishop of     
,canterbury1 had been accused at ,rome  
of some fault or indiscretion1 so the   
other ,bishops of the province met      
together for the purpose of defending   
him4 ,with this end in view1 they       
address a letter to ,pope ,martin ,v4   
,it begins as follows3--  ,most ,blessed
 ,father1 one and only undoubted        
,sovereign ,pontiff1 ,vicar of ,jesus   
,christ upon earth1 with all promptitude
 of service and obedience1 kissing most 
devoutly your blessed feet1 and so      
forth4 ,they then proceed to defend     
their ,metropolitan1 and in doing so    
declare that the ,archbishop of         
,canterbury is1 ,most ,blessed ,father1 
a most devoted son of your ,holiness and
 of the ,holy ,roman ,church4 ,nay1     
more2 they go on to testify that he is  
so rooted in his loyalty1 and so        
unshaken in his allegiance especially to
 the ,roman ,church1 that it is known to
 the whole world1 and ought to be known 
to the city 7i4e41 ,rome7 that he is the

 most faithful son of the ,church of    
,rome1 promoting and securing1 with all 
his strength1 the guarantees of her     
liberty4  ,now1 what we wish to know is1
 how in the world can a man be the most 
faithful son of the ,church of ,rome1 so
 rooted in his loyalty to her that his  
allegiance is known to the whole world1 
and yet not be a ,roman ,catholic8 ,the 
,bishops then add that they go down upon
 their knees to beseech the ,pope's     
favour for the ,archbishop1 and in doing
 so declare that they are the most      
humble sons of your ,holiness and of the
 ,roman ,church4  ,then ,archbishop     
,chicheley follows up their letter1 by  
writing one himself1 in which he says3  
,most ,blessed ,father1 kissing most    
devotedly the ground beneath your feet1 
with all promptitude of service and     
obedience1 and whatsoever a most humble 
creature can do towards his lord and    
master 7i4e41 domino et                 
creatori--literally creator1 in the     
sense that the ,pope had made or created

 him archbishop7 and so forth4 ,then he 
goes on to explain that ,long before    
now1 were it not for the perils of the  
journey and the infirmities of my old   
age1 ,i would have made my way1 ,most   
,blessed ,father1 to your feet1 and have
 accepted most obediently whatsoever    
your ,holiness would have decided 7see  
,wilkins1 vol4 iii4 pp4 #dga and #dhf74 
,surely1 no ,archbishop or ,bishop could
 use language of such profound reverence
 and of such perfect loyalty and        
obedience1 unless he recognised the     
,pope as the true representative of     
,christ upon earth1 invested with ,his  
divine authority 7,to ,thee do ,i give  
the keys of the ,kingdom of ,heaven74   
,there is a whole world of difference   
between such men and the ,anglican      
,prelates of to-day who take the oath of
 homage to the ,king1 and say3 ,i do    
hereby declare that your ,majesty is the
 only supreme governor of this your     
realm1 in spiritual and ecclesiastical  
things1 as well as temporal4            

,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,king ,,edward ,,and  
,,the ,,pope4   ,in a previous chapter1 
we promised to tell of a famous letter  
written by one of our greatest kings to 
the ,pope of his day4 ,let us then      
introduce this interesting historical   
incident without further preamble or    
delay4  ,the ,king of whom we are about 
to speak is ,king ,edward ,,iii41 who   
reigned over this land for more than    
fifty years1 that is to say1 from #acbg 
to #acgg4 ,the historian ,hume tells us 
that1 in general estimation1 his reign  
was not only one of the longest1 but    
that it was considered also one of the  
most glorious that occurs in the annals 
of our nation 7vol4 ii41 p4 #big74 ,it  
is important to remember1 further1 that 
,edward was no timid weakling1 ready to 
yield to others through weakness or     
fear4 ,quite the contrary4 ,he was      
strong1 war-like1 and courageous4 ,hume 
informs us that he curbed the           
licentiousness of the great2 that he    
made his foremost nobles feel his power1

