Another book of the same epoch, Matthew Tindal's
" Christianity as Old as the Creation," of which only
the first volume was ever published, elaborated the
thesis that the Christian faith was natural religion,
differing merely in its mode of promulgation. If
this be so, any deviation from natural religion in
the existing presentment of Christianity must be at
best superfluous, at worst a degradation due to the
interest and cunning of priests.
These books are now buried in libraries ; nor is it
probable that they wiU ever be republished. Their
hard, unimaginative philistinism, their lack of his-
torical sympathy and religious awe, would render
them repellent to many whose fundamental aims
are not different.''

Not different ! Are we not to-day in face of a
movement in all essentials the same as that of the



MYSTERY 29

Bentimental rationalism of the eighteenth century?
There is the same effort to strip the Catholic faith
of everything that is perplexing to the understand-
ing, to interpret the life of the historic Church
with reference to categories fashionable at the
moment.
