The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1878-01-20

protect the people from the biting of tbs
| snakesf Who but Moses, who erected the
braZen serpent that WIS to 81 mbolizs the cross
and told the people whom bitten by the ser
pents TO look ut that brazon seTpent and they
would DO healedf And what was the box oil
relics bnt the ark Of the covenant, with ths
rod of Aaron, with the vessel OF mannA, with
| the tables OF the law, with those Venerable
relica-sll inanimate objectsi And who wa.
tho saint whose shodow (not even an mani
Peter for We arc told In the Aota Of the Apos
ties that people brought their sick that his
shade " might fall upon them. SO the Catholic
believes nothing in regard to these snejecta
substantiA ally different from what tho Protest
ant must admit-whioh 10 not contained In the
Bible of God. Nor can even the nationalist
object il he admit the existence OF God and
His angels. Gcd could use these Illuminate
objects as he uses animate objects. What Is
the difference to him between the fret spirit 10
heaven and the humblest insuimSte object on
esrthf Both being creatures, must be infiu-
itely beneath him. II In only question OF the
di fferepcs bet,cecn tieo Httle things
Therefore is there nothing irrational In snip
posing that God, for his own ends sometimes
those ends are patent, SOM times they are con-
csal d-but there ia thing irrational in sup
posing that God can act through tbese external
objects. These relics do not perform the mira
Giles. God scts through them. God uses them.
just rs he uses neu; there is no divinity in
them. God uses them simply rs On instrument.
Surely God can do iust rs no pleases with
bis own oreatures. In the manner that
no plSaBeb, ~n6n No pieR8eo, RuO 10 Iuau
dare ask him whyf ] may add, In pass-
ing, when we hear OF those marvellous
things, of miracles, and visions. and so forth,
the Catholic does not believe that he is bound
to accept them all. What every imagi nation
of every excitabte old lady. or young lady !;
every vision of every intensified, mighty
wrought mind No! these reported miracles
have to be examined az DR.. Newman remarks,
upon the very anne laws of evidence by which
any other faols are examined. examine the
reported fact; bring to it the ordinary laws
Of evidence; reject or accept 1t upon evidence
brought before me, admitting, of course, the
possibility Of Almighty God performing mira
ole-tho possibility, but not the fact. until 1t
shall have been proved. Hence there 10 no de-
graduation Of either reason religion.
Neither Is it true. ladies and gentlemen, that
the Old Church tends to demoralize the indi
vidual or the national conscience, by her nse
of that power which God gave to his apostles
said: "Whcss Gins ye shall forgive they are
forgiven them"
The oonfessor is simply Coda agent, and just
as tho olsr ~ who =, eaPsises the child ,s
soul of the child-as the Protestant clergyman,
Or the lsymsu, or whoever baptizes the child.
washes away this original sin from the soul OF
the child, doing it as Code agsnt-so the prisst
forgives tho 1otual Sin, but only ss Gods
agent. The power given to bin 10 . delegated
power; he cannot exercise it bsyoud the li.nits
assigned ny him who delegated it.
Now Almighty God will not forgive q mana
sius without sorrow for them aud necessary
PREPARATION for their effects, aud determination
to enter on a new life. The priest cen nevor
forgive tho sins of q man W no il not truly con-
trite. The priest has no power over such "a
SOUL If the prissS hal this tremendous power
to forgive aims as he pleased. then the coofes.
sioual should be abolished in every civilized
country. Then i5 would dsmoralize any people
on the face OF Code earth then 1t would. H.
deed, lessen mans horror of siu. The absurd,
the blasphemous position thar man could do
what the eternal God himself will not do
forui ~ tina alma nf rhn IN r n for
taom, who will not amend his life and make
reparatiou to property or character for injury
done; TO suppose This would be, indeed to sup
puse oil that is popularity supposed by Protest
ants as held in the Catholic doctrine of confes-
siou. Nor is there any fatal fsoility of obtain
ing pardon, because the Catholic. in order to
obtain pardon, hss to do oil Aat the Protestant
has TO do before he goss to confession ut oil.
Eo must DO sorry for his sin, he must purpose
aGendms at, he must 81 through all these pre-
ParaSious Of the soul, In order 60 FL himssf to
go 10 C1ntegGiopl Henoo there is fetal
fsoility, no lessening of the horror duo to Gin
and these dispositions are required from every
one who goes to confession. The disoi pline is
universal
of sge moving tow ards that barefoot monk in
the confessional. This Old man kneols down
before the monk, and says: Bless NE, father,
and 30 fcrth, "that have sinned. Through
grieEous fault" He tells his sins, snd the
priest must he certain That ne 10 sorry Tor them.
Who is this old man, thus hum bledf VINO is
this man that falls ct tho feet of the poor
nonkf Pope Pos TX himsolf! He has TO go
to confession, he has to be sorry for his Gins,
and the priest would be bound, at the peril of
his eternal salvation, to send even him away
FROM the tribunal. uniesS--if you can imagine
such thinG-hs wero not cortain that he had
the necessary iapositions. Wonderful Churoh |!
which, wh,le it ozalts ths office, over bumbles
the mAof' This discipline lie universal, aud
there fore the individual conscience 10 not de-
mora!zed by this practice, and. by oonSe quenco,
neither iS the conscience Of u people. Hear
the testimony Of n man as to the effect of the
confessional. lot only 90 tho individual soul,
bat on the nation also. Hear one, who is un-
exceptional As such witness, who entertained
the deepest and most intenso hatred of religion
that ever burnOd in iniiel heart; bnt who
EnCW, from bic own experience when he used
to 10 to confession. and whep, parhaps. be wac
pure and good, the Value OF the confessional
upon his soul. This wItnos9 is VoltAi-s him
se!f. He says:
There ID NO more wise institution than to ct
of confession. The tnoat OF mankind, gutlty of
crimes, are naturally to-Hen ed with retnorse:
Tue la wRivetS who estabiished ulysLer'es aud
CxpiAsioes, were equally anxious to prevent