The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1869-10-10
n1oRMIna arAR AVN CATHOLIC MEssENoER.
ArohbishOp Manning.

emit ut the solemn opening oil the Churcn OF Sb
Josstl sTadcaeter In connection with the
opening ceremony, Pontifical High Mass was
celebrated by Bishop Cornthwaite Archeish-
.op Manning. in his address, made the follow
ing remariks;s ITsu5ts en-
Never was there o moment when the
power of the keys in the hands OF the sue
cessor of St. Peter went out over so vast an
empire as it did at the present time, and 1t
was an infdelity if they allowed themselves
through n cowardly want of faith, to imagine
that the Holy Catholic Church was in the Pc
Rod of diminution and decline. 1t was not so;
it was in a time of ascending and expanse and
that Church. which was becoming every year
more and more widespread, and was attaining
to an universality which 1t never before had
attained was united in itself--it was united
indissolubly. Tried as it had been by every
kind of human pride and strength, subtlety
and warfare, it had never yielded. 1t was not
only an outward unity, visible to the eye, but
an inward unity of heart and mind and Will
unity of charity and of faith springing from
the holy spirit of God, which manifested itself
in the unaniniity of pastors, in the unanimtty
of the faithful, and in the unRnimity OF the
faithful with their pastors; union WITHIN
and without, so visible, SO unbeatable, so in
evitable, that it was itself proof OF the
truth of the faith which they believed. Com
pared with it all human power and all human
authority rose but to dissipate themselves
again. This the first evidence of the
words with which he had begun and the next
was, that there never was a time when the
holy Catholic faith was more explicit, unden1-
able, and, he would venture to say, undenied
than now. There was not doctrine of their
creed which had not been denied at some time
in ages past. No sooner was the faith OF the
Gospel preached amongst men than heretics
arose to deny. it. There was not a doctrine
which was not denied with the subtlety of the
Oriental mind, which, to us of the Western
world, seemed fmpenetrable All along the
whole line of faith, the attack of heresy had
been made and all along the whole line of
faith the attack of heresy had been repulsed.
Every article had been assailed, and every ar,
ticle had been defended by the illuminated
knowledge and emphatic voice of the Church
of God. Three hundred years ago mnltitudes
of doctrines had been assaulted at once, and in
the midst of them that which was at the root
of all--the divine authority of the Church
itself. And now where did they find heresy
existingi Where were the Arians of this day
Past, as o shadow falls upon the earth and was
NO more seen; and where were the other forms
of heresyi And, he might go on to say, where
new was that greatest of all errors, that which
laid the axe to the root of the tree, the denial
of the divine authority and infalhbility of the
Church of Godf Let them look over Germany
in these last days; men had been disputing to
and fro whether there remained belief in
Christianity among the Germans. Roman Ca
$holics were listeners to this debate, not dispu-
tants. Let them look over the face of Eng
land. He could never speak OF our own coun-
of charity. Not 9 word would he willingly say
that should wound any one, but truth mnst be
spoken. Where. was that kingdom which
could not be moved--that immoyable kingdom
which they had receivedf Here and there a
few affairs and q few sanctuaries in the midst
of o great wilderness-empty churches, silent
abbeys, deEolate Observation-Disclosures raised
In days Of old by hearts that prayed while
their hands lnb0red now lifeless and cold US
eepulchres; and that which syns far more pre-;
cious, the spiritual church and the lntelleetual
edifce, that reasonable service Of Almighty
God, in truth, in the knowledge OF Jesus
Christ, and of His will. Where was this
Scattered broken scattered to and fro, like
the stones of the temple after the desolation
of Titus had wrought it's worst. In the midst
of all this confusion, in the midst OF all tins
disorder, thu kingdom which was immoyable
stood steadfast, and We heard of no new heresy
throughout the whole world. And whys Be
cause men had gone too far. No one at tins
day, and they mi ght believe that no one hero
after, would invent new Christian heresy.
Fragmentary Christianity was discredlted,
The revisions of Christianity aud the making
of new doctrines out of Christian Scripture
this was pleasant experiment of the past
but men had ceased to attempt it. They had
gone further than this. Private Judgment had
done its work. 1t had shaken the foundations
of faith, and men now, instead of constructing
new and artificial systems of the Christian re
igion for themselves, rejected 1t altogether, o
retained in silence, and with pious desire t.
know the truth-and he must say with loving
hearts which made them sad to see--such frag
1nents of that ancient faith which they still
.lelieFsd and sherished feadly Private judG
1nent had no longer sny existence as an au
thnrity; rationa1ism Ind undermined 1t. Tha
which private Judgment had done against TIL
divine authority Of the Church, rationaiisn
had done against the certainty Of the indiyid
al mind. Men had gone beyond those thing
now and faith aud unbelief stood face to face
prepared for conflict. He said then that Their
never was o time when the holy Catholic fait
Was 30 fumiuuusj cvidurt; stfsllieit, tsEa
denied as now. Controversy against the Ca
tholic faith was still. Where was 1t heard
When did they ever see books of cOntroyers.
against, for instance, the presence of Jesu
Christ in the blessed sacramento There ha'
been q time when England WAS tormented frOn
end to end by denials of the doctrine of tn
holy Mass. The day for that was past. Nay
more than that, by an infinite mercy of God
flle ewes of men were turning back to seek 70
the lamp that hung before the tabernacle, an
The hearts of men were aspiring with hgb
and with love after the presence of which the
had been deprived. No; controversy was oyel
and private Judgment was out OF court. Rea
s,r,nabIe men knew that there was only on
.llternative--Rome or Rationalism-divine AT
thority or the human reason. And the huma
reason had only choice, to be the critic, maxim
it's own faith, or the disciple of Jesus Chris
If they looked throughout the Catholic Church
from the sunrise to the sunset, was there eve
q time when its true unity of the faith wa
more conspicuous, more undeniable when TN
IF CnfhnIi0a W. n genSlDl