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V.

ROMANISM AND PROTESTANTISM.

Wednesday, October 8th, 1873.

DIVISION V.-CONTENTS.

FIRST SECTION-MODERN ROMANISM AND PROT

ESTANTISM.

1. DORNER: The Infallibilism of the Vatican Council, and Nominal

Protestantism

2. HITCHCOCK: Romanism in the light of History.

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3. FISCH: The Present State of Popery in France.....

PAGE

427

436

438

4. WITTE: Ultramontanism and the Four Prussian Church Laws.. 443 5. DORNER (AUGUST): Reaction in Germany against Ultramontanism 446 6. STORRS: The Appeal of Romanism to Educated Protestants..... 449 7. FISHER: Protestantism, Romanism, and Modern Civilization..... 461 8. CUMMINS: Roman and Reformed Doctrines of Justification..... 467 9. COULIN: Protestant Ministers and the Demands of the Age..... 475 10. HOVEY: Christian Liberty...

SECOND SECTION--THE OLD CATHOLICS.

. 481

1. OLD CATHOLIC CONGRESS: Letter, with Introduction by Schaff.... 485 2. HYACINTHE LOYSON: Letter....

490

3. KRAFFT: Vatican Council and Old Catholic Movement .. 4. PRONIER: Roman Catholicism in Switzerland...

491

498

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THIRD SECTION — EVANGELIZATION OF ROMAN CATHOLIC

COUNTRIES.

1. BERKELEY: Evangelization in Ireland.

2. LORRIAUX: The Evangelization of France..

508

517

FIRST SECTION.-MODERN ROMANISM AND PROTESTANTISM.

THE INFALLIBILISM OF THE VATICAN COUNCIL, AND NOMINAL PROTESTANTISM.

BY THE REV. I. A. DORNER, D.D.,
Professor of Theology in the University of Berlin.

It is a righteous indignation which is felt against the Council of the Vatican that it should sanction a dogma of such fearful and far-reaching importance as the Infallibility of the Pope; and it is the duty of pure and evangelical Christianity to contend against it in doctrine and life. But, in order to contend successfully, we must understand our adversaries, must discern the roots of the errors, which are powerful only in that they are connected with great truths. And, again, in order to contend as Christians, we must strive with sorrow and sympathy, with that love which would have our brethren likewise in possession of the truth, and which does not proudly exalt itself above other communions, but is mindful of the infirmities of our Sin, manifold and contradictory as it appears, is yet fundamentally one; and it is just so with error.

own.

In this spirit I would treat both parts of my theme, in order that we may strengthen one another in the common joy of the pure Gospel, whose light has been restored to us by the Reformation, fruitful in blessings, as the mother of us all.

I. The Vatican Dogma of the Infallibility of the Pope.-I shall not deny but that pride and thirst for power suggested to many of the Popes the idea of the infallibility of the pretended successor of St. Peter. But it does not suffice to say that all the Vatican Council were moved by pride and lust for power, to do the will of the Pope, to sanction this dogma. For the bishops have rather exhibited servility than pride; they have thereby sealed their own submission under the Pope; they have solemnly and formally divested themselves of their official equality with him in apostolic origin and dignity. It is true, moreover, that the Romish Church has thereby been thrown back into a gross and deep error, from which it can hardly arise again without a great internal revolution; for the

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whole structure of the hierarchy, the pillar of the truth, would thereby totter and become suspected. It is true also that now the utterances of the Pope are like the canon law, and must be esteemed as inspired; yea, that the Pope, as the authentic interpreter of the sacred Scriptures, is above the canon of the apostles and prophets. But, nevertheless, we can not justly understand this powerful error without seeing its connection with great Christian truths, whose caricature it is. We can not master it entirely until we clearly and purely apprehend the evangelical truth of which it is a counterfeit. The infallibility of the Pope would not have become a dogma without the consent of the bishops. Why did they yield, not only those who for a long time had acted as mere servants and menials of the Pope, not only those accustomed to regard religion as a mere mechanical, ceremonial service, who without astonishment added this dogma to other dogmasyea, merely wondered why others regarded the matter as so serious-but other bishops likewise of more earnest spirit and deeper religious interest? Why did, particularly, the German bishops submit themselves, who at first had bravely resisted? At the beginning of the struggle they, not less than the "Old Catholics," drew back with horror from this dogma as a mystery of error, or lies. But their opposition became weaker and more lukewarm, until at last they capitulated with resignation.

