"'Perhaps, Sir,' said Mr. O'Brian, 'you are what in common parlance we call an unbeliever.'
"'No, Sir, I am not; I believe in the plenary inspiration and absolute authority of the Bible; but I have no faith in the infallibility or divinely delegated power of any order of priesthood; pure sham pretensions, Sir.'
"'But, Sir, our priests are the regular successors of the apostles.'
"'They may be, but what then? Do you mean to imply, in this category of their descent, that they are endowed with the same power and authority as the apostles?'
"'Most certainly I do.'
"'Indeed! that is claiming a good deal of what is superhuman. The apostles had power to work miracles; but do these priests of yours ever do such a thing as open the eyes of a blind man, or raise a dead man to life.'
"'No, Sir, they do not pretend to do such things. The power and authority which is delegated to them is spiritual; to act not on matter but on mind; to remit or retain its sins.'
"'The apostles never possessed this spiritual power, or if they did, they never exercised it.'