the form of a feudal sovereignty. It seems to us that if the popes had had light to proclaim themselves the successors of St. Peter as primates and not as kings-if they had said, "Rome is the centre of doctrine and of unity so long as the Holy Spirit uses her for His mouthpiece as He used St. Peter on the Day of Pentecost, but He dwells in the Church Universal, and her voice alone is final"; a way would have been found by which Churchmen at least could have fixed the bounds between the things of Cæsar and the things of God well enough for practical purposes. It seems to us that although there would of course have been a conflict, yet it would not have been a conflict that would have resulted in the captivity of Rome and the substitution of a godless learning and civilization for ancient Christianity. But our wisdom comes too late. And who can tell what might have been? Only one thing, I think, is clear. God meant Rome for better ends than she has yet accomplished. It has been said that St. Peter was never Bishop of Rome. Upon that point I am not called upon in this lecture to speak. But when even such a view is asserted the Roman controversialist may fairly reply: it be granted, for the sake of argument, that St. Peter never once entered Rome, yet the things which the Lord said to St. Peter, He has shown by her history apply also to Rome, and the gates "If of hell, we may be sure, shall not prevail against her. At many times she has savored far more of the things that be of men than of the things that are her true glory. Often Satan has seemed to be enthroned on her seven hills. But she has always repented and been forgiven, and her pastoral commission has been given back to her. Her youth is perpetually renewed. Her power is no earthly power. Her glory is from Heaven." We, in our turn, may admit all this, and say: Yes; but we dare not take part in nor encourage her errors, History warns us against that as strongly as history can warn. If she will take again the primacy of St. Peter instead of the supremacy of St. Leo -if she has put up that sword within its sheath and will go forth again in the spirit and power of an Apostle to strengthen all the brethren, then surely we shall have reason to hope for a speedy answer to our Lord's prayer THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE. BOOKS CONSULTED AND REFERRED TO. Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. Bryce's Holy Roman Empire. Milman's Latin Christianity. Bower's History of the Popes. Smith, Student's History of France. Fleury's Histoire Ecclésiastique. Continuation of Fleury, by Fabre and Goujet. Histoire du Concile de Constance. Lenfant. Magnum Ecumenicum Constantienœ-Concilium. man Van Der Hardt. Henderson's Documents of the Middle Ages. Her |