oys the independence of the mind; and I consider that
the whole history of the Church, and especially the history of the
theological schools, gives a negative to the accusation. There never
was a time when the intellect of the educated class was more active,
or rather more restless, than in the middle ages. And then again
all through Church history from the first, how slow is authority
in interfering! Perhaps a local teacher, or a doctor in some local
school, hazards a proposition, and a controversy ensues. It smoulders
or burns in one place, no one interposing; Rome simply lets it alone.
Then it comes before a Bishop; or some priest, or some professor in
some other seat of learning takes it up; and then there is a second
stage of it. Then it comes before a University, and it may be
condemned by the theological faculty. So the controversy proceeds
year after year, and Rome is still silent. An appeal perhaps is next
made to a seat of authority inferior to Rome; and then at last after
a long while it comes before the supreme power. Meanwhile, the
question has been ventilated and turned over and over again, and
viewed on every side of it, and authority is called upon to pronounce
a decision, which has already been arrived at by reason. But even
then, perhaps the supreme authority hesitates to do so, and nothing
is determined on the point for years; or so generally and vaguely,
that the whole controversy has to be gone through again, before it is
ultimately determined. It is manifest how a mode of proceeding, such
as this, tends not only to the liberty, but to the courage, of the
individual theologian or controversialist. Many a man has ideas,
which he hopes are true, and useful for his day, but he wishes to
have them discussed. He is willing or rather would be thankful to
give them up, if they can be proved to be erroneous or dangerous, and
by means of controversy he obtains his end. He is answered, and he
yields; or he finds that he is considered safe. He would not dare to
do this, if he knew an authority, which was supreme and final, was
watching every word he said, and made signs of assent or dissent to
each sentence, as he uttered it. Then indeed he would be fighting, as
the Persian soldiers, under the lash, and the freedom of his
intellect might truly be said to be beaten out of him. But this has
not been so:--I do not mean to say that, when controversies run high,
in schools or even in small portions of the Church, an