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P :f ^.^- M s^m*; ^.|i«v. i *v;v ^'-i^ t? \'^'' àh..<^ €■ 'i ''#• --^p??'^:-)" :;'•'>«•■ ,*"V ' \ ■ / 1^ nf^r^nl'-'^'^'y Bibliothèque nationale ,of oanada du Canada «1 m 'iV>Bt^»â^-&^A■;^iîi.fii iAL-V' j ^1 ^ * ~ ■^^■H > r ■ - t- '■'' »*■ r- .V ^ • ^r1 1 -iniil --fM, \> r '■î .-.-* ^5 J^Q»,! ^*^-»o>l - ^^ ^**f,'i i-^i- ;&!)«! ■-*■';" ■735 ( ^ 1^ ^Fc' W \ ' ■ - _'■ * r/' , - • *, • '- «M .- > ' ^ < « ' w r '- ' . ■ \ ^ ' '> _*,-*■ ; i«f> y» Pt/ '";;ïi?<',' X*- .« . ■M if. ■^ v' - » *"\ '' ^fc '. 3!^ • ^x » ' î » - ' - i 1 Î '/ ,<■ - .>*■ W t , • - * * '■ . ' \ • ,■ * -r/i"' ■ ■ . •-■■ ' > â • H- #\ THE ShRIT OF THE AGE i — 'f'Z OR FAITH AND INFIDELITY AN ESSAY BY im^ JOSEPH K, FOBAN, LL.a r MONTREAL • ^' D- &U-„SAjmxR- & GQv; CATHOLIC PUBLISHERS jaLu- ^-.JL ■< #v H^S^'' rf--'- V-:^.;3, F6 7^ r. ^^^. v ,« .^ J Ottawa, die 2iâ,SEPTEMBRis 1885. % . - y . Imprimatur : t J. THOMAS, Epus-Ottawiensis. a.*;. ■' ! ■Vj i :.V *' •» é '- • r ' ^ • - ' ^i^^ '* (ï . • - • ^ : -, <# — w / , ^ 1 _ ■pM^v . . ■- . ■''\ » . / r- -> ^! 4 ■''■'•.'■. ' " -^i .-,-'. --' , *• 4 Jf- > É * ^^^ f m^k iii^^^' ( i ■ i V. r ,v;":ïSijS*^-ï: ■M''t-> .'"*■-'" C J t' To HIS FATHER AND MOTHEli, AS A TQKEfî "■■■ - ' H ' " ~ y OF FILUL AFFECTION, THIS UTtlSS, EsS^Y IS DEDICATED BY J • ^ / \ THE AUTHOR 4 J . r'^ ■^ vi%sÀ.fi's->;..«J^'»"'ji> t'*- •' ^^ I / > \ •f ^^'■ V 2r !f-:ij,!-*y^" . . 'iiiSlMiiriMJniffi à r <^ s^^>-;*i^'f .V'i. ,-.--s.,- m REFACE. ; - About eighteen months ago, I found it necessary, in order to préserve or rather.re- establish my health, to abandon for a time ^ the cares, labors and monotony of ' a law office and seek elsewhêré that mental quiet and physical exercise, which study and sederitary work rendered imperative. For a while I was doubtful whether to go South or West ; but happily the idea flashed upon me, that far away in the North, in those régions where winter lingers longest and where the white flake falls earliest upon the ; pîne-branch, whiO-elhe lîf^ purër,~coîden"^ ^ more invigorating and consequently health- f ■à ^"vwW'rtifs|^'^?r4»^-A*i*f , 'm-^ny^ r \ r ■V- 8 Préface. ier, I would find that which I sought and for which I might vainly seek amidst the forests of the South, where " blazing Suns fiercely shed intolérable day," and death accumulâtes his poison at the foot of the lotus. Knowing,^however, thatwith no definite object in view, I would certainly find the days lengthen into weeks, the weeks into ïhonths and that loneliness would intrude upon my path and mar the plksure that reviving strength must doubtlessly create ; I therefore entered into the lumber business and with the charge of a dépôt and two^ shanties, I commenced, on the first of De- cember 1883, at the head waters of the. Black-River, my new career. During my first winter in the woods, I occupied my time in supplying the shanti^. with provisions, measuring the timber and ^ ^ ^ * ,<■ 'A -^ 1 1 , V *^1» '^ \ I «'^^■ç'}W;'^J^^^i«3 P^rtface. ç logs and receiving the contractors ; while thus employed I found sufficient time to hunt. Game was plentiful, from the timid grouse to the antlered monarch of the woods, the moose. I aiso kept a diary^ which contains full and ample descriptions of the lumber opérations, the shanties, the modus operandi et vivendi oî ûiç, real back- woods-man, the habits and manners of the wandering Indian bands that prowl around the timber-maker*s little forest home, and, finally, of the physical aspects of the country. The diary is a mère journal of events and it contains very few fruits of study and reflection. During my second year, in the woods, I was fresh in mind and strong in body and -leisure moments were sometimey ntHH^ erous, consequently I gave myself more tô ^^2iS,^^^ilHpK j^^O-^ï ..'.■Ja i ■V , «s «r^ ' lO Préface, study and thence sprang into existence the following essay. Sir Alexander Selkirk asks : " O I Solitude, where are the chairos, \ Which sages hâve seen in thy face ? " j Had I bîùt time I could count them by the score,-their name is légion. As I sit at my office window and gaze out iipon the beautifui h'ttle lake that lies nestled between those pine-clad hills,-~an October sun shin- ing upon its trout-filled waters,~an October breeze fanning the brow of the gayly bt decked up-Iands and an October pencil paint- ing,with countless hues, the birch and maple leaves and as I contemplate the year slowly dying and can almost count its hours and catch its stghings, as it dra ws towàfds its grave,--! naturally tum from nature to ^'^a'iM"^ ;7W V- 'il v->.^ *-7»-î4*^^, Préface. >■ ) II nature's lord, from inanimate to aniinate existence, fromthe panorama before me to man, the master-piece of création, and I behold those same seasons workingin another and a grander sphère. . ■ i ■ ' " Age will corne on with its winter, Though happiness hideth its snows; ^nd if youth has its duty of laboT, The birth-right of âge is repose." Again when I know that this little Iake is the source of the Black-Rivei^the Avon ^ Dhu of Canada- that it is the cradie of that rapid stream, which we can trace io its career, through mountain gorges and over frowmng précipices on down, until it flings its tributary portion into the Ottawa, which in its turn blends with the St. Lawrence, -wbiiilr lattcris^on Jo$t m th^vâsOïtlâ^Jr when I trace, in imagination, this s '\ I -jt i ^V" •■ * ' ' 1 ' " ♦w™ fît™ 1 I 12 . Préface. ~> *' from its source to its haven of rest," and beho.'d it "a picture oiXxi^ and its pleasures, s . I^s troubles— its cradie— its shroud, Now Ijght, with the glow of the sunshine Now dark, with tregloom of the cloud-" I naturpjly fall into deep study and man's career on earth is its object. From man, the lord of création, I turn to the Lord and Creator of man, thus following that goldem Chain that binds earth to heaven, man to GolJ, the lowest being in existence to th^ higliest of ail beings-«the one, almighty,. all-inspirihg Power, whom we call God— and know no more !" From such study has this essay found existence. As I hâve been unable to cany books with me, most of my quotations will be from memory and shouM I imstal Word, let not the blame be imputed to my 'fô-i ^%^|^ -^t-c, j^,. t *,-.,■»-<* 1 'Y£>tf 'i\^%.-;^ ' f~f9^lj^'^ 3 r 7»f Tff- -Vf -•> ,"-",l^-^ "fu ^-t-^rfi^ }^tît4^' Préface, » 13 à intention, but merely to my faulty memory. At times this essay may be descriptive, againitmay contain expressions of admi- ration and wonder at the worjcings of God ; perhaps, at times, whole pages may be found' consecrated to reflection; in^nib parts you will discover réfutations of certain errors that prevail in our day. Logù may blend with Rhetorù; Ontology may unité with Poetry; Psychology and Literature may walk side by side, or ^v^nNaiural Theology m^^y fhake hands with Nature hèrself over the grB.YQ o{ The Spiriû 0/ ihe Age, The stud/ of the subject and the penning of those few pages served to while away many an hour o{ sohtude and should they now, with the blessing of God, procurç^a momenfs pleasure or even afford art atom j THstrucriontothéhumblest or poorestlrt Ae land, I will feel my labor repaia— and .^ 11 iB>S"!.a4>^", ,r m i6 ■T/ie spirit of the âge. i the âge, we naturally infer that each succes- sive period in the history of the wprld has had , its particular spirit, différent from that which held sway in precedingor succeeding epochs, and that our âge has also a spirit peculiar to îtself. Without going any furthef we will ask burselves two questions and then strive, as' best we can^ to answer them correctly. Eirstly : what is the spirit of the âge? and secohdly : what is the spirit o/our âge ? The spirit of the âge is that certain motive power which governs the actions of men, holds a predominating influence over moral lives and sways, either for good of evil, their social relations, whether as between indivi- duals or between peopfes. It originates in the continuai, changes to'iyhich tbj^hùman II. ■ family is prone and in the ever fluctuating -circumstaiH ï'i. iiffer ent in eaeh agCi that surrouid and throng the avenues of life. \\ ^^êr^^m^^^^^^ssm. ^ ■4MI ai t •lij'i'î ,. -f^fe^ ")> t . A^M H.-^ -^ . ^ v^-'--\»Si-tiii^' .y ; TAe spirit oftfie âge. >• 17 îs either good or evil, according to the ac- cident of.the alternate ascendency of virtue or vice in the bosom of humanity. It per- vades every social System, breathing its în-^ fluence^eneficial or banefui, upon the world and bending at will and directing the actions of men. It is that which shapes for nian, as an individual and for a nation, as the aggre- ^te of individuals, their différent cèurses at divers epochs. Its ob>ect must seemingly be tbe happiness of the humain race— yet, when springing from an impure^ source and nur- tured in frivô% or crime, altHbugh it ap- parently tends towards the greater happiness, it redly ïeads the way and clears the path to destruction, sorrow, sin and death! It changes with the ideas of men. Ir is influ- enccd by éducation as well as by ignorance ; thehabits or the virtues of the hour. Its #•1 ' • 2 /• ,r / «te v'-a-. '^' ' -» * ^, ::.?^ i . % <: '\ ^% 18 Tlie spirit oftJie âge, r cradle may be the rising splendors p; jk^% civilization or the moulderihg ruin™ jt^per- ishin^ barbarism : its tçmbi^ àj^^ay bé the vortex of thouçhtless vanities/OTthre sombre shades of niined cloisters. It is a vitality^ not a living being, Words c^annot define it exactly, the mind alone çan conceive it. Suffice to say that it govems our lives and ir actions and directs our aims to good or evil as the case may be. Now we will enter upon the considerr ation of the second and, for us, most impor- tant question : " What is the spirit of our âge ?^* After having'foynd it out we will examine whetÉiyiàil a spirit of ^smà or evil — whetheup^jpoale cherahed, guarded and encoùràged or else to be disowned, checked, and destroyed. If we find, unhap' j)ilyt that itbelongs to the dy kercate it will -behoove us to seek for that spirit L_, h'v""'?"^' ^v \^. 7)5^ J//W/ ^M* âge. 19 which should replace it and whose happy in- fluences would overcome its sad effects. Having found that true spirit, it will become our duty to point out the means wherel^ the one may b4 banished and forever çj^tin- guished^as also the means whereby the other»may be established upon thethrôneof the unworthy predecessor. " •^. Therefore this essay shall be divided into three distinct chapters. In the first, we will investigate the question, "what is the spim of our âge ? " and having answered it, we will prove the truth of our sthswer and then- consider whether it is a spirit of gèod or evil. In the second chapter we wilLseek for the opposite or counter-balancing spirit. -And in the third chapter, we will çontrast the two— j>oint Qut the arm a to be used àiost efiWttVr «• that spirit ■ «Ij^ôn the niîghty struggle, and indicate ôre ;*r '\ A.«.-;éH**.v ^«-S^d^kr ^■#^ ~>i"'*"'*wi 20 7>^ spirit of the âge. order ofbattle necessary, that victory may perch upon the proper banner. " v Such is a synopsis of the whole essay, which in itself- is but a feeble synopsis of a gigantic subject-ra subject that emtiraces literature, science, art, phîlosopEy, theology — a ^ubject, like Chimborassà the monarch of mountains, lofty in its proportions, won- derful in its grandeur, based on earth and reaching the heavens, round whose base things may moulder, round whose summit eternal lights must play ; ^ggéd and diffi- cult is the ascent) dizzy and dangerous the précipices — yet grandeur is stamped upon its features and majesty adornes its heights. Such is the subject and oh ! for the pen of a St. Thomas or a Fendon, of a Newman or a Manning to do it justice ! Like Phaetonof 4nythologicallorertf^weatt€mpttogui■ 1 .*^> r ' ^ »' T« ■:< 4' 'T^ '\ l r ?HAPTER I. WHAT IS THE SPIRIT OF Qj^AGE ? Ask the question to somiè' ind they will malce answer that Invention is the grand moving spirit of ouf âge. It is true that within the last hundred years wonders, un- dreamed of, marked every passing hour. The printing-press improved lends its pow- erful aid in diflfusing knowledge over the face oftheearth. The lightnings ofheaven hâve been grasped by the genius of man, and to- day the electric spark carries the puise of speech, over continents and under miles of océan, with more certainty and précision than ail the messengers of the past, even though^^heys h o uldhave beèn^ndowëdwïtr the swiftness of the race-horee bKproyided 1^ ^'î^'' '•ft*" The wirit of the âge. n [with the pinions of the eagle. The gigantic iships are built aîid steam is utilized to won- [derful efifect. The monster train, freighted ^ith human lives, whirls along through^ [mountain gorges, over tubular bridges, past Itowns and capitals with the produce of the very antipodes. The télescope has detected those Systems ofplanets roUing in the bosom I of space, Neptune three hundred mMlions of miles beyond the sun and again a new system I commencing where the suns of Neptune cease to revolve. Gun powder, and the ter- rifie rifle gun, •• levelled with a précision of the most deadly science," casting its charge against the battlements of cities orintohosts of human being§. The destructive torpédo, striking when least expected, and spreading death and ruin on ail sides. The dynamite its^ off-spnng the infernal mâchme,"" agents of terror and a wild train of murderous %■ ■i i % .V "== s -Û» .^''-*T^V*% '>/,ai^-<(;i'»l.,'S^U,f «-■*< >, j; vSf&VV ilJ^^J îot of its benefits. The spirit of oiir âge lust not be confined to one or more peo- jles, cannot be circumscribed in its influences [l)y space or distance : it must reign in every clime and amongst every people, it must govem in the world. Prçjgress may triumph in the West, but it is on the décline in the East. Whiie its banner floats from the Rockies to the Alle- ghanies, from Maine to Brazil, from the peaks of the Alps to, the çoasts pf Britain, from the depths of Germanie forests to the bleak shores olf the Caspian, it has com- pletely disappeared from the Tigris to the Jordan, from the cape of Good Hope to Arabia. The walls.of the Celestial Empire seem to forbid its entrance and the vast j-egions from the plains of Hindoostan to the î, as yet, nevermade €cho to the Clarion notés of progress.. f m ' -Mi ■ -?■» 'f'-' 38 '^^'^^Pirito/thsage. \' * "«^e a Dreeze oer tïi#> Koi , ' ^hedd.Vfro.i.3C„ï °^P--. -wa„ddea.j;: ::;-:»--•'> -••>'e^or.c4r:sT-rr o- ^e endless cycles ^ TtelT ?""'■ ", iS* '.^^i> C^fi ^ A ït*^ * /'4- ^ âge. •"°t be that spirit ^à, touches wfth a fanning the un- 'e halcyon's nest, ïappiness—when sweeping, Jij^ ^ rdens o{ peace, îon and turmoi], spirit is for evij. le spirit of our rûil than either >methingmore ^ in its effects -re and here- ends beyond •uits through- "ty. It is a i t^-witfe-^^ j ^g^ — •^ts venom, .Il .- ^^Jtm-^^ The spirit ofthe âge. 29 rawls into the garden of existence, blasting nd killing wheresoever it finds life, hope, •r happiness. It is like the poison tree of ava, spreading its verdant branches aloft, hile whithçring the soil that gave it birth. That spirit is awed by no virtue, subdued by no kindness and crushed by no correction. IWith it " gold has no value, birth no dis- tinction, station no dignity, beauty no charm, âge no révérence ; or should we not say that with it every treasure impoverishes, every grâce deforms, every dignity dégrades and ail the arts, the décorations, and accomplish- ments of life, stand like a beacon-blaze upon a rock, warning the world that its appro- ach is^danger, its contact, death ? *' What then, we ask once more, is the spirit of our âge ? and we make answer that 4tJS iNFIDEL l-f y |"7^ Cast your eye over the moral map of the Ml tr\ ->'>4 * tf -, • j *. f -?■ i\ 30 '^^ spirù 0/ tbe âge. ^**»i ^ *Wes of the „wealthv • i> k.. over the «i^dle of chfldhood Ld r ^""^ ■^awn, to the „id.day and oX^ Ï « «s nourished upon science- .; ^"'^' ^--peH,.,n,,„,„J:--P^^ <>-nipotencew„a.o„,.insLL"t;" a^.-^oHhoUow.hopeless.Va.^^'l"'^ i^;Wi-, ^.^,^ ■ i^-^^^-^ïj. ^.i ,1 i /^ tf^. 'ddedwith^estan ^sofphiJosophy;^ ridors and milJ,on| ►litan Society and upon every sîdej gling for suprem-l It breathfis in the. neath the richîy »^thy ; it hovei^, ^d ând Jingers, •uch ofdeath;it nian, from the aiKtiowards the ^ ïn ignoiancç ; -e; it is proof with ubiquity f "* it seeks an hespîritof^;»/- aithiess, piay> Tke sf^irit of the âge. 3ï In a multitude of forms does Infidelity •esent itself for our contemplation and [udy. Sometimes it appears openly and càn more readily combated ; more often, how- er, it is clothed in the garb of hypocrisy, ing.Chistianity while hiding, beneath its ande, the symbol of its pùrpose. In the tter casé it is more difficult to detect and ercome. ^rilliant in coî^r, attractive in auty, it glimmers before us, âlong the high- ay of life, like the marsh-light that "shines iut to lead us astray." It may tempt us on, lointing upwards, drawing our attention to e beauties above, while causing us tô over- •ok the précipice at our feet. Infidelity, hen thus armed, is more dangerous than e can imagine. It points put to us " joys hat but allure to.fly " ;.it offers man " hopes LhMxam s Lwh i kJ]ie_^iip&^^^ truthfully picturesit, " like dead-sea fruits; 1. '■ÙÂS' ^ JSl.iihi»A*'^ ^f^'-i.'