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constituted the Church of God in the Old Testament, though its external institution differed
vastly from that of the Church in the New Testament.
F. THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE CHURCH.
According to Protestants the attributes of the Church are ascribed primarily to the Church as an
invisible organism, and only secondarily to the Church as an external institution. Roman
Catholics, however, ascribe them to their hierarchical organization. The former speak of three
attributes, but to these three the latter add a fourth.
1. THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH.
a. The Roman Catholic conception.
Roman Catholics ordinarily recognize only the hierarchically
organized ecclesia as the Church. The unity of this Church manifests itself in its imposing world-
wide organization, which aims at including the Church of all nations. Its real center is not found
in the believers, but in the hierarchy with its concentric circles. There is first of all the broad
circle of the lower clergy, the priests and other inferior functionaries; then the smaller circle of
the bishops; next the still narrower one of the archbishops; and, finally, the most restricted
circle of the cardinals; — the entire pyramid being capped by the Pope, the visible head of the
whole organization, who has absolute control of all those that are under him. Thus the Roman
Catholic Church presents to the eye a very imposing structure.
b. The Protestant conception.
Protestants assert that the unity of the Church is not primarily of
an external, but of an internal and spiritual character. It is the unity of the mystical body of
Jesus Christ, of which all believers are members. This body is controlled by one Head, Jesus
Christ, who is also the King of the Church, and is animated by one Spirit, the Spirit of Christ. This
unity implies that all those who belong to the Church share in the same faith, are cemented
together by the common bond of love, and have the same glorious outlook upon the future.
This inner unity seeks and also acquires, relatively speaking, outward expression in the
profession and Christian conduct of believers, in their public worship of the same God in Christ,
and in their participation in the same sacraments. There can be no doubt about the fact that
the Bible asserts the unity, not only of the invisible, but also of the visible Church. The figure of
the body, as it is found in I Cor. 12:12-31, implies this unity. Moreover, in Eph. 4:4-16, where
Paul stresses the unity of the Church, he evidently also has the visible Church in mind, for he
speaks of the appointment of office-bearers in the Church and of their labors in behalf of the
ideal unity of the Church. Because of the unity of the Church one local church was admonished
to supply the needs of another, and the council of Jerusalem undertook to settle a question
that arose in Antioch. The Church of Rome strongly emphasized the unity of the visible Church
and expressed it in its hierarchical organization. And when the Reformers broke with Rome,