III.
St. Patrick's Cathedral: How it was Restored. By a Catholic Clergyman. Dublin: Duffy, 1865
Even in the days of St. Augustine, Catholic eyes had to behold scenes somewhat similar to the one in view of which this pamphlet has been written. Within churches once Catholic, Donatist bishops at that time held high festival, in the midst of solemn pomp, with mystic rite and sacred song. From episcopal chairs erected in opposition to those of the prelates in communion with the Roman Pontiff, “that is to say”, explains St. Cyprian, “with the Catholic Church”, intruded bishops counterfeited the preaching of the lawful pastors, and with many a text from Holy Writ, and with a plentiful use of holiest names, made a brave show of belonging to those whom the Holy Ghost has placed to rule the Church of God. But the make-believe was not successful. One glance at the religious system of these men and at the Catholic Church was enough to reveal the hollowness of their pretensions, notwithstanding the ecclesiastical air they so studiously cultivated. Hence St. Augustine thus writes about Emeritus, a Donatist bishop (for whom, perhaps, some worthy layman, not averse from proselytizing poor Catholics in the wild Numidian country about Cethaquenfusca, had restored one of the old cathedrals), “Outside the pale of the Church (Emeritus) may have everything except salvation. Honour he may have, a sacrament he may have, he may sing alleluia, he may answer amen, he may have the Gospel, he may both hold [pg 400] and preach faith in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost; but nowhere save in the Catholic Church shall he be able to find salvation”—(Epist. clii.). And yet, at least in the beginning, the Donatists were but schismatics; their heresy was of somewhat later growth. How much stronger, then, becomes St. Augustine's argument when applied to the Established Church of our times, in which heresy and free-thinking have ravaged whatever schism had spared! The pamphlet under notice in reality does but reëcho the holy Doctor's remarks. An outline of St. Patrick's life and faith, drawn from unimpeachable authorities, sets before us most clearly that the ancient Catholic Church of Ireland differed far more from the Church now usurping St. Patrick's Cathedral, than the ancient Catholic Church of Africa from the Donatist body. The personal history of our great apostle, his early training, his call to preach, his ecclesiastical studies, his mission from Rome, his doctrine about the Holy See, his essentially Catholic teaching, are all plainly and forcibly Set forth, and contrasted with the peculiarities of modern Protestantism. No candid mind can for a moment hesitate to conclude with the writer, that the restoration ceremony was “a ghastly spectacle of unreality. It was a joyous revel over a lifeless form: the body was there, but not the soul. The beauty of early years, which is oftentimes observed to resume its place, in death, upon the face from which it had been long driven by weeks, or months, or, perhaps, years of pain, the beauty of graceful outline, and delicate feature, and placid, gentle expression—all that had come back; and the church seemed as if but yesterday finished. But the spirit of St. Patrick was not there; the creed which he taught was not there; the true faith, which is the soul, the animating spirit of religion, was far away”.