CATHOLIC.-The extraordinary mission, which comes immediately from God, must be proved by uncommon sanctity of morals, by consummate purity of doctrine, and most assuredly by the gift of miracles; because it must possess such characters as may render the testimony of divine origin clear and indubitable, so as to induce men to believe it as truly and directly coming from God. Hence, when Moses was deputed by Almighty God to deliver the children of Israel from their painful and protracted slavery, he proved his mission by extraordinary signs and wonders. Even our Redeemer himself declares of the Jews, that if he had not done amongst them the works which no other man did, they had not had sin. (John xv. 22.) Questioned by the disciples of John whether he was he that was to come, the Redeemer said to them: "Go, and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them." (Matth. xi. 4-5.) Hence, sending his disciples to preach to the Jewish nation, he said to them: " "Going preach, saying: The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils." (Matth. x. 7-8.) And, a little before his passion, praying to his heavenly Father, he earnestly asked him to preserve his apostles from evil, to sanctify them in truth, to make them one as he was one with him, that the world might believe in his divine mission. (John xvii. 14-21.)

Thus, nothing short of unsullied purity of doctrine and morals, and a decided gift of miracles, could rationally induce mankind to bestow the slightest attention on the proceedings of the reformers. Now, that a miraculous operation never formed the subject of their pious exultation, is an

undeniable fact. As to their supposed purity of doctrine and sanctity of morals, I would direct your particular attention to the authentic and unquestionable account given by the learned and eloquent Bossuet (Histoire des Variations des Eglises Protestants, c. i. x.), which will convince you that men more impious in conduct, and more extravagant in doctrine, never appeared in the world. The apostle St. Peter, speaking of some heretics of his time, calls them men 66 who walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government, audacious, self-willed: they fear not to bring sects blaspheming...as irrational beasts, naturally tending to the snare and to destruction, blaspheming those things which they know not....Having eyes full of. adultery and of sin that ceases not; alluring unstable souls, having their hearts exercised with covetousness, children of malediction; leaving the right way, they are gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam of Bozor, who loved the wages of iniquity." (2 Pet. ii. 10-15.) To the reformers of every denomination this character is not, in the opinion of thinking men of every persuasion, altogether inapplicable.

Who can persuade himself that God wished to employ such men in the sacred and apostolic office of enlightening the world, and recalling nations from darkness to light? Jesus Christ, in the gospel of St. Matthew, commands us to beware of false prophets, and to know them by their works. "Beware of false prophets," he says, "who come to you in the cloathing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. By their fruits ye shall know them." (vii. 15-16.) How is it possible to believe these words of Jesus Christ, without concluding that Luther, Calvin, Henry VIII., and similar characters, were hypocrites and impostors ?

Before terminating this point relative to the re

formers, I have other questions to ask. In the first place, I would know whether all, or merely a portion of the reformers, were raised by God to save the christian world from the supposed corruption of the Roman Catholic Church? If all, then let me inquire, whence comes it that they disagree amongst themselves on the most material points of christian doctrine? How is it possible, that persons who contradict each other in important, weighty and momentous tenets of faith, can all be aided or inspired by Almighty God to enlighten mankind concerning the great and all-essential subject of religion? Is it not undoubtedly evident that truth can be but one, and that God cannot reveal contradictory doctrines? If you say that a portion of the reformers only were chosen by God for the sublime and holy mission of enlightening the world, then answer my interrogatories-Who are they? How are they to be discovered and distinguished from those who arrogated to themselves the highsounding title of reformers without being entitled to it? Who assures you that they whom you consider true reformers fell not into error like others?

Another question I would propose to you on this subject-do you receive all the doctrines which were taught by those reformers whom you regard as sent from God, or only a part of them? If you receive all, then I ask again-whence arises the difference which exists between your and their belief on several points of faith? If you receive only some part of them, then I would know the reason of your doing so. Why do you refuse to accept their doctrines, if they be really sent by God to instruct mankind? Is it not injurious to God to disbelieve those who are sent by him to teach us his holy will?

You will say, in answer to this question, that several points of their doctrine are unscriptural,

and consequently erroneous. Yet, how do you know that they are really such? Numbers of your dissenting brethren insist on them being most scriptural, and that, on the contrary, some of those points which you hold are decidedly unscriptural. How is the truth to be discovered?

The fact is, that nothing is more confused, intricate and obscure, than the Protestant religion. Why do Protestants apply to the reformers in defence of their tenets, since they constitute themselves judges of their doctrine, and reject those points which they imagine exist not in holy writ? They apply this term of reformers exclusively to the heads of the Protestant sects; but every Protestant is in reality a reformer; for every Protestant elects himself judge, and condemns the doctrine of others-framing, moreover, to himself a system which he denominates religion, not according to what is absolutely contained in the holy scripture, but according to what he fancies to be contained therein.

St. Paul, in the second letter to Timothy, says, "There shall be a time, when men will not endure sound doctrine: but according to their own desire they will heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears and will indeed turn away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables." (iv. 3-4.) This prediction, which began to be verified in the first ages of the Church, was entirely accomplished, it appears, in these latter ages, and particularly at the period of the pretended reformation.

63

FOURTH DIALOGUE.

PROTESTANT.-Whatever be the case respecting the leaders of the Protestant Reformation, it is a certain fact, that amongst the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church some there are absolutely new, erroneous, and opposed to the doctrine of scripture and of the primitive Church.

CATHOLIC.-Were the doctrines of the Catholic Church of a flattering nature, indulgent to man's degeneracy, fostering his corruption, and pandering to his passions, like many of those disseminated by heretics, the charge which Protestants bring against them, implying that they are novel, varying from the doctrines of holy scripture, and opposed to the ancient Church, would not arrest my attention; but what sensible man, after considering the heavenly nature of such doctrines, which, instead of succumbing to natural degeneracy, and the gratification of human passions, are so rigidly and inflexibly opposed to them, can hear this most unsupported charge without concern and astonishment? How is it possible that doctrines, humbling and galling to man's pride, painful and wounding to his nature, could have ever been rapidly disseminated throughout the whole world in latter ages, and forthwith received by millions of every nation, clime, state, rank, and education; so that, if we believe Protestants, the world must have changed its aspect instantaneously, passing abruptly from the pure doctrines of Christ to the vain and wicked inventions of men? Assuredly, had men attempted to impose in so gross a manner upon the world, they would not only have failed in their object, but would have called forth from