Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-11-16

OQeOly
the nopish church was evident: but ne used.
that stratagem, which must be the refuge oil.
bad cause; by equivocal and vague PROPOSE
tons, he endeayoured to approximate insensi-
bly, to his menacing position.
His next assertion is an exhibition Of disin-
genui,v He does not state an open falsehood,
but he ar.ially constructs his sentence, SO as 70
convey to the reader an rn,ruth which ne does
not plainly write. A cursory view OF his sen
tence would lead his reader 10 beileve tnat tue
first time the certificate Of the truth OF miracles
was submitted TO public and solemn inves.'Sa,
ton, was not until century alter the aheoseu
occurrence: that such an assertion was neoessa-
ry 10 render his argument OF any avail Is p'ain'
when we look to the principle, which asserts
that proof 10 be insufficient which is only al
duced ares postsrior TO the transaction. Now the
arcbdeacon knew and if Mr.. White did not
know he ought to have known, that the sub
s,an,iated and sworn and sifted history was con-
,ained in the certificate drawn up at the time
Of the occurrence; although 1t was only PRO-
duced a, the process which preceded the canon
izaton. III the certificate was the official altes-
ta,ion Of the result of a public and strict enqul-
nv, at the time and on the spot, where the trans.
action occurred, it became history, whose true
date was the period Of its formation, not that
of its production. AS we'll might Doctor Pa
lev be told "Sir, you ask me to believe the trulh
of miraculous occurrence which you say took
place eighteen centuries ago, you produce
book which contains the account: why did you
not ask me to examine it in Judea at the time
OF its occurrence" The Doctor would an
swer, that the transactions testified were exam
ined by competent witnesses at the time, and
place, and that these books were the certificates
~, rbr od nj hp aX mil
Such is my answer TO the Doctor. BY your
looking to his phraseology you will find that he
does not state that the certificate was framed
during the process oil canonization, but was er-
hi6ifed at that time. Now the doctors prlnci-
pie cannot bear upon tie fact, if the certificate
was "cotemporay history" for he distinguishes
the proofs switch are found only in history by
some ages Losterior TO the transaction" and
which he deems insufficient, with what he calls
sufficient, and what supported christianity: this
he describes "ours is contemporary history. II
then the certificates which are exhibited be CO.
temporary history, Doctor Paley's reasoning is
bad, and he is disingenuous. But the certit-
Gates are Contemporary history" as / have
shewn.
A plain principle of common sense, and Of
common law, is that person can testify any
thing but what he has observed: hear-say wit
ness can only testify that an assertion has been
made, but as several false assertions are made,
our knowledge OF the assertion Is not know
ledge ofits truth. Thus certificate OF hear.say
is no evidence: nor is certificate of fact evi.
dence ofthe fact, unless in the same manner that
history would be evidence thereof. 1t will! be
necessary to digreSs little, by way OF histori
cal enquiry, in order 10 Shew the value OF Doc
tor Paiey's assertion.
Roman catholics believe that IL is now equal
" in the power Of God to work miracle as it
was at any former period, and it there exists
evidence Of miracle having been performed at
any time, il ought to be believed: the archdea-
con himself will not object to this principle
Roman catholics have regulated that the pro-
per Judges officially to examine and to decide
upon the truth of the fact, and fits nature, are
the Bishops, AID those men Of prudence and
piety and science whom they may call upon:
when miracles were said to have occurred, the
Bishops, so aided, examined upon the spot,
publicly, and proclaimed their judgment. The
proofs required for the pious belief of any per-
sons being saint after death, were extraordi-
nary sanctity of life; and repeated miracles per.
formed, especially by occasion OF the person, al
or about or even after death The Bishops at
ter diligent enquiry upon the spot, at the time,
frequently found those proofs, and publicly pro.
claimed their belief and judgment. TWAS COM
planned Of, that sometimes this examination was
not as rigorous as ii ought to have been, and
precautions were taken to guard against parti-
atty and precipirancy. By an ordinance ofthe
council of Trent, passed in the 25th session, on
the 3rd of December, 1883, the Bishops were
directed to have as their council in the exami-
nation of aledged miracles, learned theologians,
and other proper persons; and when they made
diigent inqusition by s,oo7n witnesses, upon the
spot: and those witnesses separately examined,
and their dispositions separately drawn up: and
all hear-say excluded; no deposition being al
lowed 10 contain any but direct testimony Of
what fell under the senses of the witness: and
proper persons skilled in the natural philosophy
having been consulted: ifupon review Of the
whole case deliberately made, the Bishop should
be satisfied of the truth Of the facts and Of their
miraculous nature, he transmits certified CO.
py of the process and dispositions to The holy
see for more full examination In Rome ii is laid
before the congregation of cardinals specially
appointed for such examinations; having al
tached to them one or more lawyers and Physi-
clans, whose duty il is by the closest scrutiny
TO try whether there be any defect in the evil
dence as 10 the fact, or whether the facts being
II. r.,