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

A BLOW AT ROME. 547as experience has proved, a certain mysterious connectionbetween the possession of Rome and the fate of the Papacy.It has never thriven away from it. Rome gives prestige tothe Romish system : it gives unity to it : it operates as apotent spell upon the Papist in the remotest quarters ofthe globe. Rome has ever been to the popes, in the oldmaxim, urhs et orhis. Now, it is of consequence even to destroythat influence, by breaking the tie between Romanismand Rome. This threefold loss would the Christianizationof Rome inflict upon the Papacy.It would be a blow at theroot of its system ; it would incurably derange its organization,and would strip it of its prestige. The gain to Christianitywould be proportionate. It would furnish it with apowerful centre of action, and place at the service of the gospelall the exterior helps which the possession of Rome andof Italy has given to Popery,—a landwhose resources arealmost inexhaustible, and a people who, to the power offorming the largest plans, and the ability to prosecute themwith steadiness, would add the fervour and zeal of converts.The moment, we repeat, is singularly opportune : it is oneof those rare occasionswhich occur at the interval of ages,to test the Church whether she has wisdom to seize upon it.Scepticism has set loose the masses from Rome, speakinggenerally ; but scepticism is too much of a negation to retainits power over them for any length of time. Smittenby a destroying revolution, heart-sick with the failure oftheir plans and hopes, they must and they will seek somethingmore positive than infidelity. Thei'e are some suchaspirations already springing up. German rationalism is onthe point of being renounced. Even socialism turns its facetowards Christianity. As we have seen the blind turn hissightless orbsto that quarter of the sky where the sun was,so socialism, amid the horrors of itsdescry the great effulgence of the gospel.night, seems faintly to"We may be assuredthat the nations must soon have something higher andbetter than pantheism : they already begin to feel after the" Unknown;" and if they find not truth, they will embrace