-: t' ,^ : -yi-im^M^r-^ 32 ^^ ^Pirit af the âge. ... ^ ' /"=<=«P"ve, hypocritical. The bff., *- cWba^. but. .e *^/:' ™^^^ drawn fm™ .L «rona—a lesson, awn from the past, to be studied bv th ' présent and to serve as a », • ^ "^ **« -ho^,;;„ir"^""'"''--''eworfd «'ouOtv^muÎhr'"'^*^''^'-^^^ .«•nV^,. A.. ■ •" "'«^e "ved a ra. ! ■=?'■'' 'tX " mi fy- V 'j».:r.<. The spirit of tlie âge. .33 souf and \yhile inthe solitude of his thought- ful hours, calmly and honestly said to him- self " there is no God ! " I doubt very much if there eVer lived that i^ian, who,.when the passions of life were chilled and ail its allur- ements fled, When the hectic appeared on his brow and the world, with ail its pomps and attractions, w^ fading before hmi,— j who when the great inévitable hour was at hand and the gâte that hangs between time * and etemity swung afar, could calkly say ^- and believe that ail was over, that he was about to plunge into nonentity, that there could be no hereafter— no God ! Itisdoubt- ful whether such a being ever did or ever could exist. ; i But let us tàke the Atheîst at his word \ There are many of them in society to-day» Ltd l s4i& that there is j k > God 1 ife-wouid — ws inmost ■ efface that Being whgm we style God : he *y\ K3» ..isa *; "^,- \. '\ '■s ■ ;«^s :34. V ^^ ipirit 0/ t/(f âge. ' would wîpe H.-m out from the bo,k of exis- tence. He tells us ^hat everyth4 came by chance.a„dthat the willofmanis suprême, the only ruling power, the only Deîty, ,ï we ' "««TI iireation. 4 j tfeybut one blade of gn.ss. or one tree. or ^^^§^ ' .J!JS.«fS|*^ The spirit of the âge. 35 J.:%. only 6ne lake, or one mountain, or just a single star in the sky, or only oneseasonin the year, some half-wise, half-witted indiv- idual might say that it was accident that brought it into such a position. From the highest mountain-top to the smallest grain of sand on the seashore, frpm the furthest planet that we can detect în the realms of space, to the humblest light that flickers in the cottage of the indigent, each object in création and ail the objects in création un- ited, proclaim in a mute, harmonie éloquence, the power, the glory and the infalliblé exis- ^ce of God the Creator; — man, alone, made to His image and likeness, has the audacity to deny him, to rise up in a pigmy strength and confront the AU-ruling, All- crealive Potentate! It is a wonder that we înd an âpplicatTon, in somé unhappy Athçist, of those glowing Unes of A\ iiA^'i'ï \^»^ ait V'.'*r% ,«-*^x^^'^'^'' 3<5 The spiHt of the âge, Milton upon Satan's downlall from h4en "Him the Almighty Power Hurl'd headiong flaming from the ethereal sky, With hideous^ruin and combustio,,, down To bottomless perdition ; there to dvell rti adamantine chains and pénal fire, Who durst defy the Omnipotent to anns." ButnoîTcdayHeistheSodofMercy -but to-morrow He may be the God of Justice I The atheîst wiU tell us that the genîus of «an .s suprême. I agrée thatman, although but , worm. a drop of water in the sea, a g«.n of sand aUg the shore, is powerful. AU the inventions spoken ôf sometime ago and milKons un-mentioned attest the power thegreatnèss,thegeniusofman. But,then' ■^ •»«''» gemus. from A dam to oui Uay and what is to exist from our day to the end of -r \ '■«St-F9F" VvP >,s* he âge. fall from heaven Almighty Power » the ethereal sky, tstioi), down re to dwell lal fire, nt to anns." 2 God of Mercy, be the God of ît the genius of t man, although er in the sea, a >re, is powerful. sometime ago test the power, nan. But,then, o^^urday âr^ ^totheendof The spirit of the âge. 37. time, were coUected together and redoubled and multiplied by a million ti'mes in strength and ail brought to bear, in one mighty effort, yet ail that power, and genius, and strength, and will of man could not stop one thought fromflashing through my mind, My mind is but a siihple breath of God. Now, if on tfie borders of the spirit-land, if at the confines of the material and upon the threshold of the spiritual, man's power fails to prevent one thought from darting through my mind, how, in the name of* aj|.^that is reasonable, can màn expect to wipe outand destroy the God that created that mind and of whom it is bui a breath ! Nature con- founds reason. Lbok where you will and you behold the woijkingsof an unseen powen Man has certainl^ the poWer to déstroy, but ■UM.-'à'^^^'i. '1t. lîè cannot creatér"' rhè cFemist can decom- J?«^a JUade of grass, take thç tissue from Sk '^ 'M^ ■ '-.A-WW^A. . 38 Tke spirit àf the agè. v^... the fibre, the oxygen %om the hydrogeo ; but there his power ends. He can never unité them again and give back the simple vegetable life to the herb he has destrôyed; Man can tear dôwn, but he cannot build up." He can destroy animal life, but he cannot restore it. Man can eut the chord of life that unités the soûl and body of his fellow man; but he cannot follow that soûl beybnd thetomb, be cannot annihilate it. Even his power to destroy is limited. >Ian.^ can build a steam-engine, "but he cannot j create the iron and other metals necessary 1 for the accomplishmentNof the woric. And| had they never come into existence through means ofan Ens creativum, mancould pever i hâve an engine. No Atheist! you mistake I We cannot „spend aay more tiffle^th-yoq; ^ others more dangçrous tolpok after. Whe| te r |i'~i:'^,vJrf<' < ' • * **^*ï^-^^ ï'ïjp^ , "'ir'~^J^'*'-^T< r T^ spirit 0/ the âge* 39 lyou hâve lived thirty years of labor and virtue ; performed miracles for three years ; cured the sick and lame ; given sight to the blind ; commanded the dead to arise ; suffy*' ered a passion of love ; carried a cross to some new Calvary ; died ; in three days burst the barriers of the tomb ; appeared to the world ; ascended into heaven^— -then, and not till then you may criticise — then you willequal God — then we can listen to you. But, in the meanwhîle be silent, and confront not history both sacred and profane, con- front not traditions the most cherished and holy, confront nôt GM with your sophistry, with the wild and m miacal ravings of every petty blasphémer ! The Son of the Most High, upon the' summit of Golgotha, "with a riail throu^h His hand forirp^n,^uid crimsoïi bitrad^f^ ink, wrote his name upon every page of i\ «A- .? 1 «?, -A '' #1 ■'X'T ^ ''t-7TW^"^1'P 40 Tke spirit 0/ the ag4. n se history, from the dawn of rédemption to the sunset of time." Vou cannot efface that name-the characterjs are indelible ! Look • into your own heart and hsten to ydur own inward voice ! Be silent and tremble ! - We shall again hâve occasion to refer to the' Atheist and his neighbor thp Deist. We firfd Infidelity proclaimed aloudi by the [n Pantheist, the Matenalist, and the pro^essed 11; pagan. The Turk, the followefs of Mahomet, |io thé Chinée,. the Japahee, the Hindoo and If numberjess others are Infidels in one sensé of the Word. To them we Wîil hâve ample occasion to refer in the course of th/s Uttle work. But this is^ an Infidelity that anses from ignorance of the truth, that springs from the darkness of their situation. It is not culpable as that, which amongst other races, more enlightened. i, horn Jn —' science and îearning. ^r-"""^ -^-'"■"' 7>^^ i;^mV ^ /^^ âge. 41 Open, professed Infidelity is to be found in many of the nations to-day. In our jecond chapter we will touch upon it, in full, md in the third chapter we will strive to in- iicate the best and most effective means to iestroy it. . . For the présent let us turn to that hidden nfidelity wl^ch pervades the world, which •lasts with its poisoned breath the aspira- ions of youth, the support of âge, the peace f this world and the hopes for the next. . hat * Infidelity enters unabashed the very lanctuaries of piety, the yery asylums ôf arning ; it spares neither the relies of the st nor the treasures of the présent ; it |huns neither the resorts of vice nor the tars of dévotion ; it is masked_ with the lomino of ^Christian zeal, piety, charity and iGtiofihwhikitstealsawây*thechildlfronr= the mother's knee, the wifeljrpni the hus- _LL p- tmmim jTAV; i-fr^^^^^^^^ t > 42 The spirit of the âge. % band's arms, the Priest from the sanctuary, man from God, humanity from peace. love; happiness, heaven ! , That we may the better know ouc enemy and the better confound him, let usseekout his birth-plàce ! Let us look for that accursed spot, that unhallowéd l^nd which engenders such plagues and sends them forth upbri their mission of désolation ! Let us find out the great nursery of Infidelity in the world î . Is it into thedens of iniquity that we mUst go, or is it to the places of scandai, the'gamb-^ ling.-hells, etc ? No4,Where then is that home and birth-place of Infidelity ? It is on ail. sides of us, in every land and in every clime; The Secret Societies are the PARENTS OF InFIDELITY, THEIR LODGES IIS BIRTH-PLACE ! . > ^J^he^Kihili sts of Ri issi a, the Rad îc alâ ùî Germany, the Comiftunists of France, the ofei Jfx'T ^ "■** ^ ■V ■k T/ie spirit a/the âge. 43 Carbonari of Italy, the lUumini of Europe, the Free-masons of the world, are the fost- rers, the propagators, the great^ leading spirits, the patrons and fathers of Infidelity in the world to-day ! \ This assertion and at the same time accu- sation may strike many with astonishment ; yet it is true and its truth we purpose prov- ing. In the nàme of society, of Christianity, of civilization we arraign thojsecret societies of the world\and, in particular, the great masonic societyKbefqre the tribunal of pub- lic opinion, we accuse them of subverting the social order, of instilling Infidelity into the world, of propagating that curse of hum- anity and sowing the seeds of irreligion. Therefore we accuse them of tréason to humanity, which they seek to lead astray ; of , stnveriràr"pcr^ ison to societ vert^ of treason to authority ànd order which ^ fl 7' ftia»ap*Wïjefe,^ju-^-, «■ 'j"-»»'-.'"! 44 The spirit of the âge. is " heaven's first law ; " of treason to m^n, as an ■ndividualorasamemberofhisfamay'L ., whose happiness they destrôyl of treason to |sha God whom they ever indirectly and conti- Isot nuously attack! Let them and the world |tha read „the ^roof and let an impartàl reader give the verdict! Letthat verfictbeawarn- mg to those who yet enjoy their freedom untrammelled by the chains of any secret junto, unshackled by the oaths of any or- ganized tyranny and may it be, for those who innocently hâve been led into the snare a timely word to prevent thdr advancemen't, before retreat becojfe impossible ! ' We dont think it necessary to enter into the multitude of distinctions hetween secret societiesof différent countries and bearing durèrent nanïès, nor would our space permit. -Msh°"M any of those sodeé^^ know how mach m kmum atout them, they "^h^^ ^j. K 0^ r\ -a-lr^y^ ^ft'"* T^/fi-^ Tke spirit of the âge. 45 lave but to ask for it and we promise them full essay upon the subject, in which we [shall go to the deep-mostrécess and unearth some of those heartless, bloodstained secrets that, unperceived, canker the heart of hum- ity. " In the woods of the North, There are insects that prey On the brains of the elk, ' Till his very last sigh ! " ( Sq those insects feed quietly upon the brains and life-blood of society, and in secret sap its last supports "and extraçt^ its last drops. For the présent we principaUy refer to the Masonic Society, that might^ tree whose roots are so deep in the earth and whose branches spread so widely above ! The fîrst and greatest7"boon held out to^ those^wha seek the^>rotectîott^ the secret societîes, or thosè whom the ^ocieties seek ' m'. - ' ' ' ' ■ ». "* ■ ^ . -t. r,-<»fc^ ■■'' ■,■ i* ^ .•■■■ i W^' :p'/-^^ * l^ >«'^ '^6, > 46 T/tespirit ofthe ags. to allure into their snare, may be found «pressed in those three words that werie once written, i„ characters of blood, nJL. the banners of the French RevoIutio„-L tiBERTv, Equaittv and Fraiïrnitv! GloXt nous words ! Magnificent expressions ! Atlo, tractive. lofty. noble i„ themselves ; bulu, deadly and dark i„ their perverted applioloi ation ! Words that, liKe the waming of Bal- L Jzzar, m the very feast of triumph are em-L blazoned upon the walls ! The Jf««, 72«é./,lhe Phares of the new dispen^tioh, Let usife ' ««"»'"« the Liberty oftered, the Çquality to. procurad,the Frate«ity conferred L theL secret societies upon the world and thl„ let Le ettd-the destruction of Authority, the iip- |anc .ng out of God,_to^,ds InfideHty hle- L Mowand the honn-d hopr of «.nih Ju. ' hereafterl V _ cor li """^'^•4«i_ ^■~'^^^?JJ±. \ ^-- vl^WM^ Uke ags. The spirit çf the âge. 47 re, may be foun e words thatwer rs of blopd, upo :nch Révolution— Fraternity! GIo : expressions ! At themselves ; bu perverted applic e warning of Bal- triumph are em- ^^^Mene,Tkekel, însatiohi Let us •ed, the Çquality onferred by the orld and thèn let ree, towards\one thority, the wip- Infideh'ty hère Spirit of Mazzini, arise and proclaim to e world the déception whose powerful jgent you once wese, whose impotent vic- m you now are ! Shade of Lolla Montes, lit once more across the scène of life ; butin bur passage stay for a montent to warn umanity, telling of your own fate and ointing to your own error ! Hand of Gueb- rti, wave once more above the masses, not lolding thé dripping stileêto, but lifting aloft he glittering cross! Blood of Rossi, take life, |nd from the steps of the Queriffal de- lounce^ the world the authors of that fearful [eeCwm% made Rome shudder in 1848 id caused the world to stand in awe and [terror for years after the event ! Pakna, arise and deliver the panegyric of that Liberty which imprisbned your chief and attempted' f Victor Enimarra«î,^6âfîbâldi, corne forth and define again, or let <* Léo ►>, a»*f. 1-^ '■■JT''' i''^i r i'- ,,(■ '^ *'§'*''^*' '^^f'iffk¥^^*'W J 48 TAe spirit of the âge. ■U. I Taxil " do so for you, that glorjous (?) Equal- ity that you offered humanity ! Voltaire, ], J. Rousseau, D'Alembert, Diderot, Condor- cet, Desmoulins, Marat, Danton, Robes- pierre, Santerre, Samson, awake one and ail that the world may renew that bond of Fraternity which you strove to establish so firmlyl |ut we call, conjure in vain! The dead return not, but the living are still ac P ÇSince the above was composed, " Léo ^ taxil/'or G. J. Pages, the infidel author of the scarlet pamphlets, the God-hater, the man - deceiver, the speaking - trumpet of French Free-masonry, the second édition of Voltaire, has become a CathoHc. I think I- should say that he has returned to the Catholic faith, which in an hour of pride _and sinfulness he abandoned, jhr the hollow. empty vacuum called Masonry. Sickoftheir i . & ,„- iî» If t. ,^~^y:- ■^ ■TQg^'/i^S^ ' *. > 7/4^ 5/i>7V of the âge. 49 Liberty, tired of their Equality and feeling the humbug of their Fraternity, he has aban- doned it ail for the pure faitli of his youth. r trust that the pen of Léo Taxil will not be silent. I hope it may give to the world, over his nom de plume, the réfutation o/ the^rors into yirhich he fell and which he propagated with ail the strength of his perverted mind ! His conversion is a greater mirdcle than ail ■ the bodUy cures that we are told take place at sacred shrines. He was the friend of Gâr- ibaldi and for that reason did I refer to him."] Herculaneum has been burîed over eight* een hundrçd years, it cannot be totally ex- cavated, never will it see again the light of day. The inhabitants of Rescina lead the traveller to a house over which is written, '* Herculano" 'Stxià they conduct him down its wmdii]^xiarirstaircase into an Ampmtnc of the buried city. Vesuvius still bums, rtioans. .u J ''ikWi 'f - "^■^Ira^ ~ ^^^ ^ -h 50 TÂe spirit of the âge. , groans and warns. Would it be wonderfui tf, in year| tq corne, the people of some new village would conduct the sight-seeker adown new passages and fresh lava-steps to visit • the ruins of buried Rescina ? Such might happert«~and stiU would the beauty and per- fection of nature adom Naplesandits bay^ still the "bluecave" would glimmer as perfect in Caprae's isle as to^day, or as when Domitian made it the haunt of vice—Such might happen and still the world would tum, the Sun would rise over the bix)wn heightsof Ischia, illumine at noon, with fiery pencil, the blue waves of Baiaand sink torest beyond the purple Appennines ! So with us, in our study, we may be led by the spirits into the caves, the ruined . splendors and shattered hopés of buried Illuminism---biit I letusnotfoigetthe that threatens to burst fonh at any moment, V The spirit of the âge. 51 any moment, as powerful, as dreadfui, as destructive as ever ! Shall we linger around Herculaneum and not wam the people of Rescina of the fate ihat o'erhangs them — the death that rs but to strike — suspended, like the sword of Democles, by a slender thread ? A traveller lands at the Pirseus and drives from the quay in the direction of Athens ! He enters the city and beholds those fong, white, clean, regular streets, regular as those of Philadelphia, upon ail sides of him, — the Street of Eœlus, leading from the Place of Concord to the old market at the foot of the distant citadel, the streetof Hermès crossing ^ at right angles, and reaching from the Place of the Constitution on to the modem sub^ ùrbs. He passés the Tower of the Winds and^a Greek Cathedral and draws up for refreshments âTlhe CafélSoIôn. Asyet he is in a modem city of the nineteènth centùry l "^"---.il il .';■'» 52 ^^spiril\f.iiea^: finany reaches the foot of the Acopolis He Ik P-<*eda„athe„,„,„g,,^, J^^-ll= ..Aat toe-hbnored rock. He sc«mM ' ^N,^forthefeti„,^doesAthensap- P-^^W„«h,-.,_theAthe„sofpth,r">_tli.