reason.

Two extreme, and both of them fatal, consequences flow from this principle. They will be adopted respectively according to circumstances. Either man will lack subjective evidence of the supernatural, and he will flatly deny its existence; he will be a materialist, a rationalist, a pantheist, according to the mode and degree in which error has developed itself in his mind; or he will possess subjective evidence through the influence of the spirit of darkness, and then the man will become superstitious; he will be a visionary, a spiritist. By his very condition the Catholic is shielded from this peril, for he does not believe because he sees, but because the Church attests to him that God has revealed to the world the truth which he believes. It is in Protestantism, then, that we find the germ of spiritism, as in Catholicism we meet with the strongest obstacle which it has to encounter.

But as this definite formula, I believe because I see, is only the ultimate phase of Protestantism as such, so also all who call themselves Protestants are not alike disposed to allow themselves to be deluded by spiritist visions and revelations. Those amongst them who, in despite of their fundamental principle, still maintain a portion of the Christian creed which they carried with them when they forsook the bosom of the Catholic Church, and who may thus be called Protestants only by halves; those who still retain some superintelligible dogma, in virtue of which they profess belief in a revelation of which they themselves are neither the subject nor the evidence; such Protestants are naturally much more averse to diabolical superstition, and less prone to fall into the illusions of spiritism. In like manner, a man who is truly and entirely Catholic, that is, in outward profession of faith, in the intimate conviction of his mind, in the ordinary practice of his life, will never be caught by the flattering bait of spiritism: he will abhor it as a snare to his soul, and as an offence against God. But there are persons who call themselves Catholics, and perhaps believe themselves to be so, but who in truth are not, for they have their minds thoroughly imbued with Protestantism, especially as hating the control of any spiritual authority, and attached to its own opinion as the highest law. Catholics of this stamp (if Catholics they can be called) run the same risk as Protestants, and the curiosity of their minds prepares a ready welcome for the new guest who is trying to make an entrance. For all such persons spiritism is a necessity, a temptation, or, at least, a recreation.

Whoever reflects on what we have here suggested will be disposed to consider it no unreasonable conclusion that modern spiritism may be regarded as possibly the first apparition of that last fatal heresy which shall prevail in the world, and cause such ruin of souls that many even of the elect will barely escape shipwreck. Error follows a certain method, and has certain connecting laws, if not so fixed and regular, at least very similar to those which belong to truth. After the special negation of this and that dogma by a spurious authority substituting itself for the true one, the rebellion of the intellect against God as revealing Himself to man finally arrived at the implicit negation of all supernatural truth, by disowning the very principle of authority itself. This is the work of Protestantism. When this phase has been reached, special error, as a religious symbol uniting individuals or churches, is no longer possible; the field is thrown open to this new universal

heresy, which embraces all error, combats all truths, and approaches by gradual development to its ultimate goal. This goal, as we have seen, is the introduction of the superhuman diabolical in the room of the divine supernatural. Protestantism has already become rationalism: rationalism will go on transforming itself into gross pantheism, a disguised idolatry, whose superstition will be fed by diabolical visions and revelations, precisely as described by the Apostles when prophesying of the last times. The Spirit of God, indeed, plainly affirms that many shall then abandon the faith, dedicating themselves to the spirit of error and to doctrines of devils, and this by the agency of hypocritical deceivers, who shall make their impious superstition the means of beguiling the simple, and seducing them into the commission of all evil. (1 Tim. ix. 1; Jude 18; 2 Peter iii. 3.) From these prophecies it would seem no presumptuous or chimerical deduction, that pagan theurgy shall be the last form error shall assume upon earth.

