The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1851-12-23 00:00:00

the Trinity and of the Incarnation in the Scriptures, there-
fore we believe them ; we do not find transtibitantiation
and purgatory there, therefore we do not believe them. It
is strange to urge us to believe false mysteries, on the
ground that we believe true ones. The third argument
by which Dr. Newman urges us to submission is, that
there is no alternative between scepticism and implicit
belief in the teaching of the (Roman) Catholic Church.
" Unlearn Catholicism (i. e., Roman), and you become
Protestant, Unitarian, Deist, Pantheist, sceptic, in a
dreadful but infallible succession—only not infallible
by some accident." Against this sweeping theory
we can adduce plain facts—the Church of England ; the
Presbyterian :1, Churches—the Protestant Dissenters—
the American Churches—all reject the infallible teaching
of Rome—all have unlearned what Dr. Newman calls
Catholicism ; yet they are neither sceptics nor deists ;
yet these cases are far too numerous to be accounted for
by Dr. Newman's chapter of accidents, and hence there
must be an alternative, beside that suggested, between
sceptism or submission to the Church of Rome. Not
only do the arguments of Dr. Newman fail to produce
conviction but the great arguments against the assump-
tion of infallibility are left unanswered by him. We have
a promise from God that the universal Church shall never
fail, but no promise on behalf of any particular Church,
e.g., of Rome, of England, of Scotland, that it shall
never fail. Peter, the pretended fountain of Papal infal-
libility, though he wrote by inspiration, was, in other,
respects, a fallible man—(Gal. ii, 11, 14.) We have con-
tending Popes, contradicting decrees, and councils opposed
to each other; and there is no agreement in the Church
of Rome herself as to the seat of her own infallibility.
But the most important appeal which Dr. Newman makes
is to the miracles of his Church—and, if genuine, no
doubt they oblige us to submit to her teaching. To
induce us to yield our consent to them, he argues that
if we believe the mystery of the Incarnation, we
need not scruple to believe any other mystery. "No
miracle can be so great as that which took place in the
holy house of Nazareth; it is infinitely more difficult to
believe than all the miracles of the breviary, of the mar-
tyrology, of saints' lives, of legends, of local traditions put
together." But, we reply, it is not on the ground of their
mysterious and marvellous character that we reject the
popish miracles, but because of insufficient evidence. As
miracles are suspensions of the laws of nature, they are all
equally marvellous, i.e. they cannot be performed save by
the power of Him who has all nature under His control.
Let a miracle be supported by well authenticated testi-
mony, and we will admit it ; but that we believe the well-
attested miracles of scripture is no ground why we should
believe the ill-attested miracles of Rome. Next, Dr. New-
man proceeds to argue that as God wrought the scripture
miracles, this of itself affords a presamption tkat he will
work more. "We conceive that when he first did a
miracle, he began a series ; when he commenced, he
continued, what has been, will be." But it is certain
God may work miracles in one age, and not in another,
because His wisdom may decide that one age requires
them, and that another does not. We know that He saw
them necessary at the first promulgation of the faith, be-
cause He wrought them then ; that He has wrought them
since is what we require Dr. Newman to prove, which he
must do, not by presumptive arguments as to what God
may do, but by positive testimony as to what He has done.
In page 298 of his Lectures on Catholicism in England,
Dr. Newman records his own creed respecting popish
miracles ; and it is necessary to remark, in reference to it,
the insidious attempt which he makes to connect together
the miracles of Scripture and the legends of the Church
of Rome. when he asks us, why, if we regard those as
weak minded persons who believe in the legends he has
enumerated, we do not also regard those in the same light
who hold the mystery of the incarnation, when he tells us
in another passage that he has known Catholics who never
had any difficulty in believing the miracles of the Church,
very much startled at the first reading of the Scripture
miracles ; the object is to connect these miracles in one
series, to make popish miracles a continuation of Scrip-
ture miracles, and to give monkish tales with the
most sacred verities of the Christian faith. It was
for this rash and profane attempt, tending as it
must do to produce a spirit of scepticism and infi-
delity, that the Bishop of Norwich severely rebuked
Dr. Newman. " What I fear is (writes the bishop), not
indeed that the generality of your readers will exalt legends
into Scripture ; but that seeing grounds for discrediting
the legends, they will look on all narratives of miracles,
scriptural and legendary, as alike doubtful, and more than
doubtful." Another characteristic of Popish miracles is
their antecedent improbability. Are they conformable or
not to the wisdom and majesty of God ? Do they harmo-
nise with what is revealed to us of His character? e.g.:
St. Agatha stopping an eruption of Mount Etna with a
veil—the Virgin's house of Loretto carried through the
air by angels—St. Francis crossing the sea on his cloak—
St. Anthony preaching to the fishes—a fox struck dead
for stealing a saint's shoe. Are not the marks of impro-
bability broadly stamped on such miracles? Dr. Newman
thinks it "impossible to withstand the evidence which is
brought for the liquefaction of the blood of St. Januarius."
Mr. Whiteside, in his " Book on Italy," tells us that
there is not one person of rank in all Naples who believes
it. And a most suspicious circumstance attaching to
all Popish miracles is, that they are always wrought
before friends, whereas the Scripture miracles were
wrought in the presence of enemies. Dr. Newman's
appeal to miracles is a complete failure, and will certainly
induce no Protestant to receive the notion of his Church's
infallibility. And if any one wishes for a sample of the
doctrines which Dr. N. believes on Church authority,
his curiosity may be gratified by a reference to his lec-
tures on " The glories of Mary," in which he will learn
that Mary was baptised, confirmed, chosen to be the
mother of the Saviour, because she had vowed perpetual
virginity, although the Scriptures tell us she was
" espoused to a man named Joseph ;" that Mary died,
but on the third day her tomb was found empty, her body
being taken up into heaven, whilst lilies grew where it
lay, and the voices of angels were heard singing. Such
is Romish tradition, and such are the child's tales gravely
written by a man who once certainly possessed a powerful
and vigorous mind. How must a man, who has been
familiar with the Scriptures and the teaching of the
Church of England, pervert and mystify his mind before
he can credit the superstitcous miracles, or reconcile
himself to the unmistakeable idolatry, of the Church of
Rome!

A vote of thanks having been passed to the rev. lec-
turer, and also to the chairman, the meeting separated.

EVERTON REPOSITORY.

The annual repository, in aid of the Church Missionary
Society, commenced yesterday morning, in the National
Schools, Mill-lane. Two of the upper rooms were very
tastefully fitted up for the sale of work, and one for re-
freshments. The larger room especially presented a very
pretty appearance, having twelve tables on either side,
running almost the entire length of the apartment. while
the space between was decked out with a great variety of
smaller articles.

The supply of work was very good, and consisted
chiefly of useful articles, though some very elegant speci-
mens of fancy work were to be seen, though, perhaps, not
so many as on some former occasions. We noticed, in
particular, some very beautiful ottomans, ladies' work-
baskets, &c.

This is, we believe, the tenth year of this sale, which is
conducted by the ladies of the Rev. W. W. Ewbank's con-
gregation, under the very active superintendence of Mrs.
Ewbank, and the amount realized has been the sum of £lOO
annually, and it is fully anticipated that this year the com-
plete sum from the commencement will be £lOOO.
On yesterday a sum exceeding £5O was received, and
the sale will continue to-day and Wednesday.