CHAP. XIV.] A POSTSCEIPT. 437 



rather through deference than from identity of opinion, it 

 would only bring out more strongly the paramount authority 

 of the latter. But in fact Snarez was here mistaken, for we 

 have St. Thomas s own words as to the matter, where, speak 

 ing of St. Augustin s view, he tells us, &quot; et hsec opinio plus 

 mihi placet &quot; (2 Sent. Dist. 12, quaest. 1, a. 2). 



Here it may be well to explain (as Professor Huxley seems 

 quite to have misapprehended me), that when I Another mis 

 spoke of the &quot; wide reception &quot; of Suarez, and of sion. 

 his being &quot; widely venerated &quot; and of &quot; unquestioned ortho 

 doxy,&quot; I never thought of placing him on a level with St. 

 Thomas and St. Augustin. Moreover, &quot; wide veneration &quot; 

 and &quot; orthodoxy &quot; by no means imply authority in the sense 

 of binding consciences. Many Catholic teachers altogether 

 reject the teaching of Suarez on certain points, though 

 they none the less consider him an authority to be respect 

 fully consulted, indeed, but by no means to be necessarily 

 followed. 



Multitudes of teachers, all agreeing in matters of faith, yet 

 belong to very different theological schools, and the idea 

 that any one of them can bind the others is simply laughable 

 to those who know anything of the matter. 



Professor Huxley seems to imagine in showing that Suarez 

 (like most teachers of his day, Catholic or not, e.g. Tycho 

 Brahe) adopts an extreme literalism of Scripture interpreta 

 tion, he has made a notable discovery. But (as before re 

 marked) I referred to Suarez for principles of interpretation 

 with regard to derivative creation, and his views as to the 

 historical facts of Genesis are quite beside the question. 

 St. Thomas explains the diversity of opinion among theo 

 logians in a way which exactly meets my purpose : &quot; Quoad 

 mundi principium, aliquid est quod ad substantiam fldei per- 

 tinet scilicet mundum incepisse creatum et hoc omnes sancti 

 concorditer dicunt. Quo autem modo et ordine factus sit 

 non pertinet ad fidem nisi per accidens, in quantum in Scrip- 

 tura traditur, cujus veritatem diversa expositione sancti sal- 

 vantes diversa tradiderunt &quot; (2 Sent. Dist. 12, q. 1, a. 2). 



