Sect. 240The Visibility and Perpetuity of the ChurchThe Visibility and Perpetuity of the Church
I. When we speak of the visibility of the Church, we do not mean simply that her members, her rites, and her ministry can be seen. What we mean is that these can be recognized to constitute the true Church of Christ; so that, in other words, we can point out a certain society, and say of it, “This is Christ’s Church.” As a rule, Protestants do not deny to the Church some sort of visibility; but they hold that in its essence it cannot be seen, because the qualities which make a man a member of it are themselves invisible.
1. In the passages of the Old Testament in which the Church is foretold, she is spoken of as especially conspicuous to all mankind. “In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths” (Isa. 2:2, 3); “It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of mountains, and high above the hills,” etc. (Mich. 4:1, 2; cf. Matt. 5:14). So, too, the expressions used by our Lord manifestly refer to a body which can be seen and distinguished. His Church is a Kingdom (Matt. 16:19), a Fold or Flock (John 21:15), a tribunal before which the wicked are to be denounced (Matt. 18:17). It is also styled a City by St. John (Apoc. 21:2), and a House by St. Peter (1 Pet. 2:5) and St. Paul (1 Tim. 3:15). And in the Acts of the Apostles its history is narrated as that of a body plainly distinguishable from all false religious bodies.
2. If we turn to the Fathers, we find this doctrine even more explicitly stated. “It is an easier thing for the sun to be quenched than for the Church to be made invisible (τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀφανισθῆναι)” (St. John Chrysost, Hom, iv., in illud Vidi Dom., n. 2; cf. In Is. ii. n. 2). “There is no safeguard of unity,” says St. Augustine, “save from the Church made known by the promises of Christ—a Church which, being seated on a hill, as has been said, cannot be hid; and for this cause it must needs be known to all parts of the earth. Let us, then, hold it as a thing immovable and firm, that no good men can separate themselves from her; that is, that no good men—wherever those men may dwell, even though they may have to bear with evil men well known to them—will, on account of those evil men, separate themselves by the foolhardy sacrilege of schism, from the good that are at a distance from and unknown to them” (Contra Ep. Parmen., n. 28; see also lib. ii., Contra Lit. Petil., n. 74). “The Church,” says St. Cyprian, “flooded with the light of the Lord, puts forth her rays throughout the whole world; yet the light is one which is spread over every place, while its unity of body is preserved” (De Unitate, n. 5). In fact, the Fathers taught that they who cut themselves off from the visible Church by refusing to believe what she taught and to submit to her rule—that such were none of Christ’s, and were shut out from salvation. See Faith of Catholics, vol. i. p. 189 sqq. And, indeed, it is clear from reason itself that, if our Lord founded a Church at all—if He gave it authority to teach and rule and sanctify—it must be distinguishable from false bodies not founded by Him and not possessed of His authority.
When Christ said to the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation (μετὰ παρατηρήσεως)” (Luke 17:20), He meant that it did not require prolonged and difficult investigation, for it was in the very midst of them (ἔντος ὑμῶν). Again, when He told the Samaritan woman that “the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23), He contrasted them, on the one hand, with the Jews, whose worship was by means of carnal sacrifices; and, on the other, with the Samaritans, whose worship was false, inasmuch as they adored that which they knew not. Nor can the words of St. Paul, “For you are not come to a mountain that can be touched,” etc. (Heb. 12:18), be urged against the visibility of the Church; for the object of the Apostle is to show the excellence of the New Law by pointing out that, while the Old was given on an earthly mountain amidst terrible signs, the New comes down from heaven and is a covenant of mercy and love.
In order to understand this property of visibility, we must carefully note the distinction between the body and the soul of the Church. The former consists of those external elements which go to make a society, viz. the ministry of the pastors and subordination of the sheep, the profession of the faith and participation in the sacraments; the latter means the internal gifts of sanctifying grace, of faith and charity, and other virtues. The external elements are necessary for the Church’s social existence; the internal elements must be possessed by her members if they would attain the end for which they were called to the Church, i.e. eternal salvation. Hence, not every member of the Church is necessarily saved; and, on the other hand, some who belong only to the soul of the Church are saved. When we maintain, with St. Ignatius, St. Irenæus, St. Cyprian, St. Augustine and his contemporaries, that “out of the Church, out of the Faith, there is no salvation” (Athanasian Creed), we mean that those are not saved who are outside the soul as well as the body of the Church. “We and you know,” said Pius IX. to the bishops of Italy (August 10, 1863), “that those who lie under invincible ignorance as regards our Holy Religion, and who, diligently observing the natural law and its precepts, which are engraven by God on the hearts of all, and prepared to obey God, lead a good and upright life, are able, by the operation of the power of Divine light and grace, to obtain eternal life.”
