The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-04-03

end-are both necessary to true progress
in our present condition. Modern ideas OF
progress admit the second, but exclude the
first of these cycles, on the assumption thas
the vicious and imperfect state was the
original condition of our nature. This
assumption may do very we'll for our ra-
tionalists or German pantheists, but it is
without the least foundation in history;
while nationally it is simply absurd. Pan
theists, and their servile, but, to do them
no injustice, not always conscious imita-
tors, the rationalists, asserting successive
exploitation Of the Absolute, by which its
forms are progressively improved, are COM
PEELED by the necessities of their position
to regard imperfection as the original state
of every phenomenon. According to them
the universal course of existences Ia from
variety to unity, from chaos to order, nom
evil to good-from the iron to the golden
age; which, in their view, is yet before us,
in the future and never, no matter what
the traditions of the race may say to the
contrary, existed in the past-an assertion
outside of Pantheism, manifestly Prepos-
ferrous. The only rational conception We
can form of human progress is to consider
man-such as we find him, fallen, and
obliged to 60 back to his first principle, II
he would reach the high destiny decreed
him by Providence.
Such, in fact, is tho Christian idea; for
Christianity, consideredin the whole course
of time, from the institutions which were
its prcliminaries to those which shall attest
it's final triumph, is tho complete restoratsos
Of man to his prinseval state, and tho inepxlss
given him to,oards his last end. This resto-
ration, inasmuch as it implies the healing
of the wounds of nature, and the reinvesti-
ture of nature with the privileges it has
forfeited, can be effected only by an act Of
the same kind and degree as the act which
gave nature itself an existence. This act
is creative for a body radically unsound
cannot find it's cure within itself. Now the
creative act, being superior to nature,
which without it could not exist, is super
natural; therefore the reformation of man,
since it is the effect of creatixe power, isI
likewise supernatural.
Every moral transgression is the pertur
button of the ideal order, which should
pervade all created powers. This order
emanates from the sovereignty Of ideal
truth, which is the ruling principle, whence
all unity, beauty and harmony are derived.
Moral perfection consists in reducing to
in expressing it internally and externally
by our thoughts, affections and actions in
actualizing it with all our powers in our
outward operations, and thus placing the
little world of art, of which we are tbs
authors, in unison with the harmony Of tn
universal world. An act is virtuous d
which the Ineligible predominates, and
its rule and end; and vicious, when tle
Ineligible is subordinate to the sensibhs
and man sets himself in opposition to to
ideal principle, which is the order of 10
universe. Now as the first transgressan
was the subordinatiOn Of idea to sensaAtQ
which must be traced back the successive
observation of ideal truth-its atonemens
restored to the Ineligible, the empire
which sense had usurped, restored the BALI
ance of power in man, and reinvested tho
perceptions of the mind with their legitif
mate authority. But guilt, by vitiating tho
The manifold errors which succeeded the
unity of truth, had dispersed the human
family into multitude of peoples unknown
to, or at war with each other, and often diff.
fering widely in feature and language, in
manners and opinions, in mode Of worship
and living. The unity of mankind had
failed with the integrity of ideal truth, by
which that vast mass was governed. Con-
sequently the divine reformation would
have been imperfect, and fallen short of its
purpose, if while providing for the individ-
ual, it overlooked the consideration of the
race, on which the very existence of its
component parts in many respects depends.
Hence, Christianity, besides the reforma-
ton of the individual, aims also at the red /
indignation of ideal truth in the society of
all men, and in this light, may accordingly
be regarded as the successive reconstruction
of the primitive and natural unity of man
kind.
Ito be Conrinued)
BISHOP PERCHE.-We take from lie PROD
pdgateur of last week an extract from d