The Dublin Review Volume 84 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1879 edition. Excerpt: ...on the Bible solely, have conceived that Catholics of course profess to do so likewise; they have covered them with invective for being traitors to their supposed profession, and have triumphantly convicted them of contradicting principles that they always repudiated. The Church's primary doctrine is her own perpetual infallibility. She is inspired by the same spirit that inspired the Bible, and her voice is, equally with the Bible, the voice of God. This, however, which is really her primary doctrine, popular Protestantism either ignores altogether, or treats it as if it were a modern superstition, which, so far from being essential to the whole Church's system, is, on the contrary, inconsistent with it. Looked at in this way, Rome to the Protestant's mind has seemed naturally to be a mass of superstitions and dishonesties; and it is this view of her that, strangely enough, our modern advanced thinkers have accepted without question. Though they have trusted the Protestants in nothing else, they have trusted them here. They have taken the Protestant's word for it that Protestantism is more reasonable than Romanism; and they think, therefore, that if they have destroyed the former, a fortiori have they destroyed the latter. Having said this much--aud it is well and opportunely said--Mr. Mallock admits that there are numerous difficulties, both intellectual and moral, which meet the inquirer who may look wistfully to the Catholic Church for a solution to his doubts. His primary reply to those who urge these difficulties is this: whatever is hard to understand, or hard to accept in the claims of the Catholic Church, is a mere repetition of that which was hard to accept in accepting morality or religion at all. If it be true, as it is...