Page:TheYoungMansGuide.djvu/59

 France, toward  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century, and  made  it  the  chief  aim  of  his  life  to carry  into  effect  his  well-known  saying :  Ecrasez l'infame, "  extirpate  the  infamous  thing!" Thus did he  designate  the  holy  Church  of  God. And surprising, indeed,  it  is  to  see  what  efforts  this man made,  and  how  persistently  he  endeavored by speech,  writings,  and  actions,  to  give  effect to his  favorite  saying,  to  extirpate  this  holy Church, to  uproot  it  from  the  face  of  the  earth.

But what  did  he  gain  by  his  proceedings? The outbreak  of  the  most  horrible,  the  most sanguinary revolution  the  world  has  ever  seen, the slaughter  of  hundreds  and  thousands,  the dissolution of  all  order  and  propriety,  —  but never the  destruction  of  Holy  Church.

And Voltaire  does  not  stand  alone  in  this respect; in  all  ages  there  have  been  enemies  of the  Church  and  of  God,  who,  with  similar  fury and persistence,  and  with  the  like  weapons,  persecuted the  Church  of  God,  but  never,  never could they  succeed  in  uprooting  it. And why not? Because the  Church  is  the  work  of  God, because Christ  founded  it,  because  Christ  reigns in the  Church  and  through  the  Church.

2. Christ  reigns;  for  (a)  He  founded  a  living, infallible authority  (Church)  commissioning  and empowering her  to  propagate  His  religion  pure and undefiled  throughout  the  whole  world;  and (b) the  Roman  Catholic  Church  now  represents this living  authority  in  a  legitimate  manner

3. Christ  founded  a  living,  infallible  authority. At the  very  outset  He  gathered  together  twelve disciples, designated  apostles. To them  He said,  shortly  before  His  death:  "As  the  Father hath  sent  Me,  I  also  send  you." Thus we  see that Christ  entrusted  to  the  apostles  His  own