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

:546 PROSPECTS OF THE PAPACY.for this part of the labour : it is not that kind of work whichHe usually assigns to his people. This, as it appears to us,is the end to be accomplished by present revolutions. Theirmission is to batterdown the strongholds of darkness, andto open a pathway, along which Christianity may advance tobless the nations.I3ut the second part is the work to which God speciallycalls his friends. But how ? In what way are they to work ?Now, here we have no ingenious or startling plan to propound,promising brilliant results, without much pains, and inshort time. We believe that there is no royal road to theevangelization of the world. But though our plan is simple,we believe it to be practicable, and the only one that is practicablein present circumstances.Well, then, we must concentrateour efforts, and make the blow fall where it will domost execution. E-ome is the head and heart of modernpaganism,—the fountain of temporal and spiritual tyrannylet us strike at Rome. Could we displace Popery and plantChristianity in Rome, the loss would be unspeakable to thePapacy,—the gain would be immense to Protestantism.Let us estimate the loss on the one side,—the gain on theother. First, Rome is the see of Peter (in papal logic) ; andit is as the occupant of Peter*'s see that the Pope claims theprimacy and the rank of Christ's Vicar ; therefore, shouldhe lose the see of Peter, he loses that on which he foundsthe whole of his claim. After that, he would not have ashadow of ground for the primacy. Not all the casuists orcouncils of Rome could by fair reasoning help him out ofthat difficulty. Of whatever see he was bishop, if notbishop of Rome, he is not Peter''s successor,—is not ChrisesVicar,—is not Pope. But second, so extended an organizationas the Papacy, in order to its efficient working,must necessarily have a centre, where are placed the headquartersof all its missions and agencies. That point isRome. Should we possess ourselves of that point, we breakup the organization of Rome at its centre, and cripple andderange it to its very circumference. But third, there is,