The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-04-17


and moulded into one loving household oy
the blood Of Jesus Christ. Then mankind,
now 90 disintegrated, will recover the ideal
unity it has lost, and will once more become
infallible, because identified with the
Church. Here this argument, which has
been prolonged through SO many weary
articles, might be brought to speedy and,
perhaps, not an unsuccessful close; but
some additional observations, while deemed
necessary to complete the writer's pro-
gramme, might not be altogether unworthy
the consideration of the intelligent reader.
According to great many writer's in
vogue at the present day, the human race,
as now situated, retains it's original privi-
lege of Infallibility, and is at once the
basis and ultimate motive of all certitude ;
and if the Church lays any claim to iner-
rancy, the claim is founded on her being
an institution within the jurisdiction of
natural society, and deriving from such
society all her power and authority. This
theory is simply Pantheistic; and as such
might be rejected as tho exploded theory
of some resuscitated Heraclitus, or some
rival unearthed from the Elestic school, if
it was not the constitutional practice of the
most powerful government, perhaps, since
the Roman, on earth-of the country in
which heterodoxy has it's least pregnable
stronghold country at once the most
conservative and the most absurd of all
time-a country in which the vote of a Ca
tholic or Jew may decide how an Angli-
can should save his soul, but yet retaining
enough of the old conservative element to
neutralize its practical absurdities. Eng
land practically is pantheist, where it is
not Catholic, and the Church of England,
politicians. The assumption here contro-
verted is utterly devoid of any foundation
in facts. the infallibmfty of the human race
would presuppose a human race, which,
outside of the Church, does not exist, and
therefore may be denied as peremptorily as
it is asserted gratuitously. In the natural
order, as well as in the supernatural, the
only autonomous truth we have is the Idea,
from which emanates the light of reason,
by which every other truth and authority
is demonstrated. But, waving this point,
which seems all but self-evident, the
writer's alluded to are right in believing
the human race infallible, but wrong in
the human race to exist outside
of the orthodox society. The moral essence
of mankind does not reside in individuals,
but in unity (which cannot be simply col
lective, that is, consist in mere aggreea-
ton it must be organic and perfectly har-
monious with itself. Infallibility docs not
come from the body, but from the soul; it
s not the symphony of varieties harmon
zed, nor the total of numbers added up;
It has its throne outside the circle of varie-
lies and numbers, such as we have been
them, and is the idea God in
treating us gives us of Himself, in the light
# which We see the principles and axio,ns |
# all that is movable. Infallibility de- |
'ends not on mere numbers men, like
'otes, ought to be weighed, not counted. |
The true human race is the Church, which |
loes not result essentially from the number |
# its members. eff two or three,n saws
ur Blessed Lord, ARE assembled in nv |
anne, am in the midst of them.n These
words show the identity of the
rue human race and the Church. Let it |
re supposed on one side that few men are
ssembled in Christ's name, and connected
y a legitimate mission with the centre
rom which they draw their life-with
heir mental vision directed to one intel
ectual focus, as was the case with the
'irst Council of the infant Church at
crusaiem; and on the other side that the
iscordant multitudes of the Pagan or.pa-
Arising world are aggregated for mo-
lent, bringing with them their endless
ariety of opinions, destitute of all authori-
itive traditions, undirected by any legiti-
late hierarchy, and with no central point
Inch all can agree in viewing in the same
sht; who can hesitats to pronounce on
hich side Infallibility is the more likely
} be found, OF where the essential germ of
he reconstruction of the human race is the
lore likely to dwell In preceding ar
Gle it was affirmed, and in this there is no
lsposition whatever to.deny, that among
le universally of men there still fingers
ANY relic of the truth primitively
lught, and naturally evident, to the hu-
an mind; the dreams of philosophers
ever entirely got the upper hand of the
copies common sense; for. ideal truth
ill asserted its supremacy; and tradition,
Ike submarine telegraph cable, though