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CONTENTS.

PREFACE..

MOTTOES.

INTRODUCTORY...

CHAPTER I.-Indecorous Language of Mr. Ingersoll-Father Lambert's Vulgar and Abusive Methods-" Physician, Heal Thyself"-The Promise to "Grant Nothing and to Take Nothing for Granted," followed by the Substitution of Assertion for Proof-" Glib Little Whiffets," and "Smirched Character".

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CHAPTER II.-Priestly Metaphysics, according to which God, Time, Space, and Matter
must be Annihilated!-Freedom of the Will-Unsolved Problems....
CHAPTER III-Law-Laws and Nonentities-An Insane Conclusion-The Inductive and
Deductive Processes of Reasoning-Witches, Heretics, and Unbaptized Infants-Cruelty
of Dogmatism-Small Criticisms-Definition of Law, etc............
CHAPTER IV.-The Black Flag-More Metaphysics-" Pure Act"-Can we Know that
God Exists?-Difference between Knowledge, Belief and Opinion-Human Ignorance-
The Right to Express an Honest Opinion-The Modesty of Science-Moral Right and
Legal Right-Martyrs to Truth; the Debt We Owe Them.....

CHAPTER V.-The Common Scold-The Cotton of Catholicity-The Argument from "Design"-Eternal Succession of Being-Plurality of Gods-The Fall of Man-Is it Just that Animals should Endure Uncompensated Suffering because "In Adam's Fall we Sinned All?"-Divine Mercy not a Sin-License..................

CHAPTER VI.-Mr. Ingersoll's Reply to the Argument from "Design "-Self-existence Alleged by Father Lambert to Imply the Infinity and Perfection of every Attribute; the Fallacy of the Doctrine-" Infinite Justice" a Redundant Expression; the Word Just not Logically Admitting of Degrees of Comparison-God Supposed to be Flattered by Complimentary Words-The Finite Cannot Measure the Infinite, but may Test its Nature and Quality-Opinion, Good or Bad, is Judgment.........

CHAPTER VII.-The Priest "Begs the Question"-Should we Pin our Faith to the Sleeves of Great Men?-The Spirit of Inquiry in the Air-Subtle and Ingenious Argument from Brownson's Quarterly Review; its Fallacy-Logic and Logical Quibbles-Good-bye to Metaphysics-Is the Bible Inspired?..

CHAPTER VIII.-Father Lambert on the Esthetic-Art Culture-Painting and Sculpture -The Jews as an Art Cultivating People Contrasted with Greeks, Romans, etc.-The Father's Definition of Art too Contracted-" The Roving Lecturer

CHAPTER IX.-Jewish Atrocities Charged on God--The Right of God to Inflict Wanton Suffering on His Creatures Denied-God has no Right to do Wrong-Justice with God and Man Qualitatively Alike though Quantitatively Unequal-Gross Conceptions of Deity-Jewish Barbarities-" Captive Maidens "-Lying Spirits, etc., etc.......................

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PREFACE.

SHOULD censure be visited upon the writer for having penned the following essay for public inspection, such reproof cannot, in justice, proceed from adherents to the Roman Catholic faith. From attacks from that earnest and devout class the author may safely shelter himself behind the sacred vestments of the Reverend Father whose urgent and repeated invitation has called forth this reply.

The author desires it to be distinctly understood that his present task was undertaken in response to multiple requests and challenges scattered through the length and breadth of the land and wafted in profusion to foreign shores.

This zeal is not to be deprecated. So confident is the Father of the impenetrability of his armor that, like a second Fitz James, he defies one and all of the friends of free thought to expend their might on his shield and helmet.

"Come one, come all! this rock shall fly

From its firm base, as soon as I."

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This spirit evinces the sublime of moral heroism, and cannot be too highly praised.

Then how commendable in the good priest not to reserve to himself and his church a monopoly of the truth. With lavish beneficence and persistent effort he would fain disseminate those doctrinal verities which gladden his own soul and trace for him a pathway to the skies. In gratifying the desires of such a man the author cannot fear that he is doing amiss.

As to that small and ignorant class who may think that the "Notes" are not entirely worthy of serious reply, let me say, that the Father's work has received the very highest encomiums and has been proclaimed an unanswerable argument by a very respectable part of the religious and secular press of this and other countries. As a commercial rule, at least, when the maker of paper is of questionable solvency it is legitimate to look to its endorsers.

That our readers may appreciate these remarks we publish (see Appendix A.) one of the Father's challenges and a few of the many favorable notices from the press which his work has called forth. The Father, surely, will not object to this gratuitous advertisement of his work, which we desire our readers to purchase and peruse.

There be many, not in sympathy with the Roman

Catholic faith, who believe that the cause of righteousness can be best subserved by a suppression of truths which seem to them to militate against religion, and of sentiments, however honestly entertained, which are regarded by the majority as erroneous.

This well-meaning class should remember that there is a correlation of truths as well as of forces, and that two truths cannot possibly antagonize each other. That especially in this age of enlightenment and of intellectual freedom we may safely discard the disguises and spiritual enchantments which lent a charm to primitive faiths; and that error, exposed to popular scrutiny, is less dangerous than when hidden in the secret recesses of the individual mind or whispered into the ears of the few who may entertain kindred sentiments.

To errors exposed the proper antidotes may be administered; to errors concealed no adequate correctives can be applied.

PHILADELPHIA, January 1st, 1885.

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