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I shall not acquit them of cowardice and fear of man; but the human heart is a deep thing, and strong in self-deceptions and artifices. The entire episcopal order would not have submitted themselves with so much unanimity, had they not supposed that only in this way they could preserve great Christian possessions. The error of papal infallibility was designed to subserve two great possessions, viz., the preservation of the Unity of

the Church and of Christianity, and the secur- | the Catholics, at least in Germany, were caring of assurance or certainty respecting gen-ried on with the advance of learning among uine Christianity, the latter through the for- the Protestants. Common training-schools, mer. The unity of the Church was for them, common public employments, mixed maras it ever is for the Catholics, more important riages, common literature more and more than assurance; for they believe that all as- modified Catholicism, yea, often evangelized surance would be lost forever by a dissolution it. The internal unity and uniformity of the of that unity, and that if we know where the | Catholic faith were furthermore threatened, Church of the Lord is, the pillar and ground if not dissolved. of the truth, we know likewise where his truth is. For they say, How shall the head lose its body? How shall the Lord ever give over his entire Church to error? But if the Church be split asunder, we no longer know where the true Church is. Therefore unity must be maintained at all hazards: for by the Church preserving its unity, even God may be compelled, as it were, to be with it; and his Spirit may be unable to leave it without rendering the entire divine work of redemption null and void.

This unity of the Church has been found for a long time in the hierarchy, which is constituted by the perpetual apostolic succession of bishops, the only legitimate descent from the apostles; and the unity of this hierarchy, culminating in the Pope of Rome, is and must be watched over by God and secured from error. But in the fifteenth century, and at the reforming councils, the hierarchy could no longer preserve the unity of the Church. The councils were against the Pope, and the Pope against the councils; each mutually shook the faith in the other, and thereby the Reformation became necessary and possible. After the Reformation had been accomplished, and had torn away from Rome a great part of the most energetic and promising nations, a more anxious and vehement effort was manifested to bring the faithful remnant compactly together under a monarchical head. A prelude was prepared to that system of absolute monarchy which in our day has stepped forth openly on the stage of history, chiefly through that order which is no less the vindicator of the theory of the worst absolutism of the Pope and his perpetual dictatorship as of his infallibility, than it is the bitter enemy, yea, the deadly foe of Protestantism.

Then Romanism saw that the time had come either to go down to ruin, or, by a gigantic effort, a life and death struggle, to overthrow the new civilization, which is so repugnant and foreign to its very soul, and to undertake the great restoration of the Roman Catholic system against liberty, civil and religious. For this nothing seemed to avail but the establishment of the most extended dictatorship, the endowment of the Pope, as the centre of unity, by consent of the Church, with a power that placed at his disposition the entire energies of the Roman Catholic nations, individually and collectively.

This was and is the bold, grand plan of the Ultramontanes. They were successful in holding the Vatican Council almost undisturbed, and in fulfilling their purpose. The council accomplished the abdication of the ancient power of the episcopacy in favor of Roman absolutism; and even better spirited and reluctant bishops yielded in order to preserve and to secure for future time the unity on which for them all the possessions of the Church depend, even the greatest one of assurance of the truth.

Since, now, the entire episcopal order has submitted itself to the absolute sovereignty of the Pope, the octogenarian shows himself inspired with fresh energy, hopes, and claims. In a brief of this year, 6th of March, he literally teaches the Catholics: "It is a religious duty and the will of God that they should devote themselves necessarily and absolutely to the wishes and admonitions of the holy throne, and that all wisdom for believers consists in absolute obedience, and ready, constant dependence upon the throne of St. Peter." Thus the Pope is now virtually the Church, its soul, the pillar and ground of truth and tradition; for he decides respecting the true tradition of the past; or, in other words, the entire Catholic world is his body, which he rules as the ever-living Peter-yes, the representative of God. All dualism and strife between Pope and bishops, Curialism and Episcopalism, seem to be ended, and unity secured forever.

But other influences also were at work for the same result. The States developed themselves after the American and French revolutions more and more independently. They withdrew themselves from ecclesiastical guardianship, and, in consciousness of their divine right, established the boundaries of civil and ecclesiastical power, freedom of religion, worship, and conscience, and the The summit has been reached; but what equality of citizens of different confessions. effect has it upon the possessions of unity The entire modern political life called all the and assurance? I answer, this craftily defaculties of the citizens into activity as vised work of man can not do what was exnever before, and, accustomed to their partic-pected of it, neither for the unity of the ipation in public affairs, threatened from Church nor for the assurance and certainty thence a reaction upon the Catholic Church. of Christian truth; but will work what was Moreover, the most eminent spirits among not expected. Let us consider both points:

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