Father Hecker was, indeed, more poetical in temperament than at first acquaintance he seemed to be, but his mind was so constituted that he must have the main reasons of things, whether religious or not, firmly settled before he could enjoy their use.

Nor could he be content with fragments of revealed truth, such as are found in all denominations of non-Catholics.
"There is a large floating body of Catholic truth in the world," says Newman; "it comes down by tradition from age to age.

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