The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-05-01

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:. the one the natural race existed only pc
tentislly; in the other the. elect race wa
already perfect, but lacking the universal
ity it was destined subsequently, to en-
. brace. Before, the Christian Church wal
established, q Pope was appointed; the
al commission was given to teach, while al
yet there were NO scholars present to be
taught. This first Pope. was assured that
his faith should never fail, and to him was
!, assigned the duty and obligation Of con-
frming his brethren in the faith, The
,, Apostolic authority was NO allow progress
|. i've growth that merely rose with tho buoy
ancy of human institutions or cornptions
all of sudden it affirmed itself to the
world in the majestic fulness of it's spiritual
power. Yet there were then no bishops,
there were no priests nor deacons-there
was no Christian laity, ALI that was pros
pective, still the Pope was there. The
Papacy is the source of all spiritual author
ity; from it flow all the streams which
irr1gate and fertilise the overwhelming
fields Of the Catholic Church. To use the
words of St. Epiphanius (Hmres, 72), 1T
begets bishops, priests and disciples;" it is
the source from which enanates the power
to administer the sacraments; it is the
only basis on earth for supernatural life.
st. Peter is the fmmovable rock on which
is to be reared the ediice of the recon-
structed human family he is the imperish-
able monument of the unity Of the Church,
alongside of whom, however, the Church
always places st. Paul, the noble repre-
sentative of her variety and universality.
Nor is this variety and universally con-
fined to time or the children of men
alone; 1t stretches out it's arms beyond the
visible universe, and asserts it's authority
in eternity itself. "To me-" says st. Paul, |
(Ephes., C. 3, v. 8, 8 and 10,) "the least of |
all the saints, is given this grace. to preach |
among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches |
OF Christ, andto enlighten all men what is
the dispensation of the mystery which
hath been hidden from eternity in God,
who created all things; that to the princi-
palities and powers in heaven may be made
known, through the Church, the manifold
wisdom of God" Will the serious reader
ponder this stupendous sentencef
The Catholic Church, therefore, since the
principle of unity is settled, is also the
propagation of ideal truth, and in this re-
spect her law is motion, or rather expan-
SION ; but this motion is not spasmodic,
does not jirk from side to side, slide off I
INTO curves, or whirl round in the vicious
clrciesln which modern acrobatic statesmen {
take their amusement at the expense of the
public; it is wisely organized expansion
OF vital force, generated in stability as {
its centre, and diffusing itself from this l
centre to every point in the circumference
it irradiates. The term of this expansion
Of motion is the universally of mankind, i
Tor which the Church yearns with more 4
Than the love of mother. She would in t
'tantly embrace every vagrant from the t
'uined home of humanity, throw round his t
'eck, in pang of maternal love, her fond v
ing arms, and restore to him, together with q
deal Truth the union with the elect fam n
~ OF God, which by its forfeiture was lost. o
since the term of this motion is the uni q
'ersallty OF men, its principle must be d
Some, predestined by Providence to be q 8
perpetual, universal empire-an empire
extending to the remotest regions Of the u
lobe, through the harmonious action of it's u
orders, each one of which is so II
conn ected with all the others,
hat the whole may be ikened to an i'm o.
nense system Of machinery, every move p
nent of which depends on single motor. Z
deal Iruth-made man, and dwelling among II
Is, is the invisible centre of this harmonious Il
and to it are due the match @.
ess vigor with which this organization is IL
ndowed, and the amazing fecundity by
7hich its missions are characterized, To ee
q sure this is owing in certain measure III
D the structure of our ecclesiastical HER
rchy, which combines in its constitution
ctivity with frmness, and celebrity with d.
brength but the chief cause is the DOS Ii,
ession of perfect truth by it's divinely- CT
lected guardian in the Catholic Church. of
he efficacy of truth, when aided by divine IT.
afauence, is unique, Incompatible; for eli
deal Truth is the Sun of souls, which it az
emily warns with it's heat and power wi
lily draws within its influences by the ta
TRACTION of its light. Heretical sects, al On
lough in the scattered stones of the edifice er
| whose ruins they have taken shelter ri,
lay be found some golden grains of the ii,
rimitive truth, are utterly bankrupt as to de
tactical results. The hereto may be COM ON