New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-01-10
Brevn..u on pro,es,a1sism.

Z
and bluntly tells YOU so is not half so dan
oeIous an enemy as one who smiles and
slabs. His blows nay be hard, but you
know whittier to look for them, and his
words, though not fatteriug, are often
wholesome. They let you know the faults
whereto you are supposed to be addicted,
arc often disclose to you defects Of charac-
ter which would else have escaped your
penetration. 4 good hater' is monitor
which many could i'll afford to spare.
Mr.. o. A. Brownson, reared Protest
ant, and by turns Calvinist. Universalist,
Infdel and Unitarian ia former years, is
now the most vigorous and thorough con-
troversial theologian in our country. He
is the Ajax in America at least, of that por-
ton of the Roman Catholic Church which
has for centuries been distinguished as
Uultramontane,' and of which De Fall
Ieux, Montalembert and L UnIuers may be
deemed European exemplifcations. And,
since his Quarterly Review has been In
dorsed by all the Roman Catholic Bishops
Of our country in Council assembled, it may
fairly be said to have semi-ofhcial charac-
ter as an expounder Of the faith, and there
fore to deserve public attention quite indie
pendeutly of the soundness or unSoundness
of the doctrines it iuculcates.
In No. XXI of Brownson's Quarterly
for this present January, we iind the fol-
loving:
Professionalism j., no doubt, heresy but all
heresy at best only lnchoate heahenism, andneeds
only tune and freedom to become fully developed
heathenism for 1t is the assertion Of the natural
against the supernatural, the secular against the
spiritual, the human against the divine. Protest
antism is civilized heathenSm IN Its natural FORM
since the Church, as ancient Assyran, Chaldean,
Egyptian, Greek and Roman gent1sm was the
natural form Of civilized heahenlSm before her. 1t
is only the Church that introduces into the world
az other than heather element remove her, and
nothing but heathenlsm does or can remain. The
essence Of all hesthenism, whether before or since
the Christian Church, Is IN the emancp patton OF the
flesh of the secular order and the suolectlon OF the
spiritual ProtesiaBiisin, whatever It's pretensons
j. therefore really neathenlsm, and nothing else or
If Il please lis friends better since 1t processes TO be-
,eye IN the Messiah, Will consent to call It carnal
judaism, which holds the Messiah TO be temporal
instead of a spiritual prince, the founder OF an
ealthly instead Of heavenly kingdom. places the
secular above the spiritual, and puts the creature IN
the place OF the Creatorthe essential principal OF
all heaihenism and of all ldolatry. II bears the
same relation to Christianity that canal Judaism
bore to spiritual JUDAISM"
I'VE wish our readers TO bear in mind that it is not
religious bgoiTy, thait y not zeal for religion, that
chiefly ii ,his the fires OF Protestant persecution, but
zeal FOR the world, and determination to subordinate
| religion always and every where to the secular
power And therefore We lose all the breath we ex-
pend II 6eciaming against bgotTy and intolerance,
and favor ofreglOus liberty or the right OF every
to be OF any religion or OF no religion, as best
p.easCs him, which some two or three OF our jour
! nalisis would fain persuade the world is Catholic
CoclLne. Such declarations only tend 10 render
CaihOlIcs Indifferent to their faith, or TO lnoculate
them With false and fatal liberalism, experience
every day proves. They produce no effect on Prot
estsItS far a. they may be regarded as midi
cations OF tendency among US 10 abandon our reli-
! giOn. ard turn Protestant or infdel II is always
| folly to talk or reason OF Protestants taken as
BODY, as If they had religion or cared pms head
for religion of any sort. Set ihem down always as
modem he a;hens. and and preach 10 them As the
Fathers DID to the Gentiles, or you will never touch
/ them They Will prosecute you, II they have the
power and regard you Of sufficient importance TO
% prosecuted, until you succeed in gI0clDg them
that hesihensm is false and Cahollcity is true, and
that ey are 10 live FOR heaven aud not for earth.
The great erTor into which we fall is that OF con-
steering rctestantisn as form Of religion aud adj
heied 70 from religious motives. II such was ever
| cNidual exception. Protesants constitute not
hgiOus, but political and social party, and what
! they say N reference to religion is said only IN
furheTaIce OF their secular movements or desires,
| whether hey themselves are distinctly conscious
that it Is so or not. We do n too much honor when
/ We CoICescoLd 20 dispute wi'h X form of rell-
| gious error and the great reason why We do not
dispute II moe successfully is that no small portion
Of sympathiZe with II IN l.s political and social
views, that i. are ourselves Protes,ants, without
| kGOwnglt. The athelstcal politics which are the
essence OF Protest ntism have peryaded the modern
Catholic world. and are nearly az rife among re rs
among Prolestan,s themselves. Our first work
/ should be 20 unprotesantiZe OuTSClycS-a thing
We shall not very readily do, If our popular wit
/ eIS tale to deny or suppress Catholic truth
as applicable to the secular order Aheistcal poll-
ties are vel nigh universal, and TIL Se aha on them
/ ourselves, We shall make poor headHsy against
/ Professionalism. When we ourselves are afraid to
/ assert the supremacy Il the Church, and The SUB
7 orCInaiIon OF the state, and TO maintain that the
secular Is FOR the SPIRITUAL and Lot the spiritual for
/ The sccuar,-when are afraid TO ackno Wedge
the supremacy Of Peter III his successors and deem
II The pant OF prudence to explain away or half deny
/ the Papacy.-what have .e got to say 10 Protest
/ ants We yield everything 20 Them that they care
for, AMI what have We 70 oppose 10 them We tell
cur readers again and again, that the theological
/ matters discussed between Protestants and Us are
bot the real QUE siiOns az issue. They nothing,
/ as body, for doctrines. They have TO doctrines
that they cannot give up at a moments warning. If
Necessary % secure their secular success The
whole question turns on the unity and cataoiicy OF
/ The CLuIch, as the means of maintaining the su-
pftmacl OF Tie spiritual order As thdt unity anu
catboiclty are effected and secured BY the Papacy,
the real object Of attack the Pope and MS spiritual
authority, under God, over the whole secular Orcer.
he whole question Is here. Give up deny that
authority, and you give up or deny all thai Protes
Iusm really opposes. and embrace practically all
q al Is living IL II, and PrCtestants IN the only
. sense IN which Protestants are worth counting.
We must, therefore, II mean TO be Catholics, be
/ Iuly-we ike the word-PAPISTs and fearlesSy
assert the Pspal supremacy. We shall then get nd
OF cur Protestant, heather, or athelscal politics.
/ and have Catholic ground on which to oppose
PIoiesiantsm. This is the first thing necessary for
/ us. This cone, ve become politically and socially,
as we are II faith and worship, united BODY able
1 10 move n ole solid and unbrOken phaanK against
minds and hearts Of Protestants The question Will
/ then be discussed on its merits and We may hope
that God Will bless efforts to persuade our Pro
ttssIt brethren that they should no longer abandon
! tht flNes World hich saiIsheth rot. but