27 SEPTEMBER 1851, Page 16

BOOKS.

FATHER NEWMA.N'S LECTURES ON THE PRESENT POSITION OF CATHOLICS IN ENGLAND.*

THE character of the completed work does not greatly differ from that of the earlier lectures. There is still the same priestly and plausible assurance, the same deficiency of logic, the same daring fallacies. So strange, indeed, are some of the statements, thatif there were not an obvious sincerity and earnestness about the man, it might be supposed that Father Newman was an enemy in dis- guise, bent on Playing upon the credulity, of the more submissive Catholics, and bringing Catholicism into ' contempt by producing those .doctrines which are racist repulsive to Protestants, in their broadest and it might be said their most offensive form, but that the genial tenderness of Newman's nature prevents him from being offensive in manner. His fiercest defiance is tempered into sweet- ness ' • he would bid the victims of an auto da fe " Go in peace" with a gracious unction, that might pacify the heretic though it would not save him from the flames.

The only real argument in the book—of argument, that is, apart from bola or specious fallacies and perversions—is in the Seventh Lecture, entitled "Assumed Principles the Intellectual Instru- ment of the Protestant View." This lecture contains a very clear, able, and elaborate exposition of first principles. When, however, the reader is expecting to see the first principles of Catholicism distinctly enunciated, their difference from what Protestants are accustomed to call the first principles of Christianity distinctly pointed out, and the truth of the Romanist in opposition to the Protestant first principles maintained, he is put off with the assur- ance that it "is simply impossible on such an occasion as this ; it would be easier to write a book." The lecturer, however, proceeds to give instances of the differences in practice and opinion, which follow from their fundamental differences, that must induce a sensible Catholic to exclaim "Oh that mine enemy had done this !" From the Papal claims as to the powers of the Church and its priesthood, the insufficiency of the Scriptures by themselves is a riequenee,—or rather, perhaps, the assumed impossibility of arriv- ing at their true meaning without the interpretation of the Church. But judicious and plausible controvertiste soften this as much as they can ; since the authority of the Church itself must finally rest upon the authority of Scripture—overturn the Scriptures and you overturn the Church. Dr. Newman states this hazardous doctrine as broadly as may be. He not only makes Scripture unintelligible and useless without the interpretation of the Church, but he even depreciates it, and, so far as such a mind can exhibit contempt, speaks contemptuously of it. He terms the Epistles, if not the New Testament at large, "the accidental and occasional writings" of the Apostles. (" Let it be observed, that the fallacy involved in the Protestant rule of faith is this—that its upholders fancy, most unnaturally, that the accidental and occasional writings of an apostle convey-to them of necessity his whole mind." Page 304.] He then proceeds to compare sacred with profane literature, and inspired authors with the commonest writers who can hold a pen, hi order to show the difference between an author and his writings ; covertly assuming his Church to possess not only the meaning of the A.postolical writings, but the personal presence of the Apostle in some mysterious way. He next gives a picture of the difficulty of realizing a writer's full meaning, that conveys a strange idea of the nature of inspiration. "Unless my memory fails me of what I read years ago,a well-known au- thoress, lately deceased, supplies in her tales one or two instances in point. I recollect the description of an oldfashioned straightforward East Indian, who had for years corresponde4 with the widow of a friend in England, and from her letters had conceived a high opinion of her good sense and pro- priety of feeling. Then, as the story goes on to tell; be comes back to Eng- land, becomes acquainted with her, and, to his disappointment, is gradually made aware that she is nothing else than a worldly, heartless, and manceu- vering woman. The same writer draws elsewhere a very young lady, who, in the spirit of romance, has carried on a correspondence with another female, whom she never saw; on the strength of which, from a conviction of the sympathy which must exist between them, She runs from home to join her, with the view of retiring with her for life to some secluded valley in Wales ; but is shocked to find on meeting her, that after all she is vulgar, unattrac- tive, and middle-aged. Were it necessary, numberless instances might be given to the purpose ; of mistakes, too, of every kind ; of persons, when seen, turning out different from their writings, for the better as well as for the worse, or neither for the better nor the worse., but still so different as to surprise us and make us muse—different in opinion, or in principle, or in conduct, or in impression and effect. And thus Scripture, in like manner, though written under a supernatural guidance, is from the nature of the case, from the defect of human language and the infirmity of the recipient, unable by itself to convey the real mind of its writers to all who read it. Instead of its forcing its meaning upon the reader, the reader forces his own meaning upon it, colours it with 'his own thoughts, and distorts it to his tpurposes; so that something is evidently needed besides it, such as the eaching of the Church, to protect it from the false private judgment of the individual. And if this be true when the whole New Testament is contem- plated, how much more certainly will it take place when Protestants con- tract their reading professedly to only a part of it, as St. Paul's Epistlee, and then again, out of St. Paul, select the two Epistles to the Romans and Galatians; and still further, as is so common, confine themselves to one or two sentences, which constitute practically the whole of the Protestant written word. Why, of course, it is very easy to put what sense they please on one or two verses ; and thus the religion of the Apostles may come in the event to mean anything or nothing."

