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

—544 PROSPECTS OF THE PAPACY.and will make head, there is reason to think, till an universaland tremendous overthrow sweep away the Papacy, withall the power that has upheld it. This dark presentimentalready oppresses the minds of its adherents. In terror ofthe " Red Spectre,"they run to throw themselves into thearms of the northern colossus. This will not save them.The communism of the W'est will be found stronger thanthe despotism of the north. At the first revolution thepeople set up the guillotine ; and now they are smarting forit. This time it is the kings who have set up the guillotine.One other revolution of the wheel, and the drama will close ;" For the Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim ; He shallbe wroth, as in the Valley of Gibeon, that He may do hiswork, his strange work, and bring to pass his act, hisstrange act, . . a consumption, even determined uponthe whole earth."" For Britain we have no fear. The hostileattitude now taken up against her by the entire popishworld does not dismay us. A year"'s peace with Rome willdo us more damage than a hundred years'* war. We believethat God has chosen Britain to stand erect as a monumentof the truth of Protestantism, when the popish kingdomsshall lie crushed and overthrown.But while we thus avow our convictions, it is well for allto bear in mind that the Papacy is still powerful, and haspossession of many strong positions : it is backed by all thestrength of governments ; it has a perfect organization,numerous agents, trained to prompt and unreasoning obedience; it has energy and zeal ; it has union, which is sadlywanting in the opposite camp ; it has the traditions of itsformer power, and the fruits of its past experience ; it hasmen of varied and great accomplishments arrayed on itstime past been apprehended by politicians. We quote the following remarkablewords of Sir James Macintosh — "Did we : not dread the ridiculeof political prediction, it would not seem difficult to assign its period.Church power (unless some revolution auspicious to priestcraft shouldreplunge Europe in ignorance), will certainly not survive the nineteenthcentury." (Vindiciaj Gallicse, p. 99.)