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

—;rOPERY DESTROYS ACTIVITY AND INDEPENDENCE. 423If the former afflicts with mental imbecility, this deals afatal blow to mental independence. The Church issues hercommand, and the person has no alternative but instant,unquestioning, blind obedience. He acts not from the powerof motive, but, like the beast of burden, is urged forwardby the rod. Here are the two prime qualities of man destroyed.The one doctrine robs him of his strength, theother of his freedom : the one makes him an intellectualparalytic, the other a mental slave. To this double depthof weakness and servility does Popery degrade her victims.The leading idea of Popery as a scheme of salvation is,that theoperatum.sacraments impart grace and holiness,—the opusIt is hard to say whether this inflicts greater injuryupon the intellectual or the spiritual part of man. Itinjures vitally his spiritual part, because it teaches him notto look beyond the sacrament and the priest : it substitutesthese in the room of the Saviour. The intellectual part itno less vitally injures : it cuts off that train of mental action,that intellectualprocess, to which the gospel so naturallyand beautifully gives rise, by joining works with faith,the sinner's own efforts with the grace of the Spirit, Underthe system of Popery, not a single quality or disposition needbe cultivated ;not the reason and judgment, for the Papistis forbidden to exercise these ; not the power of sustainedand patient effort, for all for which the Christian has to pray,and labour, and wait, is in the case of the Papist conferredin an instant, in virtue of the opus operatum : his power ofself-scrutiny, his self-denial, and his self-control, all lie dormant.Here are the noblest and most useful of the moraland mental faculties, which Christianity carefully trains andinvigorates, all blighted and destroyed by Popery. The veryidea of progress is extinguished in the mind. The man isstereotyped in immobility. He is given over to the dominionof indolence, and shrinks from the very idea of forethoughtand reflection, and effort of every kind, as the mostdisagreeable of all painful things. These qualities the mancarries with him into every department of life and labour