The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1875-07-04
Protestant Texts.
From tho writings Of John Henry Newman

IFron tho writings of John Henry Newman
Protestants Judge of the Apostles doe-
trine by "texts," as they are commonly
caIIsd taken from Scripture, and nothing
more and they judge of our doctrine 700;
bv "texts" taken from our writings, anu
nothing more. Picked verses, oils 'etn eta
from the context, half sentences. are 'ie
| warrant of the Protestant idea OF Wna' 10
| Apostolic truth on the enc band, anu oh
| the other. of what is Catholic faisenood;
| As they have their chips and fragments OF
St. Paul and st. John, SO have they me Iuel'
chips and fragments of Suarez anu beliaI-
mine and out of the former they make to
themselves their own Christian religion,
and out of the latter our own Anti Chris
tan superstitiop. They do not ask them
selves sincerely, as matter OF iact ano
history, What did tie Apostles teach thenl
Nor do they ask sincerely, and as .haI.er The,,
of fact, What do Catholics teach noW1 Iney
iudge of the Apostles, and they judge OF us,
nv Scraps. and on these scraps they exercise
their private jud dgment-that is, their Pre-
indice. and their Assumed rim
ciples, and the process ends IN
the Apostles, what they call "Scriptural he
iigion,n aud out of their scraps from our
, theologians, what they call Popery.
The fret Christians were living oooy
they we're thousands of Jealous, energetic
3 men, who preached, disputed, catechlsea'
and conveIsed from years end to years
. end. They spoke by innumerab!e tongues,
. with one heart, and one soul, all saying the
! same thing. All this multitudinous testl-
u mony about the truths of Revelation, Fro
u testauts narrow down into one or two mea,
y gre sentences, which at their own Will anu
J pleasure they select from St. Paul, and at
. their own will and pleasure they explain,
u and call the Gospel. They do just the same
= thing with US. Catholics, at least, have a
> lively illustration and evidence OF the 40
NJ 70 in6UmanG
g exercised on the Apostolic writings, in the
o. visible fact of it's absurdity as exercised on
as themselves. They, as their forefatbers, the
81 81 first Christians, are living BODY they
70 too preach, dispute, catechise, converse
&c with inuumerable tongues, saying tha sam'
o. things as our adveIsaries confess, all ove
" the earth. Well, then, you wou!d !h'pt
III the obvious way was, If they would Know
70. what We really teach, to come and ask us
oe to talk with US, to try to enter into on
-. views, and to attend to our teachlng. no
81 ,s' at all they do not dream of doing 80 the.
Il take their "texts"; they have got their cut
u! and dried specimens from our olvlnes
us which the Portestant tradition hands dow
~ from generation to generation, anu, as
" "no the aid of their verses from scripture, tue
~ think they understand the Gospel bette
ell than the first Christians, so by the help
:, these choice extracts from our works, the
is think they understand our doctrine bette
-he than we do ourselves. They will not ailo
u. US TO explain our own books. So sure al
SIG: thew of their knowledge, and so superior
OF us. that they have no difficulty in settin
.he .he Us right, and in accounting tor our contr'
Ihe dieting them. Sometimes Catholics a.
o. oe "evasive aud shufhing," which, of cours
;"' 20; will! explain everything; sometimes the
-S simply "have never been told what the
creed really is'' the priest keeps 1T fro
oui ~ them. aud cheats them as yet, too, pc
@ the haps they are "recent converts" and {
'ne not know the actual state Of things, thout
they will know in time. Thus Protestan
Judge us by their "texts"; and by text
do not mean only passages from our W
ters, but all those samples of whatever KID
,a historical, ecclesiastical, biographical,
;sas political, carefully prepared, improved, q
. ~ finished off by successive artists for the {
CASTOR, which they think so much me
.t worthy of credit and reliance as to fac
than us and our word, who are in the ve
"a. communion to which those texts rela
Some good personal knowledge OF US a
a 1o Intercourse with us, not in the way OF CO
tbe troversy or criticism, but what Is prlo
IL; VIZ in the way of sincere enquiry, in orr
and to ascertain how things really lle-sr
~ knowledge and intercourse would be wo
a. all the conclusions, however elaborate
mo subtle, from rQmors, false witnessings, 6
.h | picions, romantic scenes, mOrsels OF hlSto
III | morse!s of theology, morsels of our MIRA
a 80 Ious legends, morsels from our deTotlo
~ writer's, morsels from our individual mt
Ill bers. whether unlearred or lntemper:
g -, al
was "nien OK 'no -: Va WV W
lmor eeeA.t .te" ~ "SneS t,te o.. o++oo,- ~ =,
shop one 10 nf %s reiic
,sn a country gentleman, a navy captain
t,;.h half pay officer, with time on his hal
. 70 never having seen Catholic, or a Cath
find ' w I" " asno,o LoS '',', ~, "
that me 40 SnNn ~. os ,,f %
Saini extracts against Popery, t" teach the
al his own religion, and To refnte u Con-
<, ~ -'' ''PreSent Position Of Catholics !. 81
was .
natic WANT sCPPLLED-Our c''izehs VIII
pleased to learn that Mr.. L. F. Gerry the po
lrcell epgrav,r has opened swimming school at the