-T ^he (^ge. aysputupon lin- Byron Street and heAcropoIis. Hej î, where St. Paul :st the gorgeous tweencolumnsofl rds the base 6f We scramblcs over the battle- thecityof the >es Athens ap- s of pther days, d Sbphocles, of of Pendes ana Kanaris and the sunset, he clôthed io a • iowning/Krîife 7>5tf ^W/ ofihe age^ 1 . 53 ."x l# " The Mountains look on Marathon. V And Marathon looks on thesea" — ^and ' Ibehôlds the blue iEgean bespangled with Isles of beauty, fragrant with oli^i&^and" pepper-trees ! Yonder is Sunium ; neàrer still is " Sea-born Salamis/' He pauses and a» he [ catches a glimpse o^ an ôpèn space in B)rron ' Street, the one whosç nàme .was. givento, that avenue appears before hini and united ' they sîng : - " The Isl'es of Gœece I The Isle? of Greecel V WJiere buming Sapphc/. loved an olis ; he rambles along the, busy Stadum -mê Way and behold ! he is once more in a mod^ cm city. Nothing to recall the days oC < '- ■ i- '-'.'if. ■ * < '\t .54 The sfiirit of the âge. Ulyssus-nothingbut9ctive,every.daylife |al St.ll he féek hov closely connectedhé isla w'th the past. He knows that one step and 1 p, the hyphen between Antiquity and the Pré- sent is broken ! We are travelling into the domain bf 1 Infidelity-^f secret Societies-of lUumin- "Sm ! At first we, are, merély going over/, topics of the hoûr, beholding every day stenes and contemplating the présent in al/ its mddem glitter, regularity and show B^i we ascend the great citadel, amidst the „ Partheijon-ruins of woree than pagan idll- atry-thence we look down and thè sç^e changes, the picture of Infidelity in o/her days, of secret Socialisa in other ep/chs spreads out before us. displaying, at once, the éloquent ruips of its preténded -i^^yf^'ty and the fading relii ambitions lWes|p down from that/ point ./ • i■^t.'■i ? a£^e. '^?-'W^'^'l>^^f^i^-X' '^ ,?.TI«'^î^5«e»}JÇ 7>4^ ^îW/ o/éAe âge. ■■*-... 1^1 55 ive,every-daylife. ' connected he is that one step and [uity and the Pre the domain ôf | ties— of lUumin- rêly going pver/ ding every da] he présent in ali ' and show. Bi/t iel, amidst the an pagan idèl- tï and the scène ideh'ty in oi(her i other ep^chs, displayin^, at its pretended ics ôf ttsiioHoinr om tha^ point I crush eut striving, suffering» sorrowing pov lalong thé avenue of history ànd behold the Connecting link between the pàst and the présent. We study ail the deformities of the past and ail the follies of the présent and contrasting thèm, we go, in one step, from> the oneto the otl\er. . Let us study the Athens of Antiquity while we contemplate the Athens of to-day ! Let Us study the workings of the secret Societies in the jpast, examine the means used to attain their end, glance at the con- séquences of their labors — ^while we attempt to* exhibit the square^ regular, systemati order of Infidel indoctrination of this âge ! Liberty they o0er us ! They offered the same liberty in thé past. What was it ? How did they procure it r\Where has it disap- peared to ?" \ LibertyiirRiissiafortyrai ^ ^tk Si J • \ ., . .>-^- 51'^ >-^) 56 ^'^ 4?5/W/ ^/>5yp ^^^^ Il '^7'^*»''*«'«g*ti„,ate daims of the humbler classe,. Liberty for tl,ose peopIetos.Hkeat,e,iti„«.e,u.hoHty.J WendtI,em.„o„egreatn,ass,afu„e«,pae to become a.holocaust of nihilistic sacriiice. L'berty .n-Greece to rush i„t„ the jWs of abn.adtheba„nerofthec«scen,toJeti,e ofAearfst.a„Cathed«,; Liberty i„I^,, tote,rthecou„trytoshredsa„d^3ew .feuds.„„umerabIeovertheland . L.bertyi„Gen„a„ytocorf„„ehereig„- '"gpowe„withthewhi«sofeveo.eg!t- «sùcal démagogue. "T egot theChurch and Sta»^— « ^ wiierem «o âge was respected, no y<-. ^ -M> "Kl ^K^ ts^' ^Ifm^^yf^^^W'^-^ The spirit of the agel 57 luthority reverenced.** Libei/ty to destroy [ail by fire and sword aild, ^hen the clergy and the nobility had passed^away, to pemiit Ithe mob-executionfer of ^b-day to become the mob-victîm of to-morrow : liberty to kill the King, pollute the sanctuary of dévotion I with poison-fl^ers culled from the brothels ' lof the. Faubourg St. Antoine. Liberty in England to revolutionize the creed of the land and open out for humanity, and for each individual in particulaf, a fresh highway to indifferentism, irreligion and final damnation. Liberty to wipèout the creed of her most glorious epochs : the creed of thefoundation of her institutions and of the protection of her influences — ^the- creed, that would be that of her wh^ Empire to-day, were it not for the lawless l'ust of a murderous adult- efefT Liberty ail over the world to believe in or. KA ■r-ê. <^jU|° -r—~-f=^^ '^'• 58 Tâs spirit ofthe âge. deny God as best suîted man and his evil , inclinations ; liberty to fçed the passions of j the hour and quell the stings of conscience by the freedom to beHeve in any doctrine] that f^an may choose to fabricate, to dis- believe in^ the fbture, in heaven, in hell, in God t Liberty, in a word, to accept Faith or parider to Infidelity. )/ Yes, they gave man what he always had, the freedbm to believe or disbeheve, while they strove by pen and swoixî, by open action and hidden cunning, by every means good or evil, to inculcate into the youth, the man, the aged thos^ doctrines of Infidelity that were so widely sewn and which bear such bitter fruits ! They gave and still giy^ man the liberty to overthrow order, to^^revolt ^^a mstauOiQri^^ ^ pervert^sodëty; to àt- tact révélation, to wipe out God, if he can ) V ^À^ars^ii^l ^^leùimiatifn-.. Ti' ,"* • f ^ ' yv- ■»-►■<-' ffijiïrp ' 7>5^ ^/nV o/ïÂe âge. 59 -they preach Infidelity and they call it Liberty I ' Such is the Kberty that the Secret So- jcieties procure for humanity. But let us • corne to that' particular liberty in individual cases ! To-day aman is free from theÀhsLck- " les pf any sworn Masonic bond/^to-night he enters an apprentice : what liberty does. he receive that he has not already enjoyéd ? What liberty does he lose that he oncepos- ■ sessed ? ^ t To the first question we can answer — none whatsoever ! Is it a freedom of worship ? Most certainly eve;ry one, whether insidé or outside the mystic-circle, enjoys the liberty- to kneel at whatever shrine his conscience points out for him ! Do they give him the ' liberty of speech ? No» indeed ;- but on the contrary, that freedom is circumscribed by limits drawn by his masters. Does he enjoy / .u, M- ■ 'hi^'Jfii . "^ "^^t ^'î * '^ 60 '^^ spirit 0/ ihe âge. ■y ne De a member or not of >h« • neverknown. ^»"cûa' yt •» '%7r^iW ,v 'WX^î^^ 62 The spirit of the âge. :&,■,. the ^art as would, to put it modestly, suffice forthe acquisition of every European tonguè , y« fall short of the suprême distinction of bemg a good masôn." Poor, bUnd instrument in the hands of egot.sticaI, clever, unscrupulous masters I ButàlaslWhatKbertydoeshelosethat • ^* °"=* ^"J°y^d ? He hasjoined that band- " '^''°'= acrimonious contests, fruitless én- counters, fierce hatreds, passing triumphs, numberless miscalculations constitute the vortexwhereinsomany noble hearts,so many briUiant mind^ are sunlcen, so many ■ '*"'^"' reptations are lost!» Should it '' "°' ^ *'■''' '^'^^ «"d *rembUng that a young man would enter th^t winding labyrinth wherem .s hearf the hiss of the hydn. of ^tism, falsehood and deceit ? ^J^^'^^^à.^or^^ iil ^ bei«^ cnbed thé words I, fearfui of Dante's •• I.- 1 ^#uVt ,1. /iuj'«»^fe8ik'. •>"* ■•.S.vJÉi"'»^'**. ^.V'λ ".'"Àii ^*5 î' '. ,' ''r^i^^^^^^^^''.'";_^p* --ft^p-' -, 1 „_v T/^ spirit of the âge» 63 ferno" — "AU who enter hère abandon [hope " — of peace, rest, gratification, or salv- lation! He.is on a highway, ingratitude lurks labng it, ruin is its terminus ! No longer is he free to act, to speak, or leven to wish or think. It would - seem as if his very thoughts at once became inscribed upon his features and the moment they are not in accordance with the desires of his masters, they ' become his death- warrant l He is marked ! The Secret Tribunal has considered the case; the Holy Assembly has passed sentence ; the mandate goes I forth ; one more victim miist 4ll I And what has he received for ail this ? - The petty pleasure of knowing a few con- ventional signs, of learning by heart a few pass-words or counter-sîgns. The childish îsatisfaction T)f iïavfnjg a regalîa or a féw^ gewgaws,— the pleasure of being allowed to ~r/P l Jfe ^ *.« l|4T«,^^!3îi 64 {->»., The spirU o/the a^e. -nte a fewletten=ofthe Alphabet afterhi nan'e.-theenJoymentofthefreedomorL room,b«OoIds™thbeaut.ïulIy tells „s:| «an , .and aga.n he remînds us that -i L "The sports of cWldren satisfy the child.fve Btdotheycompensateforthehbertl. h-dsofpthe.,asIavetotheirwfl,,abo„dsInp n^, a pnsoner, a fool and a dupe ? He onl If £ ^ds that out.hen.tis toc ,ate.Hehalf. «^'as,de ail that «akesiifeworth posses-tt s'ngforapfianto«,andhasba«e,«JEtem, «y for, not a momenfs pleasure, but i momenfsn,isery!Icouldgodeeperif 3 chose^Icouldsaymoreifldesired-bu.' as the firBt chapter of my essay is nowbè^ g.nn .ngto assume p«>portions that w.»,, , ^ intënâld, I must nôt risk g-oing beyond theBurp " ■!) •'Tn - ^'«rf<>wi>»5J^/ ^^^ âge. î Alphabet after hi of the freedom of eautifuIJy tells us ; are great to litt\ inds us that :! 1 satisfy the 0hiJd ate for the hbert 'or the humiliatio mère tool in th theirwriJ,abonds a dupe ? He onl oo late. He ha îfe worth posses-l î bartered Etern pleasure, but go deeper i£ l] f I desired— -bu essay is now bè ^s that were Ji mg beyond th 7>^ s/fzrù oftke âge, # 65 I % 4 ■ mit originaily marked out. We hâve seeti ;nough of the great /iâer/!y that secret societ- confer, whether on nations or individuals, warn those who would cast aside their lal freedofti for an ignisfatutis that flickers jver the fevered marshes and malaria amps of everyypoison-engendered lodgë, the land. We hâve called them the birth •lace of Infidelity'and any reasoning person, inprejudiced, who wiïl reflect upon the state »f Society to-day, wKp will rea^ the history •f modem times, cannot fail to perceive the ith of this assertion. This essay, however, not upon Secret ISocieties, but upon " the •pirit of the âge," and it is merely incid- tal to the plan that I am dfcliged to dweH io long upon this portion of the subject Let us tum from that Liberty which they with wbich^th^ attempt ^^^ surprise, dazzle and befool poor, feçble, Irf l!«V(i *v. ■m ffl ,* I .• ?• '"'•- "<>é"il 66 »-~* ^/^ s/^trt^ of the âge. , .-5 . ^^^ ■'"'"^"'V, 50 the considération of • tf^?««/*7thatthey procure for man! "Equality absolute, equality noble, pu«, eleming.-Such are the wonlsof a mandate - .ssued to the lodges of Englaml and Am- . e"ca in ,,854. I object td the làst wonl- -W.V. It is a cbntradiction : that which élevâtes or lowers, or the object raised or brought down must destroy equality. No equality ean beelé^ng, But wewfflnot qu.bble with terms or worfs : let us corne to facts I (In parenthesis we might remind mem. bersofthesocietiesthatthelodge,n whence «suedtheaboveworfs,isintheheartofa monarchy. under the protection of the heir- apparent to the throne, where aristocratie and monarchial views and principlès are the v^a^-dimaxofthat Equality ofwhich thejrboàst.) ~"<'e'f, i onsideràtion of [•e for man I ty noble, pure, sofa mandate land and Am- ie làst Word i: that which Ject raised or equality. No t we will not ' let us corne îmind mem- e, Q whence leheart of a of the heir- aristocratic plésarethe ^ of whi c h _ TAe spirit of the âge. 67. In the very term absolute EqualUy^ we hâve a point blank attempt to wipe out G^. For so long as Go4 exists there can be no absolute equality. While He exists He will be above ail créatures, unequal to them or more properly speakin^, they must be un- equal to Hun. God will never corne down to the level of man, nor can man rise up to the level of God. Between the two — the creator and the créature — there must l>e an inequal- ity. Therefore to establish an absolute equality, the^ ipust either raise man t^od's level or bring God down to man's level : in other words they^must wipe out God from the map ôf exislence-^r else th^^absolute equality becomes a " delusion aim a snare." The question of the destroying of God is so absurd that it merits no further attention. V ■>- '■m \ I~ Tîëre wé^see, àt a glance, that the term aB^ ^ soluté Equality, which they would establish^. i4*-rf' A^J #?•' ■#*; ^: \% ,?S4f||^y^îst upon' "^' * j^-' "™ W^^^*^*^ '^<ï«'n of the ^mma. My acciiéatîon « is proven tnjie : raŒr*ey strike at G^they become the ai^ch- m :!^ ^^^^^'f I"fideli|| the real parents of" the -M' spiritor^urage/'% . . Can Equality be %ble ? The terms are a contradiction ^gain ! éan Equality be pure ? , ^ If the waves pf the oàan subsided and rem. Y ained motionlessata common level— the sea ' ,WouId engender deathj poison and impurity . would spring from its wate,^, and floating over t\e continents, would leave the earth stérile and uninhabited. No sta^ant equal- ity can possibly be pure-fto more^in the moral, or social th^thephysiçaI,:or nat- ural sphères! This Equî o^s a decoy as^ spdke. To prol îright, yèl as daijger- ty of whieh we ji ridiculous is the ><5! -1, The spirit of the ag^. 69 ' .V Equality which the societiés holdoutasa bâte to the victims they would feign fish in, I will be content with one example ! They^ once attempted to establish an absôhite equality, and behold the resuit ! ît was in France ! The societiés were in fdl vigor and activity, and in their blasphem- ous madness they âetermined to wipe ow authority, tear down ail distinction and create an Equality ! How did they succeed ? Firstly God must be denied and ail authority coming from Him jnust be done away with ! The king is killed, the Royal family pags under the miillotine. But still Equality is not establishiÉiTThe clergy are there ; they are seized and mùrHeréd or exiled, and then corne the nobles.^ Each in tum^||scends the, scaÔold,^ntil fi^nally the s^ of humân blood- seems to Kâvërfèachëd- the reqiiiréd levi and Equality apparently fe attained I But d ^ ■^ A I, 70 ^/^ 'firit 0/ the âge. thalefore un^ual to the other, . the masses R„k °*^' '°^ers over , that he was the firat to démand equal/tv h - . «"st not.be suffered to spoil h; ^' ^-u« ra„. that the SI';; r "''' Rohesp.W ascends the scaSd r anothér head^™„3t fal, fo ;T~tf " -en aWe the «asses-nlo Va '' another-Marat - A. • ^ '^«'^" fins . and T ^ ^'""her-Desmou.- n^.^andsoon;accorf,Vlya3anyo„e . ^^to|att.th,estahh-sh.e„tofE;j; ' But the Ahnighty was neither H ^■ /'-p'V"it«atterj;„:r;,^?"- --t.the.,-„p; :^^/^^j^^ Sa.nstthesun,seemédbuttorepa.V \ - ^ fil- v*i *^.'»?Kjttï" "n^^ '*¥!"^ii^^vfi^-t/^^rk;f^ ' .T.' i.'Hfi'if^;^ ul than the rest, ers, towers over It matters not nd equality, he his own Work, W be gained., iffoId—Again ît Itas of late i»ton I Again ^'' — Desmoa- as any ©ne ïtofEquaJity ^alJ was in- r dead nor that, for to prospère ^sanguined ittorepaiV 7>5^ i;^îW/ ^ ^Ae âge. n his strength and renew his vision ;uit was but for a moment and in the very banquet of their triumph; the Almighty's vengeance blazèd upon the walls and the diadem fell from the brow of the iddlator." God had ordained that order should exist, that equak ity should never be — and In His Wisdom he called forth, from the obscurity of an Island home, a man who was to appear in their ; midst — ^to ascend the scaffold, kick dôwn the guillotine, chase the executioners, restore order and authority, grasp without shame the crown and proclaim by his actions v triumphs to the world that Eqiiality was îm- possible, that it was not in the order of things, — who was that man ? Yoij hâve seen the 'tping dart out of a cloud, cross the firm- ament and bury itself in another cloud upon the opposite side of the horizon~fTïë^was % at streak, coming fortK from the cloud d^ l ïmm^ "^^■W^ -fv; ^Jh i, j"-'?:i^î-"f*^^%^ ^ Jm^ ^f^'oftke^e. ■^ "4 "%4 1^ f i> /i ■ of cbscurity that o-er-hangs th|VWa„d „, Cors.ca, flashing ^hwart the sky of Éurope.„d3i„king,-„totheclouclofobl,Vio„' Aat oer-hangs the Isle of St. H^na- Napoleon the First ! o * *VKére now is theiç^uaUty !> ah%„ay be " ■" ,'° *« '"'«vMual members of jhl|il^es that they .ive it. But if «,. ,« thSo away„ithàsti„ctio„s;4a,.y.,H3, J^ and ^^«^.«^,^, etç.