 and that they dared not even murmur    
against it1 and that his valour and     
conduct made his knights and warriors   
successful in most of their enterprises 
7id41 p4 #dig74 ,yet1 in spite of his   
strong1 independent and man-like        
character--or shall we not rather say   
because of it8--he ever showed himself  
to be a most loyal child of the         
,catholic ,church4 ,he considered it no 
indication of weakness to acknowledge   
the spiritual supremacy and jurisdiction
 of the ,sovereign ,pontiff1 and to     
subscribe himself as a most obedient son
 of the ,vicar of ,jesus ,christ1 as we 
shall now proceed to prove1 in spite of 
all the frogs and jackdaws that the     
,bishop of ,london appeals to as        
witnesses to the contrary4  ,now1 it so 
fell out that1 in the second decade of  
his reign1 certain persons1 with perhaps
 more zeal than discretion1 began to    
lodge sundry complaints against the     
,king4 ,they carried stories to ,rome1  
and sought to prejudice the ,pope1      

,benedict ,,xii41 against ,king ,edward4
 ,in the course of time the ,king got   
wind of what was going on1 and found    
that the suspicions of the ,pope had    
been raised against him4 ,now1 what did 
,edward do8 ,if he had been a modern    
,anglican1 he would have snapped his    
fingers at the ,pope4 ,forgetful of ,our
 ,lord's words1 ,unless you become as   
little children you shall not enter the 
,kingdom of heaven1 he would have       
proudly declared that no ,pope or       
foreign ,bishop could claim any         
jurisdiction in ,england1 for that he   
himself was1 in his own realm1 the      
supreme authority in things             
ecclesiastical as well as in things     
temporal4 ,such would have been the     
natural and obvious course for him to   
have taken4 ,that is to say had he been 
a modern ,anglican4 ,but since he was   
not a modern ,anglican1 but a genuine   
,roman ,catholic to his very backbone1  
like all the rest of his kingdom1 he did
 not act in that imperious1 off-hand    

way1 but was very much distressed and   
concerned1 as a loving son would be1 who
 had incurred the displeasure of a      
generous father4 ,finally1 in the       
thirteenth year of his reign1 that is to
 say1 in #acci1 he determined to address
 a letter to the ,sovereign ,pontiff1   
firstly to protest against these        
accusations1 secondly to assure the     
,pope of his innocence1 and thirdly to  
beg him to take no notice of those who  
had been calumniating him4  ,the        
document is a very remarkable one1 and  
from the point of view of continuity 7of
 which it completely disposes7 it is of 
very considerable interest4  ,before you
 read it1 and ponder over its contents1 
let me remind you that the writing of a 
letter in those days was a very serious 
business4 ,there was no post such as we 
have now1 and special couriers had to be
 despatched from ,london to ,rome4      
,paper had not as yet been invented1 so 
the message had to be carefully written1
 by paid scribes1 on vellum or          

parchment4 ,further1 a letter from a    
,king to the ,pope was not a thing to be
 dashed off on the spur of the moment1  
but to be carefully thought out1 and    
expressed with great accuracy4 ,the     
,king would summon his advisers1 and his
 ,secretary of ,state1 and probably     
consult some of the ,bishops and weigh  
each word before committing his message 
to parchment4 ,in short1 the document   
would represent his own deliberate      
convictions as well as those of his     
official advisers and counsellors4      
,after addressing the ,pope in the usual
 respectful and filial way1 he says3    
,let not the envious information of our 
detractors find place in the meek mind  
of your ,holiness1 or create any        
sinister opinion of a son observe the   
,king calls himself a son of the ,pope1 
who after the manner of his predecessors
 so previous ,kings were as loyal as he 
shall always firmly persist in amity and
 obedience to the ,apostolic ,see4 ,nay1
 if any such evil suggestion concerning 

your son should knock for entrance at   
your ,holiness's ears1 let no belief be 
allowed it till the son who is concerned
 be heard1 who trusts and always intends
 both to say and to prove that each of  
his actions is just before the tribunal 
of your ,holiness1 presiding over every 
creature1 which to deny is to maintain  
heresy4 ,nothing could be stronger than 
this last sentence2 but we will return  
to that later4 ,then the ,king goes on  
to speak of others1 who are dependent   
upon him1 and proceeds as follows3 ,and 
further1 this we say1 adjoining it as a 
further evidence of our intention and   
greater devotion1 that if there be any  
one of our kindred or allies who walks  
not as he ought in the way of obedience 
towards the ,apostolic ,see1 we intend  
to bestow our diligence--and we trust to
 no little purpose--that leaving his    
wandering course1 he may return into the
 path of duty and walk regularly for the
 future4  ,from these words it is clear 
that the ,king of ,england1 not         

