The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-03-23


and would be simple automata OF goodness God
Himself could not be called good and holy without
the power and liberty OF choice between good ana
evil. But He created the good and the evil How
can this indicate His preference OF the one over tne
other the sine Qea ron condition OF tne deveoP
ously exacted of Him the existence OF EVIL, Dut 70
provide for the redemption from the enects OF evn
was in His power and His plan OF redemption was
conceived by Him before the foundation OF His
universe. 'iThe arm Of the Lord brought salvation
unto Him. IL is not salvation to men alone bue
salvation to the goodness and holiness OF the Lord
Perfect yindcatioD OF His divine attributes. who
shall accuse the Lord for the existence OF evil
when II il He himself that saves from evilr Evil
has no element OF eternal existence. Truth and
error are the fundamental elements Of knowledge
OF intelligence; they correspond with good and
evil. Error is ever subject to be convicted OF lack
Of TRUTH therefore errer Is by its very
has Seca proved nothing but truth
remains n hence sts TRUTH alone Is eternal
good and evil, will not last forever, but only so
long as God chooses to educate men by the contrast
between truth and error and good and evil, with.
out which contrast no knowledge, no intelligence
the wisdom OF Ged will be justified by His own
children.
The evil exists in the world that man may exer-
else divine attributes in overcoming It, Woe to the
coward that shirks the battle Courage, We weary
YOUR savaon So y ts not behsd the
decked, brilliant crown OF victory In his handf For
ward Ever forward and never look behindl DO
the stings OF remOrse make you halt9 Call
On your Captain ne carries balm for every sting;
trust him, trust him
face to the God that saves us from all evil while
am penning this. ORTHODOX OR NOTs
Defence OF the "White-Haired sexton'' or
st. Thomas.
To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:-
noticed in your paper OF last Sunday note
from one who claimed to be vestryman in some
city church concerning st. Thomas church and
his treatment by the ''whitehaired sexton" The
writer must have been somewhat out of humor
when he wrote the note, as the treatment he COM
planned OF is so different from that always ex-
tended to strangers by the same white haired
sexton. have been member of st. Thomas
church for more than twenty years, and can tes-
who desire to worship with u.s. | could not
but but think, when read the note referred to,
hew the writer, had he been pcw-holder in st.
Thomas, would like to come 10 his pew every Sun
day and find it filled with strangers as would be
the case if Mr. Williams should at once seat every
church is taken, and 1t Is therefore easy matter
to give every applicant seat, and, as is the gen
white-haired Sexton has always been celebrated
for his fathfness TO his duties and bis courtesy to
strangers, and |, therefore, have s@ught this OPP
TO defend him against what was, in my
opinion, an uncaled-fOr rejection on him and on
the church he serves. AS vestryman should
think the writer of the note would learn to extend
charity towards a sexton who has so many diff
cult duties to perform.
Several other correspondents make similar
explanation in regard to the above matter.-ED.
HERALD
Does the Bible Teach the Doctrine OF
PurgatOry:
TO THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
The n1sh World OF the 9Th inst. contains a letter
from the Rev. Father Valley of Madison, Wis.,,
taken from the Madison Democrat, addressed to
the Rev. IL. w. Spadng, Protestant clergyman
of the same place. being one OF a series of contrO
versial arguments between the two upon 'The
Catholic Church, its Doctrine and Sacramento
The first part Of the reverend gentleman's episte
is in defence OF the doctrine OF purgatOry which he
attempts to establish upon Scriptural basis. Not
having seen what Mr.. Spalding may have said upon
the subject, but Judging from the remarks okFather
Valley, am led to infer that the former cOntented
himself by merely denying that the Bible
taught any such doctrine. To convince him,
however, that the Bible does teach the doc
rne, he quotes three texts from the New
Testament in support OF the dogma; and
it is to two of these l wish more particularly
to advert in this communication, partly because
they are the most frequently quoted by Catholics,
and, chiefly, because upon them Father Valley lays
peculiar emphasis. But, before giving the texts
/ would here remark that In summing up his COM
ments upon the doctrine the reverend Father con-
cludes in these words 1.-THE creation of purgatory
is evidence of Gods love for us, who wills little
faults (sins) to be eGaced by the purifying agency
Of fire. The texts are taken from the DOuay YER
sion, ana are as feows:-
Be agreement with this adversary betimes, while
thee ne Judge deliver 10 the S
ho shalt S not go out thence till thou repay the last
Now II any build this foundation gold, silver
precious stones Wood hay stu5De every mans work
clare it because it shall be revealed BY are, and IRE
Mos %1n he MSFs s res
ee fH b. r. shall be saved 50 as by e ors'
In the English Bible the last clause of the first
text above quoted reads thus: ''verily say unto
thee. thou shalt by no means come cut thence till
thou hast paid the uttermOst 1arthing," the only
essential difference being that in the Catholic
the OF this perhaps, may appear afterwards.
Now contend that the text from Matthew ", rs
and g. does not refer to purgatory, and for the fol-
lowing reasons
Ftrst-The adversary spoken of is any one whom
is death and the ''prison" is hell. To show that
this is not mere fancfu Interpretation, our Lord
owing king ten thousand talents and having no
means to pay 1T, was released from his debt, but
afterwards manifesting cruelty to felowservant,
"HiS lord was wr0th and delivered him to the tor
AS he could never pay the ten Thousand talents,
and therefore never leave his prison. this prison
cannot refer to purgatory but he'll because purga.
tory Is a temporary place OF punishment, and
10 are b OF TIT
OF the faithful, but principally by the acceptable
sacrifice of the altar"
Second-Ths text cannot refer to purgatory,
because 1t expressly says, Thou shalt not go out
thence till thou mark that word 'thou;n in thine
own person others cannot help you pay t) repay
the last farthingn The English Bible says Thou
shalt by NO means come out" and the catholic
Bible attests its truth; but Trent knowing better
than the author OF the Bible contradicts them all
when it says there are means. and these means
the ..sufrages" OF the faithful Even the author OF
the Book Of Maccabees seems to have been entirely
ignorant OF the great efficacy possessed by the
''sunrages of the faithful in releasing souls from
purgatory, Tor the only remedy he recommended
for the purpose was simply prayer; but then
prayer Is not so "pro1tabler to the Church as the
SURFACES Of the faithful and that, you knew, makes
all the difference in the world.
With respect to the second text brought forward
by Father Valley in support OF the doctrine
would say that il can by no possibility refer to pur
gatOry. and for the following four substantial rea