The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-08-07
LARGE ATTENDANCE AT SUNDAY MASSES Father Duffy Breaches on the
 Last Judgment AN IMPRESSIVE DISCOURSE A Sentence Which WlIl Be Final and st the Bar of Judsment-ood Him.
 self Will Contend Against
 the Sinner.
AN IMPRESSIVE DISCOURSE

The three masses at St Paul's yester-
 day were largely attended. The crowd
 that heard mass at 9SO o'clock was un-
 usually large, recalling to ones mind an
 Easter Sunday. The pastor, the Rev.
 Father Coyle, was the celebrant at the
 ' o'clock mass and at the 10:s0 o'clock
 mass, and the Rev. Father Duffy offered the sacrifice at 9:3O a. m.
 Atflast mass Father Duffy filled the | pulpit and preached a sermon on stew
 ardship and the Judgment day, that is
 said to have made a profound impress
 sion. His text was, Give an account
 of thy stewardship, for now thou canst
 be steward no longer" Luke xvi, ?. Aft
 CT reminding his hearers of the certainty
 of death which comes soon or late-"soon
 at the latest"-Father Duffy said in part Must Render Account. l The last tie has been broken. and the last long shivering sigh has been breath
 ed when the soul is called upon to rem der an account of its stewardship. Of what will that account be demanded? Oh every act and thought, nay for every idle word shall I have to render an &C., count. The sins so long concealed, which our dearest friends had never known and
 our father or mother had never even suspected, shall be then brought to light. "son of man." said the Almighty
 to Ezekiel dig in the wall" And when
 he had digged in the wall, behold a door, And He said, Go .n and see the wick
 ed abominations: and he went in and saw. And behold every form of sleeping
 things, of living creatures, the abomina- tion, and all the idols"
 But this is only faint idea of the
 wicked abominations so long forgotten or concealed in the consciences of worldly
 minds, which will be revealed and set
 before their faces by the reproving judge at the particular judgment.
 Recall if you can that sad hour in
 which you first had the misfortune to
 fall into sin. How often have you off,
 tended Almighty God since then? And
 alas, how many sins have you forgotten?
 How many have you passed lightly over?
 Yet each and all are recorded against
 you. Yet more, the circumstances which
 have increased the malice of your sins
 your sins.
 God the Judge.
 To whom shall have to render this account? To God, a judge who cannot
 be deceived, "who will render with most
 exact equity to each according to his works" Romans Il, 6. Oh, how different
 shall that Judgment be from the vain
 and fallacious judgments of men, who
 decide only from human testimony and deceitful appearances But there the judge is God, who sees the inmost se- crets of the heart. For man seeth those things that appear, but the Lord behold eth the heart"-God, before whom even
 the angels are not pure The soul must
 pass through this ordeal unassisted No one, not even our blessed Mother Mary,
 no one except the souls Creator about
 Ito contend with it in judgment can
 speak then. The time for mercy has
 rassed, the time for justice and judg-
 ment has arrived
 The trial shall take place only once. no
 second chance to retrieve past errors and follies. But if this judgment my breth- ren, will be terrible on account of the first appearance of the soul before the Divine Judge and because of the severity of the examination which Is to follow, how much more terrible will It be on account of the sentence which Is to close l i;.
 Who can imagine the consternation and
 despair which will overwhelm the un- happy soul whose life shall not bear the test of so rigid an examination? Who can describe the terror and confusion
 which will seize him on hearing the dread full sentence of condemnation illuminated against him. Depart from me, you | cursed, into everlasting fire" Matt XIV, Al.
 Depart from me-your Creator who brought you forth from nothing to enjoy | the eternal bliss which you have forfeited | by your sins Depart from me. Your Re- | deemer who loved you with an everlasting | love and shed the last drop of His pre- | cious blood to save you, who have tramp l led 1t under foot and despised it. Depart | from the society of Mary, your ever bles- sed mother. Depart from the compan- | ionship of the angels and saints. depart | from peace, from joy, from hope from every good, and take up your abode with
 the foul demons of hell In It's excrnciating fire forever The restraint of the Divine l Will which kept in check those fiends con- sumed with hatred towards man is no
 longer exercised and they rush upon the helpless, struggling soul to dray 1t away
 to the reward of it's labors-eternal per- dtion.
 Gods Curse.
 | But stay. Depart from me, but before you go receive my curse. inc curse of | God to be your portion and inheritance l forever Oh how horrible The curse of | God given Himself from out of the full ness of Gods hatred and anger to be the last memory that soul will ever have | of it's Creator >and it's God.
 | Let us, however. look briefly at the | reward which the soul which has served | God faithfully shall obtain. God has
 created us from nothing. He has given