satisfied with obeying the ,pope        
himself1 likewise insisted upon all     
under his authority obeying him         
likewise4 ,indeed1 he would have made   
short work of those who should refuse to
 do so4 ,then1 alluding to some         
reproach1 admonition or censure which he
 had received from the ,pope1 he goes on
 to express himself in words strangely  
out of harmony with the whole tone and  
spirit of modern ,anglicanism4 ,they are
 as follows3--  ,that the ,kings of     
,england1 our predecessors1 those       
illustrious champions of ,christ1 those 
defenders of the ,faith1 those listen6  
zealous asserters of the rights of the  
,holy ,roman ,church1 and devout        
observers of her commands1 that they or 
we should deserve this unkindness1 we   
neither know nor believe4 ,and though1  
for this very reason many do say--though
 we say not so--that this aiding of our 
enemies against us1 seems neither the   
act of a father nor of a mother towards 
us1 but rather of a stepmother2 yet this

 notwithstanding1 we constantly avow    
that we are remember1 it is still the   
,king of ,england speaking1 and shall   
continue to be1 to your ,holiness and to
 your seat1 a devout and humble son1 and
 not a step-son4  ,can any one imagine  
greater reverence or greater loyalty to 
the ,vicar of ,christ than is shown     
forth in these words8 ,can you1 dear    
readers1 by any stretch of the          
imagination1 conceive any one who is not
 a ,roman ,catholic giving vent to such 
sentiments as are here expressed8 ,have 
words lost their plain meaning for the  
,bishop of ,london1 and for those who   
7we must in charity suppose1 blindly7   
follow him8  ,the letter is a long one1 
and we need not transcribe the whole of 
it1 but we will offer for your          
consideration just one more paragraph4  
,the ,king writes3 ,your ,holiness best 
knows the measure of good and just1 in  
whose hands are the keys to open and to 
shut the gates of heaven on earth1 as   
the fulness of your power and the       

excellence of your judicature           
requires4444 ,we being ready to receive 
information of the truth1 from your     
sacred tribunal1 which is over all1 etc4
  ,observe these words were written over
 five hundred years ago1 long before the
 present ,anglican ,establishment was so
 much as dreamed of2 yet1 even if ,king 
,edward ,,iii4 had actually foreseen the
 craze that would seize ,anglicans of   
to-day to prove that he1 and his        
subjects were not loyal ,roman          
,catholics1 he could not have expressed 
his ,catholicity and his loyalty to the 
,vicar of ,christ in more unmistakable  
or in more explicit terms4  ,whom shall 
we believe8 ,king ,edward ,,iii4        
himself1 who1 in the above words1       
declares he is a staunch ,roman         
,catholic1 and an obedient son of the   
,pope1 ready to defend his rights       
against all1 or the present ,bishop of  
,london1 who declares he was not8       
,there is one sentence in the ,king's   
letter which is especially worthy of    

consideration1 as it is so pregnant with
 meaning4 ,we refer to the following3   
knowing that your ,holiness presides    
over every creature1 which to deny is   
heresy4  ,you will observe that the     
,king not only believes1 but that he    
here practically makes an explicit      
profession of faith in the spiritual    
supremacy of ,st4 ,peter and his        
successors1 the ,popes4 ,in fact1 he not
 only admits and confesses the ,pope's  
supremacy to be true1 which is one      
thing1 but he declares it to be a       
revealed truth1 taught by ,our ,blessed 
,lord ,himself1 which is a great deal   
more4 ,how does he do this8 ,suffer us  
to explain4  ,to deny any truth of      
religion is wrong and sinful1 but it is 
not necessarily and always heretical4   
,heresy is not the denial of any kind of
 truth3 it is the denial only of a      
special form of truth4 ,it is the denial
 of those truths which have been taught 
by ,jesus ,christ and the ,apostles4    
,but the ,king explicitly declares in   

