The Church and the Age; an Exposition of the Catholic Church in View of the Needs and Aspirations of the Present

CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY """"""* """"^ BX1406 .H44" Church and the age: an exposition of the 3 1924 029 381 013 olln 3 The original of tliis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 924029381 01 THE CHUKCH AID THE AGE AN EXPOSITION OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN VIEW OF THE NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE PRESENT AGE BY VERY REV. I. T. HECKER New York OFFICE OF THE CATHOLIC WORLD Business JOHN J. FARRELL, Manager 6 Park Place 1887 Copyright, 1887, By I. T. HECKER. >- H. J. HEWITT, PRINTER & ELEOTROTVPER, 27 ROSE STREET) NEW VORK. NOTICE. This book is made up of twelve articles, which fall into five general divisions. The first division, consisting of five articles, treats of the Catholic Church in relation to races, nations, and epochs, dealing with the subject at first in general and then mor^ particularly of Church and State in America, Italy, and France. The second general division, beginning with the sixth article, is mainly devoted to the concord of the interior action of the Holy Spirit in each particular soul with His exterior action in the public authority of the Church ; it cm- braces the articles entitled respectively " St. Cather- ine of Genoa," "Catholicity and the Tendencies of the Age," and " The Experiment of Protestantism." The fourth division—articles ix. and x.—treats of orthodox and historical Protestantism, and the fifth — articles xi. and xii. —of Unitarianism and Transcen- dentalism. But as the same general principles run through them all, the articles have not been marked off into these general divisions, but are numbered consecutively from first to last. Intelligence and liberty are not a hindrance but a help to religious life ; only false religion has reason to fear the spread of enlightenment and the enjoy- ment of our free civil institutions ; while intellectual development and civil liberty have acceler- ated more than anything else the decay of Protes- tantism, they are calculated more than any other human environments to advance at the present time the progress of true supernatural life among men. ; 2 Notice. The "main purpose of this volume is to show that the liberty enjoyed in modern society, in so far as it is true, and the intelligence of modern society, in so far as it. is guileless, are inestimable helps to the spread of Catholicity and the deepen- ing of that interior spirit which is the best result of true religion. The office of divine external authority in religious affairs in providing a safeguard to the indi- vidual soul and assisting it to a freer and more instinctive co-operation with the Holy Spirit's interior inspirations, is often treated of in this book and the false liberty of pride and error is plainly pointed out. The logical order would, perhaps, place the articles dealing with old-fashioned Protestantism first, then those on Unitarianism, etc. But whatever the logical order may claim, the order of actual facts rele- gates our disputes with genuine Protestantism mostly to out-of-the-way neighborhoods where the currents of intellectual life have stagnated ; hence such articles have been relegated to places other than the most conspicuous. The main question of the hour is. How can religion be made compatible with a high degree of liberty and intelligence ? Readers who remember these articles as they originally appeared in The Chtholic World will per- ceive that some have been abridged, verbal correc- tions occasionally made, and dates and names of places of no present interest omitted. In a few cases the titles of articles have been changed, the better to indicate the unity of thought in the whole series. —— CONTENTS. I. The Church, in view of the Needs of the Age 7 The Question Stated —Remote Cause of Present Difficulties Proximate Cause— Is there a Way out?— Mission of the Holy SpiPit—The Men the Age demands— The Church has entered on this Way—Twofold Action of the Holy Spirit New Phase of the Churcli—Mission of Races—Some of the Causes of Protestantism— Present Saxon Persecutions — Re- turn of the Saxon Races to the Church— Mixed Saxons Re- turning—Transition of the Latin-Celts— Perspective of the Future. II. Relation of Church and State in America 64 The Motive of Columbus and early Explorers— Freedom of Conscience in Colonial Days—The Principles of American Freedom are Catholic—Protestantism is opposed to them Protestants are true Americans at the expense of their Creed—The Catholic Spirit favors Civil Libcrt\—The Finan- cial State of the Church here proves that she is in accord with our civil and social status—The American principles logically tend to make men Catholics. III. Cardinal Gibbons and American Institutions 100 Text of the Cardinal's Address on taking possession of his Titular Church