"You are a lawyer, sir," said Paul, "and you must know well the evidence is all in favor of the Catholic church--being that founded by Christ, and ruled and guided by the apostles. For, go back to the very apostolic ages, and you will find the rites and the ceremonies of the church, recorded in the writings of the ancient fathers,--as, for instance, in the works of Tertullian, Ireneus, Ignatius,--to be the very same as those now practised in the Catholic church in this country and all over the world." "I confess, Paul," said he, "that the external evidences are rather favorable to Catholicity; but we principally depend on internal evidence, or the feelings of our minds." "That," said Paul, "is no evidence at all; for you have to do with external facts. Institutions, history, monuments, testimony of men, customs, and habits, are the only evidence you can bring to bear on this controversy. How would you like to try a criminal by internal evidence--to tell a jury that you had 'internal evidence' of the innocence or guilt of the man accused? How could you discover whether or not Caesar lived by the light of internal evidence? Is it by internal evidence you learn that such cities as Rome, Paris, or Constantinople exist? No, sir; it is by _external_ evidence, which is altogether in favor of our church; and this is more valuable than all the internal evidence that ever existed in the minds of fanatics, from Simon Magus to John Wesley, or from the Gnostics to the spiritual rappers." "Husband," said Mrs. Clarke, "I am afraid of your reputation in this argument about religion." "Madam, it is not _reputation_ I seek, but truth; and if I can find it in the Catholic church, I shall embrace it myself, and all my family." "You may bid adieu to most of your subscribers, then, after you become a Roman Catholic," said madam. "My dear wife," said he, impressively, "you ought to know me sufficiently well to be convinced that not only the success of my journal, but even the entire of my means, with my personal feelings, would be willingly sacrificed by me, in order to secure for myself, and for you all, what is infinitely beyond all earthly or temporal considerations; namely, the salvation of our immortal souls." "I did not want to insinuate, my dear, for a moment, that you could be influenced by such a consideration as the success of your journal in a matter of such everlasting importance. I only dropped the remark casually and without reflection," said madam.