The obviously false representation of the Protestant Scriptural studies may be left for others to remark upon, but surely the inns- tuition is unsavoury : St. Paul and St. Peter, when holding an • Lectures on the Present Position of the Catholics in England: addressed to the Brothers ef the Oratory. By John Henry Newman, D.D., Pnest of the Congregation of et. Philip Neil. Published by Burns and Lambert.

inspired pen, compared to a " worldly; heartless, mancenvering " widow, and " another female "—" vulgar, unattractive, and middle- aged"! and both specimens taken from fictions !

The plenary absurdity of Newman's belief in Popish miracles has run the round of the newspapers. His scientific argument for the miracles of the Church is as weak or fallacious as his alleged faith in them. The true logical reason in fayour- of • them is the Apostolical power resident in the Church; though this involves the assu.mption of the first principle, that the power was really be stowed. Newman's main argument is this. The Protestant admits the miracles of the New Testament, and especially that mysterious and most stupendous miracle the Incarnation, but holds • that miracles ceased with the Apostles: The Romanist, at least Dr. Newman, conceives that miracles having once begun -would go on. "When we start with assuming that miracles are not unlikely, we are putting forth a position which lies imbedded, as it wore, and iuvolred in the great revealed fact of the Incarnation. So much is plain on starting; but more is plain too. Miracles are not only not unlikely, but they are positively likely ; and for this simple reason—because, for the most.mut, when God begins, He goes on. We conceive, that when He first did a mi- racle' He began a series ; when He commenced, he continued: .what has been will be. • Surely this is good and clear reasoning. To my own mind, certainly, it is incomparably more difficult to believe that the Divine Being should do one miracle and no more, than that he should do a thousaod ; that He should do one great miracle only, than that Ho should do &multi- tude of less besides. This beautiful world- of nature, Ills own work,. Ile broke its harmony ; He broke through Ills own laws which He had imposed on it ; He worked out His purposes, not simply through it, but in violation of it. If He did this only in the lifetime of the Apostles, if Ile did it but once, eighteen hundred years ago and more, that isolated infringement looks as the mere infringement of a rule ; if Divine Wisdom would not leave an infringement, an anomaly, a solecism on His work, Ho might,be expected to introduce a series of miracles, and turn the apparent exception into an ad- ditional law of His providence. If the'Divine /3eing does a thing once, He is, judging by human reason likely to do it again. This surely is cenimon sense. If a beggar gets food at a gentleman's house once, does he not send others thither after him ?"

We will pass this respectful comparison with the remark, that if Dr. Newman often indulges himself in such modes of illusbra- tion, it may account for the report which he says has been spread about him, that he "has given up revealed religion altogether." The answer to his argument is obvious. The Scripture miracles were necessary, the Popish are not. Without the .inearnation there could have been no salvation; the Other Scriptural miracles are part of the proofs of the supernatural "claims. Some of the Popish miracles answer no purpose whatever $ and the Best only

benefit the individuals concerned. ' r:.

