276 LECTURES AND ESSAYS [1870- 



of an orderly Church-government chosen out of those 

 who, by participation in the outward functions of the 

 Church, profess adherence to Christ, and in the judgment 

 of charity are to be regarded by us who cannot try hearts 

 as really members of Christ. Now, I say that the Church 

 so conceived is in no sense a visible theocracy. For 

 Protestant Church government has for its aim solely the 

 administration of the word and sacraments, and the 

 discipline in its hand is purely spiritual for the maintenance 

 of the purity of the word and preventing of profanation of 

 sacraments. This is a function which in no sense conveys 

 authority over the kingdoms of the world, while on the 

 other hand, being itself purely spiritual, it can tolerate no 

 control from these kingdoms. Moreover, a government 

 which can only admit to, and exclude from, outward 

 privileges, which has no list of the true members of 

 Christ s body, and no right to admit to, or exclude from, 

 the privileges of union to Him, cannot even with regard to 

 the Church itself be an imperial government, but is simply 

 ministerial. The Church, then, as organised is not and 

 cannot be a theocracy, in so much as its rulers have not 

 the kind of power without which a kingdom proper cannot 

 exist. And if the Church of Christ as visible and organised 

 is not a kingdom, then the theocratic prophecies neither 

 now are, nor ever can be, fulfilled in the glorification of the 

 visible Church. 



And this argument, I conceive, touches some others 

 than Christians of the Roman Catholic or English High 

 Church. For we ourselves sometimes hear it asserted 

 that the proper fulfilment of the prophecies of homage to 

 be done by the kings of the earth to the renewed theocracy 

 must lie in gifts offered by governments for the support 

 of the organisation of the visible Church. But if the 

 visible Church is not the theocracy, and if its organisation 

 is not the imperial organisation of Christ s Kingdom, this 

 argument must fall to the ground. But surely, you may 

 urge, the invisible Church is the true Kingdom of Christ, 



