Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 3.djvu/804

 CHRISTIANITY

720

CHRISTIAN

merely logical, produced by analysis of the content of the original deposit. (See Development of Doc- trine.)

(3) God intended, in the third place, that Chris- tianity should be a visible organization. Christ estab- lished a Church and, in a variety of parables, sketched many of the features of its character and history, all of which point to something external and perceptible by the senses. It is the "house built upon a rock" (Matt., vii, 24), showing the security and permanence of its foundation, and "the city set upon a hill" (Matt., v, 14), indicating its visibility. Its doctrine works in the three great races descended from Noe's sons like the leaven hidden in three measures of meal, silently, irresistibly (Matt., xiii, 33). It grows great from humble beginnings, like the mustard seed (Luke, xiii, 19). It is a vineyard, a sheep-fold, and finally a kingdom, all of which images are unintelligible if the bond that unites Christians is merely the invisible bond of charity. The old distinction between the body and soul of the Church is useful to prevent con- fusion of ideas. Christian baptism constitutes mem- bership in the Visible Church; the state of grace, membership in the Invisible. It is obvious that one membership does not necessarily connote the other. Some of these parables apply only to the Church fully developed, and so they indicate Christ's ultimate pur- pose. History shows us that, in establishing Chris- tianity as an institution, He was content that on its human side its organization should be subject to the same laws of growth and development as other human institutions. He did not give His Apostles a draft- scheme of the Church's constitution beforehand, to be worked out in the course of ages, prescribing the vari- ous stages of progress, and indicating the final term. But the organization which existed in germ in the con- secrated hierarchy of the Apostles was left to unfold itself under the guidance of the abiding Spirit, accord- ing to the needs of time and place. The presence of the Holy Ghost and Christ's promise sufficiently guar- antee that the result, however obtained, is in accord- ance with the original design. It may well be that the development was very largely natural, modelled, first of all, on the synagogue, and then on the existing civil government; its progress may have been hast- ened or retarded by the passions of individuals, but any account of it that ignores the directing finger of Providence cannot be true.

This, then, is Christianity, a supernatural religion and the only absolute one; in a sense (developed in the Epistle to the Hebrews), the oldest, for the Church is not an afterthought, but instituted by God in the fullness of time, and containing a revelation of Himself, which all to whom it has been adequately presented are bound under pain of eternal loss to accept (Mark, xvi, 16), offering to all, who are sincere in seeking, the solution of all the world's problems; enabling human nature to rise to the sublimest heights and "to play the immortal"; full itself of i. t'Ties and Divine paradoxes, as bringing the Infinite into contact with the finite; the one bond of civilization, the one condition of progress, the one hope of humanity. Its fortunes have been the for- tunes of its Founder; "not all obey the gospel" (Rom., x, 16). The Jews rejected Christ in spite of the evidence of prophecy and miracle; the world re- jects the Church of Christ, the "city set upon a hill", conspicuous though she be through the notes that pro- ■ Linn her Divine What men call the failure of Chris- tianity is no proof that it is not God's final revelation. It only makes evident how real is human liberty and how grave human responsibility. Christianity is fur- nished with all the necessary evidence to create con- viction of its truth, given good will. — "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear ,

1 I'n uihiivi best studied in the New Testament Scriptures, authenticated and interpreted by the Church of Christ: of th»

uninspired literature on the subject only a small selection can be given here:

Catholic. — A. Weiss. Apologie des Christenthums (3rd ed., Freiburg. 1894-8) (also in French tr.); Courbet, Introduction scientifique a la }oi chretienne; Superiority du Christianisme (Paris, 1902); De Broglie, Problimes et conclusions de I'his- toire des religions (4th ed., Paris, 1904); Lingens, Die innere SchOnheil des Christenthums (Freiburg, 1S95); Turmel, Hia~ toire de la theologie positive (Paris, 1904): Schanz, A Christian Apology (Eng. tr.. Dublin, 1891-2); Newman, Grammar of Assent: Idem, Development of Christian Doctrine; Duchesne, liisloire aneienne de VEglise (Paris, 1906); Lilly, The Claims of Christianity (London. 1894); Devas, The Key to the World's Progress (London, 1906); Hettinger, Apologie des Christen- thums (9th ed.. Freiburg, 1906); Semeria, Dogma, Gerarchia e Culto nella Chiesa primitiva (Rome, 1902); Chateaubriand Genie du Christianisme (Eng. tr.. Baltimore. 18.56); C Pesch, Articles in Stimmen aus Maria-Laach, Vol. LX, 1901.

Non-Catholic. — Harnack, Das Wesen des Christenthums (Eng. tr,, London, 1901); Idem, The History of Dogma: Pflei- derer, Christian Origins i London, 1906); Putllan, History of Early Christianity (London, 1898); W. M. Ramsay, The Church in the Roman Empire (London and New York. 1893); Lowrie, The Church and Its Organization; the Primitive Age (London, 1904); YVeizacker, The Apostolic Age (London, 1897); Joseph Butler. Analogy of Religion in Works, vol. I, ed. Gladstone (Oxford, 1896) ; Wace, Christianity and Agnosti- cism (London, 1904).

Joseph Keating.

Christianity in Prehistoric America. See Bren- dan, Saint; Mexico; Thomas, Saint.

Christian Knowledge, Society for Promoting, the greatest and most important society within the Church of England. It was founded 8 March, 169S, when four laymen, Lord Guildford, Sir H. Mack- worth, Justice Hook, and Colonel Colchester, and one clergyman, Dr. Thomas Bray, met on the initiative of the last-named and agreed among themselves "as often as we can conveniently to consult, under the conduct of the Divine providence and assistance, to promote Christian Knowledge". Dr. Bray had been the Bishop of London's Commissary in Maryland, and was a man of wide experience, energetic zeal, and ability for organization. The society soon received the countenance of several Anglican bishops, includ- ing Gilbert Burnet of Salisbury. Other well-known men also took a speedy interest in the work, such as Strype the antiquary, Gilbert White of Selborne, John Evelyn, and the Rev. Samuel Wesley, father of John and Charles Wesley. The first aim of the soci- ety was the education of poor children. Within two years they had founded six schools in London, and by 1704 there were .54 schools with over 2000 scholars. Eight years later the schools numbered 117, the scholars 5000. The movement spread, and by 1741 the charity-schools of the S. P. C. K. reached the number of nearly 2000. This educational work at length became so great that a new society, "The Na- tional Society for the Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established Church", was formed to undertake it. Since 1870 this work has been done by the State, and the society has turned its educational efforts to the training of teachers. It entirely main- tains St. Katharine's College, Tottenham, supports the various diocesan training-colleges, and contri- butes towards the foundation of Sunday-school build- ings and mission-rooms. The educational branch of the society's work has not been confined to England, but in India it has founded scholarships for native Christians, both in the boys' colleges and in the schools provided for the higher education of women. It also provides technical training for the native Christians by means of industrial schools. The same work is being developed in Australia. Japan, Africa, Burma, and among the American Indians of t he North-West. Besides providing for children, the society has done much for "unlettered adults". From almost the beginning of its existence it has es- tablished evening schools and provided for the in- struction of prisoners in penitentiaries or prisons. For a time the society paid chaplains to help prisoners, in an age when the Government often neglected this duty.