Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-12-26

are, in the Pope's view, the safest councils
for the State. 1t is the duty of the State,
he holds, to care for religion and foster it,
and to institute nothing incompatible with
its security. Taken alone, this means toll
Grafton of the broadcast character; but,
when taken in connection with the imme
diately following sentences, it means that
the only religion that should be fostered
and protected is the true religion-and
that that is the religion of the Roman
Church. Which is the true religion, he
declares, is easily discoverable from the
truths Of prophecy, the abundance of
miracles, the rapid spread of the faith and
the testimony of the martyrs. From
which it is evident that that is the only
true religion which Jesus Christ instituted
Himself, and then intrusted to His Church
to defend and to spread. For the only be-
gotten Son of God set up society on
earth which is called the Church, and to it
He transferred that most glorious and di-
vine Office, which He had received from
HIS Father to be perpetuated forever"
So it is "the Church and not the State
that should be mans guide to heaven,
and it is to her that God has assigned the
office of watching and legislating for all
that concerns religion, of teaching all ma
lions, of extending as far as may be the
borders of Christianity and, in word, Of
administering its affairs without let or
hindrance according to her own judgment"
But the Pope proceeds to say that God
has divided the charge of the human race
between the ecclesiastical and the civil
each greatest in its own kind. Things
pertaining to the civil affairs of men
should belong wholly TO the civil power
and those relating to the souls of men to
the ecclesiastical power. That constitu-
ton of State is to be commended, there
fore, that properly divides these things.
The civil laws should be obeyed, because
they are the power of God manifest
through men, But when, he adds, the
philosophy of the Gospel governed the
State, when the priesthood and govern
ment were united by concord and friend
ly interchange of Offices, then the power
and divine virtue of Christian wisdom
penetrated into the laws and institutions
and manners of the peoples. He then
traces the philosophy of government that
led to the exclusion of the Church from
all the affairs of State, and declares that
out of such false philosophy springs
'certain propositions Of unbridled lib
erty." And here we quote in full from the
letter, which is of great length, and can
therefore be further considered only in
subsequent articles:
Thence came the principles and foundations
| of the new law which was unknown before and
| is out of harmony, not only with Christian but
| also. in more than one respect, with natural
| law. Of those principles the chief is that one
! which procaims that all men as by birth and
nature they are alike, so in every deed through
| out their lives are they equal, and each is so
master of himself that in no way does he come
under the authority of another; that it is for
him freely to think on whatever subject he
likes, to act as he pleases that no one else hasa
right OF ruling over OtnerS. In Il society founded
upon these principles government is only the
will of the people, which ss it is under the
power of itself alone, SO is alone its own proper
| sovereign. Moreover it chooses to whom it may
ntrust ITSELF but in such way that it transfers,
| not so much the right as the function of the
| Government which is to be exercised in its
name. God is passed over in silence, as if either
| there were no God or as if He cared nothing for
| human society, or as if men, whether as indi-
viduals or in society owed nothing to God, or as
| If there could be any Government of which the
" nd III mot
| reside in God Himself In which way, as is
| seen, State is nothing else but multitude, as
the mistress and governor of itself. And since
the people is said to contain in itself the foun
tain of all rights and of all power it will follow
that the State deems itself bound by no kind of
duty toward God: that no religion should be
publicly professed; nor ought there to be any
inquiry, which of many is alone true; nor
ought one to be preferred to the rest; nor
ought one to be specially favored, but to
each alike equal rights ought to be as
signed with the sole end that the social order
incurs no injury from them. 1t is part
of this theory that all questions concerning re-
that to every one it is allowed to follow which
he prefers, or none at all if he approves of none.
Hence these consequences naturally arise the
| Judgment of each conscience Is without regard
to law, opinions free possible are expressed
concerning worshiping not worshiping God,
and there is unbounded license of thinking and
publishing. These foundations of the State be-
ing admitted, which at this time are in such
general favor, it easily appears how unfavorable
a position the church is driven TO. For when
the conduct of affairs is in accordance with the
doctrines of this kind to the Catholic name is
| assigned an equal position with, or even an in
ferior position to, that of alien societies in the
State no obedience to ecclesiastical law, and
| the church which, by the command and man.
date of Jesus Christ, ought to teach all nations
finds itself forbidden in any way to interfere in
| the instruction of the people. Concerning those
| things which are of mixed Jurisdiction, the
rulers of the civil power lay down the law at
their own pleasure, and in this manner haughti
| ly set aside the most sacred laws of the church
Wherefore they bring under their own jurisdic
| ton the marriages of Christians, deciding even
concerning the marriage bond. concerning the
unity and the stability of marriage. They take
| possession of the goods of the clergy because
| they deny that the church can hold property.
Finally, they so act with regard to the church
| that, with the nature and the rights of perfect
| society being removed, they clearly hold it to
| be like the other associations which the State
contains, and on that account, if she possesses
| any legitimate means of acting, she is said to
possess that by the concession and gift of the
| rulprc of the