SUBJECT OF THE TREATISE. XV after-thought, a felicitous expost facto argument, got up for the occasion, and never thought of for such a purpose before; but not so the fallacy of a descending delegation of divine authority in the line of apostolical succession. This upas had taken deep root in the soil, gradually blasting every thing around it, until, under the specious pretext of unity and the growing rage for centralization, the mon- strous sophism reached its climax by vesting one man with the blas- phemous claim of " all power in heaven and in earth." In thus tracing to its veritable source the primacy claimed by the pope, we are doing no more than has been done bysome of its most ingenious and eminent advocates in modern times. The only dif- ference between us is, that what they assume as a sacred truth, " in conformity with the teaching of Christ our Lord," we hold to be a human fallacy; and what they represent as the very " point" of perfection, we look upon as the acme in the development of the " mystery of iniquity." " We fully admit," says Cardinal Wiseman, in one of his late lectures, " that this transmissionary power from bishops to others in succession is in conformity with the teaching of Christ our Lord. But upon the same principle, and for the same reasons, we believe that to ONE of these particular pastors has been given a higher charge, a chargeover the other pastors of the church; and that this also is traceable in the same way to the commission of our Lord, and forms an essen- tial part of the government of the church which he established. I might here at once ask, my brethren, does there seem at first sight any thing unnatural in this? IfGod appointed a number of pastors, who were to rule over otherpastors, bishops over clergy, and those clergymen again had to rule over their flocks, does it seem to you any thing peculiar, extravagant, that it should be thought by a great many Christians that it pleased God to bring this system of government to a point, and constitute some one over all the bishops of his church tohave the gene- ral rule? "* The fallacy involved in this plausible reasoning is exactly that to which we have adverted, and admits of easy exposure. Few can study the matter calmly in the light of the New Testament (and it is well that our opponents are now willing to appeal to this uncor- rupted standard, instead of the forged and garbled writings of unin- spired antiquity) without perceiving that the apostles of our Lord, with all their extraordinary gifts, never claimed more than a minis- terial authority in the church. Repeatedly, and in themost explicit terms, do they renounce every thing like a despotical or autocratic power lodged in their own persons: " Not for that we have domi- nion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy." (2 Cor. i. 24.) * Seventh Lecture by Cardinal Wiseman, delivered in St Mary's Church, MoorSelds, on the evening of Sunday, March 28, 1852 Subject: Papal Supremacy. From our own Reporter. (The Catholic Standard.)
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