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

24 PROGRESS OF ECCLESIASTICAL SUPREMACY.vast designs;—the rivalship of sects, the jealousies of churchmen,the intrigues of courts, the growth of ignorance andsuperstition, r.nd the triumph of barbarian arms.It seemedas if the natural operation of events was suspended in hercase, and that what to other systems wrought nought butevil, to her brought only good. The great shocks by whichpowerful empires were broken in pieces, and the face of theworld changed, left the Church unscathed. While othersystems and confederations were falling into ruin, she continuedsteadily to advance. From the mighty wreck of theempire she uprose in all the vigour of youth. She hadshared in its grandeur, but she did not share in its fall.She saw the barbaric flood from the north overwhelm southernEurope ;but from her lofty seat on the Seven Hills shelooked securely down on the deluge that rolled beneath her.She saw the crescent, hitherto triumphant, cease to be victoriousthe moment it approached the confines of her specialand sacred territory. The same arms that had overthrownother countries only contributed to her grandeur. The Saracensbrought to an end the patriarchate of Alexandriaand of Antioch ;thus leaving the see of Rome, more especiallyafter the breach with Constantinople, undisputed mistressof the west. What could be concluded from so manyevents, whose issues to the Papacy were so opposite fromtheir bearing on all besides, but that, while other states wereleft to their fate, Rome was defended by an invisible arm ?Instinct she must be with a divine life, otherwise how couldshe survive so many disasters ? No wonder that the blindednations mistook her for a god, and prostrated themselves inadoration. We cannot write the history of the period ; butwe may be permitted to point out the general bearing of theoccurrences which we have classified as above, upon the developmentof the Papacy.The disputes which arose in the churches of the east favouredthe pretensions of the Roman Church, and helped topave her way to universal domination. Desirous to silencean opponent by citing the opinion of the western Church,