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

KON-CATIIOLICITY OF DOCTRINE. 203government, nor in her doctrine. Scriptural in her constitutionshe is not. The true Church is founded upon thedoctrine of Christ''s divinity, whereas the Church of Romeis founded upon the doctrine of Peter"'s primacy. The primacy,as Eellarmine says, is the very germ of Christianity;*a stei-ling truth, if for Chrhtianity we substitute Catholicism.Nor i^L' she scriptural in her government. It is an undeniablehistorical fact, that neither in scriptural times nor inprimitive times was she governed as she has been governedsince the sixth century. Where in all the Bible do wefind a warrant for placing the government of the Church inthe hands of one man, possessed of both a temporal and aspiritual crown, governing according to a code of laws whichvirtually ignores the New Testament, and through a splendidlyequipped and richly salaried hierarchy of cardinals,archbishops, and bishops, formed on themodel of the empire,and exhibiting, at the best, but an impious travesty ofthe equality and simplicity of the New Testament Church \There is no mistaking the lordsMp of Rome for the episcopateof the Scriptures. The one is the exact counterpart ofthe other. Their stations are at the opposite poles of theecclesiastical sphere. Nor is the Church of Rome scripturalin doctrine. This is the great test by which she muststand or fall. " They do not possess the inheritance ofPeter who do not possess the faith of Peter," says Ambrose.The Church of Rome may wear the same name, occupy thesame territory, possess continuity of descent and similarityof organization ;she may have every outward mark of apostolicityunder heaven ; but if she wants this mark, she wantsall. And it is precisely here, in this the most vital point,that she comes most decidedly short. As the variousbranches of the Romish theology come successively underour view, it will be seen how far the Church of Rome haserred from the faith of the apostles. At present we can only* "Etenim de qua re agitur, cum de primatu pontificis agitur? brevissiraedicam, de summa rci Cbristiaua\"(De Romano Pont. Pra^fatio.)