The-papacy-its-history-dogmas-genius-and-prospects-wylie

—;:270 NO SALVATION OUT OF THE CHURCH OF ROME.But though sectarian in her charity, Rome is truly catholicin her anathemas. What sect or party is it which sheWhat noble name is it whichhas not pronounced accursed ?she has not attempted to blast ?What generous art whichshe has not laboured to destroy ? What science or studyfitted to humanize and enlarge the mind on which she hasnot pronounced an anathema ?Those men w^ho have beenthe lights of their age,—the poets, the philosophers, theorators, the statesmen, who have been the ornaments andthe blessings of their race,—she has confounded in the sametremendous doom with the vilest of mankind. It matterednot how noble their gifts, or how disinterested their laboursthey might possess the genius of a Milton, the wisdom of aBacon, the science of a Newton, the inventive skill of a"SVatt, the philanthropy of a Howard, the patriotism of aTell, a Hampden, or a Bruce ;they might be firm believersin every doctrine, and bright examples of every virtue, inculcatedin the New Testament ; but if they did not believe alsoin the supremacy and infallibility of the Pope, all their wisdom,all their philanthropy, all their piety, all their generoussacrifices and noble achievements, though, like another Wilberforce,they may have struck from the arm of millions thechain of slavery, or, like another Cranmer or another Knox,conquered spiritual independence for generations unborn,all, all went for nothing.* Rome could recognise in themno character now but the odious one of the enemies of Godand she could afford to allow them no portion hereafter butthe terrible one of eternal torments. And while she closedthe gates of Paradise against theselights and benefactorsof the world, she opened them to men whose principles andactions were alikepernicious,—to men who were the cursesof their race, and who seemed born to no end but to devastatethe world,—to fanatics and desperadoes, whose fiercezeal and fiercer swords were ever at the service of theChurch.* Butler's End of Controversy, part ii. let. xxii.