National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-03-01

preach at ST. Augustine's Church, Fifteenth
street, between L and NJ, caused very
large congregation to assembly there yes
terday morning. The report proved to be
erroneous, at least in part The archbishop
was there and took part in the service, but
did not preach.
Bishop Duane, Of Fort Wayne, delivered
the sermon, taking for his text st. John
xviii, 81, IS. lie said that this passage ex-
planned TO us the mission Of our Saviour 1t
wouldshave 'profted us very little that He
had redeemed us unless we had been made
to understand the necessities Of It., who our
Redeemer was, and how to partake in that
redemption IL was necessary that our In
tellect should be redeemed, enlightened.
Many seem to have lost sight Of this fact at
the present day that the God Of truth came
to this world and instructed us. Men are
anxious, for worldly truth. They make
voyages Of discovery for the purposes of In
vtstigation and the ascertainment Of truth
with regard TO all earthly things; but I'M
fortunately the most important truth that
can occupy the mind OF man Is very often
sighted, that truth that instructs us In all
the duties of this world, and is 10 guide us
us at last the glorious recompense OF Heaven.
And yet this Is called the age Of knowledge,
OF intellect, OF science. Great progress has
undoubtedly been made In natural science,
and important discoveries have been made
in the different branches Of knowledge,
but unfortunately great many persons
think because some progress has been
made In this direction that the truths that
SvSel7as taught In His Word are antiquated,
and should be set aside. A great many i'll
informed persons think that modern dis
coveries prove that Christianity Is not true,
and that any one at the present day must
sacrifice reason TO be good Catholic, that
his intellect must be placed In bondage.
Nothing could be more contrary to the
truth. God bestowed intellect and reason
upon man as the quality which raised him
from the brute, and 1t was the bestowal of
that attribute that caused man to be made
in the image and likeness of his maker
God is the God Of truth God Is reason It.
self. Reason Is not to be sacrificed, but to
be used In proper manner. Its necessary
that we should adore God with our reason
and our intellect, and there is no church
in this land that honors reason as the Cath
Ollie Church docs, and that more properly
assigns reason TO Its proper sphere. 1t is
with the reason and the intellect that Cath
olics adore God II seems astonishing that
so many should hold that progress in nat
ural science and other branches Of knowl-
edge invalidates divine truths heretofore
believed In by the world. II is true that
we have made great progress In chemistry,
electricity, astronomy, mechanical science,
and natural history, but that Is no proof
that the eternal truths OF religion are no
more valid. IL the scientist discovers new
insect horses do not on that account cease
to exist. II the astronomer discovers
new star It does not follow that one coun-
try here In this world must cease to exist.
One has nothing to do with the other.
The Catholic Church halls the advance of
science. She built the grand universities of
Europe. Her children are students of
science and they are In sympathy with the
progress Of the age, but they adore the liv-
ing God who made heaven and earth, and
II there is a new wonder discovered on the
face, Of the earth they are not such fools as
to believe that man made 1t; they look
back OF the created to the creator; IL there
is new power discovered I'm nature, they
are not mislead; while they behold and
wonder they adore the living God, who in
his great wisdom and power has created it.
The true Catholic realizes that He is not
omniscient and makes himself q humble
scholar at the feet Of Truth.
Infdel scientists think themselves emil
nently men of reason, but 1t surely is moi
reasonable to believe that anything car
exist without God. No reasonable being
would believe that a beautiful watch had
been created by chance. The man who
dared to say that its wheels and pivots and
intricate machinery We're put together by
chance would be straightway set down as .
fool. But this is what modern infdelity
teaches; its disciple hates to acknowledge
God aud the Immortality of the soul; be
cause God means justice and judgment ant
nslsSribution for the evil he has done il
this world. lnfidelity has never been abb,
4, hat afrn 81 4, ,,N .
cause. The philosophic truth that wher,
there is finite thing there must be al
infinite creator is natural truth thai
no one can explain away.
Whilst modern infldels boast of this agt
OF reason and Of mans dignity, they would
level him with the brute and do away will
God, who is to come to Judge the quicl
and the dead. What secrets these inildel
have in their family history we cannot tell
but Christians believe that man was mad
in the image and likeness OF God. Tit
truth of this belief is supported by tn,
wondrouE powers Of the human mind ant
by that spirit that scars beyond the narrow
confines OF this world and touches the dis
tant heavens. 1t Is not reasonable to be
lieve that the intelligence that weighs tn,
heavenly bodies and forces the forket
lightning from the loftiest cloud to TIN
lowliest servitude was born OF an unreason
ing brute.
Whatever infidels may say, that Jesu
Christ was the Son Of God and equal witt
Him is proven by the countless wonder
that TRANSFERRED from His birth to His death
The synagogue and the Roman empire hat
everything at stake to prove that Christ diC
not rise from the dead, but they were un
equal to the task, and in spite Of 800 year
of the most bloody persecution the worl,
became Christian. Miracles continue +
the present day. The reverend father had
during his stay at Naples last summer, him
self seen the wonderful llquefaction Of til
blood Of st. Januarlus from dried an,
shrunken state he had seen IL become /
seven minutes as liquid as II Just draw
from the human veins.
THE CONFIRMATION SERVICES.
An immense congregation was again a
tracted to st. Augustine's Church, at 4 |
m., TO witness the confirmation of abou
$50 people, OF whom something over a hur
dred were children.
o Archbishop Gibbon OBLIGATED and pref
'Ttsd; the sacred ordinance with few i'm
gseU9essiye remarks on the value of the wor
which God sends His children through III
Holy Book and the lips of His earthly mil
listers. He said that the food Of the spiri
consists OF three things--the word of Goo
the holy eucharist, and the communicate
of the Holy Ghost. Not by bread alon
does man five, but by every word tina
cometh forth from the mouth of Goo
Gods word was omnipotent II received 1
Christian spirit. 1t was the gospel c
Jesus Christ coming from the lips of Oh
apostle that revolutionized the world. Gu
divine Saviour, while In this mortal life
called around him Tablespoonful me
ana commanded them to effect the might
lest moral revolution that had taken plae
since the foundation of the world, II
commanded them to destroy idolatry an
and to establish instead the worship of tn
one true and living God. lie commando
them to uproot the dark passions from tn
human heart and plant there the kingdoI
of Jesus Christ, This was their mission
but the only credentials that He gave ther