de observatione legis").

The Church herself, however, became a union based on the true doctrine
and visible in it; and this confederation was at the same time enabled
to realise an actual outward unity by means of the apostolic
inheritance, the doctrinal confession, and the apostolic writings. The
narrower and more external character assumed by the idea of the Church
was concealed by the fact that, since the latter half of the second
century, Christians in all parts of the world had really united in
opposition to the state and "heresy," and had found compensation for the
incipient decline of the original lofty thoughts and practical
obligations in the consciousness of forming an ecumenical and
international alliance. The designation "Catholic Church" gave
expression to the claim of this world-wide union of the same faith to
represent the true Church.[146] This expression corresponds to the
powerful position which the "great Church" (Celsus), or the "old" Church
(Clemens Alex.) had attained by the end of the second century, as
compared with the Marcionite Church, the school sects, the Christian
associations of all kinds, and the independent Christians. This Church,
however, was declared to be apostolic, i.e., founded in its present form
by Christ through the Apostles. Through this idea, which was supported
by the old enthusiastic notion that the Apostles had already proclaimed
the Gospel to all the world, it came to be completely forgotten how
Christ and his Apostles had exercised their ministry, and an empirical
conception of the Church was created in which the idea of a holy life in
the Spirit could no longer be the ruling one. It was taught that Christ
received from God a law of faith, which, as a new lawgiver, he imparted
to the Apostles, and that they, by transmitting the truth of which they
were the depositaries, founded the one Catholic Church (Iren. III. 4.
I). The latter, being guardian of the apostolic heritage, has the
assurance of possessing the Spirit; whereas all communities other than
herself, inasmuch as they have not received that deposit, necessarily
lack the Spirit and are therefore separated from Christ and
salvation.[147] Hence one must be a member of this Church in order to be
a partaker of salvation, because in her alone one can find the creed
which must be recognised as the condition of redemption.[148]
Consequently, in proportion as the faith became a doctrine of faith, the
Catholic Church inte