his letter to the ,holy ,father that to 
deny the ,pope's spiritual supremacy    
over all is not only wrong1 not only    
sinful1 but that it is to be guilty of  
the specially horrible sin of heresy4   
,his words are3 ,it is to maintain      
heresy4 ,yet ,anglicans still fondly    
cling to the delusion that the ,church  
in ,england in the time of ,edward      
,,iii4 is in unbroken continuity with   
the ,church of ,england in the time of  
,king ,edward ,,vii46  ,but1 to         
continue4 ,it is interesting to note    
that the ,pope1 ,benedict ,,xii41 in due
 course replies to this letter from his 
devout and humble son1 as ,edward       
describes himself4 ,he begins by        
expressing his satisfaction that ,his   
most dear ,son in ,christ ,king ,edward 
of ,england should thus follow the      
commendable footsteps of your           
progenitors1 ,kings of ,england who1 he 
goes on to say1 were famous for the     
fulness of their devotion and faith     
towards ,god and the ,holy ,roman       

,church4  ,will the present ,bishop of  
,london1 we wonder1 be good enough to   
explain how ,pope ,benedict ,,xii4 could
 possibly tell a renowned ,king of      
,england that his progenitors1 that is  
to say1 the ,kings of ,england who had  
preceded him1 were famous--mark the     
word--famous for the fulness of their   
devotion and faith towards ,god and the 
,holy ,roman ,church1 if they were all  
the while cut off from the ,roman       
,church1 and denounced as heretics by   
that ,church1 if1 in short1 they were of
 one and the same faith as the          
,anglicans are to-day8 ,we pause for a  
reply4 ,of course we know that          
,anglicans are very hard pressed1 and in
 a quandary1 and that some allowance    
must be made for drowning men when they 
stretch forth their trembling hands to  
clutch at straws4 ,but really the claim 
to continuity1 however vital to them1   
should hardly be put forward in the face
 of such clear and overwhelming evidence
 of its falsity4 ,the ultimate effects  

of such vain efforts to prove black to  
be white can only be to make them       
ridiculous1 and to discredit them in the
 eyes of honest men4  ,in conclusion1 we
 are persuaded that some may feel       
curious or interested to see and read   
,king ,edward's letter for themselves1  
and in its entirety4 ,some may even wish
 to satisfy themselves that we are      
stating actual facts1 and not romancing2
 so let us inform any such persons that 
the letter quoted belongs to the        
thirteenth year of ,king ,edward        
,,iii4's reign 7,an4 ,regni xiii4 ,ed4  
,rex ,,iii474 ,the original1 if not at  
the ,vatican1 should be either at the   
,record ,office or at the ,british      
,museum4 ,the ,english version1 of which
 we have made use1 may be found on pages
 #abf-cj of ,the ,history of ,edward    
,,iii41 by ,j4 ,barnes1 ,fellow of      
,emmanuel ,college1 ,cambridge1 and     
published in #afhh4 ,had this history   
been composed in more modern times1 this
 famous letter to ,pope ,benedict would 

probably have been quietly suppressed or
 omitted4  ,but in #afhh the theory of  
continuity had not been invented by the 
father of lies1 to bolster up a lost    
cause1 so the letter actually appears in
 ,barnes' ,history1 to tell its own     
unvarnished tale3 and to bear its       
uncompromising testimony to the truth4  
,in the meanwhile1 time wears on1 and   
the end draws near when each man will   
have to give an account of his life and 
conduct to the ,supreme ,judge of the   
living and the dead4 ,and it will go    
hard with us if we turn our back upon   
the truth4 ,god is speaking in this     
,england of ours1 and shedding ,his     
light1 and many are finding their way   
back to that glorious ,faith of which   
they were cruelly robbed at the         
,reformation4 ,to-day1 if you shall hear
 ,his voice1 harden not your hearts1 but
 lend an attentive ear to ,his          
invitation1 and pray that you may have  
courage enough to join hands once again 
with ,bede1 and ,dunstan1 ,anselm1 and  