-SureIy there is no real Equality between them and the apprentice; l)o^ away with the inner «yst- -«||hat.t,u«bnei«athousand ever iL Prf^e5r.are«why withinwheeland _r with eyes.» ToestabKshan equal- «ty they must do away with ail this or else acknowledgefhattheirofferisbutasnare. adecoy! As *'--- » - ^ &f J X Liberty^&a fa Equahty ,s a humbng and Arough the folds .l4f« ^Vtkw^i ' ;rjU..4^£jr^^C *^^*' ■■. ;:''vwf>»*"'^^ '-^t-^yiw-^^^ ■Tf '^'^m* rs thf^lsland of| the sky of| cloua ofgblivion f" St. Hâbna- \ 9' y ? ^^%^ay be rsofjhJi|dges >> lèt theiJîi|o ^ay with mas^< 5urely there îs hem and the e inner myst- îd ever liyçs of Ezikeal's 1 wheel and Ksh an equal- n thisor else but a snare, TÂe spirit of the âge. 73 gh the foJds of the mantle we see the poison-dagger tjf — Infidelity, that |^ hidden tô strike the victim as he kneels at the bloody altar of their abominable rites ! The author of a short biography of St. Tli^omas a Kempis, prefixed to his inimit- able " Imitation of Christ," exclaims, in an ecstasy of delight, " quam bonum et quam Jùcùndum est habitare fratres in unum ! " TKe author was then dreaming of that Fra£- ernity, that brotherly affection which has such ,a charm for ail good and noblp^^ouls I It is à virtue ^ure and noble. It i^flihes happiness upon its path and strews the way with blessings the choicest and rarest. Is this the Fraternity that the secret Societies offer us ? I will not go into the history of^ their cai-eer in Europe or America, it would take too long, it mày be morë"^ propos some Qther time ; but I will answer their offer of A • il JlifA%f"W* '/ : y 74 '^^ spirit 0/ the âge. Me saint, which althou^h bas«l earthly things, dm.3 its ' , '°" J^he Fraternity that «!nr;«^ in f I, u . spnngs not from God ^"-«>a,«o« extinction. Heo^e and i^^ -i-V l.'l-l "Siï**^ »'}-*■ >^l**^ A-i"^. '«(>(* f«^!f ■ ■^~ IS"^' The spiri^ of the âge. 75 put on a few more sticks, stirred uBt the fire and retumed to his rest. In the moming he relit the fire, made his breakfast and before departing, piled on wood, until he had a glorious blaze. He warmed himself and theq procèeded upori his joumey. The flames slowly died out and at noon I passed again that way and found only the black ashes where the fire had been. The next night the snow fell and on the morrow I was again returning by the same road but I could not see a trace of the ashes, nor even the tracks of the man I had met the day before. Such is a B(^tHre of that Fraternity which is not basesa,j^pon love of God and Heaven. In life it may burn, a fitful flame ; but a sép- aration or a silence ocçurs and the flame ïtesout7^Artear,a^mtle,akittdword,likeAe^ ^ose and ■ fagots collected by the traveller, are cast ■^\i u X £àiiLpiW>i>u«>L 76- *v ■çsr TT"^ ' '*^!çH»ïï-,*!?f\ "^^^Pirit 0/ the âge. "Pon th. fire and for.a moment ;t b. "gain. And the final . "^''' "P cornes .-one .ces on If '"'""'^"^'^ tafMs the way of Eternity Ai ,1, , -ent, .i^ redoulled J„ Jh *'-""P.°- •"emb^ncearespokenTïh Î' °'"- PW,hIrea„';"J-''e..^.e„e. '«^««amepra.ecrittlr''--''- :;^-^<^n^tfie.^.,>^»Hat even thefootprintsof theon. k ^ ^ a S^oa and so pleâsant » Tw F^ternity ■ ends' at the J-,, \ ^: ' '"'M ^W chapte,, sW,Ves' ^''-•^--- ;, ~ ' *\ :'•■ «cptafn ,j. 4 u '^■* ■> 'î'^l<^ >■<. / « is^'^i^-^ r *^'> 1. C --Vf • f i», * i * .•*' J. «,, J. ent ft blazes up »^tion, at lasi;, >^Iiïe, the other ^t the last ipo- h>.vovirsof ré- two separate. her travelJer, '' ashe!fe where burn*d. THe dg^hg-|hàt 6r, 'tant, fickJe, e are askèd ^>r'tKat î«r]y love,. itA TJief| - surv/\^es' V '.^ ... - ' . *",'f ' w '"'"^ ^1 IdôfcM.'ïtf/'ÎAât-':' •♦• '■•'1 7)5^ spirit of the âge. 77 \: the tomb %nd livés throughout Eternity.- , *Behold what the secret Socie^iies give you ! Are they not tlie parents of Infidelity ? and is not Infidelity the " Spirit of our âge ?" We hâve lingered long enough in the shades, let us get a glimpse of the sun î We hâve been sufficiently long in the contemp- , lation of the dark Spirii of Infidelity i; it is almost time we yjbuld corne to our second Chapter, in which we arp to seek dut that Spirit which is to counter-balance the reig- ^ ning one 1 Before, howevèf, *cntering upon another and very différent path perimt, dear reader, bne more illust|ftion I I was one night upon the St. Lawrenc% ■ It w£^s a glorious evening , " such an evefâ ^r ning as FWence might efcvy, so rich ^as the lemon-hued air." AU was silenccj save *( î ? «I» n fl *' av e s V -.% . or "Che' tinkle pf a bell that ra^ar put !he eve- ji;"*»' m IM u»^te 7S ' ^'^Êf^'' ^^^Pintof^àgé, *>. ""■ngAngrelusfrom a distant hMf ^ quite disappeared • th*. ~-. spectre 6f the „i.ht W ! "• P"^' ^ 6 "Je Sun, with one han^j • i -dIe„ding,thn,ughaD° ''"*'=^^' 'entive ear to th. «'■»«n«ty,.an at- -s-ndo/dtre^r't^Hr"'""-^''^- *he river. For al . ^^ "^^ "^^ °f "e trunk was powerfuJ f ho u «xtensive, the I.a branches --g^tits^.bs-butÎCS"'''? ~<'*- They were ble^ m ^' *'= ' ''•'-'-'- '-ne^ o a B^^"'^ " ^ aeai^caravan m the ■ r- ;'»^*4A^ 4^ 'i^^àijé^iiL^ . 7>^ jT^mV (t/"/^ âge. 79 Sahara. The stream had rolled on, and suc- ceeding spring-floods had carried away thé -earth that held the mqnarch of the woods erect Another spring-tide may soon corne and the tree will fall into the strèam, its fin- ery betangled, its branches broken, the birds fly to bther trees ; and cast from shoal to shoal and rock to rock, it will be whirled onward, until miles below, a dull and shape- less log, it will be cast up<|n some bleak swamp to perish, rot and be forgotten ! What a picture of Infide}ity in the world to-day ! \ , To-day it is triumphant. The trunk is powerful, the branches extensive— the birds of discord, hypocrisy, deceit make unme- lodîous chatter amongst the* limbs. The stream of Eternal Truth has beènrolling ori- ward. Ev e ay^tidc has c arr icd i w a y a poi ûi ï of the soil that holds aloft the tree of Infidelity. ♦a .V* Hjt&r^V '^9i4.»^V-£^' - ^^ i>.;,i. • ■ ^*> .' - *f. f:^ .',v*'^:'/.:a j .■-* _" ê ■ ' .^ ''-t'-" ■"î^/ "i^ $o ^^"pirito/tAeag,. P°'«- are* yea.^ further d ^°"" '" "" and be Wotten ^^"1''' '«■ nombre swampofobl.V,o„, *'''"'' ««d occasion torefertothrfi7*''^'"'»ve *a'".-features™aybrtf^"^°"4- ■/^ IF' ''^ ',-',-' ' ' ■m - l'iTi'tjtfB'itit'iViifiatlMrrjiiiiii r **?^P^^^^^J^1^ r "j, ?^ "Hld bé the wli-^cry of the Church-militant ail over tîiQ worîd V The spirit which, not only, should reign on earth, but which musi inevitably hold sway, is the Spirit of Faith ! With what pleasvire we tum from the contemplation of Infidelity dark, hideous, threatening, to gaie for a moment upon Faith, bright; beautifui, ins- piring! Howpleasaitiritlsfôjcômé:^^^ âSl, I #»e darkness pf the firi$biv lûie «ombre^^ ^*- ■ j r- V,;..'. ,'^ /' .- ' -^ . 6 ^ .. ^ '»..■'■ ^ %» .' .'. I 1 '\f '«"V^;-;'- V''IS^^'v*'' i 82 '^^spirito/tke^^/ 1 I seek for the fnr ^' ^^ '« tfte former, so our searrh r n Natter will be short. . ^''' '^^ ^ehave shown that Tnfi^ r from the Secret S. ^''^^'^''y.^P^ngs oecret Societies ; in order t « 1; j ?^ Count Un - ■"""Derless dénominations of i ^Ei.. ' « ^ J^ '1 .V*Jg r:^-;i* The ^irifofthe âge. X 83^ Christianîty, include thereio the pagan, the Greek,.the Turk, the Savage, the Mahom- etan etc., and I dèfy ybu to indicate one of them ail that has ever been assailed by the thundersof Secret Societies ! No matter how they may differ in belief, no matter hpw they may change their doctrines, no matter hoA they may adore or deny God— still theyfai/e '- free from the attacks of th^^dges, still a^e they safe from the iron rod wherewiâi tL ' secret juntos belabor the holders of F^thl No,-— there is not any other than th^ cfne Institution, one establishment, one cc^Jre- ga^on, one body, one Church that is ever the object of tlîeir attacks, the victim of their persécutions, the suffero- of îj^eir choice, and that is the i?m«» OsiAolù Church, Cons- equentiy, since Aey are tîie parents of In- ic ChurcH is evô^e constant récipient of their attacks and that 'Ç% 'Vlfc ''l'?*^,.J -fr^ fi ■"\ 84 ^^ spirit 0/ the âge. ■i -d has béent;' T " "" '" *^ "^^■""■"^ ^^"^enthroughout allâmes Th-r- ''eightsofCa.vary,,^j;;?^^'°^on-the ^Pfres of her teZ ï' «^'""'"^" "P^n the ner tenifiles ail éver thp 17, a . . -Sacrifice was once offered ol^^ Î^- ^ &°Ma, itjs pett)èt^at•èa dadv and l.„ , f -thed«,sofU,eCatholic Jd V'^*' ^-^ynitfromendtoendan??"' Tri-ty. Th,re iî the Chu 1 ;"' ^^° ^ &lffî ^^^g'> in P n^ «-T-the Chu«h.M.hta„e pn^EZ.:! 3-1: • ,-^.- iï^ti. Vï-l A i- ,A*ïs^'^ , •» -' ^l'V r . ■i \ c fi?. niîdeJity-^the ^ 'wust be the ïry, Guardian 1 hoiic Church ^e beginning '• Tire Cross ^^ denomfn- nibJemand >^ on^he ^suponthe Earth. A sùmmit of lîd hourJy[ chapels, ^hereisa 1 aJso a ^ 'mphant, -arth— a *v? ^ -/ î - ï •• ' ,»■• "^1^ Wrî^ "■'à^'î^^aF^ ^ IN 7>fe spirit ofthe âge. 85 xommeiits; as If îndudœ IHë^uift-tûtal of the pre-christian ÇMTthat Faith which „kÀ&fd '•■l&i*>'V f trinîty that eonstitutes a glorious ^unity. It conserves the emblém of Faith, hblds the constantly présent relie of Faith^and is, in itself, the picture of Faith. Let us t^raceihe story of that Faith— that light which chines aloft and " like the fiery pillar of Captive Israël," will guide us throughuhc désert of this world's bondage and lead. us to the land of our promise. There was war amorf^ the heavenly beings ! " Lucifer, Son ^crf the morning, has fâllen like fire from heaven : and our présent irth, existing ^s a half extinguished hell, hais received him and his angels.'' Thus ' doès Hugh Miller, the greàt geolo^st, in his adniirable ^ork on the " lestîmony of tHe<; ^ocks," o^en a châpter most întere^ting and '. instructive. I will give a portion of it with ' ( \. T , ■ ■ 't ■*^' t^ij 86 '^^ ^pm 0/ the âge. -to corne, as the FaiVh Lf* j «" was . "^ has corne. «Dead matter e«.sts but oot yet i.i ail the unive..e of G J has v,tality been united to the ™... animal life. . even to th„ c '^ ' ' ^^®" to the profound aDoreh «ns'on of the fallen angel is .n ,• able idea.» wconcei v- I will not »ive an,» ■«„ • marks =,<= r '^^\ ^ '" te tot- years it I will ;ons. cent- e the ad of ' pris- there Thespirit of the âge. ^1 S is a slow change taking p^| in the cond- ition of their prison-hous^Where a low, dark archipelago of islands raise their flat backs over the thermal waters, the heat gJbws less intensely than of old ; the red fire btirsts forth less frequently ; thedread earth- quakes shake\nore rarely; save in a few centres of intenser action, the greater deep no longer "boils like a pot ; " and through the heavens, shut out b)^ a ceiling of vapor the sun and moon never yetappeared, a less gloomy twilight falls more cheerfuUy than before upon land and sea. At length comes a mornihg in \d^h the great océan and the scaltered islaifls déclare that God the Cre- ator has descended to yisit the ^rth. The hitherto verdureless land bears the green flush of végétation ; and there are .creepiiig^thi ngs aniong^e^trecs. ^oris the- ^i till now unexampled mystery of animal life -4-; >^ *^* ' e» >* -u ;i w "O • 4> ^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) k A / .'/ z^^, 5r ^/^ V .î » 1.0 l.l Là 128 in m ISS 2.2 |4.0 1-25 -lu 6" 2A 1.6 fliotogiapliic Scifflices Corporation 23 WIST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. USM ( y )«) 872-4503 [V '^ «• t ^^ !->" - J^ r ■ ^*a?> i-l^' JÎ.K,-vM .4es "^*»'tÀ^ ^ » * y* *4^«^ -la^î , 88 7>5^ spirtt of tke âge. %.^. absent from the sounds and bays. It h the highest intelligencçs that manifest the deep- est interest in the Works of- the AU Wise Nor can we doubt that on that moming of créative miracle, in which matter and vitality were first wufed in the bonds çf a strange wedlock, the pomprehensive spirit of the great fallen one,-profound and active be- yond the lot of humanity.-^ould hâve found ample employment i„ attemptin^ to fathom the vast mystery and in vainly ask- >ng what thèse things might mean. With how much of wonder, as scène suc- ceeded scène and création foUowed création as Itfe sprang out of death and ^eath out of We, must not that acute Intelligence hâve watched die course of the Divine Worker • scomfui of Spirit and fidl of enmity. and yet aware in the inner depths of his intelleâ. "rfïar whârKe^.3aredinsuItinglytodepr eciate, The spirit of the âge. 89. he yet failed, in its ultimate end and pur- pose to adequately comprehend I Standing in the présence of the unsolved mysfery, under the chill and withering shadow of that secret of the Lord which was not with him, how thoroughiy must he not hâve seen and with what bitter malignity . felt, that the grasp of the Almighty was upon him, and in the varying problem of création, which with ail his powers he failed to unlock, and which as âge succeeded âge remained still- unsolved, the Divine Master against whom he had rebelled but from whose pre^ sence it was in vain Xo flee, emphatically spake to him, as in after^years, to the Pat- riarch Job, and, with the quiet dignity of the Infinité, challenged him either to do or ' io .^Âmw. Mi th. what wi l d thoughts must that restless and unhappy spirit hâve wand- , ^^4 U i ^yî #i'* H^/4' 90 ^^ spirU of Vie âge. ered amid the tangled mares of the old car- boniferous forests ! , With wM bitter mockeries must he havt watchedjhë ««te wa.^ whi*n.ged i„ theil sluggish waters, among ravenous créatures hornd with trenchant teeth, barbed stingand Sharp spinel And how. as génération after" génération passed away, and ever and anon ■the océan rolled where the- land had been, or the land rose to possess the ancient seats of the ocean,-how, wjien Ij^jpg back upon myriads of âges, and whej||i„^ up '" "'^'"°^ ^I'" once had beei, the features of the earth seemed scarce more fixed than the features of the sky in a day of dappfe breere-borne clouds ; how must he hâve feit, as he became conscious that the earth was fast ripening and that, as its foundations became stable on the abyss. it was made by J h gxreator a^ome of higher àflff yet h^hF <3?^ .-«.<. 1^ H««;»vi;'.>!=v. The spirit of ike âge. 91 forms of existence, — how must he hâve feit, like some old augur looking into the inner mysteries of animal life, with their strange prophecies, the truth was fast coming to birth,— man, reasoning, accountable man was fast approaching,— man the moral agent,— man, the ultimate work and end of création, — man, a créature in whom vitality was to# be united to matt|rand responsibility united to vitality.! How must expectancy hâve quickened, — ^how must solicitude hâve grown, , — when, after the dynasty of the fish had been succeeded by thie dynasty of the reptile and that of the reptile by the dynasty of the sagacious mammal a time, at length arrived when earth had become fixed and the proud waves of the océan had been stayed, — when after species and gênera in both kingdoms Jîad_beeii J a c reased t^iQldr^ke^ Cr e ati v e Hand seemed to pause in its workings, and 92 The spiritofthe âge. the finished création demanded its lord I Even at this late period, how stiange may not the doubts and uncertainties hâve been that remained to darken the mind of the lost spWtl It was according to his expérience, stretched back««rds to the firat beginnings of organic vitaUty aed co-extensive, at a st.Il earlier period, with God's spiritual un- ■verse-that ail Animais should die-that •ail moral agents should live. How ùi this newcreature,-this prodigyof création, who was to unité what had never before been umted-the nature of the animais that die ^>th the standing and responsibihty of the ^oral agents that /,W,-how, in this par- taker of the double nature, was the discrep- ancy to be reconcijed ? How, in this matter were the opposite claims of life and death to be adjusted, or the absolute immortality «Bflot admit sfdègrees,Tbbe«ad^ H-T^ \ The spirit of the âge. $3 to meet with and shade into the màrtality which, sooner or Iater,/ftiust perish ? At length création receives, its deputed monarch ! For moulded by God's own finger and in God's own likeness, man ent- ers upon the scène, an exquisite créature, rich in native faculty, pregnant with the yet undeveloped seeds of wisdom and knowledge, tender of heart and pure of spirit, formed to hold high communion with his creator, and to breathe abroad his soûl in sympathy over ail création. And yet, left to the freedom of his own will, there is a weakness in the flesh that betrays its earthljh lineage. Is it not into the dust of the ground that the living soûl has been breathed ? Thè' son df the soil, who, like the inferior animais his sub- jects, sleeps and wakes, and can feel thirst ^"^ J^""gy' MJ the weariness of to^^^^^^^ the sweets of repose, and who comes under > <«Jtr ■■"S. 94 T^ie spirit of tke âgé. the gênerai law, "increasè and multiply," stands less- firmly than the immaterial.spifits » stood of oH ; and even they rebelled against Heaven and fell ! There awakes a grim hope in the sulle^ lord of the fiiît revolt. Ages beyond taie or reckoning has this temple of création been in building. Long hâve its mute prophecies in fishes and creeping things, in birds and in beast, told of coming ^ man, its final object and end. And now there needs but one bW and the whole édifice is destroyed, God's purposes mared. and frust- rated and this new favorite of earth dashed back to the'dust out of which he was cre- ated. Armed with the expérience in evil of unsummed âges, the Tempter plies his wçrk ; nor is it to low or ignoble appetites that he' appeals. Itistothe new-formed creature's thirst for knowledge, it is to his love =stKwger than death. The wfles of the Old .St.