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

OPPOSED TO THE SENSES. 31 7the faithful the necessity of using their utmost endeavour towithdraw their minds and understandings from the dominionof the senses ; for should they allow themselves to beled by what the senses tell them respecting this mystery, theywill be drawn into the extreme of impiety.""' Rome, in thisway, may save the dogma of transubstantiation ; but, likethose creatureswhich launch their stings and their life togetherin the effort of self-defence, she saves transubstantiationat the expense of Christianity. Her principle is one thatwould land us in universal disbelief. How know we thatChrist existed ? We know it on the testimony of men whohad simply the evidence of their senses for the fact,—of menwho saw, and heard, and handled him. In the same waydo we believe in his miracles : we receive them on the testimonyof men who tasted the wine intowhich the water wasHowconverted, or spake with Lazarus after he was raised.know we that there is a God ? The evidence of his worksand of his Word, communicated through the senses, assuresus that He exists. In fine, we have no evidence of anythingwhich does not come through the senses ; and if wedistrust them, we can believe in nothing. We cannot believethat there is a univei'se, or indeed anything at all.We can stop short only at Hume''s principle, that there isneither body nor spirit beyond our own minds, and that allis ideal.Thus Rome, when she brings us before the shrine of heridol, insists on blindfolding us. We must submit to haveour eyes put out in order that we may be able to worship !Why is this ? Is it a God, or a monster, before whom sheconducts us ? Does she drop this dark veil to temper theglory, or to hide the deformity, of her divinity ? The answeris not far to seek. The mass, like another great deity,Is a monster of such frightful mein.That, to be hated, needs hut to be seen.Catechismus, Rom. pars, ii. cap. iv. q. xxi.