The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

DOCTRINAL VARIATIONS OF POPERY. 195lieved one set of opinions in one age, and another sot ofopinions in another age. What was sound doctrine in thesixth century, was heresy in the twelfth ;and what was sufficientfor salvation in the twelfth century, is altogether insufficientfor it in our day.in the thirteenth century ;Transubstantiation was inventedit was followed, at the distance ofthree centuries, by the sacrifice of the mass ;and that again,in our day, by the immaculate conception of the Virgin.the twelfth century, the Lombardic* theology, which mingledfaith and works in the justification of the sinner, was in repute.This had its day, and was succeeded in about a hundredyears after by the scholastic theology. The schoolmendiscarded faith, and gave works alone a place in the importantmatter of justification. On the ruins of the scholasticdivinity flourished the monastic theology.InThis system extolledpapal indulgences, adoration of images, prayers tosaints, and works of supererogation ;and on these groundsrested the sinner's justification. The Reformation came,and a modified theology next became fashionable, in whichthe grosser errors were abandoned to suit the newly risenlight. But now all these systems have given place to thetheology of the Jesuits, whose system differs in several importantpoints from all that wont before it. On the head ofjustification the Jesuitical theology teaches that habitualrighteousness is an infused grace, but that actual righteousnessconsists in the merit of good works. Here are fivetheologies which have successively been in vogue in theChurch of Rome. Which of these five systems is the orthodoxone I Or are they all orthodox ? But not only dowe desiderate unity between the successive ages of the RomishChurch ; we desiderate unity among her contemporarydoctors and councils. They have differed on questions ofceremonies, on questions of morals,and they have differed* So called from Peter Lombard, who collected the opinions of the fathersinto one volume. The differences he had hoped to reconcile he butsucceeded, from their proximity, in making more apparent.