The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-11-03

Only Real Test of His Worth.
Rt. Rev. John Lancaster Spaulding
of Peoria, ILL.,, Il member of the Goa
strike commission appointed by Presi
dent Roosevelt and one of the leader:
of modern thought in the Roman Catho
lie church of this country, preached q
sermon in st. Peters cathedral yester.
day morning to an immense Congre-
cation made up not only of Catholics
but to very large extent of persons
| of other faiths.
Bishop Spauldngs fellow w-members or
the arbitration board attended in a
body and occupied the two front pews
on the centre aisle. The party included
Judge George Gray, of Delaware; Il. w
Parker of Washington. d. g.; Briea-
dier General John NJ. Wilson, of Wash
ington. ID. c.: T.. E. Clark. of Cedar
Rapids, Ia: Thomas RI. Watkins, of
this city and Carroll -. Wright, Of
| Washington, ID. e.
| Bishop Spaulding made an impressive
figure in his purple canonicals and
| preached Il mastery sermon based upon
the entire thirteenth chapter of st.
| Paul's epls;le to the Romans. but more
| especially upon the tenth verse, Love
worketh no i'll to his neighbor: there
fore love is the fulfilling of the law"
III" spoke in part. as follows:
Bishop spauldins's Sermon.
"Thcreforc love is the fulfilling of tho
| law In this portion Of paulS epistle to
| the Romans he touches the deepest priu-
| cipleS of life and religion and declares
| that love is the radical source. the pur-
| pose and the end Of life. The whole law
tests upon this principle If kept intact
there can be no Violation of any law. \
study of it leads 10 Il thought of that in
| finite power beyond and above an things
which is the power of love. If We would
| lead loving and kindly lives it is essential
that we bring our thoughts to bear upon
this power.
There can be no deeper thought than
this. We cannot escape from the idea of
a cause for all things. We cannot escanc
from the idea that what appears is not
what is; that there must be some cause
from which 1t springs. Why does this
vast universe exist" 1t is the cxtclnalized
form Of God making maj nifest His divine
enthusiasm and bliss and love. This uni
verse is harmony because love is Il har-
mony.
There is harmony in all nature from the
microscopic atom to the planets which
swing in stately procession in the heavens
All things move i'll conCentric circles 1t Is
Il cosmos and not IL chaos. Its beauty is
Gods smile of app pioval at what He ha'.;
made and at its center is the infinite pow
er of love.
The quality Of mans love is the only
real test of his value. TO rate "A man by
his material possessions is a superficial
way of expressing his value. \ mans
worth is what is in him and in the things
Ia "nt In
repeat. is the only measure of ms ~ultil.
If We would seek to gauge Il man. there
fore, we must seek to understand what lie
really loves.
Drawn by Mistake.
The animal is drawn by instinct and ap-
petite and lives solely in a world of i,-
stinct and appetite. 1t remains fatally an
animal just as does the man whose
thoughts are solely confined to the gratiti.
cation of his senses and To things purely
material. 1t is not possible Tor Il man
whose only concern is what he shall eat
and drink and wear to ever live the kind
OF life God would have him live until re
turns his thoughts to other things
1t is n trllsm that the highest life is not
the intellectual life but rather the moral
life, the life Of sympathy; the life of love.
How shall We know the things to love"
What is Christ but Gods infinite good.
ness, mercy. and love madr manifest 10 |
man: but the revelation OF the infinite |
compa assion of lie who made MS. ChrisrS |
whole life was the practice and preaching |
or love. If We turn our thoughts to love
1t means sacrifice. 1t means the turn
ing away from our selfish lives to the
poor and the sick and the suffering
The natural DRIFT of mans mind is Ia
wards the worship of success and to-
wards the beautiful. Chrisls mission was
to turn mans universe on its axis; to tllln
his thoughts and desires, towards the love
of his neiShbor; to the service of the
lame, the halt, the blind, the poor the
the sinful.
What Is ollr purpose here below? What
S our predominatng thought ANA pas
sion? We must ask ourselves these uucs-
ions. Are We striving solely after the
material: after money, and the material
things which are the equivalent OF
money" Are we seeking after position or
distinction so that we may become promi-
lent in the eyes OF our fellow men? Are
We thinking only of the accidental and |
'ircumStantial things that may come into
'ur lives" | take it that no man really |
'esponsble gives all his thought and at
ention To what lie eats and drinks and
wears because the man who does that is
| common sensualist and nothing more.
His Mission On Earth.
Jesus Christ in Ills mission ON earth
lined To create new possibilities OF love
The tendency of all educational processes
$ to re-create ana reform to make real
What Is potential, That is what the Lord
Wished 10 do. He wished and wishes MS
O feel and understand something of the
nilnity of His love as manifested in
'hrist and in the world about US
Paul says in this epistle, thou shalt not
ommit adultery Adultery Is a sin
gainst love Lust kills the soul and kills
applncss. 1t plungcs man into IA dark
ome neither world in the midst of MI
smas where ii is impossible to think
obly or to do divinely.
lie says thou must love thy neiGhbor"
nd here we have Gods command 10 love
ot those near to us and dear to us by |
les of relationship and personal friend
hip but all men of all creeds and all coll
rs even those in the ncthermost parts
( the world.
Thou shalt not steal,' Here refer
nee is made to part of mans external
elf; the things he owns, All civilization
founded OH Y respect for property. Its
ossession is the great motive which has
limulated man TO the practice of the |
irtues of industry, self denial and econ
my for ages past. ,
The law of life il the law OF love. An ,
We by what they give. The happiness of
ich individual depends on the love he
hows others. All great things spring
'om love; the love of God, the love of
hurch, the love of country. The law of
we also enters in when we appeal 10 the {
lcial sense. Society is not possible with
ut love
Love is equality because we are all as
luals in each others sight if We but |
we another. Love is opportunity, for .
herever IL exists there are opportuni-
es created. Love is insight because
hen We love we learn 10 have sYmnathN !