Chapter 11
THE HUMAN RACE AND REVELATION.
Should the intellect of the world return to theism, will it ever again acknowledge a special revelation? 264
We can see that this is an urgent question 265
By many general considerations 265
Especially the career of Protestantism 267
Which is visibly evaporating into a mere natural theism 268
And, as such, is losing all restraining power in the world 271
Where then shall we look for a revelation? Not in any of the Eastern creeds 275
The claims of the Roman Church are the only ones worth considering 276
Her position is absolutely distinct from that of Protestantism, and she is not involved in its fall 277
In theory she is all that the enlightened world could require 279
The only question is, is she so in practice? This brings us to difficulties 282
1st. The partial success of her revelation; and her supposed condemnation of the virtues of unbelievers. But her partial success is simply the old mystery of evil 282
And through her infinite charity, she does nothing to increase that difficulty 283
The value of orthodoxy is analogous to the value of true physical science 285
All should try to learn the truth who can; but we do not condemn others who cannot 286
Even amongst Catholics generally no recondite theological knowledge is required 287
The facts of the Catholic _religion_ are simple. Theology is the complex scientific explanation of them 288
Catholicism is misunderstood because the outside world confuses with its religion--1st. The complex explanations of it 289
2nd. Matters of discipline, and practical rules 290
3rd. The pious opinions, or the scientific errors of private persons, or particular epochs 291
None of which really are any integral part of the Church 293
Neither are the peculiar exaggerations of moral feeling that have been prevalent at different times 293
The Church theoretically is a living, growing, self-adapting organism 295
She is, in fact, the growing, moral sense of mankind organised and developed under a supernatural tutelage 295