An Inquiry into the History and Theology of the Ancient Vallenses and Albigenses (1838) - Page 26

and in the several Churches in communion with her.

II. The promises of Christ, however, cannot fail.

Therefore, since, in the opinion of a Protestant at least, they have not been jointly accomplished in the Romish Church, we must seek some other Church or Churches in which they have been jointly accomplished; for, unless we can succeed in such a search, we shall be compelled to admit that the promises of Christ have failed in their accomplishment*.

I do not object to the way in which Bossuet frames this point:

"To name a few teachers, here and there, from time to time, whom you claim to have taught your doctrine—even if the fact were admitted, it would be nothing; for it was a body of the Church that had to be shown, a body where the truth was preached and where the sacraments were administered; consequently, a body composed of pastors and people; a body in this respect always visible. That is what must be shown, and consequently shown in this visible body is a manifest succession of both doctrine and ministry." The difficulty always remained to show us a Church and a Society of pastors and people where sound doctrine was always preserved up to the time of Luther. original: "Nommer quelques docteurs, par-ci par-la, et temps en temps, que vous prétendiez avoir enseigné votre doctrine; quand le fait seroit avoué, ce ne seroit rien: car c'étoit un corps d'Eglise qu'il falloit montrer, un corps où l'on prêchât la vérité, et où l'on administrât les sacremens; par conséquent un corps composé de pasteurs et de peuples; un corps à cet égard toujours visible. Voilà ce qu'il faut montrer, et montrer par conséquent dans ce corps visible une manifeste succession et de la doctrine et du ministère.—La difficulté restoit toujours de nous montrer une Eglise et une Société de pasteurs et de peuple où l'on trouvât la saine doctrine toujours conservée jusqu'au temps de Luther." Hist. des Variat. livr. xv. § 6, 11.

But the Bishop is not content with thus framing the point.