In saying this it is by no means intended to assert that these last times are already come; but merely to point to the direction in which error is setting in the world, a direction leading to the predicted term. Just as all things are manifestly contributing towards the formation of that unity of empire which is spoken of in Holy Scripture as another of the signs of the last times-steamships, railways, electric telegraphs, all those wonderful means of rapid communication every day multiplying by which men are labouring to satisfy their insane desire to shorten time and abridge distance--so also is the general mind becoming gradually prepared for that great apostasy of the last days when pagan theurgy will be restored to honour, and the world shall see incense burned to the devil once more. The age which has successively applauded, as eminent rationalistic critics, the Strausses, the De Lettrés, the Renans, betrays symptoms of getting wearied of rationalism itself, and craves for error in a new-fashioned dress, or in an old-fashioned costume revived. The Procluses, the Jamblicuses, the Plotinuses, those old eclectics of pagan philosophy, who thought to strangle Christianity in its infancy, called their doctrine magic; the new eclectics of modern philosophy, who hope to bury Christianity in its green old age, call it spiritism: the name varies, but the thing is the same.

It has become the duty of Catholic writers to set the faithful on their guard against this peril. Many have already given the alarm, and especially the shepherds of the flock in charge have raised their voice in frequent promulgations, and the Pastor of pastors himself has spoken in the numerous and solemn replies which he has given to the applications of the Bishops. From these documents it is proposed to draw the substance of the work we have undertaken. All that the writers, who desire to be simply an echo of the Church's voice, design to add of their own, is the form and connection of the argument which will thus unite in a brief compendium what has been stated and affirmed on this subject by the highest and best authorities. The plan adopted will be first to establish the historic truth of the superhuman facts attributed to spiritism. It was natural that a materialistic philosophy which denied all spiritual existences should be strangely embarrassed at finding itself face to face with a host of spirits; it was equally to be expected that rationalistic philosophy, which denies all supernatural action in the world,

should be perplexed at so many facts superior to all human force, and inexplicable by all the power of sophistry. Hence it is that Mesmer's tub, Puységur's tree, Du Potet's mirror, Fox's rapping-tables, the talking tripods of Milan, Home's mediums, and all the other multifarious portents of spiritism, have excited in them wonder mixed with fear, and not choosing to give credit to what their very eyes beheld, they preferred to close them that they might lull themselves to repose in a state of artificial incredulity. These things, they said, were mere conjuring tricks, clever deceits of legerdemain, lies and illusions, more or less innocent impostures concerted beforehand and ingeniously carried out, optical and acoustic deceptions, games, amusements— what you will, anything but truth and reality. Fools! they did not foresee that this reality would hold its ground inexorably against them with proofs more potent than all their contradictions, and that they who would acknowledge neither spirit nor prodigy anywhere would be compelled to encounter them at every turn.

The reality of the facts once established, their nature must next be ascertained; and here two hypotheses may be advanced in explanation of them : they may be attributed to purely natural forces, or they may be referred to forces superior to nature. The first hypothesis being excluded, the second must necessarily be admitted. There are two ways of effecting this exclusion, both of which will be employed. The explanations of these phenomena on natural grounds advanced by different writers will be examined, and it will be shown that they none of them solve the proposed problem, and must all be rejected as completely unsatisfactory. But this is not sufficient. We must inquire whether it be possible to find some other explanation, and this inquiry will involve an investigation of the universal character belonging to all these facts; from which investigation it will appear that they are irreconcilable with any merely physical cause, and are altogether removed from the control of the laws of nature, which is equivalent to saying that they are above nature.

Having proved what these facts are not, the next point will be to prove what they are; whether they are to be referred to spirits of light or to spirits of darkness; to God or to the devil; to a good or to an evil source. There is, unhappily, a school of spiritists who believe that they enjoy ineffable ecstasies, the visits of angels, saints, and departed souls; nay, even receive direct revelations from God. This is not only a gross delusion, as it proceeds from an ignoring of the true character of those supernatural communications with which God on rare occasions consoles the mortal pilgrimage of His most favoured children, but it is also most pernicious, as it would deprive these communications of their distinction of being the gratuitous gifts of God, and exposes its followers to the peril of mistaking infernal actions for heavenly manifestations.

