The Irish standard., 1907-11-09

possible; there are no special provi-
dences; no answer ever comes to
prayer. Where miracles are spoken of
in the records of past times we must
see legends, dreamings of over-fervid
|imaginations.
"And Christ-the great figure tower
ing high above all surrounding human
ity! Christ does indeed tower high.
He is the fairest flower blossoming OF
the tree of humanity. But still he is
only human. Eliminate we must from
his brow all rays seemingly emerging
from a supernatural region; blot out
we must from our memories all state
ments purporting to have been made
by him or his followers that he was
divine, the very incarnate God. The
gospels must be expvrgated; declara-
tions in them that he is God; that in
proof of divine mission he rose from
the dead are to be considered as in
|terpolations by later followers
The Bible! Beauteous in style, in
spring and elevating in it's themes, the
best collection of writings ever known,
is, in final analysis, the work Of mere
men. There was mp divine inspiration
filling and guiding the minds of writers
none other than genius. such genius
in kind as that which gave us a
Homer. Shakespeare, a Milton. j..
Dogmas and Saerauents.
"The Christian church, its dognas,
its teachings, magisterium, it's sac
raments! All is human. The church
was a gradual growth--a shadow Of
the synagogue, strengthened by adap-
tations from Greek thought and Roman
politics. Dogmas We're periodical
statements of prevailing sentiments of
Christians-correct at the time they
were made, but need to be restated and
renlodeled as religious sentiments
change with the changed moral and
intellectual conditions. Of moving hui
manity. sacraments were never but
symbols, with efficacy none. other than
that appertaining to mere symbols.
"Yet, religion exists, and always did
exist. What, then, is it? Is it. the in
rate. enduring sentiment of the human
heart? AS such it is to be considered
and studied; but as such it is ever sub
jective, fmmanent,' as the term goes,
but responding to no outside. objec-
tive realities, incapable Of being
! propped up by. objective arguments,
= '-'-'' A. to the EneyclioaI. go. b..
Well, the watchman on. Israers
tower has spoken; Plus x. has sent
out his encyclical letter, telling us in
Language clear and distinct what we
are to believe and hold. Modernism in
religion has been condemned-in all its
tenets, in all it's tendencies. This is
the purport and the meaning of the
recent encyclical; this, and nothing
else. Shall we upbraid and blame
Plus x. for his encyclical as some up
braided and blamed him? Shall we
rate him, as some have rated him, az
the enemy of the age, the enemy of
modern progress and modern thought?
Well. SO far as modern thought oblit-
crates the living God. closes the
heavens and darkens their lights, So
far as it blots out the divine person
atty Of Christ, so far as it denies the
divine inspiration Of the Bible. the d.
vine Institution OF the church. the d.
vine efficacy Of its sacraments.. the
ever:enduring truth Of its dogmas-
Plus is the opponent of the age. the
opponent of modernism in thought and
tendency, and we Join with him in his
Opposition.
What says the encyclical? It says
God is not the unknown and the, un-
movable. 1t says. as he created the
universe, he reigns over it and sways
its destinies. It says, Christ is the In
carnate God, God in his personality
the personality of the second person
'of the Trinity. possessing the fullnesi
r. e v.