The New York herald., 1878-12-16
THE PAULIST CHURCH.

FATHER HILL, o. p.
Il is the mental habit Of these times TO disregard
the dignity of human nature. said the Rev. Father
Hill In his sermon on the Immaculate Conception
at the Paulist Church yesterday. The remark
provoked when the reverend gentleman was explain
ing away one Of the strongest objections made by
those beyond the pale Of the Church to the doctrine
of the Immaculate Conception. The text from which
the discourse preached selected from
the Magnifcat-"My spirit hath rejoced in God,
my Saviour" These words. Father Hill said, had
been advanced by those who did not accept
the dogma of the Immaculate Conception against the
dogma. They claim that the doctrine is that the
Most Blessed Virgin is exempted from the necessity
Of redemption, whereas the doctrine really is that
she her redemption to the far-secng merits of
Christ, and therefore redeemed in perfect
manner. Moreover. the immaculate conception
necessary to the completeness of the redemption,
because the enemy would have had it to say that
Christ had done all He could il He failed to pre-
vent His chosen mother from contracting the stain
OF original sin. The immaculate conception of the
mother Of Jesus sufficient to complete the
ality OF mankind.
THE SECOND GREAT OBJECTION.
The second great objection urged against the doc
trine. the preacher said. was that 1t removed the
Virgin Mary so far from the rest of mankind Now,
the Catholic claim is that she makes our Lord
much nearer to U.S. The answer to this is that
realize in the immaculate Conception the dignity of
our nature and what redemption has done and can
do for u.s. The Virgin is not so far removed from
even in her immaculate conception, for our own
cepton comes from sacramcntal union. Christian
marriage is u sacrament, inasmuch IL participates
in the union of Christ and the Church and raises
natural generation to the supernatural order, With
Catholics marriage Is not cold. legal form and
contracts IL il sacramental mystical and synbolical
and therefore its results not merely natural In
baptism are we ourselves clcansed from original sin
and made perfect. 1t must not be thought that the
Blessed Virgin In so tar removed from account
of her immaculate conception, for after all she had
to merit her crown. She not crowned for privi-
egcs she did not merit but tor her fidelity TO grace.
II this fidelity to grace and undertaking con-
formance to the divine will which caused her to be
crowned queen OF angels and saints. In all things
she conformed to grace. and such was her nature
A FINAL ANSWER.
The last consideration of the subject presented by
Father Hill was that the Holy Mother was the
special champion before God of the tempted and at
hcted, and as she acted mediator she not far
removed. When people look for favors they do not
supplicate who il far beyond Them they seek out
some good and friend and he conveys the mes
sages. Then, again. Mary IL next to our Lord in
strength the wiles of the serpent, and have
In her nexhaustible reservoir of grace from which
we draw in all temptation. OF her II Is written
ln is all grace of the way and the le ard II is also
written of Jesus II the way and the life. where
she is the angel sauted her, 'full of grace
This grace not for herself alone but for all mankind