18 SEPTEMBER 1875, Page 15

CARDINAL MANNING'S STRING OF "BEADS."

(TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."]

SIH,—In last week's issue you say, "The Jewish Church was cer- tainly so far from an infallible Church, that the prophets, who were not officials of that Church, were sent expressly to keep the regular officials from distorting and hiding the very truths they were intended to proclaim."

An argument far more pointed seems available, when we con- sider that if the Jewish Church were infallible, yet it had no power to condemn heresy. The Sadduces denied the Resurrection, and yet a Sadducee was High Priest during the life-time of our Lord [This illustration would not be to the point, if it were supposed, as many very orthodox persons would suppose, that immortality were not revealed till Christ came. It would then merely be said that on subjects on which the earlier revelation had not declared the truth, either opinion was permitted.—ED. Spectator.]