The evidences and doctrines of the Catholic Church
Subtitle: showing that the former are no less convincing, than the latter are propitious to the happiness of society
Publisher: C. Dolman
Published: 1842
Place of publication: London, England
Language: eng
Table of contents: title: CONTENTS.; title: CHAPTER I.; title: NECESSITY OF REVELATION.; title: Singular interest of the Jewish history. - Religious indifference. - Primary truths of religion, the relics of primitive revelation . - Social destination of man, not the result of choice or compact. - Authority, a principal source of knowledge. - Desire of immortality. - Alliance of truth and virtue. - General corruption of the ancient world. - Sketch of the sects and opinions of Pagan philosophy 1; title: CHAPTER II.; title: AUTHORITY OF THE BOOKS OF MOSES.; title: The ancients safer guides than the moderns in estimating the necessity of revelation. - The truths of religion scattered and disordered rather than utterly lost in the Pagan world. - Mysteries of religion ; the evidence of its miracles must supersede the obscurity of its mysteries. - Peculiar harmony and consistence of the mysteries of the Catholic Church. - Epitome of the transactions recorded in the Pentateuch. - External and internal evidence of the veracity of the Hebrew historian - 39; title: CHAPTER III.; title: WISDOM OF THE LAWS OF MOSES.; title: The Preservation of the pure and primitive religion, the peculiar object of the Jewish law. - Nature of the theocracy. - The chief duties of man towards God, his neighbour, and himself, developed in the laws of Moses. - Apparent folly of some laws, a proof of his inspiration. - Superiority of the laws of Moses over those of the legislators of Greece and Rome 71; title: CHAPTER IV.; title: THE HEBREW PROPHECIES.; title: The Jewish religion, the shadow of a more perfect covenant - The authenticity of the prophetic hooks proved by the joint veneration of Jews and Christians. - Various predictions regarding the abolition of the ancient law, the establishment of a new covenant, and the vocation of the Gentiles. - Weight of the argument deduced from prophecy, illustrated in the striking difference between those, which regarded the fortunes of the Israelites, and those of other nations. - The Providence of God fully displayed in the rise and fall of the ancient empires. - Cessation of prophecy at the approach of the Messiah 83; title: CHAPTER V.; title: THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.; title: The fulfilment of the prophecy of Jacob. - Nativity of the Redeemer. - Coincidence of the prophets and the evangelists, in describing the principal circumstances of his birth, miracles, and death. - Descent of the Holy Ghost - First preaching of the gospel. - Vision of St Peter. - Conversion and labours of St. Paul. - Authenticity of the apostolic writings. - The fact of the resurrection - not affected by the incredulity of the Jews, nor the silence of Pagan writers. - Christ's prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem - its accomplishment. - Project and failure of rebuilding the Jewish temple - 112; title: CHAPTER VI.; title: EXCELLENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.; title: Accordance of its doctrines, and beauty of its morality. - Singleness and uniformity of the character of the Redeemer. - Singular revolution achieved by the Christian religion in the morals of mankind. - Lowly condition of its founders. Unexampled patience and perseverance of its martyrs. - Supposed dialogue between Seneca and St Peter, exhibiting a view of the chief obstacles that were opposed to its propagation 144; title: CHAPTER VII.; title: THE AUTHORITY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.; title: Religion perfected by the Redeemer, incapable of further improvement - Christianity broken into different systems, by the malice or ignorance of men. - Necessity of Church authority. - Errors introduced by the reformation, very different from those of any preceding age. Diffusion and private interpretation of the Bible. - Confederacy of the sects against authority by which they have been condemned. - True state of the controversy between Catholics and Protestants. - Difficulties of the religious system of the latter. - They can have no well-grounded assurance of the inspiration of the Scriptures ; the only source from which it can be derived is the authority of the Catholic Church 165; title: CHAPTER VIII.; title: REVIEW OF THE PRINCIPLE OF PRIVATE INTERPRETATION.; title: Further difficulties of the Protestant system. - Argument from experience. - The early heretics defended their most mischievous errors, by an appeal to the written word. - The Ebionites. - Sabellians. - Arians. - Nestorians. - Eutychians. - Monothelites. - The Pelagians and Donatists. - Immoral and impious sectaries of the middle ages. - Rise and religious systems of the reformers. - Their principals soon urged to the most blasphemous lengths. - Celebrated confession of Ausburg. - Socinians. - The principles of the Reformation, hostile to morality. - The Anabaptists. - Reformations of England. - Distinction of fundamental and non-fundamental articles. - Doctrines of Paley, Balguy, and Watson 185; title: CHAPTER IX.; title: THE INFALLIBILITY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.; title: Endless disputations of the ancient schools of philosophy, certainty and authority of the teaching of Christ. - He was not in the habit of reducing his doctrines, by lengthened explanation, to the level of human reason. - He spoke