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Church. The example of the many branches of the Church meeting, legislating, governing as a unit, would have impelled the nations to follow in the same course. We see such a phenomenon in the early history of Britain, when Convocation paved the way for the Parliament of the kingdoms of that land. Was such a thing impossible for the kingdoms of the world? Such an ideal has not been realised. The nations are not united. The Church failed to show them the way. The result in both Church and world has been simply waste.

Tremendous has been the waste which this lack of unity has produced in the world. Culture, art, education, science, literature, industry and commerce, all have suffered by constraints, unconsciously placed upon them, by national barriers. They will continue to suffer in their growth and development, and the world be so much the poorer, unless internationalism arises and embraces the nations. I do not mean to condemn patriotism or love and loyalty to one's country. Faithfulness to the land of our birth or homes is necessary and right. But there is a larger and broader patriotism for us to conceive; namely our love and loyalty to mankind. This is not prohibited by loyalty to one's country or flag. Because we are loyal to the province in which we live, it does not follow that we must not love the great nation of which this province is a part. For the same reason, if we love and are loyal to the British Empire, we would not be called upon to be disloyal to an empire of man. Old conceptions of patriotism are falling down. It is good that this is so, for they were conducive to narrowness, inefficiency, and above all, to waste, which last we must regard as sin against God and man.

The world seems to be tending toward internationalism, as the only remedy for this waste, which has been going on for milleniums. That which the world might have arrived at centuries ago, if only the ideal of unity had been held before it by the Catholic Church, it now seems to have conceived of itself. Its face is steadfastly set in that direction. It stands to reason that the better the form and the purer the spirit which

will express itself in that form, adopted by internationalism, the greater will be the benefit to mankind.

The prospect of the Church of God doing this, and of being the life, which will inspire and mould the world, seems not to be very bright just now. Socialism appears to be the favorite. Will Socialism, even Christian Socialism, inspire and guide a united world to the highest life, to the highest spiritual and material culture and prosperity? The Catholic at once answers: "No!" To him the Catholic Church in all its fullness, the abode of the Holy Spirit, with the authority and power which that Spirit begets and controls, seems to be the only force that can perfectly, so far as God and man will allow, govern and preserve the world. Many Protestants, I think, would agree with this opinion. True, much of the best in Socialism is of the essence of Christianity. But that does not make it the greatest stimulus and surest guarantor of the peace, the prosperity, the righteousness, much less the holiness, of the world. It might give to a united world a great deal; but the Church, the divinely appointed institution for this very purpose, can give it much more. In fact, if the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven held sway in the future life of internationalism, the need of Socialism would be no more.

But for the Church to do this, the Church must, like the world it is to lead along the road of salvation and perfection, be one. In its present disunited state the Church could not do it. Perhaps God does not wish it to do so. Who knows? We cannot know all the plans of God. He instituted His Church as one Body that the world might believe. It has sacrificed that unity, wasting thereby opportunities in the past. Can it not recover that which has been lost, in order that the Church may at least try to avail itself of future opportunities? Todayperhaps I should say to-morrow, the world will show the way. Has it the strength, the humility in all parts to walk in it? Can it not arise and go in penitence to Him who forgives? Indeed Her substance has been wasted. If the Church claims forgiveness, who will doubt that it will be granted? Then again can the Church possess itself in its rightful place in God's Econ

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That which for a time seemed to usurp the Church's place, in doing the Father's work in the world, will certainly give way, and in God's world there will be peace.

In this rather superficial statement of some of the factors, which should cause the Church very strenuously to set about recovering that Unity which was one of its greatest endowments, I have not ventured into details. Such an attempt would consume a volume. Still, let us consider the matter a little further in the light of our position. For Anglican Churchmen the way to the realization of Unity, an ideal dear to all our hearts, seems always dark and uncertain, and sometimes hopeless. But is it?