II. That the Church will last “for all days, even to the consummation of the world (ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος),” is clear from our Lord’s promises, and also from the very nature and purposes of the Church. It was foretold of Him that “of His kingdom there should be no end” (Luke 1:32). He has promised her His abiding assistance: “Behold, I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20); “The gates of hell shall not prevail against her” (ibid. 16:18); “I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16); the end of the world is to come when the Gospel has been preached everywhere (Matt. 24:14); the good seed and the cockle are both to grow until the harvest, which is the end of the world (ibid. 13:24 sqq.). Moreover, as God wills that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), and as the Church is the means instituted for this purpose, it follows that as long as men shall be, the Church shall be too.
It is not necessary to quote at any length the Fathers, Tradition, where their testimony is so plain and so abundant. “Not for a brief period,” says St. Augustine, “was the Church to exist on this earth, but the Church will be here till the end of the world.… The Church shall not be conquered; shall not be rooted up; nor give way before any trials whatever till the end of this world shall come, and out of this temporal dwelling-place we be received into that eternal one” (Enarr. in Ps. lx. n. 6). “Unbelievers think,” he says elsewhere, “that the Christian religion will last for a certain period in the world, and will then disappear. But it will remain as long as the sun—as long as the sun rises and sets: that is, as long as the ages of time shall roll, the Church of God, the true body of Christ on earth—will not disappear” (In Ps. lxxi. n. 8). And again: “The Church will totter if its foundation shakes; but how can Christ be moved?… Christ remaining immovable, it (the Church) shall never be shaken. Where are they that say that the Church has disappeared from the world, when it cannot even be shaken?” (Enarr. in Ps. ciii. serm. ii. n. 5). “Secede not from the Church,” says St. Chrysostom; “for nothing is stronger than the Church. Thy hope is the Church; thy salvation is the Church; thy refuge is the Church. It is higher than the heavens and wider than the earth. It never grows old, but is ever full of vigour. Wherefore Holy Writ, pointing to its strength and stability, calls it a mountain” (Hom. De Capto Eutropio, n. 6).
Our Lord’s words, “But yet the Son of Man, when He cometh, shall He find, think you, faith on earth?” do not make any direct statement, but allude to the great “revolt” or falling off (ἀποστασία) which is to precede the last days (2 Thess. 2:3). Still even then the false Christs and false prophets shall not be able to deceive the elect (Matt. 24:24).
I. When we speak of the visibility of the Church, we do not mean simply that her members, her rites, and her ministry can be seen. What we mean is that these can be recognized to constitute the true Church of Christ; so that, in other words, we can point out a certain society, and say of it, “This is Christ’s Church.” As a rule, Protestants do not deny to the Church some sort of visibility; but they hold that in its essence it cannot be seen, because the qualities which make a man a member of it are themselves invisible.
1. In the passages of the Old Testament in which the Church is foretold, she is spoken of as especially conspicuous to all mankind. “In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us His ways, and we will walk in His paths” (Isa. 2:2, 3); “It shall come to pass in the last days that the mountain of the Lord shall be prepared in the top of mountains, and high above the hills,” etc. (Mich. 4:1, 2; cf. Matt. 5:14). So, too, the expressions used by our Lord manifestly refer to a body which can be seen and distinguished. His Church is a Kingdom (Matt. 16:19), a Fold or Flock (John 21:15), a tribunal before which the wicked are to be denounced (Matt. 18:17). It is also styled a City by St. John (Apoc. 21:2), and a House by St. Peter (1 Pet. 2:5) and St. Paul (1 Tim. 3:15). And in the Acts of the Apostles its history is narrated as that of a body plainly distinguishable from all false religious bodies.
2. If we turn to the Fathers, we find this doctrine even more explicitly stated. “It is an easier thing for the sun to be quenched than for the Church to be made invisible (τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀφανισθῆναι)” (St. John Chrysost, Hom, iv., in illud Vidi Dom., n. 2; cf. In Is. ii. n. 2). “There is no safeguard of unity,” says St. Augustine, “save from the Church made known by the promises of Christ—a Church which, being seated on a hill, as has been said, cannot be hid; and for this cause it must needs be known to all parts of the earth. Let us, then, hold it as a thing immovable and firm, that no good men can separate themselves from her; that is, that no good men—wherever those men may dwell, even though they may have to bear with evil men well known to them—will, on account of those evil men, separate themselves by the foolhardy sacrilege of schism, from the good that are at a distance from and unknown to them” (Contra Ep. Parmen., n. 28; see also lib. ii., Contra Lit. Petil., n. 74). “The Church,” says St. Cyprian, “flooded with the light of the Lord, puts forth her rays throughout the whole world; yet the light is one which is spread over every place, while its unity of body is preserved” (De Unitate, n. 5). In fact, the Fathers taught that they who cut themselves off from the visible Church by refusing to believe what she taught and to submit to her rule—that such were none of Christ’s, and were shut out from salvation. See Faith of Catholics, vol. i. p. 189 sqq. And, indeed, it is clear from reason itself that, if our Lord founded a Church at all—if He gave it authority to teach and rule and sanctify—it must be distinguishable from false bodies not founded by Him and not possessed of His authority.
