Jarrel - Baptist Church Perpetuity - Landmark Baptist

Baird:
ecclesiastical affair’s. That the attempt was ill-advised, because society was
not sufficiently prepared for it, is evident; but the continuance of the new
order of things for eleven years and the alacrity with which the people
adopted an anti papal policy, were remarkable signs of the times.” f321 :
“Arnold was formally condemned by the second general Lateran council,
1139. But his appeals to the people had found an echo in many breasts.” f322
“At his suggestion the form of the ancient Roman commonwealth was
restored with its consuls, senate, equestrian order and the tribunes of the
people. But it was all in vain. The Romans were no longer fit for freedom, but
like the Cappadocians of old, when offered the boon, they preferred the chains
which they had been so long accustomed to wear. … We know little of this
Arnold from any contemporaneous source, except the pages of Roman
Catholic writers, who were not likely to do him justice. But by their own
showing, it is manifest that he contended for truth and justice.” f323
Says G. Schmidt, of Arnold: “His reforms were all of a practical character.”
f324 Of Arnold, Armitage says:
“God had endowed him with rare gifts. He possessed great fervor, purity and
serenity, with a remarkable flow of eloquence; these he united to most
graceful and attractive manners and charming conversational powers. As a
preacher he filled Lombardy with resistance to the pride and pretensions of
the priesthood. He was the purest, most severe and bold personification of
republican democracy, both laical and ecclesiastical, of the century. … Under
the stirring appeals of his deep convictions and impassioned eloquence the
popular cry was raised: ‘The people and liberty,’ and he became as much its
incarnation as Mazzini and Garibaldi in modern times. As the apostle of
liberty he contended for a full dissolution of the union between church and
State, and fired the cities to seek perfect freedom from both pope and empire
by establishing a republic. As a patriot he looked upon these civil enemies
only with contempt, and summoned Italy to shake them off. As a Christian he
was an anti-sacramentarian, desiring to bring the church back to the New
Testament standard; or, as Gibbon expresses it, he boldly threw himself upon
the declaration of Christ: ‘My kingdom is not of this world.’ He would not
use the sword, but maintained his cause by moral sentiment; and yet formed
the daring plan of planting the standard of civil and religious liberty in the
City of Rome itself, for the purpose of restoring the old rights of the senate
and the people. His pure morals and childlike sense of justice startled the
whole land. … Rome was thrown into insurrection; all Europe felt his power,
and the eyes of Christendom were turned to the Eternal City. After a desperate
contest against three several popes, which cost Lucian his life, a new
constitution was framed and the sanction of Adrian IV. was demanded to its
provisions. The pope fled for his life, his temporal power was abolished, and
a new government was established in 1143, which maintained the struggle