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

POPERY DESTROYS SELF-RELTAXCE. 425conversion," says the Duke, when assigning his reasons forembracing the Roman Catholic religion, " assured me thatif I were to be damned for embracing the Catholic faith,they were ready to answer for me at the day of judgment,and to take my damnation upon themselves,—an assuranceI could never extort from the ministers of any sect in caseI should live and die in their religion." Thus the Churchteaches her votaries that religion is entirely dissociated frommorals ; that it is to no purpose for one to put himself tothe trouble of cultivating any one moral or spiritual quality,—to no purpose to deny one''s self any gratification, howeversinful ; that one may live in the flagrant violation of everyone of the commandments of God, provided only he be obedientto the commandments of the Church ; and the sumand substance of the Church's commandments is, that hepractise a ritual associated with no act or feeling of the soul,and which produces in return no spiritual effect, and thatwhenever he fails in this somewhat monotonous and drearytask, he be ready with his money to pay for masses and indulgences.Thus the very first principles of morality arestruck at. But the point we meant to bring mainly intoview here is the habit of mind thus produced, which is thatof sitting still, and leaving all which it belongs to one to do,to be done for him by others. This is fatal to the energy,not less than to the morality, of the man. It teaches himthe needlessness of effort ; it extinguishes the principle ofself-reliance, and teaches the duty of divesting one'sself ofall care and forethought,—a habit of mind which, when acquiredin the important matter of salvation, is sure to becarried into other and inferior departments of life.It wouldform a curious subject of enquiry how far the feeling whichleads Roman Catholics to lean so decidedly upon the priesthoodfor the life to come, is akin to that which leads themto lean so decidedly upon governments, and so little uponthemselves, as respects the present life. The fiat of a priest,without any labour of theirs, can give them heaven, withall its happiness : why should not the fiat of a statesman,without any labour of theirs, be able to give them earth,