pbell.

"Then you are willing," said Willis, "to assign beforehand something
definite, the occurrence of which will constitute a real separation."

"Don't do so," said Reding to Campbell; "it is dangerous; don't commit
yourself in a moral question; for then, if the thing specified did
occur, it would be difficult to see our way."

"No," said Willis; "you certainly _would_ be in a difficulty; but you
would find your way out, I know. In that case you would choose some
other _ultimatum_ as your test of schism. There would be," he added,
speaking with some emotion, "'in the lowest depth a lower still.'"

The concluding words were out of keeping with the tone of the
conversation hitherto, and fairly excited Bateman, who, for some time,
had been an impatient listener.

"That's a dangerous line, Campbell," he said, "it is indeed; I can't go
along with you. It will never do to say that the Church is failing; no,
it never fails. It is always strong, and pure, and perfect, as the
Prophets describe it. Look at its cathedrals, abbey-churches, and other
sanctuaries, these fitly typify it."

"My dear Bateman," answered Campbell, "I am as willing as you to
maintain the fulfilment of the prophecies made to the Church, but we
must allow the _fact_ that the branches of the Church are _divided_,
while we maintain the _doctrine_, that the Church should be one."

"I don't see that at all," answered Bateman; "no, we need not allow it.
There's no such thing as Churches, there's but one Church everywhere,
and it is _not_ divided. It is merely the outward forms, appearances,
manifestations of the Church that are divided. The Church is one as much
as ever it was."

"That will never do," said Campbell; and he stood up before the fire in
a state of discomfort. "Nature never intended you for a
controversialist, my good Bateman," he added to himself.

"It is as I thought," said Willis; "Bateman, you are describing an
invisible Church. You hold the indefectibility of the invisible Church,
not of the visible."

"They are in a fix," thought Charles, "but I will do my best to tow old
Bateman out;" so he began: "No," he said, "Bateman only means that one
Church presents, in some particular point, a different appearance from
another; but it does not follow that, in fact, they have not a visible
agreement too. All difference implies agreement; the English and Roman
Churches agree visibly and differ visibly. Think of the different styles
of arch