The Invitation Heeded. Reasons for a Return to Catholic Unity. By James Kent Stone, late President of Kenyon College, Grambier, Ohio; and of Hobart College, Geneva, New York; and S. T. D. Fourth Edition. How the Rev. Dr. Stone Battered his Situation: An Examination of the Assurance of Salvation and Certainty of Belief to which we are affectionately invited by his Holiness the Pope. By Leonard Woolsey Bacon. Lecture on the Vatican Council. By Archbishop Purcell. [pp. 640-649]

T/~c P4)'3'8 fi~ci~(tfio?~. (311
1~qd ~Jread~ bcc~n~e eminent in his o~vn coi~n~n~~on. Ilis
bouj& })etp~~~s (~t1 in~1uisitive, e~rI~Cst, anci ii1~i~assJ.o~~ed n~iiid,
en4Q~Nved ~~it1i consideraljie 1eati~in g, cititure, ai~d e}e~anee, and
in aster of a style of n~ore tl~an average foi'ee, beanty, ai~d
p()l~t. 1)r. Stot~e~s characteristics, snrronndings, ai~d anteccdeiit~, in~est 1~is eoiiversion to I~~on~anisni ~vitli i~iinsna~
intercst, and render his booi~ one of tl~e most l)lansil)le and
effcctive i~leas for the cbnrcli of liis adot~tion ~vliiclt lias issned
from ai~ ~inerican ~icii. I)~iit if such a ~vriter fails as to tlie
n~atcrial isslies involved, liis }ilea oi~ly ~~eakens ~viiat it aims
to silliport.
~Ir. I~~acon~s tract is not so n~nch a direct sifting or refutation of the reasonings in this hook, as a positive, derisive,
andi rrcfntahle demonstration of tlie ini possihility of olitainiii~ tite assnrancc of salvation of ~~l~icli i)r. Stoi~e is in ~nest,
accoi~diii _ to tlie institations doc~i~ias, and n~ethods of tlie
I~~~i~~~li ~`linrch. It is a very apt and trenchai~t application
of l~gic, humor, satire, to a ease ~vhieli ~vell deserves this iii cisive ai~d caustic treat iii eiit. Tlie pivot oil N\ltich I)r. Stoiie's
plca turns is that of ~a~~al infalli~ilit~ ~\Titi1 this liis ~~llolc
ar~nniciit stands or falls. If lie is successful in estahlisliiiig
that, of co~irse lie proves it tlie duty of all to snhiiiit to tlie
~uI~lan pontiff. V ailing of this, lie fails altogct}~er.
Tlie I~a1iist and Protestant agree tl~at ~~e iieed an infiqllihle
gtiidc ii~ religion. ~ut tl~e latter iiisists tJ~at ~~od's ~~Tord, tlie
foruier, that tl~e cljnrcl~, tlirongl~ its hierarchy or some order
or council or person thereof, is this infallihle ~uide. I~r. Stone,
b
tlie ~~atican Council, and all nltran~ontanes niaintain that this
infallihility vests in the Pope primarily and exclusively, as tlie
head of the chnrcli. ~~Te hold tliat all ~ien~hers of tlie true
cliurcl~, ~vliich is (?l~rist's hody, ~. e., all real Christians and
saints kno~v infallihly all trnths essential to salvation, hecanse
they ilild tlieii~ asserted in tlie Scriptures, npon tlie antliority
of ~4od. Ilis voice tl~ey hear, and ~ill iiot follo~v a stranger.
This results fiom their heing gnided by tlie lIoly Siiirit ~hose
anointing n~akes theni to kno~v all things essential to salvation; tl~at thQy are tlie truth and no lie, and that no lie is of
tlie truth. 1 ~olin ii. 9k~-~7
~ut llON\ do ~~e i~noiv tlie Scriiitnres to lie the ~~ord of God?