^*t ' WVIU <^>N V ^ The spirit of ifie âge. 95 JSk- Serpent prevail : man falls prostrate before him ; création trembles ; and then from amid the trees of the garden cornes the voice of God. And, lo ! in an enigma mysterious and dark a new dispensation of prophecy begins. I once heard a sermon preached, in St. Joseph's Church, Ottawa, upon a Good Friday— the text was from the " Canticle of Canticles " and if my memory does not fail me, it was ; " I will go to the mountain of myrrh,tothe hill of frankincense." " Myrrh," said the Rev. Father, " is the emblem of suffering — frankîncense that of sacrifice, — so we might change the tejct and say, with Christ to His Father : Destroy not man— I will go to the mountain of suffering, to the hill of sacrifice." Methinks it must hâve been at the moment at which we hâve now arrived, in man's career, that thpse words were first spoken by God to God. Mark the wisdom ~ îi I \ '^^: -«, M': *• jafT-r . ,-* •'■»'•' '■'/■>,, M • 96 F^f spii^io/ihe agi. of the^ Almighty ! Mark the failure gf the Enemy ! " Victims bleed ; altars smoke ; the tabern- acle anses amid the white tents of the désert ; the temple ascends ail glorious on the heights of Mount Zion ; prophet after pro- phet déclares hi§ message. At Jength, in the fulness of time, the Messiah cornes ; and in satisfying the law and in fulfilling the pro- phecies, and in bringing life and immortality to light, abundantly shows forth that the terminal dynasty of ail création has been to possess for its eternal lord and monarch,^/ primeval man created in the image of God,^ BUT GOD MADE MANIFEST IN THE FLESH AND foum of primeval man. But 'how breaks on the bafflâ tempter this sublime révélation ? Wearily did he toil, darkly did he devise and take, in his miseryl buuiiaci ^amsr tae Almighty j and yéT^ W^i^^h^''"/-''* "*''»" * ''W- î;'î7»"î'"C^"* •y * •/" TÂe spi^t ofthe âge. ~^ 97 ail the while. when striving and resistîrig as an enemy, he'^has been wielded as a tool : when glaring aloof in hisproud rebellioç, the grasp ofthe Omnipotent has been uponhim and he has been working out, aU uawftt- Jngly, the purposea of God. Faith, so far, has been confined to the chiidren of a chosen race. It consisted in beh'eving in, the coming of Christ. The démon labôred to destroy it— the Almighty triumphed and the foot of Her Whom the prophets foretold crushed the head of the^ Serpent. Faith henceforth wi^ în the> belief that Christ came and the firm'belief i^his teach- ings, as taught by his authorized agents on earth. And the / démon will again take counsel and ibrm i^ans and wiU »enew and redouble his power and wiles and will attempt once more é> destroy man and to rf^'i- ii£ TW M:-V^ f 98 TAe spiritof the âge. ■w^ frustrate the ultimate designs of God. Sofar the Evil One has miserably failed— and poW- erful as his efforts may be—cunning as his tricks may seem— ,wise as„ his jplans may appear, we willsee him suffer eighte^ cent- uries more of defeat ! We will se^ how true are those words of- Christ to St. Peter-^His iîrst apostle—chief of His new establishment —head of the new dispensation— " Thoù art Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my Church, and the gâtes of hell shall not prevaÛ against it" " The night of paganism oSscured |he nations— the cjoud of barbarism hiing upon humaràty, when suddenly, in the far off East, in that land of WbnderoUs memories, pro- phecies and hopes, the Star of Salvation, twinkled at JBethlehem and the gorgeous Sun of Rédemption flashçd upon Calvary." ^ :7Hë rayrof that sun penetrated the dark k ^' r . I-.'. { Tlie ipirié of the âge. 99 j groves.-lWierein thé Druids taught the mysticism of^the stars, it tipped with splendbr thèsumjiits of the monuments of ^ âges' ana crowned those ëtoried works of a buried time witJ^the chaistening light of heaven, it came down through the âges pure and unsullied, and . shines tô-day as bright, as glorious and as magnificent, over the earth, as when first it appeared upon th^ hills of Time, / k Vainly hâve the daS cloudfi ^ hnpure vapor; risipg from the swamps of helt striven to obscure its rays or dim its lustre ; and to- day, victim of his own rage and weakness, t^ Great Monarch of Ipfernal légions, stands as defeatedbefore the tïironé of Léo XI II, as of old hestood conquered before _^Jthe "Masler pnlMoiint Thebor^~to-day heâa^ as dazzled by thàtlightas h"e was blindée^ by * J •C^ ■".f'-^i-^'-'^^ii^i WTJ' '.f:' -, «^î-. '^rT^ph' '^^'ii i^y v.. lOO T/ie spirit of the âge. it eightëçn hundred years ago, — to-day he must unwillingly stoop before the cross on St. Peter's as of old he fled from the Cross on Calvary. FrDm the dawn of création to our day God has triumphed and hell has failed. Could Lucifer but succeed in extin- guishing that h'ght of Faith, could he but ' tear down that ed|^fice erected by the Son of God, the triumph would compensate for his, heretofore, constant defeats. And yet, with a dark, twilight hope that ever blends with despair, he Works away, using every means imaginable and employing every instrument conceivable. We hâve seen the story of his efforts and reverses in the pre- Christian epoch — let us now trace the story of the events since that day. Faith must be preserved or the démon triumphs! How, where and^ whomjias^it been guard^^ ? m v^ l The spirit of the âge. lOl Wheti Christ broke bread at the last Supper, He turned to the Apostles and said "Do ye this in commémoration of me." In His last instructions to' them He said : " Whose sins you shall ygd on earth, they shall be bound in heaven ; whose sins you shall loose on earth, they shall also be loos- ened in heaven." Again He told them : " he who will not hear the Church (that is St. Peter and his successors with theii: duly ap- pointed assistants), let him be to you as the heathen and the pubhcan." Again before His departure He said . " I will be with you ail days even to the consummation of the world." Likewise He gave them their mission in thèse words : " Go ye forth and preach to ail nations, baptizing them m the name of the Father, and pf the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And m. thë firés bf Perite^ cost He sent them knowledge — languages M I ^' iiX J!^'. • ^\ *', ^\ m -4^ 102 7%f s/>tri^ ofthe âge. and a spirit of more than human bravery, which latter they were to transmit to their successors. I just give those few oft-quoted texts to show to whom Christ confided the " care of his lambs andsheep," to whom He gave the charge of His Church and Faith. Their duties hâve been traced out for them. To preach to ail nations— not to write Bibles and tracts-— Christ Himself never wrolie, except once and that was on the sand, the characters were soon efifaced. He ordered them to go and preach— to baptize— ti confirm— to forgive sins— to consecrate and thereby perpetuate, in an unbloody manner, the sacrifice of the great Good Friday— to administer the bread of life— to transmit, in Holy Ordere, the power He gave them, to their successors,— to unité man and wnman in a bond that death alone could break and w^-, j'^:Jipr*'.*fi i'^' 1 ,^ »-• ^r ^ ^v^ ^^j^r^;^>g^^^:s:;^^^^^ftf The spirit of tke âge. 103 to prépare, for an eternal voyage, through Extreme-Unction, the Christian w'hose life was ending. In other words— to teach His Word— préserve His Faith— administer His sacraments and establish His Cliurch. There, in a few" words, was the mission given by Christ to St. Peter— therefore to his immé- diate successors — therefore to Léo XHI — who is the last link of thàt unbroken chain from St. Peter until our day. St. Peter was head of the Church, the other Apostles and Disciples were its grand council and priests, as do to-day their direct successors, in the Pope, Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops and priests, form that council. We will now see how St. Peter and his successors fulfilled that mission. We will see ^ the efforts of the old arch-enemy to extin- ^ is h th e to r cha F ait h, f f ua t rate the^pur- — poses of Christ and finally bring ruin and # fr 5-'f 'ki^ \,-. ^ 104 The spirit of the âge. désolation upon man. Ancf we will ript faiLto remark, how in ail âges and in alliands the followers of the Standard of the Cross fin- ally triumphed— an^ how, whether as mar- tyrs or saints, missionaries or monks, they, each and ail, could calmly contemplate the end and with the cry— " Bonum certamen certavi," on their lips, go forth, to join the souIs of theChurch-Triumphant and to leave their places to fresh squadrons of faithful children in the Church-MiHtant ! Poor, unknown, unfriended ! The cross in one hand and a staff in the other, forth go the apostles of Christ to convert the world, to build up the grandest institution that earth ever beheld, to tear down the eagles of the Empire and to usurp the palaces of the Caesars ! , Peace was proclaimed to the world.— The Eag^ésofl^mêhacrflappêd theiT trium- %. è '" '.-i-j li-%- ^f,_^ J 'i^i-'^'-yj^y^' 7y4^ spirii 6f ilte âge. 105 phant wings in every quarter of the world and having no more enemies to dread Aug- ustus returned to the capital, the temple of Janus was closed, for the first time since the commencement of the second Punie war and the third time from the reign of Numa, the sword was sheathed, and the golden era of Roman splendor commenced. Then it was, that amongst the Judean hills the King of Kings appeared. Then it was that the humble fishermen of Galilée were chosen and told to go forth on their mission. With no light, but that of Faith,-^ no armour but that of Hope, — no sword but that of Charity, see them face the universal paganism of the world, the powers of the mightiest Empire the Earth ever saw, the terrors of armies, the dangers of fanatical £rowds ] The mis si on 4 ) f Ch ris t on earth is over. His visible présence is no longer î,.* ;É- iï. •,. -,. '!> "*. -s- io6 m' 'nespirito/thease. required, and Hé retums to the Father that sent H.m. The rays must now corne to us transmitted by His Church ! It was then, in the midst of Pèace that St Paul caUed in upon Athens with his news so wonderful. It was then that a lone P.Ignm from the East, worn with Itravel and covered with th, dust of the highway. staff m hand and cross on breast, was s4en slowly com,ng: along the Appian way. ^e passed beneath the triumphal Arch, tha^' stiU told of Pompey's splendors-^e ling^ed under theshadowofthe Panthéon to Repose his weaor h-mbs-then he resumed i his walk aroundby the TaT>ian rock and tiaepalaces of the Emperors. He glanced on^je at the mighty fabric of the Colisèum and Weeded 7 ''"-"ow byway to where toJday, near * the Paletine, stands the castle andi bridge of '.There was a vacant spbt beyond I ^XTti-if,'t '''"^%'f^^f^^ ^-^^^f^^^^^^T^ '^ ^' TÂe spirit of thé âge. 107 -the Tiber. Had he the vision of a prophet > ^- wonder did he see that space fiUed up with that monument o^kjgelo's genius, the greatest Basilica of tJie \irorld to-day— that was to bear his name— St. Peter, that wasi,to tower in triumph over the ruins of those gorgeous palaces which surrounded hiriiT 5^ In that day there was no printing, no Bible-sellers or tract-distributers ; with the Word of God on his lips, he came alone and unarmed to preach the Faith of Christ in the centre of pagan power. Unencouraging was the proijiect ! But God was with him and who could defèat him ? Not Satan, for we^iave seen how the Almighty overcame His En- emy throughout the âges. St. Peter was poorly received. He becanie the object of fear and hatred in Rome; yet he s ucçeedM j n pro c uri n g a £ew follo wersp^ Finally the dangers threatened, the thunder B! • .■;•,• s '■%ftw ;i.!?;^^^''S io8 i& 's S: The spirit o/ihe âge. boomed, the clouds darkenedjind (not that hefeared death, but knoA^g^as yet there was no successor for him)'he sougbt refuge in the depths of the Catacombs. Deep down under the Impérial cîty, în that labyrinth of the dead, the h'ght of Falth was hidden for a tiAe. ^ " r - While the trunlpets of persécution re- sounded amongst the seven hiUs, and the fires of martyrdom Wazed îUpofl the battle- ments, while the blood of a blêeding Faith bedewed and flooded the arena of the FJav- ian Amphithéâtre, the high priest of God renewed the sacrifice of Calvary in the City of the dead. He and his followers fulfilled their mission. They preached, they bap- tized—aye they administered every one of the sacraments, and by the feeble lamp f^^ ^ lïîckeredibefbre th^^tai^ the great myst- '* * -# "•o^ïrff."*"' 7ié^ j/îWV o/the âge. 109 eries of the religion of Jesus-Christ were renewed. . * But St. Peter's mission was not to hide himself forever in the Catâcombs. His zeal called him forth and he knew death awaited him. But death, for him, was everlasting life ! He mu^froclaim the new Faith aloud and overthrow the idols and defy Infidelity ! He refuses to oflfer sacrifice on the altars of the pagan — those are the very altars he came to overturn. He is seized and cast into prison, his limbs are chained, his body is tortured and he calmly awaîts death. But the Angel of God cornes down, breaks the fetters and frees him. His master has more' work for him to do^and before the glorious day comes that will see him suspended from a cross, head downward, hÇ* must perform many other worics aiid suffer many ôthér^ attacks for the sake of the Faith he keeps. *^J ^■*».^^#' J^ ^ m v* -w» ,fr m- IIO TÂe spirit of the âge. I do not intend to write a life of St. Peter or of the,Popes ; but I wish to show whence came the Faith we hâve— through what it passed and who first carried it into the Infidel world. Centuries after St. Peter's imprisonment —in the same city of Rome, Infidelity— not** pagan but modem— imprisoned his succes- sor Pius VII, and alsojn our day Pius IX. Worthy followers of theVGreat Master, they knew, like St-Peter, how to bear their suf- ' ferings and to stiU cling to and protect that gift of Faith, which in an unbroken line, he had transmitted to them. - I cannot refrain from quoting a Prot- estant orator— the famous Charles Phillips, upon that subject. Addressing a Catholic audience in Cork, he once said ; « I haye seen the vé nér able, head of your reli g ion, ^ forth gorgeous with the accumulated dignity^ * (, r •^i . -1 - " -\ ■ Tke^pi^ of the a^e. ^,11 v^ of âges, every kneè bending 2iTA^çxy eye lilessing the prince of one world and .the prophet of another. ï hâve also seen him, with^ his crown crumbled, his Jiome a dun- geon,-his throne a shadow, his |ceptr/^a reed, — but if-4-1iav^ it was only to show ^tho^ whose faith was failing or whose fears were strengthening, that the simplicity of the patriarchs, the piety of the saints and the patienceNof ,the martyrs had not wholly vanishéd Irom the earth." What a splendid tribute coming from one who could not be accused of parti^ility^ ,He saw the lièad of our .Religion, the exponent of our Faith, " towering aloft^Iike the last mountain oîf the delugc-^majestic not less in his élévation than in i$ solitude, immutable amidst change, maghificent amidst ruin, the last remnant of - e arth 's beauty, the kstresting place of hea v— I' S';?; en's light." • •^-A -tf«^.=i.* » * -S-^^ifi^d» . r*'ï*'." . '^\ ^H^SÊlin ^~ '•\-''mj\ V % '->J '^ ï^ù'iÈ .■ ,# 112 TAe spirit of the^age. St. Peter transmitted his powers and with thçm the golden treasure of faith to his suc- cessor. And he, in his turn, hànded the same down to the oqe who followed Jiim-*-'„ until from the hands of Pius IX our prçsient Léo XIII received the deposit, in the^ame form as St. Peter once received it from * Christ Himself. And when Léo XIII passes away, he will transmit the same Kèritàge to his successor grff so on 'till the end of time — 'till the last pope will hand it back to Christ, on His second coming, exactly as He gave it to St. Peter on the occasion of His first coming. >^ ^ Some place ît îs wrîtten, I recoUect not the exact chapt^ or versel or l ^M| y |n the .j y g. ^ , last time some shall départ iWl^PFaith giving heed to the spirits of error and doc- trines of devils speaking lies in hypocrisy." again we find that this must be éither "^Ê^^k ^ / The spirit of ike (tge. - 113 '^é context or at least continuation of the ,^ r^ TàHi^^*^ subject, for it is also written : " Here- Isies shall come.'^^The great spirit of Evil, . the lordiof the first revoit, the Tempter of primeval man, the importai victim of the Almighty's hatred and anger, is subtie in his pitns, cunnîng as the serpent whose form ;^e once acceptéd and which represents him «•ever since. He has already failed in evet^f attempt. First to turn heaven and its myriad hosts against God ; then he failed to destroy nian eternally, and, now, he will erideavour to repair ail past defeats, by over-throwing the Church and Faith of Christ on earth ; and heresy shàll be his instrument. ,<^. St. Luke asks us if wélhink that the Son of Man will find Faith ypon the éarth when cornes-? Not4f S atett^c an help tfe—yes ^ the Word of Christ is true, for He has prom- 8 . t ■4 ^tes^' ' ' ' . . ' '.i.'^ "n4 The spirit of the agè. ised to remain till the end of time with His Church! Could I but condense into the small space of an essay the whole history of the struggles, the sufferings, the triumphs, the reverses, the sacrifices, the uniiumbered glorious batrie;s for Faith, of the Church from the Roman arena to the stake of the American - savage, frofn the Catacombs to the plains of Hindoostan^I would un- fold a panorama, every scène rich with miracles of beauty — every change brighjt with the indisputable light of heaven. From the days of Arius to the days of Luther,t— from the schismatics of the East to the hére- tics of the West, — from the pagans of Ithe *first âges to the Secret Societies of our days. Through tempest and dangers the barque of Peter rides ever up on the cregt nf the waves, as securelj^as Peter himself, when he ^■"^^^tef !