34 Contemporary Evolution. 



tain, and refer, as agreeing with them, to St. Thomas, 

 St. Bonaventura, Cajetan, Vasquez, Durandus, Navarrus, 

 Corduba, Layman, Escobar, and fourteen others. Two of 

 them even say this opinion is de fide!' 



He also quotes Busenbaum, of the Society of Jesus, 

 as saying: "A heretic, as long as he judges his sect to 

 be more or equally deserving of belief, has no obligation 

 to believe (in the Church) ; " and, " when men who have 

 been brought up in heresy are persuaded from boyhood 

 that we impugn and attack the word of God, that we 

 are idolaters, pestilent deceivers, and therefore are to be 

 shunned as pestilences, they cannot, while this persua- 

 sion lasts, with a safe conscience hear us." 



Again, he cites Antonio Corduba, a Spanish Fran- 

 ciscan, as stating the doctrine yet more pointedly, and 

 saying : " In no manner is it lawful to act against con- 

 science, even though a law, or a superior commands it." 

 De Conscient., p. 138. 



Finally, he quotes the French Dominican Natalis 

 Alexander, as declaring that "if in the judgment of 

 conscience, though a mistaken conscience, a man is per- 

 suaded that what his superior commands is displeasing 

 to God, he is bound not to obey." TheoL, tome ii., p. 32. 



Such a power then as the Christian Church must 

 ever be the most efficient and unflinching upholder of 

 the greatest and the noblest of the rights of man. 



We come now to the third question : What is likely 



