St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-28
SAINT PAUL.
GROSS AND CROSIER.
Continued From First Page.

man is To quicken his sense of fidelity 20
God speaking in an enlightened con
science. All the SacramentS OF the
church; her authority, prayer. both
mental and vocal; her public worship
and her authority have for their end
and purpose 10 lead the soul To the
guidance of the Holy Spirit Himself. Ii
Is never forgotten in the Catholic re-
ligiOn that one man can never be guide
TO another, except as leading ann 10 MS
only divine Guide. The guide of the
soul is the Holy Spirit Himself, and the
criterion or test of possessing that
guide is the divine authority of the |
church. The interior life is more nee
tSSary to the external order than the !
external order is 10 il. The great en-
envy of our times is agn0SticSm. which |
denies tie validity or our religious
longinCS and aspirations: the only
way 10 meet il is To affirm the reality oi
the interior life. to insist that religion
Is chiefly matter o interior experience
of the individual. The SacramentS are
necessary. and are diVinely institutes:
but this necessity is that of channels
the essential thing Is the grace conveyed
bv them. 1t is proper. indeed, to insist
on the need of an external order to re-
IigiOn or upOn its divine institution.
External nature itself is Sacramental.
The virtue which makes it live is inte-
rinr. not apprt henSible in itself by the
senses. although they testify to its ef-
fectS. Natural life does not yield its
secret to the Scalpel and the microscope.
and vet we live Grace does not show
itself in any sacrament, and yet souls
live by sacramental grace. and testify
of il with as much certainty as our llv-
ing bodies do To the presence OF animal
life.
IT Is THE DIVINE WILL
that now more than heretofore eacn
man should have convictions of faith as
distinctly his own as his separate per
sonalitv: that. having these convictions,
he should thoroughly aSsimilate them
until they become instructive; and that
every man should have the courage of
his convictions; that he should not only
live up 10 them. but should speak them
out in due season; that he should feel
himself invested with personal mis-
sion to propagate the truth. The battle
of TODAY is not to be won by discipline.
but by courage. Courage without dis
cipline is better than discipline without
courage. The modern soldier OF the
cross should not be Overdriiled. The
Catholic church is not likely to fail for
want of discipline. Any cause
age, as we see in matters OF re-
ligion in some parts of Europe. Now.
the courage of the Christian is in the
individuality of his personal cOnyic-
tiouS. Religion nowadays is more a
matter of men taken one by one than of
O5edient ana disciplined masses. Dis
cipline has its place at the end of the
nineteenth century, but it does not COM
pare with personal courage, quality
which is rooted in intelligent convic-
ton. The perfect soldier is ma
chine." said some one to Gen. Grant.
"l es.'' he answered, "Dut The Amerl-
can soldier is Il machine with think
Ing attachments" a remark even more
true of the American Catholic. So much
for the supernatural life of Catholics.
Toward that life al our nOn-CathOllc
brethren are necessarily drawn. The
Catholic belief about Christ and His reve-
latfun; the fellowship and cummunlOn
with the saints in heaven; the tender
bond between the living and the dead;
the sOidity of the Catholics cOnvic-
tons: the cheerfulneSS of his hope; the
wOrld-renoWned charity for the dis
treSsed: all this aTOuSeS the longing of
every guileleSs soul outside the church.
They wish it were all true. But they
have been taught, saturated with the
teaching, that it impedes their personal
liberty, and that it criDpieS their mtelli-
gence. There are two natural gifts of
God. and are the most precious posses
siOns of the natural man. 1t is therefore
cur duty to bring out eOnSpicuOuSly be-
fore our separated brethren the Catholic
idea of these and other natural virtues.
They are preparatory to the supernatu-
raj. A man must he intelligent in order
TO apprehend his true end and free in
order 10 aspire toward it uhImpeded.
THE FATE OF CATHOLICITY
in the United States will depend on the
answer to the question: Of what use is
Does it purify politics? Does it Sanclify
the family? Does it elevate man.
hood? Does CatholIeity make men
good citizens, good husbands, fathers
and sons? Does 1t make men cOUra-
geOuS,truthful, honest, industrious, sober,
chaSte. generous, Intelligent? Does it
equip the female sex adequately for its
new-found opportunities? Is Catholic
ity productive of the natural virtues?
And the more religiOuS-minded OF our
fellow citizens will ask, Does CathOlicity
tend 10 maintain among the people the
truths underlying natural morality?
Does it help the human mind to know
that there is God, the supreme
the good and the puniSherof the wicked?
Does it lead men to know future and
eternal state of being? Does it tell US
of free will and the responsibility of a
man for his every act, word and
thought? Is Catholicity bulwark of
natural religion and morality? 1t is
upon the natural moral law and upon
natural virtue that American institu-
lions are founded; they are the test by
which we shall be tried.
This is America. Here in America
the ideals of manhood are not loyalty,
obedience, uniformity, but wOrthiness
to be free. Law has high place here,
but freedom is higher, and all agree
that TO be free men should he virtuOuS.
Liberality and intelligence are what
our institutions exist for. The mines of
the old world send their metals here,
where fiery life melts them all into
one; natiOnalitieS are here fused and
mingled and blended intO one,
ana this is new nationality.
Bronze is made of tin and cop
per, but Is neither one nor the
other but new metal. So our popula-
ton is made up of the races of the old
world, but it is itself a new race. and
its aspiration is towards progress and
intelligence and liberty, the dignity of
man and his capability to govern him
self.
Hence it is the duty of all who love
both Goa and country to show that
Catholicity is religion based on the
dignity of human nature. Freedom of
will is an article of Catholic faith. The
personal merit or demerit of human
conduct is also an article of Catholic
faith. Joined to these is the funda-
mental principle that God wills all men
equally to be saved from sin, and gives
to each one full opportunity to attain to
his eternal destiny, union with God
hereafter. Is the American state pro-
gressive? The Catholic church teaches
that the true religion
Is ESSENTIALLY PROGRESSIVE:
1t elevates man higher ana higher
above his natural condition, bringing
him ever nearer to union with God in
enlightenment and holiness. Does the
American state pOstulate human dignity
and equality? Catholieity teaches that