-/ *f- J,i^^i'^\^-"'~'i "^lïta/tv^-ti^tÉ^ Tkespirit oftJte âge. 115 walked the waters of the sea, at the com- mand of Christ. The faithful, may hâve at timesallowed their hopes to sink, their fears to strengthen, but, like^Moses on the moun- tain praying while hi§ people fought in the Valley below, the high priest aild his assis- tants, elevated above the dark vale of this world's sinfulness, kneel continually with hand^^xtended and invoke the aid of God, while the peoplè fight and conquer the in- fidel hordes in the plain beneath. Who were and who are the enemies of the éhurch and the Faith of Christ ? Firstly the Pagans,— their influence exists no more as of7old ! The vi^r of Christ issues his mandates from thê ruined throne of the Csesars. Then came the Schismatics and Infidels, the heretics of the first âges. ^hey arerieilher convërted or eut offand sent adrift. rj>& ._.. Ui£ hJAit 'li^^ ^"1 ' 1" >. I ' ii6 T/ie spirit of the âge. $• Vet Satan is bound to find spme instru- ment wherewith to overthrow the Church. In the depths of Arabia, at Mecca, there appears one who is destined to become as great a "scourge of God " as ever was ^^| Attila ! When Léo the Great stayed the -^î*^^ barbarian of the North at the gâtes of Rome and tumed him back to meet defeat on the plains of Chalons, he little dreamed that there was tQ appear another fanatic, with the sword in one hand and the Koran in the other, who was destined to return in triumph to the city whence he was expelled and in ten years time, from 622 to 632, to collect a few scat- tered tribes, by force of éloquence, and ill- guided ïervour, to form the nucleus of an army that one day should over-run the East, snatch the tomb of Christ from the Christ- lanv nwike Europe treii ible beneath ti i tramp of the Saracen horse and place the K'^ f'ftr "''*\ -^^if%^ .n;^ .^, iQ:.x-^xi The spirit of the âge. "7 iv'. crescent over the cross and to the cry of " God is God and Mahomet is his prophet" —allah il allak^rush. to the destruction of that temple of Faith. But to meet this new terror it did not suffice to dépend upon the word of mouth alone. The Chureh to conserve its Faith and protect its rights had to appeaJ to the sword. Was she right in so doing ? Yes. Let me quote the immortal words of Thomas* Francis Meagher : "Then, my Lord, I do not condemn the use of arms as immoral, nor do I conceive it profane to say, that the King of Heaven, the Lord of Hosts ! the God of battles ! bestows his bénédiction upon those who unsheathe the sword iq the hour of a nation's péril. From the evening on which, in the valley of Bethulia, he nerved the arm of the Jewisb girl ta s avit e the drunken^ tyrant in his tent, down to this our day, - ■r,f«- - "■ - 1 "' •-■■'l'A ! ■■ -Tii-p-iiï'IRÎïjW'WW'^'^ "^i •'■ r""*lM' .'" ii8 Z$tf spiritjftke âge. in which he has blessed the insurgent chi- valry of the Belgian priest, His Almighty hand hath ever been stretched forth from His throne of Light, to consecrate the fliag of freedom— to bless the patriot's sword ! Be it in defence, or be it in the assertion of a people's liberty, I hail the sword as a sacred weapon ; and if, my Lord, it has sometimes taken the shape of the serpent and reddened the shroud of the oppressor with too deep a dye, like the anointed rod of the High Priest, it has at other times, and as often, blossomed into celestial flowers to deck the freeman's brow." At the risk of becoming irrelevant I will quote the rem- ainder of this flash of éloquence— which no Mirabeau ever surpassed ! " Abhor the sword— -stigmatize the sword ? No, my Lqrd, for in the passes of the Tyrol, It eut to pièces the banner of the Bavarian, ^^ir-'K " I l liii lM l H i ' 7-- 7>^ j/mV ^ /^ âge. 119 and, through those cragged passes, struck a path to famé for the peasant insurrectionist of Inspruck ! " Abhor the sword—stigmatize the sword ? —No, my Lord, for at its blow a giant nation started from the waters' of the At- lantic, and by its redeeming magie, and in the quivering of its crimson light, the crip- pled Colony sprang into the attitude of a proud Republic— prospérons, limitless, and invincible ! ** Abhor the sword — stîgmatize ^sword ? No, my Lord, for it swept the Dutc^smar- ^uders out of the fine old towns of Belgii — scourged them baçk to their own phleg- matic swamps— and knocked their flag and sceptre, their laws and bayonets into the sluggish waters pf the Scheldt — "MyI,ord, I leam e dthat^i t w astheri^t of a nation to govem herself— not in this ;i \ -ÎV^u^ ^ ^. I I, 't-AM^iSLa^llsà' ' h^- I20 • The êpirit of ike âge. Hall, but upc^n the ramparts of Antwerp. This, fhe firât article of a Nation's creed, I learped upon those ramparts, wherefreedom .wasjustly estimated, and the possession of ,the precious gift was purchased by the effu- sion ofblopd. . " My Lord, I Jionor the Belgians, I admire the Belgians, I love the Belgians for their enthusiasm, their courage, their success,ind I, for one, will not stî'gmatize for I do not abhor the means by which they obtained a Citizen King, a Chamber of Deputies." , It was the swôrd blessêd by the Almighty that, A. D. 1095, Peter the Hermît uplifted, when Urban II at Placentia and Clermont -^ proclaimed that "itwas the will of God" \j that the «cènes sacred ,to the memory of Christ should be snatofeed from the Infidel tribes of the East. ^ -' I« those days every Christian King was * » Jt ■, . '/ r- • • ^ r ^^ T ^ï^si^ 44 ^^ ^„ / 7y^ jj^mV (?/■ the âgé. 121 Catholic. — There was then no talk of Pro- testantism. It was then that Godfry of Bouillon, (the Duke of Basse- Lorraine), Robert of Normandy, Hugh, the brother of the King of France, Stephen of Blois, Bohemund of Tarentum and numberless others flocked, with over three hundred thousand foUowers around the standard of the cross. Richard Coeur-de-Lion, of En- gland, and other monarchs entered upon the Crusades. For the sakeof that Faith, hun- dreds of thousands left their homes, trod the rocky wilds of Taqrus, fainted under the suns of the Orient, and at last saw, set in emerald meadows that line Orontes, the fair turrets of the Syrian Antioch. They reached Jérusalem and although îndividual cases may hâve more or less imished theglory of their bararerTyet tmf^ succeeded in snatching from the Infidel those \^,' H'J Wk . Jt* ;iS~l.tsi.!AVA. 122 Tkespirit of the âge» possessions whiçh, with theîr more especial privilèges, were thp heîr-Ioom of the Christ- ian. The terrors of Mahometanîsm passed away and the Faith of Christ, still the same, remained, a sacred treasure in the hands of His représentatives. And yet the démon was at work. By physical force he could not overthrow the works of God,~he now will employ moral strength ; but strength based upon nothingness must fail ! A building erected upon sand must, sooner or laten crumble and fall to the ground ! « Finally came that day on which a ren- egade priest, puffed up with the spi rit of pride and mastereddby the spirit of lust, broke out into open revoit, striking at the most sacred treasures of Faith which the Church of Christ for fifteen centuries had -presefved intact. From thedepths of Cerm^ iffl*^ 4« î^ '" * . ' "^ - > » ,;,, , . ,. ".^^Jf.-'Pti^ The spirit of tJie âge. 123 anic forests and the streets of Worms, there came a trumpet blast, summomng the children of the earth into open rébellion against the Faith of Ages. And as Lucifer of old in heaven, so Luther now, on earth, cried out before the world Non Serviam ! %n glancing over the history of every revolt against heaven we find that they had, one and ail, their origin in Pride and Cor- ruption. It was a spirit of Pride that influ- enced Satan in his first out-break. It was the same spirit of pride, joined to one of earthly corruption, that swayed the soûls of Eve and Adam as they fell'into thé horrors of original sin. The same spirit which is so graphically described in those latin words " Non Serviam "— " I will not obey." It was that spirit of pride that animated Luther in the bep -inn inor nf Jbis^ fevok, aad^ w hic h^ blended with a spirit of lust, led him in fine m, - -.^■'■■1.^*. rf^'LV .$^^^ iîj-7*Ç|EJJg, *5f iïf-l •. ,- ft,)fc 4 124 TAe spirit of the âge. to the extrêmes of which his.history t^ll us. And was it not that same spirit^jf Pride and- Lust that caused the once " Défenderoithe Faith," Henry VIII. of England, ta^orget his past history, and to launch him^ and a whole nation upon a sea of etem'^. div- isions and contradictions ? Laterstill, it was . a spirit of lust and most extraordinary pride that led the most famous ^acter in his- tory, to strike at the yeneraT>Ie "head of the Church. Had Napoléon I. been. humble and pure, he never would havé tumed from the cross to bow before the crescent ! It is aiso a remarkable fact— that the last day of Aeir triumph and the first hour of their fall, should hâve been when pride caused them to forget their duties to God and them- selves ! Lticifer's star shone the bri ghtest in 1ièaven,untn lie gave consent to his"pride m »*SL^."n>s., É «^*-' ,«' ' , *\l * |. Iî;n»«?„: 'T'- '^ ^ C^, Tfie ^piril oftlie âge. A.5 1 ( >ànd, fronl that moment, it became extirtguis- hed in,/the eternal gloom of the vengeance of the Most High ! Success attended them ^ ail, until they permitted the spirit of corrup- tion to master them. So with. Napoléon himself ! While faithful to his mission he . went from triùmph to triumph, from victory ^ to viclory. " He changed camps, courts. churchls, cabinets and crowns, as if they^ were the tkular dignitaries of the chess- board." But, in his pride and impure desires he attempted to raise the everlasting cross amojigst his perishable trophies— and then it was that the " Sun of Austrelitz " grewdim —the Eagle that hovered, in triumph over Jena, Friedland, Arcola, etc., lost his strength, the hero who walked in the steps of Annabal across the Alps, who saw the fiâmes of M os coy fling . thetr blood-red^ lustre over the snows of Russia, and upon . ! '% * I r %pi^ » ■ Ï26 TfiespiHtoftheage,. whom " Forty centuries had looked'down " fromthe heights of Egy^tian pyramids— the hero who defied heaven as well as earth, listened to the thunder-voiced knell that the cannons rang^ from the heights of Torr^ , Vedras,over thè whole Peninsula, and fin-. . ally, between the slopes of Quatre-Bras and the hamJet of Waterloo, bent before the whirlwind of hiîman and divinç vengeance I What a lesson hisfory gives us, upon every page, of the feebleness of pride, and hollowness ùi lust. It tells us in evéry line of the power, the mercy and justice of the Most High and even, in the stôry of the Great ones of éarth, we read .^aily those lines of the Psalmist r " Deposuit patentes de jede et exaltavit humilesr It was sung by the Jewish Maiden of old ; it is sung to-day in the office of the same Ipimaculate Mother. by the Chu rch ôf H -^ * " « fe-- >v/lp-"^-'-i^1(&..^ . . 1^ . •*;,« • , u -•'ff^ /*■ ■ T/^ spiritofthe âge. 127 Since I commenced this Essay, manyand unforeseen tasks hâve fallen ta my lot and my leisure moments hâve been very few. I hâve found it difficult to.snatch an hour from each week, that I might give to the continu- ation of this work. In conséquence of those changes, I find myself obliged to curtail my work and really présent a feeble synopsis of the Essay, as I had originally intended it. î hâve shown that Satan made use of every conceivable means to overthrow the Church of Christ, the depository of Faith. I cann6t possibly go into the history of the Re- formation—for merely to touch upon it, one should ^ive a complète volume to the work. Nor do I deem it necessary, in this chapter, to again refer to the Secret Societies, that owe si) much to that Reformation. Any one i Lesi rftus, of making a spéci a l study on th e^ subjècjt, will find ample explanations in i- >à i . '■■i^^'^^&^ii.y-^ -■H, l?8 ,7>6^ ij^îW/ ^/^^ ^^^. 1/ ♦^- Bossuet's " Variations, " which I believe are translatée! into the English language. The Faithof which I hâve spoken and which I hâve placed in opposition to " The Spirit of our Age"— Infidelity— will be founci ex- pressed in the prayer knownjs the " Credo'' or Creed. * , ^ Mostly ail Christian dénominations hold the same belief as far as the first portion oï the creed goes. But where they fall short is when it cornes to say : " I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Cathplic Church, the Communion of Saints, the Forgiveness of Sins, etc." ^" The Church that must hold the true Faith, must necessarily be One^Holy^ Catholic and Apostolic ! The last few pages should suffice ^to show, beyond a doubt rfw^Romàn Cattiolic Chufdï is olic— is CathoUc— is Holy ! Its Unity howA The spirit ofthe âgé. » ' 129 Vf ever I will explain and with that explan- ation terminate this chapter. Before touching^ upon the Unity of the Church— I will take the liberty of just giving a short list of the - other Christian dénominations— and when the reader has looked over it, let him ask himself, where is the Unity between ail thèse ? Truth is one and cannot admit of contradictions or divisions — ^therefore I will ask him to point me eut where that Truth, —one and undivided, is to be found ? In which of ail thèse sects, that are ever brand- . ishing the fragments of their broken creed against eàch other ? If he cannot find it among^t them, then I will sihow him where he really can find that Unity sonecessary— the sine gua non of a Divine^ Religion. I don't prétend to name the one half ofthe —^ects of die 4ay ^4wt^l will give a suffiicie nlL number to establish my premises. In the Q . p H- I K . *, ♦-*>• -?i* 4 ?^ '%Mé. V -' ^ - ■ - ■ . ■ ■" ' î i3<5 The spirit of the âge. Gity of London, alone, are to be found the followirtgf dénominations; each claiming to hoW Truth and true Faîth. !•* The Advent Christians. 2^ The Apostolics. 3"* The Arinînians (who believe Christ - saved ail men). 4'*' The Baptists — (who only baptïzeat\, the y ears of discrétion ) . * . 5* The Baptized Believers. 6* Believers in Christ (who dépend on Faith for Salvation). fX The foUowers of Joanna Southtbtt, the prophetess of Exter. X' 8* Thé Benevolent Methodists. .9* Bryanites— founded in 1815 by Wil- liam O'Bryah— théy receive communion ited. " ^ - lofV^ible Defencé Association. ^Sé&, if.' t** ' ."4 i^i^èi]^^^^^ Viya^' ^tfh^!^^^^^^^^ The spirit of the âge. ï3i II* The Blue Ribbon Army. (Temp^ erance). ^ 12*^ The Brethern, who bélieve that to preach the Gospel is to deny tHat Christ!s work was complète, y"^ 13*^ The Calyanists (who deny the real présence). / 14 /^he Calvanist Baptists (who find ^esley too Afminian). 15* The Catholic Apostolics. 16*^ The Christians — ^(who own no other name). 17* The Christian Belîevers. 18* The Christian Brethern. 19* The Christian Disciples. / 20* 21' 22 ind M «I 5^ 5;^mV ^/^ ag^g. 135 73*? The Indépendant Religions Re- formers. , 74* The Independent Unionists. 75* The Inghamites — (followers of Ben- jamin Ingham — Son-in-Iaw of the Countess of Hùntingdon). 76* The Israélites. 77»^ The Irish Presbyterian Church. ; 78* The Jews. 79* The Lutherans (who believe in. the . real présence). , -^ 8q* The Methodist Reform Unipn. 8i** The Missionaries. 82"» The Modei^ Methôdists. 83** The Moravians. 84* The Mormons. 85»^ The New Castle SaiWs Society. 86»»^ The New Church. " - -"-8y^^4^N^ w Ce ft nec ti Qft General Bap«- tist9^ r ■h ''"i ? i -•JE il M'^à.i'i: "^XM ■;cyj"-'^'' The. " Meihcxlists. "S 105* The Progressionists. '^'f^';'-'i'S'T-l 'S.T**'^^, ■A m in- 7>5^ spïrt^ 0/ the agè. ^37 106* The Protestant mèmbers of the Church of England. 107* The Piiotestant Trinitai'ians. 108* The Protestant Union. ^ ^ ^ 109* The Providence Chû^çh. iio*^ The Quakers. v 1 1 1 The Ranters (whose worshîp consists of jumping and clapping their hands). 1 1 2* The Rational Christians. 113*^ ThèReformers. 1 14* The Reform Church. of England. 1 15*^ The Worm Episcopal Church. 116* The Reformed Prèsbyterians or Covenanters. ï 1 7»^ The Récréative Religionists. ii8»^TheRevivalists.' 119* The Salem Society. 1 20* The Sandemanians. ' X7T* The ScdtcJrBapïists:^ T' tt**»'».-^.-.;. / . 'V '^ -M» itrWr^^^î^i ^^^i^^i ^m 138 7X* {^tVi^ o/iAe agf. 1 2 2"'^ The Second advent Christians (who^ e^pect Christ again). 123"» The Secularists— (who believê, we should think of the affairs of this world"^ before those of the next). 124* The Separatists, (who refuse' to take oath and* hold theiisgoods at the dis- posai of Brethren in distress). i?5* The Seventh-Day Baptists. 126* The Shakers (Founded by Ann Lee). 127* The Society of the New Church. 128* The Spiritual Church. i29*TheSpiritualists. 130* The Swedenborgians (fo^lded in 1668 by Emanuel Swedenborg). 131" The Tempérance Methodists. ^ 132"** The Trinitarians. 133"^ The jJnio n Baptjsts^' 134* The Unionists. /^ fe^v 1 •^.i jf.-^m. Va ^r^ 'i-.^ < ^ it^SÎ-'*' TAe spirit ofthe âge. 139 iiA V* 135* The Socinians,— or Unitarians (who deny the Trinity.) 136* The Uhitarian Baptists. 137'' The Unitarian Christians. 138* The United Christian Church. 139* the United Free Methodists. 140* The United Presbyteriahs. 141'* The Universal Christians (who believe sm is only punished in this life). 142"" The Welsh Calvinists. 143"* The Welsh Pi-esbyterian?. ^ 144* The Welsh Weskyans. ^ * 145* The Wesleyans. 