report, there is the following statement, made by the Rev. Cornelius Denvir : "The notes of the Rhemish Testament have been quoted. . With regard to the authority of these, or such notes in establishing an article of faith, I refer you to the sworn testimony of Dr. Doyle, before the Committee of Parliament. I proved that the text, John xv. 26, will not of itself prove the Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son. The note in the Rhemish Testament, which says it does prove it, is of no authority. This is merely the opinion of the unknown writer of the note, by which no Catholic is bound." The Rev. Cornelius Denvir, who thus publicly repudiated the authority of the Rhemish notes, is the same Right Rev. Cornelius Denvir, R. C. Bishop, who gave his episcopal sanction to the reading of the Douay Bible, &c., and in whose edition is the identical note, the authority of which, or of any such, had been disavowed by himself, and also by Dr. Doyle. 37.-I now refer to the sworn testimony of Dr. Doyle. He is asked, before the "Lords' Committee," March 21st, 1825: "You consider yourself pledged to all matters contained in the notes ?" ANSWER. "No, NOT BY ANY MEANS. On the contrary, there were notes affixed, I believe, to the Rhemish Testament, which were most objectionable, and, on being presented to us, we caused them to be expunged. The notes carry, in our edition of the Bible, no weight; for we do not know the writers of many of them. If we find them clear enough in explanation of doctrine, we leave them there; but whenever we find anything exceptionable, we put it out, as we have done in the cases I have referred to."* Can it be possible that the Romish laity will continue to be duped in this way? They are not to read the Bible without notes; but with the Douay and Rhemish notes they may read it. And yet, wonderful to say, these notes, whose presence effects such a marvellous change in their rights and liberties as Christians, have no authority whatever. They are not the infallible interpretations of the Church, even on an article of faith. They are the productions of—well, nobody knows whom. But they serve a purpose. * Phelan's Digest, vol. i. pp. 222, 223. I conclude, therefore, the Romanist has, or thinks he has 1. The written Word, which he cannot understand. 2.-The Traditions, which he never can find; and 3.-The Church's interpretation, which never existed. Therefore he has NO RULE OF FAITH at all. He has no choice except between the infallible Bible and the fallible priest. CHAPTER VI. INFALLIBILITY. SYNOPSIS. 1. Importance of the dogma to the Romanist. Entire submission to the Church necessary. To Protestants it is a subject for careful consideration. 2. The priest is the real mouthpiece of Rome; Milner cited. 3. Infallibility of the Church defined. Abridgment of Christian doctrine, Cat. Con. Trent. 4. The SUBJECTS of infallibility in time past. (1) Pope. (2) General Council. (3) Pope and Council. (4) Church universal. 5. Cardinal Manning on the infallibility of the Pope. 6. The English and Irish Romanists repudiated the Pope's infallibility. Act of 33 Geo. III., c. 21. Declaration of Romish prelates, 1810. Address of English Roman Catholics, 1808. Cardinal Perron. 7. Grattan's speech, 1810. Petition of Roman Catholics to House of Lords, 1812. Speech of Duke of Sussex. 8. Declaration of Roman Catholic Archbishops and Bishops in Ireland, 1826. 9. "The Faith of Catholics" cited. Bishop Baines. Charles Butler. 10. Father Maguire-Waterworth. 11. Rev. Stephen Keenan. The Pope's infallibility as an article of faith “a Protestant invention." Remarkable instance of Romish trickery. 12. Infallibility of General Councils. Almain. 13. Infallibility of Council presided over by the Pope. Suarez, Keenan, Milner, Nowlan. 14. Absurdity of supposing that two fallibles make an infallible. 15. Infallibility of Church universal. Alliaco and Gerson in the Council of Constance. 16. The OBJECTS of infallibility. Faith, Morals, Discipline, Fact. All? or which? 17. Milner's reason why the Church had not defined the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary. 18. Infallibility of the Pope decreed by the Vatican Council, sess. iv. c. 4. 19. Cardinal Manning's six points for explanation. 20. Main questions for discussion. Manning's explanations of terms. Extension of the infallibility. 21. Identity of the infallibility of Pope and Church. 