Page:Mahometanism in its relation to prophecy - or, an inquiry into the prophecies concerning antichrist, with some reference to their bearing on the events of the present day (IA mahometanisminit00philrich).pdf/151

 rivalled even the Temple of Solomon, and far surpassed the most splendid temples of Paganism. The learned Abbé Fleury, in his "Church History," has given us such a description of the glories of the Church under the Christian Roman emperors, that the reader is quite lost in wonder and admiration. But it was not only in material riches and splendour that the Church shone after Constantine's conversion, she developed her spiritual principles and her inherent sanctity with equal brilliancy. The holy counsels of Jesus Christ were now eagerly embraced, we may say, without exaggeration, by countless millions of fervent Christian virgins and youths, whose hearts glowed so brightly with the love of Jesus, that they counted all things else but as dross in comparison of His service, and the continual contemplation of His blessed life and His adorable perfections. When we read the lives of St. Anthony and the other holy fathers of the deserts, we are filled with devotion, and the coldest hearts are kindled with the love of Jesus. Ob! how great was the fervour, the humility, the devotion, and the mortification of these great servants of God! Well might the devout author of the "Imitation of Christ" exclaim, when he compared the Christian fervour of his own times with that of these golden