146* The Weslyâh Methodists. 147* The Weslyan ReformersA ' 148* The Weslyan^eform Glory^and, 149* The Working-mén's Evangelical Mission. - — iSo^TheSalvation^Away.^- ' . - ■* . mt îâte, 140 The spirit of the âge. \ f * ' hl ' Let this end an imperfect list ! Behold the Salvatioïl Agencies in old England ! "|f John Bull does not go straight to Pâradise^ it wont bé for want of Religions enôiigh." It will be cértaîniy on account of not having one true religion in the pack. Where, in ^11 thèse, do you find that Unity that bespéaks a Divine origin— à foundation of immutable Truth— a continu- ation of an eternal mission ? Not in any one of them. There is yet ahother Church, unnamed in this |st, which still bears the sign of Salvation on its steeples and altars and that is one in its doctrines— <7«^ in its sacraments— tf«^ in its rites^one in its founder — one în îts visible head on Earth— one in its means of salvation — one in its Faith —T^>i-\i?mA/-^; /v!?7-'^".»>"'-i>^â i^^^ 142 ^ The spirit ofthe âge. ^^ ■ rft' as as natural enemies of each other. So long God and Satan are at war; so long- Heaven and Hell keep up the cqriflict ; so long as Good and Evil disagree ; so long as Faith and Infidelity contend fQrdominion— so long will the Catholic Church and the ^Secret Societieè struggle against each other. The end must corne, sooner or later, and Truth must triumpli I " l:* *^ » , .' V-- fM 1 ■ ■ • 1 ■■: J m i» ^W. T'Jaiii^.^^i<^àsk -: .' . -■ ^ ■ *' • - , ^ ^ J 'JÊÊÈ ^}^ •' — ta S ,K ^1* --V>, s.l \^' A_^-/ . V CHAPTER III. THE MEANS AFFORDED BY THE CHURCH ^TO ENABLE THE FAITHFUL TO CONQUER IN THE BATTLE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG, TRUTH AND ERROR, FAITH AND INFIDEUTY. u Sofarmy little work has been retained within certain bounds, and not allowed to go beyond thatlield which is open both to the laity and the clergy. But I scarcely see J^ow I can now propqjy treat of the subject, from the stand-point annouïïced in the head- ing ôf this chapter, without, perhaps, intrud- ^^inguponthe domain of those whose especîal mission it is to preach the woixi of God, and to défend the Faith of Christ. Yet, I do liot "««l't'^j "dcent- ft-TRîccssary ihat^pîscopârhands^ should consecrate and that the tu es Sa^ i^*u^ -•' %'fi1 fil' ^(■:",'^*\f"' ''■-îjT"îni\|i • / 144 V^ The spiritôf the âge. cerdos in aetemum should be pronounced over a person, in order that he may hâve the right to attack Error' or défend Truth when- ever the occasion présents itself. Were ail Câtholics afraid toadvance their opinions, and, in conséquence of thatfear, to leave the yrhole burthen to the ministers of the Church, the cause of Faith would doubt- lessljr sujfer.. It is the business and duty of the cle^ to uphold the doctrines of their church and to instruct the faithful— I con- sider it alsdto be the duty of every child of that Church, to aid them in their labors, in so far as he is compétent and within his own sphère. \ Thei« are truths whîch every Catholic should make it his business to know, in order that, should circumstances demand it, he may be abie to explain his creed and i * t £ defônd his FaiA. fhere are places where -i-/^ '•.■ ■ *^' iQunced ave the 1 wheo- ce their fear, to sters of doubt- iuty of )f their. -I con- f child labors, hin his atholic low, in land it, d and TJi£ spirit of the âge. 145 he'may be and where the priest never is; there are persons wi^h whom he may corne in contact and ^ith whom the priest never has any inÉercourse ; there are occasions that anse for him and that seldom or never pre- ^ themselves to the priest, in which he ?ust know how to take his stand, or else « blushingly withdraw and leave the field to those who Mçould scoff at and make little of what he is taught to hold sacred. - / I do not hereby advocate his establishing a pulpit of his own, or flying into polemics upon his own account. That would be ad- vocating " individual interprétation," private judgment— therefore heresy. But the Catholiç, who submits his unders- tanding to God and the Church, and who foUows, in every particular her infalKble guid- fe^J^S , a ftCfi,„Jia& not. only a righ t / bu t ir^ttrije^ ^ #y where •; ♦> ., -.:j!:.s*^| ^' blamed, ]i he fails, to aid by his word or pen, 10 Kî m- il f S .>/ 146 the propagation of that Faith which is Jlîs xywn Salvation and the light that is to guide others to their destiny — happiness and peace on earth and glory eternal in heaven. I do not think — therefore— rthat I am entering upon forbidden ground when I njake usfe of a few pages, to point out some • Sr the means that must be used and wh^ch are at the disposai of every one, to o^er- corne the Spirit of Infidelity and to lift trium- phantly aloft the heaven-woven banner of F^ith. ( Firstly Catholic Education !"lnis a sacred' duty, imposed by God, upon Catholic .parents, to see that their children receive Catholic Instruction and Education. If you can afford to send your çhild to school only for ohe year, or one month — \et that year or month hft s p e nt byLyour-child"'und € r tho se^ • -»' who will implant the Faith in his breast It The spirit of the âge, ' ^ '"^'■"-' " "- i rf"- i « ' "Jf u Tlie spirit of the âge. ^ 147 lich is hîs 3 to guide md peace en. . at I am when I out some nd whjlch : , to o^er- lift trium- ►anner of a sacred Catholic \ receive 1. If yo\i lool only t year or reast It is not ail the same in theend, as some think. ° The child becomës a man, and he may be noininally a Catholic, yet thoroughly îgnorr ant'of his creedi and forever unable to dje^ fend his prihcipîeë, if he receives the rud- ' iments in schools where his Faith is ignoréd and attacked. What kind of soldjer can lie \ eva: be in the ranksof thçChurch-Mifit^nt? A drone, — in theiway fpr othéilê^an assis- tant upon the sidç of Infidelity, npthiHg' * • more or less ! The first meâns, I repeat/ ië Catholic Éducation and Instruction. It is as much a'duty for parents, as it is to-have -thçir child baptizèd. or confirmed. TheyOMre it to their Church and they will accouht * severely for that neglect, some day or other — ^should they be guilty of it: If it is a duty to instruct x:hildren in their F^U..kisco..e4umlyadut;to suppoW and tp encourage Catholic Schools, Catholic ^ 1 .t"4 h -I s :.<': ■■'^i- l '/' I ^^ sjdrii of the agf. / 148 CoUeges, Cathofe U«ve«itf«. Catholic I^debty by sending his chfld 1„ „on-Cati.. ohc «.ftutioas, wffl hâve to bear the burt- henofhisfi«,,^beheId^poasiWe>o. Ae su,, scandai impicty, i„eligio„, MA^ The prbper support ofTl? denry-the con«rv.„gof>hatdig„ity^hieh,ho^3ur- «und the Bfehops and pri fnomtiie Siai of Etemal TusrirA tha* gtews în^tèniity. ït is a ray that can pen- etrate ^ deepest and darkcst abyss of '\- 4 -/"• ■\^ * y p-^^é f^iAo. J^ .» ^'%^-^^ tHfîi- I -i^^::-- '5° l"^ spirU 0/ the aie. Infidelity and crime, lighting it up with a splendour and dispersing the shadows of night. ' > - Few, indeed. hâve the grace to possess those gifts as St Joseph possessed them. \ ^"' ^P^-^" ■=« °<« lives may be. we dan X^veirtheless rise to a certain degree, by the |(feat and ail powerfulmeans which is in the hartds of each one-the humblest as well as the greatest What is that means ? ' - It is Frayer ! There is a Trinity i„ heaven-The Father, Son aftd Holy Ghost, forming a g»and Unity-God ! The Chuith is also a Trinity, forming a mysterious unity. Thçre is the Chufch-Triumphant in Heaven- the Churçh-Suffering i„ Purgatory. - Âe Chureh-Militant on Earth ; an three fom, the ' li^gWst . the go l de n cl ■■A binds them. one to the other, is the chain of ■ » - V > .-. f » '«^ ? m, s ^p^k up with a hadows of to possess ised them. i>e, we can: ee, by the 1 is in the as well as en— The orming a is alsa a ^ There eaven, — y, — the fornithe tala^that > Thé spirit of the âge: 151 prayer. One branch of that chain unîtes thé saint in heaven with the faithful on earth ; another braiich unités the suflferer in Pur- gatory with the one who aids him froip the earth,— and ariother branch has the first link rivettedtô the altar .herebelow, the centre link warm with the flames of that prison- house, whjjfe await the future saints their freedom, and the last link attached to thé foot of God's Throne ! The Saints in heaven, being the intimate friends of God, havemore power with Him than earthly sinners— therefore when we pray to a saint, âsking his intercession in \ our behalf, he does so and the Almighty through him sends us the grâces we need. Thé sufferer in Purgatory, who can ;n6 » longer aid hiifWf, looks to us, his fi;iends .. .N. 1^ ^Eo ^eTiinS^our assistance ; and by our pray- ««' '^ wé shorthen his time of pain, when he chain of'^ ■ w--it.i4«6- ^ s ■ / 4 ■■^r Ï52 The spint bf ihe âge. ^chesheaven, (even before, according to a veiy probableopinion) his gratitude wiU force him to use ail hîs influence with God in ourbehalf. Therefore the Saints aid us, wè aid the soûls in Purgatory and they recipro- cate, wfien it becomes our tum to qeed help. Thus that great union continues unbroken. and that chain of prayer forms the grandesY characteristic of the Church of Rome; . Thus spèâkîng of Prayer, leads me to the réfutation of certain errors very wide spread to-day. r hâve been asked, time and again, by separate brethren, certain questions upon points of our belief ap^ I always answered them as clearly as I knew how— and accor- ding to the person who asked them and the circumstances under which they were asked. Two of thèse questions refer to Piayere. ï -'-u 1 W^^' » \ - I - 1 ^' m ■ y. , .ik have been often made to me an< 1 1 wiU \, "i ^ r>' cording to a ide will force 'ith God in s aid us, wé ley recipro- qeed help. s unbroken. ie grandesY omç; s me to the vidt spread and agaîn, itions upon answered and accor- m and the ereasked. Prayers. I [éas théy I •^7^i,-.'-?.-j,-»( Tke spirii of the âge. ï53 answer them in as short a ittanner as pos- sible. The first question was asked by an Anglican minister some years ago. The gentleman is nôw dead— he was a man of éducation ànd sincère in ail he said, and when I gave my answer he replied that he never looked upon the question in that light before. Question : Please tell me why, in your church, your mass, vespere, and principal prayers at public service are said in Latin and not in the language of the people ? ^ Answer : In answer to your question, my frierid, I must give you three distinct reasons why we make use of the Latin language.^- _ !•* Suppose we use the EngKsh language. r—Evcr^ one who can speak English would cortaîniy unâërstand what was said, — butlet a Frenchman, or Gernuin, or Italian, or a '/' nâ^ wiU frtt*'*. te, . '.-'If^ *c\ m .#, 1 ■")'+r,"»!i'»3ç»w " ':-;'.V. '54 ^^^nto/th,ag,_ "'^" °f any other nationality who * "e English, or Frenrl. to «y, it fe daily subjec^^r '^■' **' '" Word*! Tf ;« vf^^^^-^^ ^nd new - . '• -^ ■* "« stable and o^l-> mass in New- the very same ' Canada. He . ^ Dublin or a md there the ends mass at ter's in Rome rin Englahd, then go to » AustraJia, circle or the laUover. . altération ! eheardthe ' 7)^^ spirit oftke âge. same mass that he hears to-day— and thosè who may live in âges to corne wiîl hear the same mass that was heard in the Catacombs, the same that Léo XIII chants at Rome to- day, the same that wilI be sung before the last trumpet shall proclaim that tame is no. more. The sacrifice of Calvary— the scène of the last supper— shall never cease to be perpetuated unto the end of time. There- fore does thcT Catholic ritual prove the Unity, Catholicity, Universality, and Divine origin of the Church ! The second question was asked me, more than pi?ce, by persons of différent dénomin- ations and I often answered it in a more joking way than cjny other— however I always paid attention to the clearness of my statemeiit ^^^^ES Ti Q N : W hy do you talk âboul in Purgatory ? ,'*«•. ■f 157 V w^^ ni If' ^€'?#3 158 spirit of tke âge. ' s: ■ ^ We are not told in. the Bible that there is such a place ;Iet us hâve your opinion upon Answer : We pray for the souIs in Pur- S-tory tha. they may be freed from the pun.hme„t due their sins. Youstatethat the Bible does not tell you of Purg^ i would fi„t advise you to get «// the Bible together and then you might find something. Look up the two books of Maccabees and you may hit upon some place whe«you are oM that "it i, a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead.» And while you ar« remodelh-ng your Bible with those two books, you may as well issue another «imon of the " Revised Testament," contain- mgTob.as,^judith.-Ecdesiasticus._Bar- uch and a couple ofEsd^s. You may find it more complète after. , But t!f P'ay for the soûls in Hell would be he âge. ^ible that there îs "^our opinion upon the souIs in Pur- 2 freed from the . You State that 1 of Purgatory. I ret ail the Bible t find something^ Maccabees and ewhereyouare nd wholesome Ld." And while ibie with those 1 issue another nient," contain- îasticus, — Bar- You may find Tke spirù of tke âge. f . \ ■ a loss of time--for out of that place there is^ no rédemption, to ^ray for the souIs in Heaven would be as bad, for they do not need our aid, or prayërs. Then what dead are we tot)rày for ? He who dîesin mortal sin goes to I^ell,— he who dies in venial sin cannot enter Hotven, for " nothing defiled enters" there. Where then does that soûl go > We call the place Purgatory and the iM^me tells us that it îs a place where they are purified from thefr sins before they can enter heaven. It is for the^ead in that place that we pray. Nqw permit nie to answer«the question— like my countryman— by asking another. Please tell me, where did ChAst go after His death ? You say to a place called Limbo where the soûls of the just awaited Him, tha t H e might free^ them and^ opeii ^"dïF ^, ^1" Hell would be gâtes of Heaven for them, which had been. ir'"'.'»iî*"'"-» es: • .-»' ' ."'i ""•"^'f'" ' . ^ .1. I. Il 'vpjnOi f^:^ f(w t« *',:â«gi«;'-^ i6o \ ' The spinU ofihe agi. ,f M. closed by original sin, Now, why did Ùpbo exist and why werejust soûls there ? 0^ înal sin blocked them out from Heaven ahd their holy lives prevented them from goîng- to Hell.. Is it any more wonderful that a Purgatory should exist after Christ than that ' a Limbo should exist before His time ? Just take down the sign-board «Limbo'' that overhangs the door and rqjlace it with that of « Purgatory » and you hâve our idea. It is not the name-ïhat makes the place. Provided 70U will only pray for the dead and in the same spirit that our Church prays for them-^you may caU the place what you like— meanwhile I call it Purgatory I Most certainly we see by the history of oui- Faith that it is a reasonabU Faith-one that is in accordance with reaspn, although human reason is not always m accordance With Faith. Aifterprayei^ the gr^test means ap^- .1 ■ B»^;*^ L ^V^iP >w,whydidÙmbo iouls there ? Oilg- from Heaven ahd them from goihg i wonderful that a :er Christ thanthat re His time ? ti-feoard "Limbo" îd replace it with 'bu hâve our idea. iakes the place, ►ray for the dead aur Church prays î place what you Lirgatory I Y the history of aâ/g 'Faith— one reaspn, although ? in jcc<)rdaoce i greatest means ûïiS;^ .^"^jw^^i ^ w.i.j< ,i-?"--'>-r"jç? : The sjnnt of the âge, ' x6, we hâve at our disposai to conquèr in this endless war; is âumiiity inà oMùn^e-that Ik a submission of o^^will and reason to^our Faith. Pride and Disobedience haVe caused ail the errors and foUies that man has to rtgret. to^y. Humi|ity and Obédience should replace them. The man who can obey is truiy one fit to commarid. Jiist a few days ago I received a report of an exquisite sermon ' on " Faith and Reason," preadied by the Rlght Rev. Dr. \yatterson, Bi^hop of Columbus. Ohij*-at thé Plenary <|pncil of Baltimore. I^ot refrain from hère cyiotingr a part of thé Ex- ordium, as it is to th^jpoint I would also suggest that th^ CathoKcs and ilHesÉarits rf Canada wouH read ovér and study those admirable and masterly sermomi, preacKed t Bisliops at the above-nam^ CounciL fhqr can befound in the Gatholic; II ^ ,i 'M tÉii: fc ilj»^^f|he Imitée f historyand WmPi?rfi^^ Wery Rev. * Brshop ms opens his % AA great ftumber 6f pers6iîl,particulâriy y(wn^ersons, are gov«ed Jç tbp fomiatioii «rf their ot>inions* Some, wWj- out aiiy pàùs K> form opinions for Aem- siires *'' an, aDow their language aad their . «rtwarf- actions to taVe their form and . , «doring fiom those with lïhoim thcy asso- aatb. Manyayoïingman bas been foolish -çHOughtosay,'»* in Ws heart but yrith his J 1^ "there is no trutJiAïwdationr^ ■ because hé hoped to smÊ^- ^' ^r ^ topiety rf «lÉP**' ^""^ "^^^ I 1 W lff\ iîf1iniitrTflmin-- ./ ,./ > ^other/witnourknot ation, •wùww reBectia^^scoffed at an : ^;^i w » " » 4. ' s • ..#^ •• H-" %s é' ►tëàerit ww ■^é ' 1 -^^ .