Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and EducationAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847: Of Things and Persons Concerning the Church and Education
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
France -- Church history -- 19th century; Italy -- Church history -- 19th century
If I were to go into a public
square in Paris and raise three men from the dead, would all that saw
it believe?' 'Certainly not,' I said. 'Why then is that? There is some
secret obstacle in their will.' We tried in vain to make him
understand that a person might be conscientiously convinced, after the
most patient study, that the Church of England was part of the true
Church, but in vain. It was plainly an idea that he could not and
would not receive.
I put the case of the Greek and Russian Churches. He exempted the poor
and illiterate from censure, but in the case of the instructed he said
it must be the spirit of schism which secretly turned them away from
the truth. I said there were bishops and monks and multitudes of
persons of a devoted and severe life on their side, who failed to see
the claims of the Roman See. 'Ah,' he said, 'it has always been so; in
our Saviour's time they ascribed his miracles to Beelzebub; how was it
that they who saw Lazarus raised from the dead went and informed the
chief priests of it?' In short, so complete a conviction of the truth
of the whole Roman system possessed his mind, that he was utterly
unable to conceive a person of ability and sincerity coming to any
other conclusion. We only put the case hypothetically, but he would
not admit it even so; he said, it is morally and metaphysically
impossible.
"I said, 'I wish I could show you the interior of a mind like that of
----. Born and educated in Anglicanism, he has given great attention
to religious truth, and in particular to the points in question. He
has no desire but to be in the Catholic Church and to labour for it,
but he believes that the Church of England is a branch of it,
unhappily separated for a time by peculiar circumstances from the
rest; and now in a state of appeal. In remaining where he is, he
believes he is doing his duty. What do you think of such a case?' He
said, 'I cannot judge of individuals,' but, &c. over again. He spoke
as if he did not know much of England. I said to him, 'the question
after all is one of fact: there are facts in England with which you
are not acquainted.'"--_M._
He did not seem acquainted with the peculiarities of our position. He
spoke with great energy and ability. I can fancy what his force in the
pulpit must be.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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