the only thoroughly reasonable form of Christianity may not be altogether unprofitable even to others also, of whatever kind their belief or unbelief may be. It may be added, in further explanation of the plan of the work, that though, as has been said, it is not intended as an attack on distinctively Protestant doctrines, it has seemed best at the outset to compare the Catholic idea of Christianity with the usual Protestant theory basing religion on the Bible alone. The creed of the Catholic Church is then set forth point by point; the order here followed is that of the profession of faith made by converts, each point of this profession being separately considered, and the common objections and misconceptions dealt with. In conclusion, other charges against the Church not suggested by the profession, but often made by those who do not know us, are discussed and shown also to rest on prejudice or misunderstanding. V. THE CATHOLIC IDEA OF THE BIBLE, VI. THE PRINCIPAL POINTS OF CATHOLIC I CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY. ADDRESS these pages in general to those who love the truth, and who wish to know it; more specially to those who believe, as common sense must require us to believe, that the most important part of all truth is that which relates to man's duty here, and his destiny hereafter; but particularly to those who are convinced that this last, religious truth, or the true religion, is to be found somewhere or other in what is known as Christianity; or in other words, that the religion founded by Christ contains all that man can know on these most important matters. Some do not believe that anything can be known about these matters except what the light of nature shows us; with such, of course, discussion is quite possible, but I do not propose to enter on it. Many others believe that the true, or at any rate the truest religion is not that of Christ, but some other; but though there are plenty of this sort in the world, there are not so many here; few Americans are Mohammedans, or even Buddhists; so I pass them by, and turn to the multitude, who still are, by inheritance and by profession, Christians. And yet, after all, considerations presented on this basis may not be altogether beside the mark for those who do not stand on it. For the reason why they refuse to stand on it may well be that the Christian creed seems to them unreasonable and impossible; but that may be simply because their knowledge of it is very incomplete; because they have known it as it has been handed down to them from their fathers, but not as it has been believed by the great majority of those who, from the time of Christ, have lived and died in it. It may be well, then, even for those who have rejected Christianity, as they have understood it, to examine if they have been right or thoroughly reasonable in so doing. Would it be reasonable or fair to reject the whole science of medicine because you have concluded that some form of it which you have studied is a mistake? Let us, then, not reject Christianity for good and all until we are sure we know all about it; and certainly not if we are quite ignorant or doubtful about what the great mass of Christians hold. There are vast numbers-you are perhaps one yourself—who are in just this ignorance or doubt. It is simply astonishing that there should be two hundred millions of people hold |