When it has thus been demonstrated that there is no assignable cause for the prodigies of modern spiritism but diabolical intervention, to complete the proof a short inquiry into the nature of magic with the guiding light of theologians will be a profitable conclusion. It will involve a glance at the magic of past ages, for the purpose of comparison, and it will be found that under all the varying forms necessitated by the varying errors, manners, and dis

positions of times and of people, the same monster is discoverable, the same bad purpose evident, the same evil effects constantly recurring.

To destroy the power of the devil, the Man-God appeared on earth in the fulness of times, and when He ascended into heaven, amongst the most precious gifts which He bequeathed as an inheritance to His Apostles, and, in His Apostles, to His Church, was power over hell. Nothing will follow more naturally upon an inquiry into the devil's action in this world than the observation of the manner in which the Church has exercised this her power. It will call us to admire the great contest sustained by the Spouse of Jesus Christ against the great enemy of God and rebel against His authority, Satan. The triumphs of the Church in past times are the pledge of other triumphs yet to come before the last great victory which shall terminate her battle on earth, because the world itself shall then come to an end. We shall find that her old weapons have not grown rusty, and shall witness the same malediction pronounced by Pius IX. on modern necromancers which Peter uttered against Simon Magus, and the same prohibitions which were given to the faithful in apostolic times against taking part in such communications renewed in our days by the Bishops of the Church and the Sovereign Pontiff. The multiplicity of the subject matter and the length of the road traced out will render brevity indispensable. Details must as much as possible be avoided, and the different stages of the argument must be indicated rather than dwelt upon. While taking accurate notice of the topography of our road, like the traveller we must think chiefly of the end at which we would arrive, and cannot pause either for admiration or for comment.

533

Notices of Books.

The Temporal Mission of the Holy Ghost; or, Reason and Revelation. By HENRY EDWARD, Archbishop of Westminster. London: Longman.

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UR Archbishop has ever had a singular devotion to God the Holy Ghost; and for this reason two doctrines are very dear to him, which were clearly taught by the Fathers, but on which later theologians have dwelt with less emphasis. The first of these is, that since Pentecost all the justified possess a substantial union with the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, such as was never given before the Incarnation. The second is, that the whole corporate action of the Church is in truth the action of the Holy Ghost who gives her life. The Archbishop, e.g., is not content with saying (what is most true) that the Church possesses unintermittent infallibility in her practical teaching; rather he will urge that "there is a perpetual Divine Teacher in the midst of her" (p. 72), and that she is but His organized instrument. No one can doubt, that such a view invests that whole doctrine, which concerns the Church's office and attributes, with an interest and impressiveness far greater than it would otherwise possess; and no other writer has so thoroughly and consistently systematized this doctrinal view as Archbishop Manning.

These two truths, and others also, are included in that "temporal mission of the Holy Ghost" which is the author's present theme. The Holy Ghost proceeds eternally from Father and Son; this is His eternal Procession: but ever since that great Day of Pentecost, He has proceeded also in time from Father and Son, to confer on us those multifarious blessings purchased by the Incarnation; and this is His temporal Mission.

The work before us (after a touching dedication to the Oblates of Charles), begins with an introduction of somewhat miscellaneous character. Firstly, it treats on the word "rationalism ;" and the historical origin of that sense in which it is a term of reproach, and in which the author will invariably use it. "The normal state of the reason is that of a disciple illuminated, elevated, guided, and unfolded to strength and perfection, by the action of a Divine Teacher. The abnormal is that of a critic testing, measuring, limiting the matter of Divine Revelation by his supposed discernment or intuition. The former is the true and Divine rationalism; the latter the false and human rationalism" (p. 3).

From this the author proceeds to investigate the motives of faith (pp. 10-15), and he explicitly retracts those erroneous tenets which he advocated when a Protestant (pp. 26-28). It was, in fact, his devotion to the Holy Ghost-his ever growing perception of those very truths concerning