Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-04-07
PERSEVERANCE"
Brilliant Sunday Sermon By Rev. J.
A. Tracy.
Impressive Is the Cheerfulness Born Of the
Testimony Of Good Conscience.

BROOKLYN, N. Y.-The Rev. j. A. Ira
cy, C. NJ, of Germantown, Pa preached,
Sunday, in the Church of the Visitation,
on perseverance" Father Tracy took
as his text, "Be faithful until death, and
l will give thee the crown of life" (Apo'
calypso ii: 10y, and said:
l can imagine no sight more inspiring
or more consoling than that which l be.
hold before me to-day. Hundreds of souls
have listened obediently to the voice Of
God speaking through us and hundreds OF
hearts have been opened to the infusion
of grace from on high. Cheerfully and
bravely you have looked into the condi'
ton OF your consciences and on detecting
the marks of sin there you fastened to the
tribunal of penance, you exposed the guilt
contracted by sin, you resolved that with
the help of Gods grace you would never
compromise yourselves in the sight OF God
again. The absolution of Gods reprresen'
tative was pronounced over you and you
! went forth with light hearts and pure con.
sciences and grace filling your souls. BY
the reception of Holy Communion the seal
was set upon your resolutions and the act
recorded in the book of life. Your bodies
are now the temples of the Holy Ghost.
your souls are burning with His grace and
in your present condition you are worthy
to be called saints. the name given by st.
Idul 10 tne early SuIlSlluHs.
Hence ! have no hesitation in saying
that the congregation assembled here to.
day, pure, holy, unspotted, cleansed from
the defilement of sin, is IN object of com.
placency to the blessed and adorable Trim,
ity; to God the Father, because He sees
His people, the work of His hands, faith.
full, loyal and obedient;; to God the Son,
because His tremendous sacrilce has not
been in vain; to God the Holy Ghost, be-
! lxn AonVn. - r.,
grace and you show the work of His
mighty hand. And the guardian angels OF
this church participate i'll the common Joy,
for they see the glory given to God by His
faithful people. Yes. from the heights of
heaven above the cherubm and seraphlm
look down upon you to-day and bless God
their Master for His mercy to you and
for the wonders of grace wrought in your
souls
And we, too, bless God and fall down
in humility before Him at the thought of
having been His unworthy instruments
in this mighty work. For it is not we
that have done it. Irresistibly the convic,
ton is borne home upon us TINT this
change is the work Of the right hand of
the Most High" But we have in His
name received your confessions; we
have listened to your signs of repent.
ance; we have heard your resolutions of
amendment, and have satisfied ourselves
of your determination to persevere in grace
and holiness. BY your own free act YOU
declared an eternal divorce from sin. That
resolution was registered in heaven, and
when you stand before the throne of God
in Judgment it shall be brought forth as
testimony-for your everlasting JOY If YOU
have kept it,; for your eternal confusion
If YOU have failed.
Now, there is no doubt about your pres.
ent dispositions. We know that as you
now stand your hearts are for God and
against sin. But we cannot close our eyes
to the melancholy fact that the flesh is
weak. When the present religious fervor
has passed your old enemy, the devil, will
return to the attack and YOU must be pre-
pared to meet him. on must not deceive
yourselves, but look the situation straight
IN the face and take measures according.
ly. In a matter so serious it will be of
immense service to us to consider what it
means to fail.
Think, first, of the base ingratltudc to
Christ implied in a return to sin. With
eyes of faith YOU have been able to dis.
Germ as never before the significance of
the life and death OF your Rcdeemcr. You
have made personal application of the
lessons you have seen. You realize that
it was all done for you. Yes, our Saviour
had YOU in mind when He was subjected
to outrage and ignomy in the court OF Pr
late; when the fierce scourges descended
upon His face and back when the thorny
crown was cruelty pressed upon His sacred
brow; when He hung bleeding and torn
upon the cross. The thought that you
would appreciate His sacrifice and profit
by it, and through 1t be enabled to obtain
mercy and forgiveness from His heavenly
Father reconciled Him to the cruelty of
which he was a victim. II our Lord adj
dressed you personally to-day He would
assure you of this and tell you that the
thought of your conversion made His sui
ferings sweet. Moreover. lie took the
most etfectual way of making you compre.
bend the infinite love of His sacred heart
Gods love for man might have been writ.
ten in characters OF blazing gold across the
heavens; 1T might have been proclaimed
throughout the universe by an archangel
and man would have still remained skcpti.
cal. He would ask for further proof. But
when the Son of God Himself takes flesh
and suffers and dies Tor man. what heart
can be so hard and stony. so insensible to
gratitude as to refuse to be drawn to God
and return love for love.
What baseness, then, and what treach.
cry it Is to receive the gifts OF God and to
turn over to His enemy that which should
serve His honor and glory. How migrate
iul the heart made for God and virtue
which uses the power that God gave it
in self.indulgence and sin. How wicked
the soul redeemed by Christ which renews
again His terrible passion. For we do re
new Christ's sutferlngs when we sin. We
wave aside the marks of His love
tor US, and as far as We are able we
say, these things mean nothing to me. ]
have passions which must be satisfied am
bitions which must be attained, avarice
which must be satiated The teachings,
the passion of Christ stand in the way OF
these and must give way before them
And is it possible after all the manifesto,
tons OF Christ's goodness that you will
again JON forces with His enemy, the de.
WI: Shall you again take up the scourge
and shed the blood of your Saviour? Shall
you again press down upon His head the
crown of thorns? Shall YOU make Him
cry out in bitter complaint, "Of what use
was My blood:' Oh God forbid; God pre-.
serve You from such cruelty and treach.
cry
Again, remember that a return to sin
Will replnnge you into the pitiful state
IRON which you have just emerged Bear
IN mind the significant words Of Christ.
No man putting his hand to the pillow
and looking back is fit for the kingdom of
heaven" We have begun the good work,
why should we look back? Can you again
face the, misery and remorse you expert.
eenced while under the guilt of sin? Was
it not difficult enough for you to summon
up courage to break away from sinful hab.
its, to confess the sins that oppressed Your
soul, to triumph over the concupiscence
that held you captive? Would you again
place your souls in the slavery Of the evil
one who seeks your destruction? You
are now healed; take to heart, then, the
words of Christ, go now and sin no
more lest some worse thing befall thee"
Strengthen your resolution, remain faithful
and do not fall into the happy condition
OF him of whom our Saviour spoke when
He said: "All who shall see him shall be-
gin. to mock, saying this man began to
build and was not able to finish"
And then comes the very serious
thought of the limitations of Gods mercy
lie 1ansril,lo inIanl L..