promoter of the faith, and, if possible, to obviate his objections. XXIX. Such are the proceedings of Rome, in ascertaining the existence and continuation of miracles in these later ages; and by this rigorous process have been tried, approved, and published to the world, numbers of miracles performed by Almighty God, at the intercession of his saints, down to the very day in which we live. Let, then, the most determined enemies of miracles attentively consider this short sketch of these proceedings, and ask their own hearts if the scrupulous care and rigorous investigation employed by this court does not merit their highest praise, rather than their censure? Let them say if they could devise means better calculated to prevent error and detect imposture than those used by this tribunal? The most sacred things in religion, solemn oaths, and the fear of the greatest ecclesiastical censures, are employed to elicit the exact truth; and the most careful precautions that human prudence can suggest, are taken to satisfy the judges of the capacity, the morals, and disinterestedness of the witnesses. The judges proceed by slow steps, with full deliberation, and the same matters are examined again and again at distant intervals, in order to avoid any mistake from haste, or error from enthusiastic zeal. And when we consider the proceedings of the Ordinary, and the scrutiny to which they are subjected at Rome, the re-examination by the apostolical commissioners, and the revision of their proceedings with the same severity; the objections made by the promoter of the faith, and the questions raised by physicians and other learned persons, we shall be forced to acknowledge that a miraculous fact, which has undergone this rigorous trial, and comes to us invested with the approbation of this tribunal, is attended with evidence so convincing that any man must be devoid of common-sense and reason who denies it. Seeing, then, that even in these times many miracles have passed through this fiery ordeal, and have been published to the world with the full sanction of this court, the conclusion is obvious. The positive proof for the continuation of miracles is strong and convincing beyond dispute. The miraculous powers have not, even to this day, been withdrawn from the Catholic Church. Miracles still continue, from time to time, to be wrought in her communion. Hitherto the promises of Christ in this respect have had no limitation, and they will continue to be fulfilled to the end of ages. NOTE. As the circumstances which produced the following pages were somewhat remarkable, a succinct account of them may not be unacceptable to the reader. In the summer of 1775, two worthy Edinburgh citizens, non-juring Episcopalians, having had religious doubts excited in their minds, turned their attention to examine the faith of their forefathers. Desiring to obtain reliable information, they addressed themselves to Dr Hay; while, at the same time, they communicated the result of their interviews with him to their own clergyman, the Rev. Mr (afterwards Bishop) Abernethy Drummond. This excited the zeal, and called forth all the controversial energies of that gentleman. He not only discussed various points verbally, but he drew up in writing a series of difficulties and objections to Catholic doctrine. In particular, he took great credit to himself for what he considered his unanswerable argument against transubstantiation, and, in the fulness of his confidence, he called upon Dr Hay, and challenged him to put in print all that he could say in defence of it, promising to prepare and publish a reply. Dr Hay, in consequence, wrote his Appendix, to explain the doctrine itself, and to expose the sophistry of the arguments used against it. Mr Abernethy Drummond did indeed publish his promised reply; but, whatever weight it may have had with the public generally, it had evidently no effect upon the two members of his congregation with whom the controversy had originated, for they were both received into the Catholic Church by Dr Hay. EDITOR. ST MARY'S, EDINBURGH, June 2, 1873. |