in Rome— His Office makes him our Repre- sentative—He has rightly interpreted our Institutions to the Old World, as Benjamin Franklin did during the struggle for Independence— St. Augustine on the dominion of Man over Man—The Church can flourish anywhere, but the civil Liberty of the United Slates is especiall)' favoiable to her Civil Liberty as related to Man's co-operation with Divine Guidance—Testimony of the M:utyrs—Why Europeans do not understand us—The incompetency of the American State in Ecclesiastical Affairs—Cardinal Gibbons's discourse suggests the power for good of a College of Cardinals constituted according to the will of the Council of Trent. — Contents. IV. Catholicity and the Italian People 115 A perplexing Problem—The Unity of Italy—The Mission of the Latin Race—The Church not dependent on any Race Authority and Liberty in Catholic Life —Italy and the Holy See—Impending Danger. V. The Church and France 147 Two Movements in the World—The Result of the Battle- Errors of Modern Philosophy—A new, united Christen- dom—The Kingdom of God on Earth—Promises False and True—Strange Destiny of France. VI. St. Catherine of Genoa 1 70 She was an Example of the Concord of the inner and outer Action of the Holy Spirit upon the Soul—Her Soul was sanctified by the spirit in which she performed the Duties of the Secular State of life. VII. Catholicity and the Tendencies of the Age 181 Science and Philosophy, and not Biblical Research, must shape our Polemics in future—This will continue the great work of the Schoolmen—Pope Leo's Statement: "Christ is the Restorer of the Sciences "—The healthful Tendencies of Modern Thought are towards Catholic Truth—Misconcep- tions of Catholic Authoritj'—Obedience not the only Virtue — Different Virtues conspicuous in different Ages and among different Races—To say that the Essence of Chris- tianity is Authority is an Error—What the Essence of Chris- tianity really is. VIII. The Experiment of Protestantism 209 The original doctrinal Basis of Protestantism is now rejected by Protest.Tnts—Luther's Appeal from Organic Christianity to Subjective Christianity— His view of Personal Judgment was distorted and irrational —The rational view of the com- petence of Personal Judgment—The Christian View of personal Holiness—Guidance of the Holy Spirit—The ideal Christian Church—The Divine and Human Sides of the Church—The Church can and does reform the Human Side —Luther was, in religious affairs, an Anarchist, not a Reformer. — Contents. IX. Protestantism vs. the Church 234 Is the Church made by Christians or by Christ?— Docs Christ use the Church to malte Christians?—The Office of the Bible in the maliing of the Christian —The Seeds of Fanaticism An Organic Christianity is the logical sequence of the Incar- nation—The Church is the Body of Christ—Explanation of the Sacramental Life of the Christian. X. The Spiritual World and the Rule of Faith 258 Connection between the Natural and Supernatural World Not properly understood or even known by many intelligent Protestants— False Mysticism and Spiritism fruits of the Reformation—The Protestant Rule of Faith discussed. XI. Unitarianism and the Fatherhood of God =79 Unitarian View that the Chiistian Church is still noi properly that they have the task of its oigani- organized : Ihcy believe zation—The true Church does not borrow Truth from Races and Civilizations, but imparts it—" What is the Unitarian Church for ? "—The Natural Man is not a Child of God- outer Action How he is made so—Relation of the inner and of God upon Man. XII. The Transcendental Movement in New England 300 Nature Every Heresy tends to mislead human Aspirations— attempt does not suffice for Nature—Transcendentalism an Reason for the Ob- to substitute the insufficient Light of scurity of Heresy—Led astray by German Subjectivism- Calvinism destroyed by American Institutions— Transcen- Rea- dentalism the abortive Effort to set up the authority of Catholic Church son in the jurisdiction of Revelation—The Reason an^ Reyela= is the divine Synthesis of all Truths of tion. I. THE CHUilCH, IN VIEW OF THE NEEDS OF THE AGE. The Question Stated. Vjl^HE Catholic Church throughout the world, ^^-^ beginning at Rome, is in a suffering state. There is scarcely a spot on the earth where she is not assailed by injustice, oppression, or violent persecution. Like her Divine Author in His Pas- sion, every member has its own trial of pain to endure. All the gates of hell have been opened, and every species of attack, as by general con- spiracy, has been let loose at once upon the Church. Countries in which Catholics outnumber all other Christians put together, as France, Austria, Italy, Spain, Bavaria, Baden, South America, Brazil, and, until recently, Belgium, are for the most part con- trolled and governed by hostile minorities, and in some instances the minority is very small.

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