St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-02-28

world The Rome of the Caesars
was che centre of all the errors, all
the false dOgmas, all the vicious
maxims and of all the vices of the
pagan world. Here fiourished ra-
tional philosophy, ancient science,
Grecian eloquence, literature and
art. 1t is in the city of Augustus
Tiberius, Cicero. Livy and Horace,
Peter and Paul undertake to per-
suade the people to hurl from the
summit of the Capitol on Capitoline
Hill the statute of Jupiter Capitolin-
us and to put in it's place the Cross
of Calvary. Can Peter and Paul per-
form this task with the human re-
sources at their disposal? Surely
there is no proportion between the
means and the end proposed. Is
there eloquence equal to it? They
are illiterate. Will their earnestness
satisfy the people of the truth of
their claims? No. EarnestnesS
proved by martyrdom proves only
their honesty and sincerity, but hon
est sincerity is often deceived and in
error, and therefore if these poor
men, overthrow Jupiter and his wor-
ship and establish the worship of the
divine Redeemer' instead, they are
\ simply instruments in the hands of
| God, and the fact is a divine fact, a
miracle in the moral order.
But now as to the matter of fact:
/ The Gospel covers the Empire and
/ the world with the rapidity of light
ming The earth, as if moved by a
new power, seems to tremble be-
meath the feet of these wonderful
l preachers, and the statues of pagan
/ idols seem to totter on their pedes-
tails. The people in multitudes place
! themselves under the banner of
Jesus Christ. Congregations spring
/ up and are organized everywhere.
| The Orient and the West, Asia, Eu
rope and Africa, resOund with the
name of Jesus Christ, the crucified,
and the triumphant risen Son of God
and Son of Man, the Redeemer and
the Saviour of all men of good will
and honest minds, for whom sufici-
ent reason is enough reason. Shortly
the civilized worlds capitulate and
confess Jesus Christ the Son of God
and the Saviour of the world. Paul
writes to the Romans: IS: Your
faith is spoken of in the whole
world
In the time of the Apostles, there
fore, the Gospel had been preached
and heard in the whole world. The
Epistles of Peter and Paul and the
Acts of the Apostles speak of in
Vulnerable congregations, churches
and dioceses founded by them and
their disciples. Less than forty
years after the death of Jesus Christ
Tacitus, the Pagan historian of the
empire (Ann. XIV. 44) says: "That
execrable Christian superstition, re-
strained awhile, broke over all OPP
position again and inundated like a
torrent, not only Judea, where it
had it's birth, but even Rome" Pliny |
the younger, toward the close of
the first century, Governor Of Bithy-
mia, writes to the Emperor Trajan: |
"That a multitude of people of every |
age, rank and sex profess Christian
ity and that the contagion of the |
Christian superstition has infected |
the cities, towns and country places; |
that the temples of the pagan gods
have been almost deserted and that |
the religious ceremonies have long
since been abandoned" (Ep. 97)
St. Justin in the second century
says: cit is an indisputable fact that
there is no class of people, Greeks
or barbarians, among whom pray
ers and thanks are not offered to
L.
(Diel cum Sryph. 117.)
Tertullian says to the Romans
(Apol. XXXVII.): 1--WE are of yes
terday and we fill all your posses
sions, cities, islands, the very
camps, the palace, the senate, the
forum. The temples alone we leave ;
YOU" Already the Christians adj
1uce the rapidity and universally
~ as~
Of the divine origin and character of
All the powers of the Empire,
rulers, priests, philosophers oppose
the new religion. To no purpose
The instruments of torture and
leath deluge the earth with the
blood If five millions of Christians {
The plant of faith thrives best in !
The blood of the martyrs is the seed
If the Church. Three centuries of
persecution have converted the
world
Constantine becomes Christian, I
'avors the extension of the Church {
md its salutary influence on society.
IencefOrth the symbol of Jesus
Jhrist's triumph is raised to the I
llace of honor in the Empire and a :,
world pays homage to
God in accents Of truth and virtue 2
Christianity has transformed the
world as to its ideas, its beliefs, the 7
itate Of its intelligence, its morals. I
virtues and vices. the state of it's 7
viii and of its passions, its acts, its q
external, public and social life as
veil as its most intimate life and o
lrejudices. And twelve poor labor Il
ITS have accomplished this fact in G
he face of difficulties on every side. 2
IS to the personnel of the ministry. Y
he people to be addressed and con s.
-erted, and as to the mysteries an h
The circumstances and f.
conditions in which the work is un- Il
Iertaken, enhanced the difficulties r
o such a degree that the work ac- n
may be compared with u
he creation of the universe, and Il
nay be justly held to be a new crea- L
ion in v1Oro1 orIo- q