forms far different from those of the ante-Nicene period. In place of pagan and unbeliever, new and very different pagans and misbelievers had to be overcome. At the very outset of this new conflict the Roman Empire sank out of sight. By degrees a shadow of it gathered around the spiritual champion in the West, the See of Rome, which collected to itself and directed the efforts of the Church's militant children against her powerful foes. Thus district by district, tribe after tribe, nation after nation, kingdom after kingdom, were brought from heathenism, weaned from heresy, instructed in the truth, and thus became defenders, instead of destroyers, of the Church's unity.' The imperial power, however, which wielded for many ages an influence so necessary, so noble, and beneficial, in behalf of religion, even of civilization, itself produced new evils, first to allow a needless schism, as in the case of the Greek Church, on worldly grounds,' and then tempted Christians, as individuals and in whole nations, to run again the career of heresy, schism (beginning as before by setting Scripture at variance with the Church), and endless sects and parties, which at first agreed in nothing but in opposition to the Church, but within a short time have shown a tendency to substitute, in this ill-starred opposition, their critical views of Scripture3 in place of the "Church," and "religion" itself. In other words, a

adorned, sixty or seventy years ago, by the writings of Dr. Channing (who in the fourth century would have been a high Arian), a few weeks since sent from what is called the "ethical party" in the East the following answers to questions propounded by some fellow-members in the West: "Is belief in God essential to Unitarianism? No. Is worship essential to Unitarianism? No. Is belief in immortality essential to Unitarianism? No."-This is quoted from Unity (!), an organ of the Uni

In the United States a sect tarians.

return to paganism, or to the doubt and indifference of paganism, is contemplated and proposed.

But the past cannot assuredly be without instruction and use for thoughtful minds. The varied facts we have hastily reviewed teach, if they teach anything, that there is no strength but in unity, no sin unpardonable but the defying its spirit. The life of individual souls is love, the breath of eternal life; schism is hatred put into action. And if any man say he loves God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar. The first murderer, Cain, offered flowers and fruits-what he chose-in preference to the prescribed sacrifice to God. The Siva-worshipper in Hindustan, whose ancestors broke up the unity of God (a truth they once. knew) into contrarient principles, does the same thing to-day, when his despair drives him not into the frenzy, the shrieks, and tortures of open devil-worship.

When the infidel taunts the believer, then, with the results of lack of unity, his true answer is to preach to himself, not to cover his sin. Thus ever did the true prophet to apostate tribes and cities. Thus did our Lord to Jerusalem. And in the Holy City is a figure of Christendom: "Behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city; that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. . . . O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see Me, henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord." This sin has been the same in Jews and Christians, whether it were money

'S. Matt. xxiii. 34, 35, 37, 39.

or the error of their wilful choice which they preferred to the glory of God's Kingdom. "To gather thy children together" is to give them "the things that belong to their peace." They could not have them, only because they would not. They can never have the offer of them again till they voluntarily pray for them. Hence the sin was the same, and its punishment was the same; its remedy, therefore, must be the same.

'S. Luke, xix. 42.

ago

"Fourteen hundred years Christians were more than one-half the human race; now they are less than one-third. Daniel's Lehrbuch der Geographie for 1885. See Lecture IX., Second Course. Dr. Legge and Sir Monier Williams believe the

Buddhists to be not more than 100,000,000. Döllinger reckons 350,000,000 Christian people in the world, about thirty per cent. of the entire number.-Lecture on the Reunion of the Churches, Lecture I., p. 1. New York, 1872.

LECTURE IX.

FAULTS OF CHRISTIANS.

My purpose is, in the present lecture, to reverse the method of replying to objections adopted in the last lecture. When the schisms that have sprung up among Christians and obscured the evidence which the Catholic Church in her glorious unity can give, both to her own children and to the unbelieving world, of the truth of her Lord's mission-evidence the most powerful and convincing, according to her Lord's own words-when these schisms (I say) are made an objection to the Christian religion, it is more becoming a Christian man, as it seems to me, not to stop even to consider who are the objectors, but to own at once, that if schism cannot be quelled within and against the Catholic Church, her cause is lost, so far as this world is concerned. For the triumph of schism is as if the Jews and Roman guard had held the body of the Lord Jesus in the tomb of Joseph, in despite of angelic and almighty power. Schism is the rending of the Body of Christ-His Church-so that its blood and life are poured out. The dear Lord's very robe, seamless and perfect, the symbol of the unity of His mystical Body, was prevented from being thus rent by a providence which the rude soldiery heeded. The Christian apologist, therefore, may deem it more suitable, in answering the objection from schism to the Church's perfection, and her power to give the evidence her Lord promised, rather to own the sin and shame of this mon

strous crime, wherever it has appeared, to point out its essential antagonism—for it is the spirit of hate and murder-to the very life and breath of the Christian spirit, which is love; to show the folly and treachery of such as would gloss over its real character under fair names, like "freedom" and individual development; and to point sorrowfully to the historical proofs that schism alone was able to arrest the conquests of that shining host that went forth in the morning of her life, “fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners."

But in answering objectors, who, in lieu of arguments, throw at Christians the mud that has been scraped from the purlieus of history-the acknowledged faults, the suggested failures, of heroes and champions whose names are connected with this religion; the lies and exaggerations which the imagination of blasphemers has endeavored to fasten upon the admitted infirmities of souls that were still noble in their imperfection-it seems to me that a very different method is appropriate.

I think we could be perfectly justified in following one or both of two methods of reply.

I. Adopting in this case with singular propriety the argumentum ad hominem, we might ask, Who are ye that thus set yourselves up as censors? The objects of your attack may be open to censure, and should be censured; but not by you. They would, perhaps, be the first to own the wrongs that they have done, but not at the reproof of such as you. Ye speak not for truth or for the public welfare, but to stir up the bad passions of the multitude, that is ever fond of tales of crime, and malevolent toward the great. It is not a difficult thing for a man of rude, arrogant mind to say a harsh thing to men in power; nay, rather, it gratifies him. We may, therefore, boldly read the self-appointed censor a lecture upon the laws of reproof, of which he seems to be regardless. To reprove well is a special gift, and requires besides, we may venture

1 Cant. vi, 10.