Page:TheYoungMansGuide.djvu/61

 punishment. Of the  possession  of  these  powers the apostles  were  conscious  from  the  very  first, since they  thus  expressed  themselves:  "It  hath seemed  good  to  the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  us,"  to lay  such  and  such  commands  upon  you.

6. Thus  we  see  that  Christ  founded  in  very deed a  living,  infallible  authority,  with  the  commission and  command  to  transmit  His  religion in its  entirety  to  all  future  generations;  this authority is  the  college  of  the  apostles. Equally certain is  it  that  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, as it  exists  in  the  present  day,  is  the  legitimate continuation of  the  college  oi  the  apostles. Such a  continuation  must  indeed  exist  in  all centuries after  Christ  as  an  infallible  teaching authority; for  Christ  has  said :  "I  am  with  you all  days,  even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world. Now  among  ail  religious  systems  there  is  only one  which  lays  claim  to  the  possession  of  an infallible  body  of  teachers,  and  this  is  the Roman  Catholic  Church  alone.  When  we assert  that  the  Catholic  Church  is  infallible,  we mean  that  she  can  not  err  in  matters  of  faith  and morals.

If this  claim  were  unfounded,  if  it  were  a mere  pretension,  it  would  follow  that  the  Church of Christ  would  to-day  have  vanished  from  the face of  the  earth. But this  is  not  possible,  for were it  otherwise  what  would  become  of  the promise of  Christ:  "The  gates  of  hell  shall  not prevail  against  it"? What would  become  of  the divinity of  Jesus  Christ  Himself?

Thus we  see  that  in  one  Church  alone,  in  the Roman Catholic  Church,  does  Christ  still  reign as teacher,  priest,  and  king. Our joy  and  pride it is  that  we  are  children  of  this  Holy  Catholic Church.