The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-03-20
Papal Infallibility.

fdpdl inialllDlllty.
The neediessly vexed question of the in
} faiiibiiity of the Sovereign Pontiff, wher
speaking, not as private individual bu,
as doctor OF the Universal Church-no,
as mere theologian, but as the guardian
OF the deposit of faith entrusted to his Gus.
tody-has been SO much more ably dis.
cussed and exhaustively treated than we
could pretend to do it, in the selections
from foreign exchanges reproduced in these
columns, that we long since concluded not
to take it up ourselves until it fell of its
own accord into the place we ASSIGNED If in
our articles on Rationalism./ Since we
marked out that plan for our studies, how
ever, circumstances have been altered con-
slderably; new issues have sprung up and
fresh and bitter hostilities-all the more
OTTER for the crudity of their freshness
nave arrayed themselves in opposition t.,
the Holy See. Men we trusted have proved
recreant to the trust; and we, as Catholic
Journalists, should be equally recreant to
the confidence reposed in us, if we did not
warn them, be they who they may, of the
risks they are running-of the wickedress
they are guilty of, in sacrificing to mere
ephemeral popularity the eternal welfare
OF souls. A truce. then to Rationalism for
> few weeks, while we sink the philosopher
70 make room for the theologian. Our first
article will necessarily be brief, because we
intend it to be simply Introductory.
That there is such a thing as truth, no
nan IN his senses can deny, for negation
mpiies an intellectual act, which no man
ut OF his senses is capable Of Ir is the ,
rue that creates and actualizes intellect g,
which without the true could not even ,
x1st' The skeptic may question the exist !
nee of the true, his only religion being to s
oubt and waver but doubt and waver as 9
may, in his wavering and doubling he still v
avs homage to the ruling majesty of truth. il
ne VINO doubts ust doubt on refiexion. and n
'hexlon, as we have shown, is impossible a
lthout language-the incarnation of the ~
ue-the ark in which the primitive reve-
ton was preserved for mankind. The v
hdamentaD principles of every science T,
o wrapped in invisibility. The axioms q
III postulates necessary to mathematical h
udles, our reason never invented-tlIey q,
Tar beyond it's vision down in the q,
pths OF the Divine Essence. Now if in d,
us operations reason stands in need Tn
talth, In every step through life we ca
1mble, as Proudhon complains, against a,
Velation, is it not clear that we should "
cept with greatful eagerness that other in
'eiasieh OF higher order of truth, which ia
rrors to us the divine projections, maps h,
Tor us the plans of Providence, and an
'ows a light as consOling as it had a right an
DC unexpected on our strange nature, va
origin and end, the whole enigma of
existence? This revelation has been nh
de, and, to adapt itself to our present do
dition, has, like every other idea pre- mr.,
ted to us, assumed sensible form. as
through the mystery of the Word Incar- at
a fresh light broke in upon our souls, sut
while knowing God visibly, we may u.s.
apt with the love of things INVISIBLE it
ore ascending to heaven, the Word VIII
ie- Flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ, estab- ve
ed society, of which He promised to to
he abiding life, and to which He wifled ouc
ptent'uoe Oh his authority. This soci fac,
we snail prove in our next article to be oh {
o"''ioiio Nhureh-the witness, inter- ben
"a an" oustooian OF dlvlne revelation. thu.
suppose 'ne Chufch can err in utter face
the oracles of her Divine Founder were
ellie His most emphatic declarations,
c it would be a cruel mockery of man, &C, I'll
would seek in vain for that certituda a sto,
riding his eternal interests which he or cor
lh-the ordinary transactions of life. indefi
inf. if:i,:i.t - ,,or; l.; &C., -, evera
" AesiueS somewhere IN the OF the
Ollie Church our bittarost aror,;o, - See aC
ing upon it with such unremitting per- n
ity, admit, and where it resides their filter,
hostility indicates. The devil, con- p Tssi
cate general that he is, does not ex- Y Yer rSs