as one having authority. - Could not Christ delegate to his apostles and their successors, the power of interpreting his law ; has he done so? - The arguments in the affirmative. - Conduct of St. Paul. - Answer to the objection of Protestants relative to the mutual dependence of the authority of the Church, and the inspiration of the Scriptures. - Analogy in favour of authority from the most perfect form of human institutions. - Authority necessary to preserve truth from adulteration. - Objection of Protestants, that the Bible is locked from the faithful. - Tradition. - Forcible argument of Tertullian in its favour. - The infallibility of the Church, not proved solely from the Scriptures. - Reasonableness of the Catholic method of communicating religious instruction from infancy to manhood. - 211; title: CHAPTER X.; title: THE HIERARCHY.; title: To disarray the Catholic Hierarchy, a principal object of the policy of the pretended reformers. - Evidence from Scripture and from the ancient fathers, in favour of the divine institution of bishops. - Nature and origin of the dignity of Metropolitans and Patriarchs. - A summary view of the history of the sacred college 241; title: CHAPTER XI.; title: SUPREMACY OF THE POPE.; title: Theories on the different forms of .Government. - The modem admirers of democracy influenced by Calvinistic prejudices. - The example of the last of the ancient republics inapplicable to the Catholic Church . - Form of its government a mixed monarchy, in which the authority of its chief is tempered by the counsels of the bishops. - The supreme power of the pope deduced from Scripture and the copious testimonies of the ancient fathers. - His authority inexplicable on any other supposition than that of its divine institution - 260; title: CHAPTER XII.; title: ON THE TEMPORAL SUPREMACY OF THE POPES.; title: Adverse opinions on the pope's infallibility . - Fears of the restoration of the temporal power of the popes groundless and visionary. - Mutual independence and alliance of the civil and ecclesiastical authorities. - Obedience to the secular powers enforced by the precepts of the Redeemer and his apostles, as well as by the lives and writings of the primitive Christians . - Independence of the imperial authority recognized by the early pontiffs. - The Christian martyrs the best champions of freedom . - Ignorance or disingenuity of those who represent the Catholic doctrine of obedience as unfavorable to the interests of society ; its principles adapted to the best forms of government 288; title: CHAPTER XIII.; title: HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE TEMPORAL POWER OF THE POPES.; title: The spiritual authority and eminent virtues of the popes the first and chief source of their temporal influence. - Their authority recognized and respected by the barbarians who overran the Roman empire. - The decline of the power of the Greek emperors in the west productive of a large accession of influence to the Roman pontiffs : this influence considerably increased by the donation of Charlemagne. - The popes the arbiters of the quarrels of Europe. - Zeal of Gregory the Seventh provoked by the disorders of the Church. - The rights of the Church invaded by princes before the civil rights of princes were assailed by the popes. - The influence of the priesthood exercised in behalf of the people, to mitigate the violence of feudal despotism . - Some control necessary for every authority. - Singular coincidence between the ancient defenders of the temporal authority of the, pope and the most popular modern writers on government - Some beneficial consequences to society from the temporal power exercised by the popes. 312; title: CHAPTER XIV.; title: THE NOTES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.; title: The Catholic Church marked by the profession of determinate doctrines. - The dogmatical spirit of the first reformers - its termination in religious indifference. - The mutual indulgence of errors the natural consequence of their hostility to truth. - The distinction between essentials and non-essentials not only fanciful, but subversive of the interests of truth and virtue. - The Church of Christ characterized by the visible and palpable notes, - unity, sanctity, catholicity, and apostolicity. - Its unity inconsistent with heresy or schism . - Its sanctity illustrated by the holiness of its doctrines and institutions, as well as by its influence on the lives of its professors. - Its Catholicity in the wide diffusion of its empire. - Its apostolicity, not only in the validity of the orders of its priesthood, but in the legitimate and continuous succession of its hierarchy - 333; title: CHAPTER XV.; title: ON THE SACRAMENTS OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.; title: The mysteries of the Catholic Church the foundation of its morality. - The beauty of the latter a strong presumption of the consistency and solidity of the former. - The clumsy edifice of philosophy a monument of the folly of its artificers. - Incarnation of the Son of God. - Necessity of a correct knowledge of the nature of redemption. - The infinite satisfaction offered to the Almighty reconciled with a gratuitous pardon. - The sacraments of the new law the channels of the grace of redemption ; they have become an interesting topic of controversy since the rise of the Protestant religions. - Nature and number of the sacraments of the new law. - Seven sacraments admitted by the unanimous consent of the Western and Oriental Churches. 