The Washington herald., 1907-01-14

came the church cat of tic heart OF
Christ.
Is for Worlds Admiration.
"One who saw it in its pristine beauty
calls IL to come forth for admiration Of
the world; stand, therefore, having your
Ions girt about with truth, and having on
the breastplate Of justice, and your feet
shod with the preparation of the gospel OF
peace: in all things taking the shield OF
faith wherewith you may be able 20 eX-
tinsuish an. the feTy darts of the most
wicked one: and take unto you the helmet
Of salvation, and the sword Of the spirit,
which is the. word of God (Eph. Viz 1t
was new equipment and unknown influ-
ence-to the Jews a scandal, to the Cen
tiles folly. Truth and justice and peace
were bywords when this daughter Of God
and spouse of His Son came down.
Might made right, and war was the only
Nay 10 honor and power. Divniies and
Temple rites were bat excuses fer iicen-
/ dOusness. Even the vcstal looked un-
blushing on spectacles that would break
I the heart of purity. Pompeii is testimony
against itself TO the ages Of a shameless
ness THAI the savage never reached: Ii
/ tells what Juvenal vr Tertullian or Sen
eca dared not write The wisest and best
! of pagandom, Socrates. Plato, Cicero,
/ cato, gave utterance TO sentiments that
would now call down eXecration.
Church's Mission 10 Purify.
1T was the churchs office 10 do more
than change the face of nature-she must
purify the corrupt heart She took the
daring garland from the brow OF the Epi-
curean. shed her light to drive ont the
dark fatalism Of the Stole, and made the
/ rationalism Of the day understood that
| there was something more than the drink
/ Of hemlock TO answer the questions Of
the soul. The lives of early Christians ex-
cited admlring wonder. Scarcely a
martyr went alone TO heaven. II may be
/ that the rotting civilization Of the empire
could not be saved; but the church was
/ the means OF grating The cleaner man
mood of'barbarism on the Inblighted rem
rants Of Greek and Roman humanity; IL
/ brought forth q race IN which the hu-
man was blended with the diyine-a char
acter that was of Chris. Brotherhood
took the place cf hatred OF rank and
class, and every man was measured ac-
cording TO his dignity before G0d-nOr
/ Greek nor Roman nor bond nor free
every one the brother Of the Son of God.
/ Charity was an unknown word before the
| Saviour came; charity was the very life
Of the church. II alone explains the con
|uuest OF the world and The hcrOism Of
saints II led meE 20 adore what they
/ had burned and ourn what they nad
/ ad0red-above al. it brought mind and
heart 10 render homage 70 eternal wiz
dom. infinite power.
/ no influence can touch the individU a.
without affecting the cycle Of his relation
ships Nations and families are what
+ the average Of men and women make
| them. Thus the civilization that followed
/ the establishment Of Christianity, if it
/ had little Of the luxury and material
/ grandeur of the empire. was marked by
/ nobler purposes and hoiier lives. Men as
! far apart in character and time as Plato
and Voltaire knew that without religion
! human society could not subsist
Philosophers Feared for Caesar.
! Cato and Cicero feared direst distress
/ to the state from the sneering skepticism
/ Of Caesar. but it was left for the CathO-
I lie Church 10 furnish the steadying force
I that would save civil society from the
+ chaotic condition that IS never separate
( from organization shaped by mere human
knowledge. Human authority is essentially
powerless TO convince beyond the posi-
/ biity OF mistake-itself Is liable TO err,
ana all its pronouncements are more or
/ less Insecure. But the church was direct
from God, vested with His infallibility;
and as there was no political principle
that did not involve one of theology, the
very doctrinal intolerance Of the church
saved the governments from the con-
fusion and disorder that ever followed
the discardiug OF religion Revolt and
rebellion are but the practical application
Of sOphism. So are tyranny and despot-
ism. The Rights Of Man would be
pleasant To contemplate If the authors
had not forgotten the rights of God To
both rulers and people the church spoke
in the words of the Apostle. There is no
power but from God. She but echoed
the words Of another inspiration: BY me
kings reign" Rousseau testides that
Christianity made firm the authority of
modern governments and made them
humane; and MontesquieU that It created
those rights in peace and war for the
benefit of which the human race shall
never be sufficiently grateful
Church Alone saves state.
from despotism and the Individual from
anarchy. because she was independent Of
either The French revolution was the
frenzy Of the despotic mob. The progress
Of the religious innovations OF the six
teenth century was made possible by
setting up a despotic state. The church
opposed both.
WAS not the protest that gave its name
to sectarian revolt the denial Of liberty
of worship From Henry VIII to Bis
marCk and the French republic, Catholicity
has stood for given rights and its
opponents for sweeping supremacy of
secular power. Lord MOleswOrth admits
that in the head of the Catholic Church
the Pope-there IS the principle Of opposi-
tion 10 the assumption of unlimited
power. And endless contests of popes
and emperOTs during the Middle Ages
were but the efforts of the pontiffs to
check despotism at home and save
Christianity from Moslem denomination.
Influence of Catholic Church.
Have we to-day sacredness Of home and
binding family ties2 Have we paternity
that is not domestic tyranny? Have we
motherhood that is not slavery? And are
there wives as honorable as their hus-
bands, that may not become OutCaSts?
Are there children that are Gods children
that can never be chattels of state? Is
there a hatred of slavery that makes
Onesimus the bondmau. brother of Phile-
mon2 It is the influence and work of the
Catholic Church. Where Catholicity is in
its decadence the family decays. Where
is spirit is unknown or not felt, the flood
Of divorce. threatens TO wash away
IA lilies and governments and leave a
foul deposit OF immortality in whose fetid
odors no soul can live.