Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/406

 a vineyard  whose  laborers  are  not  to  be  paid  off until the  evening  of  time;  as  a  net  cast  into  the  sea and not  to  be  drawn  forth  until  the  morning  of eternity. In the  first  and  second  Epistles  to  the Corinthians we  find  the  Church  spoken  of  now  as  the body and  again  as  the  spouse  of  Christ. But shall Christ's body  perish? Or shall  Truth  itself  prove faithless to  His  spouse? The Church  is  a  real  body. From Christ,  the  head,  the  vital  force,  the  Holy Ghost, flows  through  all  the  members. As long, therefore, as  the  head  is  united  to  the  body,  and  this quickening Spirit  continues  to  flow,  so  long  must  the body continue  to  live. But Christ  Himself  in  His  last discourse, promised  that  the  Spirit  should  dwell  in His  Church  forever,  saying:  "  When  I  go,  I  will  ask the  Father  and  He  shall  give  you  another  Paraclete that  He  may  abide  with  you  forever." The Church is the  spouse  of  Christ,  and  as  such  He  gives  her  the very Spirit  of  love  as  a  pledge  of  everlasting  fidelity. Again, in  the  sixteenth  chapter  of  St.  Matthew Christ says  to  St.  Peter:  "  I  say  to  thee  that  thou  art Peter  and  upon  this  rock  I  will  build  My  Church  and the  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  her." From within  and  from  without,  therefore,  the Church is  indestructible. In the  gospel  of  St.  Luke Christ uses  the  same  simile:  "He  that  heareth  the word  of  God  and  keepeth  it  is  like  to  one  who  builds his  house  upon  a  rock.  For  the  winds  and  the  rains come  and  beat  upon  that  house,  but  they  shake  it not,  for  it  is  founded  on  a  rock." So, too,  the  storms of error  and  bigotry  may  break  upon  the  Church,  but