The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ | Page 2

books contained nothing
contrary to faith, and that they were likely to promote a spirit of piety
among the faithful. For the Church is only founded on the word of
Christ and on the revelations made to the Apostles. Whatever may
since have been revealed to certain saints possesses purely a relative
value, the reality of which may even be disputed- it being one of the
admirable characteristics of the Church, that, though inflexibly one in
dogma, she allows entire liberty to the human mind in all besides. Thus,
we may believe private revelations, above all, when those persons to
whom they were made have been raised by the Church to the rank of
Saints publicly honoured, invoked, and venerated; but, even in these
cases, we may, without ceasing to be perfectly orthodox, dispute their
authenticity and divine origin. It is the place of reason to dispute and to
select as it sees best.
With regard to the rule for discerning between the good and the evil
spirit, it is no other, according to all theologians, than that of the Gospel.
A fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos. By their fruits you shall know them.
It must be examined in the first place whether the person who professes
to have revelations mistrusts what passes within himself; whether he
would prefer a more common path; whether far from boasting of the
extraordinary graces which he receives, he seeks to hide them, and only
makes them known through obedience; and, finally, whether he is
continually advancing in humility, mortification, and charity. Next, the
revelations themselves must be very closely examined into; it must be
seen whether there is anything in them contrary to faith; whether they

are conformable to Scripture and Apostolic tradition; and whether they
are related in a headstrong spirit, or in a spirit of entire submission to
the Church.
Whoever reads the life of Anne Catherine Emmerich, and her book,
will be satisfied that no fault can be found in any of these respects
either with herself or with her revelations. Her book resembles in many
points the writings of a great number of saints, and her life also bears
the most striking similitude to theirs. To be convinced of this fact, we
need but study the writings or what is related of Saints Francis of Assisi,
Bernard, Bridget, Hildegard, Catherine of Genoa, Catherine of Sienna,
Ignatius, John of the Cross, Teresa, and an immense number of other
holy persons who are less known. So much being conceded, it is clear
that in considering Sister Emmerich to have been inspired by God's
Holy Spirit, we are not ascribing more merit to her book than is
allowed by the Church to all those of the same class. They are all
edifying, and may serve to promote piety, which is their sole object.
We must not exaggerate their importance by holding as an absolute fact
that they proceed from divine inspiration, a favour so great that its
existence in any particular case should not be credited save with the
utmost circumspection.
With regard, however, to our present publication, it may be urged that,
considering the superior talents of the transcriber of Sister Emmerich's
narrations, the language and expressions which he has made use of may
not always have been identical with those which she employed. We
have no hesitation whatever in allowing the force of this argument.
Most fully do we believe in the entire sincerity of M. Clement Brentano,
because we both know and love him, and, besides, his exemplary piety
and the retired life which he leads, secluded from a world in which it
would depend but on himself to hold the highest place, are guarantees
amply sufficient to satisfy any impartial mind of his sincerity. A poem
such as he might publish, if he only pleased, would cause him to be
ranked at once among the most eminent of the German poets, whereas
the office which he has taken upon himself of secretary to a poor
visionary has brought him nothing but contemptuous raillery.
Nevertheless, we have no intention to assert that in giving the
conversations and discourses of Sister Emmerich that order and
coherency in which they were greatly wanting, and writing them down

in his own way, he may not unwittingly have arranged, explained, and
embellished them. But this would not have the effect of destroying the
originality of the recital, or impugning either the sincerity of the nun, or
that of the writer.
The translator professes to be unable to understand how any man can
write for mere writing's sake, and without considering the probable
effects which his work will produce. This book, such as it is, appears to
him to be at once unusually edifying, and highly poetical. It is perfectly
clear that it has, properly speaking, no