>,*. '■^ ;' The spirii of ike âge, '- 163 beliefe in nurades and mysteries, à orda to wn the name of tiankmgforhaBetf aad bowmgtonoan4oi*y but tim rfias owa mdividaal réawn. InreHgionis iashionabfc and therrfore contagioaï. JacrediiHty 4, t«>pting, as the shottest ^ ai , ,^ pitifui kind ofIngersoUian distinction. Ti» ?vilrfte>d kgaïyfcfihree hnndred and fi% y«fB of dispmaiioa, dOTia and déniai fa» wBgiéns teatters, fe not yet cowptetely «orcised. Tins anti-Christian spirit, Ao^" «ften «buked, is not yet hanidied-^ fo^ pwfed muit dapsç beforethe wodd ^ see agai» what has. 1^ briefly, bot happily described aj the âge «f Faift, an âge «' *«ch^ai«hr%ednati«^„f^^- . '^ fom. a èbristendofl, once wo« ; ^h» aa-wBbe «.tediiithë belirf rfihè àiw, irt l Bfcn» «f . jd i ^ ^ fa ihe bond,ofacQÉ>. »«- ChAtian b«««riw«l We «y «dut** ^^ \ -ï^ £«*i . *• ri *î ^.jà ,„ iMX '<ï K -■ y^ ,64 The spirit of ilu âge. j that blessed epoch from afa^; we long for itsadvent, and dch one. ift his own way. and measure.does something to hasten its retum-.but no one of usmay reasonably hope to witpess its arrivai and tl,en sink to rest in peace wth the Nunc dimiUis on our lips!'" Ç • But as the Bishop tdls W. It ts the duty of each of us, in his own sphère and accoiding to hismeans, to aid in the great work of the ôropagation of that Faith, which see in Faith, ^having m ^ natural : .T^'^ï' ,.l l ThespiHtofikeage, 165 order. earthquakeâ, avalanches, storms, volcanos, and plagues-bringing destruction and désolation upon nïankind,— in the pojit- ical and. social orders, wars and rumors of wars,political plottings, murders, explosions, etc., with a whole t;i:ain of horrors causing humanity to trembl^-in the moral ordei| demoralization rampant, in^iety lauded from the house-tops, infidelity çropagated on ail sides. Secret societies undermining religion, and crime let îoose upon the earth. Can this' last forever ? Do~« comhig events cast their shadows before ?" Can it be that thesç are but the heralds of darker houK ? Sr:. ^'. We know not, but mpst assuredly it L high time for the world to be on its guard. ^^^^tchman from the tower, upon the seâajiUls, has issued forth a warmWlet •% V, mit- .^ A' u ^sentiiMds in tlre-iPâttey îobk out~be on t^/ vwe/ A tdmget-voiçefrom l)eyond A '■a^ ^i.k> m; -'".v :ii* .,',ri'- '*yW4l H ■'•"1 J. ,. TAesptrùo/iAeag€, i6; I see it, dearly, coUectiDg the scattered fragments of fts cloiidlets along the horizon -soon they w|l be united in one fearful mass— one immense storm— and when, amidstthe lightning flash and thunder-peal' ^ m tornado sweeps down, we should be pre^ par|d to meetit. Trim our sails-reef our main-top-gallant ' and royals.— due up our mizzen-topsail— andletgoourhalliards, «rkeall snug aboard— that the old barque' y I^y too and weather the storm, as she ' so gallantly met those of centuries; and When it will be aU over and a purer steand calmer sea shaU greetout vision--i^Ae behpld, alofig the horizon, the glorioS^n d" land— of that etemal port— that haven \*erein we shaD cast our anchor of Hope and go ashore to join those happy sea-fai^r s who 4^ce dftH m in th c i r y^^ c j^^tidwfac «SWQijfe. A., W ►JC.i'.- ' 's„^ i' .-■ : \ i68 TAâ spirit of the âge. now enjoy rest, peace and happiness ever- ksting ! . In the late lamented Irish Poet— Denis Florence McCarthy's beautiful poem on «Alice and Una," one of those fairy taies that people the hills and vales, towers and shrines of the dear old land with a million créatures of fancy, we read thèse very touch- ing and descriptive lines : " Thé Past shhies clear and pleasant— There is glory in the Présent^ And the Future^ like a crescent— Lights the deepening sky of Time j And that sky will yet grow brighter, If the rfi>r>6î/«r, And the 5^^//r* and the Jf//r^, , Join in sacred bond sublimes 1 Wiih two glories shining o'er them, "^lEé^^mingyëifr-âKy-lfrc&ab- Earth's great evenii!|5 as its prime." '%-'', ■''•'A, THspiritoftheage, 169 The union of the Worker and the Writer and the coopération of the Sceptrtond the Mitre are as necessary to-day as of old. There was a time when Faith liéld sway on earth, in those days, when the State artd the Church were in harmony— when the physical laborer and the mental worker were » in unison. Will that glorious epocH ever revisit the earth ? To-day Society disowns Religion-the state acknowledges noythe Authority of God and we see as apurai conséquence of such> an antagonism, that disorder social, moral an4 natural reigns almost suprême. It is the duty of every Catholic to strive, so far as in him lies, to bring about ^S§^^t happy union of temp- oral and spirii^j&hority, in order that the ^days of Infidelity may be soon numbered in thft l and and that^ the-faoqr of FaithV Gî T^ umph may ring out I .'j^^Sm^'-j 1 - „'- sas ^1 TW' I ( . I p IJO The spirU of the âge. ' a \ The means of prayer must not be pver- lookcd. When Jacob slept, he beheld a ladr- der, based.on earth and reaching the heavens, Up ànd down it Angels vferé moving. A glorious picture of our prayers. Ever amd* always /x^ those heavenly ihèssengers around and about us, Our prayer is borne by the ascending ^iri^ and deposited ai the footstool of God— the Recording Ajigel marks it down, and imitiediatëy another is 'dispatched from heatren to carty to uâ tiiQsev .-V *r, -A \ v^. grâces and giftsVhichj|re ask àind which are never refused. Ùp aSr dpwnthé ladder of prayer, millions ànd millions of a|ig^sjbve, untiringly journeyed, âince thje fiïst >>?* Jpûr* Fathef '* wàs spoken by QMa^ thrdugh tHfe" âges, down .to our day. And as thoêè ascend-r jng spirits ceased to move ibr wSbat of mes- if^ending 'sf>irifcs^ ceased tft . A . f .' come to earth with blesemgp.ïrom abqye. r •: ■ ,'' ' ■ 'is-'^' :■■'■: ;.?..„ - 1 ,.v over- : a lad^ ivens. g- A sngers borne . aà the Aogel • ^J^ ther îs îch are Iderof s ïiave, iscend-r' )f mes- isèd tgL ••«1 ^ abqye. ■ • f *^ t f^ Il ' y ;,, :.*:■<'! Tke spirit 0/ the agi. '.X'^iri Of late thafrbddér 'lias been IWtle use^\ iato the i.^ «-««ion of reflection, afld in. W* ^„ .- Ben Hçber; he teU us what Ufe fa and wh»t (air. grand diitiès are : ' ; # • -' — ' '■ M_ ■■■■• '#\ ' ■ ■•■ ' -. , ■••■/r^^ tWien finit Itrpd:: ^ To ne, ft'was holjr ^und^ Vï 4 'a-^'V^ .3 'I 4. « <«i. .t'\ ^ï\ % ' -- - :tor genius awd beauty, rays ^f g^jI, ^" ^ LUce » swann of sttfrs we^''«i,i& • ' " " .... ' •* I . « v^' \: A ^ • t» .1 __ I I Jll I. I msm ^.ni f' * ' 172 \ The spint of the âge, '^ I hâve scann'd the motives and waysof men, And a skeleton grins. through ail 1 Of the great life treasures ^ Ofheart and trust, I exulted to feel mine own j There remains in this down-trod Temple of dust, But Faith in God aime /" ' In every land and in every tongue the same idea has been preached by poet, orator and hero. Even Racine— France's great and im- mortal dramatic and lyric poet, expresses the same sentiment, whîch he puts into the mouth of Joad the high-priest, as he answers Abner, the faithful soldier. who comes ^tq warn him of the dangers that Athalie h^' prepaf ed,.for him : "Celui qui mff iinVr^in à laJl||gesflot8t ^ Sait aussi des méchants arrêter les complots, 1... •,! t.' ' .aiïjis;. A.r l'ujfc-L.tf» w^^^m ^^m s. I^hespiritoftkeage. ^n 1 » Soumis avec respect à sa volonté sainte, Jecrams Dieu, cher Abner, et n^ai point d'autre [crainte/" " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom " says the wisest of aU men, ail kingsandallwritere. Firedy let us strive to become wise, through that means and therf. having a trust, like WiUiams, in the Most-High, and seeking His aid, we can fcel confident that no matter, *hat we at- tempt, must sooner or hter be èrownéd with success. It is the duty of each,p„e to make use of his faculties and direct his énergies for and towards that grand end. Horace, the famous Latin Poet sings a great. truth in one of his odes • «/„ „^ia slaivirtm" "In the middie is the st^^ngth : " f ^ and Ov.d. when giWng instructions to -Phaeton , throu gh th e mé diu m of t^e " Dâ y= ■I » ;s ■4' . I -God," expresses the ,tV" .tf same idtsn " In medio ( t,\ .% '•^sK^;!'»;ir^^0VP • 174 The spitit of the âge. tutùsimus iôis- « In the middle cotirse^ you win go the safest." Extrêmes are ever most dangerous. So it is in religion, There may be an over-wrought zcal that will lead a person into the extteme o^bigotry and m- tderance, ^t wkes him , see no good<^^ those that are not «.. ■ ■■- jr thesame. Hîsltory fe wre than a ih«e en- • «""aration of fects, pmoTO ând dates : ft fe a ." record ofthe past and a guide for the future, ' - He who wfll rçad ii^tentiv# i»fflfi„â tha^ m then^<)6t gênerai histdryof thfworfa ff wdl stnijîea. a-tteq«<5n beîrig paid to caJse ?nd efferf, fljat àll I hâve sàîd, either abqMt Xinfidehty or Faith may be foull. ' I believe .there are many méS-and I >ow some-whp differ honestly frota my ■deas and cre,rf^„d whae ^ï^ th^- full crédit for the<.>,od faitl, and Honést ià- .tentions, I^mereJy ask Iwm Aem the same favor for myself and,my co,«ligionW But ' l hâve no^quàrterfor those, who professlng a true faith, taiowmg it to be such, are evw rea^y to ,> r»' i'inSÇ K'i-'^p. ■4, 176 7)&^ spiritoftke âge. day or the Faith *han the IngersoUs Paânes and Vbltaires of the past. They imagine, thereby, to gain the esteem and win the admiration of those ^^ do not profess their belief,— but they ever and ahvays produce the contiiry effect. They may suit as tools in the hands of others, but they are neither trusted, honored, nor res- pected. I will illustrate my idea by two stril^ing examples. In the year 1882, I was invited by a Rev. C^non of the Anglican Ghurch, to dine with his family, on a Friday. The clergyman had been an old friend of our family and I always looked upon him as the type of a true gentleman, one who had tender feefings and who would liever dream of hurting the most délicate feelings of any one. I called at a quarter to one— the hour tr! '. _ appoînted. After a few moments pleasant ; • ' ' » -■ y- '.*;«• >f!^'- ^^ ,-^ ~ =*- "^ "7/' ? ~'mi|iI I ' "Ijl I l«i ■«m I I. Il I * '"- ' " 2'^Vf r^ The spint of tke âge, tyy ■ ■ tronveréation, I was usherbd into the dining- room. The idea of i^being FViday had never . °««red to me, u^^^l l Jboked at the table ' ^hertf was a fine bofled salmon at one end . ^""^ *°'"« Wacfc bass àt the other. But not a scrap of taeat upon the table. We dined and 'no remark was passed, by any one présent, about the dishes.< . On 'eaving I remarked ta the-gentlëman that I had noticed the absence^f meat^^' hB reply struck me most J^bly. •• My dear friend," he said, «it is my rule in hïe never to offend any one, and I could not mvite you hère to risJc making you féd inconvénient. I p^ecdy weU know that had I méat, none but my own family, wouldpar- take of it and you would, may hê, feel your- sel lifce a solitary omis m a ies[s)trt." T hi.s pl a y upnn Ae wo i d s ii tuweJ thé oM- man's ready wk-but dm act of foresight la ■« ■\:. •^ >* --aWi^V- \ 'M 1 1 ".& n |: <«-» , i ) t »*•♦ r.W 178 -, Thespiritoftheà^i ' " proved hbw mûch respecte^ a mai^s feel- ings are and how his religidus duties sure admired even by those who do not believe in th^ tenets of his creed. That man r<5se, at once, a hundred degrees in my esteem/ and had I been weak-minded énough to hâve said (as I hâve heard others say), that, Ldid not mind eating méat wheml pleased —I wouW haye fallen f^rever, in a like degree, în his estimation, respect, and mây- be friendship. n The second example, I take from the wOrds of a Protestant merchant of Qu^b^. This srentlemàn had in his. empl^y a Cath olic' ycJ^ng' maû. Rumor went afloat that the (jlèrk was not over-honest However nothing èver transpiredto prove the truth pf . thè report One day, hf the fall of 1880, the yrtiing rtian rftf.eiva^ ordera to call at the_ country résidence of his employer to do ■M*-*' 3S tkf D »' _tr T. I • on The spirUpfèfU agêi some extra woric He was alsp învited tb six ô^clock dinner? It was a priday. There W€re both fish and méat ottihe taile. When asked which ïie pteferred, said : '«Twill take meatifchis ffeh business is good enough Vor priçst'Iovers and children.»' He fecejved the méat. Aft^rdinner , the master asked hîi^, " if he would not like to turn Metfedist. At " onee "the clerk refjlied that he wduid sooner do anything thantum, bkauselu was iop.weli ■ knoTimtnîown. fe After^the^ wdrk Afras éQiî^V the gentleman handed; the clerk a chèque for the amount ^^ due hîm and dîsmiss^ Ypa fiim his^pby^ ^ :ment, wîth the" following words i " I heard that you were not :véry ; hpne^t, I did not i ^ beheve the accusation to bêgniennor do I , \ ylt* think you. hâve evér beèn reajiy &h6n- ;; est witLme^ b tt t J can n ot t mstry^. ttg--- '-«rS •i*' % ',..> *, \ » *- , man Tvho can break «mmjaQÎiis of Jbis ''.•L. , ,, Vis*',' •s •:■«- ' W^L^i» , ï.^Vîrs'^' '"- j i' i tf i " '.- V;- i8o TÂé spirit ofthe ࣣf, «î Churc^ ÎÈO cringe to any e^rtllly power^ much less to please a sînner like me, is a man that can break the /confidence of his employer. And the man who would change his creed, if he thought that no one would know of it, is a man that would rob his em- ployer, or even take his life, if he t^oughl :ould escape punishment. If you wantto •espected by others, respect yourself ; if you désire to succeed in life, either obey your Church or at once openly turn ^ from her. The làttef you wont do—the former yôu mmi^ do. Good-evening, sir ! " ^My Essay draWs to a çlôse. I feel that I hâve poorly fulfiUèd whât I promised in the préface. But.siiice that préface and the *érst teh pageaof the work were tirritten, my . position changed arid my duties, in other, " spheres^owded upon me. I was forced to abandon this Essay completely or else eut ■H;-;ti^' T The spirit 0/ tke.dge» ' 181 . > - .. ■ , ît short and présent merely a plan of wljat such a work might be. I thÉHit that sôme better leamed, more talented and less ven- turesome pen i^iight some day, complet^ what I, so imperfectly, commenced. Yet, shbuld what I hâve written filî up any littfe chink I will beCmore than safisfied. .- , In concluding;, I will âsk of those who may find that their creeds or societies are attacked by me, to believe-me when I state, that I do not in aiiy placé refer to indîvid- uals, but only to principles and establish- ments. I do not strike at persons, but at ideas an^ orgaiMjjations. I may mistake— r for I am notVmfallible— (I acknowledge only ône infallîble being on earth, and that only under given circumstances) — I may fall into some mistakes— if I do I now make Fefore by whoUy or partia lly-wttfa^ drawing what can beproved to me to be wrong. 1m 'h' % —l*iiV4 •ai». .'^i IKi.J ■à,<:s4tt 'S ■ \ *j \ j - A « \ B * -■ ■ W ^ ^ . . *i \ \ \... S t ^ >* i 'i 9 " .«> IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) 7 /. {./ A ^ & -% V 1.0 Là ■2.8 g iàâ 12.2 m m ■^ 140 i i.i L2â II u 11.6 ^ Corporation WWEST MAIN STREIT WfBSTER.N.Y. I4SM (716)872-4303 ;\ "^ ajSîtejifetftfei^ j. .fcfahttËSl L.4^^ .■tî^'%^:.«^i'^ .:£. j, . m. 15?.' '(>}' 7 'V pt: V / fj^ 182 Thspirito/tkeage. •^ # So muc^i for those whose princîples are hereîn attacked ! ^ A Word to the Caçholic readersl You hâve tofled through thèse fll-jcompos^ pag^ with courage an^ I trust that îf there is any benefit t9 be gleaned from them that you may hâve been able to take the wh^t frdm the chaff and to place it asîde m your granary for use on future occasions. Be fkithful to yoùr Faith— be hopefulofyour Hope — and be charitable in ydur Love and the reward will y et corne, when you least éxpect it. ^ To the Critics f I can only say— you may find my phrase harsh, my language poor, my plan feeble, my division incorrect, my English abominable. I care not Ibr ail éiafftt ipr ypu wo^d be pretty right in so judging W *Ps- •.% .^'i ^F- !'* '^'" 'I |l>* - 1 |i „.^ 9TG ^ :^l ^» '^ ^ " ^ÎH ST'^" • 4\ .'^ ^ ■ ./ ' j% '§#■ i"*** t -'*>" ^t^ i^*-^ TAe spirii of ihe âge. 183 guments unfoùnded-— my history înexact— or my princîples faulty F ;*»; And to the Church ! The Guardian of Faîth— -the Temple of Immortality— the^ Shnneof Dîvinity— the Sanctuary of Love— the Anchor of Hope— the Piotector of Virtue— the Terror of Hell— the Shîp of Safety,, I will say but one word — may your trhimphs be great, may your glory appear in ail ends of the earth, and may the silver shafts of your Faîth, pierce the clouds of Infidelity diat o'er hang the world t<>0fy \ Fpm the fulnessof myheart I cry out to you, oh ! Spouse of Ae Lamb I oh ! Mother of Love J—jfij/b Perfetua I And to the God of âges, the Creator, Redeemer and future Judge of Heaven and ^ Earth it is but just that-wë should offer a praytxl Let us pray to Him, theii, to look down upoiï the soldiers "fighting the good '\ ''■^• 'ê "■%*' \\. tp'^^t^^ 'JiTV'^^' ■• ' l,^""' -^"^f* ^ ' '">*■ 184 Th^ spiritofthe âge. fight," to guide His représentatives in the ways of Wisdom that they may restore the ^cient splendor of the " Ages of Fâith,"— and when the bannerof the cross is unfurl'd, fanned by the breezes of every land, bright beneath the sunbeams of every clime, blessed and aclcnowledged by every people — to raise i^ a harper like David of old -to cleanse his lips as he did those of the pro- phet Isaiah4-that, while he is making the . JVring with the praises and the triumphs' î^f the Churcli, he may worthily chant the \ deathless anthem ■', » Te Èeum laudaAus 1 Te Doipinum Confitemur 1 " • i END. •5^^ « . *•! » >^ h 1* r t ii^ ^■ffi * j* : ■ ':•'■•( .y-^-:^' J ■ ^ TABLE OF CONTENTS. r ^ PAO». Préface ..*. -, Thé Spirit of the Age. 15 Chaîter I.— What is the Spirit of our ^ 4s:e?- 22 Chapïpr II.— What shoulcj be the i * S^rit of our Age ? gj Chapter III . — The means aflforded by the Church to enabl^the Faith- ful ti? conquer in the battle between right an djyrQng^^teu t h and error^ faith and infidelity 143 *;^* W'