The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-06-18
Sermon of Bishop Gibbons.

We have been favored with printed
copy of Bishop Gibbons sermon delivered
at the conservation of the Baltimore Cathe-
dral on the 25th of May ult. 1t opens with
beautiful and mastery sketch of the his
tory of Christianity up to this day, showing
it's trials and triumphs, its steady march
over all obstacles of persecution, heresy,
schism, barbarian conquest and Mahomme-
dan invasion. The sermon is not without
political allusion, and it is that feature
which particularly fixed our attention.
Many purbliud Catholics have deceived
themselves into q kind of pious hallucina-
tion on the subject of civil government in
it's connection with the Church. They fancy
that because nearly ali Catholic countries
have, as matter of history, been monarchi-
cal, therefore there is some kind of connec-
tion between Catholicity and monarchy.
Bishop Gibbons, speaking of Kings and
their Ministers in their relations to the
Church, says:
from the days of the Roman C@sars to the pres
emit Chancellor of Germany. Many persons L.
bor under the erroneous impression that the
crowned heads Of Europe have been the un-
varying bul wsrks of the Church, and that she
could not subsst without them. The truth
is, her worst enemies have been, with some
princes. They wished to be governed by no
law, but their psssion and caprice. They
chafed under the sslutary discipline of the
Church, and wished to be rid of her, because
che alone, in times of oppression, had the power
| and the courage to stand by the people. She
planted herself like wall of brass. against
the encroaohments of their rulers and said to
them; Thus far thou shalt go and no farther,
| and here thou shalt break thy swelling waves "
| of pride. She told them, that if the people
have their obligations, they have their rights
| too; that If they must render to Cesar the
things that are Cnsar's Cesar must render to
God the things that are Gods"
On the other hand he speaks as fellows
ofrepubIican government
Is 1t constitutions al liberty that will destroy
the Churohf o. give us liberty, aud we are
content. The Church breathes freely and ex
pands only where true liberty is found. She
is alweyo cramped where despotism casts it,
dark shadow. No whore does she enjoy more
Independence than here. No where is che more
vigorous or more prosperous.
The question of civil government, as tc
its form, is one in which the Church has nj
interest and no preference. She has never
pronounced nor indicated that any one form
is in itself better than another, but insists
that call power" comes from God in every
y .
power, in any government, to which she OBJ
jects, whether at the hands of an sbsolut,
sovereign or of a popular majority, and i
is this abuse that Bishop Gibbons call
"despotism."
Monarchy has been on trial during NOR
than eighteen centuries, and has proved t.
be, on the whole, a terrible foe to tn
Church. For three hundred years the EN-
perOrs of Rome, that lie, of the civilized world
hunted down their Christian subjects wit
t frightful prosecutions. Then they themselve
:, became nOminally Christian, but manage
Q generally to cast their influence in favor
heresy whenever it presented bold from
II Whenever no especial heresy was potter
= enough to make popular progress, the moi
= Archs were perpetually trying to fOmeI
sChisms in order to arrOgate spiritual pow
= to themselves.
Ne After Mahommedanism had been efEectr
i, ally beaten of and Christendom freed fro
the danger Of it's invasion, heresy aga