The Washington herald., 1918-02-25

the most beautiful church in the city.
ings. have come down to us, such
as Tacitus, Suetonius and Pliny, all
of whom speak with contempt and
derision OF the Christian religion;
when we consider the hostility of the
priests of the Pagan superstition and
from the established government it
self, for the Roman emperors during
nigh 400 years were the high priests
of the existing heather worship; they
were as closely identified with the
pagan worship as the Gar of Russia
was allied with the Greek Church Of
today: above all, when we reflect on
the sublime and austere moral code
which they proclaimed to a people
whose religion tolerated and even
sanctioned the most dissolute morals.
we are forced to admit that
Christianity is divine and miraculous
in its origin.
"Well did st. Paul sound this key
note when he exclaimed: The foolish
things of the world hath God chosen
that He might confound the wise, and
the weak things of the world hath
God chosen that He might confound
the strong. and the things that are
contemplate and the things that are
not that He might bring to naught
the things that are that no flesh
should glory in His. sight
And, indeed, the wisdom Of God Is
specially manifested in the adoption
OF means utterly disproportioned to
the end to be attained, so that the
world might be convinced that Chris
tianity is the work, not Of man, but
90 ,,I hot oil he cvlnrxy Ghn1Nlh
rebound to Him.
For il Christ had appeared in all
the pomp and spIendor OF a temporal
sovereign; if He had associated with
Him the power OF Caesar; II He had
impressed into His service the armies
OF imperial Rome. the world would
Justly exclainr: There is no miracle
here, for Christianity was propagated
not by the finger of God. but by the
arms OF the flesh. Or IL our Lord had
employed in the service OF His religion
the poets and orators. the historians
and literary men of His age; il He
had inspired Virgil and an Ovid. a
Cicero and Tacitus. to WELD their
pen and raise their voice in attesta-
ton of the new religion. then the world
would cry out: There is no miracle
here, for the Christian religion was
propagated not by the folly Of the
cross. but by the persuasive words of
human wisdom
"Or il our Saviour had appeared as
the possessor and distributor of i'm
mense wealth; IL He had lavished
bribes and bounties to induce men to
embrace His doctrines. then the world
would say: There is no miracle here,
for men were drawn to the Christian
faith not by the pearl OF great price.
but by the gold which glitters. But
when we behold the religion of Christ
established by the weapons of weak
ness. humility and poverty We are
forced to eXclaim: The finger OF God
is here
THE historian, Gibbon. the author
of The Decline and Fall of the Ro-
man Empire was obliged to admit the
wonderful growth of the Christian re-
ligion in the first three centuries. But
he endeavored to explain the phenom-
enon on purely natural grounds. He
ascribes the spread OF Christianity to
these five great causes: First, the in
domitable zeal OF the primitive Chris
tians: second. their pure and blame
less lives; third. their unshaken be-
lief in the immortality OF the soul; /;
fourth, their alleged power of work
ing miracles. and, fifth, their admir-
able organization.
There is no doubt, in deed, that
these causes eXerted a powerful in
fluence on the propagation of Chris
tianity. But maintain that they were
secondary and not PRIMARY causes.
They were the effects OF a first great
cause. If you behold a beautiful
placid lake. in your travels through
Switzerland or the Adirondack Noun
tains, your curiosity may lead you
to discover the streams which feed It.
Your investigation is rewarded by
finding five rivulets flowing into it. In
pursuing your investigation still far
ther you find that these streams have
their source in the snow-capped noun
tain in the distance. Let US apply
this illustration TO the subject be-
fore us.
Who inspired the primitive Chris
! tians with their unquenchable zeal
and enthusiasm-an enthusiasm in an
unpopular and hated cause? Who
raised them to that high plane of
moral rectitude; who impressed them
with that unclouded faith in the i'm
mortality of the soul, and in a future
destiny? Who impaired to them the
power of working miracles; who gave
them that indissoluble organization
cemented. not by force, but formed
blythe golden bonds of love?
Who was 1t but the Lord Of Hosts
1t was He who said: Go teach all ma
tions, and behold I am with you all
days, even to the consummation Of
| the world. Fear not, have conquered
the world 1t was He who said: The
race is not to the swift. nor the battle
to the strong 1t was He who said
'Ye have not chosen Me, but have
chosen YOU, that ye may go and bring
forth fruit, and your fruit should re-
main
MY brethren, initiate your fore
fathers in the faith by your unclouded
belief in an immortal destiny. Initiate
them by the rectitude of your lives
and by your zeal for the honor OF God
and His church. Initiate them, above
| all, by working miracles of grace and
| mercy, by your charity and compass
sion for the sufferings Of your fellow
beings.
Let us earnestly pray that our
brave young soldiers who are now In
the trenches, or who are preparing to
go there, may be preserved in their
| faith and morals from the dangers
| which surround them, that they may
heroically- fulfill their glorious mis-
sion, and that they may soon return
triumphant to the bosom of their
, families and to their beloved Colum-
bia, the mighty mother of US all"
BIRTHS REPORTED.
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