The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-04 00:00:00

THE BRITISH MAGAZINE.

The " original papers ". of this number are " Modern
Hagiology,'" " Antiquities " (being a further series of
extracts from Archbishop Marsh's Diary), " The Church
in Newfoundland," " The Supremacy of Conscience in
the pursuit of Religious Faith," " On the restoration of
the Jews to the Land of Canaan," (a very " so so " spe-
culation)—are of unequal interest and very various merit.
The smaller contributions are generally of much inferior
pretensions. The reader may be amused with a more
than Puseyite Puseyism.
" Most extraortinary passages of this description are found
in Dr. Posey's books. For example, in his adaptation of
Surin to the use of the English church, where he talks of
truths which God inspires him to propound (p. 234), and says,
As for me, I only follow his direction, and am hardly master
of my pen,' (p. 245)—and in another place he says, We feel
ourselves, in fact, more enlightened in this one instant, than we
should be after ten years of study in the schools. This is done
by the operation of the Holy Spirit, and by the infusion of a
light which is quite simple, with no variety of objects, but
which contains within itself the essence and abridgment of a
thousand truths,' (p. 189); and to illustrate the superiority of
this inward light to that of reason or study, he says—
" ' This has been proved in very many instances, and parti-
cularly with respect to St. Theresa. Fifteen learned men
were assembled at Avila to judge by what spirit she was led.
When the examination was finished, they concluded that the
astonishing things that God worked in her were the operations
of the devil. But a holy monk, of the order of St. Francis,
passing by, perceived and declared that it was the spirit of God
that governed her ; and St. Francis of Borgia, more illustrious
for the gift of contemplation which God had given him than for
his learning, confirmed this declaration.
" ' It is written in the life of St. Clara of Monte-Falco, that
she discovered a concealed heretic, who was universally re-
garded and revered as a saint. God has worked many other
wonders in his servants. He sent St. Bernard to destroy many
errors, and to undeceive many heretics. Yet the saint in his
youth had given but little time to study, and with all his talent,
what he had learned could not have sufficed to write the many
admirable works which he has left us.
" Even women, as St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Theresa,
and some others, have discoursed so well on the mysteries of
the faith, that their works cannot be read without admiration.
St. Ignatius, the founder of the Company of Jesus, had re-
ceived such light on the ineffable mystery of the Trinity, that
he undertook to write a book on it without having studied. St.
Francis of Assissi, when consulted on many difficult passages of
Scripture, instantly replied so clearly, that learned men were
surprised at him. You have only to read the Chronicles of his
order to see acme remarkable instances of this; and all this
proceeds, not from the strength and penetration of the human
mind, but from Divine illumination. Therefore it is more fitly
called wisdom than learning.' "—p. 190, 191.
" The force of tolly can no further go !"