22. "The Church" defined. Abridgment of Christian doctrine. Tridentine Cat. 23. The point at issue not the infallibility of the Church of Christ, nor of the Catholic Church, but of the Church of Rome. 24. If the Church's infallibility cannot be proved, then neither can the Pope's; and if the Pope's infallibility cannot be proved, then neither can the Church's. 25. What is meant by "infallibility?" Sherlock quoted. 26. Nature of the evidence required to prove infallibility. Absolute certainty necessary. 27. Absolute and moral certainty compared. 1. To the Romanist the dogma of infallibility is of vital importance, as on it rest his Church's claims to the authority by which she rules his conscience, and guides his conduct. Cardinal Wiseman thus expresses his sentiments with regard to submission to Church authority: "For no one is, or can be, a Catholic but by his entire submission to the authority of his Church."* Again he says: "For the moment any Catholic doubts not alone the principles of his faith, but any one of those doctrines which are thereon based the moment he allows himself to call in question any of the dogmas which the Catholic Church teaches as having been handed down within her-that moment the Church conceives him to have virtually abandoned all connection with her. For she exacts such implicit obedience that, if any member, however valuable, however he may have devoted his early talents to the illustration of her doctrines, fall away from his belief in any one point, he is cu: off without reserve."t To Protestants, also, this subject is deserving of careful consideration. It involves the question whether or not they are lawful opposers of antichristian usurpation, and maintainers of Christian rights; or rebels against the sovereign authority of Christ, delegated to His Church, and exercised by His Vicar, the Pope of Rome. Whether or not it is their right to exercise their private judgment on the interpretation of God's revelation to mankind, or their duty to submit their judgment, in all matters affecting the salvation of their souls, to the priests of the Romish Church. 2. That the priest is to the ordinary Romanist the real mouthpiece of Rome, is thus set forth by Dr. Milner : * Lectures on the Catholic Church, vol. i. p. 27. "Most likely the Catholic peasant learns the doctrine of the Church from his parish priest; but then he knows that the doctrine of this priest must be conformable to that of his bishop, and that otherwise he will soon be called to account for it. He knows also that the doctrine of the bishop himself must be conformable to that of the other bishops and the Pope, and that it is a fundamental maxim with them all never to admit of any tenet but such as is believed by all the bishops, and was believed by their predecessors, up to the Apostles themselves."* 3.-Previous to the Vatican Council, infallibility was claimed rather for than by the Church of Rome. Her adherents asserted her infallibility, but did not refer to any dogmatic definition of faith as setting forth the doctrine. In the "Abridgment of Christian Doctrine," p. 21, the following question and answer are given :— Q.-" Is the Church infallible?" A.—“She is, and therefore all men may rest securely on her judgment." The Catechism of the Council of Trent teaches thus: "The Church cannot err in dogmas of faith or morals." "But as this one Church, because governed by the Holy Ghost, cannot err in delivering the discipline of faith and morals, so all other societies, which arrogate to themselves the name of Church, because guided by the spirit of the devil, are necessarily sunk in the most pernicious errors both of doctrine and morals."+ But whilst a "unanimous consent" seems to have been given to the infallibility of the Church, Romanists were by no means agreed as to the subjects, or objects, of infallibility. I. THE SUBJECTS OF INFALLIBILITY. 4. One party held the infallibility of the Pope; a second party held the infallibility of General Councils; a third party placed the infallibility in the union of Pope. and Council, or, in other words, in the Church virtual and the Church representative conjoined. A fourth faction, less numerous than any of the others, attached the prerogative to the Church universal. * End of Controversy, Letter xii. + Catechism of Council of Trent. Donovan's Translation, question xvii., part 1, chap. x. p. 100. |