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Lectures on ecclesiastical history, ed. by W. Fitzgerald and J. Quarry
Lectures on ecclesiastical history ed by W Fitzgerald and J Quarry Author:William Fitzgerald Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LECTURE II. CAUTION REQUIRED IN JUDGING THE STATE OF OPINION IN ANY. AGE FROM THE WORKS OF ITS LEADING WRITERS, WITH ILLUSTRATIONS FROM VARIOUS AUTHORS. Ge... more »ntlemen,?I observed at the close of my last lecture that the custom of assuming that the now extant writers of a particular past age are, in their sentiments and opinions, correct representation of the general tone of sentiment and prevailing cast of opinion among their contemporaries, however common it may be, is not founded in good reason. Common, however, it certainty is, at least in the case of Ecclesiastical history, and the practice of dealing with the Fathers of each century as exponents of the mind of the whole body of orthodox believers in that century ? nay, of dealing with any one single Father as if he were ' knight of the shire and represented a)l' his brethren?has grown to be so inveterate, especially in books of controversy upon, religious subjects, that when I presume to question its justice, you will at first be apt to think that I am advancing a hardy paradox, which I shall find it very difficult to make good. It may be proper, therefore, to introduce the subject with some general remarks, intended to obviate a prejudice which is likely to meet me at the outset. In the first place, then, let me observe that the noisiest and most active party are not always, perhaps not often, the majority. ' Do not,' says Mr. Burke, in a passage which I am sure you all remember?' do not, because half u dozen grasshoppers under a fern make the field ring with theirimportunate chink, whilst thousands of great cattle, reposed beneath the shadow of the British oak, chew the cud and are silent?do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field; that, of course, they are many in number; or th...« less