Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-01-08
GIBBONS lNGERSOLL.
The Eloquent Cardinal Scores the Flo.
quent ASnostic.
DOUBTS Do NOT DESTROY FACTS.
Clouds DO Not Blot Out the Sun, and It's
Easy for q Glib Man to Ask Qu~s-
lions Hard to Answer.

Baltimore speciai 10 tne Nc" i"'"
World says: Cardinal Gibbons on Sun
day preached a sermon which Is BE-
lived by those who heard It to have been
aimed at Colonel Robert G. Ingersoli,
though his Emlnence did not mention
the name OF the eloquent agnostic. IL
wass Epiphany Sunday. and the know
ledge that the Cardinal would preach
caused the Cathedral TO be crowded.
The text was the first verse OF tho
sixtieth chapter OF the prophecy OF
Isaiah: arise, shine: for thy light is
come. and the glory OF the Lord Is risen
upon thee" In part the Cardinal said:
1T is fashionable. as well as profita-
BILE. to cast odium, as well as ridicuie,
on Christianity and the sacred Scrip
lures which are the basis OF the Chris
tian religion. A man OF limited capacity.
but of nuency of speech and shafts OF
wit. can propose objections and diff
cuities in a half hour which may TAKE
learned man a month to answer.
II would ask you, my brethren. TO
have three answers ready in your mind
when you are confronted by any dill
culties against Christianity;
81. Ten thousand difficulties do not make
n single doubt and 1e00 doubts do not
destroy a single fact OF Revelation; lOVp
layers OF fog and cloud do not blot out
the sun in the heavens, nor diminish Its
splendor.
"2 The Christian religion has been In
possession for 700 years, and has been
cherished by the wlsest and best men
in every age and country, ana II IL
stronger to-day than IL was ever before.
"3. All the civilizations OF the past and
all existing civilizations to-day worthy
of the name have been based on the
doctrinal and moral principles Of the
Bible.
ut Is time enough TO surrender our
Christianity when some better system Is
brought forward to supplant IT.
DAWN OF CHRISTIANITY.
let us transport ourselves in spirit to
the dawn OF the Christian era. and let
us stand in Imagination on one Of pagan
Eome's seven hills. We see at our ieet
that immense city teeming with popu-
latlon Of about three million inhabitants.
We observe that city dotted here and
there with idolatrous temples. and niches
TO false gods are erected at the corners
of the streets. In the words of the apostle
OF the Gentiles. They changed the glory
and likeness OF corruptible man and OF
birds and beasts and creeping things,
and they worship the creature instead OF
the Creator. Who is blessed forevermore
Such was the condition OF society
when our Lord appeared on the theatre
of public life He called around Hin
twelve Insignificant men-men without
wealth. men without human learning
men without the prestige Of fame. men
without any Of those elements which are
considered essential for the success of
any great enterprise. He commands them
to effect the most mighty moral revolu-
ton which has ever taken place in the
history Of the world. He commands them
to uproot idoatry from the face of the
earth and to establish instead Of this the
worship OF the one true and living God,
and TO dispe the most cherished and In
veterate passions from the heart OF man,
and to plant In their -.esd the peaceful
reign OF Jesus Christ.
WISDOM OF GOD.
mo thoughtful man can fail to admire
the wisdom of God in employing such
inadequate means (humanly speaking) in
the propa cation of the Gospel For IL ne
had appeared as "A temporal sovereign
with all the pomp and majesty Of royalty,
II he had used the influence of the
his service the imperial armies the world
would justly exclaim: There Is no mir
acle here. for 1t Is not by the finger OF God
but by the arm Of the flesh that Chris
tianity was propagated. For II the Cos
pei had been advocated by the orators,
philosophers statesmen, and poets OF an
cient Rome, the world would again cry
out: There is no miracle here, for Chris
tianity was developed not by the folly
A-g.y fla
OF human wisdom For. If men were
induced to embrace the Church by brides
and emouments, the world would justly
say: There Is no miracle here. for men
were drawn to the Church not by the
pearl Of great price, but by the gold that
glitters'; but when they contrasted the
weakness Of the instruments with the mar
vellous work performed they were forced
to exclaim: The finger of God Is here
1T may be interesting and instructive
to us to consider some Of the principal
causes which Cunder the irresistible in
fuence OF Gods grace operated so pow
erfully in the rapid diffusion Of the Chris
tan religion.
PAGAN WORLD.
First, the Christian religion gave the
Pagan world a rational idea OF God. IL
proclaimed a God essentially one and self
existing of a God existing from eternity
unto eternity. 1t spoke Of God who
created all things by His wisdom. and
whose experimenting providence watches
over the affairs OF nations as well as OF
men. It spoke Of God infinitely just
and merciful, infinitely holy, Infinitely
wise.
"Second. the Christian religion not only
gave man n sublime idea OF his creator,
hut gave him also a rational idea about
and a riddle to himself He knew not
whence he came or whittier he was going
The Christian religion gave not only NE
to his understanding. but peace as well
10 his heart IL brought him that peace OF
God which passeth all understanding. ana
which springs from a conscious pos
session OF the truth. 1t brought him
triple peace-peace with God, by teach
ing him to keep the commandments; peace
with his neighbor. by enjoying the vir-
tues of justice and charity; peace with
himself, by instructing him to Keep his
passions subject to reason, and reason
subject to the law Of God.
But 1t will profit US nothing to be en-
rolled In the army OF the Lord, in the
Church militant, unless we are person.
ally clothed in the panoply OF Christian
righteousness. The only victories TO be
put to our credit are those that We per-
sonally achieve.
"All the works of God have one strik
ing characteristic, they all bear the divine
stamp of individuality. There are no
two stars alike In magnitude and splen-
dor; there are no two leaves OF the
forest alike: there are no two grains of
sand absolutely IDENTICAL there are no
two human faces alike. In this vast con-
gregation before me there are no two
dispositions in all respects Identical.
Every one of you is a world in yourself
God loves each Of you personally. He
does not contemplate the human family
in the mass as We regard heap OF sand.
He has loved each Of you with an eter-
nal love. ! always admire the remarkable
utterance Of ST. Paul: Christ loved me.
and delivered himself up for me- He
does not say Christ loved us. but me. as
II to remind US that Christ's love for
Paul himself was "a strong as II concen-
trated on himself. and not upon the whole
human race. And, as Gods love Is centred
on US. SO should we centre our love on
God. We know where Christ is to be
found Let us ask him 10 come and reign
over our souls-intelect, will. memory"
CHICAGO. January 6.-When the World
correspondent called on Colonel Ingersoll
tonight and told him OF Cardinal Glib
bonss sermon, the Colonel said that for
the present he would not make any reply