When Christ said to the Pharisees, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation (μετὰ παρατηρήσεως)” (Luke 17:20), He meant that it did not require prolonged and difficult investigation, for it was in the very midst of them (ἔντος ὑμῶν). Again, when He told the Samaritan woman that “the true adorers shall adore the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23), He contrasted them, on the one hand, with the Jews, whose worship was by means of carnal sacrifices; and, on the other, with the Samaritans, whose worship was false, inasmuch as they adored that which they knew not. Nor can the words of St. Paul, “For you are not come to a mountain that can be touched,” etc. (Heb. 12:18), be urged against the visibility of the Church; for the object of the Apostle is to show the excellence of the New Law by pointing out that, while the Old was given on an earthly mountain amidst terrible signs, the New comes down from heaven and is a covenant of mercy and love.
In order to understand this property of visibility, we must carefully note the distinction between the body and the soul of the Church. The former consists of those external elements which go to make a society, viz. the ministry of the pastors and subordination of the sheep, the profession of the faith and participation in the sacraments; the latter means the internal gifts of sanctifying grace, of faith and charity, and other virtues. The external elements are necessary for the Church’s social existence; the internal elements must be possessed by her members if they would attain the end for which they were called to the Church, i.e. eternal salvation. Hence, not every member of the Church is necessarily saved; and, on the other hand, some who belong only to the soul of the Church are saved. When we maintain, with St. Ignatius, St. Irenæus, St. Cyprian, St. Augustine and his contemporaries, that “out of the Church, out of the Faith, there is no salvation” (Athanasian Creed), we mean that those are not saved who are outside the soul as well as the body of the Church. “We and you know,” said Pius IX. to the bishops of Italy (August 10, 1863), “that those who lie under invincible ignorance as regards our Holy Religion, and who, diligently observing the natural law and its precepts, which are engraven by God on the hearts of all, and prepared to obey God, lead a good and upright life, are able, by the operation of the power of Divine light and grace, to obtain eternal life.”
II. That the Church will last “for all days, even to the consummation of the world (ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος),” is clear from our Lord’s promises, and also from the very nature and purposes of the Church. It was foretold of Him that “of His kingdom there should be no end” (Luke 1:32). He has promised her His abiding assistance: “Behold, I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20); “The gates of hell shall not prevail against her” (ibid. 16:18); “I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you for ever” (John 14:16); the end of the world is to come when the Gospel has been preached everywhere (Matt. 24:14); the good seed and the cockle are both to grow until the harvest, which is the end of the world (ibid. 13:24 sqq.). Moreover, as God wills that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4), and as the Church is the means instituted for this purpose, it follows that as long as men shall be, the Church shall be too.
It is not necessary to quote at any length the Fathers, Tradition, where their testimony is so plain and so abundant. “Not for a brief period,” says St. Augustine, “was the Church to exist on this earth, but the Church will be here till the end of the world.… The Church shall not be conquered; shall not be rooted up; nor give way before any trials whatever till the end of this world shall come, and out of this temporal dwelling-place we be received into that eternal one” (Enarr. in Ps. lx. n. 6). “Unbelievers think,” he says elsewhere, “that the Christian religion will last for a certain period in the world, and will then disappear. But it will remain as long as the sun—as long as the sun rises and sets: that is, as long as the ages of time shall roll, the Church of God, the true body of Christ on earth—will not disappear” (In Ps. lxxi. n. 8). And again: “The Church will totter if its foundation shakes; but how can Christ be moved?… Christ remaining immovable, it (the Church) shall never be shaken. Where are they that say that the Church has disappeared from the world, when it cannot even be shaken?” (Enarr. in Ps. ciii. serm. ii. n. 5). “Secede not from the Church,” says St. Chrysostom; “for nothing is stronger than the Church. Thy hope is the Church; thy salvation is the Church; thy refuge is the Church. It is higher than the heavens and wider than the earth. It never grows old, but is ever full of vigour. Wherefore Holy Writ, pointing to its strength and stability, calls it a mountain” (Hom. De Capto Eutropio, n. 6).
Our Lord’s words, “But yet the Son of Man, when He cometh, shall He find, think you, faith on earth?” do not make any direct statement, but allude to the great “revolt” or falling off (ἀποστασία) which is to precede the last days (2 Thess. 2:3). Still even then the false Christs and false prophets shall not be able to deceive the elect (Matt. 24:24).
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