The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-04-19

| @SS>A'S0 AAoAt oouSShibB OiooJ "A"o 10 sA~S
something else beyond all the forces Of the ami
rerscf They would all without exception have
begun. To say this of them, is merely to say
| that they were all nonresident once; and this
without exception. In other words, the VIII ole
chain, even with all it's links taken together,
is short of eternal. If SO, it has been preceded
either by blank nothing, or by some being
who has force not thus received, force which
is his own inherently and absolutely, as 1
MAINTAIN. Tell me of a chain, the top of
which recedes beyond our ken, that the lowest
link depends on the next to it, and this on the
third, l understand you; but if ask what
suspends the whole chain, with all its links
taken together, it is no answer to say that the
| links so numerous and the chain is SO Ions
| that it requires nothing but itself to keep it
in suspension. The longer it is, the greater
must be the necessity of the ultimate grasp,
and the stronger must that grasp be and OBJ
serve, it must be truly ultimate otherwise you
have not solved the difficulty; nay, the sus-
pending force must be distinct from and be-
yond the chain itself, you do not account
for the suspension. But will put all this
past a cavil. What said respecting proofs to
Domitius Afer, say respecting causes to Ii
berus Caesar. No denies that various
forces are operating in the universe. Now, of
| two things, one: Either there is first force
acting and moving by its own freedom which,
being antecedent to all other forces, not only
must be independent of them all, but can alone
| have produced them all ; or else there is in the
| universe no force which has not some other
antecedent to it. This last proposition is easily
shown to be absurdity for to sag that erc,y
force has force dntecedent to it, is the same as to
sag that all forces hare another force anteccdei to
| them ; IN othcr srOrdS, that, orcr and Gborc all
| things Of giren Glass; there is another thing Of
that class. Can there be more than the whole!
Can there be another thing of certain kind,
beyond all things of that kind Besides every
force, is there yet another force7 If any one
is here who would say so, wait to hear him. .
Not one said word.
"Then remark the conclusion" pursued
Dionysius. /" 1t is Standardization to con-
tend that there be thing more of a
class than all things of that class; therefore
! there is not, and cannot be, a force antecede nt
to every force in the universe therefore til ere
is, and must be, in the universe, a force which
is the first force, force which has not and
could not have any other antecedent to it.
Now this force, being the first, could be CON
elolicu ny OIueI ny lbs ACTION every other
must have been produced, and under its con-
troll every other must lie."
"Do not you contradict yourselfYn inquired
Afer; "you show there cannot be force an
tecedent to all forces, and still you conclude
that there is"
"There cannot" said Dionysius "be force
antecedent to all forces, because this would
be one moro of class beyond all of Il class
| p,,@t a.,
which no other was; and this is what l have
demon strated to exist. That first force is an
tccedent not to all, but to all Others there
you stop; there is none antecedent to Him.
AS he is the first force, all things must have
come from him. He made and built this uni
verse it is his imperial palace You have
asked me to prove that one eternal and omnip-
otent God lives. l have now given you an ar
gument which l am by no means afraid in
this, or any other assembly to call demon
stration. And it is but one out of n great
many"
A low murmur of spontaneous plaudits and
| frank assent round that luxurious, but
highly cultivated, apprecative and brilliant
company and one voice little too loud was
heard exclaiming,
at is as clear as the light of day, dear
Dion !"
All eyes turned in one direction, and Paulu
whose feelings of admiration and sympathy
had thus betrayed him, blushed scarlet as be
withdrew behind the stately form of Ge1mani-
Gus, who looked round at him smiling half in
amusement half in Kindness
81 do think it demonstration indeed" said
Augustus, musinG gravely.
How strangely must that stupendous Be
ing," said Strabo, the geographer, " deem of q
world which has come SO completely to for yet
and ignore him.
Your reasoning" resumed Augustus q diff
fcrs much, as you said it would, from Pato's
Plato is too subtle for our Roman tasteo -
So is he" said Dionysius, " too subtle, and
l think, too hesitating, for the taste of most
men everywhere. l admire his genius, but
disclaim many of his theories, and am not q
disciple of his school"
Of what school are yon ?"
am dissatisfied with every school," re-