Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1854-11-07

". ~ ", "a ~ F~o', VI "a. z 80 ~. y
.Ions which wess unknown In tie lNk r
are familiar to the ninetcenth, Nonn lz9l
discoveries aud Inventions have -
bearink on the qussljeh Wl(otkes y % 49,
fed by faith aIoDe, - whetl ipvoeeeaoq
n saints 10 90 otthodox pr6etJ IN eeeu1 q
ns, therefore. that Va bav6 = vescanty fos -
future ssainst the prevakncg ~ ~ saeoloe-
cal error that has ever pr4x IIpd N Times ~.
among Christian meA,s ~ oopedeny ~
the world will neves @ bsek y the ssseI sys.
TEN Of Ptolemy noe y our con6denee n -
least shaksn b. the oiroumaanoe lhat even .
yreat Z man q Bacon rejected Tie shco,y ol
GaIlileo with scorn; fcg Bacon had eot sli -
means Of arriving At sound conelusion whlch
are within our reach and vhieh secure Peo-
ple, who would not be wonhy 70 mend ~
pens, from falling into the same mistakes. bus
we are very differently affected when 10 re-
feet that Sir Thomas More was ready 70 ooo
for the doctrine OF transubstantiation. He wss
a man Of eminent talents. He had ali the In
formation on The subject that We have, or that.
while the world Lasts, any human being VIII
have. The text "This u my body" was IN
his New Testament - In our owa.
The absurdity Of the literal interpretation
was o. great and % obvious Ia the sixteenth
century ~ ~ 10 uvWs AvO ptuBtCbD suob oStSuoV
has made or will make csn add to what seems
10 us the overw helming force Of the argument
against the real presence. We are therefore
unable TO understand why what Sir Thomas
More believed respecting transubstanuauos
may not be believed to the end Of time BY men
equal in abilities and honesty to Sir Thomas
More. But Sir Thomas More is one Of the
choice specimens Of human wisdom and virtues
and the doctrine Of nsubstantiation ID Q KIND
of proof charge. A faith which sands That tess
will stand any test. The prophecies of Bro
theirs and the miracles Of Prince Hohenlohe
sink TO trines in the comparison. One reserve
ton, indeed, must be made. The books and
traditions Of sect may contain, mingled with
propositions strictly theological, other PROPOSE
items purporting 10 rest on the came authority
which relate to physics. II new discoveries
should throw discredit on the physical propo-
sitions, the theological propositions, unless
they can be separated from the physical proPo-
awy, undo ibtediy, the progress Of science may
indirectly serve the cause Of religious truth:
The Hindoo mythology, for example. ID bound
up with most absurd geography. Every young
Brahmin, therefore, who learns geography IN
our colleges, learns 10 smile at the HindoO my
thelogy. If Catholicism had not suffered to an
equal degree frop the Papal decision hat the
sun goes round the earth, II is because all in
telligent Catholics now held, with Pascal, that
in deciding the point at all the Church exceed
ed her powers, and was therefore justly LETT
destitute Of that supernatural assistance which,
in the exercise of her legitimate functions, the
promise o: her Founder authorized her to ex-
pee
This reservation affects not at all the truth
of our proposition, that divinity. properly %
called, is not progressive science. a very
comm IN knowledge Of history, very little oo-
serva tion Of life, will suffice to prove that no
lesrning, no sagacity, affords security against
the greatest errors on subjects relating to the
invisible world. Bayle and Chillingworth. two
of the most skeptical Of mankind, turned Ca
tholics from sincere conviction. Johnson, in
credulous on all other points, was ready
bel; ever in mir racles aud apparilions. He would
not believe in Ossian, but he believed in the
second sight. He would not believe u tho
earthquake of Lisbon, but he believed in the
Cock Lane Ghost.
For these reasons we have ceased 70 wondes
at any vagaries Of superstition. We have seen
men, not Of mean intellect or neglected educa-
ton, but qualified by their talents and 90
quirements to attain emInence either IN active
or speculative pursuits, well-read scholars.
expert logicians, keen observers Of life and
manners, prophesying, Interpreting, talking
unknown tongues, working miraculous cures,
coming down with messages from God to the
House of Commons. We have seen an oh
wowan, with no talents. beyond the cum ming O
fortune-teller, and with the education OF Z
scullion, exalted into prophecies, and sur
rounded with tens Of thousands Of deyotea.1 .10i-
lowers, many of whom were, in station aal
knowledge, lmmeasurably her superi0rs; and
all this in the nineteenth century, and all THU
in London. Yet why not Z For Of the deal
ings OF God with man no more has been reveal
ed to the nineteenth century than to the hrst,
| or to London than to the widest parish in the
Hebrides. It is true that in those things which
concern this life and this world, man constantly
becomes wiser. l,5g 4A at }s
The history of Catholicism strikingly illus
trates these observations. During the last Sc
ven centuries the public mind Of Europe has
made constant progress in every department oi
secular knowledge. But 10 religion We can
trace no constant progress. The ecclesiastical
history Of that long period s the history q
movement to and fro. Four times since the
authority Of the Church of Rome was esta-
blished in Western Christendom has the hu-
man intellect risen up against her yoke,
Twice she remained completely victorious.
1 Twice she came forth from the conflict bear
| ing the marks of cruel wounds, but with thu
| principle of life still strong within her. When
we reflect On the tremendous assaults which
she has survived, we find it difficult to con
ceive in what way she is to perish. H'alT