The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-02-26
Solemn words ffom an Old Church warrior.

! We cannot refrain from laying before
our readers the following touching and
manly words from the Aps sMar;a of Jan
uary 2sth. They are from the first number
of q series of articles, now publishing, on
the Religious Orders, written by o. A.
Brownson ,,i
DR.. Brownson, is now an old man, and
possessed as he is, of remarkable eruditiou,
| gifted with q mind Of extraordinary logical
and philosophical power, close observer
ence, and a devont Catholic, his words
come to us with double weight and unusu-
al force and significance. We advise every
Catholic to read the entire article; for APP
parently times are coming upou us when
we shall have to declare in precise and un-
mistakable accents whether we are for God
or for the world-the schole for one, or the
achole for the other; for God, and the
Church of God, like God, will divide with
none.
81 must myself confess, to my shame and
deep sorrow, that for four or Eve years,
ending in 1864, listened with too much
respect to these liberal or liberalizing Ca
tholics, whether at home or abroad, though
had previously written against them, and
sought to encourage their tendency as faH|
as 1 could without absolutely departing
from Catholic faith and morals. had been
my Catholic instincts never went with
them but was induced to think that |
might find in the more fondly cherished |
tendencies of my nom Catholic country
men point dappui for my arguments in |
favor of the teaching of the Church, and /
US as short as possible greatly facilitate
their conversion. My faith was firm, and
my confidence in the Church unshaken.
but yielded to what seemed at the mo-.
ment to o wise and desirable policy. ALI
gained was the distrust of large portion
of the Catholic public, and a suspicion
among non Catholics that was losing my
confidence in Catholicity, and was on the
point Of turning back to some form of Pro-
testantism or infidelity. But 1 was not
oDg, through the grace of God, in discov-
,ring that the tendency 1 was encouraging j
# the Church, and as soon as that became I
lear to me did not hesitate to abandon it ,
nd bear as we'll as could the humiliation 8
f having yielded to an uncatholic and q
dangerous influence.
"The Holy Father, in the Syllabus, that
;hurch thinks of liberal Catholics, that
he can make no compromise with the /
'orld, and that she meets the errors of an
&c or nation only by opposing, directly in
heir face and eyes, the truth that con-
emns, them. She has nothing to accept
Olu CHc WOIlu OutSlue uer. Suo Is |
atholic, and Catholic not only because she F
INSISTS in all ages and teaches all nations,
ut because she teaches all truth. ALI her T
are universal, and every one of Il
er dogmas is based on a universal princi- At
lie, which has it's reason and necessity T
ther In the Creators own essence or in =
le constitution of the universe. He has
'eated and governs. There is no truth
Inside of her not includedin the truth she
Dlds and teaches. Outside of her there r.
ay be views of truth, theories, opinions,
ut she holds and teaches the truth itself.
vidently, then, she can form no alliances
18th anything outside of her, and accept ~
othing from the world which, if true, she "
as not already in its unity and universali- -
2. What modern civilization has that ia " "
ne and good she holds and cherishes, and n
hat it has that she opposes or refuses to
'cept is neither true nor good. So at least
7ery loyal Catholic does and must be-
eve and maintain"