,thomas  ,becket1 and with ,edward      
,,iii4 and his royal predecessors1 all  
faithful sons of ,st4 ,peter and the    
,holy ,see1 and to enter that ,church   
which was built by ,god ,incarnate on   
,peter1 and upon no other foundation2   
which still rests securely upon ,peter1 
and which 7if there be any truth in     
,god's promises7 will continue to rest  
on ,peter till the end of time4 ,upon   
this ,rock 7,peter7 will ,i build ,my   
,church1 and the gates of hell 7i4e41   
the powers of darkness7 shall never     
prevail against it4    ,also by ,rt4    
,rev4 ,,john ,s4 ,,vaughan1 ,d4,d41     
,bishop of ,sebastopol4 ,to be had of   
all ,catholic ,booksellers4   #a4       
,,concerning ,,the ,,holy ,,bible3 ,,its
 ,,use ,,and ,,abuse4    ,with a ,letter
 from ,h4,e4 ,cardinal ,,logue4    ,pp4 
xvi4-#bgj4 ,price #cs4 #f;d4     ,it is 
impossible to take up this delightful   
volume without    desiring to express   
one's admiration of it4444 ,as to the   
matter1    it would be well if every    

,catholic had it at his fingers'        
ends1 especially in this country4444 ,it
 has an irresistible    charm of        
style4--,the ,tablet4     ,h4,e4        
,cardinal ,,logue writes to ,bishop     
,vaughan3 ,you are to be                
congratulated on the success with which 
you have treated    your important      
subject4     ,n4,b4--,the volume has    
already been translated into ,french and
    ,italian1 and is now being          
translated into other foreign           
languages4  #b4 ,,earth ,,to ,,heaven4  
,fourth ,edition4 ,pages #bjj4 ,price   
#bs4 #f;d4 net4     ,there is a freedom1
 a freshness1 and a new manner of       
expressing    old truths in ,bishop     
,vaughan's writings1 which is           
exceedingly    charming4444 ,better even
 than their beauty is their             
suggestiveness1 etc4--,tablet4  #c4     
,,faith ,,and ,,folly4 ,second ,edition4
 ,pages #ejb4 ,price #es4 net4     ,we  
know no author who has a happier method 
of popularising    theology4--,catholic 

,times4     ,a candid antagonist will   
feel respect for the                    
author4--,spectator4     ,the author has
 gifts of happy illustration1 of close  
reasoning1    and of clear              
expression4--,ave ,maria4     ,an       
excellent work and a timely one4--,the  
,rosary ,magazine4     ,we trust ',faith
 and ,folly' may have a wide            
circulation4--,dublin ,review4  #d4     
,,thoughts ,,for ,,all ,,times4 ,the    
,eighteenth ,edition is now in          
preparation4 ,pages #dcf4 ,price #es4   
net4     ,clear and well-written        
expositions1 rich in illustrations and  
adorned in places with beautiful and    
sublime    language4--,whitehall        
,review4     ,we would be glad to see a 
copy in every household in the land4    
,it needs only to be known to have its  
merits appreciated4--,h4,e4    ,cardinal
 ,,gibbons4  #e4 ,,life ,,after ,,death4
 ,fourteenth ,edition4 ,pages #bde4     
,price #bs4 net4     ,popular1 luminous1
 eloquent1 and persuasive4 ,it is       

carefully    thought out1 and forms a   
massive argument of great value4--,the  
,gentleman's ,journal4     ,this work   
cannot but exercise a pleasing charm    
over the reader1    and serve to hold   
his attention spell-bound               
throughout4--,catholic ,times4  #f4     
,,dangers ,,of ,,the ,,day4     ,an     
admirable book4 ,just what is wanted4   
#g4 ,,the ,,purpose ,,of ,,the ,,papacy2
 and1 ,,the ,,anglican ,,theory ,,of    
,,continuity4    ,just ,published4      
,price #as4 #f;d4         99       99   
99       99       99     ,,how ,i ,,came
 ,,to ,,do ,,it2 or1 ,how ,parson       
,blackswhite gave up his ,vow of        
,celibacy4 ,a ,holiday ,sketch4 ,pages  
#cjj4 #bs4 #f;d4 net4 ,edited by        
,monsignor ,,vaughan4     ,a ,,priest   
writes3 ,i read this novel1 and laughed 
and    laughed till the tears rolled    
down my cheeks4     ,the ,lamp says3 ,it
 is as instructive as it is amusing1 and
 as    amusing as it is instructive4    
,the well-known ,french paper           

,l',univers says3 ,ce livre est         
charmant1 et trs interessant et         
mriterait d'tre traduit en    franais4  
,how ,i ,came to ,do ,it is now being   
put into ,french by ,m4 l'abb    ,p4    
,scher1 with the title ,les ,raisons de 
ma ,dcision4         99       99        
99       99       99