The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-09-15

"A priest has no wife nor children 10 piuo ni'11
to ono spot more than another. He VINO 10
unmarried osreth for the things OF the Lord
how be may please God"
A Protestant minister has all the ties OF earsn
olinging around his heart, for che who is mar
ried is solicitous about the things OF the
world, how he may please his wife, and he 10
divided"
st. Paul himself shows that the action OF
such q one In leaving place dangerous to his
health, happiness and temporal interests, 10
perfectly natural, and states the fact without
reproaoh or apology.
A Catholic priest remains-not through "pre'
tension"-but because he "careth how he may
please Cod" He stands ut the post Of danger
even as the soldier stands when placed In the
front rank of the battle. He is noble. heroic,
sublime! He is one who can say, ~ have fought
the good fight. / have finished my course,
have kept the faith. For the rest, there is laid
up for me o CROWN of Justice which the LORD,
the Just Judge, will render to me at the last
day"
Protestant minister who thinks it his duty
to expose himself to danger and death, even
when assured "by those who ought to know
that be can do no good, is rash aud imprudent,
rather than brave or heroic.
few such men-Proteatant miuisters-have
fallen in the different plague tainted cities OF
the South. We honor them bat there was no
need for them as ministers, to remain As
men, their sacrifice of life and all its promises
was grand and noble but as they had no
spiritual help to bestow upon their fellow crea-
lures, their sacrifice ss ministers was unneces-
sary and uncalled for.
But we submit also with W. E. T. that this
is no time to asperse the character of men who
do possess spiritual gifts entrusted to them by
Christ for the benefit of His creatures, who do
dispense these mysteries Of grace to oil who
need them, and who do 60 about doing good
without pretention, being assured by One.who
ought to know that seven as the Father has
sent Me, 30 do send you." "Let
man 30 regard us as ministers of Christ and
dispensers Of the mysteries of God"
Yes, "Yilliw" has done an injustice to the
Protestant ministry of Canton, for w. E. T.,
shows this most conolusively, and We have
only added onr own uncomfortable testimony
to the came effect. They have indeed NO
spiritual gifts to bestow, no loosening power
to exercise, NO ministry of reconciliation" to
fulfil, DO "mysteries of God" to dispense.
Poor Protestant ministers, when the dark
hour comes, when the time Of trial is near,
when the dying out number the living, when
souls, like leaves of the forest, are winging
their way to the valley Of death, then there is
nothing for them to do, no work for their
hands to perform When peace and prosperity,
when fashion and wealth prevail, then they
are ready for pulpit elcquenoe and camp meet
ing exhortations!
Noble Catholic priests, when pestilenoe
stalks abroad, when death is at every door,
when poverty and distress run riot, when
ninety per cent of those who sicken, die; then
their hands are full Of spiritual ministrations,
then they may be seen going from house to
house and from street to street; and after at
tending to all the sick and dying in one place,
passing on to another to continue their work
nntil they are spent in the service of God and
His creaturesl
And yet these are called pretentious, while
the others fnd an spologist perhaps Ia the
very man who assured them that they could
do no good to the sick, the dying or the dead
among their fellow beings.
The Protestant minister leaves an afflicted
city and takes care of himself. A Catholic
priest RENAME and dies, If need be, in the SER
-ioe of others. Is this pretentious or mott