The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-09-13
Communicated -----
/" GIVE AND IT SHALL B1 OWEN UNTO YOU"

contributions, how often it happens that
we hesitate, murmur, give with bad grace,
? or absolutely refuse, forgetful of the word
of our divine Lord, "Giye and it shall be
given unto YOU" And indeed there is no
doctrine more consonant with right reason
and Revelation than that as we give to
God, God will give to us-with this differ
ence, that he far cxcels us in granting ia
vors.
Such is generally the rule among men,
Amongst political precepts there is none
considered more useful or excellent than
that which on a certain day Philip of Ma
cedon delivered to his son Alexander,
namely, that the Prince should act towards
the subject as the subject acts towards the
prince and hence Plutarch said that stthe
best government consists in a certain har-
mony in which the other voices cores
ponded to the kings, as the different voices
in singing must harmonic in order to re-
create the ears of the hearers" and St.
Athanasius says that David was elected
king because he knew how to play ON the
harp: g David cytharod~s tait,- that name
1y, he would observe the same rules in go
vernment as he did in the use of that in
strument
| And tha this doctrine may be more clearly
understood in practice, let us examine some
of the many cases recorded in history.
Alexander the Great had adverted one day
| to the affection of his soldiers as being SO
! intense towards himself that they did not
hesitate not only to shed their blood for
him hnt a1cO thew To
struct bulwarks of their own bodies in his
defense; hence he, in return, in order to
show his affection for them, opened his
treasure and ordered the spoils of the enc
my to be distributed and given to each &C
cording to his merit, wishing thereby to
connect and bind to himself the minds of
those who were ready to shed their blood
for him. Agesilaus donated to a certain
soldier, who received on his shield deadly
blow aimed at his head, a shield worth
more than hundred talents of gold, which
would always serve as a memorial of his
preserving the life of his Prince. Epami-
nondas, the Theban, on hearing a certain
friend of his DETAINED, who one time siren
uously fought in defence of his honor and
| received wounds in the conflict, in order
to compensate the kindness by like kind
ness, pierced the breast of the defamer with
his sword.
All these things happen in the courts of
this world; but much more accurately in
the house of God is the record kept. Joab
was the first to take the field in the service
of David, chosen king by God himself;
and as a consequence, by divine ordina-
| ton he is created Prince and General.
! "And Joab the son of Sarvia went up first
and was made the General" 1 Parl. ii. Is.
Elias, heated with tho zeal of God, burnt
| like torch in preaching the divine word,
and behold, God corresponds with this
burning heart and takes him from this
| world in a fiery chariot. Hence St. Angus
tine says, cit was congruous or fit that as
Elias burnt with fiery ardor of divine love
| in his soul, and through fire wrought many
wonderful signs, the Lord would elevate
him to a more sublime state by fiery cha
riot.r
Abraham offers his son for God, and God
offers his Son for man. In word, we are
dealing with God, who is most accurate );
who proceeds with us as we proceed with
Him, with this difference, as l observed be-
fore, that He far excels us in the commu-
.nication of graces.
need not refer to the evangelical wild
owls mite, nor to the eulogy pronounced
relative thereto by our Saviour himself
He could, as he created the world by His
word only, supply all the wants of his dis
ciples by an easy effort of Omnipotence.-
But no he proceeds according to the hui
man mode of acting. He has treasury and
has recourse to the iberality of his bcliev-
ers to sustain it. And in order to show the
great importance he attaches to such con-
tributions, when he sees poor widow con-
| tributinp her mite he returns the favor nv