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Show CHRISTIANITY. (Extract from Father Malone's lecture, "Christianity vs. Infidelity.") Christianity needs no apologists. Its glorious work for mankind in all ages cannot be belittled by all the sophistry, calumny and falsehood that infidelity, ancient or modern, may or can invent. Infidelity, in all ages, has ever raised its hideous head and called upon mankind man-kind to forsake their religion, their morality mo-rality and everything dear to the human hu-man mind. Christianity is the only religion re-ligion in the world's history which has successfully battled, century after century; cen-tury; the demon of atheism. Her invincible in-vincible arguments have ever caused this ruthless destroyer of virtue and hope to flee to the fouli dens of iniquity from which it originated. So today Christianity bids defiance to this monster mon-ster and brings hope and solace to the human heart. Oreat as the disbelief of the infidel is, so bold, however it may be, none win be found so bold as to deny the fact of Christianity; in other words, that Christianity is: and not only that it is. but that it is the greatest factor today in the civiljzed world. It permeates the life of peoples and shapes their destinies. des-tinies. It has been dHng this for 2,000 years. The fact of infidelity and its protests are a substantial proof of the potency of Christianity. From the point of view of the Christian Chris-tian whatever there is of true enlighten enlight-en ment, true science and true art is found within the pale where Christianity Christiani-ty exercises its influence. This is likewise like-wise true from the view point of fact. Christianity "sets the throne of the eternal as the sun of the moral heavens, heav-ens, to which As to their fountain, other stars Repairing, in their golden urns draw light; light in all its beams and many colored glory; light that is the life and growth of the spirit in all its faculties; as that of the sky is of all things in nature." Christianity has. from the moment that its lustre first banished the darkness dark-ness from a forsaken world, been a universal and infallible remedy for the woes of man. It was ever the light midst encircling gloom; it was the light to guide his feet into the paths of peace. it was ever ine ugni piercing uensesi darkness, not only guiding him safely but unfolding new charms even in the darkness, so that he misht exclaim with Dante: O! sun! who hcalest all imperfect sight. Thou so content'st me, when thou solv'st my doubt. That ignorance not less- than knowledge charms. And even the world beyond the pale of Christianity feels its effect and influence. in-fluence. So potent, indeed, are Chris- tian teachings that their influence is circumscribed only by the limits of a world. Its work is no less powerful in pagan than ir Christian countries. China, Japan, India, Turkey, all pay homage to Christian methods and are important and successful only in proportion pro-portion as they adopt the same. China, with its untold millions of people, when it commits an offense against a Christian Chris-tian nation, must bow in humble submission; sub-mission; while whatever of genuine worth is to be had within its confines must be attributed to the influences of Christianity. Japan, that has suddenly raised up among the nations of the earth, has been so elevated, because it has adopted Christion methods. India, the cradle of the race, is, as a matter of fact, dominated by a Christian peo- , pie. The Turk, once so powerful that j his armies terrified Europe, has been j stripped of his power and today survives sur-vives only by permission of Christian nations. Africa, too, is being invaded and settled and the fate of the different differ-ent tribes depends solely on the will of the Christian nations of the earth. The. greatest minds that the world has seen have recognized the all-powerful all-powerful workings of Christianity; they have gazed In wonderment and awe upon the effects of a power which they felt was more than human and necessarily neces-sarily supernatural It is a fixed principle, recognized by-metaphysicians, by-metaphysicians, that the cause must be adequate to the effect, so that the cause being given, the effect may be measured; the effect being given, the cause is known. Viewing the effects that I have just given, their magnitude and importance, import-ance, let us strive to measure the cause. This cause we find in Christianity the fact with which I began. Nothing but a supernatural cause can produce a supernatural effect. And that thp effects of Christianity are su pernatural, infidels themselves acknowledge ac-knowledge wJien- they confess that they are incomprehensible, affirming that they are due to natural causes, while confessing their inability to demonstrate demon-strate the proposition. Compared with Christianity, the effects produced in the world by other so-called religions are as the tiny rivulet to the roaring mountain torrent. The religion of Confucius, of Zoras-ter, Zoras-ter, of Lao Tsue and others has had no effect in the grand upbuilding of the race. Look at the- civilization of China and India, where the benign influence of Christianity has never shed its beneficent rays. There, progress is unknown un-known because the divine stimulus of Christianity is wanting; the people are not imbued with the energy of a Christian Chris-tian people and are wanting in the fire that permeates Christian civilization. Turkey today is at the mercy of Christian Chris-tian nations and enly exists because Christian people cannot agree as to the manner of dividing it. But in all lands, among whatever peoples the spirit of Christianity is found, the same wonderful divines supernatural effects are produced. "As the silent dews of night fall upon the flowers and revive their drooping leaves, so does religion, in hours of af-flictlon, af-flictlon, revive the spirits and solace the wounded hearts that blessed assurance as-surance that gives us strength for all our trials, that takes from misery its bitterness, and strips affliction of its sting. Vain and unprofitable, then, are all earthly advantages. "There is but one thing necessary;" it is the love of Cod in the heart; it is the fountain from which the stream of virtue will not fail to issue devotion, self-government and banevolence. Religion is the soul of love it is an intuitive light and evidence of what is not to be proved, but which cannot deceive; a light which lightsi us through a thorny path on earth, and at the close of life lights us to heaven. The beauty of a religious life is one of its greatest recommendations. I "What does it profess? Peace to alf mankind." It teaches us the ways which will render us beloved and respected, re-spected, which will contribute to our present comfort, as well as our future happiness. Its greatest ornament is charity; it inculcates nothing but love and sir-ipiiiy of affection; it breathe? ,.L1 M ;m ' j nothing but the purest delight; it is that pure, invaluable gemri which shines brightest in adversity; it is the possession of thus sterling jewel that imparts a stimulating impulse of the he-art to man; it is the gentle spirit that, leads' us to another and better world; it serves' as a consolation when mankind deserts us, and the cheerless hand of sorrow is? placed upon our brow; its magic influence calms the rulfled scenes of life and makes them glide- peacefully- away: it soothes the mind in its last hours, removes the sting of death and gives assurance of the passport of the soul to an endless life of happiness and bliss. The power of religious- consolation is sensibly felt upon the approach of death; and blessed be Ood for his affording af-fording me an opportunity, in a thousand thou-sand instances, of witnessing the manifestations man-ifestations of his love in this trying hour, when the last words uttered were Glorv! Olorv! Glory! and without a sigh or a struggle they fell asleep in Jesus. If is in moments like these that religion, re-ligion, appears in the most striking light, exhibiting the ideal of the disclosures dis-closures made by the gospel; not only-life only-life and immortality revealed, but a mediator with Ood discovered, mercy-proclaimed mercy-proclaimed through him to the frailties frail-ties of the penitent and humble, and his presence promsietl them when they are passing through the valley of the shadow of death, in order to bring them safe;- into unseen habitations of rest and joy. |
