Short Notices [pp. 616-632]

Short Notices.
his first series of letters, about the nature and authority of the
church, was entirely aside of the mark, as an answer to Kirwan.
It had no tendency to counteract the impression made by his
book. And as-to the Bishop's second series, addressed to Kirwan himself, being a direct attempt to break the power of that
writer's letters, the failure is only the more conspicuous. Kirwan has assailed Romanism on her weakest side. It is a
monstrous system of conscious deception. The most absurd of
Popish legends is more credible, than that the educated prelates
and priesthood of that church believe what they teach. We do
not deny the possibility of their believing the system of doctrine
contained in the decisions of Trent and in the Roman Catechism,
but we hold it to be impossible that they should believe in the
pretended miracles and legends of all sorts, which are constantly receiving their sanction. Do all the clergy of Naples believe in the miraculous liquefaction annually of the blood of St.
Januarius? Do the Pope and Cardinals believe in the genuineness of the relics with which their churches are filled and which
they encourage the people to reverence? It is not one priest or
one bishop, who is guilty of this deception, but it belongs to the
church. It is built on "lying wonders," and the full, honest
declaration of the truth, even of what the Romidh hierarchy
know to be truth, would go far to destroy the whole system
We have never heard this feature of Romanism defended on
any other principle than that of "pious frauds." We never saw
any one who pretended to think that the priests themselves
believe the legends they constantly sanction and circulate. We
wish Kirwan would take up and press this view of the matter.
Let him collect authentic accounts of the sanction given by the
Romish authorities, in all countries, and even in our own times,
to the most obvious and wicked impositions on the credulity of
the people. The question must force itself on the minds even
of the most bigoted, whether a system can be true which rests
so extensively on known and deliberate deception.
1. Memoir of Clementine Cuvier; with reflections by Rev. John
Angell James.-2. A guide to Acquaintance with God. By
Rev. James Sherman, Minister of Turrey Chapel, London.-3.
Great Truths in simple words, for little children. -4.'The
Bible True, and Infidelity Wicked. By Wm. S. Plumer, D.D.
VOL. XX.-NO. IV. 40
1848.]
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