The  Germans  showed  him  the  possibility  of  a  freer  exegesis
than  the  one  taught  at  Saint-Sulpice,  and  he  would  often  envy
the  position  of  these  Protestants,  who  could  reconcile  their
religious  spii-it  with  the  critical  method.  But  he  did  not  enter-
tain the  hope  of  a  similar  compromise  for  himself :  his  Catholic
and  Cartesian  education  precluded  such  a  possibility.  One  can-
not be  a  "philosopher"  and  a  Christian  at  the  same  time:
"  The  Catholics  alone  are  consistent.  A  single  error  proves
that  a  Church  is  not  infallible ;  a  single  weak  point  proves  that
a  book  is  not  revealed.*  The  confession  of  a  single  error  ruins
the  edmce  of  absolute  truth  and  brings  it  down  to  the  level  of
human  authorities,  among  which  every  one  picks  his  choice
according  to  his  personal  inclination."

The  struggle  was  long  and  bitter.  When  Renan  left  the
seminary  for  the  last  time,  on  the  6th  of  October,  1845,  it  was
not  pride,  levity,  or  worldly  wisdom  that  had  won  the  day  for
free-thought,  but  conscience  alone,  and  at  a  heavy  cost.  Renan
and  his  masters  parted  with  mutual  feelings  of  affectionate
respect.  His  subsequent  attitude  towards  the  Catholic  Church
was  ever  deferential,  and  even  reverent.  In  this  he  was  guided
first  of  all  by  his  own  feelings ;  but  he  was  no  doubt  influenced
and  warned  by  the  example  of  Lamennais,  the  fallen  priest,
whose  anti-clerical  violence  created  a  sentiment  of  repulsion,  even
among  his  admirers.
