Once more; every
Catholic will repeat to you the words of Manzoni, as quoted by M. Faber:
'The greatest deviations are none if the main point be recognised; the
smallest are damnable heresies, if it be denied. That main point is the
infallibility of the Church, or rather of the Pope.'
Our Anti-Romish priests would have us think the more and more we have
of-faith, the more and more we have of happiness. Faith they exalt far,
very far, above hope or even charity. 'Oh Lord, increase our faith,' is
the text on which they love to enlarge. Faith is their panacea for all
human ills: but their faith is worse than useless if it be not true
faith. And how can we so test conflicting faiths as to distinguish the
true from the false? Aye, there's the rub! Undoubtedly faith is to
religion what the root is to the tree; and men in search of 'saving
faith' are naturally anxious to find it. No one desires to be eternally
punished; and therefore, if any one embrace a false faith it is because
he makes the mistake of supposing it the true one. The three sets of
Christians just adverted to, may all be equally sincere, but cannot all
have the true faith.
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