Irvingites

(ür'ving-ītz,) or CATHOLIC APOSTOLIC CHURCH. (Eccl. Hist.) A Christian sect founded by the Rev. Edward Irving, a celebrated Scottish divine and preacher, B. 1792, D. in Glasgow, 1834. This sect does not differ from other Christian bodies in regard to the common doctrines of the Christian religion; it only accepts, in what it considers to be a fuller and more real sense, the phenomena of Christian life. It believes that the wonder, mystery, and miracle of the apostolic times were not accidental, but are e ential to the divinely instituted church of God, and its main function is to thoroughly prepare a people for Christ when he comes in his kingdom. A very special feature of the Catholic Apostolic Church is its extensive and elaborate symbolism. In regard to the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, however, it appears to entertain very much the same view as the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Apostolic Church has established itself in England, Canada, the U. States, Pru ia, France, and Switzerland, but the congregations are not numerous. [s. 493]