St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-01-07
THREE READY ANSWERS
Which Christians Can Always
Give to Such as Inger-
soil.
RATIONAL IDEA OF GOD
Given to the Pagan World in
the Christian Relig-
ion.

BALTIMORE, Jan. 6.-The cathedral
was crowded today. 1t was known that
Cardinal Gibbons would preach at the
solemn high mass. and many who heard
the sermon agreed in speaking OF it that
his eminence must have had in his
mind the eloquent and attractive and
unnamed Col Robert &. Ingersoll.
The text was the gospel of the day.
Isaiah TX, "Arise, shine, for thy
light is come, and the glory
of the Lord is risen upon thee" etc. 1t
is fashionable as we'll as profitable to
cast odium as we'll as ridicule on Chris
tianity and on the Scriptures. which are
the basis Of the Christian religion. A
man of limited capacity, but of f1uency
of speech and shafts Of wit, may pro-
pose objections and difficulties in half
hour which may take learned man a
month to answer. | would ask you, my
brethren. to have three answers
ready in your mind when you are con-
fronted by any difficulties against
Christianity. First, 10000 difficulties 10
not destroy single fact OF revelation.
Ten thousand layers of fog and cloud
do not blot out the sun of the heavens.
nor diminish his splendor. Second.
the Christian religion has been in pos
session for 1000 years. and has been
cherished by the
Vyisest and Hest
of men in every age and country, and 1t
is stronger. today than it ever was be-
Af hn niNil nf
the past and all existing civilizations to-
day worthy of the name have been
based on the doctrinal and moral
principles of the Bible. 1t is time
enough to surrender our Chris
tianity whent some better system
is brought forward to supplant
it. When we contrast the weakness of
the apostles with the formidable work
marked out for them, truly we may ex
claim with the Apostletot the Gentiles:
"The foolish things of the world hath
God chosen that He might confound the
strong, and the things that are con-
temptible and things that are not, that
lie might bring to naught the
things that are, that no flesh
shodld glory in His sight"
1t may be interesting and Instructive to
US to consider some Of the principal
causes which spread the irresistible in
tluence of Gods grace and operate so
we'll in the rapid diffusion Of the Chris
tian religion First, the Christian religion
gave the pagan world rational idea OF
God. 1t proclaimed God essentially
one and self-eXistlng, God existing
from eternity unto eternity. This idea
OF supreme being, so conSonant to our
intellectual conception, was in striking
contrast with the low Bnd sensual no.
tons which the pagan world ascrlbed TO
their divinities. Second. the Christian
religion not only gave man
A Sublime Idea
of his Creator, but gave him also ra-
tlonal idea about himself. Hitherto
man was mystery and riddle to him.
self. He knew not whence he oame or
whittier he was going. 1t rescued him
from the frightfUl labyrinth of error ID
which paganism had involved him.
The Christian religion gave not only
light to his understanding, but peace as
him the peace of God. which surpasseth
all understanding, and which springs
from the conscious possession of the
truth. The Christian religion has now.
as it ever has, message for the cap
italist and workman. 1t admonishes
the employer to compensate the la
borer by fair and Just wages. and.
what is more, to bestow upon him
kind and conslderate treatment,
and to keep in view the golden
maxim of Christ: "Whatsoever you
would that men should do to you, do ye
to them" All the works of God have
one striking characteristic, they all
bear the divine stamp of individuality.
There are no two stars alike in magnl-
tude and splendor. Each of you was
created alone, you had separate
growth, separate sanctification, and
will have separate death. You are
judged alone, you are rewarded alone,
yon are punished alone. Each one
stands on his own foundation. What
man soWeth, that shall he reap also.''
But, above all. God loves each one Of
you personally. He does not conteln>
plate the human family in the mass as
we regard heap of sand. He has
loved each of you with All eternal love.
Let us ask Him to come and reign over
our souls. intellect, will, memory.