National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-06
srnIrGNr1oN or pAss1oN.


Successor at St. Peters.
Rev Father Dcvine, late Of Baltimore, now
pastor Of st. Peters Church. corner Of second
and streets southeast preached his first ser.
mon since his pnstorage in this city sunday
morning. His sermon was on the subugatiOn
of the passions.
I've win lpol, on the nature Of these evil In.
c!innuons,' he began. I'VE will consider the
Obligations that we are under 10 resist these
things and the means that we should take In
order to act according to our enlightenment
First, what are the passions? 81. John tells
Us that The passion Is "a sensible movement IN
the sensitive appetite caused by good and evil.
by rejecting OH these terms we viii understand
whit 81, John means. lie says that II Is q
movement. We have an. aversion toward that
which appears to be evil and consequently
turn fiOm II, while we are drawn toward that
which appeals TO the good IN US. Now, this
very movement is nothing less than passion
itself ltcsnys that 1t Is sensible movement
that l., what we see. We see II In the eye, we
see II IN the cOuntennncc, we hear II IN the
voice. And he goes on to say that this move.
mCnt Is In the sensitive appetite.
TN the soul dearly beloved. there are two
chief powers. There Is an Inferior power aud
n surerlor power Now, the sensitive appetite
with the beasts OF the field. You will call II
INSTINCT we cali II passion; we call 1t ayarice;
We call i anger This movement, then, Is In
the sensitive appetite, In the Inferior powers o!
the soul, and consequently Is not In those fac.
ulllCs that make man what he Is.
What ! mean IS that It Is not IN reason.
That makes man like God. Reason II Is that
makes man the lord of creation, of all the
works here below. Consequently amy man
that acts according to passion, according to his
appetite. acts n the beasts of the field, nul
while acting thus ceases 10 he man In God.
because he ceases 10 do what God ordained mau
to do when lac made him.
nation, and the exterior senses Nrc always the
first In notion. When they perceive IN evil
they communicate H. Immediately To the imng.
IHn 81 NJ Fffi pl nU NI hons ia
the appetite Is reused, aud we see that man Is
carried away 10y these things. II I, difficult for
man, when these passions are AROUSED, to con.
quCr them. Indeed, It Is impossible for man to
control nj, passions by reason. liIt we must
remember that there Is an Omnipotcncc which
will sustain us and bring ~ victory The re.
volt of passion II the temptation, but ~ long ~
reason can resist this revolt the soul Is free.
Hut man, by his own powers, Is unable 10 do
tai. when they once revolt, aud, II hu relies
upon his own powers alone, he must necessarily
do in order to remain frec3 What must lac do
in order to serve his Maker aud
preserve th4t iaturc which God
established" lie must have recourse to Gods
grace lie must seek God, This is the means.
the only means, TINT he can Use In order to
live rs man, MS u Christian, We are told that
form OF sin. Now, We know very well that
baptism does not take away the passions. We
know very well that they remain aud Will 70.
main rs long ~ m0n remains In this world.
Consequently We see that the passions ARE not
sinful in Themselves nor nrc they sinful In
their movements, simply because they nrcCcdo
the action of the Will. We act quicker than
reason, and consequently their action must be
indCI cndCnt. Sometimes we notice that we
are inclined to do that which Is wrong before
we have an idea of the evil which l. proposed
70 Us. Now this is the action of the disDrdCred
passions. Furthermore, I'm order To commit
sin we must know what we are doing we must
have some knowledge Of the evil we are to
commit, and not merely perform an nCtiOn of
which the rcnsOn has no Cognilucc, \ sin must
be an act Of the reason ana an act Of the Will.
Now, this act Is entirely without and goes be-
tore reason. But, we may ask, when Is II that
nn action of passion which is indifferent be.
comes criminal When reason pCrCcivGs the
evil that the passions propose to IT, and when
the will embraces this evil and acts according
10 this evil, then this action, which was before
indifferent, is now criminal and man IS guilty
of slu before God. There Il great sympathy
bctwCCn the passion which sOlicts US to sin
aud the reason and the will which follows II,
because these are two faculties Of the same
soul. They Hrc like two children Of the same
mother. They are closely related They like
to net together OnC.likCs to do what thcO.hCr
docs. and. accordingly when the passions So.
liCit us To commit Sin they also urge the VIII to
perform n similar act Indeed, IL is very diff.
iCult for the will to resist this solicitation ON
account OF this affinity, on account of It's close
relation, II Is merely impossible for the soul
which is nCtuAtCd 10y these two faculties to re-
man long time without acting according to
the passion, aud hence man. in order to be able
TO act according to reason, In order to bc able
to keep Coils law, must have recourse to cod"