The New York herald., 1874-07-19
Unity and Catholicity In tho Catholic
Church.


Unity and Catholicity in tho Catholic
Church.
| To THE EDITOR or THE HERALD
have seen manv In this country and in England
who stoutly deny that unity ana catholicity are
peculiar to ''the Roman Catholic Church." ASK
shoeback where Is the Catholic Church, and ask
the President MIR. Grant, the same question. ana
he Will give you the Information you got from the
sh0eblack. In like manner, when You SPEAK or
'the Catholic church." you must not expect to be
understood 10 mean Mr.. Mackonockies church nor
Mr.. Surgeons.
Most OF the non-cathoc divnes know that unity
is not in their Church and they call its absence
liberty. / have heard Rev. T. II. Chaplin ID. d.,
say:-"Ai churches are progressing towards uni
versalism, In rejecting creeds and dogmas which
have caused dsunIon. An Episcopalan anu
Roman Catholic might unite In helping TO extn-
guish fire; but that is as much unity "a yon may
expect from themD Mr.. Beecher thinks unity IL
not required; he believes 1t exists only ''in that
internal miracle or time-the Catholic Church"
His opinion on the eternal rorments OF hell
is not very different from DR.. Chapin's. was In
his church during one OF his Sunday evening SER
mons. lie gave out a hymn we stood up and sang;
II was signed sWesiey," and promised the ever
lasting joys OF heaven to the just aud hell ior all
eternity TO the wicked. When we had finished he
! dissen,ed from Wesley, called him an enthusiast.
J
..the hymn which you sing and don't" This
showed liberty If not unity. He knew many of his
hearers believed in what they Tad just been sing
ing but that was no affair OF his.
/ And now let me quote from sermon by St.
Augustine. and which did not hear:-"A man may
hear anything outside the Catholic Church except
salvation; ne may have honors, he may have sacra-
/ ments, he may sing aeluiah he may answer
amen, he may mold the Gospels, ne may both have
Enfh
and OF the son and oil the Holy Ghost; but nowhere
except in the Catholic Church viii he be able to
hnd salvation For ali these things pass away. my
bretnren,"
/ He win tell you what he means by sthe Catholic
Church" and so VIII st. Cyril, OF Jerusa'
lem-'that there are human institutions
but the members of these institutions, when
speaking of the true Church, even among them
Catholic Church," And If you wonder whv vsi-
BILE circle should have visible centre st. Jeromes
! letter 10 the Pope Will explain that geOmetrical
dlfbcuty. We see, then. thar union aud catho-
lclty are marks OF the Catholic Church: let US flnd
Divine. II human. it must be similar TO some
human Institution; II DIVINE, TO some Divine in.
the Catholic Church can be demonst rated to be
true LA the same manner we demonstrate
Enc. l., A., or investigate the fundamental ormnla
OF spherical trigOnometry, or one from which the
latitude and Longitude OF the star Sirius may be
found by knowing the Obhquity OF the ecilptic and
the stars right ascension and decentralization
we must not wonder at It's unity and ca hOicity
no more than we wonder that the mathematicians
OF The present and the past would agree and be
convinced both as to the method OF investigation
and tine truth o. the formulas investigated. Here we
would find Descartes Newton, LeiDnitZ De MOAN
and Proctor OF one mind. But, ins cad OF seeking
the latitude and longitude OF the star Sirius. We
propose to find its origin. Did IL evolve from the
milky way, or was it created at the same time
the Otner heavenly bodiesS Is tree to the seed
s'created something' from whicn It evovedS what
are the unheard-Oi properties OF that "crea ed
something'' from which the giant wOrkmen At
Remission
tenn Let US introduce host OF philosophers and
seek for unity among tnem-Descartes B., hume;
seek for unity among Iheologans. ii we hnd y
unity and cathoictry similar to the unity and
piers, astronomers or theoloaianS on the ques-
tions when cannot be demonstrated and are above
the grasp OF human reason. we must not wonder
at the unity aud cathohcy OF the Catholic Church,
at least among the great thinkers OF that Cnulcn.
We find no such unity. The light Of reason. Ur.
which IS tue same tn,ng, non-Cathoic iaith, have
never caused unity and cathohcty which are
peculiar TO the Catholic Church. It Is reasonable,
? then, to infer thst the Power which gives and pre-
t1s unity and cathOlicty is Divine or which
Where do we find ANYTHING similar to its We
must not look among the institutions OF man. The
cause OF unity and catholIclty in the Catholic
Church and IN the solar system is the same-tne
founder OF the Catholic Church. There are, as
have shown. men VINO deny the peculiar marks OF
VINO cannot see that these marks are also peculiar
TO the solar system. u work by the same Dlvine
Architect An atom lalls TO tne eartn, the stars
recede rom US, the earth and sun approach, aud
the great thinkers" Oliy see the giant wOrkmen.
Attraction aud Repuislon; 50 they write down
the hnal end OF man and tnat OF the heavenly
bodies. They cannot that God Is the frst
cause that attraction and repuslon are his
agents; that the Will OF God control any agent
The system lasts tlll He wills II otherwise. We
, learn from Mr.. Proctor that his map, giving
be true for $4,000 years uence What does
this show among stars travelling different direc
tons and with different veocltles Astronomy
and Catholic theology teach the same lesson.
Newton was no theologlan, put he recognized the
i with becoming humility and truth said:-"I am as
child gathering lew OF the shells scattered on
Let US ask ourselves why we protest against
that OF wnich we know nothing. Let US learn
Catholic doctrine. not from the enemies OF the
Catholic Church. but from herself "Seek and you
shall find" We SHAH get nutcient lgnt to lead Us
to her door; but shou'd we remain at her door we
Cburca'-that supernatural light winch is un-
knowl outside her fold, and which IS Obtained
through the receiving OF her sacfaments. have
heard manv ant-CathOllc sermons and read many
anti.Cathohc booSs. have knowiedge oi both
learned only from Catholics. 1t is duty TO learn
it. She Is one, she Is catholic she is divine.
The Fast of Ab-Jerusalem's Destruc-
The Jewish people are perhaps the only excep-
tion in the family of man VINO commemorate de-
feat as well as victory. Once year, about this
time. they commemorate the destruction OF their
temple and holy city, and on Wednesday evening
and Thursday OF this week this event will be duly
remembered by faithful Israeites by fasting and
prayer in their respective synagogues. Time was
when the fast was observed with the utmost
strictness; but as 1t takes place in the heat OF
summer the ricors OF the fast are sotened down
by some, while others, satisfied with their present
condition, think 1t useless to last on account OF
event tnat took place eighteen centuries ago.
There yet thousands in Israel, however, whe
observe the DAY, and these, although many Genius
have elapsed since Israel has been shorn OF It's
glory, are not disheartened, but are convinced
that the predicted period Of comfort and glory Will
! as certainly come the time OF trouble ana afc-
tlOn has heen literally fulfilled. Hence they .ook