The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-03-21

heV. Father Danehy, continuing hi.
course OF doctrinal sermons, spoke last
evening at the cathedral on the sub.
49, od Indlfference in Matters OF
attn. His text was taken from Mari
WI, Preach the Gospel to every crea.
ture; He that believeth NOS
shall be condemned" He smoke In Cur
stance as follows: '""'
GOD, our Creator, has made known 70 NO
nose duties by the fulfllment of which
we can be saved. First among those duties
he 'h hat Oh beheying in Him and in all that
10 the world by His Divine Son Jeens
ShIlst and spread to all nations by that
t nouy OF men whom He commissioned to
This Is plain from the words NJ tho tev.
Jesus su Christ did not leave men any room
toi reasonable doubt either as to what He
arttsn' or as to their duty to believe every
that p' beI contained in that revelation. "He
ths peiieyetn not shall be condemned If
dmt words do not make of faith a solemn
do So -e"' ho WORDS couid
But at the same time that He te,,s nc MA
must believe somewhat He alec fel1s nc
wndi II Is that we must believe His divine
reVeiauon He entrusted to faithful men
t Mmo should be mt to teach others Also" All
lnat the apostles and their lawful sue
cessors teach as revealed by Him is tn he
Deheved under pain Of Gods condemnation
Our Lord Himself promised to be always
WIN tnem TO ensure the fulillment of their
arduous task to the latest day.
lie sent the Holy Ghost upon them who
should abide with them always and bring
TO their minds all things whatsoever He had
commanded them He therefore made all
due provision that the faith which He ex
acted from His intelligent creatures should
not be blind faith. They have the assur-
ance OF God Himself that every doctrine to
which they are hidden to assent is as true as
God Himself is
That doctrine is contradicted does not
lessen its truth. The plain and simple
teaching Of the Catholic church. confirmed
as 1t is by the writings of the apostles and
their companions. is today contradicted or
disregarded by millioIls of men. These men
are Christian men, too. In our own country
which we are proud to call a Christian
land, this elementary truth is set aside by
majority of our fellow citizens. They belong
to no church, or they attach themselves to
some church that suits their fancy or con-
venience. They seem, too, TO be contented
to go on In this way. 1t has become COM
mon saying with them that it is of no con-
sequence what religion man processes. or
whether he processes none at all, provided
he be a good man.
If this reasoning were true indifferentism
would be the only religion. All would be
well with men Of any church or no church.
Their religious state would be as safe as it
Is sometimes convenient. But this reasoning
is false. Its falsity is as grave as it is palpa-
HE.
Averse as our age too often is to weigh
ing and defining its terms, 1t will call a
man good man, even though he neglect
his most sacred duty. He may not, indeed,
defraud his customers in business, or TAIL
to support his family, or take the life Of
his fellow man, and still hope TO enjoy the
honorable title of "a good man. No. thank
God, we have not come to that pass But
when he has fulfilled all his civic and So
cal duties the spirit OF our day permits
him to believe that he has no further duty
rrrrh
denies that he owes any sacrifice to God.
So far from rebuking him, it hatters him
that he is a good man, even though ne
make open profession OF disregardlng all
religious obligation.
Now. in Gods sense of the word, that
man is not a good man. He owes duty to
society indeed, but he owes allegiance TO
God as well. These things he ought to
have DONE and not to have left those IN
done We have done our whole duty only
when our obligations both to God and man
are carefully discharged.
We recognize without hesitation in civil
life the principle which Gods church here
enforces Men are not at liberty to tamper
with the civil law, or to obey so much OF
It as suits them or none at all. Ihey are
not even permitted to explain it after their
own fashion The courts interpret the law.
To their Interpretation of it all must bow.
All the power of the state is at hand to en-
force obedience. In these conditions ATOMS
can we have peace and comfort. Withdraw
any one of them and forthwith society is
plunged into anarchy.
Men are not at liberty to adulterate the
coin of the land. The dollar that is no
currently received for one hundred cent?
is not a dollar. He who would attempt ts
issue 1t for such is liable TO the punish
ments set down in the statute. The stand
ard is established, and, think what the,
may of it, to that standard they must con-
form. Nor did any man ever think OF Jus
tifying his violation of it by saying tina
what he holds to be good money is good
The defense is too absurd to be though
on. Yet this is what men do in religion
They claim the right to expound Godi
written word according to their own ,in'
derstanding, and to render to God Just ina
form of worship that best suits their whiH
or their interest God, then, is less wise
than even man is. He has provided nj
court that will interpret His law: In thu
kingdom of truth upon earth He leaTei
every man free to utter spurious coin Il
he will ard come off unpublished.
1t was not always thus in Christendom
Only a few centuries back men had stand
ard of Christian life and worship. They
might not. indeed, live up to it. but they
never claimed the right to set it aside. God
had established it, man light not tear II
down. The change came when men denied
the supreme judicial power or Gods accred-
tied representatives. The written law was
set up as the court Of last appeal. Such a
step was unexampled in the annals of Chris
tanity.
From the very outset the results were
fatal. Men began at once to disagree as TO
what Jesus Christ taught. AS there was
no tribunal or authority of any kind by
which to decide the momentouS question,
they have gradually fallen into state of
apathy about ii. and the Christian faith is
become for millions a mere matter of opin-
ion. All the theories that have since been
adopted by various Christian bodies were
hit upon with the hope of repairing that
fatal mistake. The hundreds of sects into
which Christian men outside the church
are divided prove how utterly those the
nrac houn foi1a In alioinr 70
differ is the sad formula that they have
reached at last. OF this state of mind in
differentism is the natural outcome.
The conclusion is plain. God wishes all
men to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Therefore, we cannot be Indifferent to the
truth. To teach this truth to men God sent
His only begotten Son, whose apostles in
their successors continue His work through
out all time Therefore we cannot be in
different to their teaching
In our civic life we recognize this prin-
ciple of an authoritative standard as the
only true one. 1t is much more imperative
in our religious life. The indfferentist is
In contradiction with himself. He respects
some of Gods commandments and rejects
others that equally binding. No COM
that of faith. for The that be.ieveth not
shall be condemned"
Having abandoned the Catholic church.
humanity's God-given guide. little wonder
is it that men have strayed from the path
to heaven. When they return to ttat guild
ance their feet will once more be set Sc
curely in the blessed way.