Considerations on the Eucharist, Viewed as the Generative Dogma of Christian Piety; Tr. by a Catholic Clergyman (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos or missing text. Not indexed. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1840. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... the acts of children do not bear this impress of depravity. The benevolent disposition which characterizes some in after life begins to shew itself anterior to reason; but the majority is of the class already described. Strong children of the male sex who feel the necessity of exercising their strength in external movements, are more irresistibly born to the commission of evil. There are few who do not employ their force against the weaker class; it is the first impulse of their nature, but when they are not born to be ferocious they are stopt by the tears of their victim, until by a fresh impulse they are excited to perpetrate a similar crime." The child prefers evil to good. This indeed is a frightful enigma. Discover, if you can, an explanation preferable to that furnished by christianity. It is true it accounts for this problem of all ages and nations by a primitive mystery; but this mystery, attested by general tradition, is itself the first fact of history, and has it not been rightly asserted that all our science consists in deriving our ignorance from its remotest source. Vide Treatiae on irritation, by Dr. Broussais, p. 101, M NOTE II. In the ancient mysteries of Mithra, which finally prevailed through a considerable portion of the Roman empire, St. Justin and Tertullian inform us that bread and a vessel full of water were placed before the initiated. Tertullian says that the devil "whose principal study and business it is to corrupt the truth, strives to imitate in his idolatrous mysteries the holy ceremonies of the christian religion. The devil baptizes some, namely, his own disciples and adherents; by washing, he promises the remission of sin, and if I yet remember, Mithra signs his soldiers on their foreheads: he celebrates the oblation of bre...