The New York herald., 1874-04-06
rive ma the great soui and we can anticipate any
Shing; the bravest hope Will never be dsap.
pointed.
ST. FRANCIS xAvIER's CHURCH.

=
The church OF ST. Francis Xavier, Sixteenth
street, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, was
crowded to reple tion yesterday at the high mass
services. The altar was beautifully decorated
with natural fowers while the lights from the
candles, that seemed almost innumeraole the
presence OF the priests In their gold embroidered
vestments, the thirty acolytes In their rich robes
OF white and red, rendered the scene dazzling ana
bewllderlnR beyond description. The musical
part Of the services OF course, as usual OF the
most magnificent character. The regular cnoir'
under the conduct OF Professor Berge, the or
ganist, was fortified by a large number Of addi-
ti0naI voices, and brass instruments were
brought into requisition to accompany the
organ and the chorus The mass sung was the
"Messe Pascnale,n composition OF Professor
Berge,s the beauties OF which have already oeen
described In detail in the HERALD. The soloists
were Misses Teresa and Mary Werneke, soprano
and contralto; Mr.. Tamaro, tenor, and Mr.. Bacehi,
basso Tie mass was rendered suPerbly, and
although owing to It's length the congregation did
not get away until nearly two O'Clock, no one
seemed to be impatient or anxious to leave before
the close Of the services very pretty feature OF
the altar decorations, it should be mentioned,
was a white dove, suspended over the tabernacle
SO ingeni0usly that one was almost led to believe
that 1T was thing Of Life and that 1t was really
nylng in the air.
Tne sermon was preached by the Rev. Father
Deay, who took Tor his text the sixteenth chapter
OF St. Mark. The reverend gentleman began by
saying that IL was law established by God that
we enter into CORY through trial and tribulatlon
and tnat Jesus Christ did not wish to form an ex-
ception to this law. Three days previous. he said
we had mingled our tears with the blood OF the
Him martyr on Mount Calvary, rejected In His
doctrines, prescribed In His disciples and ex-
'Buts how bow changed was % the scene to-day,"S he
added. The triumphant resurrection OF the
Saviour had rendered Him thousand times more
gl0riOns than He ever had been before, and He
who had been mocked IN HIS agony on the cross,
rejected IN His doctrine and prescribed IN HIS
disciples had again resumed In the very centre OF
weakness in the very arms OF death ITSELF throne
OF immortality. This, said che reverend father,
Christian and which sheds an imperishable lustre
around
THE DOCTRINES OF CHRIST AND HIS INSTITUTIONS
The resurrection OF Christ was ordained by God
Almighty to be the finishing and consummate
proof OF all HIS other miracles; for as st. Paul
vain is our preaching and vain also Is your
faith" Miracles, st. Augustine said, are for tn-
but oi all miracles the greatest is the resurrection
OF the dead "but OF all the resurrections," con-
tined the same holy man. rs 1t not much tue
self from death to lie by ones own powerY" 1t
was not, therefore, without reason SAID the rever
end preacher, that Jesus Christ particularly in
sisted on this sign to make 1t appear that He was
God and the Son OF God Tor, IN reality, none but
my life and the power 70 take
again. The one is as easy to me as the other, and
as shall quit II when please: SO shall resume It
press himself IN this manner Before Jesus Christ
had come INTO the world
MEN HAD BEEN RESTORED TO LIFE,
but restored by other men. Elisha mad by his
breath Infused lie into the dead body Of tue Shu-
namite's son. and the child OF the widow woman OF
Zarephath had been restored to Lille by the prayer
Of Elijah and returned IN perfect health and vigor
to hls his siu disconsolate mother. the nnneard
formed 1t, and that at the same time the
twoold miracle Of giving life and oI raising Him.
had seen Hln,'' said ST. John, II eIl az His ieer as
II dead, and He laid His right hand upon Inc, say
ns rs s sud @ aSe aaS 5 @
dead; and behold, am living forever and ever,
THE KEYS OF DEATH AND OF HELLn
This was said the reverend Father, the miracle
Coo Almighty had reserved for His son, to prove
iDasmuch as He had been raised from death to lie,
and God lnasmuch as He raised himself TO life TO
the words Of the am coanee aRp R
them that go down into the pit. am as q man
that hath no strength-free among the dead"
That Is to say, said the preacher Jesus Christ en-
tered into the regions or death not as subject,
but as sovereign; not depending on its laws but
enjoying perfect freedom-iree among the dead;
and Tor Him to return to lie by the way OF resur
rection He wanted nothing but Himself. lie
s NO p o IN
sepuichre-because, being God, He needed no
other aid but HIS own omnipotent power. 1t was
displays In His doctrine and In HIS institutions.
He teaches and speaks, he said, to the soul, and
speaks only OF God. Who, he asked, before Him
had ever thought, with the exception OF lew
prophets OF the Old law who ioreshadowed his doc
trne, OF teaching that
and that sacrifce was the only sure means by
which TO secure it; that is, he said that we must
deny ourselves in order TO give to Cod, that He IN
turn may give Himself to US aud forever This
doctrine OF Christ, he remarked. was so pre-eml-
IL
ever have hoped to understand It. For how, he
asked, could we uliy understand with the light OF
natural reason alone that which Is so much Op
posed to nature and what could there be more
opposed to nature than to be willing to die2 In
clear notion and feeling knowledge OF 1t, we
must, he said, have new sense, the sense OF the
supernatural. God, in iact, must create within us
q superhuman lloht to perceive which will CO.
operate with the exterior doctrine, otherwise HIS
teachings would be uninteligiDle TO US. This light
SS4aon ior it. chrst he sad aasS was ae the ony asy
Sended knees and and His intentions s,sn coaia be
fully understood only by prayer. This ex-
but wh rc His and i D Dan 9ners in
under, It's holy and saving influence. More
the heart OF man with power like His. His
word more than commands-it creates. His les
heavenly germs, which bua forth and produce
exna9siiess ~ M fruits Of herolsm and sancnty Every
Que OI Ills nax1nlS becomes q law and every one OF
LIS laws mas It's action which bears on 1t
THE MARX OF IMMORTALITY.
Eighteen hundred years and more had witnessed
thls miracle, and every day we bear testimony to
It. "Tell me-" said the reverend father, 'teli me
why DO SO many seek In the silence OF solitude
and OF retirement an image Of heaven where TO
spend their lives in prayer2 Who impresses them
with this thoughtG Who inspires them to
loving adorationS A single word from the
lips OF Christ, We ought always to
pray What induces thousands upon whom
providence has lavlsned wealth and station and
fortune to torsake all in order to seek with the
power OF Christ a happiness which the world can
not understandable happiness OF possessing moth
ingY Who strips them OF their wealth. Who de-
prives them OF their nonors2 single word from
the hps OF BLESSED are the poor in spiritn
Who has planted in their hearts this love OF sacri
nee, OF seii-denal, and to such degree that they
imagine they can never sacrifice themselves
enough to satisfy the extent or their desires A |
single word from the lips OF Chrlst--Tf you wish
To he my disciple, take up yOur Cross and follnM