The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1908-12-31
THE PULPIT.
A SCHOLARLY SUNDAY SERMON BY
CARDINAL GIBBONS.
Subject: The Prerogatives and Re-
sponsibilities OF Moral Freedom.

commanded the blind man TO be ,
brought to Him, and He asked him, |
sAv,ng: What wilt thou that do |
for thee9 And he said: Lord, that !
may receive my sight" The cardinal
said: VI
Is not he stone blind who is entire I
ly engrossed by the desire for earthly
riches and shuts his eyes to the pearl
of great price? Is not he blind who
is wallowing I'm the mire OF sin, VINO
is leading n life of sensuality which
leads to melancholy and despair Is
not he blind who is bending all his
energies to the acquisition of honor
and fame. and when he acquires 1t, IL
fails to satisfy the cravings of his
heart? Is not he blind who looks up
to heaven and contemplates the
works of creation, but discerns not
the existence of a Creator2 Is not he
blind who sees the hands moving on
the clock-work of time, but fails to
recognize the invisible Hand which
keeps these works in motion? is not
he blind who counts the days Of his
years as they flow by, but does not
consider the ocean of eternity that
lies before him?
Now, Christ says to each CT YOU
what He said to the blind man: What
is thy will? What wilt thou that l
do for thee?
How sublime is the faculty Of free
will 1t is a gift which distinguishes
you from the brute creation; for man
is the only creature on earth that en-
Joys moral freedom Tt is a prerosa-
tive which you possess in common
with the angels and which makes you
like tc God Himself. God and the
angels and man are the only beings
that have free will.
II is the exercise Of the will that
distinguishes the saint from the sim
ner, the martyr from the apostate,
the hero from the coward, the tenn
/ perate man from the drunkard, the
/ benevolent ruler from the capricious
| tyrant. If we are destined TO be of
! the number OF the elect, we shall owe
/ our salvation under God to the right
| use of our freedom. If we are to in
cur the vengeance of heaven, it shall
I be due to the abuse of our liberty
"Thy destruction is thine own, O Is
I rael." In a word, our liberty Is a
weapon with which, like Saul, we will
inflict a deadly wound uron our
selves, or it is sword with which,
like Michael the archangel. we can
conquer the Internal enemy ard win
our way to heavens
Our Saviour told the Jews that the
| knowledge and practice of His pre-
cepts would secure for them true
freedom. The Jews were indignant
that their freedom should be called
in question: "We are the seed OF
Abraham" they exclaimed, land have
never been slaves to any man." But
our Lord replied that though children
of Abraham, they we're in bondage as
long as they were in sin. amen,
say to you: Whosoever committett
sin is the slave of sin"
Do not Americans sometimes tall
in this way? We are freeborn citi
zens and yield to no despotic power
But what will 1t profit us to enjoy
the blessings of civil freedom, il VIZ
do not enjoy the glorious liberty o
children of God, by which we'are res
cued from ignorance and can trampl'
on sin? What will it avail us to bt
recognized in the public walks OF lif'
as free and Independent citizens, II II
the circle of our family, and in tn,
sanctuary of our hearts, we are lashet
as slaves by the demon Of passion; |
we are slaves to a petulant temper
slaves to lust, to intemperance, prid
and yainglory; slaves to public opin
ion. the most capricious of al
tyrants?
Jesus Christ is the highest ideal o
Christian perfection. He is "the wa
and the truth and the life" He cam
tJ teach us by word and by example
Now, if there is any one virtue ou
Saviour inculcates more forcibly tina
another. it is this: That our hear
and will should be in harmony wit
; Gods will. 81 came down froI
! heaven, He says, mot to do Ny ow
will, but the will of Him that ser
4 Ne. Ny food is to do the will of Hi
that sent Me that / may finish HI
work"
In exhorting us to make the will {
/. God the supreme rule of our action
Z our Lord is echoirg the voice of H
eternal Father My SON." says A
q mighty God, give Me thy heart" II
does not say. Give Me thy richie
. thy lands and thy possessions, fC
: these belong 70 Him already "Th
y earth is the Lords and the fullnei
d thereof, the world and all that DIVE
2 therein" He does not say: My so
u give the service Of thy body, for thi
. also belongs to Him. THY hands
.o says the prophet, "haye made al
y fashioned me-" And besides we real
y lily bestow the service of our bra
4 and hands on one who has alreat
4 gained our affections. But He say
@ Give Me thy heart and the affection
y OF thy will, for this is all that yc
70 can call your own; this is the on
sr free, unmortgaged property you ca
:. offer Him.
=, You should discern the hand
II God in the daily occurrences 'of III
n You should regard all the events ha
pening to you, such as poverty al
le wealth, sickness and health, life al
lq death, even the afiictions and pers
~ cutions arising from the malice
=, men; you should regard all these,
/" say, not as accidents and real evi
II but as visitations controlled and (
ne rected by an oyerruling ProvidenS
ct They are links in the chain of yo
he Immortal destiny; they are so ma
re gems in the diadem OF your glol
10 This Is the teaching Of the apost
who says that "to them that love G.
y all things work together unto good
II / consider the recognition of II
truth the highest Christian philt
lat ophy and the practice of II the or
es substantial basis of genuine pea
or You will never enjoy solid tranquilli
a. till you accept with composure a
az equanimity all the visitations whi
as, come from His loving hand.
mt Our Saviour insinuates the sal
'n, comforting doctrine. When He
IN arrested In the garden before Il
IN srucifixion, Peter draws a sword
re. tFt- doFanaa Our Ord Tins reDuk