Page:An Index of Prohibited Books (1840).djvu/27

Rh indeed, impossible that some of the men of education among them must not be sensible of the utter nullity of so palpable a fable as Popery. Exclusion of all other objects may go a great way to bend the mind to an acceptance of such a system as true; but common sense will find, or make, chinks to enter, whatever pains may be taken to exclude it. And what does all this exclusion, and the effort to produce it, mean? What mean prohibitory and expurgatory Indexes? Why may not the accused at least be heard? Is there fear, that if they are heard, by the might of truth they must prevail? I believe this to be both the fact and the motive; and I believe every tolerably enlightened Papal priest to believe the same. But in what an awful predicament does this place them! May they reflect and repent in time! In opposition to the view here, and generally given, it is alleged, that many individual Romanists have in past time borne, and in the present bear, a high reputation, not only for piety, but likewise, and particularly, for humanity; and that it is eminent injustice to deny them this praise. Nor is it