Page:Darby - Christianity Not Christendom.djvu/3



times in which we are, the question in every serious man’s mind is, “Are we to go back to popery or not?” the fears of surprised protestants; and the insolent pretensions of papists and puseyites; while the only thing that has courage by their side is infidelity, and indifference to truth, which rather favours error than truth because truth is truth, and insists on itself; the heart-sickening imbecility of those who govern, or rather, who are afraid to govern; the solemn sight that courage is found only on the side of evil, so that it looks like the judgment of God—leads one to ask, What is this church so vaunted by dishonest puseyites, and honest Roman Catholics, or those who from its prestige and influence, whatever that prestige and influence may be, cling to it, while they do not believe one word about it, for such is the case very widely in Roman Catholic countries—what is this church, this great system, which carries such weight with men?

We must not suppose that anglicans, or evangelicals, or dissenters, have escaped its influence; they may be anxious to avoid its being quite popish, or to lower its condition to open infidelity. Men may be high church or broad church, Roman or Greek, but they are all church of some kind, or would be. They may have altars instead of tables, or cry establishments down, but if they do, they will dignify the once modest chapel