INCOMMUNICABLEXESS 542
INDEFECTIBILITY
served for the pope are yet in full force. In the His- torisch-politische Blatter of Phillips and Gorres (Mu- nich, 1847, vol. xxi) we find it stated that " In foro conseientiw, the bull is only valid yet in so far as its stipulations have not in other acts been altered by the Church herself." Its efficiency in foro externo, so much desired by Rome, is everywhere opposed in self-defense by the civil powers. For the special history of this bull, and proofs of its present validity in the Eomish Church, see Biber, Bull in Cana Domini, transl. (Lond. 1848) ; Biber, Paiml Diplomacy mid the Bull in Ccena Domini (Lond. 1848) ; Lebret, Geschichte d. Bulk (Lpz. 1768, 4 vols.) ; Herzog, Real-EnajMop. viii, 843 ; Cham- bers, Cyclop. V, 530 ; Schrockh, Kirchengesch. s. d. Refor- mation, iii, 266, 387 ; Janus, Pope and Council, p. 384 sq. ; cardinal Erskine to Sir J. C.Hippisley, in Rep. ofComm. of House of Commons on the Luirs regarding the Regula- tion of the Roman Cath. subjects (1816, p. 218). (J. H. W.) Incommunicableness of God, The divine attributes have been variously divided. One of the di- visions sets the attributes of God forth as communicable and incommunicable. As the former are regarded such attributes as can be imparted from the Creator to the creature, e. g. goodness, holiness, wisdom, etc., and as the latter such are counted as cannot be imparted, as inde- pendence, immutability, immensity, and eternity. See Dorner, Person of Christ, div. ii, i, 183 sq. ; ii, 193 sq. See also the article God (Dogmatical Treatment of the Doctrine of), vol. iii, p. 907 sq.
Incomprehensibility of God. This is a rela- tive term, and indicates a relation between an object and a faculty; between God and a created understanding: so that the meaning of it is this, that no created under^ standing can comprehend God ; that is, have a perfect and exact knowledge of him, such a knoAvledge as is ad- equate to tlie perfection of the object (.Job xi, 7 ; Isa. xl). God is incomprehensible, 1. As to the nature of his essence; 2. The excellency of his attributes; 3. The depth of his counsels ; 4. The works of his providence ; 5. The dispensation of his grace (Eph. iii, 8 ; Job xxxvii, 25 ; Rom. xi). The incomprehensibility of God follows, 1. From his being a spirit endued with perfections great- ly superior to our own. 2. There may be (for anything we certainly know) attributes and perfections in God of which we have not the least idea. 3. In those perfec- tions of the divine natiu-e of which we ha^'e some idea, there are manj' things to us inexplicable, and with which, the more deeply and attentively we think of them, the more we find our thoughts swallowed up, such as his self-existence, eternity, omnipresence, etc. This should teach us, therefore, 1. To admire and reverence the divine Being (Zech. ix, 17 ; Neh. ix, 5) ; 2. To be humble and modest (Psa. viii, 1, 4; Eccl. v, 2, 3; Job xxxvii, 19) ; 3. To be serious in our addresses, and sin- cere in our behavior towards him. (Caryl, On Job xxvii, 25; Tillotson, Sermons, sermon clvi; Abernethy, Ser- mons, vol. ii, nos. 6, 7 ; Doddridge, Lectures on Divinity, lecture 59; Martensen, Dogmatics, p. 89 ; Buck, Theolog. DielioiKiry, s. v.) See God.
Incomprehensible. This word, as occurring in the English Prayer-book, is understood, at the present day, in a sense quite different from what was designed when it was first introduced into the formularies. Thus when, in the Athanasian Creed, it is said, " The Father incomprehensible," etc., the meaning is, " the Father is (immensus, i. e.) infinite," etc. : a Being not to be com- jirised (rompnheixUi/dus) within the limits of space. — Edfu. '17m>LDIvfiomny/.s.y.
Inconvertibility, the quality of both natures in Christ, which does not admit of a change of either into the other.
Incorpolitus, a title in monasteries of the priest who has the administration of the convent estates, the collection of interest and other moneys due the monas- tery', etc.
Incorporation. The incorporation of a church benefice consists in its being joined quoad spiritualia et
temporalia with a spiritual corporation, such, for in- stance, as a convent or a monaster^'. We find many instances of such incorporations in the 9th centurj', and they were most generally the result of efforts to increase the revenues of the corporations. The modus operandi was to aboUsh the separate office connected with a ben- efice, and to give the tem.poral advantages to the cor- poration, which also added the spiritual offices connected therewith to its other duties, supplying them with min- isterial services. For instance, a regular pastor (pa- rochus principalis) was appointed, who committed the care of souls to a vicar appointed by himself, under sanction of the bishop. This vicar then filled the office of cura animarum actualis, whilst the convent or mon- astery had but a cura haUtualis. The canon laws in such cases soon prescribed the appointment of perma- nent vicars {vicarii perpettii), although in many in- stances, especially in German}', many convents appoint- ed onljr temporary' A'icars, and even intrusted the care of soids to members of their order who did not reside in the parish. Essentially different from these "jjlenojure" or '• utroque jure'' incorporations were exclusively tem- poral miions of the revenues of livings with spiritual corporations, which were also often designated as inco7-- jmrationes quoad temjwralia. In these cases the in- come only of the livings went to the convents, together with all the revenues accruing therefrom, they in ex- change undertaking to give to the incumbent minister an adequate support (po7-tip congrua). The spiritual office, sp>iritualia, remained imaffected by this arrange- ment, and was filled by the bishop, according to the wishes of the convent. The numerous abuses wliich were introduced in both these kinds of incorporations were denounced by the Council of Trent (Sess. 7, c. 7, De reform.). The council also forbade the union of parish churches with convents, monasteries, hospitals, etc. (Sess. 24, c. 13 ; Sess. 7, De reform, c. 6). In conse- quence of the secularization of convents and monaster- ies, the whole organization has mostly fallen into dis- use ; the parish administrators are about the only re- mains of the incorporation system. See Xeller, /^e y«- ribus parochi primitivi (in Schmid, Thesatir. jur. eccl. vi, 441 sq.) ; Herzog, Real-Encyldopddie, vi, 649.