6o 



ROMANISM. 



creeds ? It is not particular, when 

 it has not the power to enforce 

 obedience, as to the variations of 

 rituals, or even doctrines, provided 

 submission is made to the Pope 

 the essential point in the system 

 even undisguised heathenism being 

 to a great extent tolerated under 

 such circumstances. Convince Ro- 

 manists, beyond all question, of 

 most of their doctrines and prac- 

 tices having no foundation in Scrip- 

 ture, tradition, or authentic history, 

 but absolutely contrary thereto ; 

 that would not alter their belief in 

 them. A large part of them seem 

 impervious to the least suspicion of 

 error in them, having been brought 

 up to believe that it is a deadly sin 

 to call in question or doubt them, or 

 even put themselves in the way of 

 hearing either done; and not that 

 they lack the capacity to entertain 

 or understand what is said in regard 

 to them. They will * answer that 

 they " believe what the Church 

 believes, because she is infallible," 

 without being able to give an in- 

 telligible definition to the words 

 used, and ignoring what may be 

 said of the claim of infallibility. 

 This is only the old Pagan reason 

 expressed by Cicero : " I must be- 

 lieve the religion of our ancestors 

 without any proof;" and which 

 Romanists would hold if their 

 Church laid no claim to infallibility, 

 and could not even tell how it 

 originated, or how it came into pos- 

 session of the doctrines or observ- 

 ances which it teaches. But the 

 idea of infallibility gives a peculiar 

 form to the natural sentiment, and a 

 peculiar strength to it; not because 

 it was ever demonstrated to Roman- 

 ists in the dark ages, when the peo- 

 ple were not in a position to judge 

 of proof, or to Romanists to-day, 

 whether ignorant or otherwise, but 

 because it has been persistently and 

 on all occasions asserted by those in 

 possession of the religion, and sub- 

 mitted to as a natural and inherent 

 part of it, without question. And 



no matter how much it has departed 

 from the word of God, or from tra- 

 dition or history, or how much it 

 has in positive opposition to them, 

 or how much it has varied ever 'j 

 since, or how much it has added up 

 till to-day, including the immaculate 

 conception and the ever-virginity of 

 Mary, and the infallibility of the 

 Pope, Romanists assert that, 

 " Everything the Church believes 

 she has received direct from the 

 Apostles, having the unanimous 

 consent of the fathers to support it ; 

 and that she has never varied in 

 any of her teaching!" 



Christianity originated when 

 civilization was at its height, and 

 differed from Paganism in that it 

 was based on historical facts. Its 

 real doctrines and precepts have 

 come down to us in the form of his- 

 tory, although now nearly overlaid 

 by the traditions, superstitions and 

 impostures of Rome. Romanists 

 are indeed in possession of the 

 Western division of the Church, in 

 an historical sense, while the Eastern 

 division, differing from the other in 

 many points of government and dis- 

 cipline, doctrine and ritual, denies 

 the validity of its baptism, and 

 treats it with scorn generally. 

 Paganism having nothing positive 

 to appeal to as to its origin, found in 

 that circumstance an element of 

 strength, for it could neither be at- 

 tacked nor defended on that ground, 

 but rested upon the natural feeling 

 of man in all ages, that of " vene- 

 rating the religion of its ancestors."* 



* This is the ground on which Pro- 

 testantism itself really rests the religion 

 of its ancestors ; these ancestors being 

 Christ and his Apostles. Without a 

 revelation, human nature can fall back on 

 nothing but what Cicero says, as we have 

 seen: "Since the ancients approached 

 nearest to the gods, that religion which 

 the gods handed down to them is a. tradi- 

 tion most worthy of memorial." 



Romanists lay great stress on their be- 

 lief being " that of their ancestors,'' 

 without asking themselves how far back 

 these ancestors run. Such a doctrine 

 would have prevented these ancestors 



