530 THE CONSTRUCTION OF SHEEPFOLDS

they choose to call Christians. Now, it being granted that it is impossible to know, determinedly, who are Christians indeed, that is no reason for utter negligence in separating the nominal, apparent, or possible Christian, from the professed Pagan or enemy of God. We spend much time in arguing about efficacy of sacraments and such other mysteries; but we do not act upon the very certain tests which are clear and visible. We know that Christ’s people are not thieves-not-liars-not-busybodies-not dishonest-not avaricious-not wasteful-not cruel. Let us then get ourselves well clear of thieves-liars-wasteful people-avaricious people-cheating people-people who do not pay their debts. Let us assure them that they, at least, do not belong to the Visible Church; and having thus got that Church into decent shape and cohesion, it will be time to think of drawing the stake-nets closer.

I hold it for a law, palpable to common sense, and which nothing but the cowardice and faithlessness of the Church prevents it from putting in practice, that the conviction of any dishonourable conduct or wilful crime, of any fraud, falsehood, cruelty, or violence, should be ground for the excommunication of any man:-for his publicly declared separation from the acknowledged body of the Visible

to some extent already, when England has sent a Roman Catholic minister to the second city in Italy, and remains herself for a week without any government, because her chief men cannot agree upon the position which a Popish cardinal is to have leave to occupy in London.1

¹ [The pamphlet was passing through the press during the Ministerial crisis which followed the defeat of Lord John Russell’s Government in February 1851. The defeat was on a Franchise resolution, but the difficulty in the way of forming a new Government was the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill which Lord John, following up his famous Durham Letter, had introduced; declaring null and void the Papal Bull of 1850 creating Roman Catholic dioceses in England, and appointing Cardinal Wiseman Archbishop of Westminster. The Peelites refused to join Lord John on account of the Bill; Lord Aberdeen declined to form an Administration, recognising that some measure of the kind was required by the state of public feeling; Lord Stanley failed to form one, and in the end Lord John returned to office (March) and passed his Bill (July). “The Roman Catholic Minister” was the Right Hon. R. Lalor Sheil, who, on October 24, 1850, had been appointed Her Majesty’s Minister Plenipotentiary to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. In the previous year, as Master of the Mint, he had issued “the Godless florin.”]

[Version 0.04: March 2008]