The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-03-03
The Lecture.
with it,.

We present below to our readers a
few extracts from the elaborate and
very able lecture of Judge Collens,
delivered at st. Alphonsus Hall last Mon
day evening. The subject, though ex-
actly appropriate to the occasion, was not
of popular kind, and, therefore, could not
be expected to attract SO large crowd as
one of more sensational character, but
the audience called together was SO much
the more select and -appreciative. We re-
greet our inability to reproduce the entiye
effort, SO mastery and exhaustive it was,
but our limited space does not permit of
it. Truncated and disconnected as are the
fragments given, they will at least serve to
show our readers who were not present.
the loss they thereby sustained.
The lecturer, after Introducing the subject
pointing out the charitable features of the
Mosaic Dfspensation, and abiding to the
beautiful invitation to brotherhood Contained
in the Proverbs and books of the PROPHETS
went on to say:
The law of Sinai was designed to foster JUS
tice and mercy. The man precept of charity
was promulgated, but it was not claborateIy
eXpoundcd and visiby exemplitied The neo
pie could NOT, themselves, conceive the idea of
1t, purely and completely. According to di-
vine wisdom, 1T was necessary that the en-
iorcement OF equity should precede the coun-
sells of love- There were necessarily stages of
ascent from the degradation resulting from
Adams disobedience and his banishment from
Eden: Tie advent of absolute charity did
not, therefore happen before time provi-
dentially and gradually prepared.
At last that time arrived.
To soften the callous rind that had grown
round tie human heart, to purify and heal the
u m Nch oh hpI Il
envenomed to roll up the wells that shroudcd
the mind and prevented the access of the
Translucent atmosphere of truth-to make
really feel and understand CHARITY
according to the Divine intention and idea it
was necessary for God himself to appear, and
to become the incarnate teacher and iocr of
His own eternal and infinite law of love-
Till the advent of our Saviour the reality eff
charity had abided in the exhaustless depths
OF His own existence, nature and attributes
I'LL that advent only the dim twilight of the
coming day of charity vas family visible
through the dark pcnumbra of egotism that
hung over the blightcd world.
At last the glorious lumnary of that re-
splendent day arose in the person of the incar-
nate Word OF God-the light of the world, our
Lord Jesus Christ, VINO, by His sublime in
structions, His transcendant example His
sse!f-sacrticng life, His all-embracing love,
His terrific moral and physical su,ferinys
and His ignomnious death on the cross
revealed the divine ideal of CHARITY: an
idea so O. infinitely and absolutely grand, pure,
o anu perfect, so nigh above the sor-
didly influenced mind, that without divine
revelation and action, it would ever have
been impossible for the natural mind, of itself |
to have evolved it. Stillless could the natural
heart have generated, or the natural will have |
fulfilled this charity. ~
Let us see If we can, in few short sentences |
distinguish the new reality of charity, made
manifest through Christ, from the shadow
oft presented by the Mosaic Law,
he charity which our Lord enjoined rises |
above the culture and practise of that natural |
kind feels for kind. 1t is moro than |
and beyond the instructive social feeling-it is |
is divine,