The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1878-11-16
Recent Publications.

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Catholicty In its Relationship to Protestant
ism aud R)manism. By the Rav f. G. Ever,
s. I. D. New York: G. P Putnam,s Sons;
Portland: Loring, Short s. Harmony. DIR.
Ever is known to the literary world as the
author, ten years ago, of an elaborate pronun-
cismento entitled Professionalism Q Failure,-a
title suggestive of the screeds put forth by the
late Plus TX declaring the bsst part of modern
civilization failure. In this book he returns
to the subject, and shows himself to bs of the
late Pope's spiritual kindred. His purpose in
the lectures or Conferences comprised in the
book he declares to be as follows: "to shCw the
skeptic first why he should be a Christian
rather than an Ipfidel or u nitarian In bslief;
secondly, Catholic rather than a Protestant;
and, lastly, an Anglican Catholic rather thso
Roman Catholic"
Professionalism, he thinks, was bad effect of
the general awakening of mind at the time Of
the Reformation. Professionalism admits its fslli-
bility; but every religion which does not at least
claim for itself Instability convicts itself by
that fact that it is liable to lead men astrsy in
that solemn concern which, fixed but once.
knows no cure.' The Papal claim to ipfalli-
bllity is invalid, as proved in part by the rag
ing of a storm on the day when that claim was
announced. The "feeble voice" of the Pope
was instantly answered from heaven by angry
flashes of the most binding lightning and
peal on peal Of sudden thunder, as though il a
Divine derision to drown the PontIff's awful
words" Due connection is here made with
the Star in the East, the MONDAY darkness aud
heavenly portents in general. The Truth, then,
is not in Protestantsm, not in Papacy. Is il
in the individual? Mo- ''there is that within
you which. in its hunger cries, Il have not the
Truth to give, nor power to summon it forth,
nor reagents to test it,, But God is love, and
cannot therefore have left US to guess-work.
He came into the world in the Incarnation, and
did not go away again, as Protestants believe
but remains in can organic form o I humanity"
"known as the Body Mystcal Of God on earth,
out into which His Body Natural has without
break or fssure expanded ;"-in other words,
the church, which is infallibls. "Here then
we have. gentlemen, the iufAliible God 10
Body on earth. even in the One Holy Catholic
and Apostolic Church, as its SOUL"
What, then, has the Catholic church, as a
unit, spoken? What is the infallible Truth?
1t is the creed which have given you" And
some other things besides, namely: "lhe sacer-
dotal and sacramental systems the apostolic
succession, priestly absolation. the real object
i've presence of Christ in the Eucharist, baptis
NAL regeneration, prayers for the dead, and
lights, incense, vestmeuts, alteration aud song
as the five essentials of Christian worship"
But as Tor Protestantism, mot satisfied with
Staying the Body Mystical, it has cut the Church
asunder, not only longltudioally, but also
transversely." "Nsy, in its Unitarian form. il
has even mounted to the Tnrone of God Him
self, and has there disintegrated and separated
Father, Son and Holy Ghost from each other
slain the Holy Ghost, destroyed the Son, and
left the Father without Son, sterile and alone
upon His throne" Truly this is case for
Timothy Dextef's assortment Of exclamation
points.
We have shown by samples the course of the
authors thought through about seventy.fye
pages. He proceeds further to maintain that
the Roman idea of the unity of the church is
essentially the same with the Protestant idea,
and that Doth are wrong; and devotes q con-
siderable potion of the latter ha'f of the book
70 demolition OF paral supremacy by argu-
ments from history and Scripture.
The book is the latest literary outcome of the
English Tractarian movement of 1888 It is
seriously and earnestly written, in a style not
the less interesting for being somewhat stilted
and detlam1tory; and. as giving definition of
the staining ground of large party in the
Episcopal church, will ba useful to any who
nave to bsen so unfortunate as to be
without that knowledge. Those considerable
bodies Of believers called Protestant and Re-
man Catholic may hther draw for corrective
rsproof and instruction in righteousness Nor
will those who betake themselves to literature
for amusement. consult these pages altogether
in vain. CW
What is the BibeY By j. T. Sunderland.
New York: G. 2. Putnam's Sons; For sale BY
Loring, Short & H.rmon.) This little book
gives compactly much valuable Information,
drawn from latest Investigations, concerning
the history of our sacred Scriptures The au-
thor is Unitarian minister. He prepared for
home uss tract on the Bible, If which the
whole edition, 1000 copies, was sold in six
weeks In response to the demand ther. by oc-
casioned he has now enlarged his original work
and added copious notes and references which
are of great value. The present work will not
fal OF wide circulation Its price, one dollar,
puts it within easy reach; and its subject is of
inexhaustible interest. The views put forth in
recent years by B b ical scholars in Germany
add Holland, especially by Kuenen, in his
Religion of Israel" have given a new impe-
tus to this study, and have added to it new
charms. They Offer clue to the labyrinth
which it Is delightful to follow. This little
book Is one OF the literary results in this coun-
try of that new departure in Biblical studies
1t may serve at once as Introduction aud sum-
mary. 1t presents in language of singular di-
rectness and brevity the leading indications
given by recent "B Bble-workers"; and appar-
emily without other proposes sion than that of
rsverent desire to know what is true.
In regard to the Bible there are two cues
tons What does it teach? and, With what
authority does it teach? Ia the study of the
Bible the logical order of these two questions
has been chronologcally reversed. Toe latter
question is considered in this voume;-a cues.
ton, to many minds, irreverent but, to eyery
scholarly mind, of the first importance. The
special topics discussed, or some of them, are:
The origin and growth of Sacred Books in gen
eral; The origin and growth of our own BILE;
Theory of nfalliblity of our Bible; Inspiration
confined to one age or one Book; Who are
the real friends and who the real enemies of
the Bible? W.B.
The Bible of To-Day-A Course of Lectures
by John w. Chadwick New York: G. p. Put
Dam's Sons; for sale by Loring, Short & Har-
man, Another result,-aud more strictly in
the line Of consequence,-of the recent Bible
work By the Dutch school, is another book on
the subject by another Unitarau minister.
Aud the flood has only commenced. Doubt
less other books will bs called forth BY the new
theories. For if these views are to prevail, as
now seems probable. notwithstanding vigot-
ous onslaught by Rsv. DR.. r. 2. Stebbins in
the September and Octob:r numbers of the
Unitarian Revew,-they must SO mod fy the
current opinion that they cannot be suffered to
prevail without earnest protest and controver-
sy.
Mr.. Chadwick SAYS in his preface. "Tbe re-