376; title: CHAPTER XVI.; title: BAPTISM, CONFIRMATION, THE EUCHARIST.; title: The tradition of original sin vaguely spread through the nations of the earth. - Nature and efficacy of baptism as described in the inspired writings. - Its beneficial effects on the happiness of society. - Confirmation. - Its different administration in the Greek and Latin Churches. - Its effects. - The impression of a character. - The Eucharist. - The Catholic doctrine of the Eucharist confessed by its enemies to be most favourable to virtue. - The arguments by which Protestants assail it would strip Christianity of all its mysteries. - Habitual discussion about a figurative sense renders Protestants insensible to the impression of the Real Presence which the simple language of Scripture is exclusively calculated to convey. - Reflection on the nature and properties of literal and metaphorical language. - The doctrine of the Real Presence clearly laid down in the Scripture.... Obvious difference between the words of institution and the figurative passages of Scripture, between which an analogy has been sought by the reformers.... Ludicrous meeting between Luther and a brother-reformer on the subject of impugning or defending the doctrine of the Real Presence. 396; title: CHAPTER XVII.; title: THE EUCHARIST CONTINUED.; title: Unanimity of the ancient fathers in the belief of the real presence. - Socinians admit transubstantiation to be supported by the authority of early tradition. - The analogies by which the fathers sought to confirm the faithful in the belief of the real presence prove their conviction of this awful mystery. - The Catholic doctrine of the real presence the only clue to direct us in interpreting the language of the primitive fathers. - Contemptuous indifference of the Pagans for the mysteries of the Christian faith. - Consent of the Greek churches. - Claud's singular description of the contrivances by which the world was converted to the belief of transubstantiation. - Reflections on his theory. - None of the causes to which he ascribes this revolution sufficient to explain the singular change. - The tenth century. - Interested exaggerations of the vices and ignorance of that period. - 442; title: CHAPTER XVIII.; title: SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.; title: Sacrifices a portion of religious worship in every age. - General resemblance between the sacrifices of the true believers and those of the Pagans. - The latter, imitations of the former. - The sacrifices of the old law shadows of the sacrifice of the cross. - Prophecy of Malachy relative to the sacrament of the mass. - Anomaly of a religion pretending to possess a priesthood without a sacrifice. - The sacrifice of Melchisedec a striking figure of that of the mass. The mass reconcileable with the reasoning of St. Paul on the efficacy of the sacrifice of the cross - Communion of saints and relics. - Purgatory. - 446; title: CHAPTER XIX.; title: OF PENANCE AND EXTREME UNCTION.; title: No atonement for sin one of the principal defects of Paganism. - Ignorance of any effectual means of reconciliation with the Divinity an obvious incentive to immorality. - Wisdom of the doctrine of penance inculcated by the Catholic Church. - Hope of pardon founded on the redemption of Christ becomes presumption, unless joined with the fulfilment of his precepts. - Difference between the penance of the old and that of the new law. - Sacramental confession obviously deducible from the power of binding and loosing with which Christ invested the pastors of his Church. - Its practice coeval with the origin of Christianity. - Its repugnance to human feeling an evidence that man could never impose such a precept. - The manifold advantages of this practice to individuals and to society. - Sacrament of extreme unction. - Its promulgation by St. James. - Why the mention of it does not occur more frequently in the early ages of the Church. - Ancient mode of administering it. - Practice of the Greek Church. - Abuses. - Scholastic opinion as to its repetition. - Present practice of the Catholic Church. - Great utility of this sacrament to the dying Christian. - Indulgences preached by St. Paul. - Primitive discipline of the Church regarding public penance and its relaxation. - Indulgences of the Middle Ages. - Jubilees. - Their nature and origin. 465; title: CHAPTER XX.; title: MATRIMONY. HOLY ORDERS.; title: Chastity little practised among the Pagan. - Comparative purity of the Jewish people. - This virtue established by the Christian religion alone. - Contrast between the licentiousness of the east, and the morality of European nations. - Indissolubility of marriage, the ancient and uniform doctrine of the Church. - Protestant doctrine of divorce, fatal to the interests of morality. - Domestic and public advantages of the Catholic doctrine. - Wisdom of the impediments established by the Catholic Church. - They are well calculated to extend the influence of the social affections. - Sacrament of orders. - peculiar holiness of the Catholic Church, illustrated in the celibacy of its priesthood and of its monastic establishments. - The blessings which this institution has conferred on society in every age. - Singular and inconsistent complaints of modern politicians and moralists, on the subject of an overgrown population. - The advantages of celibacy, conspicuous in the zeal of Catholic missionaries. - A reference to the priesthood of Ireland. - Ceremonies of the Catholic Church. - The wisdom and advantages of her festivals. - The language of her liturgies. - Conclusion.