m had to flee to foreign countries. Even in the Church of England,
as is manifested by its seventeenth Article of Faith, these doctrines
have found favor.

Probably there was no point which brought down from the Catholics on the
Protestants severer condemnation than this, their partial acceptance
of the government of the world by law. In all Reformed Europe miracles
ceased. But, with the cessation of shrine-cure, relic-cure, great
pecuniary profits ended. Indeed, as is well known, it was the sale
of indulgences that provoked the Reformation--indulgences which are
essentially a permit from God for the practice of sin, conditioned on
the payment of a certain sum of money to the priest.

Philosophically, the Reformation implied a protest against the Catholic
doctrine of incessant divine intervention in human affairs, invoked by
sacerdotal agency; but this protest was far from being fully made by
all the Reforming Churches. The evidence in behalf of government by law,
which has of late years been offered by science, is received by many of
them with suspicion, perhaps with dislike; sentiments which, however,
must eventually give way before the hourly-increasing weight of
evidence.

Shall we not, then, conclude with Cicero, who, quoted by Lactantius,
says: "One eternal and immutable law embraces all things and all times?"

CHAPTER X.

LATIN CHRISTIANITY IN RELATION TO MODERN CIVILIZATION.

For more than a thousand years Latin Christianity controlled
the intelligence of Europe, and is responsible for the
result.

That result is manifested by the condition of the city of
Rome at the Reformation, and by the condition of the
Continent of Europe in domestic and social life.--European
nations suffered under the coexistence of a dual government,
a spiritual and a temporal.--They were immersed in
ignorance, superstition, discomfort.--Explanation of the
failure of Catholicism--Political history of the papacy: it
was transmuted from a spiritual confederacy into an absolute
monarchy.--Action of the College of Cardinals and the Curia--
Demoralization that ensued from the necessity of raising
large revenues.

The advantages accruing to Europe during the Catholic rule
arose not from direct intention, but were incidental.

The general result is, that the political influence of
Catholicism was prejudicial to modern civilization.