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As I have tried to point out, the world is tired of waste in any form, either material or spiritual. God must be very tired of it. If God and the world are practically agreed on this,— the elimination of waste from the realm of spirituality the solution of the problem be very far distant? Much, I think, there is to make us optimistic. The need of economy in religious circles outside the Catholic Church has led to a drawing together of the forces of Protestantism. In Canada this has led to a potential union of the great Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregationalist Bodies. The Federal Council of Churches in the United States is a long step toward real Protestant Unity. Elsewhere one hears of similar movements toward the same goal.

The motive for all this in Protestantism is simply economy. Very soon, I think, the inconsistencies which keep Protestants apart from each other will be realised and given up, because of the pressure brought to bear by the desire for economy. Complete union of Protestantism cannot be far off. Public opinion will soon demand it. And just here, I may say, the Anglican Church will face a crisis. Public opinion will then ask us where we stand. No juggling of terms, no hyphenated cognomens, which did well enough in the sixteenth, or even the nineteenth century, will satisfy a very efficient world. "What are you, Catholic or Protestant?" the world will demand. "Not what you were in the Reformation of the six

teenth century, but what you are in the Reformation of the twentieth century." We shall answer We shall answer-what? God grant that we may not, even a part of us, cast away, at such a time, our Catholic heritage and thus set further back the day when we shall enjoy that Unity for which we pray.

But why do I consider this movement of Protestantism? Because it will react on the Catholic Churches, provided they are still separated at that time. A united Protestantism would face a disunited Catholicism. I do not think the Catholic Churches would continue long in this state. If Protestantism did not drive them to unity, public opinion would. One imagines however that the same processes of rapprochement will be at work, at the same time, in both Catholic and Protestant bodies. What we see in Protestantism today do we not see in Catholicism as well? Anglican and Eastern Catholicity must very soon be one again. Perhaps such a happy day may come before Protestantism understands itself, and then the crisis mentioned above will never present itself. Still such a drawing together of the East and Anglicanism will be a crisis in itself. We hope and pray that if that time comes, our Church will grasp the opportunity, will ring true.

The reported attitude of Rome is very encouraging. Even in the Vatican the voice of economy is heard. Roman Catholic societies in our country are sending requests to the Pope to consider well the situation. Evidently it is his intention to do so. Just here, however, we are in the habit of throwing up our hands and crying: "The way in this direction is impossible." The Papacy, with its Infallibility, is the barrier. Of course it is very true that union with Rome, while the present state of the Papacy exists, is impossible. But is it necessary, even to the honor and dignity of Rome, for it to continue? It does not seem so. Might not Rome, urged by the pressure of the spirit of the times, convince herself and other parts of Christendom, that infallibility was claimed and its exercise attempted by her since the unity of the Church was broken, simply to retain and preserve that which was lost by the Church in its collective capacity? History would show that such an assertion

was substantially founded on fact. No ignominy would fall upon Rome as the result of such a decision. The other parts of the Catholic Church, without sacrificing any principle, might readily appreciate Rome's argument; and although they might continue to regard her past admitted attitude as rather presumptuous, and refuse to accept much of the results of such an assumption yet for the cause of unity, they would in every way be satisfied.

With this dignified profession of Rome might also come very consistently an expression of the desire that once again Infallibility and Authority be exercised as originally had been the case. Thus would a way to a true Ecumenical Council be found; and who shall say that the result of such a council would not be the unifying of the Catholic Church, again restoring what was lost and guaranteeing peace and happiness for the future. So would Catholicism flourish and take its proper place in the world. The leakage of its spiritual resources would be stopped; and, in this respect, efficiency and prosperity could find in the Catholic Church no cause of blame.

We cannot however stop here with the Church's life and power again restored. Surely we must consider the great mass of united Protestantism. What would be its attitude toward this great bulk of living, active, earnest Catholicity? Assuredly an attitude of respect producing a desire to understand. Little by little, or perhaps in large sections at a time, this great river would flow into the ocean of Catholicity. What then would be the power and influence of Christianity? The uniting of a believing world would soon take place, provided such a union remained to be consummated. At any rate the Church would be in a fit state to carry on its appointed work. No longer would spiritual forces be dissipated. No longer could the sin of waste, waste of spiritual resources and talents — a sin greater than that of waste of material things — be charged against the Church. Efficiency would characterize its work. George Harrison.

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