Thus they have spread over the whole earth in the strength of their doctrine of “probable opinions,” which is the fount and origin of all these irregularities.  You may learn of this from themselves, for they take no pains to hide it, except that they cover their human and political prudence with the pretence of a divine and Christian prudence.  They act as if the faith and the tradition which maintains it were not for ever invariable at all times and in all places, and as if nothing more were required, in order to remove the stains of guilt, than to corrupt the law of the Lord, instead of regarding that stainless and holy law as itself the instrument of conversion, and conforming human souls to its salutary precepts.

II.—­THE DOCTRINE OF INTENTION

Sir,—­I must now let you know what the good Jesuit father told me about the maxims of their casuists, with regard to the “point of honour” among gentlemen.  “You know,” said he, “that this point of honour is the dominating passion of men in that rank of life, and is constantly leading them into acts of violence which appear quite contrary to Christian piety.  Indeed, we should have to exclude all of them from our confessionals, if our fathers had not in some degree relaxed the severity of religion and accommodated it to the weakness of men.  But since they wished to remain attached to the Gospel by their duty towards God, and to men of the world by their charity towards their neighbour, they had to seek expedients by which they might make it possible for a man to maintain his honour in the ordinary way of the world without wounding his conscience.  They had to preserve, at the same time, two things which are apparently so opposed to one another as piety and honour.  But, however valuable their purpose might be, its execution was exceedingly difficult.”

“I am surprised,” I said, “that you find it difficult.”

“Are you?” he replied.  “Do you not know that on the one hand the law of the Gospel commands us never to render evil for evil, and to leave vengeance to God; and that on the other hand the laws of the world forbid that we should suffer injury without executing justice, even by the death of our enemies?  Is it possible that two precepts should be more contrary to one another?”

“What I meant to say was, that after what I have seen of your fathers, I know that they can easily do things which are impossible to other men.  I am quite ready to believe that they have discovered some means of reconciling these two precepts, and I beg of you to inform me what it is.”

“You must know, then,” he replied, “that this wonderful principle is our grand method of directing the intention, a principle of great importance in our moral system.  You have already seen certain examples of it.  Thus, when I explained to you how servants could carry with a clear conscience certain harmful messages, you must have seen that it was by diverting their intention from the evil of which they