St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-02-04

sion OF the trutn1uIneSS Cl lllC DlUlO.
Father Cleary contended that IL
was of equal Importance for us to be
able to understand with certainty
the meaning of the Bibles teachings
as to know that the Bible is Gods
message to men. The following is a
brief sketch of his discourse: '"The
most learned, intelligent and pro-
gressive nations of the civilized
world have given the assent Of rea-
soning men to the veracity of the
Bible as the word of God for 1880
years For fifteen centuries of this
long period the Christian world was
united, and no diSsenSion existed
among men over the meaning of the
Bibles teachings. Since the religious
upheaVal of the sixteenth century
the world has been disturbed by con-
Trajectory and conflicting theories
concerning the meaning of the IN
spired word. So perpleXing has this
dissension often become that many
men, in despair of reaching a salts
factory solutioifj of the most vital
questions asked cbV the mind of man,
follow the principle of the right and
supremacy of Individual judgment
to it's legitimate conclusion and re-
ject the Bible with all it's teachings.
The sad and lamentable conclusion
thus arrived at is a most logical
termination Of the misleading prln-
cip1e advocated by the religious rev.
olutionists of Luther'S time. II each
individual may extract whatsoever
meaning best suits his convenience
or fancy from the Bible reject
what his conscience does not ap-
prove, and discard certain portions
that may conflict with his peculiar
prejudices, define for himself the
authenticity and veracity of the
Bible, he must, with equal justice
and consistency, be granted the right
to reject the entire Bible, and scott
at it as being unworthy of his respect
and esteem. God either gave to
the world an inspired message, or
He did not. If He did not, the
Christian religion is the most stu
pendous fraud that has ever blinded
the eyes of the worlds wisest schol-
ars and sages. Where is the sane
man who can say that the religion
which has been the beacon light of
the worlds civilization and progress
has been a delusion and a fraud?
This religion has never claimed the
credit of it's unequaled success in
eleVating humanity, because of it's
human superiority over other sys-
TENS to which the thought of hui
man minds has given birth. 1t has
rested all it's claims on it's divine
origin and character. The best
thought of the world would never
have accepted it were it not from
God. It's mysteries and it's morality
asking the homage of human rea-
son and the obedience of human
will, would have been Indignantly
repudiated by the human mind were
not the intelligence of man first
convinced that these mysteries and
this morality came directly from
God, mans Creator, Whom it is his
This supernatural religion, then,
is Gods revelation to inquiring man.
Only the Supreme Intelligence could
have conceived it. Its very nature
reveals it's divine origin. When in
telIigence makes known a system Of
right reasoning or law, it naturally
provides that this system may ever
find correct Interpretation, and be
protected from the misinterpretation
Of it's designing enemies and the mis-
understanding Of it's well-meaning,
but deluded, friends. No system of
science or philosophy can possibly
exist in the world which clever
minds cannot distort and mislead the
unwary by their sophistry. But if
we believe in the Bible, we cannot
refuse to admit that Christ gave a
commission to His chosen messen-
gers authorizing them to deliver to
the world Whatsoever He had told
unto them