"The Catholic Church, from East to West, from North to 5ou4h; * 4c- cording to our conceptions, hung with miraeles. The store ef relics ieiuex- haustible ; they are multiplied through all lands, and eael particle of each has in it at least a dormant, perhaps an energetic virtue of supernatural operation. At Rome there is the true eras, the crib of Bethlehem, and the chair of St. Peter; portions of the.crown of thorns are kept at Paris ; the holy coat is shown at Trans ; the winding-sheet at Turin; . at Monza,,the- iron crown is formed out of a nail_of the cross ; and another nail is clainied for the Duomo of Milan; and pieces of our Lady's habit are to be seen in the Escurial. The Agnus Dei, blest medals, the scapular, the cord of Bt. Francis, all are the medium of Divine manifestations and graces. Crucifixes have bowed the head to the suppliant, and Madonnas have beut their nes upon assembled crowds. St. Januarius's blood liquefies periodically et Nal- pies, and St. Winifred's well is the scene of wonders even in an unbelieving country. Women are marked with the sacred stigmata ; blood has flowed on Fridays from their five wounds, and their heads are crowned with' a ciiele of lacerations.. Relics are ever touching the sick, the diseased, the wounded, sometimes with no result at all, at other times with marked and undeniable efficacy. Who has not heard of the abundant favours gained by the interces- sion of the Blessed Virgin, and of the marvellous consequences which have attended the invocation of St. Anthony of Padua ? These plimnomena arc sometimes reported of saints in their lifetime, as well as after death, cially if they were evangelists or martyrs. The wild beasts crouchedhefore their victims in the Roman amphitheatre ; the fireman was- unable to sever St. Cecilia'a head from her body ; and St. Peter elicited a spring of water for his gaoler's baptism in the Mamertine. St. Francis Xavier turned salt water into fresh for five hundred travellers; St Raymond was transported over the sea on his cloak ; St. Andrew shone brightly -in the dark ; St. Scholastics gained by her prayers a pouring rain ; St. Paul was fed by ravens ; and St. Frances saw her guardian angel. I need not continue the catalogue ; it is agreed to on both sides : the two parties join issue over a fact—that fact is the claim of miracles on the part of the Catholic Church ; it is the Pro- testant's charge, and it is our glory."

The argument on celibacy is poor —a sorf of argumenturn ad hominem, and a total misstatement of the Protestant view. The Protestant objection is, that celibacy, -enforced upon large masses of men, is an unnatural condition, running comiter to the passions and feelings of mankind : this enforced condition, dangerous to morals in all cases, becomes still more dangerous under the power and opportunities which confession and other Romish practices give to the priesthood. It is true, the danger of immorality will still remain in men of an extremely licentious nature ; but with the mass the danger is lessened if not removed altogether by allowing men to put themselves into a natural condition. Dr. Newman ignores this view, and meets the objection by making profligate or unnatural exceptions the rale for both Churches.

• "When, then, we come to the matter of fact, whether celibacy has been and is, in comparison of the marriage vow, so dangerous to a clerical body, I answer, that I am very sceptical indeed that in matter of fact a married clergy is adorned, in any special and singular way, with the grace of purity: and this is just the very thing which Protestants take for granted. What ii the use of speaking against our discipline, till they have proved their own to be better ? Now I deny that they succeed with their rule of matrimony better than we do with our rule of celibacy ; and I deny it on no private grounds, or secret means of information, or knowledge of past years. -I have lived in one place all my days, and know very few married clergymen' and those of such excellence and consistency of life, that I should feel it to be as absurd to suspect them of any the slightest impropriety in their conduct, as to suspect the Catholic priests with whom I am well acquainted - and this is saying a great deal. When I speak of a married ministry, I speak of it not

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any_toth neavie o ,ligh „ and less siiitpeeted. I am verymeeptical, then, of the perfect correctness sportsman a great aliti d • t dislikes eat deal more.